Month November 2018

IMAGE: This image shows a graphical depiction how mitochondrial TIM transfer-chaperones use multiple clamp-like binding sites to transport membrane protein substrates in elongated, nascent chain like conformation through the mitochondrial intermembrane… view more  Credit: Yong Wang (Lindorff-Larsen lab) and Wei Chen…

For the first time scientists have identified how to halt kidney disease in a life-limiting genetic condition, which may pave the way for personalised treatment in the future. Experts at Newcastle University, UK, have shown in a cell model and…

IMAGE: Foss Reservoir in Oklahoma view more  Credit: Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation has released a report that identifies innovative approaches to improve drought resiliency within the Washita Basin in Oklahoma. The study specifically looked at Foss and Fort…

IMAGE: Various layers of the earth plus buildings on top of and within them behave differently during an earthquake. Interactions between these layers expound complexity of earthquake models. view more  Credit: 2018 Earthquake Research Institute, The University of Tokyo. A team…

Their fur was used as a raw material for coats; their fat was used for oil lamps and cosmetics: right up to the end of the nineteenth century, millions of seals were being hunted and killed every year worldwide. The…

IMAGE: NSLS-II scientist Tiffany Victor is shown at the Hard X-ray Nanoprobe, where her team produced 3D chemical maps of single bacteria with nanoscale resolution. view more  Credit: Brookhaven National Laboratory Scientists at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)–a U.S.…

IMAGE: Cubical feces in the wombat’s intestine. view more  Credit: Photo by P. Yang and D. Hu/Georgia Tech WASHINGTON, D.C., November 18, 2018 — Wombats, the chubby and beloved, short-legged marsupials native to Australia, are central to a biological mystery in…

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 18, 2018 — An unexpected twist from a four-seam or a two-seam fastball can make the difference in a baseball team winning or losing the World Series. However, “some explanations regarding the different pitches are flat-out wrong,”…

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 18, 2018 — Marvel comics superheroes Ant-Man and the Wasp — nom de guerre stars of the eponymous 2018 film — possess the ability to temporarily shrink down to the size of insects, while retaining the mass…

SEATTLE (November 18, 2018, 1:45 pm PDT) – The final research results for a new treatment for protection against accidental exposure to peanut was presented today at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting and…

IMAGE: A new technique to analyse cell membrane proteins in situ which could revolutionise the way in which we study diseases, such as cancer, metabolic and heart diseases. view more  Credit: Image credit: OU Researchers have developed a new technique to…

IMAGE: Researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have found that human drugs can alter cricket behaviour. view more  Credit: Linköping University Crickets that are exposed to human drugs that alter serotonin levels in the brain are less active and less aggressive than…

IMAGE: In the new International System of Units (SI), seven fundamental constants will be determined as defining reference entities. The seven base units — arranged in the outer circle of the… view more  Credit: (Diagram: BIPM) On the occasion of their…

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is the most prevalent dominantly inherited muscular dystrophy in the world. To date, there are no pharmacologic treatments available for the more than 850,000 people affected worldwide. Developing models to use for testing potential therapeutics has…

IMAGE: Urban teens whose parents advocate nonviolent approaches to resolving conflicts may reduce their children’s likelihood of abusing their romantic partners – even if these parents also say that aggression is… view more  Credit: L. Brian Stauffer CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Parents…

Research by scientists at the University of Liverpool suggests that being raised communally makes mice more competitive when they’re older. It is well known that in many animals, including humans, early-life experiences have long-lasting effects on the development of behaviours…

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Forests in the Pacific Northwest will be less vulnerable to drought and fire over the next three decades than those in the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada, computer modeling by researchers in Oregon State University’s College of…

IMAGE: NASA’s Aqua satellite provided an infrared picture of Tropical Cyclone Gaja’s cloud top temperatures from Nov. 15, 2018 at 3:29 p.m. EDT (2029 UTC). Gaja’s center was making landfall along… view more  Credit: NASA JPL, Heidar Thrastarson Caught in the…

UCLA biologists have discovered how head injuries adversely affect individual cells and genes that can lead to serious brain disorders. The life scientists provide the first cell “atlas” of the hippocampus — the part of the brain that helps regulate…

A first-in-class OGG1 inhibitor found to decrease lung inflammation in mice and could hold the key to treating life-threatening Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Isolating an inhibitor which triggers our immune systems response is a major breakthrough and could lead to…

