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What happens in the brain when we imagine the future?
What happens in the brain when people think about the future? Research from University of Pennsylvania neuroscientist Joseph Kable finds that two sub-networks play a role. One focuses on creating the new event. Another evaluates whether that event is positive or negative.
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Bipolar order: A straightforward technique to have more control over organic thin films
Scientists at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) combine bipolar electrochemistry with a 1980s technique called electrolytic micelle disruption to produce patterned organic thin films. Their approach involves wirelessly inducing a desired potential distribution on a plate in an electrolytic cell to control the 'popping' of bubble-like micelles, which release their cargo to automatically form a film. Customized thin films produced with this inexpensive strategy could unlock applications in sophisticated biosensor systems and optoelectronics.
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Scientists discover five new species of listeria, improving food safety
While examining the prevalence of listeria in agricultural soil, Cornell University food scientists have stumbled upon five previously unknown and novel relatives of the bacteria.
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Ancient horse DNA reveals gene flow between Eurasian and North American horses
A new study of ancient DNA from horse fossils found in North America and Eurasia shows that horse populations on the two continents remained connected through the Bering Land Bridge, moving back and forth and interbreeding multiple times over hundreds of thousands of years.
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Novel simulation method predicts blood flow conditions behind von Willebrand disease
For the first time, researchers can quantitatively predict blood flow conditions that likely cause pathological behavior of the human blood protein von Willebrand factor. Predictions from this new method of simulation, developed at Lehigh University, can be used to optimize the design of left ventricular assist devices used in heart failure patients. It could also improve diagnosis and treatment of von Willebrand disease, the most common inherited bleeding disorder in the U.S. (per CDC).
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Study finds potential causality between blood clot factors and migraine with aura
In a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital, researchers used a technique in genetic analysis termed Mendelian randomization to examine 12 coagulation measures, uncovering four that are associated with migraine susceptibility
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Salk scientists reveal role of genetic switch in pigmentation and melanoma
A Salk study published on May 18, 2021, in the journal Cell Reports reveals new insights about a protein called CRTC3, a genetic switch that could potentially be targeted to develop new treatments for melanoma by keeping the switch turned off.
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New model for infectious disease could better predict future pandemics
In the midst of a devastating global pandemic of wildlife origin and with future spillovers imminent as humans continue to come into closer contact with wildlife, infectious-disease models that consider the full ecological and anthropological contexts of disease transmission are critical to the health of all life. Existing models are limited in their ability to predict disease emergence, since they rarely consider the dynamics of the hosts and ecosystems from which pandemics emerge.
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Study shows racial differences in personal care product use, may lead to health inequities
A large survey of women in California shows significant racial and ethnic differences in the types of personal care products women use on a daily basis. Because many personal care products contain endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) like parabens and phthalates that interfere with the body's hormones, the findings could shed light on how different products influence women's exposures to harmful chemicals that contribute to health inequities.
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New peanut has a wild past and domesticated present
The wild relatives of modern peanut plants have the ability to withstand disease in ways that peanut plants can't. Researchers at the University of Georgia have been homing in on the genetics of those wild relatives to make use of the advantageous ancient genes.
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Nanofiber filter captures almost 100% of coronavirus aerosols
A filter made from polymer nanothreads blew three kinds of commercial masks out of the water by capturing 99.9% of coronavirus aerosols in an experiment. The study compared the effectiveness of surgical and cotton masks, a neck gaiter, and electrospun nanofiber membranes. The cotton mask and neck gaiter only removed about 45%-73% of the aerosols. The surgical mask did much better, removing 98% of coronavirus aerosols. But the nanofiber filter removed almost all.
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New research will allow convenient investigation of human innate immune response to viral infections
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) report the formation of human cells containing a green fluorescent protein or GFP (one of the most important proteins in biology and fluorescence imaging) genetically fused with two interferon stimulated genes (ISGs), namely Viperin and ISG15. This new creation makes these cells highly valuable reagents for reporting innate immune responses to viral infections, including those caused by coronaviruses.
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Global food security: Climate change adaptation requires new cultivars
Climate change induced yield reductions can be compensated by cultivar adaptation and global production can even be increased.
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Combining immunotherapies against cancer
A new cancer vaccine could boost the positive effects of existing immunotherapy drugs, improving the success rate of treatments from 20% to 75% of cases, according to a new study by immunologists from the University of Konstanz.
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Tulane researchers develop test that can detect childhood tuberculosis a year ahead
Researchers at Tulane University School of Medicine have developed a highly sensitive blood test that can find traces of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB) in infants a year before they develop the deadly disease, according to a study published in BMC Medicine.
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BU study: Racial disparities in COVID-19 mortality wider than reported
More than a year into the pandemic, the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 among racial and ethnic minorities in the US has been well documented. But a new study by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) reveals that previous research has underestimated the true extent of racial disparities in COVID-19 deaths--as well as the extent to which structural racism contributes to these deaths.
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Experts call for better design of early drug trials for Alzheimer's and related dementias
An expert panel convened by the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration provides guidance on best practices for the design of early drug trials for neurodegenerative dementias. Their guidance was published in the May 18, 2021 issue of Neurology®.
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Environmental concerns propel research into marine biofuels
A global effort to reduce sulfur and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships has researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and other Department of Energy facilities investigating the potential use of marine biofuels.
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Scientists map gene changes underlying brain and cognitive decline in aging
Alzheimer's disease shares some key similarities with healthy aging, according to a new mathematical model described today in eLife.
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Diabetes-prevention program supports addition of years to average lifespan
In a new study, West Virginia University School of Public Health researchers found that taking part in a year-long diabetes-prevention program supports the addition of 4.4 quality-adjusted life-years to participants' average lifespan.
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