An article published in The Faseb Journal describes a Brazilian study analyzing the correlation between two key energy metabolism regulation processes: the absorption and release of calcium ions by mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for cells; and autophagy induced by calorie restriction. Autophagy occurs when cells break down and reuse their own cytoplasm. The study was conducted at the Center for Research on Redox Processes in Biomedicine (Redoxome), a Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center (RIDC) funded by FAPESP and hosted by the University of São Paulo’s Institute of Chemistry ...

Consistent adherence to physical activity guidelines throughout middle-age is associated with a higher health-related quality of life in women, according to a new study publishing May 2nd in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Binh Nguyen of University of Sydney, Australia, and colleagues. The evidence for an association between physical activity and health-related quality of life has been based primarily on cross-sectional studies and short-term randomized controlled trials. Few longitudinal studies have measured physical activity at more than one time point and examined the long-term causal effects ...

In experiments in isolated villages in Honduras, researchers evaluated a new strategy for identifying individuals that could be targeted for effective information spreading. Their approach – more effective than random targeting, and also less time-requisite than approaches that require a complete understanding of the relevant social network – could have far-reaching policy implications in lower and middle-income countries. Understanding the structure and function of human social networks has yielded insights for exploiting social ...

Chromosomal 22q11.2 deletions increase risk for meningomyelocele,  one of the most severe and common forms of spina bifida, researchers report. According to the findings, this risk is mediated by the loss of Crkl, one of several neural tube expressed genes located on the 22q11.2 deletion interval, and this risk is only partially alleviated by folate supplementation. Meningomyelocele (MM) is a severe type of neural tube defect, which often requires pre- or post-natal surgical repair and can result in a variety of physical and developmental difficulties. Although the incidence of the condition has declined in recent decades, largely due to folic acid (FA) fortification, MM ...

Molecular circadian clocks in the brain and muscle tissue cooperate to keep muscles healthy and functioning daily, according to a new study in mice. The findings could provide valuable insight into understanding the roles of circadian disruption in age-associated health issues and potential strategies to protect muscle function in aging individuals. A circadian molecular clock network is crucial for daily physiology and maintaining health. It’s thought that this network – which extends throughout all cells in the body – is hierarchically organized and coordinated by the brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which receives daily light cues and synchronizes ...

Early care and education (ECE) programs – like Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) and Head Start – are widely regarded as effective public investments for reducing income- and race-based achievement gaps and helping children succeed in school with impacts extending well into adulthood. However, in a Policy Forum, Margaret Burchinal and colleagues present recent evidence suggesting that preschool impacts are not unequivocally positive and the science on the overall outcomes of these programs remains unsettled. According to Burchinal et al., more rigorous research is needed to understand how to design early education programs that produce long-term positive ...

Precisely measuring the energy states of individual atoms has been a historical challenge for physicists due to atomic recoil. When an atom interacts with a photon, the atom “recoils” in the opposite direction, making it difficult to measure the position and momentum of the atom precisely. This recoil can have big implications for quantum sensing, which detects minute changes in parameters, for example, using changes in gravitational waves to determine the shape of the Earth or even detect dark matter.  In a new paper published in the Science, JILA and NIST Fellows Ana Maria Rey and James Thompson, ...

A new catalyst made from an inexpensive, abundant metal and common table sugar has the power to destroy carbon dioxide (CO2) gas. In a new Northwestern University study, the catalyst successfully converted CO2 into carbon monoxide (CO), an important building block to produce a variety of useful chemicals. When the reaction occurs in the presence of hydrogen, for example, CO2 and hydrogen transform into synthesis gas (or syngas), a highly valuable precursor to producing fuels that can potentially replace gasoline.  With recent advances in carbon capture technologies, post-combustion carbon capture is ...

For the first time, the developmental stages of the deadliest human malaria parasite have been mapped in high resolution, allowing researchers to understand this ever-adapting adversary in more detail than previously possible. The study, published today (2 May) in Science, details the critical developmental stages of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, using single-cell RNA sequencing. This gives detailed information on the life stages of this parasite as it matures, changing from an asexual state to a sexual state, which is necessary before the parasite can be transmitted to mosquitoes. The research from ...

EMBARGOED TO 2:00 P.M. ET May 2, 2024 Contact: Patricia Lamiell; patricia.lamiell@tc.columbia.edu or Ari Morgan; teacherscollege@skdknick.com   Breaking Ground:  Investigating the Long-Term Effects of Early Childhood Education   New review from Teachers College, Columbia University, University of Virginia, University of California-Irvine, and University of Delaware Reveals Varied Impact of Preschool Programs on Long-Term School Success.   EDITOR’S NOTE:  The EMBARGOED ...

Barcelona, 2 May 2024 - Discovered in the 1970s, circadian clocks are essential for the regulation of biological time in most cells in the human body. These internal mechanisms adjust biological processes to a 24-hour cycle, allowing the synchronisation of cellular functions with daily variations in the environment. Circadian rhythms, which are coordinated by a central clock in the brain that communicates with clocks in different peripheral tissues, influence many functions, from our sleep patterns to our ability to metabolise food. A team led by Dr. Salvador Aznar Benitah, an ICREA researcher ...

Proximity is key for many quantum phenomena, as interactions between atoms are stronger when the particles are close. In many quantum simulators, scientists arrange atoms as close together as possible to explore exotic states of matter and build new quantum materials.  They typically do this by cooling the atoms to a stand-still, then using laser light to position the particles as close as 500 nanometers apart — a limit that is set by the wavelength of light. Now, MIT physicists have developed a technique that allows them to arrange atoms in much closer proximity, down to a mere 50 nanometers. For context, a red blood cell ...

