Dedicated to the wonder of discovery
It is well known that adding a layer of padding behind a hard surface can shield things inside from shocks and vibrations.
Engineers call this a sandwich core since it consists of multiple layers of different materials sandwiched together.
The sandwich cores are used in helmets, body armour, and to protect vehicles from impacts, blasts, and crashes. [Read more…] about Abu Dhabi scientists discover new ‘metamaterial shapes’ that promise safer shielding
Adding and subtracting certain neurons tells researchers whether or not a locust can smell an odor
Smell a cup of coffee.
Smell it inside or outside; summer or winter; in a coffee shop with a scone; in a pizza parlor with pepperoni – even at a pizza parlor with a scone! – coffee smells like coffee.
Why don’t other smells or different environmental factors “get in the way,” so to speak, of the experience of smelling individual odors? Researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis turned to their trusted research subject, the locust, to find out. [Read more…] about The ‘surprisingly simple’ arithmetic of smell
Organic molecular interfaces with minimized structural mismatch and spontaneous electron transfer could open doors to high-efficiency optoelectronics
Organic semiconductors have garnered much attention in optoelectronics owing to their flexibility, which is allowed by weak interaction forces.
However, this also makes for poor charge carrier mobility.
In a new study, researchers from Japan combined organic semiconductor molecules with similar structures to produce interfaces with better crystal quality and charge transport efficiency, paving the way for the realization of high-mobility organic optoelectronics. [Read more…] about Towards high-performance organic optoelectronics with better crystallinity at semiconductor interface
Genetic mechanism found that enables communities of bacterial cells to organize into surprisingly sophisticated segments, revealing a similarity to how plants and animals develop
Over the past several years, research from University of California San Diego biologist Gürol Süel’s laboratory has uncovered a series of remarkable features exhibited by clusters of bacteria that live together in communities known as biofilms.
Biofilms are prevalent in the living world, inhabiting sewer pipes, kitchen counters and even the surface of our teeth. A previous research study demonstrated that these biofilms employ sophisticated systems to communicate with one another, while another proved biofilms have a robust capacity for memory. [Read more…] about ‘Simple’ bacteria found to organize in elaborate patterns
Cutting 20 percent of sugar from packaged foods and 40 percent from beverages could prevent 2.48 million cardiovascular disease events (such as strokes, heart attacks, cardiac arrests), 490,000 cardiovascular deaths, and 750,000 diabetes cases in the US over the lifetime of the adult population, according to micro-simulation study published in Circulation.
A team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOH) created a model to simulate and quantify the health, economic, and equity impacts of a pragmatic sugar-reduction policy proposed by the US National Salt and Sugar Reduction Initiative (NSSRI).
A partnership of more than 100 local, state and national health organizations convened by the NYC DOH, the NSSRI released draft sugar-reduction targets for packaged foods and beverages in 15 categories in 2018. [Read more…] about Reducing sugar in packaged foods can prevent disease in millions
Eating more nutritious, plant-based foods is heart-healthy at any age, according to two research studies published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association. In two separate studies analyzing different measures of healthy plant food consumption, researchers found that both…
Good cholesterol, which is transported in HDLs (high-density lipoproteins), plays a key part in the prevention of atherosclerosis and thus the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, according to a new paper co-authored by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and published in the journal Circulation, the anti-inflammatory properties of HDLs could…Our DNA is very similar to that of the chimpanzee, which in evolutionary terms is our closest living relative. Stem cell researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now found a previously overlooked part of our DNA, so-called non-coded DNA, that appears to contribute to a difference which, despite all our similarities, may explain why our brains work differently. The study is published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
The chimpanzee is our closest living relative in evolutionary terms and research suggests our kinship derives from a common ancestor. About five to six million years ago, our evolutionary paths separated, leading to the chimpanzee of today, and Homo Sapiens, humankind in the 21st century.
