Scientists at Université de Montréal’s Department of Chemistry have developed a new fluorogenic probe that can be used to detect and study interactions between two families of biomolecules essential to life: sugars and proteins. The findings by professor Samy Cecioni and his students, which open the door to a wide range of applications, were published in mid-October in the prestigious European journal Angewandte Chemie. Found in all living cells Sugar is omnipresent in our lives, present in almost all the foods we eat. But the importance of these simple carbohydrates extends far beyond tasty desserts. Sugars ...

HOUSTON – (Nov. 14, 2023) – As the primary element of life on our planet, carbon is constantly journeying from living creatures down into the Earth’s crust and back up into the atmosphere, but until recently, quantifying this journey was virtually impossible. To help unravel the mystery of how the Earth cycles fossil carbon, Rice University’s Mark Torres and collaborators studied the chemistry of a river system extending from the Peruvian Andes to the Amazon floodplains. Together with collaborators from five other institutions, Torres helped show that high rates of carbon breakdown persist from mountaintop to floodplain, ...

A University of Adelaide and Oxford University study has discovered asbestos exposure led to a higher incidence of asbestos-related lung cancers in British and Australian naval personnel than in other armed forces. The data were collected from 30,085 United Kingdom and Australian personnel who served in the ’50s and ’60s, a time when asbestos-containing materials were present in British and Australian naval vessels. Three of the four cohorts had previously been studied by the University of Adelaide and the UK Health Security Agency to identify the effects of radiation exposure from British nuclear testing; however, a raised incidence of mesothelioma, a cancer strongly linked ...

From scorching heatwaves to torrential downpours and devastating storms, the disastrous effects of global warming are sweeping across the world. Being the predicted outcome of burning fossil fuels, our best and only plan to limit warming is to reduce CO2 emissions from human activities to ‘net zero’ – where the amount of CO2 we emit into the atmosphere is equal to the amount we remove from it. To keep within the 1.5°C limit of the 2015 Paris Agreement, this needs to happen as soon as possible. Though the ...

Eating in a ten-hour window is associated with higher energy and mood and lower hunger levels, new results from the largest UK community science study of its kind shows1 . Results from the trial are presented today by researchers from King’s College London at the European Nutrition Conference. Intermittent fasting (IF), or restricting your food consumption to a set window, is a popular weight loss regime. A ten-hour window means limiting your daily eating schedule to ten hours and fasting for the ...

IOP Publishing (IOPP) is now offering peer reviewers feedback on their reviewer reports to enhance the quality of peer review and to strengthen best practice in the physical sciences.   IOPP have rolled out the new programme on an opt-in basis across all its proprietary journals. Where reviewers opt-in for feedback on their report, IOPP will share a numerical evaluation of how useful the report was to the in-house editors on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being outstanding and 1 indicating that ...

The collapse of FTX clearly highlights the importance of being able to evaluate the solvency of cryptocurrency exchanges. Currently, this is only possible to a limited extent. That's why researchers from the Complexity Science Hub (CSH), in collaboration with the Financial Market Authority (FMA) and the Austrian National Bank (OeNB), are now proposing a new approach. Recently, a New York jury found Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, guilty of money laundering and fraud, among other charges. FTX was one of the largest trading platforms for crypto-assets and was valued at $32 billion before unexpectedly filing for insolvency in November ...

Medical cannabis legalization is associated with a decrease in the frequency of nonmedical prescription opioid use, according to a Rutgers study.   The study, published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, examined data from a nationally representative survey of adults who reported nonmedical prescription opioid use – or using prescription medications without a prescription or in a manner other than prescribed.   According to the study, when states implement medical cannabis laws, there is ...

Cancer stem cells cause the aging of macrophages in mice with healthy immune systems, creating conditions for the formation of tumors. Cancerous tumors consist of a mixture of cells, the most important of which are cancer stem cells. These cells are capable of establishing new cancerous tumors by evading the immune response. Research has focused on identifying biomarkers for cancer stem cells and developing therapies that target these cells. Unfortunately, candidate drugs developed from these efforts have so far not been very effective in clinical trials. A research team led by Associate Professor Haruka Wada ...

Researchers from ICIQ in Spain have designed micromotors that move around on their own to purify wastewater. The process creates ammonia, which can serve as a green energy source. Now, an AI method developed at the University of Gothenburg will be used to tune the motors to achieve the best possible results. Micromotors have emerged as a promising tool for environmental remediation, largely due to their ability to autonomously navigate and perform specific tasks on a microscale. The micromotor is comprised of a tube made of silicon and manganese dioxide in which chemical reactions cause the release of bubbles from one end. These bubbles ...

AUSTIN – TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology) is pleased to announce the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) as the recipient of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Distinguished Service Award. TAMEST is recognizing CPRIT for their work improving the lives of Texans, advancing cancer research and prevention, and recruiting National Academy members to Texas. CPRIT’s success in attracting top-tier cancer scientists and companies to the state ...

Osaka, Japan – Commonly known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are notorious for persisting in the environment and in our bodies. Osaka Metropolitan University chemists may put an end to the “forever” life of PFAS with their simple yet innovative technique that converts these harmful substances into valuable compounds. A research group led by Professor Masato Ohashi and Assistant Professor Kenichi Michigami of the Graduate School of Science at Osaka Metropolitan University has successfully synthesized ligands called fluorine-decorated ...

