Large study in children reveals Selenomonas sputigena as a key partner of Streptococcus in cavity formation. Collaborating researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and the Adams School of Dentistry and Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina have discovered that a bacterial species called Selenomonas sputigena can have a major role in causing tooth decay. Scientists have long considered another bacterial species, the plaque-forming, acid-making Streptococcus mutans, as the principal cause…
The ground beneath Antarctica’s most vulnerable glacier has been mapped for the first time, by a team that includes a Swansea expert, helping scientists to better understand how it is being affected by climate change. Analysis of the geology below the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica shows there is less sedimentary rock than expected – a finding that could affect how the ice slides into the ocean in the coming decades. The glacier, which is the size of Great Britain…
The skies aircraft fly through are bumpier today than four decades ago, scientists have found, after producing a new analysis showing that turbulence has increased as the climate changed. New research from the University of Reading shows that clear-air turbulence, which is invisible and hazardous to aircraft, has increased in various regions around the world. At a typical point over the North Atlantic – one of the world’s busiest flight routes – the total annual duration of severe turbulence increased by 55% from 17.7 hours in 1979 to 27.4 hours in 2020, the research found. Moderate turbulence increased by 37% from 70.0 to…
The movement between continental and oceanic plates at the bottom of the sea, so-called megathrust earthquakes, generates the strongest earth tremors and the most dangerous tsunamis. How and when they occur, however, has been poorly understood so far, since the ocean floor is difficult to access for measurements. Thanks to new technologies, an international research team, in which Prof. James Foster from the Institute of Geodesy at the University of Stuttgart was also involved, was able to take measurements to…
The quality of recyclate materials of plastics significantly affects their application. With the exception of slightly damaged production waste, recycled plastics cannot be used in their original form. Usually, they are sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed to form usable granules. However, the recycled material’s stability and processing ability for its intended application often require post-stabilization with suitable additives. Fraunhofer Institute of Structural Durabiity and System Reliability LBF has developed new formulations for enhance the quality of new recyclate films. At Plastics…
A new method for cleaning conveyor belts in food production can replace the widely used disinfection chemicals: plasma-treated water is effective against microbial contamination at a shorter exposure time and degrades without envrionmentally hazardous traces. These results were recently published in the journal Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies. Microbial contamination can occur along the entire food processing chain. In order to minimize health risks for consumers, all production processes must be carried out safely. It is therefore common practice…
New algorithms for object recognition and environment perception have been developed at Fraunhofer IPA, enabling sophisticated automation solutions for the service and production sectors. They are a result of the “Knowledge4Retail” research project, in which twelve project partners have developed solutions for future-oriented retail. Making stationary retail more attractive to customers again with the help of digital solutions – this was the goal of the partners working together on the Knowledge4Retail (K4R) project from January 2020 to December 2022. The…
EPFL researchers have published a first study on the mechanics of surgical knots, with results that could be used to train surgeons to tie stronger, safer sutures – a skill that usually requires years of practice to master. Think about the last time you tied your shoe: maybe you tied it tightly, or tied multiple knots to ensure the laces wouldn’t come undone. You likely relied on intuition to tell you how much tension to apply to keep the laces…
Quantum computing uses the principles of quantum mechanics to encode and elaborate data, meaning that it could one day solve computational problems that are intractable with current computers. While the latter work with bits, which represent either a 0 or a 1, quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits – the fundamental units of quantum information. “With applications ranging from drug discovery to optimization and simulations of complex biological systems and materials, quantum computing has the potential to reshape vast…
Antibiotics affect the composition and dynamics of the gut microbiome. Treatment with antibiotics not only leads to a loss of biodiversity of microorganisms, but also often favours the selection of resistant strains of bacteria. It has been unclear how the microbiome responds to repeated antibiotic therapy. In a preclinical study, an international research team led by two DZIF scientists used metagenome and cultivation analyses to identify evolutionary mechanisms that contribute to the resilience of the microbial community after repeated antibiotic…
The bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) can cause severe diseases such as meningitis and blood poisoning in young children. Researchers from the MHH Institute of Clinical Biochemistry have deciphered the pathway of the bacterial capsule and thus created the basis for producing the Hib vaccine inexpensive and safe. The bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) inhabits the human nasal cavity. It causes infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract, especially in infants and young children. But even more…
A new antenna technology developed at Utah State University will soon be tested by a national wireless provider for a pilot study that could revolutionize the telecommunications industry. Bedri Cetiner, a professor of electrical engineering, patented a new antenna called a multifunctional reconfigurable antenna that can adapt to locate a signal’s direction and frequency. For more than a century, conventional antenna equipment was only capable of broadcasting and receiving signals in all directions. Cetiner’s design is more efficient because it…
Air conditioning, refrigeration, and other cooling technologies account for more than 20 percent of today’s global energy consumption, while the refrigerants they use have a global warming potential thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide. In a recent study in the journal Science, a team led by Maryland Engineering Professors Ichiro Takeuchi, Reinhard Radermacher, and Yunho Hwang introduced a high-performance elastocaloric cooling system that could represent the next generation of cooling devices. Takeuchi calls it “a completely different, completely green,…
USU geoscientists probe geochemistry, microbial diversity of Peruvian hot springs. Heather Upin, Dennis Newell report microbial community composition is distinctly different in two tectonic settings. South America’s Andes Mountains, the world’s longest mountain range and home to some of the planet’s highest peaks, feature thousands of hot springs. Driven by plate tectonics and fueled by hot rock and fluids, these thermal discharges vary widely in geochemistry and microbial diversity. Utah State University geoscientists, along with colleagues from Montana State University,…
A simple sponge has improved how robots grasp, scientists from the University of Bristol have found. This easy-to-make sponge-jamming device can help stiff robots handle delicate items carefully by mimicking the nuanced touch, or variable stiffness, of a human. Robots can skip, jump and do somersaults, but they’re too rigid to hold an egg easily. Variable-stiffness devices are potential solutions for contact compliance on hard robots to reduce damage, or for improving the load capacity of soft robots. This…
The dispersal pathways of plastic waste in the southern North Sea have been investigated by an interdisciplinary research team led by the University of Oldenburg. A key part of the “Macroplastics” project was the participation of citizens. The volunteers could use a special website to report the discovery of wooden plates that the team had released in the open sea and along the coast. Two key findings are that there are no areas in the North Sea or the Skagerrak…
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