The African Matabele ants are often injured in fights with termites. Their conspecifics recognise when the wounds become infected and initiate antibiotic treatment. The Matabele ants (Megaponera analis), which are widespread south of the Sahara, have a narrow diet: They only eat termites. Their hunting expeditions are dangerous because termite soldiers defend their conspecifics – and use their powerful mandibles to do so. It is therefore common for the ants to be injured while hunting. On the left a fresh…

Environmentally friendly crop protection. Protecting plants efficiently against pests without harming other organisms — this is the objective of the joint research project ViVe_Beet, which is coordinated by the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). The JKI Institute for Plant Protection in Field Crops and Grassland, the Fraunhofer IME and the Institute of Sugar Beet Research (IfZ) are involved in the project. The strategy adopted involves the use of customized…

Just add milk: Antiseptic mouth rinses containing the active ingredient chlorhexidine (CHX) are widely used in dentistry. For many decades, CHX has set the gold standard for the management of oral diseases. During the treatment, however, tooth discoloration may occur after eating or drinking. A comprehensive in-vitro study conducted by the Fraunhofer IMWS has investigated the degree to which various beverages cause potential discoloration during chlorhexidine treatment. Based on the data collected, dental staff can now offer improved recommendations to…

Berlin based Start-up aims to bring down high levels of Serotonin. Serotonin makes you feel good. This neurotransmitter known as the “happiness hormone” regulates mood, sleep, and appetite. It also plays a key role in the gastrointestinal tract, where it is involved in regulating intestinal movement and the release of fluids that are important for the digestion and absorption of nutrients. But too much serotonin causes health problems. An oversupply of the hormone can disrupt normal bodily functions and trigger…

…to overcome limitations of water electrolysis technology. Developing nanocatalysts that do not degrade at high temperatures above 600 degrees Celsius, more than doubling green hydrogen production with high-temperature water electrolysis cells. Green hydrogen can be produced through water electrolysis technology, which uses renewable energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen without emitting carbon dioxide. However, the production cost of green hydrogen is currently around $5 per kilogram, which is two to three times higher than gray hydrogen obtained from…

…paves the way for advanced electronic devices. A team of researchers led by Professor Young S. Park at UNIST’s Department of Chemistry has achieved a significant breakthrough in the field of organic semiconductors. Their successful synthesis and characterization of a novel molecule called “BNBN anthracene” has opened up new possibilities for the development of advanced electronic devices. Organic semiconductors play a crucial role in improving the movement and light properties of electrons in carbon-centered organic electronic devices. The team’s research…

Researchers from the University of Maine and Penn State discovered that molecules experience non-reciprocal interactions without external forces.  Fundamental forces such as gravity and electromagnetism are reciprocal, where two objects are attracted to each other or are repelled by each other. In our everyday experience, however, interactions don’t seem to follow this reciprocal law. For example, a predator is attracted to prey, but the prey tends to flee from the predator. Such non-reciprocal interactions are essential for complex behavior associated…

A groundbreaking study led by Professor Sebyung Kang and Professor Sung Ho Park in the Department of Biological Sciences at UNIST has unveiled a remarkable breakthrough in cancer treatment. The research team has successfully developed unprecedented “NK cell-engaging nanodrones” capable of selectively targeting and eliminating cancer cells, offering a potential solution for intractable types of cancers. The innate lymphoid cells known as natural killer (NK) cells play a vital role in the body’s immune response against cancer. Numerous efforts have…

Researchers from Osaka University have identified a protein called HKDC1 that’s crucial to maintaining two subcellular structures, mitochondria and lysosomes, thereby preventing cellular senescence. Just as healthy organs are vital to our well-being, healthy organelles are vital to the proper functioning of the cell. These subcellular structures carry out specific jobs within the cell, for example, mitochondria power the cell and lysosomes keep the cell tidy. Although damage to these two organelles has been linked to aging, cellular senescence, and…

For decades, a substantial number of proteins, vital for treating various diseases, have remained elusive to oral drug therapy. Traditional small molecules often struggle to bind to proteins with flat surfaces or require specificity for particular protein homologs. Typically, larger biologics that can target these proteins demand injection, limiting patient convenience and accessibility. In a new study published in Nature Chemical Biology, scientists from the laboratory of Professor Christian Heinis at EPFL have achieved a significant milestone in drug development….

A research team, led by Professor Yongwon Seo in the Graduate School of Carbon Neutrality at UNIST has unveiled a highly efficient method for desalinating seawater using hydrate-based desalination (HBD) technology. The breakthrough is expected to have far-reaching implications for the application of hydrate-based desalination techniques, with the ability to calculate optimal temperatures for enhanced efficiency. Hydrate desalination technology, known for its eco-friendly freshwater production capabilities, offers a low-energy solution that can be effectively used in treating high concentrations of brine or…

More sustainable and economical. This new method is based on the exsolution process activated by microwave radiation. Exsolution is a method of generating metallic nanoparticles on the surface of ceramic materials. “At elevated temperatures and in a reducing atmosphere (usually hydrogen), metal atoms migrate from the structure of the material to its surface, forming metal nanoparticles anchored to the surface. This anchoring significantly increases the strength and stability of these nanoparticles, which positively impacts the efficiency of these catalysts,” explains…

A drug screening system that models cancers using lab-grown tissues called organoids has helped uncover a promising target for future pancreatic cancer treatments, according to a new study from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. In the study, published Dec. 26 in Cell Stem Cell, the scientists tested more than 6,000 compounds on their pancreatic tumor organoids, which contain a common pancreatic cancer-driving mutation. They identified one compound—an existing heart drug called perhexiline maleate—that powerfully suppresses the organoids’ growth. The researchers…

At about the size of a pinkie nail, the jellyfish species Cladonema can regenerate an amputated tentacle in two to three days — but how? Regenerating functional tissue across species, including salamanders and insects, relies on the ability to form a blastema, a clump of undifferentiated cells that can repair damage and grow into the missing appendage. Jellyfish, along with other cnidarians such as corals and sea anemones, exhibit high regeneration abilities, but how they form the critical blastema has…

… that might help treat obesity. Swallowing the device before a meal could create a sense of fullness, tricking the brain into thinking it’s time to stop eating. When you eat a large meal, your stomach sends signals to your brain that create a feeling of fullness, which helps you realize it’s time to stop eating. A stomach full of liquid can also send these messages, which is why dieters are often advised to drink a glass of water before…

One of the major challenges facing cell research is how to target substances to combat diseases. A team from Constructor University, in cooperation with scientists from the University of Vienna, discovered a new, promising method using spherical metal oxide molecules known as polyoxometalates. They report on the results of their research in the journal “Advanced Materials”, one of the most important publication media in chemistry and materials science. The metal oxide molecules are already known as antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral and…