Robots built by engineers at the University of California San Diego helped achieve a major breakthrough in understanding how insect flight evolved, described in the Oct. 4, 2023 issue of the journal Nature. The study is a result of a six-year long collaboration between roboticists at UC San Diego and biophysicists at the Georgia Institute of Technology.  The findings focus on how the two different modes of flight evolved in insects. Most insects use their brains to activate their flight muscles each wingstroke, just like we activate the muscles in our legs ...

Main points: New research has overturned the traditional view that natural rock weathering acts as a CO2 sink that removes CO2 from the atmosphere. Instead, this can also act as a large CO2 source, rivalling that of volcanoes. The results have important implications for modelling climate change scenarios but at the moment, CO2 release from rock weathering is not captured in climate modelling. Future work will focus on whether human activities may be increasing CO2 release from rock weathering, and how this could be managed. A new study led by the University of Oxford has overturned the view ...

An international team of researchers has developed a new theoretical framework that bridges physics and biology to provide a unified approach for understanding how complexity and evolution emerge in nature. This new work on "Assembly Theory," published today in Nature, represents a major advance in our fundamental comprehension of biological evolution and how it is governed by the physical laws of the universe. This research builds on the team's previous work developing Assembly Theory as an empirically validated approach to life detection, ...

Biophysically detailed neuronal models provide a unique window into the workings of individual neurons. They enable researchers to manipulate neuronal properties systematically and reversibly, something that is often impossible in real-world experiments. These in silico models have played a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of how neuronal morphology influences excitability and how specific ion currents contribute to cell function. Additionally, they have been instrumental in building neuronal circuits to simulate and study brain activity, offering ...

Dr. Qihui Zhou, a neuroscientist at DZNE’s Munich site, has been awarded a “Starting Grant” from the European Research Council (ERC) worth about 1.5 million euros to investigate disease mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). With her studies, which will focus on the role of immune cells in the disease process and on the most common genetic forms of ALS and FTD, Zhou aims to pave the way for better treatments. ALS and FTD are devastating diseases characterized by loss of brain cells for which there ...

First business school to launch comprehensive library of VR Learning Experiences to make management education more impactful and to advance management research VR Learning Experiences already used by 40+ professors and 13K+ learners at INSEAD and now available globally via the INSEAD XR Portal Professor Ithai Stern, Academic Director of the INSEAD Immersive Learning Initiative, wins 2023 Strategic Management Society Educational Impact Award for his contribution to quality and innovation of strategic management teaching   Fontainebleau ...

Today, [Wednesday 4 October] the scientific journal Nature1 published the results of the world’s largest and most comprehensive study on the effects of common genetic variation on proteins circulating in the blood and how these associations can contribute to disease. This unprecedented population-scale investigation of proteins, powered by turning biological samples into data from UK Biobank, will help scientists better understand how and why diseases develop, which could help drive the development of new diagnostics and treatments for a wide range of health conditions. To develop this unique and unparalleled dataset, researchers measured the abundance of nearly ...

A research team, led by Professor Ja Hyoung Ryu from the Department of Chemistry at UNIST, in collaboration with Professor Hyewon Chung from Konkuk University, has achieved a significant breakthrough in the treatment of age-related diseases. Their cutting-edge technology offers a promising new approach by selectively removing aging cells, without harming normal healthy cells. This groundbreaking development is poised to redefine the future of healthcare and usher in a new era of targeted therapeutic interventions. Aging cells, known as senescent cells, contribute to various inflammatory conditions and age-related ailments as humans age. To address this issue, the research team focused on ...

Philadelphia, October 2, 2023 – Researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Stuart Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania have found that teenagers living in lower-income areas of the Columbus, Ohio metro area are up to four times less likely to complete driver training and obtain their driver’s license before age 18. Long travel times to driving schools also impacted enrollment in driver education, affecting those from both higher- and lower-income areas. The findings, originally published in the journals Accident Analysis and Prevention ...

Researchers at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center have discovered a druggable target on natural killer cells that could potentially trigger a therapeutic response in patients with immunotherapy-resistant, triple-negative breast cancer. Currently, only about 15% of early-stage, triple-negative breast cancer patients benefit from combining immunotherapy, drugs that target immune cells to attack the tumor, with chemotherapy. Identifying why most patients don’t respond is critical for personalizing treatment plans and minimizing therapy ...

Researchers have discovered a sea’s worth of water locked within the sediment and rock of a lost volcanic plateau that’s now deep in the Earth’s crust. Revealed by a 3D seismic image, the water lies two miles under the ocean floor off the coast of New Zealand, where it may be dampening a major earthquake fault that faces the country’s North Island. The fault is known for producing slow-motion earthquakes, called slow slip events. These can release pent-up tectonic pressure harmlessly over days and weeks. Scientists want to know why they happen more often at some ...

Dads can suffer from postpartum depression, and a new pilot study at the University of Illinois Chicago suggests they can and should be screened for the condition. Given the intertwined effects of mothers’ and fathers’ physical and mental health, addressing the health of fathers may be a powerful untapped tool in improving the nation’s ongoing maternal health crisis.  The researchers got mothers’ permission to interview and screen 24 dads, 30% of whom screened positive for postpartum depression on the same tool ...

