153 articles from THURSDAY 2.6.2022

Studying schizophrenia in plants? Researchers are giving it a shot

What if scientists could study human psychiatric illness in plants? Yale researchers think it's possible and they've taken an important first step. In a study published June 2 in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, they investigated a gene very similar in both plants and mammals and looked at how it affects behavior in each.

NASA's DAVINCI mission to take the plunge through massive atmosphere of Venus

In a paper recently published in The Planetary Science Journal, NASA scientists and engineers give new details about the agency's Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI) mission, which will descend through the layered Venus atmosphere to the surface of the planet in mid-2031. DAVINCI is the first mission to study Venus using both spacecraft flybys and a...

Fish cannibalism is rare in the wild, study finds

Mosquitofish and guppies, though known to be cannibalistic in captivity, are extremely unlikely to be cannibals in wild settings, and the rare instances of cannibalism in these fish are likely due to strong competition for food. The findings, from a new Ecology and Evolution study led by U.S. and U.K. researchers, could have implications not only for fish enthusiasts and scientists who use...

Salt may be the key to life on Earth and beyond

The composition of the atmosphere, especially the abundance of greenhouse gases, influences Earth's climate. Researchers at Purdue University, led by Stephanie Olson, assistant professor of earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences, have recently found that the presence of salt in seawater can also have a major impact on the habitability of Earth and other planets. The team used a climate model...

Decoding the language of immune responses

Fever, cough, sore throat—symptoms in the spotlight in the era of COVID-19—are just some of the telltale signs of our body's immune system kicking into action against an unwanted intruder. Whether triggered by an infection, an allergen, or a vaccine, immune responses are driven by a complex array of cellular processes that can play out over several days or even weeks.

Decoding the language of immune responses

Researchers from McGill University and the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) have made some surprising discoveries about our immune system. By using mathematical modelling to look at specific aspects of immune responses in mice and humans, their data-driven approach, described in a recent article in Science, reveals that immune responses may exist on a finer spectrum than had previously been...

Designing the perfect membrane for clean separation of gases

Selective removal of detrimental gases, e.g., hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2) from natural gas (CH4) could become simpler and highly effective using a new class of oriented mixed-matrix metal-organic framework (MMMOF) membrane developed at KAUST that may enable better use of this cleaner fossil fuel.

This parasite will self-destruct: Researchers discover new weapon against drug-resistant malaria

A new method to combat malaria which sees the disease turn against itself could offer an effective treatment for the hundreds of millions of people infected globally each year, as the efficacy of current antimalarial drugs weakens. The research has identified an anti-malarial compound, ML901, which inhibits the malaria parasite but does not harm mammalian -- human or other mammals' -- cells.

The consequences of climate change in the Alps are visible from space

Global warming has a particularly pronounced impact on the Alpine region. Like the Arctic, this European mountain range is becoming greener. Researchers have now used satellite data to show that vegetation above the tree line has increased in nearly 80% of the Alps. Snow cover is also decreasing, albeit so far only slightly.

Height may be risk factor for multiple health conditions

A large genetic study has found that a person's height may affect their risk for several common health conditions in adulthood. Significant findings include a link between height and lower risk of coronary heart disease, and a link between height and higher risk for peripheral neuropathy and circulatory disorders.

Salmonella vaccine for poultry contributed to rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

An investigation into the evolution of Salmonella bacteria infecting Brazilian poultry shows that the introduction of a Salmonella vaccine, combined with increasing antibiotic usage by Brazilian farmers, has led to the rise of strains that are more antibiotic-resistant, but less likely to cause disease in humans. Andrea Micke Moreno of the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and Alison Mather of...

More skin infection, less heart disease: study reveals how being tall affects health

Study of 250,000 people sought to remove confounding factors such as socioeconomic statusTaller people have an increased risk of peripheral neuropathy, as well as skin and bone infections, but a lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, according to the world’s largest study of height and disease.A person’s height raises and reduces their risk of a variety of...

Strange fossil solves giraffe evolutionary mystery

Fossils of a strange early giraffoid have revealed the key driving forces in giraffe evolution, according to a study led by researchers from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.