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A new high-performance plastic foam developed from whey proteins can withstand extreme heat better than many common thermoplastics made from petroleum. A research team in Sweden reports that the material, which may be used for example in catalysts for cars, fuel filters or packaging foam, actually improves its mechanical performance after days of exposure to high temperatures.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines applied in national vaccination programs protect against most cancers associated with oncogenic, high-risk (hr) HPV types. Two recent studies demonstrate the impact of gender-neutral HPV vaccination in the overall protection against hrHPV infections already with low vaccination coverage.

North Carolina State University researchers tracking the evolution of different strains of the plant pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s show that the historic lineage called FAM-1 was found in nearly three-fourths of the 140 historic and modern samples tested and was found on all six continents.

Quantum critical points are often observed in antiferromagnetic materials, but until recently they were thought to not occur in ferromagnets. CeRh6Ge4 is a recent exception to this paradigm, sparking the search for the origin of this phenomenon. The team from Zhejiang University characterized the electronic structure of CeRh6Ge4 using different techniques, and their findings of localized Ce 4f-electrons, with highly anisotropic hybridization, provide important clues for resolving this conundrum.

The cosmic mass monsters clear the way for the formation of new suns in satellite galaxies

To gain a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks involving care homes with fully vaccinated residents, Charité researchers used an outbreak at a Berlin-based facility to analyze virus-related data and the immune responses of elderly residents following vaccination. The data confirm vaccine effectiveness in the elderly, but also indicate a delayed and slightly reduced immune response. The researchers emphasize the need to vaccinate both caregivers and close contacts in order to better protect this high-risk group.

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba have designed a cell culture medium that supports the growth and genetic manipulation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells without requiring expensive lab equipment. This technique also eliminates the need to irradiate mice prior to transplantation of these cells, making it less toxic to the animals and improving data generation. This method will be extremely useful for studying how the immune system functions in health and disease.

A new infectious disease model that accounts for people's 'level of caution' or 'sense of safety' accurately captures surges and declines in COVID-19 cases since March 2020 -- and could help predict how the pandemic will eventually end.

The higher parents' education level, the more likely it is that their children will survive the first five years of life. Over three million births have been examined.

If the agricultural sector fails to adapt better to climate change, food production is set to fall - 10% by mid-century and 25% by 2100 - affecting the supply of a growing world population. Adaptation strategies exist and are available, but they need to be applied: the study by an international team of researchers from Boston University, Ca' Foscari University of Venice and the CMCC Foundation - Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change.

On average the earliest memories that people can recall point back to when they were just two-and-a-half years old, a new study suggests.

Not only the 11-year cycle, but also all other periodic solar activity fluctuations can be clocked by planetary attractive forces, a conclusion drawn by Dr. Frank Stefani and colleagues at HZDR and the Institute of Continuous Media Mechanics in Perm, Russia. With new model calculations, they are proposing a comprehensive explanation of known sun cycles for the first time. They also reveal the longest fluctuations in activity over thousands of years as a chaotic process.

Researchers at Tohoku University have demonstrated the designability of novel magnets with magic mirror-like characteristics in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite (OIHP)-type compounds.

With Oskar Aszmann and his team, MedUni Vienna has long been regarded as a world leader in bionic limb reconstruction. It was only last year that the world's first fully integrated bionic arm prosthesis was developed at MedUni Vienna. This is ready-to-use and is described as 'Plug and Play,' The technique has now been used for the very first time in a bearded vulture -- the creature was given a new foot.

In addition to plaques that accumulate outside of nerve cells in the brain, Alzheimer's disease is also characterised by changes inside these cells. Researchers from the Cell Signalling research group at the Chair of Molecular Biochemistry at RUB, headed by Dr. Thorsten Müller, have been studying what exactly happens in these cells. They determined that various proteins and protein components accumulate in the cells, which also affect their functions.

Neurons, nerve cells in the brain, are central players in brain function. However, a key role for glia, long considered support cells, is emerging. A research group at the University of Basel has now discovered two new types of glial cells in the brain, by unleashing adult stem cells from their quiescent state. These new types of glia may play an important role in brain plasticity and repair.

Meteorologists develop a new method to facilitate climate model evaluation and models inter-comparison.

The prevalence of genetic mutations associated with breast cancer in black and white women is the same.

A special issue of Advances in Atmospheric Sciences summarizes current work on atmospheric oxidation capacity and advocates further investigations.

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