Engineers in Australia have found a new way to make power-pole insulators resistant to fire and electrical sparking, promising to prevent dangerous pole-top fires and reduce blackouts.   Pole-top fires pose significant challenges to power providers and communities worldwide. In March, pole-top fires cut power from 40,000 homes and businesses in Perth. The 2020 Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements found that power outages experienced by 280,000 customers from various energy providers during Black Summer fires were mainly triggered by events involving insulators ...

A team of astronomers and citizen scientists has discovered a planet in the habitable zone of an unusual star system, including two stars and potentially another exoplanet. The planet hunters spotted the Neptune-like planet as it crossed in front of its host star, temporarily dimming the star’s light in a way akin to a solar eclipse on Earth. This ‘transit method’ usually identifies planets with tight orbits, as they are more likely to follow paths that put them between Earth and their host star and, when following such paths, move into light-blocking positions more frequently. That’s why this newly discovered planet is ...

WASHINGTON, DC (April 30, 2024)—Tambourine Philanthropies (Tambourine), in partnership with the Milken Institute Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC), is pleased to announce the recipients of its ALS Breakthrough Research Fund. Tambourine has committed over $5 million total to eight teams around the world for basic and discovery-focused research aiming to change how we understand and treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).  Tambourine launched the ALS Breakthrough Research ...

Electric bicycle rebates have exploded in popularity in North America as transportation planners try to get people out of their cars and into healthier, more climate-friendly alternatives. However, there is limited understanding of the full impacts of these incentives. Are new cycling habits sustainable? Who benefits most from these incentives? And are they worth the cost? Researchers at UBC’s Research on Active Transportation (REACT) Lab have some answers. They surveyed participants in an e-bike incentive program offered by the District of ...

With the help of a form of machine learning called deep reinforcement learning (DRL), the EPFL robot notably learned to transition from trotting to pronking – a leaping, arch-backed gait used by animals like springbok and gazelles – to navigate a challenging terrain with gaps ranging from 14-30cm. The study, led by the BioRobotics Laboratory in EPFL’s School of Engineering, offers new insights into why and how such gait transitions occur in animals. “Previous research has introduced energy efficiency and musculoskeletal injury avoidance as the two main explanations ...

A novel oral amphotericin B (MAT2203) developed by Matinas BioPharma for treatment of invasive mucormycosis (IM) and other deadly invasive fungal infections, has demonstrated encouraging results in a series of preclinical studies. The groundbreaking research, led by Lundquist Institute (TLI) Investigator Ashraf Ibrahim, PhD, has been published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. The studies focused on MAT2203, an oral lipid nanocrystal formulation of amphotericin B, which has previously demonstrated safety and effectiveness in the clinical treatment of various fungal infections. The research aimed ...

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have the potential to make life easier for people with motor or speech disorders, allowing them to manipulate prosthetic limbs and employ computers, among other uses. In addition, healthy and impaired people alike could enjoy BCI-based gaming. Non-invasive BCIs that work by analyzing brain waves recorded through electroencephalography are currently limited by inconsistent performance. Bin He and colleagues used deep-learning decoders to improve a BCI’s performance responding to ...

Background and objectives Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder with unclear molecular mechanisms. Noncoding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), have been identified as critical regulators of gene expression. This study aimed to investigate the triple network of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA, known as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), and to identify essential lncRNAs that regulate PD-related gene expression through their target miRNAs. The study also identified a common triple network between COVID-19 and PD that may contribute to exacerbating PD symptoms.   Methods A bioinformatics approach was employed to construct ...

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has developed a clinical tool to help health care professionals incorporate a food as medicine approach into their practice by assessing and tracking the proportion of whole, unrefined plant-based foods and water intake in their patients’ dietary patterns. The ACLM Diet Screener, a 27-item diet assessment tool available free on ACLM’s website, was designed to guide clinical conversations around diet and support nutrition prescriptions, while also being brief enough for use during routine ...

Québec, April 30, 2024 - Cranberry extracts appear to improve intestinal microbiota and help prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The study of Université Laval and the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF) reported beneficial effects after only four days of use.   Cranberries and berries are associated with multiple health benefits, mainly attributed to their high content of polyphenols, in the form of tannins. They also contain high concentrations of oligosaccharides, small fibres that are thought to contribute to their bioactivity.   The research team, led by Yves Desjardins, professor ...

Nuclear energy has long been regarded as a next-generation energy source, and major countries around the world are competing to secure cutting-edge technologies by leveraging the high economic efficiency and sustainability of nuclear power. However, uranium, which is essential for nuclear power generation, has serious implications for both soil ecosystems and human health. Despite being a key radioactive material, uranium poses significant health risks due to its chemical toxicity to the kidneys, bones, and cells. As a result, both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization recommend allowing and advocating for uranium concentrations in wastewater ...

The carbon emissions associated with air travel to professional conferences make up a sizable fraction of the emissions produced by academia. Andrea Gokus and colleagues estimated the CO2-equivalent emissions for conference travel to all 362 open meetings in the field of astronomy in 2019. The total is an estimated 42,500 tCO2e, or about one ton per participant per meeting. According to the authors, networking and discussing new scientific developments at meetings is important for advancing the field, but adjustments can be made to reduce the hefty carbon cost. Holding meetings virtually ...

IBD is a common chronic gastrointestinal disorder and current treatment strategies can cause adverse effects. Thus, there is a need to identify alternative compounds to treat IBD. Similarly, the dose-related toxicity and efficacy of anticancer drugs needs to be monitored accurately to improve the treatment outcomes. Moreover, over the years, plant-based therapeutic compounds and traditional Chinese medicine formulas have gained attention for their enhanced healing effects and are promising for various treatment regimens.   The recent issue of the JPA, published ...

