ScienceDaily: All - June 08, 2024
Today's top research news
The United States has enough biomass potential to produce 35 billion gallons per year of aviation biofuel by 2050, a new report confirms.
Image: GarryKillian/Shutterstock.com
Lake under Mars ice cap unlikely
Researchers have provided a simple and comprehensive -- if less dramatic -- explanation for bright radar reflections initially interpreted as liquid water beneath the ice cap on Mars' south pole.
Online professional education works for complex topics
Online education is effective for teaching complicated topics like quantum information science (QIS) to high school science educators, according to a new article.
Antioxidant gel preserves islet function after pancreas removal
Severe chronic pancreatitis is treated by removing the pancreas. Without a pancreas, patients also lose insulin-producing cells called islets. To preserve insulin responses, surgeons transplant islets to the liver, which has poor outcomes. New strategy uses a synthetic gel to transplant islets to the omentum, showing promise in small and large animal studies. With the new approach, more islets survived transplantation and grew blood vessels into the omentum.
Basic income can double global GDP while reducing carbon emissions
Giving a regular cash payment to the entire world population has the potential to increase global gross domestic product (GDP) by 130%, according to a new analysis. Researchers suggest that charging carbon emitters with an emission tax could help fund such basic income program while reducing environmental degradation.
By studying mutations in yeast and human cells, scientists say they have found that biochemical bonds between fats and proteins in the mitochondrion, the cell's powerhouse, play a crucial role in how our cells produce energy.
Wildfire smoke reached 99% of U.S. lakes in 2019-2021
Where there's smoke, there's not always fire. Wildfire smoke drifted to nearly every lake in North America for at least one day per year from 2019 to 2021, found a UC Davis study.
A team of researchers has developed a wirelessly activated device that mimics the wavelike muscular function in the esophagus and small intestine responsible for transporting food and viscous fluids for digestion.
How does oxygen depletion disrupt memory formation in the brain?
When we learn something new, our brain cells (neurons) communicate with each other through electrical and chemical signals. If the same group of neurons communicate together often, the connections between them get stronger. This process helps our brains learn and remember things and is known as long-term potentiation or LTP. Another type of LTP occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen temporarily -- anoxia-induced long-term potentiationor aLTP. aLTP blocks the former process, thereby impairing learning and memory. Therefore, some scientists think that aLTP might be involved in memory problems seen in conditions like stroke.
Baby baboon brain anatomy predicts which hand they will use to communicate
By studying the brain anatomy of newborn baby baboons, a research group was able to predict what hand they would use to communicate after they had been weaned.
Frozen? Let it melt with efficient new de-icer friendly to the environment
A research team has found a de-icing mixture with high effectiveness and low environmental impact after using machine learning to analyze ice melting mechanisms of aqueous solutions of 21 salts and 16 organic solvents.
What's going on in our brains when we plan?
An international team of scientists has uncovered neural mechanisms used in planning. Its results suggest that an interplay between the brain's prefrontal cortex and hippocampus allows us to imagine future outcomes in order to guide our decisions.
Digital babies created to improve infant healthcare
Researchers have created digital babies to better understand infants' health in their critical first 180 days of life. The team created 360 advanced computer models that simulate the unique metabolic processes of each baby.
New therapeutic targets to fight type 2 diabetes
One of the most confusing aspects for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is that they have high fasting glucose levels. This is because in these insulin-resistant patients, glucose production by the liver is triggered, a process that is still full of questions for the scientific community. Now, a review article presents a comprehensive overview of the most important advances in understanding this mechanism.
Bioengineering is revolutionizing cancer research. This area of science integrates engineering and physical sciences with oncology to change how we understand and treat this complex disease.
Silkworms help grow better organ-like tissues in labs
Biomedical engineers have developed a silk-based, ultrathin membrane that can be used in organ-on-a-chip models to better mimic the natural environment of cells and tissues within the body. When used in a kidney organ-on-a-chip platform, the membrane helped tissues grow to recreate the functionality of both healthy and diseased kidneys.
Scientists 'read' the messages in chemical clues left by coral reef inhabitants
What species live in this coral reef, and are they healthy? Chemical clues emitted by marine organisms might hold that information. But in underwater environments, invisible compounds create a complex 'soup' that is hard for scientists to decipher. Now, researchers have demonstrated a way to extract and identify these indicator compounds in seawater. They found metabolites previously undetected on reefs, including three that may represent different reef organisms.
Diagnosing damaged infrastructure from space
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing systems allow researchers to inspect and characterize pavements, retaining walls, and embankments from space and can help determine if there are flaws that should be further inspected for repair.
Potential treatment for fibrosis
Researchers are developing a new therapeutic approach that uses nanoparticles for the treatment of skin and lung fibrosis, conditions that can result in severe damage to the body's tissues.
Discovery highlights 'critical oversight' in perceived security of wireless networks
A research team has uncovered an eavesdropping security vulnerability in high-frequency and high-speed wireless backhaul links, widely employed in critical applications such as 5G wireless cell phone signals and low-latency financial trading on Wall Street.
Encouraging Phase 1 data for glioblastoma treatment
Preliminary clinical data for glioblastoma multiforme patients enrolled in a Phase 1 clinical trial demonstrated that 92 percent of evaluable patients treated with INB-200 exceeded a median progression-free survival of seven months with concomitant temozolomide chemotherapy. The median follow-up was 11.7 months. This survival data along with radiographic improvements are indicative of positive treatment effects, which highlights the potential of IN8bio's genetically modified, chemotherapy-resistant gamma-delta T cells as a potential first-in-class therapy for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.
Epstein-Barr Virus and brain cross-reactivity: possible mechanism for Multiple Sclerosis
The role that Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) plays in the development of Multiple Sclerosis may be caused a higher level of cross-reactivity, where the body's immune system binds to the wrong target, than previously thought.
Fish out of water: How killifish embryos adapted their development
The annual killifish lives in regions with extreme drought. A research group now reports that the early embryogenesis of killifish diverges from that of other species. Unlike other fish, their body structure is not predetermined from the outset. This could enable the species to survive dry periods unscathed.
New study challenges 'pop psychology' myths about habits
By ditching 'pop psychology myths' about habits, we can better understand our habits and take more effective action, according to researchers.
Key to improving cancer treatments discovered
Some cancer drugs cause severe side effects because they are not working accurately enough. Biochemists have now discovered why.
Unlocking RNA functionality: A redox-responsive approach
Chemists have developed a strategy using disulfide-containing small molecules to facilitate the reversible control and delivery of ribonucleic acid (RNA). A research team has developed a method that takes advantage of a chemical process called post-synthetic RNA acylation chemistry, and combined it with dynamic disulfide exchange reaction for RNA delivery and reversible control. This method provides a way to mask the RNA molecule, and researchers can potentially regulate its activity and delivery until it reaches its target site within the cell.