The deconstruction of cellulose is essential for the conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals. But cellulose, the most abundant renewable polymer on the planet, is extremely recalcitrant to biological depolymerization. Although composed entirely of glucose units, its crystalline microfibrillar structure and association with lignin and hemicelluloses in plant cell walls make it highly resistant to degradation. As a result, its degradation in nature is slow and requires complex enzymatic systems. The deconstruction ...

Background: Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6), predominantly expressed by type II alveolar cells, is linked to the prognosis and severity of interstitial lung disease (ILD). This investigation sought to explore the relationship between KL-6 concentrations and the presence of ILD versus interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA). Methods: This single-center retrospective study included 147 patients who were suspected of ILD and underwent KL-6 testing between October 2022 and March 2023. Epidemiological and clinical details of the patients, including the outcomes of pulmonary function tests and computed tomography findings, were retrospectively extracted from electronic medical records. Results: The ...

New research from a team of cognitive scientists and evolutionary biologists finds that chimpanzees drum rhythmically, using regular spacing between drum hits. Their results, publishing in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on May 9, show that eastern and western chimpanzees—two distinct subspecies—drum with distinguishable rhythms. The researchers say these findings suggest that the building blocks of human musicality arose in a common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans. “Based on our previous work, we expected that western chimpanzees would use more hits and drum more ...

Wasp mothers have stunning brainpower when it comes to feeding their young, new research shows. Digger wasps make a short burrow for each egg, stocking it with food and returning a few days later to provide more. The study reveals that mother wasps can remember the locations of up to nine separate nests at once, rarely making mistakes despite the fact nests are dug in bare sand containing hundreds belonging to other females. Mothers feed their young in age order, adjusting the order if one dies, and they can even delay feeding offspring that had ...

More Americans use illicit opioids such as fentanyl than previously estimated, highlighting the need for better methods to understand the depths of the opioid crisis, according to a new study. A survey of American adults found that 11% reported illicit opioid use within the past 12 months and 7.5% reported use of illicitly produced fentanyl during the same period, rates that are more than 20 times higher than estimates from a large federal study that annually asks Americans about their use of illicit drugs. Researchers say the findings add to the evidence that government counts may significantly underestimate illicit drug use and suggest ...

About The Study: In this national survey of 1,515 adults conducted in June 2024, 166 respondents (11.0%) reported illicit opioid use and 114 (7.5%) reported illicitly manufactured fentanyl use within the past 12 months. These rates are much higher than previously reported estimates. The findings highlight the need for more timely and accurate data to inform policy and intervention strategies. Enhanced data collection efforts are essential for understanding and mitigating the opioid crisis. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, David Powell, PhD, email dpowell@rand.org. To ...

About The Study: Vaccine effectiveness (VE) for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) protein subunit vaccine in this case-control study was similar to the VE in clinical trials. The VE for immunocompromised patients was mildly (overall) to moderately (for stem cell transplant recipients) diminished. Risk of immune thrombocytopenic purpura after vaccination was not elevated, but the risk of Guilain-Barré syndrome was statistically significantly elevated in patients who received the RSVPreF vaccine but not in those who received RSVPreF+AS01 vaccine, although the risk was small. These observations should inform clinicians’ choices ...

More than a decade ago, researchers launched the BabySeq Project, a pilot program to return newborn genomic sequencing results to parents and measure the effects on newborn care. Today, over 30 international initiatives are exploring the expansion of newborn screening using genomic sequencing (NBSeq), but a new study by researchers from Mass General Brigham highlights the substantial variability in gene selection among those programs. In a paper published in Genetics in Medicine, an official journal ...

When fruit flies are infected with the Wolbachia bacteria, their sex lives — and ability to reproduce — change dramatically. Arizona State University scientist Timothy Karr decided to find out why. What he discovered could help curb mosquito-borne diseases and manage crop pests. And that’s just the “tip of the iceberg,” he says. Promiscuous flies Wolbachia is a parasitic bacteria that lives inside insect cells. It infects at least two out of every five insect species. Since insects outnumber all other life on Earth, understanding how this bacteria affects them could have wide-ranging impacts. “Insects rule this planet. Malaria, ...

Tempted to skip the floss? Your heart might thank you if you don’t. A new study from Hiroshima University (HU) finds that the gum disease bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) can slip into the bloodstream and infiltrate the heart. There, it quietly drives scar tissue buildup—known as fibrosis—distorting the heart’s architecture, interfering with electrical signals, and raising the risk of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Clinicians have long noticed that people with periodontitis, a common form of gum disease, seem more prone to cardiovascular problems. One recent meta-analysis has linked it to a 30% higher risk of ...

The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2025 awards, which honor distinction in service, outreach, education, and research. Adolph E. Gude Jr. Award Brian Larkins, University of Arizona, Tucson ASPB Innovation Prize for Agricultural Technology Marc Albertsen, Manjit Singh, Mark Williams, Corteva Agriscience, Johnston, Iowa Charles Albert Shull Award Patrick Shih, University of California, Berkeley Charles Reid Barnes Life Membership Award Sarah (Sally) Assmann, Pennsylvania State University, University Park Mary Lou Guerinot, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire Enid MacRobbie Corresponding ...

It had been dormant for 800 years, but in March 2021, the Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland came to life. While the eruption was ongoing, large-scale field experiments were conducted to build defensive earthen barriers aimed at slowing down the molten lava flow. Building defensive barriers to slow down the lava flowing from craters and fissures in the Earth’s crust is something of a race against time. The excavator and bulldozer operators had to work around the clock, shovelling dirt and rocks to build dams and barriers as the glowing hot lava from the eruption crept ever closer. Delayed lava flow for 16 days The speed of lava flows is determined by the viscosity of the lava and ...

