Phosphorus is one of the most important nutrients for plants. Among other functions, it is needed to create substances for the plant’s immune system, for the healthy development of seeds and for root growth. A team of researchers led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong have now demonstrated how a root symbiosis with fungi is driven at the molecular level by the plant’s phosphate status. Land plants absorb phosphate better when they…
International conference on issues of mission-oriented research. A profound change towards sustainability is needed worldwide in order to overcome global challenges such as the climate crisis. With the innovative concept of mission-oriented research, science is breaking new ground, together with a wide range of different actors. But what are the challenges and limitations of this new type of collaborative research? How can the approach be further developed in a promising way? This question will be addressed at the international conference…
Gender influences survival chances. MHH study: Vessels of girls suffer more damage than those of boys Gender plays a role: chronic kidney disease has a greater effect on the vessels of girls than on those of boys. Researchers at the Hannover Medical School (MHH) have now been able to show this in a European study. Although the mortality rate in children after kidney transplantation has fallen in recent decades, it is still very high compared to the general population due…
Several layers of nanographenes stacked on top of each other: such functional elements could one day be used in solar cells. Würzburg chemists have paved the way for this. Graphene is a carbon material that forms extremely thin layers. Because of its unusual properties, it is interesting for many technical applications. This also applies to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which can be regarded as cut-outs of graphene. They are considered promising materials for organic photovoltaics or for field-effect transistors. Large,…
A gene-silencing tool could enable new opportunities for advancing basic biomedical research and drug development. The technique draws on the power of small noncoding RNA molecules that normally suppress gene activity. Known as Piwi-interacting RNAs, or piRNAs, these regulatory molecules normally play a critical role in bringing genomic parasites to heel. But geneticist Christian Frøkjær-Jensen and his colleagues at KAUST co-opted this piRNA pathway to deliberately quell the activity of target genes of interest1. Working in nematode worms — a…
Largest-ever simulations suggest flickering powered by magnetic ‘reconnection’. Researchers at the Flatiron Institute and their collaborators found that breaking and reconnecting magnetic field lines near the event horizon release energy from a black hole’s magnetic field, accelerating particles that generate intense flares. Black holes aren’t always in the dark. Astronomers have spotted intense light shows shining from just outside the event horizon of supermassive black holes, including the one at our galaxy’s core. However, scientists couldn’t identify the cause of…
… to remove 99% of carbon dioxide from air. UD researchers carbon capture advance could bring environmentally friendly fuel cells closer to market. University of Delaware engineers have demonstrated a way to effectively capture 99% of carbon dioxide from air using a novel electrochemical system powered by hydrogen. It is a significant advance for carbon dioxide capture and could bring more environmentally friendly fuel cells closer to market. The research team, led by UD Professor Yushan Yan, reported their method in Nature Energy on…
Exoplanets come in shapes and sizes that are not found in our solar system. These include small gaseous planets called mini-Neptunes and rocky planets several times Earth’s mass called super-Earths. Now, astronomers have identified two different cases of “mini-Neptune” planets that are losing their puffy atmospheres and likely transforming into super-Earths. Radiation from the planets’ stars is stripping away their atmospheres, driving the hot gas to escape like steam from a pot of boiling water. The new findings help paint a…
Imagine trying to understand how climate change affects vast tropical forests by determining how many trees die each year. Clouds get in the way of satellite views and on-the-ground estimates are expensive and impractical in remote areas. But researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) are excited by a new analysis that explains variation in tree mortality based on drone images of 1500 hectares of the most-studied tropical forest, Barro Colorado Island, in Panama. There is concern that many…
University of Exeter scientists have discovered new information about the tiny propellers used by single-cell organisms called archaea. Like bacteria, archaea are found in a vast range of habitats – including inside human bodies – but unlike bacteria they are not known to cause disease. Some archaea propel themselves to incredible speeds by rotating a spiral-shaped filament called an archaellum. Using a powerful cryo-electron microscope, the new study examined this closer than ever before. The research team – which included…
Mechanical engineers and surgeons from the University of Magdeburg jointly develop a training model for operations in the thoracic cavity. Engineers and physicians at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg have jointly developed an educational and training model for operations in the human thoracic cavity. In future, the model, which has been created from real patient data using a 3D printer, will be used both in the teaching of students and in thoracic surgery as a realistic training model for surgeons….
It’s easier with a new targeted particle bonding strategy. The Science Colloids are microparticles in a solution, meaning the particles are evenly distributed. Crystals made from colloids are valuable in a wide range of applications such as batteries, fuel cells, sensors, solar cells, and catalysts. Scientists have sought ways to assemble these crystals into larger structures using bonding methods that operate in targeted directions. However, this approach is quite challenging. A new strategy exploits the ability to create precise regions with specific…
A mechanically reconfigurable intelligent surface operates at microwave frequencies and uses a robust control method to determine the rotation angle of each meta-atom. Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) are a type of programmable structure that can be used to control the propagation of electromagnetic waves, by changing the electric and magnetic properties of the surface. They provide a new approach to improving the performance of wireless communications systems: change the propagation environment rather than adapting to it. The integration of metallic…
Study by the University of Bonn and the TU Darmstadt suggests errors in the interpretation of older measurements. A few years ago, a novel measurement technique showed that protons are probably smaller than had been assumed since the 1990s. The discrepancy surprised the scientific community; some researchers even believed that the Standard Model of particle physics would have to be changed. Physicists at the University of Bonn and the Technical University of Darmstadt have now developed a method that allows…
Study finds atomic-scale ordering of elements in a metallic alloy that is responsible for alloy’s increased strength. The Science Metal alloys are materials that contain two or more atomic metal elements. They often have one primary element and smaller amounts of other elements. Scientists recently discovered a new class of alloys that have several elements combined in equal amounts. Researchers call these materials “medium entropy alloys.” These alloys are very strong, but researchers did not fully understand the reasons for…
These new findings about their vision could help you hide from these disease vectors. Beating the bite of mosquitoes this spring and summer could hinge on your attire and your skin. New research led by scientists at the University of Washington indicates that a common mosquito species — after detecting a telltale gas that we exhale — flies toward specific colors, including red, orange, black and cyan. The mosquitoes ignore other colors, such as green, purple, blue and white. The…
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