By Devon McPhee WOODS HOLE, Mass. -- Scientists have a handful of standard research organisms, including fruit flies and mice, that they use to study the evolutionary development (evo-devo) of animal lineages over time. Yet the more research organisms they can study, the deeper our understanding of life and the more knowledge we have to advance biomedicine and ecological conservation. Researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Woods Hole, and the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZS) in Naples, Italy, have added to the evo-devo toolbox by establishing Holothuria tubulosa, ...

In the relentless fight against cancer, a new technology promises to shed light on how we track and understand the spread of this disease within the body. A research team from Northeastern University and Dartmouth College recently developed a remarkable tool called "diffuse in vivo flow cytometry" (DiFC), which allows for the noninvasive detection and counting of rare cancer cells circulating in the bloodstream. Monitoring cancer spread in real time In a recent publication in the Journal of Biomedical Optics (JBO), the research team detailed their innovative two-color DiFC system, capable of simultaneously detecting two distinct populations of cancer ...

East Hanover, NJ – June 7, 2024 –May job numbers showed gains for people with disabilities, who continue to engage with the labor market at historic levels, according to today’s National Trends in Disability Employment – semi-monthly update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). Increases in both labor force participation and employment indicate that people with disabilities are not only striving to work but succeeding in finding jobs. ...

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, has joined with the IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS) and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) to develop “Computer Science Curricula 2023” (CS2023).  CS2023 provides a comprehensive guide outlining the knowledge and competencies students should attain for degrees in computer science and related disciplines at the undergraduate level. Establishing uniform curricular guidelines for computer science disciplines is viewed as being essential to the ongoing vitality of the field and the future success of the students ...

Online education is effective for teaching complicated topics like quantum information science (QIS) to high school science educators, according to a new paper by University of Texas at Arlington researchers published in The Physics Teacher. “COVID-19 forced educators to adjust their educational best practices to an unfamiliar virtual classroom, and professional development was no different,” said Karen Jo Matsler, assistant professor in practice for UTeach at UTA and lead author on the study. Ramon Lopez, professor of physics, was coprincipal investigator ...

In a major advancement for plant biology and agriculture, researchers have developed a novel method for systemic gene silencing in plants using engineered dsRNA-protein nanoparticles. This technique, which rapidly characterizes gene functions, could revolutionize in planta gene editing. The new approach addresses the longstanding challenge of transporting RNA molecules across plant cell membranes, providing a faster, non-transgenic solution for enhancing crop productivity. Gene silencing in plants has faced significant challenges, primarily due to the difficulty of transporting RNA molecules across plant cell membranes and achieving systemic effects. Traditional genetic engineering ...

Research has shown that, when nurses feel they are being prevented from taking a morally justifiable action or achieving an ethical outcome, it contributes to poor mental health, burnout, and intent to leave one’s job. Surveys from the COVID-19 pandemic found that a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and lack of perceived support from hospital administrators were associated with higher levels of this moral distress. University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing researchers and their collaborators hypothesized that nurses working in hospitals where Black patients predominantly access care—which they call Black-serving hospitals, or ...

In a recent study, scientists have unlocked the secrets behind the diverse flavors of table grapes. By examining 38 different cultivars, the research offers unprecedented insights into the volatile compounds that shape our taste experiences, paving the way for enhanced grape quality and flavor. The flavor of table grapes, influenced by various volatile compounds, plays a significant role in consumer preference and marketability. Traditional flavor analysis methods often fail to capture the complexity and diversity of grape flavors, especially in hybrid varieties. Conventional flavor classifications like muscat and foxy are insufficient for describing the wide range of flavors ...

