Collagen, a protein found in bones and connective tissue, has been found in dinosaur fossils as old as 195 million years. That far exceeds the normal half-life of the peptide bonds that hold proteins together, which is about 500 years. A new study from MIT offers an explanation for how collagen can survive for so much longer than expected. The research team found that a special atomic-level interaction defends collagen from attack by water molecules. This barricade prevents water from breaking the peptide bonds through a process called hydrolysis. “We ...

Feeld, the dating app for the curious, in collaboration with Dr. Justin Lehmiller of The Kinsey Institute, has released a groundbreaking report, "The State of Dating: How Gen Z is Redefining Sexuality and Relationships." Released on World Sexual Health Day under the theme #PositiveRelationships, this report takes a deep dive into how Gen Z—shaped by global instability, digital immersion, and evolving cultural scripts—are shaping their approach to dating and sexuality.  After analyzing ...

Seattle, WA and New York, NY—September 4, 2024—Today, the Allen Institute for Cell Science and New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) announced a pioneering collaboration to address this critical issue, combining two cutting-edge technologies to create more inclusive cellular models for studying disease. This partnership will introduce the Allen Institute for Cell Science’s structure tags into NYSCF’s collection of ethnically diverse stem cell lines. The result: an unprecedented resource that will enable researchers to examine disease mechanisms and potential treatments across a ...

Photosynthesis can take place in nature even at extremely low light levels. This is the result of an international study that investigated the development of Arctic microalgae at the end of the polar night. The measurements were carried out as part of the MOSAiC expedition at 88° northern latitude and revealed that even this far north, microalgae can build up biomass through photosynthesis as early as the end of March. At this time, the sun is barely above the horizon, so that it is still almost completely dark in the microalgae's habitat under the snow and ice cover of the Arctic Ocean. The results of the study now published in the journal Nature Communications show that photosynthesis ...

New research shows that parasitic nematodes, responsible for infecting more than a billion people globally, carry viruses that may solve the puzzle of why some cause serious diseases.  A study led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) used cutting-edge bioinformatic data mining techniques to identify 91 RNA viruses in 28 species of parasitic nematodes, representing 70% of those that infect people and animals. Often these are symptomless or not serious, but some can lead to severe, ...

A new study led by Portuguese paleontologist Pedro Mocho, from the Instituto Dom Luiz of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (CIÊNCIAS), has just been published in the Communications Biology journal, which announces a new species of sauropod dinosaur that lived in Cuenca, Spain, 75 million years ago: Qunkasaura pintiquiniestra. The more than 12,000 fossils collected from 2007 onwards during works to install the Madrid-Levante high-speed train (AVE) tracks revealed this deposit, giving rise to one of the most relevant collections ...

Sports-related concussions (SRC) may not be associated with long-term cognitive risks for non-professional athletes, a study led by a UNSW medical researcher suggests. In fact, study participants who had experienced an SRC had better cognitive performance in some areas than those who had never suffered a concussion, pointing to potential protective effects of sports participation. Published in the  Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry  (JNNP), the research reveals that individuals who reported experiencing any SRC during their lifetime had a marginally better cognitive performance  than those who reported no concussions. The study, a collaboration ...

For the sake of the environment and our quality of life, effective treatment of wastewater plays a vital role. A biological method to treat sewage using moving, biofilm-covered plastic items known as carriers has been gaining prominence, and an Osaka Metropolitan University-led team has found ways to make the process more efficient. The moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) process purifies wastewater by putting these carriers in motion to get the biofilm’s microorganisms into greater contact with organic matter and other impurities. The more biofilm that can be attached ...

A common image of cats today comes in the form of cute cat memes online, but these furry felines commonly experience kidney disease. Amid advances in medicine to improve people’s quality of life, an Osaka Metropolitan University-led team has, for the first time in the world, generated high-quality feline induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which have the potential to help companion animals and humans alike. Human iPSCs have been generated using just four genes known as transcription factors, but feline iPSCs have been difficult to generate. Graduate School of Veterinary Science Professor Shingo Hatoya led the team in introducing six transcription factors via the Sendai virus ...

In the best-case scenario, called the "Giant Leap," Sub-Saharan Africa could see poverty drop from 500 million to 25 million people, hunger nearly eradicated, and universal access to education, clean water, and sustainable electricity. On the other hand, the "Too Little Too Late" scenario paints a grim picture where poverty rises to 900 million, hunger still affects 180 million, and over a billion people lack clean water. The Too Little Too Late scenario is based on existing policies in the region. These two scenarios highlight the critical importance of action this decade to drive five extraordinary turnarounds in the areas of poverty, inequality, ...

Philadelphia, September 4, 2024 – A new study has found that regular mobile phone use was positively associated with incident cardiovascular diseases risk, especially in current smokers and individuals with diabetes. In addition, this association was partly attributed to poor sleep, psychological distress, and neuroticism. The article in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, published by Elsevier, details the results of this large-scale prospective cohort study. Yanjun Zhang, MD, Division of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China, explains, "Mobile phone use is a ubiquitous exposure in modern society, so exploring its impact on health has ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – About half of adults can identify cigarettes and e-cigarettes, but just one in four would recognize oral nicotine pouches, and these easily available products are growing increasingly popular among teens and young adults, according to a recent study commissioned by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). Oral nicotine pouches are small packets filled with a flavored powder containing nicotine and other chemicals that are tucked between the lip and gums. ...

