Researchers have uncovered an under-the-sea phenomenon where coral-destroying crown-of-thorns starfish larvae have been feasting on blue-green algae bacteria known as ‘sea sawdust’. The team of marine scientists from The University of Queensland and Southern Cross University found crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) larvae grow and thrive when raised on an exclusive diet of Trichodesmium – a bacteria that often floats on the ocean’s surface in large slicks. UQ’s Dr Benjamin Mos from the School ...

Mental health training for line managers is strongly linked to better business performance, and it could save companies millions of pounds in lost sick days every year, according to new research led by experts at the University of Nottingham.  The results of the study, which are published in PLOS ONE, showed a strong association between mental health training for line managers and improved staff recruitment and retention, better customer service, and lower levels of long-term mental health sickness absence.  The study was led by Professor Holly Blake from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham and Dr Juliet Hassard of Queen’s ...

When it comes to diatoms that live in the ocean, new research suggests that photosynthesis is not the only strategy for accumulating carbon. Instead, these single-celled plankton are also building biomass by feeding directly on organic carbon in wide swaths of the ocean. These new findings could lead researchers to reduce their estimate of how much carbon dioxide diatoms pull out of the air via photosynthesis, which in turn, could alter our understanding of the global carbon cycle, which is especially relevant given the changing climate.   This research is led by bioengineers, bioinformatics experts and other genomics researchers ...

UC Riverside environmental engineering team has discovered specific bacterial species that can destroy certain kinds of “forever chemicals,” a step further toward low-cost treatments of contaminated drinking water sources. The microorganisms belong to the genus Acetobacterium and they are commonly found in wastewater environments throughout the world.  Forever chemicals, also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, are so named because they have stubbornly strong carbon-fluorine chemical bonds, which make them persistent in the environment.  The microorganisms discovered by UCR scientists and their collaborators ...

Research by the Technion has demonstrated that activation of the brain’s reward system could boost recovery from a heart attack. The research, which was conducted at the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, was led by Ph.D. student Hedva Haykin under the supervision of Prof. Asya Rolls and Prof. Lior Gepstein. The Technion research group focused on the reward system, a brain network activated in positive emotional states and motivation and evaluated its potential in improving recovery ...

ATLANTA — A research team at Georgia State University has developed tiny, potent molecules that are capable of targeting hidden strains of HIV. The source? Antibody genes from llama DNA. The research, led by Assistant Professor of Biology Jianliang Xu, uses llama-derived nanobodies to broadly neutralize numerous strains of HIV-1, the most common form of the virus. A new study from this team has been published in the journal Advanced Science. “This virus has evolved a way to escape our immune system. Conventional antibodies are bulky, so it’s difficult for them to find and attack the virus’ surface,” ...

You join a swing dance class, and at first you’re all left feet. But – slowly, eyes glued to the teacher – you pick up a step or two and start to feel the rhythm of the big band beat. A good start. Then you look over and realize the couple next to you has picked up twice the steps in half the time. Why? According to a new study from University of Florida biomechanical researchers, the quick, athletic learners among us really are built differently – inside their brains. That’s what UF Professor of Biomedical Engineering Daniel Ferris, Ph.D., and his former doctoral student, Noelle Jacobsen, Ph.D., discovered when they studied how people learn ...

-With images- Researchers at Durham University, UK and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran have developed an innovative approach to diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis using advanced eye imaging techniques. This groundbreaking method could revolutionise how Multiple Sclerosis is detected, offering a faster, less invasive, and more accessible alternative to current diagnostic procedures. The study, led by Dr Raheleh Kafieh of Durham University, integrates two types of eye scans: optical coherence tomography (OCT) and infrared scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (IR-SLO). By training computer models ...

Traveling to and from a clinic or a laboratory for treatment can be difficult and expensive for older Americans. To address this, scientists developed and tested a new training and supervision program for older adults so they can receive Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES), a promising intervention for various clinical conditions, in their homes. Published in Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface, this groundbreaking training and supervision program was designed to introduce and teach caregivers, family members, and patients how to administer home-based transcranial electrical stimulation (HB-tES), equipping them ...

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (July 17, 2024) — Van Andel Institute scientists have identified more than 1,000 previously undetected proteins in common metabolite samples, which persist despite extraction methods designed to weed them out.   The findings, published in Nature Communications, give scientists new insights and tools for improving future metabolomics experiments, including a novel protocol for removing these proteins during the extraction process. The study does not invalidate prior results but instead reinforces the importance ...

A new study found that increased exposure to residential greenery may help stave off cognitive decline by an annual rate of eight months. This delay was observed more among people living in low-socioeconomic status and highly populated neighborhoods, as well as people who carry the APOE-ɛ4 gene, which is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Research has shown that about 40 percent of dementia could be prevented or delayed worldwide by addressing modifiable risk factors associated with the condition, particularly during midlife.  A new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) ...

When trying to understand the present, it's helpful to look to history. New research from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln examined the fossil record going back 66 million years and tracked changes to mammalian ecosystems and species diversity on the North American continent.  The study, led by Alex Shupinski, who earned her doctorate in May, and co-authored by Kate Lyons, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences, provides a large-scale view of how species diversity changed over the first 65 million years of the Cenozoic era — up until the arrival of humans — ...