Optoelectronic devices have found their way into many aspects of our daily lives, from OLED displays to photodetectors, security systems, and environmental monitoring. In all the applications, these devices utilize high refractive index polymers (HRIPs) to control light. In general, the optical properties of transparent HRIPs enable efficient light transmission and manipulation, allowing optoelectronics devices to guide and control the flow of light to improve their performance. However, there are no low-cost options for HRIPs that can guarantee good optical performance while being transparent and environmentally ...

It is possible to engineer increased mesophyll conductance in plants according to new research from the University of Illinois. Mesophyll conductance plays a key role in photosynthesis and refers to the ease with which CO2 can diffuse through a leaf’s cells before reaching the location where it is ultimately turned into sugar to feed the plant (carbon fixation). CO2 faces barriers as it moves through the leaf, including its own cell walls. Researchers from the Long Lab found that by increasing permeability and slightly reducing the thickness of cell walls, they could increase CO2 diffusion and uptake in a model crop. “This is one of the ...

Researchers at the University of Vienna, along with collaborators from France, Germany, Switzerland and the USA, have achieved a major breakthrough in understanding how genetic drivers influence the evolution of a specific photosynthesis mechanism in Tillandsia (air plants). This sheds light on the complex actions that cause plant adaptation and ecological diversity. The results of their study are now published in Plant Cell. Some plant species have evolved a water-saving trait called Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM). CAM plants like most ...

Millions of working parents know the routine: bustle the kids off to childcare in the morning, work all day, then fight the daily traffic jams to get the kids back home. Something to drink, maybe a snack to munch, can help ease the commute.  Understandably, few parents take the time to think about the nutrients or calories involved, but experts at Cincinnati Children’s decided to take a closer look. Their eyebrow-raising findings were published April 27, 2024, in the journal Children’s Health Care. The researchers took a fresh look at older data contained in daily food journals kept by more than 300 families of children who attended 30 childcare ...

HOUSTON, SAN DIEGO and LONDON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Replay today announced that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a ‘safe to proceed’ for the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for PRAME TCR/IL-15 NK (SY-307), an engineered T cell receptor natural killer (TCR NK) cell therapy for relapsed/refractory myeloid malignancies. MD Anderson is the IND sponsor. PRAME TCR/IL-15 NK (SY-307) is being developed by Syena, an oncology-focused product company launched by Replay and MD Anderson based on the scientific discoveries of Katy ...

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Researchers have discovered a new mechanism of oil biosynthesis and found a way to genetically engineer a type of test plant to more efficiently produce different kinds of seed oil that it otherwise wouldn't make. While the engineering is proof-of-concept, this discovery could lead to improved production of valuable oils used in food and by a range of industries. The study, led by Washington State University researchers, was published in the journal Nature Communications. “Scientists have been working on producing ...

Anticoagulant treatments are crucial for managing many conditions, such as heart disease, stroke and venous thrombosis. Current options, however, carry an inherent risk of serious bleeding due to trauma or unforeseen events. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the University of Sydney has developed a new anticoagulant, designed to have an on-demand reversible activity, with a fast-acting ‘‘antidote’’. This approach could revolutionise the use of anticoagulants in surgery or other applications. The mechanism of activation and deactivation of the active principle ...

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has a wide range of environments, each presenting unique challenges to human survival. Highlanders and lowlanders of PNG are striking examples of populations facing distinct environmental stress. Whereas the highlanders encounter low oxygen availability due to altitude, the lowlanders are exposed to specific pathogens that are absent in the highlands, such as malaria. Despite these strong environmental pressures, the specific adaptations of these populations have remained overlooked. A new study published in Nature Communications on Tuesday, 30 April 2024 sheds light on the genetic adaptations of Papua New Guineans in response to their unique environmental ...

According to a recent study published in Nature Geoscience, scientists have found that soil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are more sensitive to climate warming in permafrost-collapsed areas than in non-collapsed areas. This study, based on field warming experiments combined with laboratory incubation of soils from a large-scale sampling, provides new insights about permafrost carbon–climate feedback in the context of future climate warming. Warmer temperatures have led to rapid permafrost thawing in high-latitude and -altitude permafrost regions. Abrupt permafrost thaw, ...

National Institutes of Health researchers and collaborators have discovered over 100 new regions of the human genome, also known as genomic loci, that appear to influence a person’s blood pressure. Results of the study also point to several specific genomic loci that may be relevant to iron metabolism and a type of cellular receptor known as adrenergic receptors.  The study, published in Nature Genetics, is one of the largest such genomic studies of blood pressure to date, including data from over 1 ...

The Queen Mary-led study reveals the most detailed picture yet of genetic contributors to blood pressure. The findings lead to improved polygenic risk scores, which will better predict blood pressure and risk for hypertension. Researchers led by Queen Mary University of London and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) have discovered over a hundred new regions of the human genome, also known as genomic loci, that appear to influence a person’s blood pressure. In total, over 2,000 independent genetic signals for blood pressure are now reported, demonstrating that blood pressure is a highly complex trait influenced by thousands ...

Researchers have discovered that the smooth muscle cells that line the arteries of people with atherosclerosis can change into new cell types and develop traits similar to cancer that worsen the disease. Atherosclerosis is characterized by a narrowing of arterial walls and can increase risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease, or kidney disorders. The findings, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), could pave the way for the use of anti-cancer drugs to counteract the tumor-like mechanisms ...