… for faster charging electric vehicles. A new study led by Dr. Xuekun Lu from Queen Mary University of London in collaboration with an international team of researchers from the UK and USA has found a way to prevent lithium plating in electric vehicle batteries, which could lead to faster charging times. The paper was published in the journal Nature Communications. Lithium plating is a phenomenon that can occur in lithium-ion batteries during fast charging. It occurs when lithium ions…
Jena research team develops AI tool that translates chemical structures into machine-readable codes. Researchers from the University of Jena, the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences and the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague have developed a platform that uses artificial neural networks to translate chemical structural formulae into machine-readable form. With this platform, they have created a tool with which this information from scientific publications can be automatically fed into databases. Until now, this had to be done literally by…
In MS patients, misdirected immune cells damage the sheaths of the nerve cells in the brain. Researchers at the MHH have discovered a mechanism by which these can be repaired with the help of a sugar compound produced naturally in the body. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS). In Germany, more than 280,000 people are affected. In most cases, MS progresses in relapses, which occur completely irregularly as excessive inflammatory reactions in…
With this new approach, a tailsitter aircraft, ideal for search-and-rescue missions, can plan and execute complex, high-speed acrobatic maneuvers. A tailsitter is a fixed-wing aircraft that takes off and lands vertically (it sits on its tail on the landing pad), and then tilts horizontally for forward flight. Faster and more efficient than quadcopter drones, these versatile aircraft can fly over a large area like an airplane but also hover like a helicopter, making them well-suited for tasks like search-and-rescue or…
Cooperation between the University of Bonn, the USA and the Netherlands cracks the mode of action of clovibactin. More and more bacterial pathogens are developing resistance. There is an increasing risk that common drugs will no longer be effective against infectious diseases. Researchers from the University of Bonn, the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Utrecht University (Netherlands), Northeastern University in Boston (USA) and the company NovoBiotic Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge (USA) now have discovered and deciphered the mode of action…
Highly challenging to sequence and long overlooked, the human Y chromosome’s contributions to health and disease remain largely unknown. A new paper that presents, for the first time, the complete sequences of multiple human Y chromosomes from lineages from around the globe provides an essential step forward in understanding the roles of the Y chromosome in human evolution and biology. Even as the field of human genomics forged ahead at an astonishing pace, the Y chromosome— one of the sex…
Produced with techniques borrowed from Japanese paper-cutting, the strong metal lattices are lighter than cork and have customizable mechanical properties. Cellular solids are materials composed of many cells that have been packed together, such as a honeycomb. The shape of those cells largely determines the material’s mechanical properties, including its stiffness or strength. Bones, for instance, are filled with a natural material that enables them to be lightweight, but stiff and strong. Inspired by bones and other cellular solids found in nature, humans have used the same…
Soft materials are ubiquitous in our daily lives, from the food we eat to the products we use to the materials that make up our bodies. Some examples of soft materials include cream, toothpaste, and blood. Most soft materials are complex fluids, which means that they contain a macroscopically uniform mixture of two or more phases. The dynamic competition between the structures of phases in a soft material can have a significant impact on not only its properties, but also…
If coal and natural gas power generation were 2% more efficient, then, every year, there could be 460 million fewer tons of carbon dioxide released and 2 trillion fewer gallons of water used. A recent innovation to the steam cycle used in fossil fuel power generation could achieve this. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a coating for steam condensers used in fossil fuel steam-cycle generation that is made with fluorinated diamond-like carbon, or F-DLC. The researchers…
Pesticide pollution of streams in agricultural areas has adverse effects for stream organisms. A new study, led by researchers from the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), provides evidence that aquatic insect larvae respond to insecticide exposure with alterations of the genetic program. Crop protection products (Pesticides) are among the most widely applied chemicals and threaten freshwater ecosystems at a global scale. Unknown in particular are genetic responses of aquatic animals such as insects evoked by pesticide…
Our behavior is controlled through neural circuits in the brain. Molecular disturbances can lead to stereotypical behavior, as seen in neuropsychiatric disorders like obsessive-compulsive and autism spectrum disorders. A research team has now demonstrated that the absence of two proteins, Intersectin1 and Intersectin2, in mice leads to disrupted neural signaling and compulsive repetitive behavior, which is also observed in patients with Intersectin 1 mutations. This supports the idea that such defects can cause neuropsychiatric diseases. The study is published in…
Monitoring wildlife species present in specific areas is a critical first step to estimating the risk of transmission of infectious diseases to humans. In a new study, an international research team shows that the very cotton buds, which we all got to know so intimately during the COVID-19 pandemic, are a valuable tool to map biodiversity. This was the result of an international research team led by scientists at the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) in Greifswald, a site…
Natural tobacco mutants impaired in their defenses produce more offspring in years of low herbivore pressure and thus persist in plant populations. In a recent study in PNAS, a team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, shows that a single mutation that has immediate effects on plant fitness is maintained over the long term in natural plant populations.When fewer herbivores attack, plants with this mutation even grow faster and produce more offspring. In…
Research team from the University of Jena, Jena University Hospital and Harvard Medical School clarifies an important mechanism of the effect of cortisone preparations in the treatment of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. Whether you have a sports injury, repetitive strain injury or pain in the knee, cortisone preparations are often used to treat acute inflammations. Chronic inflammatory diseases such as asthma, diabetes and chronic inflammatory bowel diseases are also treated with drugs containing cortisone or derived drugs. This is…
Eco-driving technology can significantly improve the energy efficiency of both electric, internal combustion vehicles. A Southwest Research Institute project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has demonstrated an average of 15% energy savings when vehicles outfitted with connected and automated vehicle systems, or CAVs, are introduced into traffic. CAVs use wireless smart technology to communicate with other CAVs and traffic infrastructure. SwRI’s eco-driving framework uses custom software and predictive powertrain algorithms to enable human drivers to make more efficient…
Crackling noise of atoms shifting at nanoscale key to understanding novel materials for future electronics. A recent UNSW-led paper published in Nature Communications presents an exciting new way to listen to avalanches of atoms in crystals. The nanoscale movement of atoms when materials deform leads to sound emission. This so-called crackling noise is a scale-invariant phenomenon found in various material systems as a response to external stimuli such as force or external fields. Jerky material movements in the form of avalanches can…
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