For the first time, a research team in Korea has discovered there is a significant relationship between depression and the taurine concentration in the hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for memory and learning functions. This discovery provides the opportunity to publicize the role and importance of taurine in future prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of depression. Using ultra-high magnetic field 7T human MRI (7T MRI), researchers (Drs. Youngkyu Song, Jee-Hyun Cho and Chaejoon Cheong) in the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI, President Seong-Kwang Yang) Biochemical Analysis Team have confirmed ...

A special kind of genetic test that helps determine the best antidepressant for patients with moderate-to-severe depression could generate substantive health system savings and greatly improve patient outcomes, according to new research from the University of British Columbia. The study, published today in CMAJ, shows that in B.C. alone, implementing pharmacogenomic testing could save the provincial public health system an estimated $956 million over 20 years. “Pharmacogenomic testing aims to match patients with medications that are more likely to be effective and cause less side effects, based ...

Canada geese strengthen existing friendships and forge a few new connections after losing close associates from their flock, new research shows. University of Exeter scientists observed flocks of Canada geese before and after a population-management cull in which about 20% of the birds were killed. In such a situation, some animals species increase “social connectivity” – mixing with many new individuals – which can increase the transmission of infectious diseases. But the geese in the study responded by strengthening existing relationships, only adding enough new associations to replace those they had lost. “Our findings shows that Canada geese are very ...

A Lancaster University PhD student has measured the optical depth of Saturn’s rings using a new method based on how much sunlight reached the Cassini spacecraft while it was in the shadow of the rings. The optical depth is connected to the transparency of an object, and it shows how far light can travel through that object before it gets absorbed or scattered. The research, led by Lancaster University in collaboration with the Swedish Institute of Space Physics, is published in the Monthly Notices ...

Membrane separation technology offers great potential due to its low energy consumption and continuous operation availability. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising in separation membranes due to their abundant species, high porosity, and precise regulation of pore architectures. Recently, a research group led by Prof. YANG Weishen and Assoc. Prof. PENG Yuan from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has proposed a new strategy of modular customization and non-destructive ...

Microplastics, from the beads that were once commonplace in cosmetics to the weathered and broken-down remnants of trash, are now ubiquitous in marine and inland waters around the world. To date, though, scientists have struggled to identify which plastics persist longest in the environment and measure their abundance, especially at the smaller end of the size range where they’re most likely to be consumed by foundational species near the bottom of the food web, like zooplankton. Researchers from Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and the University of Minnesota ...

The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) into carbon-based fuels provides a promising strategy to mitigate CO2 emission and promotes the utilization of renewable energy. The Cn (n≥2) liquid products are desirable because of their high energy densities and ease of storage. However, manipulation of C-C coupling pathway remains a challenge due to the limited mechanistic understanding. Recently, a research group led by Profs. ZHANG Tao and HUANG Yanqiang from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has developed a Sn-based tandem electrocatalyst (SnS2@Sn1-O3G), which could reproducibly yield ethanol ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Overdose prevention centers, where individuals can consume illicit drugs under the observation of trained staff, are not associated with significant increases in crime, researchers found. When the researchers compared syringe service programs in New York City with two programs that were recently sanctioned by city officials to offer supervised drug consumption, they found no significant increases in crimes recorded by the police or calls for emergency service in the surrounding neighborhoods. The findings, which were published in JAMA Network Open, come as plans to open overdose prevention centers proceed in Rhode ...

The precise catalytic conversion of chemical bonds is a paramount goal in catalysis. Enzymes, as efficient biocatalysts, are well known for their high catalytic activity, selectivity, and substrate specificity under mild reaction conditions, which can be attributed to the synergistic catalysis of multiple active sites. Inspired by the catalytic mechanism of enzymes, the rational design of catalysts with multiple active sites to stabilize TS and accelerate the rate-determining step is a promising strategy for achieving high activity and selectivity. However, integrating multiple active sites into a single catalyst without interference during the catalytic process remains an enormous ...

Today marks the launch of The Transmitter, a new publication focused on helping neuroscientists stay current on the latest developments in the field and build new connections. Created by the team that brings Spectrum to autism researchers, The Transmitter will provide essential news, insights and resources across neuroscience disciplines and career stages. Spectrum will continue to publish news and perspectives on autism research as an anchor of The Transmitter. Like Spectrum, The Transmitter is an editorially independent publication of the Simons Foundation. “Neuroscience discoveries are rapidly shifting our understanding of ...

Uncontrolled hypertension, the leading preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and premature deaths worldwide, disproportionately affects low-income populations. Now, a new strategy that trains healthcare providers to deliver more comprehensive, team-based care has been found to significantly lower blood pressure in low-income patients compared to the “usual care” approach. The findings were reported by Tulane University researchers at this week’s American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia. Tulane researchers conducted an 18-month clinical trial with 1,272 hypertension patients at 36 Federally Qualified Health Centers ...

The majority of breast cancers start in the lining of a breast milk duct and, if they remain there, are very treatable. But once these cancers become invasive – breaking through a thin matrix around the duct, called the basement membrane, and spreading to the surrounding tissue – treatment becomes more challenging. In a recent paper, published on Nov. 13 in Nature Materials, researchers at Stanford revealed a novel physical mechanism that breast cancer cells use to break out and become invasive. They found that, in addition to established chemical methods of degrading the basement membrane, cancer ...

The production of ammonia for fertilisers – which has one of the largest carbon footprints among industrial processes – will soon be possible on farms using low-cost, low-energy and environmentally friendly technology. This is thanks to researchers at UNSW Sydney and their collaborators who have developed an innovative technique for sustainable ammonia production at scale. Up until now, the production of ammonia has relied on high-energy processes that leave a massive global carbon footprint – temperatures of more ...