A research paper by scientists from Tianjin University proposed a noninvasive method for locating and decoding intracranial endogenous signals with high spatiotemporal resolution. The research paper, published on Apr. 9, 2025 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems. High spatiotemporal resolution of noninvasive electroencephalography (EEG) signals is an important prerequisite for fine brain–computer manipulation. However, conventional scalp EEG has a low spatial resolution due to the volume conductor effect, making it difficult ...

Sulfones, a class of sulfur-containing compounds, are chemically derived from the selective oxidation of sulfides. While these compounds form the core of the pharmaceuticals, solvents and polymer industries, their chemical synthesis is often hindered by high reaction temperatures and extreme reaction conditions. Additionally, these also require costly additives and harsh solvents for production. Against this backdrop, a team of researchers from Japan introduced a new catalyst design, capable of overcoming the limitations of conventional synthesis, offering higher selectivity and a better yield for sulfones. The research team, led by Professor ...

Controlling the topology and structure of entangled molecular strands is a key challenge in molecular engineering, particularly when attempting to create large nanostructures that mimic biological systems. Examples found in nature, such as virus capsids and cargo proteins, demonstrate the remarkable potential of such architectures. However, methods for constructing large hollow nanostructures with precise geometric control have remained elusive—until now. In a recent study, a research team led by Associate ...

Pregnant women with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) have an increased risk of giving birth prematurely and the risk increase cannot be explained by obesity, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal eClinicalMedicine. It is estimated that one in five people in Sweden has MASLD, previously called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and globally it may be as many as three out of ten. Common risk factors are metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity. The disease has become increasingly common, including among women of reproductive age. Researchers have now ...

The team led by Prof. Thomas F. Fässler from the Chair of Inorganic Chemistry with a Focus on Novel Materials partially replaced lithium in a lithium antimonide compound with the metal scandium. This creates specific gaps, so-called vacancies, in the crystal lattice of the conductor material. These gaps help the lithium ions to move more easily and faster, resulting in a new world record for ion conductivity. Since the measured conductivity far exceeded that of existing materials, the team collaborated with the Chair of Technical Electrochemistry under Prof. Hubert Gasteiger at TUM to confirm the result. Co-author Tobias Kutsch who conducted the validation tests, commented: “Because ...

What do a millennia-old human from the Black Sea region and modern HIV medicine have in common? Quite a lot, it turns out, according to new research from the University of Copenhagen. 18-25 percent of the Danish population carries a genetic mutation that can make them resistant or even immune to HIV. This knowledge is used to develop modern treatments for the virus. Until now, it was unknown where, when, or why the mutation occurred. But by using advanced DNA technology, researchers have now solved this genetic mystery. “It turns out that the variant arose in one ...

A research team led by Dr. Bon-Cheol Ku and Dr. Seo Gyun Kim of the Carbon Composite Materials Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and Professor Yuanzhe Piao of Seoul National University (SNU) has developed a high-performance supercapacitor that is expected to become the next generation of energy storage devices. The technology developed by the researchers overcomes the limitations of existing supercapacitors by utilizing an innovative fiber structure composed of single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the conductive ...

Researchers have developed two unique energy-efficient and cost-effective systems that use urea found in urine and wastewater to generate hydrogen. The unique systems reveal new pathways to economically generate ‘green’ hydrogen, a sustainable and renewable energy source, and the potential to remediate nitrogenous waste in aquatic environments. Typically, hydrogen is generated through the use of electrolysis to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. It is a promising technology to help address ...

High-resolution optical spectroscopy is an essential tool in quantum optics, chemical reaction analysis, and precision metrology, as it enables detailed investigation of quantum states, energy levels, spin states, and vibrational modes in atoms and molecules. However, conventional diffraction grating-based spectrometers are limited by their large and complex optical configurations and face fundamental challenges in achieving sub-MHz spectral resolution. As an alternative, direct frequency comb spectroscopy (DFCS) based on frequency combs has gained attention due to its potential for compact, high-resolution spectral ...

A single blood test, designed to pick up chemical signals indicative of the presence of many different types of cancer, could potentially thwart progression to advanced disease while the malignancy is still at an early stage and amenable to treatment in up to half of cases, suggests a modelling study published in the open access journal BMJ Open. Incorporating the test, formally known as a multi-cancer early detection test, or MCED for short, either yearly or biennially, could therefore improve outcomes for patients by intercepting disease progression, ...

Women’ are around 50% more likely than men to develop COPD, the umbrella term for chronic lung conditions, such as emphysema and bronchitis, even if they have never smoked or smoked much less than their male counterparts, suggests observational research, published in the open access journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research. The findings challenge the widely held belief that women’s increased vulnerability to cigarette smoke likely explains this disparity, conclude the researchers. Smoking is the principal cause of COPD. But despite significant falls in cigarette smoking over the past 50 years, it remains a leading cause of death in the USA, with the ...

Eyes may be the window to the soul, but a person’s biological age could be reflected in their facial characteristics. Investigators from Mass General Brigham developed a deep learning algorithm called FaceAge that uses a photo of a person’s face to predict biological age and survival outcomes for patients with cancer. They found that patients with cancer, on average, had a higher FaceAge than those without and appeared about five years older than their chronological age. Older FaceAge predictions were ...

The North Korean government engages in unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade, which includes species protected under its own laws and poses a threat to biodiversity recovery in the region, finds a groundbreaking new study by UCL researchers. The report, published in Biological Conservation, found that although North Korea has a regulatory system of protected areas and protected species, these are regularly breached by people hunting and trapping wild animals for personal consumption or black market trade, either domestically or for sale to buyers in China. Additionally, the North Korean state itself is implicated in, and actively profiting from, harvesting and trade of endangered ...