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Communities recovering from natural disasters often see an increase in the number of businesses and non-profits that develop in the wake of the cleanup, but that apparent growth doesn’t necessarily counterweigh the accompanying rise in poverty levels…

IMAGE: Representation of colored stimuli used in conditioning trials view more  Credit: Molly Higgins / Penn State Color can impact the taste of food, and our experiences and expectations can affect how we taste food, according to Penn State researchers, who…

Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory have discovered how to make “superalloys” even more super, extending useful life by thousands of hours. The discovery could improve materials performance for electrical generators and nuclear reactors. The key is to heat and cool…

A first-of-its-kind study out of Kansas State University examined the the untapped market for selling plants online by horticultural businesses. Lauri Baker, Cheryl Boyer, Hikaru Peterson, and Audrey King researched this facet of the $14 billion US horticulture industry to…

IMAGE: Mark N. Ragheb, an M.D. student at the University of Washington School of Medicine, is the lead author of a Molecular Cell paper on the search for anti-evolution drugs to… view more  Credit: Houra Merrikh/UW Medicine With many disease-causing bacteria…

Washington, DC – In one of the largest studies to measure the burden of antibiotic resistance in a low- or middle-income country, researchers at the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics Policy report that in-hospital mortality is significantly higher among patients…

ANN ARBOR–For half a century, researchers have seen loops of displaced atoms appearing inside nuclear reactor steel after exposure to radiation, but no one could work out how. Now, a simulation done by researchers at the University of Michigan, Hunan…

IMAGE: In colitis, an infiltration of activated T cells (shown in red on the left) is clearly visible in the colon. By blocking the BH4 pathway (shown at right), the researchers… view more  Credit: Woolf Lab/Boston Childrens Hospital/IMBA In 2013, renowned…

SEATTLE — Nov. 16, 2018 — A majority of the HIV-infected cells that persist in HIV-infected individuals even during suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) originated from cellular proliferation, not viral replication, according to new research published in Nature Communications. Reducing the…

These days, mammals can use their forelimbs to swim, jump, fly, climb, dig and just about everything in between, but the question of how all that diversity evolved has remained a vexing one for scientists. To help answer it, Harvard…

MINNEAPOLIS, MN- November 15, 2018 – University of Minnesota Medical School researchers have made a discovery which could lead to a new way of thinking about how disease pathogenesis in the liver is regulated, which is important for understanding the…

IMAGE: Each dendrimer molecule hosts a subnano-sized metallic particle that allows for the oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons, such as toluene (left), to produce useful organic compounds, such as benzoic acid (right)…. view more  Credit: Angewandte Chemie Scientists at Tokyo Institute of…

SAN ANTONIO — Nov. 15, 2018 — Analyzing data from NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, a team led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has found that the small regions in the Earth’s magnetosphere that energize the polar aurora are remarkably…

Thanks to one peculiar characteristic of carbon nanotubes, engineers will soon be able to measure the accumulated strain in an airplane, a bridge or a pipeline – or just about anything – over the entire surface or down to microscopic…

A new Cochrane Review published today has found that increasing the intake of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) during pregnancy reduces the risk of premature births. Premature birth is the leading cause of death for children under 5 years…

November 15, 2018 – Students who receive sexuality education, including refusal skills training, before college matriculation are at lower risk of experiencing sexual assault during college, according to new research published today in PLOS ONE. The latest publication from Columbia…

PHILADELPHIA — (Nov. 15, 2018) — Researchers at The Wistar Institute have developed novel synthetic DNA-encoded monoclonal antibodies (DMAbs) directed against PCSK9, a protein key to regulating cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Results of preclinical studies showed a significant cholesterol…

Animal weapons such as antlers, tusks and limbs specialized for fighting require a large energy expenditure to produce and may cost even more to maintain. Because the leaf-footed bug sheds its large hind limbs, used as weapons in male-male battles,…

IMAGE: Take for example a poisoned apple, it can emit an intoxicating mellow aroma just by sticking a pen and change to be delicious. view more  Credit: Figure adapted with permission from Organometallics, 2018, 10.1021 Copyright © 2018 American Chemical Society…

A new study by The University of Texas at Austin has demonstrated a possible link between life on Earth and the movement of continents. The findings show that sediment, which is often comprised from pieces of dead organisms, could play…