For a few hundred dollars, a bedroom can be refreshed with the latest flat-pack offerings. Wood particleboard furniture is affordable and generally easy to assemble, but particleboard is often held together with formaldehyde-based resins that make it hard or impossible to recycle. Now, with the help of science, old pressed-wood furnishings could be repurposed, and new modular decor could incorporate more environmentally friendly materials. Four articles published in ACS journals reveal how. Reporters can request free access to these papers ...

Biological tissues are made up of different cell types arranged in specific patterns, which are essential to their proper functioning. Understanding these spatial arrangements is important when studying how cells interact and respond to changes in their environment, as well as the intricacies of pathologies like cancer. Spatial transcriptomics (ST) techniques, which have been rapidly evolving over the past decade, allow scientists to map gene activity within tissues while keeping their structure intact, ...

The varicella zoster virus (VZV), an infectious virus from the herpes virus family, is primarily known to cause varicella in children and shingles in adults. But lately, this virus has also been reported to trigger severe complications like central nervous system (CNS) infections. Researchers from Fujita Health University, Japan, conducted a comprehensive study spanning 10 years (2013–2022), to identify the VZV-related infections affecting the CNS. Their study reveals a marked increase in adult VZV-related CNS infections, ...

CABI has led a team of scientists who have used DNA barcodes to narrow down the possible sources of introductions of an invasive banana skipper butterfly, with implications as to the threat of it spreading to Africa and tropical America. The banana skipper, Erionota torus Evans (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae, Hesperiinae, Erionotini) is a South-east Asian pest of banana that, in the last 60 years, has spread to the southern Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and La Réunion. The new research, published in the journal CABI Agriculture and Bioscience, analysed a partial library of DNA barcodes from the indigenous and introduced ranges and suggests that aircraft are likely ...

Global partnerships that embed scientific research into clinical care are revolutionising the diagnosis and treatments for children with rare genetic diseases, according to a new report. The white paper found despite advances in genomic technologies, which can detect rare genetic diseases within days, there remained significant challenges to ensuring this leads to improved child health outcomes. But global collaborations, such as the International Precision Child Health Partnership (IPCHiP), using evidence-based approaches to inform decisions in real-time, are overhauling patient care. The paper was led by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), The Hospital for Sick ...

Svalbard, Norway – February 27, 2025 – Researchers from Polar Bears International, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the Norwegian Polar Institute, and the University of Toronto Scarborough reveal the first detailed look at polar bear cubs emerging from their dens, captured through nearly a decade of remote camera footage in Svalbard, Norway. This research, published today on International Polar Bear Day in the Journal of Wildlife Management, marks the first combination of satellite tracking collars with remote camera traps to answer ...

A research team led by Assistant Professor Shogo Mori and Professor Susumu Saito at Nagoya University has developed a groundbreaking method of artificial photosynthesis that uses sunlight and water to produce energy and valuable organic compounds, including pharmaceutical materials, from waste organic compounds. This achievement represents a significant step toward sustainable energy and chemical production. The findings were published in Nature Communications. “Artificial photosynthesis involves chemical reactions ...

In 1982, the Syrian government besieged the city of Hama, killing tens of thousands of its own citizens in sectarian violence. Four decades later, rebels used the memory of the massacre to help inspire the toppling of the Assad family that had overseen the operation. But there is another lasting effect of the attack, hidden deep in the genes of Syrian families. The grandchildren of women who were pregnant during the siege — grandchildren who never experienced such violence themselves — nonetheless bear marks of it in their genomes. ...

When faced with chronic stress, why do some people develop anxiety and depressive symptoms while others show resilience? A protein that acts as a cannabinoid receptor and is present in the structure controlling exchanges between the bloodstream and the brain could be part of the answer, according to a study published today in Nature Neuroscience. “The protein, called cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1), is part of the blood-brain barrier, the dynamic structure that protects the brain by regulating the passage of molecules between the bloodstream and ...

A new study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham suggests a nasal spray developed to target neuroinflammation could one day be an effective treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI). By studying the effects of the nasal anti-CD3 in a mouse model of TBI, researchers found the spray could reduce damage to the central nervous system and behavioral deficits, suggesting a potential therapeutic approach for TBI and other acute forms of brain injury. The results are published in Nature Neuroscience. “Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of death and disability — including cognitive decline ...

Covid-19 showed us how vulnerable the world is to pandemics – but what if the next pandemic were somehow engineered? How would the world respond – and could we stop it happening in the first place? These are some of the questions being addressed by a new initiative launched today at the University of Cambridge, which seeks to address the urgent challenge of managing the risks of future engineered pandemics. The Engineered Pandemics Risk Management Programme aims to understand the social and biological factors that might drive an engineered pandemic and to make a major contribution ...

The researchers challenge the widespread belief that AI-induced bias is a technical flaw, arguing instead AI is deeply influenced by societal power dynamics. It learns from historical data shaped by human biases ,absorbing and perpetuating discrimination in the process. This means that, rather than creating inequality, AI reproduces and reinforces it. “Our  study highlights real-world examples where AI has reinforced existing biases.” Prof. Bircan says. “One striking case is Amazon’s AI-driven hiring tool, which was found to favor male candidates, ultimately reinforcing gender disparities in the job market. Similarly, government AI fraud detection ...

The following is a Q&A with Dr Nerea Casal García, a sports scientist focusing on sports training and performance optimization. To speak to the author, or to receive an advance copy of the paper, please write to: press@frontiersin.org The paper will be published on 27 Feb 2025 06:15 CET] Dr Nerea Casal García is an athlete, personal coach, and injury readaptation specialist who last year completed a PhD on observational analysis in elite sports. Today, she is a professor at the Institut Nacional ...

