…gives crop breeders a wider lens. Understanding how both environmental conditions and genetic makeup affect crops is essential to developing varieties that are more resilient and productive. But the intricate interplay between weather and genes is difficult to untangle, in part because plants with the same genotype can respond in different ways to varying conditions. That dynamic is called phenotypic plasticity, and it’s the main research interest of Jianming Yu, an agronomy professor at Iowa State University. Crop breeders have…
Clinical trial targeted recurrence of hard-to-treat triple-negative breast cancer. A small clinical trial shows promising results for patients with triple-negative breast cancer who received an investigational vaccine designed to prevent recurrence of tumors. Conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis with a therapy designed by WashU Medicine researchers, the trial is the first to report results for this type of vaccine — known as a neoantigen DNA vaccine — for breast cancer patients. The study, which found…
… used in condensate modifying drugs. Researchers at the universities in Mainz and Leiden have developed a simple model system that can be used to break down fibrils – the cause of numerous disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease – into their constituent single units or liquid droplets. The origin of many diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s can be found at the molecular level in our body, in other words, in proteins. In a healthy system, these proteins are…
UKB robotically suspends cervix with a body’s own tendon. If a woman’s pelvic floor is severely weakened, the uterus and vagina may descend. As a result, affected women suffer from prolapse symptoms and possibly bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction. If conservative treatment options do not help, the uterus does not necessarily have to be removed, but can be surgically suspended using a synthetic mesh. Since 2022, single hospitals in Germany have also been performing this procedure using a body’s own…
SRI and University of Houston receive $3.6M to develop a microreactor to convert carbon dioxide to methanol using renewable energy. Key Takeaways: Innovative Technology Focus: The PRIME-Fuel project is developing modular microreactor technology to convert carbon dioxide into methanol, representing a novel approach to renewable fuel production. Sustainable Fuel Potential: The technology could enable cost-effective methanol production, which offers a pathway to significantly reduce emissions and promote sustainable fuel alternatives. Collaborative Research Effort: This partnership between UH and SRI showcases…
An international team that includes the University of Bath has discovered three ultra-massive galaxies (‘Red Monsters’) in the early Universe forming at unexpected speeds, challenging current models of galaxy formation. An international team that was led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and includes Professor Stijn Wuyts from the University of Bath in the UK has identified three ultra-massive galaxies – each nearly as massive as the Milky Way – that had already assembled within the first billion years after the Big…
An international team of researchers led by scientists from the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams uncovered evidence that astrophysics models of massive stars and supernovae are inconsistent with observational gamma-ray astronomy. Artemis Spyrou, professor of physics at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and in the Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Physics and Astronomy, led an international research team to investigate iron-60, an unstable isotope, by using a new experimental method. The team—which included Sean Liddick, associate professor…
Google Quantum AI and quantum physicists at Freie Universität Berlin publish groundbreaking results on Hamiltonian operators. A research team including researchers at Freie Universität Berlin and Google Quantum AI has developed an innovative new method for estimating the parameters of Hamiltonian operators. The scientists have proposed a new technique that could be scalable and applicable to large quantum processors. As such, this method could enable quantum simulations to be carried out in a more precise manner in the future. The…
… could change how we use and control light. The new discovery could dramatically enhance technologies like lasers, sensors and optical computing in the near future. An international research team has for the first time designed realistic photonic time crystals –– exotic materials that exponentially amplify light. The breakthrough opens up exciting possibilities across fields such as communication, imaging and sensing by laying the foundations for faster and more compact lasers, sensors and other optical devices. “This work could lead…
Achieving Individual Functional Integration. Wire or Fiber Encapsulating Additive Manufacturing (WEAM/FEAM) could significantly simplify the industrial production of components that require the integration of complex yet compact wiring, sensors, actuators, or lighting systems – by directly printing these components into the parts. A new development at Fraunhofer IWU: the Automated Cable Assembly (AuCA). Conventional robotics fails to produce and automatically lay flexible cable bundles in vehicles; AuCA, however, manufactures the wiring using a robot-guided way on a component and fixes…
When active filaments are exposed to localized illumination, they accumulate into stable structures along the boundaries of the illuminated area. Based on this fact, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) developed a model that can be used to simulate the self-organization of thread-like living matter. This model provides important insights for potential technical applications in the formation of structures. Filamentous cyanobacteria aggregate in areas with favorable light conditions and use the light energy for photosynthesis….
The odor of recycled plastics is a major challenge for their recycling and requires customized solutions. Recyclates can have undesirable odors that come from various sources, such as microbiological degradation or residues of previous contents. This is precisely where the Fraunhofer CCPE compact on December 5, 2024, on the topic of “Emission and odor optimization in plastics and recyclates” comes in. Prof. Andrea Büttner, Board of Management Member of the Fraunhofer CCPE and Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process…
Immune cells are capable of detecting infections just like a sniffer dog, using special sensors known as Toll-like receptors, or TLRs for short. But what signals activate TLRs, and what is the relationship between the scale and nature of this activation and the substance being detected? In a recent study, researchers from the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) used an innovative method to answer these questions. The approach that they took might help to speed up…
Scientists Uncover Vital Role of Maternal Small RNAs in Plant Breeding. Plant breeders, aiming to develop resilient and high-quality crops, often cross plants from different species to transfer desirable traits. However, they frequently encounter a major obstacle: hybrid seed failure. This reproductive barrier often prevents closely related species from producing viable seeds. A new study from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology offers insights into this challenge by identifying small RNA molecules as crucial players in this process….
How cells digest their internal canal system. Newly discovered mechanism helps detach and recycle parts of cellular canal membranes as needed – models developed using supercomputer simulations. Inside cells, there exists an extensive system of canals known as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which consists of membrane-encased tubes that are partially broken down as needed – for instance in case of a nutrient deficiency. As part of this process, bulges or protrusions form in the membrane, which then pinch off and…
… enable non-invasive, multi-functional biological imaging. Bioluminescence is the natural chemical process of light creation in some living creatures that makes fireflies flicker and some jellyfish glow. Scientists have long been interested in borrowing the secrets of these animals’ light-producing genes to create similar effects in vertebrates, for a variety of biomedical applications. UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Andy Yeh is designing completely artificial proteins that produce bioluminescence to serve as a non-invasive method for bioimaging, diagnostics,…
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