feed info

84 articles from PhysOrg

Hubble images colorful planetary nebula ringed by hazy halo

NGC 2438 is a planetary nebula, formed after the death of a Sun-like star. The medium-sized star would have expelled its outer layers of gas into space as it died, leaving behind a white-dwarf core. A halo of glowing gas over 4.5 light-years across surrounds the nebula's brighter inner ring. Many round or nearly round planetary nebulae display these halo structures, and astronomers have been...

How cells correctly choose active genes

It is essential for cells to control precisely which of the many genes of their genetic material they use. This is done in so-called transcription factories, molecular clusters in the nucleus. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), and Max Planck Center for Physics and Medicine (MPZPM) have now found that the formation of...

Neutrons take a deep dive into water networks surrounding DNA

Water plays several important roles within the human body, even affecting the DNA in our cells. The entire surface of a DNA double helix is coated in layers of water molecules. This sheath of water attaches to the genetic material through hydrogen bonds, made by sharing hydrogen atoms between molecules. Through hydrogen bonds, water can influence how DNA takes shape and interacts with other...

Healable carbon fiber composite offers path to long-lasting, sustainable materials

Because of their high strength and light weight, carbon-fiber-based composite materials are gradually replacing metals for advancing all kinds of products and applications, from airplanes to wind turbines to golf clubs. But there's a trade-off. Once damaged or compromised, the most commonly-used carbon fiber materials are nearly impossible to repair or recycle.

Scientists discover how mitochondria import antioxidants

Many of the processes that keep us alive also put us at risk. The energy-producing chemical reactions in our cells, for example, also produce free radicals—unstable molecules that steal electrons from other molecules. When generated in surplus, free radicals can cause collateral damage, potentially triggering malfunctions such as cancer, neurodegeneration, or cardiovascular disease.

Mountaintop removal worse for endangered species than initially thought

A new study published today by journal PLOS ONE has revealed that mountaintop removal mining poses a more serious and widespread threat to endangered species and people than was previously understood. The researchers from Defenders of Wildlife's Center for Conservation Innovation (CCI) and conservation technology nonprofit SkyTruth, combine water-quality data with satellite imagery of mountaintop...

Scanning a single protein, one amino acid at a time

Using nanopore DNA sequencing technology, researchers from TU Delft and the University of Illinois have managed to scan a single protein. By slowly moving a linearized protein through a tiny nanopore, one amino acid at the time, the researchers were able to read off electric currents that relate to the information content of the protein. The researchers published their proof-of-concept in Science...

Team demonstrates simultaneous readout of 60 bolometers for far-infrared space telescopes

Light with sub-millimeter and far-infrared wavelengths from deep space can travel long distances, penetrating right through dust clouds, and bring us information about the history of the universe and the origin of galaxies, stars and planets. However, the long journey has weakened these signals, and we require sensitive detectors operating at millikelvin temperatures on a space instrument.

Using environmental modifications, fungicides, and resistant varieties to fight basil downy mildew

The most widely grown of all the herbs, basil, is also highly susceptible to downy mildew, which spreads quickly through spores dispersed by wind and can wipe out an entire field or greenhouse. The disease was first spotted in Uganda in 1932; then it disappeared for nearly 70 years. Later, it was spotted again in Switzerland in 2001. Scientists still don't understand why it reappeared, but they...

Nursery plants are plagued by a hidden water mold, and plant pathologists have a solution

Many nursery plants around the world are ravaged by root-destroying Phytophthora water molds. These disease organisms can lurk undetected for months or even years, thanks in part to the use of chemicals that suppress symptoms but do not eliminate the infection. As a result, many infected plants are sold. After planting, these plants can survive for many months but grow poorly and eventually die...

Hunting for human obesity genes in fat fruit flies

Fruit flies provide an effective platform for screening new obesity genes, and fat flies implicate a neuronal signaling pathway in weight gain, according to a new study publishing November 4th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Sadaf Farooqi and Andrea Brand of the University of Cambridge, UK, and colleagues.

Female finches are picky but pragmatic when choosing a mate

Female zebra finches are choosy but flexible when it comes to finding a mate, allowing them to avoid the fitness costs of being too selective when competition for males is high, report Wolfgang Forstmeier at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany, and colleagues, in a study publishing November 4th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.

What sponges can tell us about the evolution of the brain

Despite its central importance, the brain's origins have not yet been uncovered. The first animal brains appeared hundreds of millions of years ago. Today, only the most primitive animal species, such as aquatic sponges, lack brains. Paradoxically, these species may hold the key to unlock the mystery of how neurons and brains first evolved.

Cutting ammonia emissions is a cost-effective way to prevent air pollution deaths

Tackling pollution from the emission of nitrogen compounds, particularly ammonia, could reduce many of the 23.3 million years of life that were lost prematurely across the world in 2013 due to nitrogen-related air pollution, an international study led by Chinese scientists has discovered using a modeling framework, including the IIASA GAINS model.