As different as they may seem, humans and cats have similar ailments, but in terms of health care, veterinary regenerative medicine is not as advanced. A possible solution rests in embryonic stem cells, which can differentiate into various types of cells and be transplanted to restore internal damage. Further, they are characterized by their near-natural state similar to induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Recent research has successfully generated feline iPS cells, but not embryonic stem cells, so research on these cell lines is essential to improve the quality ...

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are well-known risk factors for colorectal cancer (CRC). NAFLD has emerged as a heterogenous disease tightly linked to metabolic dysfunction and has been redefined under the umbrella term ‘steatotic liver disease’ (SLD). However, CRC risk variations across different SLD subgroups remain unknown. Now, researchers from Japan have discovered that the risk of CRC varies significantly among SLD subgroups, with patients with alcoholic liver disease being at higher risk. Lifestyle-related disorders have become increasingly prevalent, representing a major health ...

Novel protein cage system can control and visualize orientational changes in aromatic side chains upon ligand binding, as reported by researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo. By inducing coordinated molecular changes, this approach enables precise control over protein dynamics while also enhancing fluorescence properties. Their breakthrough could lead to applications in biomolecular robotics, drug delivery, and advancing the development of responsive biomaterials. The dynamic nature of proteins—their ability to bend, fold, and change shape in response to their environment—underlies ...

In our paper “Experimental and Numerical Analysis of the Potential Drop Method for Defects Caused by Dynamic Loads”, we investigate how the electrodynamic proximity effect can be utilized to enhance  the  defect   sensitivity  of  PDM  in   SHM  applications  by  proper  arrangement  of  the measurement setup. We showed how eddy current effects present in our PDM setup can be modeled analytically and numerically. Lock-in technique and the application of the skin effect allow high- resolution impedance ...

Chiral-structural-color materials produce color through microscopic structures that interact with light rather than through pigmentation or dyes. Some beetle exoskeletons, avian feathers, butterfly wings, and marine organisms feature these structures naturally, producing iridescent or polarization-dependent colors. Over the last 10–15 years, scientists have made progress in developing artificial chiral-structural-color materials.  Recently, Chinese researchers have made a breakthrough in the field by discovering that microdomes made from common polymers exhibit tunable chiral structural colors with broad-spectrum capabilities and multiple ...

Cardiovascular diseases remain a leading cause of death worldwide, with platelet hyperactivity and subsequent thrombosis playing a pivotal role in these conditions. While intermittent fasting has long been recognized for its metabolic benefits, including improvements in metabolic diseases, weight loss, and even lifespan extension, its effect on platelet activation and thrombosis formation remains less understood.   A recent study by Professor Junbo Ge team at Fudan University unveiled a novel mechanism by which intermittent fasting can significantly reduce the risk of platelet hyperactivity and thrombosis. That is, intermittent fasting elevates levels of the metabolite ...

Curtin University researchers have developed a new technique to make glass water-repellent, a feature that could improve safety in vehicles, reduce cleaning costs for buildings and enhance filtration systems. The research, published in the prestigious journal Advanced Functional Materials, shows how an innovative and non-toxic process using ultrasonic sound waves can alter the surface of glass, making it either hydrophobic (water resistant) or electrically charged. Lead researcher Associate Professor Nadim Darwish, an ARC Future Fellow at Curtin’s ...

A team of scientists at UNSW has discovered that some of the most important new refrigerants break down, in part, into persistent greenhouse gas pollutants, including compounds that have been banned internationally. Refrigerants are chemicals that turn from a liquid to a gas – and vice-versa – and transfer heat in the process, that are used for refrigeration and indoor heating and cooling. The chemicals are also used as aerosol propellants, fire retardants and in the manufacture of foamed plastics. Hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs), which react rapidly in the lower atmosphere, have emerged as the lead synthetic chemical for refrigerants, and are considered a more environmentally friendly ...

In soil, nitrogen (N), an essential macronutrient for plant growth, exhibits significant spatial heterogeneity. This necessitates plants to grapple with a complex array of environmental conditions in their quest for N sustenance. Roots, as the pivotal organs in N acquisition, manifest a remarkable morphological plasticity, including variations in the length and density of primary roots, lateral roots, and root hairs, in response to the form and content of available N, which is termed N-dependent root system architecture (RSA). For cultivated crops, the ...

A research team at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has successfully developed a super-photostable organic dye after two years of dedicated research—demonstrating perseverance akin to that of Marie Curie, who painstakingly extracted just 0.1 grams of radium from eight tons of ore to earn her Nobel Prize. Single-molecule imaging, a technique that uses fluorescent markers to track proteins with precision, plays a crucial role in cell biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and drug discovery. However, conventional organic ...

Benefits of the New Method: Enhanced Efficiency: The filter membrane allows air exchange while preventing bacterial contamination, eliminating the need for frequent cap opening and reducing the risk of errors. Improved Reproducibility: The standardized protocol ensures consistent results, with a 100% success rate in generating germ-free flies compared to the previous 70%–80% rate. Streamlined Process: This method simplifies the entire process, making it more accessible to researchers and allowing for larger-scale experiments. Implications for Research: This advancement opens doors for deeper exploration of the intricate dance between hosts ...

What if a critical piece of the puzzle of brain aging has been hiding in plain sight? While neuroscience has long focused on proteins and DNA, a team of Stanford researchers dared to shift their gaze to sugars – specifically the complex sugar chains that cover all our cells like chain mail. Their investigation revealed how changes in this sugary armor on the brain’s frontline cells could be key to understanding cognitive decline and diseases like Alzheimer’s. “This is like landing on a new planet,” ...