Colorectal tumors are swarming with white blood cells, but whether these cells help or hinder the cancer is hotly debated. While some studies have shown that white blood cells heroically restrict tumor growth and combat colorectal cancer, equally compelling evidence casts the white blood cells as malignant co-conspirators—bolstering the tumor and helping it spread. Now, new research clarifies the role of these intestinal white blood cells, known as 𝛄𝛅 T cells, in colorectal cancer. It turns out that the cells…
To act as a robust barrier against pathogens while also absorbing needed nutrients, the lining of the intestines must regenerate on a daily basis to remain equal to the task. The intestine’s resident stem cells are responsible for meeting this need for constant repair and replenishment, but each stem cell faces decisions that depend on the overall conditions of the intestine and the needs of the moment. Bad decisions and poor coordination could result in intestinal diseases or cancer. A…
Expected to replace lithium-based energy storage systems that have a high risk of explosions with aqueous zinc batteries. Successful growth and optimization of zinc metal anodes through low-cos and ecofriendly electroplate processes. Most energy storage systems (ESSs) have recently adopted lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), with the highest technology maturity among secondary batteries. However, these are argued to be unsuitable for ESSs, which store substantial amounts of electricity, owing to fire risks. The instability of the international supply of raw materials to…
July 19 was the hottest day ever recorded in the United Kingdom, with temperatures surpassing 40 degrees Celsius (about 104 degrees Fahrenheit). The heatwave serves as an early preview of what climate forecasters theorized will be typical summer weather in the U.K. in 2050. The heat continues across Europe today, as well as in the United States, where more than a third of the country is under heat warnings. The temperatures harken back to just over a year ago when…
The team* led by Prof. Toru Misawa of the School of General Education, Shinshu University found for the first time that the internal donut-shaped structure of the central nuclei of bright galaxies in the distant universe can have an “anisotropic” effect on the gas distributed over a vast area around them. Because luminous nuclei of distant galaxies (quasars) emit strong ultraviolet radiation, they ionize** hydrogen gas (intergalactic gas***) around them. If the quasar’s UV radiation is isotropic, the “ionization level”…
An international team of 23 researchers led by Maria Dainotti, Assistant Professor at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), has analyzed archive data for powerful cosmic explosions from the deaths of stars and found a new way to measure distances in the distant Universe. With no landmarks in space, it is very difficult to get a sense of depth. One technique astronomers use is to look for “standard candles,” objects or events where the underlying physics dictate that the…
Joint research work of Chemnitz University of Technology and several partner universities shows how slow electrons reduce the efficiency of novel organic solar cells – publication in the renowned journal Nature Communications. Photovoltaics will play a key role in the future energy supply. Conventional solar cells based, for instance, on silicon, a well-known semiconductor material, are already highly developed and in widespread use. However, their production is complex because it requires a high vacuum with high temperatures. It can take…
Graphene consists of carbon atoms that crosslink in a plane to form a flat honeycomb structure. In addition to surprisingly high mechanical stability, the material has exciting electronic properties: The electrons behave like massless particles, which can be clearly demonstrated in spectrometric experiments. Measurements reveal a linear dependence of energy on momentum, namely the so-called Dirac cones – two lines that cross without a band gap – i.e. an energy difference between electrons in the conduction band and those in…
A team of astronomers has developed a method that will allow them to ‘see’ through the fog of the early Universe and detect light from the first stars and galaxies. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, have developed a methodology that will allow them to observe and study the first stars through the clouds of hydrogen that filled the Universe about 378,000 years after the Big Bang. Observing the birth of the first stars and galaxies has been…
High carrier mobility in cubic boron arsenide offers promise for next-gen electronics. Researchers have for the first time experimentally discovered that a cubic boron arsenide crystal offers high carrier mobility for both electrons and holes – the two ways in which a charge is carried in a semiconducting material – suggesting a major advance for next-generation electronics. While earlier predictions had theorized that the crystal could exhibit simultaneously high electron and hole mobility, one of two papers published July 22…
Laser-manufactured 3D microstructures for complex photonic components. Two institutes from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and one from the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft launched the joint project “LAR3S” on March 1, 2022. In this project, they are taking a completely new approach to producing three-dimensional photonic components with lasers, focusing on selective laser-induced etching and inverse laser drilling. A key goal is to achieve processes and procedures that can be automated to a large extent. New ideas for the industrial production of microstructures Glass is a…
International research team manipulates mobile devices with “Ghost Touch”. Touch screens on mobile devices can be attacked and manipulated via charging cables and power supply units. This is what researchers at the System Security Lab at TU Darmstadt have discovered together with a Chinese research team. Several smartphones and standalone touchscreen panels could be compromised in practical tests by simulated touches, the “ghost touches”. The results were presented at this year’s “IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy.” The researchers from…
How communication between lysosomes and mitochondria controls Salmonella growth in macrophages. Macrophages are key cells of our innate immune response. By populating almost all tissues in our body, these cells have an essential role in maintaining our organs in a healthy state, as they constantly remove dying cells or eliminate microbes that have invaded tissues. As cells specialized in eating and devouring, macrophages are exceptionally well adapted to take up, digest and destroy foreign material. However, certain microorganisms and bacteria…
For decades computers have been synonymous with binary information – zeros and ones. Now a team at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, realized a quantum computer that breaks out of this paradigm and unlocks additional computational resources, hidden in almost all of today’s quantum devices. We all learn from early on that computers work with zeros and ones, also known as binary information. This approach has been so successful that computers now power everything from coffee machines to self-driving cars…
Leipzig researchers show in new study: Vertical PV power plants on agricultural land offer enormous potential for Germany’s energy transition. Solar energy is not subject to supply shortages, is cheap and CO₂-neutral. To achieve maximum energy yield, PV power plants are usually installed facing south with an angle of inclination of 20 to 35 degrees. As a result, a lot of electricity is generated in summer as well as at midday. In the future, renewable energies are to completely replace…
At the water’s edge: Scientists find a simple way to produce heterolayer coordination nanosheets, expanding the diversity of 2D materials. The past few decades have witnessed a great amount of research in the field of two-dimensional (2D) materials. As the name implies, these thin film-like materials are composed of layers that are only a few atoms thick. Many of the chemical and physical properties of 2D materials can be fine-tuned, leading to promising applications in many fields, including optoelectronics, catalysis,…
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