96 articles from MONDAY 3.1.2022

Computer model of blood enzyme may lead to new drugs for cardiovascular disease

Membrane-associated proteins play a vital role in a variety of cellular processes, yet little is known about the membrane-association mechanism. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is one such protein with an important role in cardiovascular health, but its mechanism of action on the phospholipid membrane was unknown. To address this, researchers at University of California San Diego...

A starfish-shaped soft robot that creeps, changes its color, and self-heals broken parts

Natural camouflage is one of nature's most interesting traits. Materials scientists have now developed a material that can mimic the camouflage capabilities of marine mollusks. They created a starfish-shaped soft robot that responds to heat and pressure with deformation, movement, and color changes. Cut-off tentacles can be welded together, and the material can be fully recycled, they write in the...

Astronomers find mysterious dusty object orbiting a star

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, TESS, was launched in 2018 with the goal of discovering small planets around the sun's nearest neighbor stars. TESS has so far discovered 172 confirmed exoplanets and compiled a list of 4703 candidate exoplanets. Its sensitive camera takes images that span a huge field of view, more than twice the area of the constellation of Orion, and TESS has also...

Researchers gain insights into how ultrasmall bacteria from the environment have adapted to live inside humans

The microbes that live inside our mouths, collectively known as the oral microbiome, impact our overall health in many ways that are not yet fully understood. Some bacteria cause inflammation, leading to periodontitis and other systemic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Other oral organisms have been associated with certain types of cancer. Scientists are working to understand...

Bringing the sun into the lab

Why the sun's corona reaches temperatures of several million degrees Celsius is one of the great mysteries of solar physics. A 'hot' trail to explain this effect leads to a region of the solar atmosphere just below the corona, where sound waves and certain plasma waves travel at the same speed. In an experiment using the molten alkali metal rubidium and pulsed high magnetic fields, researchers...

Research: Classroom observation scores for Tennessee teachers vary by race and gender

New research by the Tennessee Education Research Alliance at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College reveals that Black and male teachers in Tennessee have received lower observation scores than white and female teachers every year since the state's evaluation system began in 2011. Those gaps among race and gender remain even when comparing similarly qualified teachers who perform the same...

Accidental tree wound reveals novel symbiotic behavior by ants

One afternoon, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Panama, a bored teenager with a slingshot and a clay ball accidentally shot entry and exit holes in a Cecropia tree trunk. These are "ant-plant" trees, which famously cooperate with fierce Azteca ants; the trees provide shelter and food to the ants, and in exchange the ants defend their leaves against herbivores. The next morning, to...

Liquid-metal experiment provides insight into the heating mechanism of the sun's corona

Why the sun's corona reaches temperatures of several million degrees Celsius is one of the great mysteries of solar physics. A "hot" trail to explain this effect leads to a region of the solar atmosphere just below the corona, where sound waves and certain plasma waves travel at the same speed. In an experiment using the molten alkali metal rubidium and pulsed high magnetic fields, a team from the...

NASA 2022: The Future is Now

Receiving the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope, sending the first uncrewed Artemis mission around the Moon and back to Earth, sending NASA science and technology to the surface of the Moon on three missions with our commercial partners, and flying our first quiet, supersonic plane are just a few of the things NASA has planned for 2022. Video...

When will Omicron peak in the UK and is the modelling wrong?

Gloomiest predictions may have not come to pass, but experts caution that we’re not out of the woods yetCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe family gatherings have disbanded, the new year’s hangovers have lifted. Despite record Covid infection figures over the holiday period, evidence that the rate of increase in cases may be slowing has prompted speculation that...

New research shows violence is broadly felt by millions of Californians

Research led by UC Davis Professor Garen Wintemute shows that violence indirectly impacts most Californians. Though relatively few may experience or witness a violent act, a large majority of surveyed Californians reported having an "experience of violence" (EV). These included hearing gunshots in their neighborhood, encountering a sidewalk memorial to a violent death or learning about a violent...