DURHAM, N.H.—Television dramas, like CSI and NCIS, make criminal investigations look easy. In real life, DNA testing can be challenging and requires expensive equipment, special facilities and extensive training to identify DNA from a crime scene and determine which belongs to a potential suspect and which may have been transferred from someone who was never there. Research from the University of New Hampshire has found a less expensive and easier to use test to learn more about forensic touch DNA. This research has important implications for forensic investigations and ...

The first call for applications for the FRONTIERS journalist residencies closed on 5 March 2024 and attracted 33 submissions. The competition was open to any science journalist interested in a residency of three to five months at a research institution in the EU or associated country. Applications will now be evaluated by a committee composed of members of the FRONTIERS consortium and its Advisory Board. In this first round of submissions, journalists from five continents applied for residencies at host institutions in thirteen different countries. There were applications from experienced journalists and junior ones with journalistic projects in all scientific domains. The results ...

With the help of the ESRF, researchers from Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) have discovered the reproductive mechanism that permanently blocks polyspermy — a pathologic condition that arises when more than one sperm fuses with the egg, and which is lethal for embryo development. They also revealed the atomic architecture of the egg coat, which explains a set of genetic mutations causing infertility and it could make an impact in the development of non-hormonal contraception. The results are out in the journal Cell. Infertility ...

Hao Yan, director of the Biodesign Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics at Arizona State University and the Milton D. Glick Distinguished Professor within ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences, has been honored with the Humboldt Research Award by the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung Foundation. This prestigious $65,000 award acknowledges Yan's extensive achievements in research and education. "The institute is thrilled that the Humboldt Society is honoring Hao for his pathbreaking research and outstanding contributions as a mentor to young scientists,” says Joshua ...

DETROIT (March 14, 2024) – Interventional cardiologists at Henry Ford Hospital led a national multi-center clinical study, dubbed the “SAFE-MCS” study, that evaluated the safety of complex high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using mechanical circulatory support (MCS) and surveillance with the Early Bird® Bleed Monitoring System (EBBMS). PCI is a non-surgical procedure used to treat the blockages in a coronary artery that opens narrowed or blocked sections of the artery, restoring blood flow to the heart. “This study is the first ...

Increasing sea surface temperatures over the past 20 years in Mobile Bay — an estuary in the US state of Alabama — have coincided with five-fold increases in the abundance of juvenile bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), according to a study published in Scientific Reports. Bull sharks are found globally in warm, shallow coastal waters in both fresh and saltwater environments. They help balance and maintain the health of coastal ecosystems by regulating prey populations. Along with great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), they are among the shark species that are most like to negatively interact with humans. Lindsay ...

LOS ANGELES — A clinical trial from Keck Medicine of USC aims to provide a surgical solution for patients with a form of advanced pancreatic cancer previously considered inoperable.   The study will investigate if chemotherapy followed by a novel type of surgery to remove the cancer is a safe and effective option for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, meaning that the cancer has not spread to other organs, but has grown into or close to nearby blood vessels that surround the pancreas.  “Usually, these types of tumors cannot be ...

Advanced killer robots are more likely to blamed for civilian deaths than military machines, new research has revealed. The University of Essex study shows that high-tech bots will be held more responsible for fatalities in identical incidents. Led by the Department of Psychology’s Dr Rael Dawtry it highlights the impact of autonomy and agency. And showed people perceive robots to be more culpable if described in a more advanced way. It is hoped the study – published in The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology ...

Inspired by the classic drinking bird toy, scientists in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China have developed an engine that efficiently converts energy from water evaporation into electricity to power small electronics. The device produces energy outputs exceeding 100 volts—much higher than other techniques that generate electricity from water—and can operate for several days using only 100 milliliters of water as fuel, according to a study published March 14 in the journal Device. “The drinking bird triboelectric hydrovoltaic generator offers a unique means to power small electronics in ambient ...

Cell, the flagship biology journal of Cell Press, presents a landmark issue on sex and gender in science. It includes a collection of articles on topics related to strategies for promoting gender equality in academia, enhancing rigor in the study of sex-related variables, and supporting transgender researchers. The special content, scheduled to appear online on March 14, 2024, also discusses the past, present, and future of research on sex and gender. To mark the occasion, Cell Press’s parent company, Elsevier, is announcing updated guidelines on reporting ...

A group of 24 transgender (and/or family members of transgender) scientists describe what it’s like to be a transgender person in STEMM. In a commentary publishing on March 14 in the journal Cell, they discuss the historical origins of trans marginalization, explain how this affects trans people’s careers in science and medicine, and lay out actions that cisgender individuals and institutions can take to support trans people in STEMM. This first-of-its-kind commentary appears in a sex and gender focus issue of Cell, covering topics such as gender equity, the history ...

Contrary to common belief, not all vertebrates regulate their sleep-wake rhythm in the same way. University of Basel researchers have discovered that some fish – unlike humans – do not need orexin to stay awake. This molecule was thought to be necessary for normal wake and sleep rhythms in vertebrates. Humans without orexin suffer from narcolepsy. Until recently, it was assumed that vertebrates share similar mechanisms controlling sleep behavior. That's why researchers have been using fish in the past 20 years as a model organism to study sleep ...

After the egg has been fertilized by a sperm, the surrounding egg coat tightens, mechanically preventing the entry of additional sperm and the ensuing death of the embryo. This is according to a new study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and published in the journal Cell. The work also explains how mutations in egg coat proteins can cause female infertility and may eventually lead to new contraceptive methods. Fertilization in mammals begins when a sperm attaches to the egg coat, a filamentous extracellular envelope that sperm must penetrate ...

