160 articles from TUESDAY 21.11.2023

NASA's Webb reveals new features in heart of Milky Way

The latest image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope shows a portion of the dense center of our galaxy in unprecedented detail, including never-before-seen features astronomers have yet to explain. The star-forming region, named Sagittarius C (Sgr C), is about 300 light-years from the Milky Way's central supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*.

'Triple star' discovery could revolutionize understanding of stellar evolution

A ground-breaking new discovery could transform the way astronomers understand some of the biggest and most common stars in the Universe.  Research by PhD student Jonathan Dodd and Professor René Oudmaijer, from the University's School of Physics and Astronomy, points to intriguing new evidence that massive Be stars -- until now mainly thought to exist in double stars -- could in fact be...

First comprehensive look at effects of 2020-2021 California megafires on terrestrial wildlife habitat

In 2020 and 2021, California experienced fire activity unlike anything recorded in the modern record. When the smoke cleared, the amount of burned forest totaled ten times more than the annual average going back to the late 1800s. We know that wildlife in western forests evolved with changing habitat and disturbances like wildfire. Each species responds differently, some benefiting from openings,...

Perfecting the performance of nerve implants

Researchers are extending their understanding of the effectiveness of electrical fields that are increasingly being used in implants to stimulate and repair damaged nerves. Effective nerve stimulation is the key to helping alleviate debilitating conditions such as sciatica.

Novel molecular mechanisms in the early development of diabetes mellitus

Researchers conducted a gene expression analysis at the single-cell level on pancreatic islets from prediabetic and diabetic mouse models. Analysis results revealed upregulation of Anxa10 expression in pancreatic beta cells during the early phases of diabetes, attributed to elevated blood glucose levels. This elevated Anxa10 expression was found to influence intracellular calcium homeostasis,...

Curators and cavers: How a tip from a citizen scientist led to deep discoveries in Utah's caves

Scientists and colleagues from Utah's caving community have published the first research from their collaborative fieldwork effort deep in Utah's caves. The journal's feature article reveals why caves make such compelling research archives; what was uncovered in Boomerang Cave in northern Utah; why skeletal remains provide new access to hard-to-get data from the recent past; and offers a new...

Discovery of structural regularity hidden in silica glass

Glass is a fundamental material. Yet its atomic structure still baffles scientists to this day. Researchers have developed a new way to quantify ring shapes in chemically bonded networks of glass, chipping away at some of the mysteries behind glass's atomic structure.  

Sophisticated swarming: Bacteria support each other across generations

When bacteria build communities, they cooperate and share nutrients across generations. Researchers have been able to demonstrate this for the first time using a newly developed method. This innovative technique enables the tracking of gene expression during the development of bacterial communities over space and time.

Tiny beads preserve enzymes for biocatalysis

Some enzymes, such as the one derived from fungi and investigated in this study, are able to produce valuable substances such as the fragrance (R)-1-phenylethanol. To this end, they convert a less expensive substrate using a co-substrate. A research team came up with the idea of supplying them with this co-substrate using a plasma -- a somewhat crazy idea, as plasmas generally have a destructive...

Our brains are not able to 'rewire' themselves, despite what most scientists believe, new study argues

Contrary to the commonly-held view, the brain does not have the ability to rewire itself to compensate for the loss of sight, an amputation or stroke, for example, say scientists. The researchers argue that the notion that the brain, in response to injury or deficit, can reorganize itself and repurpose particular regions for new functions, is fundamentally flawed -- despite being commonly cited in...

Microautophagy is essential for preventing aging

Researchers have shown that lysosomes, key organelles for maintaining cellular stability, can be repaired once damaged by a process termed microautophagy. They identified molecules called STK38 and GABARAPs as key regulators of this process. Depletion of microautophagy regulators lead to increased cellular senescence and a shorter lifespan, indicating the importance of this process. This study is...