feed info

98 articles from PhysOrg

Protein linked to cancer acts as a viscous glue in cell division

An over-abundance of the protein PRC1, which is essential to cell division, is a telltale sign in many cancer types, including prostate, ovarian, and breast cancer. New research, published online today in Developmental Cell, shows that PRC1 acts as a "viscous glue" during cell division, precisely controlling the speed at which two sets of DNA are separated as a single cell divides. The finding...

The study of lysosomal function during cell division and chromosomal instability

A team from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the University of Barcelona (UB), in collaboration with a researcher from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota, have described that lysosomes and autophagy processes are active during mitosis and are necessary for a correct cell division. Lysosomes and autophagy eliminate and recycle damaged cellular components; thus,...

Experiments confirm light-squeezing 2-D exciton-polaritons can exist

Measurements of the optical response of 2-D transition-metal dichalcogenides have now pinpointed real material systems in which a hypothesized light-squeezing quasiparticle can form. The 2-D exciton-polariton, which couples light to bound electron-hole pairs in the form of excitons in an unusual way, can confine light to dimensions orders of magnitude below the diffraction limit. Confining light...

COVID-19 demonstrates why wealth matters

While COVID-19 has impacted all individuals, the impact has not been equal. In a new national Socioeconomic Impact of COVID-19 survey, the Social Policy Institute (SPI) at Washington University in St. Louis found that liquid assets increased the likelihood that an individual could practice social distancing. However, Black individuals were least likely to afford social distancing.

Can a human drug stop life-threatening bleeding in dogs with traumatic injuries?

Sean Majoy, V06, VG13, was far too familiar with the toll that traumatic bleeding can take on dogs before he joined Cummings School as an emergency and critical care veterinarian and clinical assistant professor. Majoy served on active duty in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps from 2006 to 2017, and one of his jobs was caring for military working dogs returning injured from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Toward improved wound healing: Chemical synthesis of a trefoil factor peptide

The fascinating family of trefoil factor peptides brings hope to both research and industry to improve the treatment of chronic disorders such as Crohn's disease. For the first time, a team led by ERC awardee Markus Muttenthaler from the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Vienna succeeded in the synthesis and folding of the peptide TFF1, a key player in mucosal protection and repair....

5000 eyes on the skies: Scientists choreograph robots to observe distant galaxies

Since 2005, scientists have been scanning the night sky to create a three-dimensional map of our universe with the purpose of shedding light on one of the biggest mysteries in physics: the nature and identity of dark energy and dark matter. That effort is about to get a massive upgrade with the successful installation and testing of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI.

Future hurricanes: Fast like Ike or slow like Harvey?

Climate change will intensify winds that steer hurricanes north over Texas in the final 25 years of this century, increasing the odds for fast-moving storms like 2008's Ike, compared with slow-movers like 2017's Harvey, according to new research.

New study analyses multiple-tailed lizards

Ph.D. Candidate James Barr, from Curtin University's School of Molecular and Life Sciences, said while the phenomena of multiple-tailed lizards are widely known to occur, documented events were generally limited to opportunistic, single observations of one in its natural environment.