A new paper in FEMS Yeast Research, published by Oxford University Press, reveals the possible origin story of lager beers. Using historical records and contemporary phylogenomics research, investigators here show where lagers likely first originated: at the court brewery (Hofbräuhaus) of Maximilian the Great, elector of Bavaria, in Munich in 1602. Beer has been made since ancient times. Recent archaeology shows evidence of brewing in the eastern Mediterranean some 13,000 years ago. Although from the origins of brewing until the early 20th century, ale was ...

Researchers at Tokyo Tech have discovered hidden chemical order of the Mo and Nb atoms in disordered Ba7Nb4MoO20, by combining state-of-the-art techniques, including resonant X-ray diffraction and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance. This study provides valuable insights into how a material’s properties, such as ionic conduction, can be heavily influenced by its hidden chemical order. These results would stimulate significant advances in materials science and engineering. Determining the precise structure of a crystalline solid is a challenging endeavor. Materials properties ...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has named Claus Daniel as Associate Laboratory Director for Advanced Energy Technologies (AET). He will begin his new role on Monday, May 1.  Daniel will join Argonne from Carrier Corporation, where he leads engineering partnerships and sustainability as part of Carrier’s strategy and innovation team. He manages the effort to decarbonize the product portfolio, with activities spanning 16 time zones in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Prior to joining Carrier, Daniel spent 16 years with DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in a number of roles.    “It is an exciting ...

The vast majority of AI models used in medicine today are “narrow specialists,” trained to perform one or two tasks, such as scanning mammograms for signs of breast cancer or detecting lung disease on chest X-rays.  But the everyday practice of medicine involves an endless array of clinical scenarios, symptom presentations, possible diagnoses, and treatment conundrums. So, if AI is to deliver on its promise to reshape clinical care, it must reflect that complexity of medicine and do so with high fidelity, says Pranav ...

New research has revealed children’s physical activity in the UK has largely returned to pre-pandemic levels – but children are still more sedentary during the week.  The study, led by the University of Bristol, found that by summer last year 41% of children were meeting the national recommended physical activity guidelines of an hour on average of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. Although this shows an improvement from the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, when little more than a third (37%) were meeting this target, it means the majority of children were still ...

Inhaling low concentrations of ethanol vapor can disable the influenza A virus in mice, without harmful side effects, says a new study by scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST). The scientists believe it may also treat similar viruses such as the one that causes Covid-19.  Prof. Tsumoru Shintake, who leads the Quantum Wave Microscopy Unit at OIST, first proposed the idea to use ethanol vapor to treat respiratory tract infections. He set out to test the approach with his colleague, Prof. Hiroki Ishikawa, leader of the Immune Signal Unit at OIST, and their team members.   “Ethanol is an effective disinfectant ...

Nickel-zinc (Ni-Zn) batteries are promising due to their high output voltage, high theoretical specific energy, high safety, and low cost. However, rechargeable alkaline Ni-Zn batteries are challenging, since the cathodic side reaction of oxygen evolution results in low energy efficiency and poor stability. Recently, a research group led by Prof. YANG Weishen and Dr. ZHU Kaiyue from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed ...

Methanol is a potential feedstock for biomanufacturing since it's easily obtained in an environment-friendly manner. But it is still challenging to construct a microbial cell factory for methanol-based bioproduction due to the toxicity of methanol and complex cellular metabolism. Recently, a research group led by Prof. ZHOU Yongjin from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has engineered yeast Ogataea polymorpha for efficient ...

SINGAPORE, 26 April 2023 – Symptoms of anxiety and depression in the post-peak pandemic era could be costing Singapore 2.9 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP)—or nearly S$16 billion—suggests a study conducted by Duke-NUS Medical School and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). Publishing in the journal BMC Psychiatry, the researchers estimated the total economic burden of lost productivity due to anxiety and depression in Singapore to be S$15.7 billion (US$11.72 billion) annually, based on survey data from 5,725 Singaporean adults collected via an online panel between April and June 2022. Using ...

Dr Araujo, from the QUT School of Mathematical Sciences, said the research findings represented a blueprint for adaptation-capable signalling networks across all domains of life and for the design of synthetic biosystems. “Our study considers a process called robust perfect adaptation (RPA) whereby biological systems, from individual cells to entire organisms, maintain important molecules within narrow concentration ranges despite continually being bombarded with disturbances to the system,” Dr Araujo ...

Osaka, Japan – Many real-world systems, from climate systems to the physical mechanisms of robots, are governed by the invariant quantities that arise from their underlying geometric structures. Modelling these systems using computer simulations is a key tool for understanding them (for weather forecasting, for instance, or developing robot locomotion). It’s often possible to collect data for these systems, but making sense of those data to build a model is a more challenging task. Artificial intelligence ...

Arlington, Va., April 27, 2023 – A serious infectious threat response initiative (SITRI) implemented by the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) team at Veterans Affairs North Texas Health Care System (VANTHCS) positively impacted IPC staff burnout and helped prevent an increase in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings, published today in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC), suggest that pre-emptive investment in preparedness initiatives can enable healthcare facilities to retain routine prevention efforts and improve patient safety during infectious disease outbreaks. “During ...

