AI-identified non-gene regulatory DNA associated with autism in humans. The vocalizations of humans, bats, whales, seals and songbirds vastly differ from each other. Humans and birds, for example, are separated by some 300 million years of evolution. But scientists studying how these animals learn to “speak” have time and again seen surprising similarities in the connections in brain regions that support this vocal learning. In a paper published in the journal Science, a multi-institutional team led by scientists at Carnegie…
From now on, a network of 50 partner institutes will provide access to polar research infrastructures. Over the next five years, the European Union will provide 14.6 million euros in funding for the new POLARIN project (Polar Research Infrastructure Network). Slated to officially launch on 1st March 2024, the project will promote interdisciplinary research that addresses the scientific challenges in both polar regions. Use of a CTD with Kranzwassererschöpfer on board the research vessel Polarstern. Photo: Alfred-Wegener-Institut / Susann Henkel…
Resistant starch supports weight loss. A diet based on resistant starch promotes a favorable composition of the gut microbiome in obese people. This leads to weight reduction and measurable positive health outcomes such as improved insulin sensitivity. These were the findings of an international research team led by Professor Weiping Jia from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Professor Aimin Xu from the University of Hong Kong and Professor Gianni Panagiotou from Friedrich Schiller University Jena. The study has been published in…
Data from Gemini North provide possible explanation for supermassive binary black hole’s halted merger. Nearly every massive galaxy hosts a supermassive black hole at its center. When two galaxies merge, their black holes can form a binary pair, meaning they are in a bound orbit with one another. It’s hypothesized that these binaries are fated to eventually merge, but this has never been observed [1]. The question of whether such an event is possible has been a topic of discussion amongst astronomers for…
Individually tailored RNA or DNA-based molecules are able to reliably fight off viral infections in plants, according to a new study by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), which was published in the “International Journal of Molecular Sciences”. The researchers were able to fend off a common virus using the new active substances in up to 90 per cent of cases. They also developed a method for finding substances tailored specifically to the virus. The team has now patented the…
LZH develops process for laser drilling CFRP. Scientists of Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) have developed an automated process for laser drilling that facilitates the machining of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP). This is particularly interesting for lightweight construction and sound insulation. Holes can be drilled quickly and automatically in CFRP and sandwich materials using laser technology. Photo: LZH Composite materials such as carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) are excellent for lightweight construction and are used, among other things, in automotive and…
Development of a new pH sensing layer successfully integrated into an ISFET. Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS announces a significant advance in chemical and biochemical analysis. The team led by Dr. Olaf R. Hild, Head of the Chemical Sensor Technology Business Unit, has successfully developed a pioneering sensing layer for chip-based pH measurement has and successfully integrated it into an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET). Simplified illustration of an ISFET with an Ag / AgCl reference electrode. © Fraunhofer IPMS…
Inspired by the remarkable adaptability observed in biological organisms like the octopus, a breakthrough has been achieved soft machines. A research team, led by Professor Jiyun Kim in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UNIST has successfully developed an encodable multifunctional material that can dynamically tune its shape and mechanical properties in real-time. This groundbreaking metamaterial surpasses the limitations of existing materials, opening up new possibilities for applications in robotics and other fields requiring adaptability. Current soft machines…
A research team led by Professor Wang Cheng from the Department of Electrical Engineering (EE) at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) has developed a world-leading microwave photonic chip that is capable of performing ultrafast analog electronic signal processing and computation using optics. The chip, which is 1,000 times faster and consumes less energy than a traditional electronic processor, has a wide range of applications, covering 5/6G wireless communication systems, high-resolution radar systems, artificial intelligence, computer vision, and image/video processing. The…
…helps reveal the physics of ice sheet collapse. There’s enough water frozen in Greenland and Antarctic glaciers that if they melted, global seas would rise by many feet. What will happen to these glaciers over the coming decades is the biggest unknown in the future of rising seas, partly because glacier fracture physics is not yet fully understood. A critical question is how warmer oceans might cause glaciers to break apart more quickly. University of Washington researchers have demonstrated the…
An increasing number of seismologists are using fiber optic cables to detect seismic waves on Earth—but how would this technology fare on the Moon, and what would it tell us about the deep layers of our nearest neighbor in space? In Seismological Research Letters, Wenbo Wu of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and colleagues explore the idea of deploying a fiber seismic network on the Moon, discussing some of the challenges to overcome. They also test this hypothetical network using artificial…
The shadow of the avatar evokes embodiment and induces the experience of walking while seated, in combination with foot vibrations. Researchers at the Toyohashi University of Technology and the University of Tokyo developed a system that provides a virtual walking experience to a seated person by real-time synthesis of a walking avatar and its shadow on a 360-degree video with vibrations to the feet. The shadow of the avatar induces an illusory presence of their body. In the future, it…
The aorta, also known as the main artery, is now recognised as an independent human organ. This has now been established in the guidelines for aortic surgical treatments of the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery (EACTS) and the US Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). The guidelines were published simultaneously on 26 February 2024. They were developed by international experts under the leadership of Prof Dr Martin Czerny from the Medical Center – University of Freiburg. The new classification of the…
RNA as a common language, presented in extracellular speech-bubbles. Decoding the conversations between microbes of hypersaline environments reveals deep insights into the origins of complex life. Single-celled organisms, such as bacteria and archaea, have developed many ways to communicate with each other. For example, they might use tiny so-called extracellular vesicles (EVs) – membrane-enveloped packages smaller than 200nm in diameter (0.0002mm). The organisms produce them by budding from their membrane into the surrounding space. These EVs can contain a variety…
MHH haematologist Dr Florian Perner has been awarded 2.2 million euros from the Emmy Noether Programme of the German Research Foundation (DFG) for his research into epigenetic changes in blood stem cells and their role in the development of blood cancer. Leukocytes – colloquially known as white blood cells – protect us from pathogens and tumour cells. While their proliferation and renewal is normally strictly regulated, this process gets out of control in some people: the immature precursors of the…
HCMV reprograms cellular defence mechanisms. The human cytomegalovirus, HCMV for short, lies dormant unnoticed in the body of most people for their entire lives. In immunocompromised individuals, however, the virus can cause life-threatening infections. It infects dendritic cells, a specific type of cell in the immune system. Although the majority of them are infected, only a few of them immediately execute the virus’s genetic programme. Researchers at TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, have now been able to…
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