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A rare and unusual newly discovered ant from Ecuador has been named Strumigenys ayersthey, with the suffix "-they" chosen in contrast to traditional naming practices which, to date, fail to recognize gender diversity formally. The new species is distinguished by its predominantly smooth and shining cuticle surface and long trap-jaw mandibles. The study was published in the open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal ZooKeys.

Proteins perform a vast array of functions in the cell of every living organism with critical roles in biological processes. There are numerous chemical switches that control the structure and the function of proteins, which were thought to be well understood: so a team of researchers at the University of Göttingen were surprised to discover a completely new on/off switch that seems to be a ubiquitous regulatory element in proteins in all domains of life. Results appeared in Nature.

The incorporation of boron into polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon systems leads to interesting chromophoric and fluorescing materials for optoelectronics, including organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDS) and field-effect transistors, as well as polymer-based sensors. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a research team has now introduced a new anionic organoborane compound. Synthesis of the borafluorene succeeded through the use of carbenes.

New Johns Hopkins University simulations offer an intriguing look into Saturn's interior, suggesting that a thick layer of helium rain influences the planet's magnetic field.

Researchers from the University of Liverpool have shown the potential of repurposing an existing and cheap drug into a long-acting injectable therapy that could be used to treat Covid-19.

In an article published in PLOS ONE, scientists at a FAPESP-supported research center describe the impact of hypoproteinemia on the expression of microRNAs associated with kidney development in rat embryos.

Subtle differences in the shape of the brain that are present in adolescence are associated with the development of psychosis, according to an international team. The "sobering" results were made using the largest study to date of brain scans in adolescents at risk for psychosis.

Engineers have created an environmentally friendly leather alternative made from silk. The material can be printed into different patterns and textures, has similar physical properties to real leather, and can withstand the folding, piercing, and stretching typically used to create leather goods.

Program established at Penn Medicine to improve support for patients after emergency department visits, helping them recover at home instead of the hospital

A study published in July 2020 hypothesized a link between bradykinin, a well-known peptide, and severe cases of COVID-19. TTUHSC's Vardan Karamyan, Ph.D., found the article intriguing because it discussed bradykinin, one of three specific peptides with which his lab has much experience. In a focused review published in March by Physiological Reports, Karamyan suggests two other bioactive peptides also may be involved in the same processes and mechanisms proposed in the original paper.

Researchers analyze more palatable alternatives to the kind of social distancing mandates that threw a wrench at how businesses, schools and even family gatherings work.

Many people with diabetes endure multiple, painful finger pricks each day to measure their blood glucose. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Sensors have developed a device that can measure glucose in sweat with the touch of a fingertip, and then a personalized algorithm provides an accurate estimate of blood glucose levels.

Studies have shown that while CBD reduces pain sensation in animals, its ability to do so in humans is limited by low bioavailability, the extent to which the drug successfully reaches its site of action. Now, new work by scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University suggests this obstacle may be overcome by a novel CBD analog known as KLS-13019. The findings were published online in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

A study from Yale School of the Environment finds smarter home construction and decarbonization of electric supply are contributing to lower emissions from individual households, but troubling trends show other factors could begin to cancel out this progress.

Bacteria that thrive on methane released from the ocean floor are an important barrier preventing the greenhouse gas from reaching the atmosphere. A new study finds that these microbial communities flourish in seabed depressions and are more effective during the summer.

Researchers at the University of Kansas have described a new species of fanged frog discovered in the Philippines known as the Mindoro Fanged Frog.

In Applied Physics Reviews, from AIP Publishing, an international research team describes its approach for directing cell orientation within deposited hydrogel fibers via a method called multicompartmental bioprinting.

Loneliness and social isolation, which can have negative effects on health and longevity, are being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of surveyed adults with cancer have been experiencing loneliness in recent months, according to a study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

A study by the UPV/EHU's CBET research group and the University of Bordeaux has shown that graphene oxide nanomaterials, alone and combined with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pose a potential source of toxicity to fish, but at concentrations that are above the currently expected environmental levels. Under the conditions used in the research, high toxicity has not been detected, although the alteration of certain biomarkers has been observed.

A new, high-quality bonobo genome assembly has been constructed. It is allowing scientists to more accurately compare the bonobo genome to that of other great apes - the gorilla, orangutan, chimpanzee - and to the modern human. This analysis is revealing new information about hominid evolution, distinctions between chimps and bonobos and genetic relations among present-day hominids, and predicts a greater fraction of the human genome is genetically closer to chimps and bonobos.