The World Health Organization’s draft drinking water guidance for the two most well-studied per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exhibit a “striking and inappropriate disregard of the best available science,” according to former directors of the U.S. EPA’s Office of Science and Technology and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). In a viewpoint for the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology, Betsy Southerland and Linda Birnbaum strongly recommend ...

Researchers have developed a new mining technique which uses microbes to recover metals and store carbon in the waste produced by mining. Adopting this technique of reusing mining waste, called tailings, could transform the mining industry and create a greener and more sustainable future. Tailings are a by-product of mining. They are the fine-grained waste materials left after extracting the target ore mineral, which are then stacked and stored. This method is called dry-stack tailing. Over time, mining practices have evolved and become more efficient. But the climate crisis and rising demand for critical minerals require the development of new ore removal and ...

About one-third of our lives are spent at work, and the relationships we build there can have personal and professional benefits. But a majority of workers indicate difficulty connecting with co-workers socially, especially in the new landscape of remote and hybrid work arrangements. To ease the friction caused by reduced in-person interaction, a team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute created a Slack application that helps to initiate casual conversations and create affinity groups in an online workspace. "We were freshly out of the pandemic, and we realized that everyone around us was complaining ...

“Our study emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between STAT3α and STAT3β proteins and their active forms when discussing STAT3-related cancer diagnosis and therapy.” BUFFALO, NY- April 26, 2023 – A new research paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 14 on April 24, 2023, entitled, “Differential silencing of STAT3 isoforms leads to changes in STAT3 activation.” Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a transcription factor involved in ...

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – April 26, 2023 – The Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation, a nonprofit dedicated to rapidly translating scientific knowledge into real-world solutions, will celebrate the grand opening of its latest biomedical research center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, April 29. When:             Saturday, April 29 at 11:30 a.m. Where:            21100[ML1]  Erwin St., Woodland Hills, Calif., 91367 What:              ...

Sand filters are commonly applied in drinking water treatment and can efficiently remove suspended solids, organic matter, and microorganisms from source water. During the process, particulate matter and microbes can attach to filter sands and develop a thick biofilm in both rapid and slow sand filters. To prevent clogging and restore pollutant removal efficiency, backwashing using air, water, or a combination of both is usually required for sand filters. However, backwashing can induce a loss in biomass, thus decreasing the pollutant ...

A versatile new foam material developed by researchers at the University of Georgia could significantly reduce health care-related infections caused by implanted medical devices—or drastically improve cleanup efforts following environmental disasters like oil spills. Like a spongy Swiss Army knife, the porous three-dimensional foam is water repellent—meaning it resists blood, microbes and proteins, while also exhibiting antimicrobial and oil-water separation properties. Its versatility, functionality and relatively inexpensive production costs could make it a valuable resource for future clinicians and environmental remediation professionals ...

The University of Cincinnati's Soma Sengupta, MD, PhD, published an article in the Journal of Neuro-Oncology April 25 discussing her journey and approach to practicing integrative neuro-oncology. Sengupta, associate professor in neurology, director of neuro-oncology clinical trials, associate director of the Brain Tumor Center and a UC Health neuro-oncologist, funded by the Harold C. Schott Endowed Chair in Molecular Therapeutics (Neurosurgery) and the Pam and Tom Mischell Funds, said she personally ...

In cereal crops, the number of new leaves each plant produces is used to study the periodic events that constitute the biological life cycle of the crop. The conventional method of determining leaf numbers involves manual counting, which is slow, labor-intensive, and usually associated with large uncertainties because of the small sample sizes involved. It is thus difficult to get accurate estimates of some traits by manually counting leaves. Conventional methods have, however, been improved upon with technology. Deep learning has enabled the use of object detection and segmentation algorithms to estimate the number of plants (and ...

As temperatures across the globe reach record-level highs, urban areas are facing increased heat stress. Cities are generally warmer and dryer than adjacent rural land. But in the Global South, there is an additional complicating factor — urban humid heat. A new study, led by Yale School of the Environment scientists and published in Nature, investigated the combined effect of temperature and humidity on urban heat stress using observational data and an urban climate model calculation. Researchers found that the heat stress burden is dependent on local climate and a humidifying effect can erase the cooling benefits that would come from trees and vegetation. “A widely ...

Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) technologies are constantly finding new applications across several disciplines. Medicine is no exception, with AI/ML being used for the diagnosis, prognosis, risk assessment, and treatment response assessment of various diseases. In particular, AI/ML models are finding increasing applications in the analysis of medical images. This includes X-ray, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance images. A key requirement for the successful implementation of AI/ML models in ...

As additive manufacturing becomes more commonplace, researchers are exploring new methods to ensure that products are as strong and more sustainable than their traditionally manufactured analogues. At the University of Pittsburgh, engineers have set their sights on using multiple lights and neural networks to improve the finishing process of this complex process.  Xiayun Zhao, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her research in photopolymer additive manufacturing (PAM). ...

Revelations and research over the last few years have shed light on how Instagram may negatively affect its youngest users. The most popular social media platform among 13- to 21-year-olds in America, Instagram was designed to connect people with shared interests. However, recent research has pointed to the use of social media as possibly contributing to a rise in mental health and eating disorders among teenage girls. Researchers at Drexel University and Vanderbilt University are trying to figure out exactly what young users are experiencing on Instagram, in hopes of curtailing the negative trend and getting them the support they need. In ...