Controlling chemical reactions to generate new products is one of the biggest challenges in chemistry. Developments in this area impact industry, for example, by reducing the waste generated in the manufacture of construction materials or by improving the production of catalysts to accelerate chemical reactions. For this reason, in the field of polariton chemistry - which uses tools of chemistry and quantum optics - in the last ten years different laboratories around the world have developed experiments in optical cavities to manipulate the chemical reactivity of molecules at room temperature, ...

Light pollution is increasing around the globe, both in its intensity and geographic extent. Researchers are documenting its impact on ecosystems, human health, and culture, while warning that the wasted light has financial costs, environmental impacts, and is responsible for substantial greenhouse gas emissions. In a special issue of Science, five papers discuss the growing adverse impacts of light pollution, along with the regulatory and technological solutions that could help mitigate its effects. Artificial ...

Tzu-Chiao Lu, Maria Brbic and colleagues have completed the Aging Fly Cell Atlas, a single-nucleus transcriptome map of the Drosophila melanogaster fly as it ages. Aging is known to be a risk factor for many diseases across many animals including humans, but understanding how the process affects cell composition and different cell types is still mostly unknown, making the new atlas a valuable reference in further studies. Lu et al. used single-nucleus RNA sequencing to generate the Fly Cell Atlas that profiles ...

New high-precision argon isotope dating of the Ontong Java Plateau indicates that it is 10 million years younger than previously thought, according to Peter Davidson and colleagues. The Ontong Java Plateau is part of a massive underwater volcanic eruption – possibly the largest in Earth’s history – that took place in the Cretaceous Period in the equatorial western Pacific Ocean. This huge igneous emplacement has been proposed as the cause of Ocean Anoxic Event (OAE) 1a – a short period of severely reduced oxygen in the ocean - but the new dates for the eruption suggest it happened after OAE 1a. Some researchers ...

The so-called three-way catalytic converter in the exhaust system of a car consists of expensive materials and only works correctly when the exhaust gases have a temperature that is several hundred degrees Celsius. As a result, when you start your car, or when you drive a hybrid car in which the petrol engine and electric motor alternate between driving the powertrain, the gases leaving the exhaust still contain toxic carbon monoxide. In a new Science article, scientists led by Emiel Hensen now show that by modifying the carrier material of the catalyst, it is possible to almost completely convert toxic carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide gas even at room temperature. Noble ...

Numerous visual illusions are caused by limits in the way our eyes and visual neurones work – rather than more complex psychological processes, new research shows. Researchers examined illusions in which an object’s surroundings affect the way we see its colour or pattern. Scientists and philosophers have long debated whether these illusions are caused by neural processing in the eye and low-level visual centres in the brain, or involve higher-level mental processes such as context and prior knowledge. In the new study Dr Jolyon Troscianko, from the University of Exeter, co-developed a model that suggests simple limits to neural responses – not deeper ...

The rapid advance of artificial intelligence has generated a lot of buzz, with some predicting it will lead to an idyllic utopia and others warning it will bring the end of humanity. But speculation about where AI technology is going, while important, can also drown out important conversations about how we should be handling the AI technologies available today. One such technology is generative AI, which can create content including text, images, audio, and video. Popular generative AIs like the chatbot ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. [June 15, 2023] — Today, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®)—an alliance of leading cancer centers—convened a policy summit to examine how geography impacts cancer outcomes. NCCN Chief Executive Officer, Robert W. Carlson, MD, opened the event with a focus on equity. “NCCN’s work is guided by the idea that where you live should not impact whether you live,” said Dr. Carlson. “NCCN Guidelines are one free resource to make sure everyone, everywhere, has access to cancer care based on the latest evidence ...

Paris is set to host the highly anticipated 25th International Conference of the Redox Medicine Society, where global leaders and experts from the field will converge to unveil groundbreaking advancements and shed light on the future of Redox Medicine. Taking place from June 21 to June 23, the conference will feature over 61 dynamic communications, including major presentations, short talks, and poster sessions, showcasing the latest research and discoveries in the field of redox reactions, oxidative stress, and their profound ...

PHILADELPHIA – Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have invented a new way to map specific DNA markings called 5-methylcytosine (5mC) which regulate gene expression and have key roles in health and disease. The innovative technique allows for scientists to profile DNA using very small samples and without damaging the sample which means it can potentially be used in liquid biopsies (testing for cancer markers in the bloodstream) and early cancer detection. Additionally, unlike ...

American Geophysical Union 15 June 2023 Release No. 23-25 For Immediate Release This press release is available online at: https://news.agu.org/press-release/weve-pumped-so-much-groundwater-that-weve-nudged-the-earths-spin AGU press contact: Rebecca Dzombak, news@agu.org (UTC-4 hours) Contact information for the researchers: Ki-Weon Seo, Seoul National University, seokiweon@snu.ac.kr (UTC+9 hours) WASHINGTON — By pumping water out of the ground and moving it elsewhere, humans have shifted such a large mass of water that the Earth tilted nearly 80 centimeters (31.5 inches) east between 1993 and 2010 alone, according to a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters, ...

Women living with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) experience greater body image concerns than individuals without the condition, according to research being presented Saturday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill. PCOS affects 7% to 10% of women and is the most common cause of infertility. It is also linked to metabolic health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular health conditions, and mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. “Although PCOS, depression and anxiety have a substantial correlation, ...

