Catching the COVID wiggle: Researchers develop new way to visualize how the spike protein shows off its moves
Coronaviruses are slippery, and that makes it hard to create effective vaccines that provide long-term protection. Now, University of Connectiut (UConn) researchers have developed a new way to model the spike protein of the virus and test its binding to antibodies. That could give scientists a firmer grip on the virus that causes COVID-19.
Faculty mentor training program strengthens university's institutional climate
Many universities are in search of strategies to improve their faculty diversity and institutional climate. One factor known to be critical for faculty satisfaction is proper mentorship, but many faculty, particularly women and those from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds, lack clear access to high quality mentoring. To address this, the Office of Faculty Affairs at University of...
Common household cleaner can boost effort to harvest fusion energy on Earth
Scientists have found that adding a common household cleaning agent—the mineral boron contained in such cleaners as borax—can vastly improve the ability of some fusion energy devices to contain the heat required to produce fusion reactions on Earth the way the sun and stars do.
New treasure trove of globular clusters holds clues about galaxy evolution
A survey completed using a combination of ground and space-based telescopes yielded a treasure trove of previously unknown globular clusters—old, dense groups of thousands of stars that all formed at the same time—in the outer regions of the elliptical galaxy Centaurus A. The work presents a significant advance in understanding the architecture and cosmological history of this galaxy and...
A new approach to enterprise risk management
While some organizations can respond to unexpected events, which can span from disruptive technologies and intensified competition to extreme weather events and climate related disasters, most of them cannot, and have a challenging time. So, how do we deal effectively with an increasingly complex and uncertain world?
Study finds gender bias in language prevalent, even for language experts
Gender bias has not changed in more than 20 years, even by language experts who are aware of the potential dangers of such prejudices, according to a study coauthored by Rutgers University-New Brunswick that examined textbooks used to teach undergraduates studying the scientific structure of language.
Researchers create molecular device that can record and alter cells' bioelectric fields without creating damage
Bioelectricity, the current that flows between our cells, is fundamental to our ability to think and talk and walk.
Men are more likely to respond negatively to gender threats in the workplace than women, research finds
When male workers believe their gender status is threatened, they are more likely than their female counterparts to engage in deviant behavior such as lying, cheating or stealing in the workplace, new research suggests.
Understanding how autoactivation triggers cell death
Apoptosis is a process that causes cell death. It can go awry in cancer cells, sustaining the disease. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have captured the structure of BAK, a protein that triggers apoptosis. They have shown how BAK autoactivates, essentially turning itself on. Understanding how apoptosis is triggered can lead to drugs that kill cancer cells. The findings were...
Semiconductor demonstrates elusive quantum physics model
With a little twist and the turn of a voltage knob, Cornell researchers have shown that a single material system can toggle between two of the wildest states in condensed matter physics: The quantum anomalous Hall insulator and the two-dimensional topological insulator.
Too much heavy metal stops stars producing more
Stars are giant factories that produce most of the elements in the universe—including the elements in us, and in Earth's metal deposits. But how do stars produce changes over time?
Study finds that K-12 experience and population density are among factors that support rural 'brain gain'
Many academics and journalists have written about rural "brain drain," the migration of talented and bright young people who leave their communities, usually in search of better economic opportunities. But a team of Iowa State University researchers have identified three significant factors that draw people back to their hometowns a decade or two after leaving: public schools, population density...
Researchers determine nutritional properties of protein in cricket, locust and silkworm pupae insect powders
As the human population grows to a predicted 10 billion by 2050 and overall land mass remains constant, traditional animal farming may become a less viable method for food production.
Ancient Mesopotamian discovery transforms knowledge of early farming
Rutgers researchers have unearthed the earliest definitive evidence of broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) in ancient Iraq, challenging our understanding of humanity's earliest agricultural practices. Their findings appear in the journal Scientific Reports.
New model examines the effects of toxicants on organism populations in polluted rivers
When designing environmental policies to limit the damage of river pollution, it is paramount to assess the specific risks that particular pollutants pose to different species. However, rigorously testing the effects of toxicants—like insecticides, plastic debris, pathogens, and chemicals—on entire groups of organisms without severely damaging their whole ecosystems is simply not feasible....
Twelve for dinner: The Milky Way's feeding habits shine a light on dark matter
Astronomers are one step closer to revealing the properties of dark matter enveloping our Milky Way galaxy, thanks to a new map of twelve streams of stars orbiting within our galactic halo.
Gene discovered in Georgia water a possible global threat
A gene that causes bacteria to be resistant to one of the world's most important antibiotics, colistin, has been detected in sewer water in Georgia. The presence of the MCR-9 gene is a major concern for public health because it causes antimicrobial resistance, a problem that the World Health Organization has declared "one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity."
Ankylosaur was sluggish and deaf
German and Austrian scientists took a closer look at the braincase of a dinosaur from Austria. The group examined the fossil with a micro-CT and found surprising new details: it was sluggish and deaf. The respective study was recently published in the journal Scientific Reports.
How much do students learn when they double the speed of their class videos?
Recorded lectures have become a routine part of course instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, and college students often try to pack more learning into a shorter span by watching these recordings at double their normal speed or even faster. But does comprehension suffer as a result?
Researchers find grim outlook for animals tied to same habitats
Some wildlife are stuck in their ways.
Hidden order in windswept sand
An interdisciplinary team including researchers from Leipzig University has analyzed an extensive collection of sand samples from so-called megaripple fields around the world and gained new insights into the composition of these sand waves. These could help settle debates about the mechanistic origin of some recently discovered enigmatic extraterrestrial sand structures and improve our ability to...
Exploring parasite populations in savanna watering holes
The sun rises on the savannas of central Kenya. Grasses sway in the wind as hoof-steps fall on the dusty ground. A menagerie of Africa's iconic wildlife congregates around a watering hole to quench their thirst during the region's dry season.
Report: US carbon emissions grew in 2021
In the face of presidential orders and a flurry of legislation to curb carbon emissions, the volume of climate-warming gasses pumped into the atmosphere in the U.S. grew by more than 6 percent in 2021 after a pandemic-driven decline in 2020, according to widely watched data released Monday.
Petition seeks to move captive coyote from forest preserve cage to animal sanctuary
On a recent morning with wind chills below zero, at a Cook County, Illinois, forest preserve, a coyote paced back and forth inside a cage, turning tight figures eights, peering out through the wires. With sharp teeth and quick movements, the animal looked ready to hunt. But animal experts agree, he probably can't survive on his own in the wild.
In-fridge controller could scale up quantum computers
A collaboration between computer scientists and physicists at the University of Chicago broke through one of the key obstacles for large-scale quantum computing by figuring out how to move their control signals "inside the fridge."