Macrophage mix helps determine rate and fate of fatty liver disease
The white blood cells' typical role is to promote inflammation and stimulate the immune response, but researchers say some actually appear to temper inflammatory conditions and improve healing.
Mosquitoes sense infrared from body heat to help track humans down
While a mosquito bite is often no more than a temporary bother, in many parts of the world it can be scary. One mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, spreads the viruses that cause over 100,000,000 cases of dengue, yellow fever, Zika and other diseases every year. Another, Anopheles gambiae, spreads the parasite that causes malaria. The World Health Organization estimates that malaria alone causes more than 400,000 deaths every year. Indeed, their capacity to transmit disease has earned mosquitoes the title of deadliest animal.
Image: Sameer Neamah Mahdi/Shutterstock.com
New gels could protect buildings during wildfires
Researchers have developed a sprayable gel that creates a shield to protect buildings from wildfire damage. It lasts longer and is more effective than existing commercial options.
Cancer drug could treat early-stage Alzheimer's disease, study shows
A type of drug developed for treating cancer holds promise as a new treatment for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, according to a recent study.
AI tackles one of the most difficult challenges in quantum chemistry
New research using neural networks, a form of brain-inspired AI, proposes a solution to the tough challenge of modelling the states of molecules.
Mitochondria are flinging their DNA into our brain cells
A new study finds that mitochondria in our brain cells frequently fling their DNA into the cells' nucleus, where the mitochondrial DNA integrates into chromosomes, possibly causing harm.
Revealing DNA behavior in record time
Studying how single DNA molecules behave helps us to better understand genetic disorders and design better drugs. Until now however, examining DNA molecules one-by-one was a slow process. Biophysicists have developed a technique that speeds up screening of individual DNA molecules at least a thousand times. With this technology, they can measure millions of DNA molecules within a week instead of years to decades.
Creature the size of a dust grain found hiding in California's Mono Lake
Mono Lake is a beautiful but harsh environment, its salty and arsenic-laced water home to brine shrimp, alkali flies and little else. Scientists recently discovered an unsuspected resident, however, a microscopic creature -- a choanoflagelatte -- that forms colonies that harbor their own unique bacterial microbiomes. The creature, part of the sister group to all animals, could shed light on the evolution of animals' intimate interactions with bacteria and the rise of multicellular life.
Hot flash drug shows significant, rapid benefits in pivotal clinical trials
The investigational drug elinzanetant reduces hot flashes while improving women's sleep and quality of life, new research finds.
Engineers design lookalike drug carrier to evade lung's lines of defense
Managing hard-to-treat respiratory illnesses like asthma and pulmonary fibrosis just got easier if a new drug-carrying molecule is as sneaky as its inventors think.
Meteor showers shed light on where comets formed in the early solar system
Researchers studying meteor showers have found that not all comets crumble the same way when they approach the Sun. In a new study, they ascribe the differences to the conditions in the protoplanetary disk where comets formed 4.5 billion years ago.
Air pollution harms mental health worse in New York's historically redlined neighborhoods
The statewide study found that the link between pollutants and ER visits is more pronounced in communities that were once denied mortgages due to race.
Let me take a look: AI could boost diagnostic imaging results
Researchers compared the diagnostic accuracy of ChatGPT and radiologists in radiological imaging with 106 musculoskeletal radiology cases. The results showed that the diagnostic accuracy of the ChatGPT is comparable to that of radiology residents, but not to that of board-certified radiologists.
New nano-device could mean your run could power your electrical wearables
Your early morning run could soon help harvest enough electricity to power your wearable devices, thanks to new nanotechnology.
Fighting coastal erosion with electricity
New research has systematically demonstrated that a mild zap of electricity can strengthen a marine coastline for generations -- greatly reducing the threat of erosion in the face of climate change and rising sea levels. The new process forms natural cement between grains of sand, transforming it into solid, immoveable rock. Mollusks use a similar process to turn naturally occurring minerals into shells.
Will EEG be able to read your dreams? The future of the brain activity measure as it marks 100 years
One hundred years after the human brain's electrical activity was first recorded, experts are celebrating the legacy of its discovery and sharing their predictions and priorities for its future. A survey saw respondents -- with 6,685 years of collective experience -- presented with possible future developments for EEG, ranging from those deemed 'critical to progress' to the 'highly improbable,' and asked to estimate how long it might be before they were achieved.
Bed-sharing has no impact on children's psychological development
Parental bed-sharing is unlikely to impact children's psychological development, new research has found. The study looked at nearly 17,000 British babies and tracked them for 11 years -- finding kids who shared beds were happy and healthy.
Validated targets for personalized cancer immunotherapy
What are the characteristics of a cancer cell that are recognized by the immune system? Knowledge of the potential target structures for the immune cells is a basic prerequisite for the development of personalized cancer immunotherapies. Scientists are publishing a highly sensitive method based on mass spectroscopy to identify such tumor-specific 'neoepitopes'. The analytical method is designed to detect these low abundance protein fragments and requires minimal amounts of sample material.
Taking a trip down memory lane could be the key to drinking less alcohol
A new study suggests recollecting a previous drinking episode could put women off drinking too much.