Introduction As a new degree of freedom, the orbital angular momentum of electromagnetic waves exceeds the traditional frequency, phase, and amplitude, and is expected to promote the infinite expansion of channel capacity. Recently, a team of research professor Chao-Hai Du from Peking University and Professor Xiaofei Zang's research group from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology have carried out in-depth cooperation. Based on the research foundation of both sides in the field of terahertz and metasurface, a new method of generating polarization-multiplexed terahertz vortex combs using all-silicon metasurface has been ...

Recently, model-based reinforcement learning has been considered a crucial approach to applying reinforcement learning in the physical world, primarily due to its efficient utilization of samples. However, the supervised learned model, which generates rollouts for policy optimization, leads to compounding errors and hinders policy performance. To address this problem, the research team led by Yang YU published their new research on 15 August 2024 in Frontiers of Computer Science co-published by Higher Education ...

Since the first industrial revolution, the rapid development of the human economy and society has directly exacerbated the process of CO2 emission from human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, industrial processes, agriculture, and land use activities. With the continuous increase of global greenhouse gas concentration dominated by CO2, the greenhouse effect is becoming more and more obvious, and the trend of global warming is becoming more and more serious. To cope with the continuous warming of the global climate and mitigate ...

Combine cyberbullying, smartphone use, lack of sleep and poor mental health, and you have the perfect storm for a teenage meltdown. Australian researchers have polled more than 50,000 primary and secondary school students aged 7-19 years about the link between their sleep and nighttime phone habits, experience of cyberbullying and stress levels. Researchers from the Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre at the University of South Australia found that across all genders and age groups, phone use overnight not only robbed children of sleep, but it also had a negative impact on their mental health, ...

AUBURN, AL — In a recent development in Alzheimer's disease research, Auburn University scientists have studied a new drug, troriluzole, that can prevent brain changes leading to memory loss and cognitive decline in a mouse model of the disease. This study, recently published in the Journal of Neurochemistry, is the first to show how troriluzole can target early-stage alterations associated with Alzheimer’s, providing new hope for potential treatments. Dr. Miranda Reed, a Professor in the department ...

Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s Dr. Jeff Keller is evaluating the potential for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and cannabidiol, or CBD, to reduce the behaviors indicating agitation, distress or anxiety in patients with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. The study is designed for hospice-eligible patients who are either receiving hospice care or who are eligible for hospice, and who are exhibiting agitation concurrently with a diagnosis of dementia. There are currently no FDA-approved medications to treat agitation at the end-of-life stages in dementia patients.  The “Life’s End Benefits of Cannabidiol and ...

URBANA, Ill. — The National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research that aims to connect the dots between quantitative and molecular genetics and improve crop breeding. The four-year, $795,000 grant investigates new theories on how genetics influence complex crop traits, such as yield or grain quality. These traits are controlled by lots of different genes — sometimes hundreds or thousands — which makes untangling their contributions difficult. Crop breeders use a host of advanced genetic tools to predict and ...

Boston – CDK4/6 inhibitors, which are already FDA approved for the treatment of other forms of cancer, show early signs of promise in the treatment of a subtype of pediatric high-grade glioma, according to new research from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Institute of Cancer Research in London. Treatment of a patient with a second relapse of this glioma subtype and no other treatment options resulted in 18 months of progression-free survival. “We are finally starting to see more targeted therapies come out for different forms of brain cancer,” says senior author Mariella Filbin, MD, PhD, co-director ...

A recent study shows social media influencers are more important than previously thought when it comes to getting out vital information in a crisis. The study suggested partnerships that could improve public communication between governments, non-profits and social media influencers during crises. The study, conducted by UF/IFAS assistant professor Kimberly Kay Wiley, a researcher in the family, youth and community sciences department, and Bridgewater State University associate professor Seth Meyer, shows how these groups can collaborate to effectively disseminate information and manage public health emergencies on social media. “In ...

The ability to cope well with, and adapt to, challenging life circumstances and events in older age is linked to a lower risk of death, suggests a large nationally representative study, published in the open access journal BMJ Mental Health. The findings underscore the importance of efforts to bolster mental resilience, conclude the researchers. The available evidence suggests that mental resilience is a dynamic and active process influenced by various factors, including sex, hormones, and the genes regulating ...

Over the past decade the number of NHS general practices in England has shrunk by 20%, but patient list sizes have expanded by 40% to just under 10,000, on average, finds an analysis of three national primary care datasets, published in the open access journal BMJ Open. And while the total NHS general practice workforce grew 20% between 2015 and 2022, as a result of increases in admin staff and other practitioners, the number of GPs per 1000 patients fell by 15% over the same period, when accounting for working hours, the analysis shows. Major structural and organisational changes have taken place in general practice in England over the past decade,but it’s difficult ...

Women, people of Black ethnicity, and those from low income households in England are less likely to be offered heart surgery than men, White people, and those who are affluent, finds research published online in the journal Heart. And when they do have these procedures, they are more likely to die within a year, prompting the researchers to call for prompt action to tackle these health inequalities. Cardiac surgery is one of the costliest ways of treating cardiovascular disease, with around 28,000 adults a year in the UK undergoing the procedure, note the researchers. While previously published research shows that gender, ethnicity, and social/economic deprivation can affect ...

A pen which can transform Braille into English text has been developed by experts at the University of Bristol. Braille literacy is frequently reported as being in decline, this is despite visually impaired people often expressing a desire to learn it, and Braille literacy being a highly valued skill by those who are capable. This is often attributed to the lack of available learning resources, particularly away from large urban centres. The handheld device, which includes a one-centimetre sensor with 19 channels programmed to read Braille, has demonstrated high accuracy in early trials. Lead author Dr George Jenkinson ...