Working with human breast and lung cells, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have charted a molecular pathway that can lure cells down a hazardous path of duplicating their genome too many times, a hallmark of cancer cells. The findings, published May 3 in Science, reveal what goes wrong when a group of molecules and enzymes trigger and regulate what’s known as the “cell cycle,” the repetitive process of making new cells out of the cells’ genetic material. The findings could be used to develop therapies that interrupt snags in the cell cycle, ...

Woods Hole, Mass. (May 2, 2024) -- Human activities account for a substantial amount - anywhere from 20% to more than 60% - of toxic thallium that has entered the Baltic Sea over the past 80 years, according to new research by scientists affiliated with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and other institutions. Currently, the amount of thallium (element symbol TI), which is considered the most toxic metal for mammals, remains low in Baltic seawater. However, the research suggests that the amount of thallium could increase due to further anthropogenic, or human induced, activities, or due to natural or human re-oxygenation of the Baltic that could make the sea ...

The use of femtosecond lasers to form glass-to-glass welds for solar modules would make the panels easier to recycle, according to a proof-of-concept study conducted by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The welds would eliminate the need for plastic polymer sheets that are now laminated into solar modules but make recycling more difficult. At the end of their useful lifespan, the modules made with the laser welds can be shattered. The glass and metal wires running through the solar cells can be easily recycled and the silicon ...

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have successfully leveraged robotic assistance in the manufacture of wind turbine blades, allowing for the elimination of difficult working conditions for humans and the potential to improve the consistency of the product. Although robots have been used by the wind energy industry to paint and polish blades, automation has not been widely adopted. Research at the laboratory demonstrates the ability of a robot to trim, grind, and sand blades. Those necessary steps occur after the two sides of the blade are made using a mold ...

Scented products with relevant images on their packaging and branding, such as flowers or fruit, are more attractive to potential customers and score better in produce evaluations, new research confirms. And such images, the researchers conclude, are particularly effective if manufacturers and marketers choose pictures that are more likely to stimulate a stronger sense of the imagined smell – for example, cut rather than whole lemons. This, they say, suggests that as well as seducing our eyes, the images are stimulating our sense of smell. The study, published online in the International Journal of Research in Marketing, could provide manufacturers and marketers ...

Some neurological disorders can be improved through photobiomodulation, a non-invasive technique based on the application of low-intensity light to stimulate altered functions in specific regions of the body. Now, a study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders reveals how photobiomodulation applied to the brain-gut axis is effective in recovering some cognitive alterations and sequelae caused by chronic stress. The study opens up new perspectives for applying the technique in future therapies for the treatment of neurological diseases in patients. The article, based on the study of laboratory animal models, ...

American Geophysical Union Press Release 24-19 2 May 2024 For Immediate Release This press release is available online at: https://news.agu.org/press-release/africa-forest-fires-doubled-drying Wildfires in wet African forests have doubled in recent decades Climate change and human activities like deforestation are causing more fires in central and west Africa’s wet, tropical forests, according to the first-ever comprehensive survey there. The fires have long been overlooked. AGU press contact: Rebecca Dzombak, news@agu.org (UTC-4 hours) Contact information ...

Blood vessels in the lungs aren’t like the others in the body. This difference becomes clear in pulmonary hypertension, in which only the lungs’ blood vessels stiffen progressively, leading to chronic lung disease, heart failure and death. The underlying reasons for this organ-specific vessel stiffening remained a mystery until University of Pittsburgh researcher Stephen Chan and colleagues made a surprising discovery about these blood vessel cells in patients with pulmonary hypertension—they’re hungry. Chan, Vitalant Chair in Vascular Medicine and Professor of Medicine in the Division ...

Einstein’s theory of general relativity explains that gravity is caused by a curvature of the directions of space and time. The most familiar manifestation of this is the Earth’s gravity, which keeps us on the ground and explains why balls fall to the floor and individuals have weight when stepping on a scale. In the field of high-energy physics, on the other hand, scientists study tiny invisible objects that obey the laws of quantum mechanics—characterized by random fluctuations that create ...

Today, the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) announced the recipients of the 3rd Annual SCAI Early Career Research Grants. SCAI offers this initiative to support the next generation of interventional cardiologists, providing a platform for junior-level investigators within 10 years of completing an interventional cardiology fellowship to study high-priority, clinically important topics and have their findings disseminated through various professional channels. This year’s grants are funded by support from Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, and Shockwave Medical.   “Research funding is often ...

Researchers at UBC and BC Cancer have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that can accurately predict if a person receiving cancer care will require mental health services during their treatment journey. The AI uses natural language processing and advanced neural networks to analyze an oncologist’s notes from their first consultation appointment with a patient. While these appointments are typically highly focused on a patient’s medical history and treatment options, the AI picks ...

The world’s leading stem cell scientists will convene in Hong Kong, SAR, 11-14 June 2025 for the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) 2025 Annual Meeting, illuminating the future of stem cell science and highlighting the most compelling research and clinical advances of the year. The meeting is co-sponsored by The University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Commission and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre provided significant support to enable the ISSCR to bring its hallmark event to the city of ...

A wild male Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) has been observed applying chewed leaves from Akar Kuning (Fibraurea tinctoria) — a climbing plant used in traditional medicine to treat wounds and  conditions such as dysentery, diabetes, and malaria — to a wound on his cheek. The findings, which are published in Scientific Reports, represent the first report of suspected wound treatment by a wild animal using a plant with known medicinal properties. Prior to this study, multiple ...