Scientists led by Dr. Salvador Aznar-Benitah, head of the Stem Cells and Cancer laboratory at IRB Barcelona, have described the alterations that occur during mammary gland formation when heterochromatin (the part of DNA that does not actively produce proteins) is poorly regulated. The results, which have been published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, indicate that incorrect DNA packaging makes retrotransposons (a type of transposable element originated in ancestral fragments of viruses integrated into the cell genome) more accessible. As…
An imaging technique pioneered by Berkeley Lab is helping reveal the best antibodies for COVID-19 detection. Vaccines are turning the tide of the pandemic, but the risk of infection is still present in some situations. If you want to visit a friend, get on a plane, or go see a movie, there is no highly accurate, instant test that can tell you right then and there whether or not you have a SARS-CoV-2 infection. But new research from Lawrence Berkeley…
Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), narrow strips of single-layer graphene, have interesting physical, electrical, thermal, and optical properties because of the interplay between their crystal and electronic structures. These novel characteristics have pushed them to the forefront in the search for ways to advance next-generation nanotechnologies. While bottom-up fabrication techniques now allow the synthesis of a broad range of graphene nanoribbons that feature well-defined edge geometries, widths, and heteroatom incorporations, the question of whether or not structural disorder is present in these…
Researchers analyzed current conservation strategies and recommended changes to how and where declining milkweed (an essential food source for butterfly larvae) can be restored. Simon Fraser University researchers are playing a key role in guiding conservation efforts to protect a declining butterfly population. The eastern monarch butterfly, an important pollinating species known for its distinct yellow-orange and black colour, is diminishing due to the loss of the milkweed plant–its primary food source. Researchers analyzed current conservation strategies and recommended changes…
Researchers have devised a method, using spin-torque oscillators, to harness wireless signals and convert them into energy to power small electronics. With the rise of the digital age, the amount of WiFi sources to transmit information wirelessly between devices has grown exponentially. This results in the widespread use of the 2.4GHz radio frequency that WiFi uses, with excess signals available to be tapped for alternative uses. To harness this under-utilised source of energy, a research team from the National University…
On the street, in the parking lot, at the traffic light … A great opportunity for development and further expansion in the field of electromobility is inductive charging. Wireless charging makes it possible to automate the charging process so that the battery can be charged automatically at any time, for example in inner-city car parks, in front of traffic lights or on selected sections of road and while driving. A team of researchers from the Institute for Electrical Energy Conversion…
An international team of scientists compared the regeneration abilities of axolotls and frogs at the cellular and molecular levels. Their study, published in Developmental Cell, reveals the intrinsic inability of frog cells to regenerate a lost limb, a major difference from the axolotl’s extraordinary physiology. In Lake Xochimilco of central Mexico dwells a rare salamander, the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). In the wild, the axolotls do not metamorphose: adults very much resemble their larval counterparts and keep the external gills that…
In many parts of Southeast Asia, rainforest is being replaced by palm oil plantations. This is causing far-reaching problems for the natural world, for example for southern pig-tailed macaques, a species from Southeast Asia that is native to the rainforests of Malaysia. Due to the extensive clearing of their habitat, these primates sometimes turn to palm oil monocultures while foraging. This often leads to conflicts with farmers. The macaques do not damage the palm oil fruits to any great extent….
URI Professor Stéphan Grilli is keeping a close eye on volcanoes closer to the US. An article recently published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, written by University of Rhode Island College of Engineering Professor Stéphan Grilli and his colleagues, reveals new data on the Anak Krakatau volcano flank collapse, which was triggered by an eruption on December 22, 2018. The tsunami created by the flank collapse hit the coast of Indonesia with waves as tall as 5 meters, leaving…
Imagine an entire twenty storey concrete building which can store energy like a giant battery. Thanks to unique research from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, such a vision could someday be a reality. Researchers from the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering recently published an article outlining a new concept for rechargeable batteries – made of cement. The ever-growing need for sustainable building materials poses great challenges for researchers. Doctor Emma Zhang, formerly of Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, joined…
New discoveries in the field of nanoscience … Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces developed a membrane that is composed of a bundle of nanometer-sized tubes. They used it as a nanoreactor to convert water marked with methylene blue into clear water in milliseconds using sunlight as a driver. ‘Running reactions in fluids with lower viscosity in a blink of an eye represents a new opportunity for chemistry,’ says Prof. Markus Antonietti, Director of the Department…
Dresden researchers discover how a protein creates the rotatory forces essential for animal development. Our body appearance is symmetric from the outside. If you take a look inside, you will find our organs are not at all arranged symmetrically. The heart, for example, is on our left side. These differences in structure, referred to as left-right asymmetry, emerge very early during the development and are crucial for an embryo to properly grow. Researchers have found in past studies that rotatory…
Fraunhofer IWS Dresden spins off lasertech company A researcher team from industry and the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS is spinning off a high-tech company called “Fusion Bionic”. The company aims to bring lotus effects and other functional microstructures from nature to technical surfaces such as air wings and implants using globally cutting-edge solutions for laser interference technology. The team received support from Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s AHED project, which specializes in technology transfer. Modern light interference technologies in Dresden…
The working group around Dr. Philipp Rathert at the Institute for Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry investigates the regulation of epigenetic networks of certain cancers and ways of treating them. The working group published its new findings in April. Epigenetics research is a relatively young discipline in biology. Epigenetic mechanisms regulate which genetic information is used when and how. They play an important role in controlling the activity of genes. The epigenetic modifications control the gene activity individually in each individual…
When neuroscientists at the Institute of Science and Technology (IST) Austria analyzed the exact properties of nerve connections in the brain, they made a startling observation: At a key connection, or synapse, messages are sent against the usual stream of information. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, reports that the signal glutamate likely plays a role in this unusual transmission. Information flows in a well-defined direction in the brain: Chemical and electrical signals are passed from one neuron…
Researchers reveal the diversity of our neurons… The nerve cells, also called neurons, in our brain control all the basic processes of our body. For this reason, there are different types of neurons distributed over specific regions of the brain. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolic Research and the CECAD Cluster of Excellence in Aging Research of the University of Cologne have developed an approach that allows them to show that neurons that are supposedly the same are…
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