Eurekalert

Researchers have discovered that a molecule found within many of the body's cells kills germs by dissolving their protective membranes.

Hyenas inherit their social networks from their mothers, according to research led by biologists Erol Akçay of the School of Arts & Sciences and Amiyaal Ilany of Bar-Ilan University, in collaboration with Kay Holekamp of Michigan State University. The study found this network inheritance effect strongest for offspring of higher-ranking mothers. The finding has implications for how social groups are structured and evolve, the researchers say.

Jumping spiders can distinguish living from non-living objects in their peripheral vision using the same cues used by humans and other vertebrate animals, according to a study publishing 15th July 2021 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Massimo De Agrò of Harvard University in the United States.

Adequate blood flow supplies the brain with oxygen and nutrients, but the oxygenation tends to fluctuate in a distinct, consistent manner. The root of this varied activity, though, is poorly understood.

The lack of sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 variants by the U.S. and other countries is imperiling the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, argues Dana Crawford of Case Western Reserve University in a new Viewpoint published July 15th in the journal PLOS Genetics.

During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a group of geneticists who study the cellular process of meiosis held a virtual discussion of how to boost inclusion of underrepresented groups in their community. Now, Katherine Billmyre of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, María Angélica Bravo Núñez of Harvard University, Francesca Cole of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues outline the resulting action plan in an opinion piece for the open-access journal PLOS Genetics.

Among 6- and 7-year-olds who were born extremely preterm--before the 28th week of pregnancy--those who had more than two hours of screen time a day were more likely to have deficits in overall IQ, executive functioning (problem solving skills), impulse control and attention, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

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Contamination of urban lakes, rivers and surface water by human waste is creating pools of 'superbugs' in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) - but improving access to clean water, sanitation and sewerage infrastructure could help to protect people's health, a new study reveals.

What are the fundamental skills that young children need to develop at the start of school for future academic success? Researchers (UNIGE/HEP-VS) examined the links between emotion knowledge, cooperation, locomotor activity and numerical skills in 706 pupils aged 3 to 6. The results show that emotion knowledge, cooperative social behaviour and locomotor activity are interrelated and associated with numerical skills. These results suggest that locomotor activity should be added to these fundamental skills.

Engineers and plant pathologists at UC Riverside have developed a way to engineer a protein that blocks fungi from breaking down cell walls, as well as a way to produce this protein in quantity for external application as a natural fungicide. The work could lead to a new way of controlling plant disease that reduces reliance on conventional fungicides.

Penn State College of Engineering researchers set out to develop technology capable of localizing and imaging blood clots in deep veins. Turns out their work may not only identify blood clots, but it may also be able to treat them.

Western University bioengineer Kibret Mequanint and his international collaborators have found a novel use for snake venom: a body tissue 'super glue' that can stop life-threatening bleeding in seconds.

Two-dimensional "nanosheets" made of bonds between metal atoms and organic molecules are attractive candidates for photoelectric conversion, but get corroded easily. In a new study, scientists from Japan and Taiwan present a new nanosheet design using iron and benzene hexathiol that exhibits record stability to air exposure for 60 days, signaling the commercial optoelectronic applications of these 2D materials in the future.

Firsthand reports from nurses in correctional facilities detail the challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new study by the University of Malta and Staffordshire University highlights an urgent need for change in the curriculum and demonstrates how introducing longer, more frequent and more physically intense PE lessons can significantly improve children's weight and overall health. Malta currently has one of the highest rates of obesity worldwide with 40% of primary and 42.6% of secondary school children being overweight or obese.

Two fossil teeth from a distant relative of North American gophers have scientists rethinking how some mammals reached the Caribbean Islands.

Michigan Tech researchers return to the island to discover new insights about the wolves and moose of Isle Royale.

Using an artificial intelligence approach capable of decoding brain activity during sleep, scientists (UNIGE) were able to glimpse what we think about when we are asleep. By combining fMRI and EEG, they provide unprecedented evidence that the work of sorting out the thousands of pieces of information processed during the day takes place during deep sleep. Indeed, the brain can evaluate all of these memories in order to retain only the most useful ones.

Recent evidence indicates that autophagy plays a central role in synaptic maintenance, and the disruption in autophagy may be at the root of early cognitive changes in Huntington's disease. Understanding this mechanism better may help researchers develop treatments for patients with HD early in their disease progression, report scientists in a review article published in the Journal of Huntington's Disease.