Two proteins identified as potential targets to improve ALS symptoms
Scientists have found that the protein histone H1.2 and the enzyme PARP1 could be potential therapeutic targets to decrease neurodegeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
A new study reveals that tarantulas are often on friendly terms with amphibians, reptiles, and even army ants, which are known to feed on spiders. The researchers suggest that the dense hair covering tarantulas may have in fact evolved as a defense mechanism against these predatory ants.
Mental health and chronic diabetes complications strongly linked both ways
When a person has chronic diabetes complications -- such as heart attack, stroke and nerve damage - they are more likely to have a mental health disorder, and vice versa, according to a study. Researchers say the findings highlight a need for clinicians to actively screen for mental health disorders in patients with diabetes in addition to screening for chronic complications, which is the recommended standard of care in diabetes.
A new culprit in Huntington's disease
Researchers have implicated a new gene in the progression of Huntington's disease in a brain organoid model. The gene may contribute to brain abnormalities much earlier than previously thought.
Promising treatment for rectal cancer confirmed in major study
A new treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer shows favourable results in that surgery can sometimes be avoided completely. It also reduces the risk of recurrence. The method has been confirmed as effective in a comprehensive study.
From pets to pests: How domestic rabbits survive the wilderness
How do rabbits go from fluffy pets to marauding invaders? Rabbits have colonized countries worldwide, often with dire economic and ecological consequences, but their secret has until now been a mystery. Biologists sequenced the genomes of nearly 300 rabbits from across three continents to unveil the key genetic changes that make these animals master colonizers.
AI can speed up drug development
Artificial intelligence (AI) can help identify molecules that could serve as new drugs for mental health disorders. AI can be used to predict the three-dimensional structures of important receptors and thereby speed up the development of potential drugs.
Universal flu vaccine candidate protects against infection in mice
A new flu vaccine candidate incorporates proteins from 8 strains of influenza.
Catalyst for 'one-step' conversion of methane to methanol
Scientists have engineered a highly selective catalyst that can convert methane, a major component of natural gas, into methanol, an easily transportable liquid fuel, in a single, one-step reaction. This direct process for methane-to-methanol conversion runs at a temperature lower than required to make tea and exclusively produces methanol without additional byproducts.
Pollution drives families to relocate -- but only the rich can afford to live in healthier areas
Pollution levels factor in households' decision to relocate within the United States, but only richer households can afford areas with improved air quality, a new study finds. Researchers analyse detailed origin and destination information of relocating households, rather than just aggregate migration flows, and uncover a direct link between a household's income and their new chosen county of residence. They find inequalities exist when it comes to who is exposed to the worst areas of pollution -- with poorer families hit hardest. Richer households opt to move into cleaner, healthier areas that tend to be more expensive. However poorer families are priced out of these counties and are the ones who move into areas with higher levels of toxic releases.
Hydrogels can play Pong by 'remembering' previous patterns of electrical simulation
How thyroid hormone fuels the drive to explore
Research in mice sheds light on how thyroid hormone alters wiring in the brain. Findings reveal that thyroid hormone syncs up the brain and body to drive exploratory behavior. Researchers say their work could illuminate new treatments for certain psychiatric conditions.
Higher thiazide doses shown to reduce kidney stone events
Higher thiazide doses are associated with greater reductions in urine calcium, which in turn correlate with fewer symptomatic kidney stone events, according to a new study.
Immune cells have a metabolic backup plan for accessing their anti-cancer playbook
Immune cells use two different routes to produce acetyl-CoA, an essential metabolite required to fight infection and cancer, reports a new study. The findings could help improve immunotherapies by revealing how diet can boost immune cell function.
A 3D ion Magnet, the new experimental frontier for quantum information processing
An international team of physicists has discovered a new way to stack ions into two stable layers, potentially opening up new architectures for quantum computers and other technologies based on atoms.
There is a critical unmet need to help tighten and maintain a healthy intestinal barrier and treat a leaky gut. Researchers have now found that a unique strain of probiotic bacteria, Bifidobacterium bifidum BB1, enhances intestinal barrier function and protects against penetration of bacteria and various harmful agents in the intestine. The findings can help advance the development of novel, targeted, naturally occurring probiotic therapy for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other inflammatory diseases, such as fatty liver disease or alcoholic liver disease, that are associated with a leaky or disordered intestinal barrier.
Alzheimer's drug may someday help save lives by inducing a state of 'suspended animation'
Researchers have found that an Alzheimer's drug, donepezil, can induce a safe and reversible torpor-like state in tadpoles of the Xenopus laevis species at room temperature. This 'biostasis' achievement could offer a way to slow down the human body's processes and buy patients more time to survive critical injuries and diseases, even when disaster strikes far from a hospital.
How insulin, zinc and pH can block harmful protein clumps linked to Type 2 diabetes
New research shows how zinc, pH levels and insulin work together to inhibit the buildup of protein clumps that contribute to Type 2 diabetes.
The changes to cell DNA that could revolutionize disease prevention
Researchers have discovered a mechanism in DNA that regulates how disease-causing mutations are inherited. The team identified two enzymes that regulate a chemical modification, 6mA, in mitochondrial DNA. Without the modification, DNA mutations accumulate. These mutations contribute to diseases like dementia, cancer, and diabetes. The study shows that the 6mA modification controls these mutations, suggesting that enhancing its levels could slow disease progression.