ScienceDaily: All - March 09, 2025
Today's top research news
Stretching spider silk makes it stronger
When they weave their webs, spiders pull their silk threads. New simulations show stretching during spinning causes the protein chains within the fibers to align and the number of hydrogen bonds between those chains to increase. Both factors increase the silk fibers' overall strength and toughness. Insights could be applied to designing stronger, tougher synthetic materials.
Breakthrough cardiac regeneration research offers hope for the treatment of ischemic heart failure
The discovery of a novel approach to promote cardiomyocyte proliferation offers new hope for the treatment of ischemic heart failure.
Researchers create gel that can self-heal like human skin
Until now, artificial gels have either managed to replicate high stiffness or natural skin's self-healing properties, but not both. Now, a team of researchers has developed a hydrogel with a unique structure that overcomes earlier limitations, opening the door to applications such as drug delivery, wound healing, soft robotics sensors and artificial skin.
The unforseen effects of melting glaciers on Arctic coastal ecosystems
Researchers found that climate change induced glacial melt increases the heavy metal content and changes the microbiome of habitat-forming brown algae in Arctic fjords. As algae are at the basis of the food web, this will likely have cascading ecological and economic consequences.
Uncovering dementia's environmental triggers
A new study focuses on the powerful role our surroundings play in shaping dementia risk.
An aerosol test for airborne bird flu
Recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (also known as bird flu) have created a need for rapid and sensitive detection methods to mitigate its spread. Now, researchers have developed a prototype sensor that detects a type of influenza virus that causes bird flu (H5N1) in air samples. The low-cost handheld sensor detects the virus at levels below an infectious dose and could lead to rapid aerosol testing for airborne avian influenza.