Study highlights economic and environmental efficiency of Indigenous harvesting in the Canadian Arctic communities. Local foods are critical to the food security and health of Indigenous peoples around the world, but local “informal” economies are often invisible in official economic statistics. Consequently, these economies may be overlooked in the policies designed to combat climate change. For instance, Indigenous communities in the North American Arctic are characterized by mixed economies featuring hunting, fishing, gathering and trapping activities, alongside the formal wage…
HIPS researchers develop innovative model for drug testing against hair follicle infections. Hair follicle infections are often difficult to treat because bacteria settle in the gap between hair and skin, where it is difficult for active substances to reach them. In order to investigate this scenario more closely in the laboratory, researchers from the Department of Drug Delivery Across Biological Barriers at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) have now developed a model with human hair follicles embedded…
A new generation of specialty optical fibers has been developed by physicists at the University of Bath in the UK to cope with the challenges of data transfer expected to arise in the future age of quantum computing. A new generation of specialty optical fibres has been developed by physicists at the University of Bath in the UK to cope with the challenges of data transfer expected to arise in the future age of quantum computing. Quantum technologies promise to…
Regenerative effects of the molecules might be universal across tissue types. In November 2021, Northwestern University researchers introduced an injectable new therapy, which harnessed fast-moving “dancing molecules,” to repair tissues and reverse paralysis after severe spinal cord injuries. Cartilage cells generate more protein components (collagen II and aggrecan) for regeneration when treated with fast-moving dancing molecules (left) compared to slower moving molecules. Credit: Stupp Research Group/Northwestern University Now, the same research group has applied the therapeutic strategy to damaged human cartilage…
All-optical multiplane QPI design eliminates the need for digital phase recovery algorithms. Light waves, as they propagate through a medium, experience a temporal delay. This delay can unveil crucial information about the underlying structural and compositional characteristics. Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) is a cutting-edge optical technique that reveals variations in optical path length as light moves through biological samples, materials, and other transparent structures. Unlike traditional imaging methods that rely on staining or labeling, QPI allows researchers to visualize and…
Scientists demonstrated that a materials characterization technique can be successful at a new type of facility, and they used it to discover a hidden materials phase. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have created the first-ever atomic movies showing how atoms rearrange locally within a quantum material as it transitions from an insulator to a metal. With the help of these movies, the researchers discovered a new material phase that settles a yearslong scientific debate…
Strategically planting perennial grass throughout corn and soybean fields helps address the unintended environmental consequences of growing the dominant row crops, including soil erosion, fertilizer runoff and greenhouse gas emissions. But converting portions of farmland back to prairie has to make financial sense for farmers, which is why a research team led by Iowa State University landscape ecologist Lisa Schulte Moore has spent the past six years studying how to efficiently turn harvested grass into lucrative renewable natural gas. “We’re…
A decarbonised steel industry that includes carbon dioxide removal techniques in its net zero arsenal could use lower-grade iron ore, according to a new study. Steel accounts for 5-8% of carbon dioxide emissions globally. Its total emissions have risen over the past decade, largely due to increased demand. The International Energy Agency has stated that, without innovation, the scope to limit emissions is ‘limited’. Therefore, the commercialisation of new zero-emission production processes is critical. Innovative processes are the focus of…
Hereon sensors facilitate minimally invasive surgery for atrial fibrillation in heart patients. Atrial fibrillation can cause dangerous blood clots to form in the heart. Many patients therefore have the part of the heart where the clots form closed off with a plug. However, these so-called occluders do not always seal perfectly, which can lead to complications. The Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon at its Teltow site is developing an occluder with sensors that can be placed precisely in the heart. The GoBio Initial…
Herbicide use in agriculture and urban areas may not be the dominant source of glyphosate in European waters, says University of Tübingen study – Far-reaching implications for indus-try and politics. Analysis of sewage sludge for the formation of glyphosate in Professor Carolin Huhn’s laboratory at the University of Tübingen. Foto: Friedhelm Albrecht / University of Tübingen A research team at the University of Tübingen has found that most glyphosate that ends up in Euro-pean rivers likely does not come from…
Mechanical Engineering professor publishes findings in Current Biology. Why do flies buzz around in circles when the air is still? And why does it matter? In a paper published online July 26, 2024 by the scientific journal Current Biology, University of Nevada, Reno Assistant Professor Floris van Breugel and Postdoctoral Researcher S. David Stupski respond to this up-until-now unanswered question. And that answer could hold a key to public safety — specifically, how to better train robotic systems to track…
How molecular interactions make it possible to overcome the energy barrier. Non-reciprocal interactions allow the design of more efficient molecular systems. In their new paper, scientists from the department “Living Matter Physics” at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) propose a mechanism on how energy barriers in complex systems can be overcome. These findings can help to engineer molecular machines and to understand the self-organization of active matter. In both physics and biology, systems aim to achieve…
Zirconium combined with silicon nitride enhances the conversion of propane — present in natural gas — needed to create in-demand plastic, polypropylene. Polypropylene is a common type of plastic found in many essential products used today, such as food containers and medical devices. Because polypropylene is so popular, demand is surging for a chemical used to make it. That chemical, propylene, can be produced from propane. Propane is a natural gas commonly used in barbeque grills. Scientists from the U.S….
Improving the resilience of energy systems in the Global South. What criteria should we use to better plan for resilient energy systems? How do socio-economic, technical and climate change related challenges affect sustainable energy systems planning worldwide? What does the situation look like in a region outside the European industrialized perspective? With these questions in mind, four years ago, the research project Energy Modeling for the Real World Transforming Modeling Approaches for Sustainable and Resilient Energy Planning (MEASURES) embarked on…
Artificial blood vessels could improve heart bypass outcomes. 3D-printed blood vessels, which closely mimic the properties of human veins, could transform the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Strong, flexible, gel-like tubes – created using a novel 3D printing technology – could improve outcomes for heart bypass patients by replacing the human and synthetic veins currently used in surgery to re-route blood flow, experts say. The development of synthetic vessels could help limit scarring, pain and infection risk associated with the removal…
In October 2022, astronomers were stunned by what was quickly dubbed the BOAT — the brightest-of-all-time gamma-ray burst (GRB). Now an international science team reports that data from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope reveals a feature never seen before. “A few minutes after the BOAT erupted, Fermi’s Gamma-ray Burst Monitor recorded an unusual energy peak that caught our attention,” said lead researcher Maria Edvige Ravasio at Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands, and affiliated with Brera Observatory, part of INAF (the…
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