The Saudi Society of Medical Genetics Annual Conference 2023 was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 29-30, 2023. As the most authoritative academic conference on precision medicine in the Kingdom, this conference attracted global experts worldwide. One of the highlights of the conference was the presentation entitled "Spatial-temporal sequencing and some large-scale application of precision medicine technologies," delivered by Dr. Louis (Renyuan) Luo, VP of BGI Genomics West Asia, at the invitation of the Saudi Society of Medical Genetics. Dr. Luo's presentation discussed the importance of spatiotemporal sequencing technology ...

Washington, D.C. — A new study has demonstrated rapid and sensitive on-site detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from environmental surfaces using a portable laboratory device. The study was published in Microbiology Spectrum, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.   “Our findings hold promising implications for scenarios where access to testing laboratories is challenging, such as in cruise ships, international travel, remote islands and tourist destinations,” said lead study author Kouichi Kitamura, Ph.D., National Institute of Infectious ...

A door-to-balloon (D2B) time of 90-minutes or less is associated with improved outcomes for heart attack patients. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic certain obstacles—including the need for COVID-19 screening, associated isolation procedures and terminal cleaning in the cardiac cath lab—led to increased D2B times. According to a new study, presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Quality Summit 2023, many health care facilities are still recovering from the pandemic and facing new challenges, causing D2B times to continue to lag. A myocardial infarction, or heart attack, occurs when there has been a blockage ...

Francis Crick Institute press release Under strict embargo: 14:00 BST / 09:00hrs ET Wednesday 4 October 2023 Peer reviewed Observational and experimental studies People and cells   A research team at the Francis Crick Institute and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH)/UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health have identified new potential treatments for children with rare genetic conditions of blood vessels, which cause severe, lifelong, and disabling symptoms like seizures and impaired development.   Through two papers published today in the Journal of Investigative ...

Developing brains become shaped by the sights, sounds, and experiences of early life. The brain’s circuits grow more stable as we age. However, some experiences later in life open up opportunities for these circuits to be rapidly rewired. New research from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Associate Professor Stephen Shea helps explain how the brain adapts during a critical period of adulthood: the time when new mothers learn to care for their young. Shea’s work in mice shows how this learning process ...

After a yearlong and extensive nationwide search, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), the nation’s largest professional organization of bariatric and metabolic surgeons and integrated health professionals, has named healthcare association veteran Diane M. Enos MPH, RDN, CAE, FAND, to serve as its new executive director. Before joining ASMBS, Enos, a registered dietitian and certified association executive with a master’s degree in public health from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, was Chief Learning Officer of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, ...

A team led by researchers from Mass General Brigham reports promising results for a monoclonal antibody that takes aim at a new target for Alzheimer’s disease. Inspired by their previous identification of a genetic variant in the APOE gene that provides extreme resistance against Alzheimer’s disease, the team, which includes investigators from Mass Eye and Ear and Massachusetts General Hospital, developed a therapy that mimics the behavior of this genetic variant in a preclinical model, reducing ...

The potential for exposure to fluctuating light has necessitated that plants evolve protective mechanisms for when the light intensity exceeds photosynthetic capacity. Under these conditions, reactive oxygen species cause photoinhibition, which hinders photosynthetic efficiency. To counter this loss in photosynthetic efficiency, chloroplasts evolved thioredoxin (Trx) proteins that regulate redox balance within the photosynthetic apparatus and provide a photoprotective function. These proteins allow plants to modulate photosynthesis in response to variations in light intensity. ...

A probable early driver of Alzheimer's disease is the accumulation of molecules called amyloid peptides. These cause cell death, and are commonly found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have now shown that yeast cells that accumulate these misfolded amyloid peptides can recover after being treated with graphene oxide nanoflakes. Alzheimer’s disease is an incurable brain disease, leading to dementia and death, that causes suffering for both the patients and their ...

Scientists have created a new zebrafish xenograft platform to screen for novel treatments for an aggressive brain tumor called glioblastoma, according to a new study by the Gerhardt and De Smet labs published in EMBO Molecular Medicine. Joint press release – Max Delbrück Center, VIB, and KU Leuven Glioblastoma is an aggressive and difficult-to-treat brain tumor in adults. On average, patients survive for only 1.5 years. The standard of care treatment for this disease, which includes surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy, has not changed in 18 years. That’s partly because the cancer is ...

Researchers have produced an engineered tissue representing a simplified cerebral cortex by 3D printing human stem cells. When implanted into mouse brain slices, the structures became integrated with the host tissue. The technique may ultimately be developed into tailored repairs to treat brain injuries. A breakthrough technique developed by University of Oxford researchers could one day provide tailored repairs for those who suffer brain injuries. The researchers demonstrated for the first time that neural cells can be 3D printed to mimic the architecture of the cerebral cortex. The results have been published today in the ...

Premature babies in neonatal care units are extremely vulnerable, and susceptible to life-threatening infections. To help keep these babies safe the risk of infection needs to be kept as low as possible. A particular problem is late onset sepsis that starts from three days after birth, when bacteria get into the blood and grow. This can be very dangerous and babies with late onset sepsis end up staying in hospital longer, need more treatment with antibiotics and can be left with life-long effects on their health. Bacteria from the Staphylococcus family are the most common causes ...

An educational and social support intervention for caregivers reduced elder mistreatment of older adults with chronic illness, including dementia. That’s the result of a recent double-blind, randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Elder mistreatment is defined as “an intentional act or failure to act by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult.” Through the Comprehensive Older Adult and Caregiver Help (COACH) intervention tested in this trial, coaches met with caregivers weekly for up to 12 sessions to listen to their ...