A team of researchers has identified the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate selective autophagy in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. While the function of these processes is increasingly understood in mammals this is one of the first studies in insects. The study of autophagy -- the recycling and repair process within cells -- has huge potential to aid in fighting the ageing...

Researchers have identified an alternative to lithium-based battery technology by developing sodium glassy electrodes capable of supporting long-duration, grid-scale energy storage.

Inducing Type 1 diabetes in mice significantly reduced enamel and dentin microhardness.

A new study identifies sex-specific circuits of muscle signaling to other tissues and that the organs and processes muscle impacts are markedly different between males and females. This new discovery provides insight into how muscle functions, such as exercise, promote healthy longevity, metabolism and improve cognition.

Children whose mothers experience rising levels of depression from prepregnancy until the months just after giving birth are at greater risk of developing emotional, social and academic problems, psychology researchers report. Their seven-year study, which tracked mothers and their offspring from preconception until the children were 5 years old, is the first to demonstrate how changes in mothers'...

Thanks to a unique combination of biology and ecology, the guppies have provided researchers with insights into evolution for decades. Evans and Fitzpatrick have pushed those insights a step further, showing the guppies' potential to help probe big questions about how microbes living in host organisms contribute to health, survival and quality of life.

Scientists have shed new light on the effects that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has on human skeletal muscle, according to a new study in men.

Researchers describe a new platform technology called direct sound printing (DSP), which uses soundwaves to produce new objects. The paper explains show how focused ultrasound waves can be used to create sonochemical reactions in minuscule cavitation regions. Extremes of temperature and pressure lasting trillionths of a second can generate pre-designed complex geometries that cannot be made with...

Astronomers may now understand why the similar planets Uranus and Neptune are different colors. Researchers have now developed a single atmospheric model that matches observations of both planets. The model reveals that excess haze on Uranus builds up in the planet's stagnant, sluggish atmosphere and makes it appear a lighter tone than Neptune.

New research shows that the mental workload of intensive care unit nurses can successfully be evaluated using eye-movement tracking glasses.

Analyses of global climate models consistently show that clouds constitute the biggest source of uncertainty and instability in predictions. New research on the Frontera supercomputer seeks to better incorporate clouds into global models by breaking models into two parts: a coarse-grained, lower-resolution (100km) planetary model and many small patches with 100 to 200 meter resolution. These...

Pine cones open when dry and close when wet. In this way, pine seeds are released only under advantageous conditions, namely when it is dry and the seeds can be carried far by wind. Opening and closing is of particular interest to researchers because the actuation is passive, that is, it does not consume metabolic energy. This is why the pine cone has already served as a model for biomimetic flap...

Chemical dispersants are some of the best tools to clean up after an oil spill. However, scientists do not fully understand how well they work. A new study validated their efficacy in order to better prepare for the next disaster.

The liver has a unique ability to regenerate after damage. However, it was unknown whether this ability decreases as we age. Scientists have now used a technique known as retrospective radiocarbon birth dating to determine the age of the human liver. They showed that no matter the person's age, the liver is always on average less than three years old. The results demonstrate that aging does not...

A multidisciplinary research team has succeeded in doing something during a treatment attempt that had never been achieved in the history of medicine until now: it treated an originally damaged human liver in a machine for three days outside of a body and then implanted the recovered organ into a cancer patient. One year later, the patient is doing well.

One powerful way cancer cells defend against tumor-killing immune cells is to load up their cell surface with a protein known as PD-L1. Now a team of researchers has identified a method to degrade tumor cell-surface PD-L1, thereby making tumors susceptible to immune attack.

Plant fossils dating back 55 to 40 million years ago, during the Eocene epoch reveal details about the warmer and wetter climate. These conditions meant there were palms at the North and South Pole and predominantly arid landmasses like Australia were lush and green. By focusing on the morphology and taxonomic features of 12 different floras, the researchers developed a more detailed view of what...

Researchers describe biological mechanism that allows sleep to build relational memories -- associations between unrelated items.

Researchers investigated genes connected to lifespan. Their research uncovered specific characteristics of these genes and revealed that two regulatory systems controlling gene expression -- circadian and pluripotency networks -- are critical to longevity. The findings have implications both in understanding how longevity evolves and in providing new targets to combat aging and age-related...

Optics researchers develop an automated scanning device that can detect 2D monolayers with 99.9 percent accuracy -- surpassing any other method to date -- at a fraction of the cost, in far less time, and with readily available materials.

Breathing difficulties are the main cause of death following opioid use. In the UK, the number of adults entering treatment for opioid use was 140,863 in 2020/211 and opioid use remains a significant cause of premature death, contributing to 3,726 drug-related deaths last year. Opioid misuse causes death by supressing respiratory activity. New research points to a novel treatment for respiratory...

Scientists have identified a new role for a protein complex at the center of a human genetic disorder called Bardet-Biedl syndrome, or BBS, for which there is currently no cure.

Researchers present a comparative analysis of urban magnetic fields between two U.S. cities: Berkeley, California, and the Brooklyn borough of New York City. They explore what kinds of information can be extracted using data from magnetic field sensors to understand the working of cities and provide insights that may be crucial for preventative studies.

The diet of fossil extinct animals can hold clues to their lifestyle, behavior, evolution and ultimately extinction. However, studying an animal's diet after millions of years is difficult due to the poor preservation of chemical dietary indicators in organic material on these timescales. An international team of scientists has applied a new method to investigate the diet of the largest shark to...