A modified model designed to simulate nuclear fission sheds light on how rumors start, spread, and end. It has never been easier to spread false or misleading information online. The anonymous, impersonal nature of the internet, combined with advanced tools like artificial intelligence, makes it trivial for bad actors to manipulate the truth and challenging for everyone else to separate reality from fiction. In this modern climate of disinformation, understanding how falsehoods and rumors spread is crucial for combating them….
… revolutionises drug discovery. A breakthrough in high-performance computing (HPC) and quantum chemistry, powered by the world’s fastest supercomputer and leading technology, is set to revolutionise drug discovery and unlock new ways to target a range of diseases. Led by University of Melbourne theoretician and HPC expert Associate Professor Giuseppe Barca, a research team has achieved the first quantum simulation of biological systems at a scale necessary to accurately model drug performance. Utilising the unprecedented “exascale” power of the Frontier supercomputer at the Oak Ridge…
Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) have together succeeded in identifying and synthesising a group of molecules that can act against the cause of tuberculosis in a new way. In the scientific journal Cell Chemical Biology, they describe that the so-called callyaerins act against the infectious disease by employing a fundamentally different mechanism compared to antibiotic agents used to date. Pharmacy: Publication in Cell Chemical Biology. The infectious disease tuberculosis is caused by…
A research team from HIRI and THWS develops a tool for visualizing single-cell data. Modern cutting-edge research generates enormous amounts of data, presenting scientists with the challenge of visualizing and analyzing it. Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg and the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) have developed a tool for visualizing large data sets. The sCIRCLE tool allows users to explore single-cell analysis data in an interactive and user-friendly way. Their results…
… made possible with a novel way to assess wire bonding materials. To understand the quality of a wire bond with a semiconductor chip, they are subjected to shear tests at the contact point where the wire meets the chip: A chisel shears off these so-called wedges, and the necessary force and resulting damage is analyzed. To learn more about what happens during shearing, researchers from the Technical University of Berlin and Fraunhofer IZM came up with an innovative simulation…
How Sapphires Formed in Volcanoes. Researchers at Heidelberg University are studying the formation of this characteristically blue-colored crystal in volcanic melts. Sapphires are among the most precious gems, yet they consist solely of chemically “contaminated” aluminum oxide, or corundum. Worldwide, these characteristically blue-colored crystals are mainly found in association with silicon-poor volcanic rocks. This connection is widely assumed to result from sapphires originating in deep crustal rocks and accidentally ending up on the Earth’s surface as magma ascended. Through geochemical…
Leipzig scientists analyse 21,000 cells from tissue samples. The liver has a remarkable ability to regenerate. This property is crucial for maintaining organ function and recovery after injury or surgery. Scientists from the University of Leipzig Medical Center, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, TU Dresden and ETH Zurich have used clinical samples to investigate how cell types in the liver change before and after regeneration. They have created a cell atlas from the recent study data published in…
AP180 is a protein involved in endocytosis and thus in signal transmission between nerve cells. This protein, which largely lacks a three-dimensional structure, has never been fully studied. Using solution NMR spectroscopy, scientists from the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) were now able to examine each of its 600 unstructured amino acids individually and discovered a new interaction network. The work has model character. The paper was recently published in “Nature Communications.” To allow substances such as neurotransmitters, nutrients, and…
A focus on harm reduction has led to a world-first steroid-testing service being offered in Brisbane. Launched by Griffith University’s Dr Tim Piatkowski in partnership with the Queensland Injectors Health Network (QuIHN), Queensland Injectors Voice for Advocacy and Action (QuIVAA) and The Loop Australia, the confidential service aims to empower people to make more informed decisions. Users of performance and image enhancing drugs (IPEDs) are encouraged to drop off used vials at collections points, with samples then tested for purity…
CHARM3D paves the way for the efficient printing of free-standing 3D structures that offer high electrical conductivity, self-healing capabilities and recyclability — a boon for electronics in healthcare, communications and security. Unlike traditional printed circuit boards, which are flat, 3D circuitry enables components to be stacked and integrated vertically — dramatically reducing the footprint required for devices. Advancing the frontiers of 3D printed circuits, a team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed a state-of-the-art technique…
Why this field is captivating academics and big pharma. The World Mitochondria Society (WMS) and the International Society of Microbiota (ISM) are proud to announce the First World Conference on Targeting Extracellular Vesicles (EVs), scheduled for October 17-18, 2024, at the Corinthia Palace, Malta. This event will explore the latest advancements in extracellular vesicle research and their transformative applications in health and therapeutics, with a special focus on the interactions between EVs, mitochondria, and microbiota. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small,…
Devices could run on ocean bacteria and revolutionize aquatic robotics. Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York have developed a self-powered “bug” that can skim across the water, and they hope it will revolutionize aquatic robotics. Futurists predict that more than one trillion autonomous nodes will be integrated into all human activities by 2035 as part of the “internet of things.” Soon, pretty much any object — big or small — will feed information to a central database…
Inspired by the paper-folding art of origami, North Carolina State University engineers have discovered a way to make a single plastic cubed structure transform into more than 1,000 configurations using only three active motors. The findings could pave the way for shape-shifting artificial systems that can take on multiple functions and even carry a load – like versatile robotic structures used in space, for example. “The question we’re asking is how to achieve a number of versatile shapes with the…
July 22, 2024, was the hottest day on record, according to a NASA analysis of global daily temperature data. July 21 and 23 of this year also exceeded the previous daily record, set in July 2023. These record-breaking temperatures are part of a long-term warming trend driven by human activities, primarily the emission of greenhouse gases. As part of its mission to expand our understanding of Earth, NASA collects critical long-term observations of our changing planet. “In a year that…
This groundbreaking research demonstrates a potential for quantum networks based on cold-atom integrated nanophotonic circuits. Researchers at Purdue University have trapped alkali atoms (cesium) on an integrated photonic circuit, which behaves like a transistor for photons (the smallest energy unit of light) similar to electronic transistors. These trapped atoms demonstrate the potential to build a quantum network based on cold-atom integrated nanophotonic circuits. The team, led by Chen-Lung Hung, associate professor of physics and astronomy at the Purdue University College…
European XFEL creates exotic matter. Experiments at European XFEL generate states of matter close to what occurs in the interior of planets or in the imploding capsule of an inertial fusion reactor. At the same time, they open up a way to measure ultra-short phenomena. Sketch of the experimental setup and results. (c) European XFEL; Laurent Mercadier Exploring the extreme conditions reached in the interior of planets, including Earth, or during a fusion reaction, is a major challenge. By focusing…
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