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24 articles from ScienceDaily

Delays in contact tracing impeded early COVID-19 containment

Contact tracing programs were deployed around the globe to slow the spread of COVID-19, but these programs could not prevent the multiple waves of transmission and loss of life that have occurred since March 2020. Researchers found that a five-day delay between identifying a case and isolating contacts was the Achilles' heel of a contact tracing program in a large U.S. city.

Low school test scores linked to racial segregation and lead exposure in North Carolina

Birth data, blood lead levels and fourth grade end-of-grade test scores for more than 25,000 children living in North Carolina show how childhood lead exposure and neighborhood racial residential segregation affect early childhood educational outcomes. Identifying the mix of social, environmental and economic factors that create health disparities early could lead to earlier intervention in...

Scientists uncover a new role for blood-brain barrier in neuron function and damage

Researchers have made a surprising discovery linking Delta/Notch signaling in subperineurial glia (SPG) to the regulation of nerve ensheathment and neurotransmitter release at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ). SPG, the counterpart of the endothelial layer in the vertebrate blood-brain barrier, form the key cellular layer that is critical for axonal ensheathment and the blood-brain...

National parks -- islands in a desert?

How effective is biodiversity conservation of European and African national parks? This seems to be strongly associated with societal and economic conditions. But even under the most favorable conditions, conservation efforts cannot completely halt emerging threats to biodiversity if conditions outside of the parks do not improve.

Colorful solar panels could make the technology more attractive

Solar panels aren't just for rooftops anymore -- some buildings even have these power-generating structures all over their facades. But as more buildings and public spaces incorporate photovoltaic technologies, their monotonous black color could leave onlookers underwhelmed. Now, researchers have created solar panels that take on colorful hues while producing energy nearly as efficiently as...

Synapses as a model: Solid-state memory in neuromorphic circuits

They are many times faster than flash memory and require significantly less energy: memristive memory cells could revolutionize the energy efficiency of neuromorphic computers. In these computers, which are modeled on the way the human brain works, memristive cells function like artificial synapses. Numerous groups around the world are working on the use of corresponding neuromorphic circuits --...

Road signs for immune defense cells

How do killer T cells recognize cells in the body that have been infected by viruses? Matter foreign to the body is presented on the surface of these cells as antigens that act as a kind of road sign. A network of accessory proteins -- the chaperones -- ensure that this sign retains its stability over time. Researchers have now reached a comprehensive understanding of this essential cellular...

Sugar metabolism is surprisingly conventional in cancer

A new study shows that cancer cells don't want to waste glucose, they just consume it too quickly. The normal pathways for transporting fuel within the cell get saturated. The discovery was made possible with metabolomics, which allowed researchers to observe the speed at which small molecules move through cells.

Underwater snow gives clues about Europa's icy shell

Europa's ice shell could be purer than previously thought. Research shows that a kind of underwater snow -- which on Earth freezes purer than other ice -- is likely to be common inside Jupiter's moon. The findings will help mission scientists working on NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft, which will use an ice penetrating radar to look beneath the ice shell to see whether Europa's global ocean could...

Scientists develop gel made from spider silk proteins for biomedical applications

Researchers have discovered that spider silk proteins can be fused to biologically active proteins and be converted into a gel at body temperature. One of the goals is to develop an injectable protein solution that forms a gel inside the body, which could be used in tissue engineering and for drug release, but also make gels that can streamline chemical processes where enzymes are used.

Unexpected quantum effects in natural double-layer graphene

An international research team has detected novel quantum effects in high-precision studies of natural double-layer graphene. This research provides new insights into the interaction of the charge carriers and the different phases, and contributes to the understanding of the processes involved.

Thinking like a cyber-attacker to protect user data

Researchers have shown that a component of modern computer processors that enables different areas of the chip to communicate with each other is susceptible to a side-channel attack. An attacker can monitor how traffic from two different cores on a processor interferes with each other to extract secret information, like a cryptographic key.