New mechanisms for converting sunlight to electricity more efficiently are also beneficial for extending the lifespan of solar panels.

How is it possible to move in the desired direction without a brain or nervous system? Single-celled organisms apparently manage this feat without any problems: for example, they can swim towards food with the help of small flagellar tails. A research team has now been able to simulate this process on the computer.

Climate change, a pandemic or the coordinated activity of neurons in the brain: In all of these examples, a transition takes place at a certain point from the base state to a new state. Researchers have discovered a universal mathematical structure at these so-called tipping points. It creates the basis for a better understanding of the behavior of networked systems.

A pioneering study has discovered the presence of a harmful inflammatory protein in patients with symptomatic tuberculosis (TB). Researchers say, by targeting the IL-17 cytokine, a component produced naturally by the immune system in response to infection, excessive and damaging lung inflammation caused by TB may be significantly reduced to help speed up patient recovery.

UK landowners and conservationists welcome wider-spread use of Gene Conservation Units (GCUs) to help protect some of the rarest plants and insects, research has shown.

First-phase ejection fraction, a possible indicator of heart failure, is a strong predictor of survival in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, according to a new study. Hospitalized patients who had impaired first-phase ejection fraction were nearly 5 times more likely to die from COVID-19 compared to patients with normal first-phase ejection fraction.

Having high blood pressure, high cholesterol and/or obesity from childhood through middle age were linked to poorer brain function by middle age. These cardiovascular risk factors were linked with low memory, learning, visual processing, attention span, and reaction and movement time. Strategies to prevent heart disease and stroke should begin in childhood to promote better brain health by middle...

In a small study, 82 percent of the college athletes with COVID-19 had symptoms, of which the majority were mild and did not require treatment. Further screening via cardiac MRI of the 4 percent of athletes identified with heart abnormalities found no heart damage or inflammation. All athletes resumed regular training and competition without difficulty after recovering from COVID-19.

Low levels of serotonin in the brain are seen as a possible cause of depression and many antidepressants act by blocking a protein that transports serotonin away from the nerve cells. A brain imaging study now shows that the average level of the serotonin transporter increased in a group of 17 individuals who recovered from depression after cognitive behavioral therapy.

Physics researchers discover that assembling 2D materials into a 3D arrangement does not just result in 'thicker' 2D materials but instead produces entirely new materials. The nanomesh technologically is simple to produce and offers tunable material properties to meet the demands of future applications. The team's next goal is to use the nanomesh on Silicon (Si) waveguides to develop quantum...

Thousands of sharks have been illegally caught in a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Indian Ocean, new research shows.

Researchers have made several discoveries on the functioning mechanisms of the inner hair cells of the ear, which convert sounds into nerve signals that are processed in the brain. The results challenge the current picture of the anatomical organization and workings of the hearing organ, which has prevailed for decades.

A new process uses bacteria to filter wastewater while creating electricity.

Vegetarians appear to have a healthier biomarker profile than meat-eaters, and this applies to adults of any age and weight, and is also unaffected by smoking and alcohol consumption, according to a new study in over 166,000 UK adults.

The latest generation of personal alcohol breath testing devices pair with smartphones. While some of these devices were found to be relatively accurate, others may mislead users into thinking that they are fit to drive, according to a new study.

Researchers have successfully developed a new Strep A human challenge model, paving the way to test vaccines against the common deadly bacteria that causes sore throats, scarlet fever and skin sores.

A complicated interaction between different proteins is needed for information to pass from one nerve cell to the next. Researchers have now managed to study this process in the synaptic vesicles, which play an important role in this process.

Collaboration between deep learning experts and microscopy experts leads to an significantly improved data-intensive light-field microscopy method by using AI and ground-truthing it with light-sheet microscopy. The result is the power of light-field microscopy available to biologists in near real time vs. days or weeks, AND the expansion of biologists' ability to use this microscopy for many...

The most comprehensive study of the family tree for legumes, the plant family that includes beans, soybeans, peanuts, and many other economically important crop plants, reveals a history of whole-genome duplications.

Mild COVID-19 infection is very unlikely to cause lasting damage to the structure or function of the heart, according to a new study.

Sleep disorders are associated with significantly higher rates of health care utilization including more doctors visits and prescriptions, placing an additional $94.9 billion in costs each year to the U.S. Health care system.

A bacterial protein helps to stop transcription -- the process of making RNA copies of DNA to carry out the functions of the cell -- by causing the cellular machinery that transcribes the DNA to pause at the appropriate spots in the genome.

A new experiment shows that the more energy consumed by a clock, the more accurate its timekeeping. This is the first time that a measurement has been made of the entropy -- or heat loss -- generated by a minimal clock tens of nanometers thick and 1.5 millimeters long. Understanding the thermodynamic cost involved in timekeeping is a central step along the way in the development of future...

A new study challenges the idea that gray matter (the neurons that form the cerebral cortex) is more important than white matter (the myelin covered axons that physically connect neuronal regions) when it comes to cognitive health and function. The findings may help neurologists better predict the long-term effects of strokes and other forms of traumatic brain injury.