In a recent study, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have provided new insights into the central role of goblet cells—specialized cells that line the gut—in maintaining a healthy and balanced immune environment within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Led by Dr Fernanda Raya Tonetti, with Dr. Cristina Llorente directing the project and making significant contributions, the study underscores the critical roles of these cells, which act not only as a physical barrier but also ...

The Balkan Network of Science Journalists and the European Federation for Science Journalism are launching a new science journalism guide, this time in Romanian.  From the Field: A Science Journalist's Handbook is the result of a collective effort by more than 20 Romanian journalists and content creators who dedicated their time and expertise to build a 138-page document designed to help journalists navigate the complex world of science reporting. The guide was coordinated by science ...

SAN ANTONIO — November 12, 2024 — A Southwest Research Institute-led team combined compositional data of primitive bodies like Kuiper Belt objects, asteroids and comets with new solar data sets to develop a revised solar composition that potentially reconciles spectroscopy and helioseismology measurements for the first time. Helioseismology probes the Sun’s interior by analyzing the waves that travel through it, while spectroscopy reveals the surface composition based on the spectral signature produced by each chemical element.   A paper about this research, which ...

Background and Aims Necroptosis is critical for regulating intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). Butyric acid (BA), produced during intestinal microbial metabolism, protects the intestinal epithelial barrier. However, whether necroptosis occurs in IECs during liver cirrhosis and whether sodium butyrate (NaB) can regulate necroptosis have not yet been reported. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether IECs undergo necroptosis in cirrhosis and whether NaB can regulate necroptosis and the related regulatory mechanisms. Methods Serum levels of RIPK3, MLKL, and Zonulin, as well as fecal BA levels, were measured and correlated in 48 patients with liver cirrhosis ...

The story of Arctic greening has overlooked some main characters. At center stage are climate change and warming temperatures. Meanwhile, large grazing wildlife, such as caribou and muskoxen, also play a key role in the timing and abundance of Arctic plants, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. The study, published today in the journal PNAS Nexus, highlights the importance of large herbivores to the Arctic ecosystem, linking grazing with plant phenology and abundance in the Arctic tundra. Phenology is the study of the timing and cyclical patterns in nature, such as when birds migrate, or when a plant first sprouts or blooms. ...

A recent study led by researchers from the University of Illinois, including Dr. Hans Stein, confirms that a wide range of pork cuts, Italian hams, and sausages offer excellent protein quality. The study, published in JSFA Reports,1 utilized the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS) method to measure protein quality, finding that all tested pork products, except one, achieved a DIAAS greater than 100, qualifying them as "excellent" protein sources for children, adolescents, and adults.  The researchers ...

CLEVELAND—The standard model for how galaxies formed in the early universe predicted that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) would see dim signals from small, primitive galaxies. But data are not confirming the popular hypothesis that invisible dark matter helped the earliest stars and galaxies clump together. Instead, the oldest galaxies are large and bright, in agreement with an alternate theory of gravity, according to new research from Case Western Reserve University published Tuesday November 12 in The Astrophysical Journal. The results challenge astronomers’ understanding of the early universe. “What the theory of dark matter predicted is not what we ...

WASHINGTON—Vitamin D supplements may lower blood pressure in older people with obesity and taking more than the Institutes of Medicine’s (IOM) recommended daily dose does not provide additional health benefits, according to new research published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. The IOM recommends 600 International Units (IU) per day. Vitamin D deficiency is common worldwide and has been associated with heart disease, immunological diseases, infections and cancer. Studies have linked vitamin D deficiency to a higher risk of hypertension, but evidence for the beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation on blood pressure outcomes ...

Up to two thirds of the world’s temperate rainforests could fall victim to climate change by the year 2100 according to a new study by researchers at the University of Leeds. In the first ever worldwide assessment of the impacts of global overheating on these rare ecosystems, scientists used maps of tree cover, forest condition, and climate data to assess how much of the world’s temperate rainforests have already been impacted by human activity and how climate change would push some regions to the brink. The results of their study which are published today (Tuesday 12 November) ...

The American Pediatric Society (APS) is pleased to announce ninety-eight new members. Founded in 1888, the APS is North America's first and most prestigious academic pediatric organization.  APS members are recognized child health leaders of extraordinary achievement who work together to shape the future of academic pediatrics. Current members nominate new members by recognizing individuals who have distinguished themselves as child health leaders, teachers, scholars, policymakers, and clinicians. “The Council of the APS is excited to welcome this large group of child health leaders ...

The World Health Organization describes obesity as an epidemic that disrupts metabolic equilibrium, characterized by an excess of adipose tissue and chronic inflammation. This state arises from various factors, including genetic predispositions and lifestyle choices like high caloric intake and physical inactivity​. Leptin, primarily produced by adipose tissue, regulates hunger by signaling satiety to the hypothalamus. However, in obesity, leptin's transport to the brain is often blocked, leading to leptin resistance. ...

A new study published in [Journal] highlights the critical role of lysosomes, cellular organelles responsible for waste disposal and recycling, in the development and progression of diabetes. Researchers from [Institution] have uncovered the complex interplay between lysosomal function and the pathogenesis of various diabetes types, including type 1, type 2, gestational diabetes, and cystic fibrosis-related diabetes. The study, titled “Lysosomal Stress in Pancreatic Endocrine Tissue in the Context of Diabetes Mellitus,” ...

Herbal medicine is difficult to produce on an industrial scale. A team of Kobe University bioengineers manipulated the cellular machinery in a species of yeast so that one such molecule can now be produced in a fermenter at unprecedented concentrations. The achievement also points the way to the microbial production of other plant-derived compounds. Herbal medicinal products offer many beneficial health effects, but they are often unsuitable for mass production. One example is artepillin C, which has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer action, but is only available as a bee culture product. The Kobe University bioengineer ...

