New fundamental research provides a better understanding of the origin of eosinophils and eosinophilia, and the effects of treatments targeting them. Eosinophils are specialized cells of our immune system. They are identified by their distinctive granules that stain red when treated with an acidic reagent, eosin, which gave them their name. Eosinophils are typically rare in our blood and tissues, accounting for about 3% of our white blood cells. Their biological roles are poorly understood, but recent studies suggest that…
… enables continuous, non-invasive monitoring of cerebral blood flow. Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a wearable ultrasound patch that can offer continuous, non-invasive monitoring of blood flow in the brain. The soft and stretchy patch can be comfortably worn on the temple to provide three-dimensional data on cerebral blood flow—a first in wearable technology. A team of researchers led by Sheng Xu, a professor in the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano…
UArizona Health Sciences professor uses CT network to promote public access to open science. Researchers are meeting where the science of computed tomography intersects with policies and practices to ensure that publicly funded data collection can be made widely available and understandable by diverse communities. Reading about the latest scientific discovery – such as the unearthing of a fossil representing a new species of tiny dinosaur – can be fascinating. But what if it were possible to do more than…
A study from the University of Adelaide has discovered molecular pathways regulated by a gene traditionally used to control wheat-flowering behaviour could be altered to achieve greater yields. The gene is called Photoperiod-1 (Ppd-1) and it is used regularly by breeders to ensure wheat crops flower and set grain earlier in the season, avoiding the harsh conditions of summer. However, there are known drawbacks. “While this variation benefits wheat productivity by aligning pollination and grain development with more favourable environmental…
New Group Leader at LIKAT for the Application of Electrochemical Reactions. The Leibniz Institute for Catalysis in Rostock, LIKAT, has established a new research group for “Continuous Electrochemical Processes” with a focus on industrial applications. It is headed by Dr. Wen Ju, who has been conducting research at LIKAT since the beginning of the year. One focus is on the conversion of CO2 from air and industrial waste gases into basic chemical substances such as carbon monoxide (CO) and ethylene….
– the molecular biomechanics of collagen. HITS researcher Frauke Gräter receives an HFSP Research Grant Award for a project on a novel form of mechanosensing. Together with colleagues from Israel and USA, she investigates the effects of physical force on the collagen protein in two different animal model systems. Their goal is to measure the effects of mechanoradicals on the integrity of the tissue and the well-being of the organism, with impact on health and aging. As we move around…
Study headed by the University of Bonn analyses 9,000 varieties of maize around the world. Maize can grow successfully in very different local conditions. An international study headed by the University of Bonn has now demonstrated the important role of the plant root system. The researchers analyzed more than 9,000 varieties in the study and were able to show that their roots varied considerably – depending on how dry the location is where each variety was cultivated. They were also…
– volcanism as a driver of the climate in the “Carnic crisis”. New research on the so-called ‘Carnian Crisis’ by a team led by Alexander Lukeneder, palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum Vienna, reveals astonishing developments surrounding global climate change during the Triassic period. Extensive geochemical and geophysical data decipher one of the greatest environmental catastrophes in Earth’s history, the ‘Carnian Crisis’. Climate change 233 million years ago led to a global mass extinction in the seas of the Mesozoic…
Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a method to produce very low emission concrete at scale – an innovation that could be transformative in the transition to net zero. The method, which the researchers say is “an absolute miracle”, uses the electrically-powered arc furnaces used for steel recycling to simultaneously recycle cement, the carbon-hungry component of concrete. Concrete is the second-most-used material on the planet, after water, and is responsible for approximately 7.5% of total anthropogenic CO₂ emissions….
A study now published in Nature Communications brings remarkable insights into the enigmatic behavior of supercritical fluids, a hybrid state of matter occupying a unique space between liquids and gases, and arising in domains that go from the pharmaceutical industry to planetary science. The obtained results are at the limit of current experimental possibilities and could only be obtained in a high flux neutron source such as the ILL. A liquid or gaseous substance pushed beyond its critical point (i.e.,…
The European research consortium EUROfusion has had more than 100 fusion facilities in its member states independently assessed. The facilities of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) were consistently categorised in the best category ‘Indispensable’. How important are the European nuclear fusion research facilities on the way to a fusion power plant? An independent panel of experts investigated this question on behalf of the European consortium EUROfusion. Between autumn 2023 and spring 2024, the panel evaluated more than…
Researchers have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to significantly advance the discovery and optimization of multicomponent metal oxide electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize the efficiency and affordability of renewable energy technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells and batteries, paving the way for a sustainable energy future. Details of the findings were published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A on April 23, 2024. The study analyzed 7,798 distinct metal oxide…
Sudden onset of drying is a rising problem, particularly acute in South America and southern Africa. But in high mountain regions of Central Asia, climate change has instead brought more moisture. Sudden, severe dry spells known as flash droughts are rising in intensity around the world, with a notable exception in mountainous Central Asia, where flash drought extent is shrinking, according to new research. Heat and changes to precipitation patterns caused by a warming climate are driving these trends, the…
… double-pulse LIBS technology. The seabed contains large quantities of valuable minerals and metals that are urgently needed for modern technologies such as electric cars and wind turbines. However, discovering these deposits has so far been complicated: Diving robots use grippers to take samples, which are then analysed on board of a research vessel. An innovative method is now opening up new possibilities for more environmentally friendly exploration of our oceans. With laser-induced plasma spectroscopy (LIBS) using double-pulse lasers, the…
– making new bio-based material solutions tangible on a pilot scale. The INN PRESSME joint project, funded by the European Union with around 14 million euros, was launched three years ago. The aim of the 27 project partners from nine European countries is to establish a Europe-wide ecosystem for the development and production of plant-based, recyclable, and/or biodegradable packaging, energy, and transportation solutions, as well as consumer goods. The planned nine test cases with prototypes have currently been completed, and…
Improving the outcome of patients after a heart attack is one of the major challenges of cardiology. This includes a comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiology and early detection of those patients who have a high risk of an unfavorable outcome. Researchers at LMU University Hospital, Helmholtz Munich and other institutions have now used high-tech biomedical and bioinformatics methods to comprehensively map the immune response to myocardial infarction in humans and identify signatures that correlate with the clinical course of the…
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