Dynamic movement of H1N1 proteins reveal new vulnerabilities. According to the World Health Organization, each year there are an estimated 1 billion cases of influenza, between 3-5 million severe cases and up to 650,000 influenza-related respiratory deaths globally. Seasonal flu vaccines must be reformulated each year to match the predominantly circulating strains. When the vaccine matches the predominant strain, it is very effective; however, when it does not match, it may offer little protection. The main targets of the flu…
Microchip fab plants in the United States can cram billions of data processing transistors onto a tiny silicon chip, but a critical device, in essence a “clock,” to time the operation of those transistors must be made separately – creating a weak point in chip security and the supply line. A new approach uses commercial chip fab materials and techniques to fabricate specialized transistors that serve as the building block of this timing device, addressing the weak point and enabling…
Researchers discover previously unknown way cells protect their genomes during replication. Cells zealously protect the integrity of their genomes, because damage can lead to cancer or cell death. The genome — a cell’s complete set of DNA — is most vulnerable while it is being duplicated before a cell divides. Cancer cells constantly are dividing, so their genomes are constantly in jeopardy. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a previously unknown signaling pathway cells…
Researchers at Göttingen University develop new method for X-ray color imaging. A research team at the University of Göttingen has developed a new method to produce X-ray images in colour. In the past, the only way to determine the chemical composition of a sample and the position of its components using X-ray fluorescence analysis was to focus the X-rays and scan the whole sample. This is time-consuming and expensive. Scientists have now developed an approach that allows an image of…
Understanding the neural interface within the brain is critical to understanding aging, learning, disease progression and more. Existing methods for studying neurons in animal brains to better understand human brains, however, all carry limitations, from being too invasive to not detecting enough information. A newly developed, pop-up electrode device could gather more in-depth information about individual neurons and their interactions with each other while limiting the potential for brain tissue damage. The researchers, co-led by Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, James L. Henderson,…
Kiel research team discovers links between certain gene mutation and the spatial structure of DNA in blood cancer at an advanced age. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant disease of the haematopoietic system that originates from immature precursors of red blood cells, platelets and part of the white blood cells. While in healthy people the multiplication and renewal of blood cells is strictly regulated this process gets out of control in AML: an early precursor of the so-called myeloid…
Organic chemist develop new catalyst to selectively activate carbon-hydrogen bonds. Substituted aromatics are among the most important building blocks for organic compounds such as drugs, cropprotecting agents, and many materials. The function of the molecules is determined by the spatial arrangement of the different building blocks, the substitution pattern. A research team from the Otto Diels Institute of Organic Chemistry at Kiel University has now presented a method in the journal Chem to produce compounds with a particularly attractive but…
Cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases are closely linked. Researchers at the MHH now want to demonstrate the molecular mechanisms and investigate the influence of age-related changes in the heart, lungs and immune system. Cardiovascular diseases and diseases of the lower respiratory tract are among the most common causes of death, especially in older people. Epidemiological studies examining the incidence and distribution of diseases demonstrate a close link between cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. However, little is known about the molecular biological causes….
A DZHK research team at the University Medical Center Mainz has discovered a new signaling pathway of the coagulation system that controls scar formation after a heart attack. If this signaling pathway could be inhibited, heart attacks could heal with less subsequent damage. When you have a heart attack, you need to act quickly. Because the heart tissue does not receive enough blood, it begins to die. If revascularization occurs shortly after the onset of symptoms, i.e. reopening of the…
… can create unique two-dimensional (2D) periodic surface nanostructures: Scientists working on laser application at the RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics (RAP) have demonstrated that GHz burst mode femtosecond laser pulses can create unique two-dimensional (2D) laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) on silicon substrates. Previously, the team led by the researchers from the Advanced Laser Processing Research Team has reported that the GHz burst mode femtosecond laser pulses consisting of a series of trains of ultrashort laser pulses with a…
Synthesis of fumaric acid by a new method of artificial photosynthesis, using sunlight. In recent years, environmental problems caused by global warming have become more apparent due to greenhouse gases such as CO2. In natural photosynthesis, CO2 is not reduced directly, but is bound to organic compounds which are converted to glucose or starch. Mimicking this, artificial photosynthesis could reduce CO2 by combining it into organic compounds to be used as raw materials, which can be converted into durable forms…
Civil aviation is committed to making progress on the road towards a climate-neutral future. To make current and future aircrafts more energy-efficient and use less jet fuel, the industry needs reliable data about the durability of materials and aerodynamics in actual flight. Researchers at Fraunhofer IZM are working on behalf of Airbus Central C&T to show how sensors could be integrated in the outer shell of aircraft fuselage to achieve robust and reliable measurements even in the tough conditions in…
Researchers uncover neuronal circuitry tuned to rewarding forms of social touch, opening leads for harnessing touch as a treatment of social and emotional disorders. A parent’s reassuring touch. A friend’s warm hug. A lover’s enticing embrace. These are among the tactile joys in our lives. Now, scientists at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute and two partner institutions report previously unidentified starting points in the neurobiological pathways underlying pleasurable, sexual and otherwise rewarding social touch. Most notably in their mouse studies, they for…
Researchers utilized the James Webb Space Telescope to look at primordial interstellar ices. An international team including Southwest Research Institute, Leiden University and NASA used observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to achieve the darkest ever view of a dense interstellar cloud. These observations have revealed the composition of a virtual treasure chest of ices from the early universe, providing new insights into the chemical processes of one of the coldest, darkest places in the universe as well…
Increase in disease severity has implications for fish farms, marine life, human health. Microplastics—tiny particles generated as plastics weather and fragment—pose a growing threat to ecosystem and human health. A new laboratory study shows these threats extend beyond direct physical or chemical impacts, revealing that the presence of microplastics increases the severity of an important viral fish disease. Lead author on the study, published in Science of the Total Environment, is Dr. Meredith Evans Seeley, who conducted the research as part…
– how a sugar cane pathogen is gearing up a new era of antibiotic discovery. A potent plant toxin with a unique way of killing harmful bacteria has emerged as one of the strongest new antibiotic candidates in decades. The antibiotic, called albicidin, is produced by the bacterial plant pathogen Xanthomonas albilineans, which causes the devastating leaf scald disease in sugar cane. Albicidin is thought to be used by the pathogen to attack the plant, enabling its spread. It has…
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