Science News
Nanotechnology experts create first terahertz-speed polarization optical switch
Phys.org - 14 Sep 2017 19:22
A Sandia National Laboratories-led team has for the first time used optics rather than electronics to switch a nanometer-thick thin film device from completely dark to completely transparent, or light, at a speed of tril...
Solar Power Is Getting Cheaper--But How Do We Overcome Its Limits?
Singularity Hub - 14 Sep 2017 19:10
The price of silicon-based solar cells has been falling off a cliff for years now. In 1977, each watt of capacity for a silicon solar panel would cost you around $76. By 1987, that had dropped to $10. In 2017, according ...
Biomarkers in the blood prove strong role of food for type 2 diabetes
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:24
A pioneering method has demonstrated its potential in a large study, showing that metabolic fingerprints from blood samples could render important new knowledge on the connection between food and health. The study finds ...
Mixing artificial sweeteners inhibits bitter taste receptors
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:24
Blends of artificial sweeteners such as saccharin and cyclamate produce less of a bitter off-taste than each of the individual components, but the explanation for this puzzling phenomenon has been elusive ever since its ...
Scientists find potential mechanism for deadly, sepsis-induced secondary infection
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:24
In mice, an infection-induced condition known as sepsis may increase the risk of life-threatening secondary infection by preventing recruitment of infection-fighting cells to the skin, according to new research.
Natural molecule appears to shut off cancer cells' energy source
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:24
Researchers have not only untangled an unusual wiring system that cancer cells use for carbohydrate metabolism, but also identified a natural compound that appears to selectively shut down this system in laboratory studi...
Sorting molecules with DNA robots
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:24
Scientists have programmed a 'robot' made of DNA to pick up and sort molecules into predetermined locations.
Engineered therapy for blood clotting disorder shows early promise
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:24
An investigational treatment that mimics a key clotting enzyme is effective, safe, and may one day eliminate the need for blood products for people with the rare, life-threatening blood disease hereditary thrombotic thro...
Rare genetic cause of peritoneal mesothelioma points to targeted therapy
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:23
Investigators have uncovered a new genetic cause of mesothelioma: a genetic rearrangement in the ALK gene, observed in three patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. Unlike previously known causes, this new discovery point...
Huge genetic diversity among Papuan New Guinean peoples revealed
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:23
The first large-scale genetic study of people in Papua New Guinea has shown that different groups within the country are genetically highly different from each other. Scientists reveal that the people there have remained...
Insulin therapy initially declined and delayed by an average of two years
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:23
Thirty percent of type 2 diabetic patients don't begin insulin when it's initially recommended, with the average start time being two years later.
Obese inducing brain mechanism
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:23
Medical researchers have demonstrated that the protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type J (PTPRJ) inhibits leptin signaling and that induction of PTPRJ in the hypothalamus is a cause of leptin resistance.
Synaptic receptor mobility: Discovery of a new mechanism for controlling memory
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:23
A new mechanism has been discovered for storing information in synapses and a means of controlling the storage process. The breakthrough moves science closer to unveiling the mystery of the molecular mechanisms of memory...
Could interstellar ice provide the answer to birth of DNA?
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:22
Molecules brought to Earth in meteorite strikes could potentially be converted into the building blocks of DNA, researchers have shown.
Google Glass app helps autistic children with social interactions
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:22
A new study demonstrates the potential of wearable technology as a social-skills aid for children with autism spectrum disorder.
Chimera viruses can help the fight against lymphomas
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:22
Researchers have created a chimera virus that allows the study of molecules to treat cancers caused by human herpes virus infection in mice models of disease.
New genetic cause discovered for photosensitive blood disorder
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:22
Researchers have uncovered a new genetic cause for erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), a photosensitive blood disorder.
Spread of Zika linked to how much time people spend outside
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:21
Whether a community is made up of people who spend their days entirely outside or those who rarely see sunshine, the amount of time residents spend outdoors can affect how Zika virus spreads throughout the population.
New knowledge on how HIV beats the body's early immune response
Science Daily - 14 Sep 2017 23:17
In an important step towards eradicating HIV-associated viral reservoirs, researchers have identified how the HIV virus hijacks the innate immune system to facilitate its replication and spread, thus gaining a foothold i...
Vaccine and booster shot delivered together in degradable cubes
New Scientist - 14 Sep 2017 23:00
Microscopic degradable polymer cubes stuffed with vaccines could spell the end of booster jabs, and lead to a single vaccine that protects against all diseases
Ultrafast lasers catch electrons relaxing after brief excitement
New Scientist - 14 Sep 2017 23:00
Pulses of light that last billionths of a billionth of a second have helped unravel a mystery inside solid objects and could help us build better X-ray lasers
Tumour bacteria sabotage chemotherapy by destroying cancer drugs
New Scientist - 14 Sep 2017 23:00
Giving antibiotics to people with cancer could improve treatment by stopping bacteria from degrading anticancer drugs