Winston-Salem, North Carolina — July 17, 2024 — The RegeneratOR Test Bed, located in Innovation Quarter, announces the inclusion of Cytoink into its pioneering ecosystem dedicated to advancing biomedical research and development. Cytoink brings cutting-edge biomaterials manufacturing, with over 100 custom formulations, and bioprinting expertise that merges biofunctionality with high-throughput production. Cytoink specializes in the biofabrication of in vitro 3D tissue phantoms, extrusion-based and light-based (DLP/VAM) bioinks, and integrated perfusion microfluidics bioreactors. Additionally, Cytoink provides bespoke biomaterial solutions ...

Jeffrey Spraggins, associate professor of cell and developmental biology, biochemistry, and chemistry, has been named director of the Mass Spectrometry Research Center. He succeeds Richard Caprioli, Stanford Moore Chair in Biochemistry, who established the MSRC in 1998 and who is retiring this summer. Spraggins is a leading scientist in spatial biology and imaging mass spectrometry—an untargeted molecular imaging approach that enables molecular mapping at cellular resolution—a technology originated by Caprioli. Spraggins’ research lies at the intersection of technology development, data science, and biomedical research. His research group ...

An ageing population will bring colossal health, social, and economic challenges over the coming decades[1]. As people live longer, staving off the physical decline and frailty that come with age has become a holy grail, with effective interventions projected to unlock significant societal and economic benefits. Estimates suggest that a slowdown in ageing that increases life expectancy by one year alone is worth US$38 trillion.[2]  In a discovery published in Nature, a team of scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore may have found a key to slow ageing. The ...

Researchers have analysed data from 127 studies to reveal ‘thresholds’ for when logged rainforests lose the ability to sustain themselves. The results could widen the scope of which forests are considered ‘worth’ conserving, but also show how much logging degrades forests beyond the point of no return. The first-of-its-kind study, led by researchers from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London with collaborators from around the world, is published today in ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Astronomers have discovered a planet that has the most oblong orbit ever found among transiting planets. The exoplanet’s extreme circuit — which looks closer to a cucumber than a circle — follows one of the most drastically stretched-out orbits of all known exoplanets, planets that orbit stars outside our solar system. It is also orbiting its star backwards, lending insight into the mystery of how close-in massive gas planets, known as hot Jupiters, form, stabilize and evolve over time. The research, led by Penn State scientists, was published today (July 17) in ...

Scientists at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Medical Science and Imperial College London have discovered that ‘switching off’ a protein called IL-11 can significantly increase the healthy lifespan of mice by almost 25%. The scientists, working with colleagues at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, tested the effects of IL-11 by creating mice that had the gene producing IL-11 (interleukin 11) deleted. This extended the lives of the mice by over 20% on average. They also treated 75-week-old mice – equivalent to the age of about 55 years in humans – with an ...

A new gene therapy treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy shows promise of not only arresting the decline of the muscles of those affected by this inherited genetic disease, but perhaps, in the future, repairing those muscles. The UW Medicine-led research focuses on delivering a series of protein packets inside shuttle vectors to replace the defective DMD gene within the muscles. The added genetic code will then start producing dystrophin, the protein lacking in patients with muscular dystrophy.  Currently, there is no cure for the disease ...

A major obstacle for net zero technologies in combatting climate change is bridging the gap between fundamental research and its application in the real world. This gap, sometimes referred to as ‘the valley of death’, is common in the field of carbon capture, where novel materials are used to remove carbon dioxide from flue gasses produced by industrial processes. This prevents carbon from entering the atmosphere, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. Chemists have proposed and ...

Genomes can now be entrusted to store information about a variety of transient biological events inside of living cells, as they happen, like a flight recorder collecting data from an aircraft. “Our method, which goes by the acronym ENGRAM, aims to turn cells into their own historians,” said Dr. Jay Shendure, a professor of genome sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine and scientific director of the Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine. Shendure led the effort, together with Wei Chen, a former graduate student, and Junhong Choi, a former postdoctoral fellow. Junhong ...

The USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service announced a new initiative today that leverages behavioral science to create more effective public policy. The Behavioral Science & Policy Initiative at the USC Schaeffer Institute will conduct research to understand people’s beliefs and behaviors to create policies and communication that better fit people’s needs. The initiative will focus on policy topics such as climate change, health, and food insecurity. “We want to help policymakers make a difference,” said Wändi Bruine de Bruin, the initiative’s ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Where hidden water tables meet the Earth’s surface, life can thrive even in the driest locations. Offering refuge during times of drought, shallow groundwater aquifers act like water savings accounts that can support ecosystems with the moisture required to survive, even as precipitation dwindles. As climate change and human water use rapidly deplete groundwater levels around the world, scientists and policy makers need better data for where these groundwater-dependent ecosystems exist. Now, a new study maps ...

– By Michael Matz Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and several collaborating institutions have successfully demonstrated an innovative approach to find breakthrough materials for quantum applications. The approach uses rapid computing methods to predict the properties of hundreds of materials, identifying short lists of the most promising ones. Then, precise fabrication methods are used to make the short-list materials and further ...

Most influenza viruses enter human or animal cells through specific pathways on the cells’ surface. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now discovered that certain human flu viruses and avian flu viruses can also use a second entry pathway, a protein complex of the immune system, to infect cells. This ability helps the viruses infect different species – and potentially jump between animals and humans. The majority of type A influenza viruses circulating in birds and pigs aren’t normally a health ...