Forum for Science, Industry and Business

Scientists discover previously unknown subtypes of liver cells in health and disease

Engineering researchers demonstrate how electrolytes for alkali-metal air batteries can be selected using a single, easy-to-measure parameter

A group of scientists from Russia and Greece opens up new prospects for using local learning rules based on memristors to solve artificial intelligence problems using complex spiking neural network architectures

The temperature sensitivity of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, commonly referred to as Q₁₀, is a key parameter in the terrestrial carbon cycle. It quantifies the increase in the rate of decomposition corresponding to a 10oC rise in temperature and can determine the sign and magnitude of terrestrial carbon-climate feedback.

The founding phase is complete: the European Organ-on-Chip Society (EUROoCS) is now welcoming members to join. The annual conference, held this year in Graz (Austria), saw launch of the community website and the start of its availability as an information resource. “Organ-on-Chip systems can reduce and perhaps eventually replace animal experiments and provide predictive human data before expensive and lengthy clinical trials actually start,” Peter Loskill, Group Manager at Fraunhofer IGB and vice chair of EUROoC says.

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have observed an unexpected thin disc of material encircling a supermassive black hole at the heart of the spiral galaxy NGC 3147, located 130 million light-years away.

In recent years, the idea of life on other planets has become less far-fetched. NASA announced June 27 that it will send a vehicle to Saturn's icy moon, Titan, a celestial body known to harbor surface lakes of methane and an ice-covered ocean of water, boosting its chance for supporting life.

A dysfunctional enzyme involved in building cancer cell membranes helps fuel tumor growth; when it's disabled or depleted in mouse models, tumors shrank significantly

The nucleolus is a well-known cellular structure that is easily visible under a light microscope. This nuclear structure is known as the site of ribosome production. In a recent study, researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany, have shown that the nucleolus is also a site of quality control for proteins. When cells are stressed, proteins tend to misfold and to aggregate. To prevent proteins from clumping, some are temporarily stored in the nucleolus. The special biophysical conditions found in this organelle prevent harmful protein aggregation. The results of this study have now been published in the journal Science.

Attosecond laser technique yields movies of chemical bond dissociation

Plastic should not be found in the environment. In order to estimate for the first time the exact extent of plastic pollution in Switzerland, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has mandated Empa researchers to calculate how much plastic gets into the environment. Empa has analyzed the seven most frequently used types of plastic. According to the study, more than 5000 tons of plastic are discharged into the environment every year. The results show that the plastic load on and in soils is much greater than in waters. Other plastics, in particular rubber, which is released into the environment from tire abrasion, were not part of the study.

The translation of the genetic code into proteins is a vital process in any cell. Prof. Mihaela Zavolan’s team at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, has now uncovered important factors that influence the speed of protein synthesis in the cell. The results, recently published in “PNAS”, serve as a basis to better analyze translational control in a wide range of cell types.

Yersinia have spread fear and terror, especially in the past, but today the plague pathogens have still not been completely eradicated. The bacteria inject various enzymes, including the enzyme YopO, into the macrophages of the immune system. There it is activated and prevents the defense cells from enclosing and digesting the plague bacteria. Using the latest methods, scientists from the Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Bonn have now deciphered how YopO changes its shape and thus contributes to confusing the immune system. The results have now been published in the journal "Structure".

Berkeley Lab technology could reduce time needed to declare buildings affected by earthquakes safe and sound

A multifunctional device that captures the heat shed by photovoltaic solar panels has been developed by KAUST and used to generate clean drinking water as a way to simultaneously generate electricity and water using only renewable energy.

Injured axons instruct Schwann cells to build specialized actin spheres to break down and remove axon fragments, thereby starting the regeneration process

Thanks to intensive research in the past three decades, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have been steadily conquering the electronics market - from OLED mobile phone displays to roll-out television screens, the list of applications is long.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are used today in many electronic devices for display applications, ranging from smartphones to televisions. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) have now succeeded in developing a new design for these LEDs. They have been able to reduce the number of different layers that make up an OLED to just one. In the future, this could allow light-emitting diodes that can be printed with an inkjet printer. The first prototype of the developed diode can already compete with current, commercially available OLEDs in terms of luminosity and efficiency.

Citrus fruits, coffee and avocados: The food on our tables has become more diverse in recent decades. However, global agriculture does not reflect this trend. Monocultures are increasing worldwide, taking up more land than ever. At the same time, many of the crops being grown rely on pollination by insects and other animals. This puts food security at increased risk, as a team of researchers with help from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) writes in the journal "Global Change Biology". For the study, the scientists examined global developments in agriculture over the past 50 years.

An innovative method identifies newly activated genes within individual cells

Single molecules measure electrical potentials

Physicists at the University of Innsbruck are proposing a new model that could demonstrate the supremacy of quantum computers over classical supercomputers in solving optimization problems. In a recent paper, they demonstrate that just a few quantum particles would be sufficient to solve the mathematically difficult N-queens problem in chess even for large chess boards.

In a joint project with the Technische Universität Braunschweig, researchers from the Fraunhofer WKI have developed an innovative building element for the construction industry: a sandwich element with a wood-foam core and a thin cover layer of textile-reinforced concrete. It can be used, for example, as a lightweight curtain-wall element or in interior fittings. The high-performance wood foam requires no artificial binding agents and can be produced from regionally available wood residues. Through the utilization of wood foam instead of conventional foam based on petrochemicals, the proportion of particularly sustainable construction materials in buildings can be increased.