In a new study, stem cell researchers at Lund examined what it is in our DNA that makes human and chimpanzee brains different – and they have found answers. [Read more…] about What makes us human? The answer may be found in overlooked DNA
Hundreds of neuroscientists have built a “parts list” of the motor cortex, laying groundwork to map the whole brain and better understand brain diseases. Before you read any further, bring your hand to your forehead. It probably didn’t feel like much, but that simple kind of motion required the concerted…
To understand our brains, scientists need to know their components. This theme underlies a growing effort in neuroscience to define the different building blocks of the brain – its cells. With the mouse's 80 million neurons and our 86 billion, sorting through those delicate, microscopic building blocks is no small…
From the thrill of hearing an ice cream truck approaching to the spikes of pleasure while sipping a fine wine, the neurological messenger known as dopamine has been popularly described as the brain's "feel good" chemical related to reward and pleasure. A ubiquitous neurotransmitter that carries signals between brain cells,…
Scientists have developed a new gene-therapy technique by transforming human cells into mass producers of tiny nano-sized particles full of genetic material that has the potential to reverse disease processes. Though the research was intended as a proof of concept, the experimental therapy slowed tumor growth and prolonged survival in…
Scientists have figured out how to modify CRISPR's basic architecture to extend its reach beyond the genome and into what's known as the epigenome – proteins and small molecules that latch onto DNA and control when and where genes are switched on or off. In a paper published April 9,…Just when we thought it was safe to go to the local garden center, researchers from Japan have discovered that fungicide-resistant strains of a nasty pathogen have been getting up to no good among the tulip bulbs.
In a study published in August in Environmental Microbiology researchers from the University of Tsukuba and Chiba University have revealed that plant bulbs harboring a potentially lethal pathogen also make the perfect lab for evolving fungicide-resistant strains.
The risk associated with fungal infections is increasing, with occurrences of pulmonary aspergillosis (PA), a deadly fungal infection caused by the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, rising globally. Of particular concern are influenza-related PA and Covid-19-related PA, the case numbers of which are growing quickly. [Read more…] about Secret garden: Drug-resistant pathogen strains meet and evolve on plant bulbs
Most modern technologies owe their success to advances in electronics. These devices harness the flow of electrons in different ways to create computers, charge batteries, light-up displays, and move motors.
Now researchers are starting to explore ways to harness the flow of waves of whole atoms, called matter waves, to enable new kinds of sensors, computers, and scientific research.
This new field has been named atomtronics, owing to the focus on finding ways to move whole atoms rather than electrons in traditional electronics devices. [Read more…] about Scientists research ‘matter waves’ to shine light on post electronics future
A joint team from the Russian Quantum Center, Skoltech, and the Higher School of Economics has presented a novel supersensitive solid-state magnetometer operating at room temperature. The researchers for the first time used it to detect and record brain electrical activity with a technique called magnetoencephalography, which could become dozens of times cheaper with the new device. The paper was published in Human Brain Mapping.
High accuracy is a key advantage of magnetoencephalography (MEG) over other similar techniques used for studying the electrical activity of the brain. Biological tissues are transparent for magnetic fields. However, only a very limited number of laboratories around the world have MEG equipment, which uses either extremely cold liquid helium or high-temperature gas and is very expensive and difficult to manufacture.
A team from the Russian Quantum Center (RQC) developed a new sensor using yttrium-iron garnet films. This is the first solid-state supersensitive room-temperature magnetometer in the world. It is based on a quantum sensor and is capable of registering very weak or deep electrical sources in the brain. Owing to its wide dynamic range, the device requires less magnetic shielding, which means a lower cost of both the hardware and the entire research infrastructure. [Read more…] about Russian researchers present ultra-precise brain imaging tool
Most of us remember a time when we could eat anything we wanted and not gain weight. But a new study suggests your metabolism – the rate at which you burn calories – actually peaks much earlier in life, and starts its inevitable decline later than you might guess.
The findings will appear Aug. 12 in the journal Science.
“There are lots of physiological changes that come with growing up and getting older,” said study co-author Herman Pontzer, associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University. “Think puberty, menopause, other phases of life. What’s weird is that the timing of our ‘metabolic life stages’ doesn’t seem to match those typical milestones.” [Read more…] about Metabolism changes with age, just not when you might think