Researchers report that a key transcription factor “Nrf3” regulates the process of melanin production in mouse and human cells. The skin is presumably the largest and one of the most versatile body organs. By providing a physical barrier, it protects our body from environmental assaults. Melanin—a natural pigment produced by specialized skin cells called “melanocytes”—shields our body from the detrimental effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV radiation is responsible for DNA damage, genetic mutations, and can also lead to the…
… for efficient biomass energy production. Scientists discover new regulatory mechanisms in molds, potentially enabling a comprehensive high production method for various enzymes that degrade plant biomass. Filamentous fungi have long been a good friend of sake brewers, but they might soon also be a sidekick for environmentalists. Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have revealed the regulatory mechanisms of enzyme production in a filamentous fungus that allows for efficient degradation of plant biomass, an alternative energy resource to petroleum. Filamentous fungi…
Two Dresden Research Institutes want to Reduce the Number of Animal Experiments in Radiopharmaceutical Research with a New Idea. Radioactivity can save lives. When neither chemotherapy or surgery nor radiation from the outside help against a tumor, modern medicine uses so-called radiopharmaceuticals. These radioactive drugs not only detect cancer cells, they also enable targeted radiation from the inside to destroy the tumor. However, before such substances become available for use in humans, extensive animal testing is currently required during their…
Measurements conducted by the Hessian Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG) in recent years have shown that Frankfurt International Airport is a major source of ultrafine particles and that these can disperse over long distances across the city. In collaboration with experts at the HLNUG, researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt have now discovered that the ultrafine particles partly consist of synthetic jet oils. The research team has deduced that emissions from lubrication oils must be lowered in addition…
Astronomers studying archival observations of powerful explosions called short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have detected light patterns indicating the brief existence of a superheavy neutron star shortly before it collapsed into a black hole. This fleeting, massive object likely formed from the collision of two neutron stars. “We looked for these signals in 700 short GRBs detected with NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory,” explained Cecilia Chirenti, a researcher at the University of Maryland, College…
Metabolism is inextricably linked to aging: While it helps maintain vital processes, makes us grow, and triggers cellular repairs, it also produces substances that damage our cells and cause us to age. “The metabolic processes that occur within cells are highly complex,” says Prof. Markus Ralser, Director of Charité’s Department of Biochemistry and Einstein Professor of Biochemistry on Charité’s medical faculty. “The exchange of substances between cells in a community is one important factor, because it has a substantial impact on…
Rice lab photochemistry method eases manufacture of drug, chemical precursors. Inexpensive iron salts are a key to simplifying the manufacture of essential precursors for drugs and other chemicals, according to scientists at Rice University. They’ve refined the process of producing diazides, building-block molecules in the production of drugs and agricultural chemicals. Iron salts along with processes called radical ligand transfer and ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) make it affordable and environmentally friendly. Rice synthetic chemist Julian West and co-lead authors Kang-Jie…
Progresses and prospects… Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have been emerging as the rising star in the field of optoelectronics during the past decade. The state-of-the-art optoelectronic technologies based on MHPs, such as perovskite solar cells (PSCs), light emitting diodes (LEDs), photodetectors (PDs) and lasers, have been leading the prevailing paradigm owing to the intriguing optoelectronic properties of MHPs. Also, MHPs possesses the merits of facile and low-cost processing and the favorable tunable optical and electronic features, providing a rich and…
With a new design, lithium-sulfur batteries could reach their full potential. Batteries are everywhere in daily life, from cell phones and smart watches to the increasing number of electric vehicles. Most of these devices use well-known batteries“>lithium-ion battery technology. And while lithium-ion batteries have come a long way since they were first introduced, they have some familiar drawbacks as well, such as short lifetimes, overheating and supply chain challenges for certain raw materials. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory are researching…
The project, which aims to increase the safety and economy of nuclear reactors, brings together Virginia Tech faculty members from the College of Engineering and the College of Science. Three Virginia Tech professors from nuclear engineering, physics, and industrial engineering are bringing together their expertise and inventions to create a highly innovative technology for high-fidelity, real-time monitoring of nuclear power plant cores. The project would increase the safety and economy of nuclear reactors and has received funds from the National…
Plastics are ubiquitous in our society, found in packaging and bottles as well as making up more than 18% of solid waste in landfills. Many of these plastics also make their way into the oceans, where they take up to hundreds of years to break down into pieces that can harm wildlife and the aquatic ecosystem. A team of researchers, led by Young-Shin Jun, professor of energy, environmental & chemical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University…
… reveals UV radiation played a part in mass extinction events. New research has uncovered that pollen preserved in 250 million year old rocks contain compounds that function like sunscreen, these are produced by plants to protect them from harmful ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation. The findings suggests that a pulse of UV-B played an important part in the end Permian mass extinction event. Scientists from the University of Nottingham, China, Germany and the UK led by Professor Liu Feng from Nanjing…
Two-dimensional material could make novel strain sensors, photodetectors and other nanodevices a reality. The optical, electrical and mechanical properties of some materials change depending on the direction or orientation of the material. Depending on how wood is cut, for example, the orientation of the wood grain can result in a stronger or weaker material with different appearances. This same principal applies to ultrathin, two-dimensional (2D) materials with unique properties such as magnetism. Depending on the direction of a mechanical strain…
A new plasma operation scenario Super I Mode was discovered and demonstrated on Experiment Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The new high-confinement and self-organizing mechanism represents the reliability and advancement of the machine itself but also offers insights into how to better maintain the plasma operating stably and for long duration. The team from Institute of Plasma Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, CAS reported their finding in a recent published paper in Science Advances. The exciting discovery was made during…
Study in mice and human cells suggests existing cancer drug may be effective against the insidious disease. Using the latest technologies—including both single-nuclear sequencing of mice and human liver tissue and advanced 3D glass imaging of mice to characterize key scar-producing liver cells—researchers have uncovered novel candidate drug targets for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The research was led by investigators at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Utilizing these innovative methods, the investigators discovered a network of…
By identifying a key regulator of cell identity, a team from the UNIGE and the FMI has succeeded in modifying the structure and function of tentacle cells in hydra. Humans, animals, plants: all multicellular organisms are made up of specialized cells called differentiated cells. Thus, the cells that make up the epidermis do not have the same identity – nor the same function – as those that line the digestive system, for example. However, the mechanisms by which these cells…
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