Unlocking the secrets of nature, a pioneering study has pinpointed a gene mutation with profound implications for plant height and stress tolerance. The discovery lies in the CpDWF5 gene, whose alteration leads to a compact squash plant with a unique resistance to salt stress, marking a leap forward in agricultural science. In the quest to bolster crop yields and fortify plants against environmental stressors, the delicate interplay of phytohormones stands as a keystone. Yet, our grasp of these genetic levers, particularly those dictating plant stature and resilience to salinity, remains tenuous. Bridging ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE By studying mutations in yeast and human cells, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have found that biochemical bonds between fats and proteins in the mitochondrion, the cell’s powerhouse, play a crucial role in how our cells produce energy. The study results, published June 5 in The EMBO Journal, shed new light, researchers say, on the way the altered mitochondrial membranes found in people with metabolic diseases such as Barth syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that weakens the heart, fail to enable cellular power production. Metabolism is a set of biochemical reactions central to making energy to fuel life and to getting rid of substances a body no ...

Where there’s smoke, there’s not necessarily fire. Wildfire smoke, sometimes drifting from hundreds of miles away, touched nearly every lake in North America for at least one day per year from 2019 to 2021, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.  Even more significantly, the study, published in the journal Global Change Biology, found that 89% of the lakes in North America experienced smoke for more than 30 days during each of those three years of intense wildfire activity. “That was surprising, even ...

Giving a regular cash payment to the entire world population has the potential to increase global gross domestic product (GDP) by 130%, according to a new analysis published June 7 in the journal Cell Reports Sustainability. Researchers suggest that charging carbon emitters with an emission tax could help fund such basic income program while reducing environmental degradation. “We are proposing that if we can couple basic income with environmental protection, we can save two birds with one stone,” says first author U. Rashid Sumaila of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Sumaila has been working on ending harmful fishery subsidies worldwide, but many people who rely ...

A new study from deCODE genetics uses pedigrees and sequence data from 64,806 Icelanders to shed light on the rate and nature of mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and the peculiar dynamics of its maternal transmission. In a paper published today in Cell, scientists from deCODE genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen, present the largest study to date of germline mtDNA mutations in humans and their transmission across 116,663 mother-child pairs. The study documents the astonishing extent of hypermutability at some positions in mtDNA, including the well-known deleterious A>G mutation at position 3243 which causes the MELAS syndrome. The mutation ...

About The Study: Three definitions of iron deficiency were associated with significantly different prevalence of iron deficiency in women, regardless of self-reported age, pregnancy, or race and ethnicity. Using higher serum ferritin thresholds to define iron deficiency could lead to diagnosis and treatment of more women with iron deficiency and greater reduction of related morbidity.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, James C. Barton, M.D., email bartonjames336@gmail.com. To access the embargoed study: ...

About The Study: Bariatric metabolic surgery was associated with greater reduced mortality compared with first-generation glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) among individuals with a diabetes duration of 10 years or less, mediated via greater weight loss in this cohort study. No differences in the risk for mortality were observed between the treatment modalities among individuals with a longer duration of diabetes, nor in the occurrence of nonfatal major adverse cardiovascular events among all patients.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, ...

Ciliopathies are multisystem disorders characterized by the dysfunction of motile and/or non-motile cilia, which show common clinical manifestations of ciliopathies include retinal degeneration, mental retardation, renal abnormality, obesity, and skeletal dysplasia. Fibrosis of vital organs, characterized by the extensive deposition of extracellular matrix components, represents another complication frequently observed in patients and animal models of ciliopathies. However, the precise mechanism that connects ciliary defects to fibrosis remains largely elusive. The recent study led by Dr. Min Liu (Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem) and Dr. Yunfan Yang (Shandong University) showed ...

Grafting, an age-old horticultural technique, has been revealed as a powerful tool against soil-borne diseases like crown gall. New research uncovers how the composition of root exudates changes when plants are grafted onto resistant rootstocks, creating a defensive mechanism that reduces the prevalence of pathogenic Agrobacterium. Crown gall disease, a destructive plant ailment caused by Agrobacterium, has long plagued agriculture, leading to significant crop losses. Traditional control methods have proven inadequate, highlighting an urgent need for innovative solutions. Given the pervasive impact of this disease and the limitations ...

Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, founder and co-CEO of Insilico Medicine (“Insilico”), a clinical-stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, will be attending a series of meetings in the following week, where he will be discussing bioscience innovations powered by AI and robotics. More information about the events is listed as follows: [1] London Tech Week 2024 Fireside Chat: The Forefront of AI Innovation in Health Tech Time: Monday, 10th June 15:55 - 16:15 (UK time) Location: London Olympia, Main Stage London Tech Week is the global tech ecosystem aiming to accelerate the infinite cycle of tech innovation, which brings together the innovators ...

Hand osteoarthritis mainly affects the distal interphalangeal, proximal interphalangeal, and thumb base joints,1 leading to joint pain, aching, and stiffness. Criteria developed by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) in 1990 are useful, but they cannot distinguish between interphalangeal or thumb base disease, and this is important since these two phenotypes may require different treatment strategies.   To address this, EULAR and a team of leading experts in the field set out to develop new classification criteria sets that include radiographic features. Early phases of the project used observational data to identify self-reported, ...

Thousands of particles of light can merge into a type of “super photon” under suitable conditions. Physicists call such a state a photon Bose-Einstein condensate. Researchers at the University of Bonn have now shown that this exotic quantum state obeys a fundamental theorem of physics. This finding now allows one to measure properties of photon Bose-Einstein condensates which are usually difficult to access. The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications. If many atoms are cooled to a very low temperature confined in a small volume, they can become indistinguishable and behave like a single “super particle.” Physicists also call this ...

Salvia miltiorrhiza, known as Danshen, is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. The medicinal properties of Danshen are primarily attributed to its two major bioactive compounds: tanshinones and phenolic acids. Despite their importance, the genetic and regulatory mechanisms underlying their biosynthesis remain poorly understood. Based on these challenges, there is a pressing need for in-depth research to uncover the molecular pathways involved in the production of these ...

Researchers at University of Galway have created digital babies to better understand infants’ health in their critical first 180 days of life. The team created 360 advanced computer models that simulate the unique metabolic processes of each baby. The digital babies are the first sex-specific computational whole-body models representing newborn and infant metabolism with 26 organs, six cell types, and more than 80,000 metabolic reactions. Real-life data from 10,000 newborns, including sex, birth weight and metabolite concentrations, enabled the creation and validation ...

A groundbreaking study has identified a gene that plays a dual role in enhancing both the aromatic compounds and disease resistance in lavender plants. The research uncovers how the LaMYC7 gene positively regulates the biosynthesis of linalool and caryophyllene, key for lavender's scent and its resistance to common plant pathogens. Plants face various environmental pressures, including biotic stressors like pathogens and abiotic stressors such as extreme temperatures. Among biotic stressors, Pseudomonas syringae significantly threatens plant health worldwide. Terpenoids, including linalool and caryophyllene, play crucial roles in plant ...

New University of Virginia School of Medicine research is shedding light on how federal funding helped scientists understand the COVID-19 virus, develop new treatments and deploy lifesaving vaccines in record time. The UVA Health researchers used advanced “machine learning” – a form of artificial intelligence – to analyze the thousands of scientific publications that resulted from the National Institutes of Health’s deployment of more than $4 billion to combat the pandemic. This analysis allowed the researchers to categorize the types ...

A research team has provided a comprehensive overview of the applications of omics technologies in Rosaceae plants. The study highlights significant advancements in genome sequencing, transcriptome, proteomics, and metabolomics, shedding light on the genetic regulatory mechanisms underlying crucial traits such as flower color, fragrance, stress tolerance, and fruit quality. This research is invaluable for molecular breeding and improving economic traits in Rosaceae plants, potentially leading to the rapid cultivation of new varieties and germplasm. The Rosaceae family, with its diverse species and economic importance, is a focus ...