The cybersecurity refrain when encountering phishing emails invariably advises: “don’t click on that link” and “report that email” — but new research from Drexel University and Arizona State University has revealed a problematic reality: Most major companies do little to support reporting and few take action to shut down phishing sites disguised as their own after they have been reported. Recently presented at the International Symposium on Research in Attacks, Intrusions and ...

Decoding Deception: The Psychology of Combating Misinformation, a short film produced by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences with support from the Pulitzer Center, addresses one of the most pressing issues of our time: the quest to stem the swelling tide of misinformation. Decoding Deception explores potential remedies to this growing societal problem. While social media acts as an accelerant for the rampant spread of misinformation on climate change, public health, and politics, the rise of generative AI risks worsening the problem. Left unchecked, disinformation and misinformation can inflict lasting damage on people, institutions, and society ...

A study links herbivory to phenology in the Arctic. Phenology is the study of the timing of events in the natural world. In recent decades, researchers have investigated how climate change is shifting many natural events. Eric Post and colleagues wanted to understand how a different variable—the presence or absence of herbivores—affects the timing of spring plant growth, or green-up, in Greenland. In an experiment lasting nine years, the authors excluded musk oxen and caribou from some areas, then compared the timing of the spring green-up of 9 tundra plant species in the areas with and without herbivores. Of the plants that showed altered green-up between the conditions, about ...

As many Americans prepare to gather with their families for the holidays, a new poll shows the importance of grandchildren in grandparents’ lives. The poll also suggests that having grandchildren and seeing them regularly may have a link to older adults’ mental health and risk of loneliness. Although the poll can’t show cause and effect, the findings suggest a need to study the role of grandparenting in older adults’ lives, as part of a broader effort to address social isolation. At ...

In the race to develop robust perception systems for robots, one persistent challenge has been operating in bad weather and harsh conditions. For example, traditional, light-based vision sensors such as cameras or LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) fail in heavy smoke and fog.  However, nature has shown that vision doesn't have to be constrained by light’s limitations — many organisms have evolved ways to perceive their environment without relying on light. Bats navigate using the echoes of sound waves, while sharks hunt by sensing electrical fields from their prey's movements. Radio waves, whose wavelengths are orders of magnitude ...

A Perspective suggests that “digital twins” are not simply tools for science but are an example of the integration of complexity science and data science into a new scientific field. A “digital twin” is a digital representation of a real-world object or system. The idea emerged from manufacturing but has been adopted by science, especially by the fields of medicine, immunology, and epidemiology. Digital twins are typically frequently or continuously updated and improved with real data from the real object the digital twin mirrors, allowing ...

Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) reveal that metabolic enzymes known for their roles in energy production and nucleotide synthesis are taking on unexpected "second jobs" within the nucleus, orchestrating critical functions like cell division and DNA repair.   The discovery, reported across two separate research papers out today in Nature Communications, not only challenges longstanding biological paradigms in cellular biology but also opens new avenues for cancer therapies, particularly against aggressive tumours like triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).  For decades, biology textbooks have neatly compartmentalised ...

Next-generation metagenomic sequencing test developed at UCSF proves its effectiveness in quickly diagnosing almost any kind of pathogen.  A genomic test developed at UC San Francisco to rapidly detect almost any kind of pathogen – virus, bacteria, fungus or parasite – has proved successful after a decade of use.   The test has the potential to vastly improve care for neurological infections that cause diseases like meningitis and encephalitis, as well as speed up the detection of new viral pandemic threats. It uses a powerful genomic sequencing ...

University of B.C. researchers have developed a groundbreaking coating that could make medical devices safer for millions of patients, reducing the risks associated with blood clots and dangerous bleeding. The new material, designed to mimic the natural behavior of blood vessels, could allow for safer use of blood-contacting devices like catheters, stents, blood-oxygenation machines and dialysis machines—especially in cases where blood clots are a significant concern. “This discovery could be a transformative step in the development of safer medical devices,” said Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu, ...

In an emerging red flag for the digital era, sleep experts have warned us to avoid screen time in bed, sounding the alarm that light emitted from phones and other electronic devices can disrupt our sleep patterns. That’s one way that science is waking up to the broad range of health and disease implications related to circadian biology and our daily sleep-wake cycles. Now, researchers at the University of California San Diego have found that light disruption is not only a health concern for humans. A new study led by PhD candidate Ashley Kim and Professor James Nieh in the School of Biological Sciences has found that artificial light disrupts the circadian rhythms of ...

New study from deCODE genetics/Amgen highlights the importance of BMI in pathogenesis of disease, suggesting that reducing BMI alone could lower the risk of several diseases. Scientists at deCODE genetics, subsidiary of Amgen, published a study today in Nature Communications that sheds light on how Body Mass Index (BMI) influences the risk of various diseases that are comorbid with obesity. The study, which used genetic data from Iceland and the UK Biobank, looked at whether disease risk associated with BMI-related sequence variants are explained completely or partially by their effect on BMI. The results showed that for some conditions, such as fatty liver disease, glucose intolerance, ...

What role do dogs play in today’s world? For many, they are more than just pets. New findings from the Department of Ethology at Eötvös Loránd University show that whether seen as friends, family members, children or guardians, these roles affect the way dogs are cared for, suggesting shifting dynamics in human-animal bonds shaped by societal trends and individual owner profiles. In Western cultures, more and more people see their dogs as their best friends, family members or even their furry children. In fact, ...