153 articles from THURSDAY 7.7.2022

Towards autonomous prediction and synthesis of novel magnetic materials

In materials science, candidates for novel functional materials are usually explored in a trial-and-error fashion through calculations, synthetic methods, and material analysis. However, the approach is time-consuming and requires expertise. Now, researchers from Japan have used a data-driven approach to automate the process of predicting new magnetic materials. By combining first-principles...

EU decision on natural gas could threaten climate progress

The European Union's decision to include natural gas in a list of activities considered sustainable could derail its progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions at a time when climate scientists are calling for dramatic reductions to planet-warming releases.

Researchers achieve high-performance cryopreservation of living cells based on synergetic ice inhibition effects

A research team led by Prof. Zhao Gang from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, collaborating with Prof. Liu Huilan from the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, has achieved high-performance cryopreservation of living cells using synergetic ice inhibition effects of two-dimensional (2D) titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx) MXene nanosheet.

Biologists discover three new coral species in Hong Kong waters

Biologists from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) have discovered in Hong Kong waters three new species of hard coral which have never been identified anywhere else in the world. The findings come shortly after their discovery of one new coral and two new nudibranch species, which was announced last year under their research project on coral health in Hong Kong.

Researchers argue that long human lifespan is due in part to the contributions of elders

According to long-standing canon in evolutionary biology, natural selection is cruelly selfish, favoring traits that help promote reproductive success. This usually means that the so-called "force" of selection is well equipped to remove harmful mutations that appear during early life and throughout the reproductive years. However, by the age fertility ceases, the story goes that selection becomes...

Letter: Sir Colin Blakemore obituary

A meeting with Colin Blakemore and Les Ward on the set of BBC One’s Kilroy programme in 1991 led to us forming what eventually became the Boyd Group. At the time Les was director of Advocates for Animals, and I of the Research for Health Charities Group.Then as now I opposed animal research in principle, but felt that patients’ needs and medical advances must come first in a society that...

Mid-depth waters off the United States East Coast are getting saltier

A new study led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) shows a significant increase in frequency of warm saltwater intrusions from the deep ocean to the continental shelf along the Middle Atlantic Bight, which extends from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Using data collected from NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service Ecosystem Monitoring program, as well as data...

Female urinary tract lactobaccilli can kill pathogenic bacteria

Lactobacilli that live in the human female urinary tract's microbiome are competitive and kill nearby pathogenic bacteria, according to the first study of its kind by a team led by microbiologist Dr. Tanya Sysoeva of The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). The study was recently published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.

Scientists discover how glucose and lipid metabolism is regulated by non-coding RNA

A group of Skoltech researchers under Dr. Olga Sergeeva's supervision studied the functions of a long non-coding RNA, which is "read" from the genome, but does not carry the information about protein structure. In experiments on animals and cell lines, scientists have shown that long non-coding RNA LL35 regulates the metabolism of glucose and lipids. Moreover, its depletion suppresses liver cells'...

Scientists hijack bacteria to ease drug manufacturing

For more affordable, sustainable drug options than we have today, the medication we take to treat high blood pressure, pain or memory loss may one day come from engineered bacteria, cultured in a vat like yogurt. And thanks to a new bacterial tool developed by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin, the process of improving drug manufacturing in bacterial cells may be coming sooner than...

Scientists develop smart terahertz electro-optic modulator

A research group led by Prof. Sheng Zhigao from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) developed an active and smart Terahertz (THz) electro-optic modulator. Their results were published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Fin whale populations rebound in Antarctic feeding grounds

Southern fin whales have been documented feeding in large numbers in ancestral feeding grounds in Antarctica for the first time since hunting was restricted in 1976. The paper, published in Scientific Reports, includes the first video documentation of large groups of fin whales feeding near Elephant Island, Antarctica. The authors suggest that the recovery of fin whale populations could restore...

Researchers build longest highly-conductive molecular nanowire 

As our devices get smaller and smaller, the use of molecules as the main components in electronic circuitry is becoming ever more critical. Over the past 10 years, researchers have been trying to use single molecules as conducting wires because of their small scale, distinct electronic characteristics, and high tunability. But in most molecular wires, as the length of the wire increases, the...

For dinos like T. rex, puny arms may have been the price of a giant head

In the rolling hills of Argentina’s Patagonian Desert, Juan Canale struck paleontological gold. Within half the length of a soccer pitch, his team discovered five dinosaur skeletons, including a new species that’s a Tyrannosaurus rex doppelgänger—the third known giant dinosaur to evolve stubby arms and cartoonishly large heads. In a new study ,...

Exploring the deep sea as a new source of rare earth elements

Rare earth elements (REEs), like lanthanum and cerium, are vital components in many everyday and emerging technologies, including smartphones, hard disks and clean energy. However, as concerns about the environmental impact of REE extraction and supply chain vulnerabilities grow (China dominates the REE market, accounting for 57.5% of production in 2020), researchers are looking to new sources of...

New indicators for marine ecosystem protection developed

Together with an international team, Senckenberg scientists have developed new monitoring indicators for the protection of marine and coastal areas. In their study, published in the journal Scientific Data, they show that large gaps exist in the protection of marine ecosystems. According to the research team, the high seas, for example, have a high conservation potential for biodiversity—but...