155 articles from FRIDAY 24.3.2023

Researchers identify cell type that could be key to preventing marrow transplant complication

While the donor cells in a bone marrow transplant can help cure the patient's blood cancer, they can also cause graft-versus-host disease -- in which donor T cells, a specialized immune cell in the blood, attack the patient's healthy cells. Before this study, there was no finite T cell population identified as the cause of GVHD. Now, researchers have identified the specific type of T cells that...

New type of entanglement lets scientists 'see' inside nuclei

Nuclear physicists have found a new way to see inside nuclei by tracking interactions between particles of light and gluons. The method relies on harnessing a new type of quantum interference between two dissimilar particles. Tracking how these entangled particles emerge from the interactions lets scientists map out the arrangement of gluons. This approach is unusual for making use of entanglement...

Russians, American delayed in space to return in September

Two cosmonauts and an astronaut who were supposed to leave the International Space Station this month will be brought back to Earth in late September, doubling their time aboard the orbiting laboratory to more than a year, Russia's space agency announced Friday.

Helping plants grow as phosphorus levels in soil deplete

Phosphorus is a natural mineral that is essential for plant growth and development, and Earth's agricultural-grade phosphorus reserves are expected to be depleted in 50 to 100 years. A new discovery by researchers at Michigan State University and the Carnegie Institution for Science is changing their understanding of iron toxicity in plants caused by low phosphorus levels.

Sage warned Independent Sage its name would cause confusion, says Vallance

Chief scientist told former incumbent Sir David King the similarity would lead to mixed messagingThe government’s chief scientist warned a former incumbent not to confuse the public during the Covid pandemic by naming an independent expert panel after the group convened to advise ministers on the crisis.Sir Patrick Vallance revealed the clash in an interview at the Institute for Government on...

Mutation behind night blindness in humans helps whale sharks see in the dark

Even a fisher’s yarn would sell a whale shark short. These fish—the biggest on the planet—stretch up to 18 meters long and weigh as much as two elephants. The superlatives don’t end there: Whale sharks also have one of the longest vertical ranges of any sea creature, filter feeding from the surface of the ocean to nearly 2000 meters down into the inky abyss. Swimming...

New index helps identify 55 unprotected marine protected areas

A new Paper Park Index (PPI) developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia's Sea Around Us initiative helped identify 55 marine protected areas (MPAs) across the world where enough fishing takes place to contravene the protection status officially assigned to such sites.

11 ways to improve airlines for customers

The name of the game is customer satisfaction, especially in the airline industry where companies are constantly jockeying for business by promising better service than their competitors. Now a professor at the University of Missouri has used artificial intelligence to sort through thousands of customer reviews and identify where airlines are falling short.