People with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have a 47% increased risk for death at a younger age compared with those without the condition, according to research being presented on Sunday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill. PCOS is a common cause of infertility in women, and it occurs in 7% to 10% of women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS may have higher than normal levels of testosterone and other reproductive hormones called androgens, irregular periods, and/or cysts on the ovaries. The condition raises the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. “The results highlight the need ...

Major fungal infections have become more common across the globe, and one unexpected phenomenon among the rise of fungi is life-threatening infections as a result of a complication of certain immunotherapies and small molecule kinase inhibitors.    A scientist at the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) has identified the specific mechanistic cause of one such phenomenon, which will likely save lives into the future, via a new publication.    The paper “C5a-licensed phagocytes drive sterilizing immunity during systemic fungal infection” appeared in the journal Cell ...

– By Dan Mullen Wildfires have become increasingly frequent due to climate change, with record occurrences in areas not historically prone to them. In California, wildfires and regional power shutoffs have cost billions and taken lives. For some 46 million Americans living next to forests – at what scientists call the “wildland-urban interface” (WUI) – the risks of wildfire can be especially acute. Microgrids can build resilience in vulnerable communities. By using small-scale, local energy sources and disconnecting from regional grids during emergencies, they can deliver essential services to keep homes and communities ...

In a paper published in Nature Photonics, the research team from the Center for Quantum Information and Communication – Ecole polytechnique de Bruxelles of Université libre de Bruxelles, has found an unexpected counter-example to common knowledge on photon bunching. One of the cornerstones of quantum physics is Niels Bohr's complementarity principle, roughly speaking the fact that objects may behave either like particles or like waves. These two mutually exclusive descriptions are well illustrated in the iconic double-slit experiment, ...

The new biotech venture PHIOGEN is a spin-off company from Baylor College of Medicine’s TAILOR Labs, one of the United States only academic phage therapy cores with a decade’s worth of revolutionary research related to bacteriophages, viruses that infect and destroy bacteria. The company made its debut at the 6th World Conference on Targeting Phage Therapy in Paris, June 1-2, 2023. PHIOGEN’s R&D efforts are led by phage researcher Dr. Anthony ...

Washington, DC—As the world heats up due to climate change, how much can we continue to depend on plants and soils to help alleviate some of our self-inflicted damage by removing carbon pollution from the atmosphere? New work led by Carnegie’s Wu Sun and Anna Michalak tackles this key question by deploying a bold new approach for inferring the temperature sensitivity of ecosystem respiration—which represents one side of the equation balancing carbon dioxide uptake and carbon dioxide output in terrestrial environments. Their findings are published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. “Right now, plants in the terrestrial ...

Giving schools the right resources and training to teach pupils about mental health really can have a positive impact on young people’s wellbeing. New research by Welsh academics has just been published demonstrating the benefits of improving pupils’ mental health literacy and reducing the stigma around mental health issues at a crucial stage in a young person’s life. Most mental health problems start in the teenage years with a recent survey identifying that two in five young people report mental health symptoms. However, due to poor knowledge ...

Healthy cells work hard to maintain the integrity of our DNA, but occasionally, a chromosome can get separated from the others and break apart during cell division. The tiny fragments of DNA then get reassembled in random order in the new cell, sometimes producing cancerous gene mutations.  This chromosomal shattering and rearranging is called “chromothripsis” and occurs in the majority of human cancers, especially cancers of the bones, brain and fatty tissue. Chromothripsis was first ...

It’s not easy to distinguish between the dozens of subtypes of limb girdle muscular dystrophy — a rare, genetic muscle disease characterized by weakness in the hips and shoulders that causes difficulty walking and lifting the arms. Until now, determining the subtype has not been critical in caring for patients, because no specific treatments have been available. But gene therapies are on the horizon, and such therapies are targeted to specific genetic variants, so pinpointing the genetic roots of each patient’s disease has taken on a new importance. In new research, a team at Washington University ...

About The Study: In this retrospective cohort study, large proportions of disparities in time to first tooth decay associated with race and ethnicity were explained by insurance type and dental procedure types among children and adolescents. These findings can be applied to develop targeted strategies to reduce oral health disparities.  Authors: Sung Eun Choi, S.M., Ph.D., of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston, is the corresponding author.  To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/  (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.18425) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In 2021, it is estimated that 9.6 million people in the U.S. (26% of those with diabetes) had diabetic retinopathy and 1.84 million people (5% of those with diabetes) had vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy. There was marked variation in prevalence across states and the number of people living with diabetes-related eye disease grew substantially since prevalence was last estimated in 2004 and may grow in the coming decades due to the increasing burden of diabetes among youth and adults. Authors: Elizabeth A. Lundeen, Ph.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, is the corresponding author. To access ...

About The Study: In this systematic review and meta-analysis of 15 studies and 1,900 participants, interventions that used wearable activity trackers with patients who are hospitalized were associated with higher physical activity levels, less sedentary behavior, and better physical functioning compared with usual care.   Authors: Carol Maher, Ph.D., of the University of South Australia in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, is the corresponding author.  To access the embargoed study: ...

As the world faces more climate variability and extremes in the face of global warming, sudden environmental changes add an extra layer of stress to food production in the United States and around the world. It is critical, then, to figure out how the areas in which crops are planted and harvested respond to these stressors, which can bring on ‘shocks’ in production – or, put differently, sudden and statistically significant crop declines.  These production shocks are a big concern in terms of food stability and many crops in the United States—such as corn, cotton, soybeans, and wheat — are all experiencing more frequent production reductions ...