Christina Zielinski and her team find evidence that sodium chloride can increase the activity of certain immune cells against cancer. Salt could help to boost the immune defense against cancer. This is suggested by the research findings of a team led by Prof. Dr. Christina Zielinski, who holds the Chair of Infection Immunology at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena. The group presents its findings in “Nature Immunology”. Sodium chloride, commonly known as “table salt”, was a valuable commodity in…
Using observations from a NASA suborbital rocket, an international team of scientists has, for the first time, successfully measured a planet-wide electric field thought to be as fundamental to Earth as its gravity and magnetic fields. Known as the ambipolar electric field, scientists first hypothesized over 60 years ago that it drove how our planet’s atmosphere can escape above Earth’s North and South Poles. Measurements from the rocket, NASA’s Endurance mission, have confirmed the existence of the ambipolar field and quantified…
Chemical engineers at the University of British Columbia have developed a new treatment that traps and treats PFAS substances—widely known as “forever chemicals”—in a single, integrated system. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used in manufacturing consumer goods like waterproof clothing due to their resistance to heat, water and stains. However, they are also pollutants, often ending up in surface and groundwater worldwide, where they have been linked to cancer, liver damage and other health issues. “PFAS are notoriously…
Researchers at Macquarie University have developed a new way to produce ultraviolet (UV) light sensors, which could lead to more efficient and flexible wearable devices. The study, published in the journal Small in July, shows how acetic acid vapour – essentially vinegar fumes – can rapidly improve the performance of zinc oxide nanoparticle-based sensors without using high-temperatures for processing. Co-author Professor Shujuan Huang, from the School of Engineering at Macquarie University, says: “We found by briefly exposing the sensor to…
New Joining and Additive Production Processes Allow Adhesive-free Wood-Metal Joints. Using 3D printing technology and ultrasonic joining technique, researchers at Graz University of Technology succeeded in attaining an extremely strong joining of the renewable raw material wood with metal and polymer composite. In Ultrasonic Joining, wood and the base component are joined by frictional heat. (c) Oliver Wolf / TU Graz The renewable raw material wood is climate-neutral and at the same time light and strong, making it fundamentally attractive…
Research team from Friedrich Schiller University Jena discovers ‘impossible’ unicellular organism. All higher organisms such as fungi, plants, animals and humans consist of eukaryotic cells. These are cells that have a nucleus and organelles such as mitochondria. Mitochondria supply eukaryotic cells with energy. In contrast to eukaryotes, prokaryotes are unicellular organisms. They have a simpler structure and are mostly significantly smaller than eukaryotes. They have no cell nucleus and no organelles such as mitochondria. The origin of eukaryotes is considered…
In the Arctic Archipelago Svalbard, this August roughly 20 experts from seven German universities and research centres set up their labs and instruments for the polar research project YESSS (Year-round EcoSystem Study on Svalbard). Coordinated by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), YESSS is intended to yield new insights into climate change effects. To help make that a reality, a small team of researchers – and this is the unique aspect – will also…
Research project develops more targeted prompting. Clinical studies include large amounts of data and text. Language models such as ChatGPT help doctors and clinical staff to retrieve specific information using natural language. But how well can AI bots analyze logical correlations and make the right inferences? This is where the AutoPrompt research project sets in. It aims to counteract errors and hallucinations, which can occur when the systems make inferences. To this end, the researchers are developing a system that…
Roadway-related incidents are a leading cause of flood fatalities nationwide, but limited flood-reporting tools make it difficult to evaluate road conditions in real time. Existing tools — traffic cameras, water-level sensors and even social media data — can provide observations of flooding, but they are often not primarily designed for sensing flood conditions on roads and do not work in conjunction. A network of sensors could improve situational flood level awareness; however, they are expensive to operate at scale. Engineers…
The existence of topological excitons predicted by OU-led research team. Bruno Uchoa, a professor of condensed matter physics, and Hong-yi Xie, a postdoctoral fellow in condensed matter physics at the University of Oklahoma, have published research in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that predicts the existence of a new type of exciton. These particles could lead to the advancement of future quantum devices. Hong-yi Xie, left, and Bruno Uchoa. Credit: Sophia Armoudian, University of Oklahoma Excitons…
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration has conducted test observations, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and other facilities, that achieved the highest resolution ever obtained from the surface of Earth [1]. They managed this feat by detecting light from distant galaxies at a frequency of around 345 GHz, equivalent to a wavelength of 0.87 mm. The Collaboration estimates that in future they will be able to make black hole images that are 50% more detailed than was possible before,…
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration has conducted test observations achieving the highest resolution ever obtained from the surface of the Earth, by detecting light from the centers of distant galaxies at a frequency of around 345 GHz. When combined with existing images of supermassive black holes at the hearts of M87 and Sgr A at the lower frequency of 230 GHz, these new results will not only make black hole photographs 50% crisper but also produce multi-color views of…
DNA methylation is a process in which a methyl group is attached to the cytosine base of the DNA molecule, and a major way that DNA is epigenetically marked. Epigenetic modifications can act as on-off switches to regulate gene expression and help generate diverse cell types without changing the underlying DNA sequence. It is how the body ensures that brain-related genes don’t get turned on in heart cells, for example. For this reason, maintenance of the DNA methylation pattern is…
Researchers at the University of Notre Dame have developed a novel, automated device capable of diagnosing glioblastoma, a fast-growing and incurable brain cancer, in less than an hour. The average glioblastoma patient survives 12-18 months after diagnosis. The crux of the diagnostic is a biochip that uses electrokinetic technology to detect biomarkers, or active Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (EGFRs), which are overexpressed in certain cancers such as glioblastoma and found in extracellular vesicles. Notre Dame Professor Hsueh-Chia Chang. Photo by…
In the agricultural and food industry, determining the chemical composition of raw materials is important for production efficiency, application, and price. Traditional laboratory testing is time-consuming, complicated, and expensive. New research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign demonstrates that near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and machine learning can provide quick, accurate, and cost-effective product analysis. In two studies, the researchers explore the use of NIR spectroscopy for analyzing characteristics of corn kernels and sorghum biomass. “NIR spectroscopy has many advantages over traditional…
Organic redox-active molecules (ORAMs) are abundant and diverse, offering significant potential for cost-effective and sustainable energy storage, particularly in aqueous organic flow batteries (AOFBs). However, ensuring the stability of the ORAMs during the charge and discharge process is critical, as side reactions can deactivate them and eliminate their redox activity. Air stability remains a challenge for many ORAMs, complicating their practical use. A pilot-scale naphthalene-based flow stack. Credit: DICP Recently, a research group led by Prof. LI Xianfeng and Prof….
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