Central learning and memory hubs change in response to sex hormones. A new study in Nature Mental Health by Rachel Zsido and Julia Sacher of MPI CBS and the University of Leipzig Medical Center links rhythmic oscillations in ovarian hormone levels in women during the menstrual cycle to changes in brain structure. Ovarian hormones have significant effects on the brain, and early menopause may be associated with an increased risk of accelerated brain aging and dementia later in life. However,…
From now on, four new locations will enrich the activities of the Netzwerk Teilchenwelt. Forschungszentrum Jülich, the Helmholtz Institute Jena, Bielefeld University and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) join the thirty research institutions that bring their research on the fascinating world of particle physics to the public under the leadership of TU Dresden. Connecting research institutes, schools and places of learning to foster young talent in STEM fields and communicating about particle physics in an exciting and understandable way – this…
Researchers led by Prof. GAO Xiang from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof. LU Lu from the Harbin Institute of Technology have proposed a novel method to transform wastewater contaminants into valuable chemicals using sunlight, thus paving the way for sustainable and eco-friendly chemical manufacturing. The study was published in Nature Sustainability on Oct. 16. Conventional chemical manufacturing relies on energy-intensive processes. Semiconductor biohybrids, integrating efficient light-harvesting materials with superior living cells,…
Bats have acquired remarkable traits throughout their evolution. They’re the only mammals that can fly, and they live much longer than other animals their size. But perhaps most impressive is their robust immune system. It protects bats from viruses that wreak havoc in humans, like COVID-19 or Ebola. It also keeps bats relatively cancer-free. How? According to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) scientists, it’s all in the genes. Using samples collected in Belize with Nancy Simmons from the American Museum of…
Thymus, a small and relatively unknown organ, may play a bigger role in the immune system of adults than was previously believed. With age, the glandular tissue in the thymus is replaced by fat, but, according to a new study from Linköping University (LiU) in Sweden, the rate at which this happens is linked to sex, age and lifestyle factors. These findings also indicate that the appearance of the thymus reflects the ageing of the immune system. “We doctors can…
With recent improvements in instrumentation and confinement techniques, the detection of molecules using electrochemical techniques has become easier than ever before; however, there are still many conditions which restrict the electrochemical detection of single molecules and ultra-fast processes at the molecular level. All of this is due to the presence of a limit of detection, which is set by the minimum number of electrons that can be observed passing through an electrochemical system during a measurement. This is a serious…
Viruses are a threat to all organisms, including plants. A small group of plant stem cells, however, successfully defends itself from infection. Marco Incarbone, now at MPIMP Golm, Gabriele Bradamante and their co-authors at the Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology (GMI) uncovered that salicylic acid and RNA interference mediate this antiviral immunity of plant stem cells. The findings were published in PNAS on October 12. Plant viruses threaten the health of their hosts, can spread swiftly and globally,…
Tailored electron pulses for improved electron microscopy. Electron microscopes provide unique vistas of nanoscale structures, but their resolution is limited by the mutual repulsion of electrons. Researchers in Göttingen have now succeeded in precisely measuring the influence of these interactions. They discovered an “energetic fingerprint” in which the distribution of the electrons’ velocities is characteristic of their respective numbers. This finding has enabled the team to develop a method that could increase the performance of established electron microscopes and open…
Fraunhofer LBF presents innovations for the technical supply industry. Lightweight design makes products competitive and sustainable. Safety and reliable function must be guaranteed in the process. Promising new approaches for sustainable and efficient manufacturing processes with natural fiber-reinforced materials and the lightweight construction potential through vibroacoustic metamaterials are shown by the exhibits from the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF at the “Highly advanced materials for a circular world”, November, 14, 2023 in Jönköping/Sweden, ELMIA Subcontractor, Area:…
How are synapses formed, those points of contact that allow the transmission of information from one neuron to the other? Working with an international team, researchers from the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) have now uncovered a crucial mechanism and elucidated the identity of the axonal transport vesicles that generates synapses. The findings provide an important basis for promoting the regeneration of nerve cells and counteracting the aging process in the future. The results have just been published in the…
Lithium batteries power our phones, computers, many of our cars and so much more — even the drill and weedwhacker. But as technology advances, can they keep up in their current format? No, but there is a way forward, according to a new review paper from researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, by further developing the electrolytes that allow for energy storage and discharge. The team published their work in Energy Materials and Devices on September 18, 2023. “Lithium batteries…
Polyoxometalates (POMs) containing charged lithium ions combined with ionic liquids, increase the ion conductivity of a solid-state electrolyte membrane. Solid-state lithium-ion batteries depend on the movement of ions (charged atoms) in the solid, rather than liquid, state to either charge or discharge the battery. These solid-state electrolytes are safer, more cost efficient and capable of higher energy densities than batteries that rely on liquid electrolyte solutions, but suffer from low ionic conductivity, or movement of ions, and poor thermal stability….
… boost photo-induced superconductivity in K₃C₆₀. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD) in Hamburg, Germany, have long been exploring the effect of using tailored laser drives to manipulate the properties of quantum materials away from equilibrium. One of the most striking demonstrations of these physics has been in unconventional superconductors, where signatures of enhanced electronic coherences and super-transport have been documented in the resulting non-equilibrium states. However, these phenomena have not yet…
With a quick pulse of light, researchers can now find and erase errors in real time. Researchers have developed a method that can reveal the location of errors in quantum computers, making them up to ten times easier to correct. This will significantly accelerate progress towards large-scale quantum computers capable of tackling the world’s most challenging computational problems, the researchers said. Led by Princeton University’s Jeff Thompson, the team demonstrated a way to identify when errors occur in quantum computers…
In addition to helping combat antimicrobial resistance, the bioparticle developed at the Federal University of São Paulo avoids the waste and pollution created by excessive amounts of drugs in water bodies. A novel biomaterial developed at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Brazil can help solve two problems at once. As a bioparticle, it can act as a drug carrier, delivering medication directly to the gastrointestinal tract of fish in order to circumvent resistance to conventional antibiotics, for…
Google Street View cars equipped with instrumentation sampled air quality at a scale fine enough to capture variations within neighborhoods in the Salt Lake Valley. A new atmospheric modeling method identified pollution emission sources. In 2019, University of Utah atmospheric scientists, the Environmental Defense Fund and other partners added a new tool to their quiver of air quality monitors—two Google Street View cars, Salt Lake Valley’s roving sentinels that would detect hyper-local air pollution hotspots. In the ensuing months John…
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