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Measuring the elimination of plastic particles from the body in mice
The accumulation of micro- and nanoplastics in the environment continues at an alarming rate. A radiolabelling technique developed at the University of Helsinki made it possible to monitor the movement and accumulation of plastics in the mouse body, as well as their elimination from it.
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Poison frog tadpoles can survive (almost) anywhere
A group of researchers from the University of Jyvaskyla and Stanford University were part of an expedition to French Guiana to study tropical frogs in the Amazon. Various amphibian species of this region use ephemeral pools of water as their nurseries, and display unique preferences for specific physical and chemical characteristics. Researchers were surprised to find tadpoles of the dyeing poison frog surviving in an incredible range of both chemical (pH 3-8) and vertical (0-20 m in height) deposition sites.
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Natural killers: Using the body's cells to target breast cancer
A Clemson University researcher has developed a protein which links natural killer cells in the human body's immune system to breast cancer cells. It's a novel approach to developing breast cancer-specific immunotherapy and could lead to new treatment options for the world's most common cancer.
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Small numbers of cells in a tumor could be key enablers of cancer metastasis
Just a small number of cells found in tumors can enable and recruit other types of cells nearby, allowing the cancer to spread to other parts of the body, report Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center scientists. Working with their research collaborators, the scientists found that 'enabler cells' comprise about 20 percent or less of the cells in an aggressive tumor; their small numbers may account for why they are often missed when bulk tissue analyses are used to inform therapeutic decisions.
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ALMA discovers earliest gigantic black hole storm
Researchers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) discovered a titanic galactic wind driven by a supermassive black hole 13.1 billion years ago. This is the earliest-yet-observed example of such a wind to date and is a telltale sign that huge black holes have a profound effect on the growth of galaxies from the very early history of the Universe.
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Space scientists solve a decades-long gamma-ray burst puzzle
Astrophysicists from the University of Bath in the UK find the magnetic field in gamma-ray bursts is scrambled after the ejected material crashes into, and shocks, the surrounding medium.
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Urbanization drives antibiotic resistance on microplastics in Chinese river
Microplastic pollution of waterways has become a huge concern, with the tiny pieces of plastic entering food webs and potentially having harmful effects on animals and people. In addition, microplastics can act as breeding grounds for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Now, researchers reporting in Environmental Science & Technology have analyzed antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) on five types of microplastics at different locations along the Beilun River in China, finding much higher abundances in urban than rural regions.
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Ozone pollution has increased in Antarctica
Ozone is a pollutant at ground level, but very high in the atmosphere's 'ozone layer,' it absorbs damaging ultraviolet radiation. Past studies have examined ozone levels in the Southern Hemisphere, but little is known about levels of the molecule in Antarctica over long periods. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology have analyzed more than 25 years of Antarctic data, finding that concentrations near the ground arose from both natural and human-related sources.
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Keeping strawberries fresh using bioactive packaging
Québec produces more strawberries than any other Canadian province. Strawberries are delicate and difficult to keep fresh. In response to this challenge, Monique Lacroix, a professor at INRS (l'Institut national de la recherche scientifique), and her team have developed a packaging film that can keep strawberries fresh for up to 12 days. The team's findings on how this film protects against mould and certain pathogenic bacteria have been published in Food Hydrocolloids.
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Fossil research shows woodlice cousins roamed Ireland 360 million years ago
The old cousins of the common woodlice were crawling on Irish land as long as 360 million years ago, according to new analysis of a fossil found in Kilkenny, Ireland.
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We cannot cheat ageing and death
Philosophers, artists and scientists - and probably all the rest of us - have long obsessed over the key to human immortality. We all, no matter our income, culture or religion are bound to die. Even if we escape mortal diseases or accidents, we all face a deadly biological deterioration. While the debate of human longevity has divided the scientific community for centuries, a new study finds fresh evidence for our inevitable death.
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Ocean circulation is key to understanding uncertainties in climate change predictions
Thirty state of the art IPCC-climate models predict dramatically different climates for the Northern Hemisphere, especially Europe. An analysis of the range of responses now reveals that the differences are mostly down to the individual model's simulations of changes to the North Atlantic ocean currents and not only -- as normally assumed -- atmospheric changes.
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Nematic transition and nanoscale suppression of superconductivity in an iron chalcogenide
Examining an iron chalcogenide high-temperature superconductor, an international team of researchers has found that just before the material fully enters the nematic state, electronic nematicity first appears in nanoscale patches on its surface. In addition, minute stretching of the material, or strain, can induce local nematicity, which in turn suppresses superconductivity, according to a report in Nature Physics.
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Semiconductor technology mitigates fire risk in electric vehicle batteries
Despite rapid development of EVs, the safety of the Li-ion batteries remains a concern as they are as a fire and explosion risk. Among the various approaches to tackle this issue, Korean researchers have used semiconductor technology to improve the safety of Li-ion batteries. A research team has succeeded in inhibiting the growth of dendrites, crystals with multiple branches that cause EV battery fires by forming protective semiconducting passivation layers on the surface of Li electrodes.
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Glyphosate pesticides persist for years in wild plants and cause flower infertility
Glyphosate is an herbicide commonly used in forestry operations throughout British Columbia, Canada. Researchers investigated how the chemical may affect the reproductive health of prickly wild rose, a perennial plant found beneath the forest canopy. The new study, by the open access publisher Frontiers, found that pollen viability decreased by an average of 66 percent compared to untreated plants a year after the herbicide was initially applied, with traces of glyphosate persisting for at least two years.
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Study shows Head Start teachers' depressive symptoms related to children's math skills
A new study examined both direct and indirect pathways by which preschool teachers' depressive symptoms could influence preschool children's early mathematical skills. The study showed that teachers' depressive symptoms were significantly associated with children's math achievement in Head Start programs. In addition, the linkage was through the quality of the teachers' relationships with the families, which in turn affected young children's motivation, engagement, and persistence in learning (called their approaches to learning).
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Inducing and tuning spin interactions in layered material
Magnetic-spin interactions that allow spin-manipulation by electrical control allow potential applications in energy-efficient spintronic devices. A Chinese-Australia collaboration published today describes for the first time the induction of such interactions in a layered material tantalum-sulfide by addition of iron atoms, and tuning by insertion of protons.
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Chatbots for dementia patients and caregivers need more work
Chatbots hold promise for dementia patient or caregiver support, but are still in their infancy, finds a new paper. None of the interactive digital apps tested performed well on all testing criteria, and all the apps contained linguistic biases and usability challenges. The authors conclude that until developers produce evidence-based chatbots that have undergone end user evaluation it will be hard to evaluate their potential to adequately educate and support dementia patients and their caregivers.
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Computers predict people's tastes in art
A new study showing that computers can predict what paintings people will like offers insight into how our brains make aesthetic judgments.
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Early encounter of microbes and fetal immune system during second trimester of gestation
The human fetal immune system begins to develop early during gestation, however, factors responsible for fetal immune-priming remain elusive. Dr Florent Ginhoux from A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network, Professor Jerry Chan from KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Professor Salvatore Albani from SingHealth Duke-NUS Translational Immunology Institute, and Cambridge University explored potential exposure to microbial agents in-utero. They identified live microbes across fetal organs that stimulate activation of fetal T-cells during the second trimester of gestation.
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