At certain times in the year, more soot particles reach the Amazon rainforest from bush fires in Africa than from regional fires. The Brazilian rainforest is one of the world’s few continental regions with clean air. However, this is only true during the wet season, when the concentration of particulate matter is very low. During the dry season, it’s a different story: numerous deforestation fires burn within the Amazon rainforest, as an “arc of deforestation” eats into the rainforest from…
… may shed light on brain diseases. Chen’s lab uses focused ultrasound with microbubbles to examine glymphatic system. Like the lymphatic system in the body, the glymphatic system in the brain clears metabolic waste and distributes nutrients and other important compounds. Impairments in this system may contribute to brain diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases and stroke. A team of researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis has found a noninvasive and nonpharmaceutical method to…
… in the Form of a Pill Finds Weak Spots in Machines and People. Imagine a scenario where you simply just throw in a pill to identify an error—this is now one step closer to reality thanks to the work done by researchers at Fraunhofer IZM in cooperation with Micro Systems Technologies (MST) and Sensry GmbH. As small as a piece of candy, the waterproof IoT sensor can reliably measure the properties of liquids even in hard-to-reach places. This can…
Diet drinks often contain a mix of non-nutritive sweeteners that also enter the bloodstream after consumption. As a new pilot study shows, even dietary intake levels of saccharin, acesulfame-K and cyclamate are enough to modulate the copy rate of various genes in white blood cells. “Our data suggest that this modulation sensitizes immune cells to certain immune stimuli,” says Dietmar Krautwurst of the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich. He adds: “Likewise, they also…
Max Planck researchers from Dortmund programmed a tool that accurately recognises and picks proteins in electron cryo-tomography, substituting troublesome hand selection. Electron cryo-tomography (cryo-ET) is emerging as a powerful technique to provide detailed 3D images of cellular environments and enclosed biomolecules. However, one of the challenges of the methodology is the identification of protein molecules in the images for further processing. A research team around Stefan Raunser, Director at the MPI of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund, led by Thorsten Wagner,…
… provides insights into natural product biosynthesis. An international team of researchers from the University of Georgia, USA, and the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, presents a promising strategy for elucidating metabolic pathways for plant compounds of medicinal importance. The research team studied the biosynthesis of two alkaloids from the plant Catharanthus roseus that are used in human medicine as anti-cancer agents. By using single-cell analyses, the scientists were able to discover new genes important for biosynthesis…
What does the inside of a carbon atom’s nucleus look like? A new study by Forschungszentrum Jülich, Michigan State University (USA) and the University of Bonn provides the first comprehensive answer to this question. In the study, the researchers simulated all known energy states of the nucleus. These include the puzzling Hoyle state. If it did not exist, carbon and oxygen would only be present in the universe in tiny traces. Ultimately, we therefore also owe it our own existence….
… hold promise for detecting and treating esophageal cancer. Irregularities in the body’s genetic coding to make proteins are linked to cancerous tumors. But most genetic material contains elements whose function isn’t clear. Could abnormalities in non-coding material also impact a person’s health, or even be linked to cancers as well? A new study by researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine suggests that the non-coding genetic molecules also play a key role in health and disease,…
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT are developing technology for quantum networks of the future. Funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the institute is installing hardware of a network node on location, as it is also used in the quantum internet demonstrator of QuTech in Delft in the Netherlands. The hardware will initially serve as a test and development platform, which the scientists want to use to develop new components for networking quantum computers with partners…
In vitro experiments were conducted at a FAPESP-supported research center with a synthetic peptide inspired by molecules secreted by the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum. Resistance to antibiotics is a problem that alarms the medical and scientific community. Bacteria resistant to three different classes of antibiotics, known as multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria, are far from rare. Some are even resistant to all currently available treatments and are known as pan-drug resistant (PDR). They are associated with dangerous infections and listed by…
Pulse radiolysis experiments at Brookhaven Lab revealed rapid reactivity that has never been observed before. Hydrogen, the simplest element on Earth, is a clean fuel that could revolutionize the energy industry. Accessing hydrogen, however, is not a simple or clean process at all. Pure hydrogen is extremely rare in nature, and practical methods to produce it currently rely on fossil fuels. But if scientists find the right chemical catalyst, one that can split the hydrogen and oxygen in water molecules…
Rice U. engineers improve prelithiation, uncover lithium-trapping mechanism. Silicon anode batteries have the potential to revolutionize energy storage capabilities, which is key to meeting climate goals and unlocking the full potential of electric vehicles. However, the irreversible depletion of lithium ions in silicon anodes puts a major constraint on the development of next-generation lithium-ion batteries. Scientists at Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering have developed a readily scalable method to optimize prelithiation, a process that helps mitigate lithium loss and improves battery…
… from pharmaceutical pollutants. Researchers from Stockholm University have developed porous crystals made from pomegranate extract to capture and degrade pharmaceutical molecules found in local municipal wastewater. The research is published in the scientific journal Nature Water. Pharmaceutical compounds affect the human body to improve our health, but they can also have unintentional adverse effects for the wellbeing of wildlife. Hence wastewater treatment plants are facing the challenge of removing emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) such as active pharmaceutical ingredients, and…
… and discover new role for turbulence. Turbulent flows take on a surprising spin in an experiment inspired by the Earth’s core. A team of physicists has discovered a new role for a specific type of turbulence—a finding that sheds light on fluid flows ranging from the Earth’s liquid core to boiling water. The research, which appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, centered on turbulent convection—the movement of fluid when heated from below. “Our experiments…
Researchers develop a new method for the sustainable use of carbon dioxide. New synthetic metabolic pathways for fixation of carbon dioxide could not only help to reduce the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere, but also replace conventional chemical manufacturing processes for pharmaceuticals and active ingredients with carbon-neutral, biological processes. A new study demonstrates a process that can turn carbon dioxide into a valuable material for the biochemical industry via formic acid. In view of rising greenhouse gas emissions, carbon…
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has developed a unique modular test stand for photovoltaic inverters with integrated arc fault detection. These integrated warning systems in inverters increase the safety of solar installations by initiating an automatic shut down in the event of arcing. With the newly published international standard IEC 63027, more reliable and realistic tests can be carried out on detectors. Fraunhofer ISE was involved in the development of the new test standard, which was published…
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