About The Study: Teen pregnancy was associated with future premature mortality in this study of 2.2 million female teenagers. It should be assessed whether supports for female teenagers who experience a pregnancy can enhance the prevention of subsequent premature mortality in young and middle adulthood.  Authors: Joel G. Ray, M.D., M.Sc., of the University of Toronto, is the corresponding author.  To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/  (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.1833) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions ...

About The Study: In this study of partners and adult children of stroke survivors, risks of several mental health conditions and self-harm or suicide were moderately higher compared with the general population and, to a lesser extent, partners and adult children of heart attack survivors. These findings highlight the potential consequences of stroke among family members, particularly partners, and its findings may possibly serve as a quantitative foundation for the development of future stroke rehabilitation services.  Authors: Nils Skajaa, Ph.D., of Aarhus University Hospital in Aarhus, Denmark, is the corresponding author.  To ...

When it comes to nurturing their young, mother chimpanzees go the extra mile, according to a new study. Using 10 years of observational data on wild chimpanzees, researchers found that while adults often play, and young chimps play a lot, when food gets scarce, the adults put mutual play aside and focus on survival. But in the meantime, mother chimps continue to be their offspring’s primary playmate, tickling, chasing, playing ‘airplane’. That suggests the mother chimps take on an indispensable role ...

It’s no secret that smoking is extremely detrimental to health. Tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemicals, including carcinogens, increasing the risk of cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. A new study from the University of Chicago analyzed data from more than 900 samples of nine different human tissue types to understand just how deep the cellular and genetic damage from smoking goes. The research team generated epigenetic data to assess the effects of smoking on DNA methylation, or genetic locations where a handful ...

The pregnancy and post-partum experience is stressful, but for pregnant adolescents the barriers to accessing supportive care can have fatal consequences.   A recent study from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) identified that compared with those who had no teen pregnancy, teenagers in Ontario who experienced a pregnancy were at a 50 per cent higher risk of premature death before the age of 31. This risk was even higher for people who had two or more teen pregnancies and amongst those who were pregnant before 16 years of age.  Published in JAMA Network Open, the study also found that ...

Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) uncover the specific protein interactions needed for cells to break down and remove damaged mitochondria Tokyo, Japan – Autophagy is a process used by cells as a recycling system to transport and break down organelles and other cytosolic components, which become enveloped in a membrane called the autophagosome (Fig 1). When this involves the removal of damaged mitochondria, commonly called the “powerhouse” of the cell, it is known as mitophagy. In a recent article ...

Achille Mbembe is research professor of history and politics at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He will receive the award of NOK 6,000,000 (approx. EUR 525,000) during a 6 June ceremony at the University of Bergen, Norway. Mbembe is one of the most read and cited scholars from the African continent and receives the prize for his pioneering research in African history, postcolonial studies, humanities, and social science over four decades. ...

A research has developed a new nanoparticle treatment that significantly improves outcomes for severe burn-induced intestinal barrier disruption. The study introduces Luminol-conjugated cyclodextrin (LCD) nanoparticles, offering a promising therapeutic intervention for one of the most critical complications following severe burn injuries. Severe burns can cause critical issues, including deep tissue damage and increased risk of fatal conditions like sepsis and organ failure. A major concern is the disruption of the intestinal barrier, leading to inflammation and systemic ...

The gut microbiota, a complex ecosystem within the human intestinal tract, is increasingly recognized for its vital role in human health and disease. Notably, its relationship with intestinal damage due to burns has been underexplored. New study has unveiled the pivotal role of gut microbiota in the synthesis and degradation of intestinal mucus following burn injuries in mice. Utilizing advanced 16S rRNA and metagenomic sequencing techniques, researchers have identified significant changes in gut microbiota composition and its impact on the intestinal mucus barrier. On a study ...

HOUSTON-(Mar. 14, 2024) – Houston Methodist researchers identified a troublesome subset of T-cells in transplant recipients that may be a more effective therapeutic target for preventing transplant rejection in patients.   Each day, 17 people die waiting for organ transplants, but getting a new organ doesn’t guarantee survival. Despite immunosuppressive medications, rejection of transplanted organs happens in up to 50% of patients, depending on the type of organ transplanted and the duration since the transplantation.   Wenhao Chen, Ph.D., associate professor of transplant immunology with the Houston Methodist Research ...

Researchers unveiled a novel therapy for diabetic wound healing. This research highlights the use of exosomal miR-4645-5p from hypoxic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to significantly enhance wound healing by promoting keratinocyte autophagy. Diabetic wounds, often challenging to treat and prone to complications, can severely impact patients' quality of life. Traditional treatments have struggled with issues like low survival rates of transplanted cells and potential for immune rejection. This research introduces a groundbreaking approach using stem cells' regenerative capabilities. On ...

Medical image analysis using AI has developed rapidly in recent years. Now, one of the largest studies to date has been carried out using AI-assisted image analysis of lymphoma, cancer of the lymphatic system. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, have developed a computer model that can successfully find signs of lymph node cancer in 90 percent of cases. New computer-aided methods for interpreting medical images are being developed for various medical conditions. They can reduce the workload for radiologists, by giving a second opinion or ranking which patients need treatment the fastest. "An AI-based computer system for interpreting medical images ...