Science News
Targeting the Brain's Immune Cells May Help Prevent Alzheimer's Disease
Neuroscience News - 2 Dec 2021 01:56
A drug currently being tested in cancer clinical trials appears to prevent dysfunction in an immune cell signaling pathway associated with Alzheimer's disease. Blocking the pathway could prevent Alzheimer's from developi...
MRI Reveals Altered Brain Structure in Fetuses Exposed to Alcohol
Neuroscience News - 2 Dec 2021 01:17
A neuroimaging study reveals significant structural differences in the brain of fetuses exposed to alcohol. Researchers found alcohol exposed fetuses had increased volume in the corpus callosum and decreased volume in th...
Pac-Man-shaped blobs become world's first self-replicating biological robots
Live Science - 2 Dec 2021 14:00
Biological robots made from frog cells can self-replicate like no other organism, by moving around raw materials to build more of themselves.
Novel Immune Cell Population May Trigger Inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis and Other Brain Disorders
Neuroscience News - 2 Dec 2021 00:45
A unique subset of group 3 innate lymphoid cells spurs T cells to attack myelinated nerve fibers in mouse models of multiple sclerosis.
Tracking the Neurons That Make Us Social
Neuroscience News - 2 Dec 2021 23:49
The motivation to invest in social interactions is closely linked to the reward system via the activation of dopaminergic neurons.
Researchers attacking menacing 'superbug'
Science Daily - 2 Dec 2021 23:21
Scientists around the world have been working in earnest to improve understanding of an increasingly virulent superbug, Clostridium difficile. The highly contagious hospital-acquired pathogen, designated by the Centers f...
Shaping up nicely: Adjusting the plasma edge can improve the performance of a star on Earth
Phys.org - 2 Dec 2021 23:19
While trying out a new device that injects powder to clean up the walls of the world's largest stellarator, a twisty fusion device known as Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) in Greifswald, Germany, scientists were pleased to find t...
Green information technologies: Superconductivity meets spintronics
Phys.org - 2 Dec 2021 22:14
When two superconducting regions are separated by a strip of non-superconducting material, a special quantum effect can occur, coupling both regions: The Josephson effect. If the spacer material is a half-metal ferromagn...
Scientists use quantum processor to simulate 2D states of quantum matter
Phys.org - 2 Dec 2021 21:51
What would it be like if we lived in a flat two-dimensional world? Physicists predict that quantum mechanics would be even stranger in that case, resulting in exotic particles--so-called "anyons"-- that cannot exist in t...
Shining new light on elusive flying bats
Science Daily - 2 Dec 2021 21:16
How can we understand the activity of wild bats? Mostly soundless, flying in the dark, bats feed at night and evade our senses. Now, an international research team has developed a new non-invasive method 'bat point count...
Harnessing the organization of the cell surface
Science Daily - 2 Dec 2021 21:15
Scientists have developed a new method to determine how proteins are organized on the surface of cells. Insights gained with the technology could lead to the development of novel drugs to fight cancer.
Stroke may be triggered by anger, emotional upset and heavy physical exertion
Science Daily - 2 Dec 2021 21:15
A global study into causes of stroke has found that one in 11 survivors experienced a period of anger or upset in the one hour leading up to it. One in 20 patients had engaged in heavy physical exertion. The suspected tr...
Parent-teacher relationship vital to home schooling
Science Daily - 2 Dec 2021 21:15
A research survey of primary school teachers in England has emphasized the importance of the relationship between parents and primary schools during lockdown school closures. 84% of teachers said they felt some pupils we...
Unlocking the cause of UTI-induced delirium
Science Daily - 2 Dec 2021 21:15
Researchers have found that blocking the action of a protein called interleukin 6 (IL-6), part of the immune system, could resolve the delirium that often accompanies urinary tract infection (UTI) in elderly patients. Th...
Building a human body through gastrulation
Science Daily - 2 Dec 2021 21:14
Researchers offer a phylogenetic and ontogenetic overview of the primitive streak and its role in mediating amniote (vertebrate animals that develop on land) gastrulation, and discuss the implications of embryonic stem c...
Rare mutation in Old Order Amish people linked to lower heart disease
New Scientist - 2 Dec 2021 21:00
A genetic mutation may cause lower levels of cholesterol and a blood clotting protein associated with heart disease, and the hope is to design drugs that have the same effect
Extremely dense planet with an enormous iron core has an 8-hour year
New Scientist - 2 Dec 2021 21:00
A small, dense planet found using the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is similar to Mercury, with what seems to be an enormous iron core and temperatures above 1400°C
Color-changing magnifying glass gives clear view of infrared light
Phys.org - 2 Dec 2021 21:00
Detecting light beyond the visible red range of our eyes is hard to do, because infrared light carries so little energy compared to ambient heat at room temperature. This obscures infrared light unless specialized detect...
Scientists document the presence of quantum spin liquids, a never-before-seen state of matter
Phys.org - 2 Dec 2021 21:00
In 1973, physicist Philip W. Anderson theorized the existence of a new state of matter that has been a major focus of the field, especially in the race for quantum computers.
Filtering unwanted sounds from baby monitors
Phys.org - 2 Dec 2021 20:30
New parents often keep a constant ear on their children, listening for any signs of distress as their baby sleeps. Baby monitors make that possible, but they can also inundate parents with annoying background audio.
Omicron variant may have evolved in rats, one theory says
Live Science - 2 Dec 2021 20:20
Some features of the omicron variant's genome hint that it may have evolved in rodents.
Sounding off on Seattle Space Needle renovation
Phys.org - 2 Dec 2021 20:00
The Seattle Space Needle, a city landmark for nearly 60 years, recently underwent a renovation to enhance the visitor experience. Acoustic designers were tasked with ensuring that the new design is a quiet one.