Thornless, disease-resistant, and tastier blackberries could be on the horizon — thanks to new genetic research from the University of Florida. New UF blackberry varieties could provide a boon for farmers looking to rebound after the decline of Florida citrus and who see an opportunity to meet the growing demand for blackberries, which have soared in popularity in recent years. “Overall, this study not only advances our understanding of blackberry genetics, but it sets the stage for significant improvements in…
Study shows how a dopamine circuit between two brain regions enables mice to extinguish fear after a peril has passed Dangers come but dangers also go and when they do, the brain has an “all-clear” signal that teaches it to extinguish its fear. A new study in mice by MIT neuroscientists shows that the signal is the release of dopamine along a specific interregional brain circuit. The research therefore pinpoints a potentially critical mechanism of mental health, restoring calm when…
New Curtin University research has revealed that a massive meteorite struck northwestern Scotland about 200 million years later than previously thought, in a discovery that not only rewrites Scotland’s geological history but alters our understanding of the evolution of non-marine life on Earth. Previously believed to have occurred 1.2 billion years ago, the impact created the Stac Fada Member, a layer of rock that holds vital clues to Earth’s ancient past, including how meteorite strikes may have influenced the planet’s…
Persistently high blood sugar and insulin resistance significantly increased the risk of worsening functional and structural heart damage during growth from adolescence to young adulthood, a new study shows. The study was conducted in collaboration between the Baylor College of Medicine in the US, the University of Bern in Switzerland, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia, the Universities of Bristol and Exeter in the UK, and the University of Eastern Finland. The results were published in the highly esteemed Diabetes…
Criegee intermediates (CIs)—highly reactive species formed when ozone reacts with alkenes in the atmosphere—play a crucial role in generating hydroxyl radicals (the atmosphere’s “cleansing agents”) and aerosols that impact climate and air quality. The syn-CH3CHOO is particularly important among these intermediates, accounting for 25-79% of all CIs depending on the season. Until now, scientists have believed that syn-CH3CHOO primarily disappeared through self-decomposition. However, in a published in Nature Chemistry, a team led by Profs. YANG Xueming, ZHANG Donghui, DONG Wenrui and FU Bina from the Dalian Institute…
Wild and zoo-housed orangutans explore the world differently, study finds A new study comparing wild and zoo-housed Sumatran orangutans reveals that life in a zoo significantly alters how orangutans interact with their environment. Researchers analyzed over 12,000 instances of daily exploratory object manipulation (EOM)—the active manipulation and visual inspection of objects associated with learning and problem-solving—across 51 orangutans aged 0.5 to 76 years. The findings show that orangutans living in zoos engage in more frequent, more diverse, and more complex…
It is now possible to obtain three-dimensional, high-resolution images of enzyme activity in tissue samples or whole organs—thanks to probe molecules that anchor fluorescent dyes within tissue as they are activated by enzymes. The organ being mapped is made transparent by a clearing process. As a Japanese team reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie, this allowed for visualization of differences in aminopeptidase N activity and the effects of inhibitors in mouse kidneys. Enzymes play a crucial role in regulating physiological…
SwRI-led NASA spacecraft’s scans offer surprising view of galactic surroundings The NASA New Horizons spacecraft’s extensive observations of Lyman-alpha emissions have resulted in the first-ever map from the galaxy at this important ultraviolet wavelength, providing a new look at the galactic region surrounding our solar system. The findings are described in a new study authored by the SwRI-led New Horizons team. “Understanding the Lyman-alpha background helps shed light on nearby galactic structures and processes,” said SwRI’s Dr. Randy Gladstone, the…
Jairo Sinova of Mainz University to coordinate a new Priority Program for fundamental and applied research into information technology based on altermagnetism Professor Jairo Sinova of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) will be coordinating a new Priority Program in the field of condensed matter physics that will be dealing with unconventional magnetism. The Priority Program will involve fundamental and applied research in the field of unconventional magnetic systems to develop IT components or devices that will reach the technical limits…
Survival benefit prevails in low-, intermediate-, and high-risk subgroups Differentiated thyroid cancer patients who receive radioiodine (RAI) treatment after surgery have increased relative survival rates compared to those who do not receive the treatment. According to new research published in the April issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, the clear trend for a higher long-term survival rate is observed in subgroups of patients with low- and intermediate-risk disease, while there is special benefit in high-risk disease. These findings confirm the benefit…
The study’s findings could potentially help develop targeted therapeutics for mood disorders like major depressive disorder Our lives are filled with binary decisions – choices between one of two alternatives. But what’s really happening inside our brains when we engage in this kind of decision making? A University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine-led study published in Nature Neuroscience sheds new light on these big questions, illuminating a general principle of neural processing in a mysterious region of the midbrain that is the very origin…
Clocks on Earth are ticking a bit more regularly thanks to NIST-F4, a new atomic clock at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campus in Boulder, Colorado. This month, NIST researchers published a journal article establishing NIST-F4 as one of the world’s most accurate timekeepers. NIST has also submitted the clock for acceptance as a primary frequency standard by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), the body that oversees the world’s time. NIST-F4 measures an unchanging…
Iron-based magnetic nanomaterials have emerged as candidates in biomedicine due to their unique physicochemical properties. Beyond their established role as clinical MRI contrast agents, they have shown potential in drug delivery, magnetic hyperthermia, and the treatment of iron deficiency. Macrophages are also primary targets for these nanomaterials in vivo. The biological effects of iron-based nanomaterials are closely linked to the plasticity and phenotypic shifts of macrophages. However, the underlying mechanisms by which these materials influence macrophage-mediated immune regulation remain unclear….
A novel combination of hydroxyl-enriched fullerenol and mTOR inhibitors reveals regulatory mechanisms of organelle communication networks in preclinical models, establishing a synergistic “nanomaterial + metabolic modulation” anticancer strategy. Breakthrough Cancer Strategy Hijacks Tumor Cells’ Survival Network Researchers have developed a nanoparticle-based therapy that disrupts cancer cells’ organelle communication system – the hidden network allowing tumors to resist conventional treatments. By combining multi-hydroxyl fullerene (MF) nanoparticles with mTOR inhibitors, this approach triggers the domino-like collapse of lysosomes (“cellular recycling centers”), mitochondria…
Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center-led phase 3 clinical trial shows that pembrolizumab before and after standard-of-care surgery significantly extends event-free survival, representing the first advance for these patients in over 20 years Immunotherapy before and after surgery improves outcomes in head and neck cancer Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center-led phase 3 clinical trial shows that pembrolizumab before and after standard-of-care surgery significantly extends event-free survival, representing the first advance for these patients in over 20 years Patients with locally advanced head…
New research shows that the specialized sensors can detect particles more precisely To learn more about the nature of matter, energy, space, and time, physicists smash high-energy particles together in large accelerator machines, creating sprays of millions of particles per second of a variety of masses and speeds. The collisions may also produce entirely new particles not predicted by the standard model, the prevailing theory of fundamental particles and forces in our universe. Plans are underway to create more powerful…
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