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A sweet solution to hard brain implants
By using silicone polymers, the scientists have made the softest brain implant to date with the thickness of a thin sewing thread (~0.2 mm), and the consistency of soft pudding - as soft as the brain itself. They were then able to implant it into the brain using a trick from the cookbook.
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People with familial longevity show better cognitive aging
If you come from a family where people routinely live well into old age, you will likely have better cognitive function (the ability to clearly think, learn and remember) than peers from families where people die younger. Researchers affiliated with the Long Life Family Study (LLFS) recently broadened that finding in a paper published in Gerontology, suggesting that people who belong to long-lived families also show slower cognitive decline over time.
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People with disabilities faced pandemic triage biases
A new paper from the University of Georgia suggests that unconscious biases in the health care system may have influenced how individuals with intellectual disabilities were categorized in emergency triage protocols.
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Insights from color-blind octopus help fight human sight loss
University of Bristol research into octopus vision has led to a quick and easy test that helps optometrists identify people who are at greater risk of macular degeneration, the leading cause of incurable sight loss.
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Using personalized medicine to avoid resistance to leukemia treatment
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is an aggressive cancer type that mostly affects children. The standard treatment is chemotherapy, but about one in four patients do not respond or develop resistance to this. Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have found a combination treatment that could benefit these patients and increase the survival rate.
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Fertility apps with hundreds of millions of users collect and share excessive information
The majority of top-rated fertility apps collect and even share intimate data without the users' knowledge or permission, a collaborative study by Newcastle University and Umea University has found. Researchers are now calling for a tightening of the categorisation of these apps by platforms to protect women from intimate and deeply personal information being exploited and sold.
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The secret life of bee signals can communicate colony health
Researchers are listening in on honeybee hives, hoping to decipher their complex communication patterns and what they might signal about broader ecosystem health. A novel method for monitoring colony health through changes in its electrostatic field is released in a recent paper by the open access publisher Frontiers.
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Snakeskin can inspire to safer buildings
It might be a good idea to look for inspiration in nature when designing load-bearing foundations for buildings. Researchers from Aarhus University and University of California Davis have delved into pile foundations and found, that piles with snake inspired surface patterns give 25-50 per cent less resistance during installation compared with the pressure they can subsequently support. The findings have been published in Acta Geotechnica.
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The micro-environment of breast cancer in three dimensions
Cancerous tumors thrive on blood, extending their roots deep into the fabric of the tissue of their host. They alter the genetics of surrounding cells and evolve to avoid the protective attacks of immune cells. Now, Penn State researchers have developed a way to study the relationship between solid, difficult-to-treat tumors and the microenvironment they create to support their growth.
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Polarization and mobilization on social media affect infection figures
Measures to contain the Corona pandemic are the subject of politically charged debate and tend to polarize segments of the population. Those who support the measures motivate their acquaintances to follow the rules, while those who oppose them call for resistance in social media. But how exactly do politicization and social mobilization affect the infection figures? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development have examined this question using the USA as an example.
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Aryl hydrocarbon receptor suppresses immunity to oral cancer through immune checkpoint regulation
A new Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) study has identified for the first time how the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), an environmental chemical receptor, drives immunosuppression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)--and that its removal from malignant cells can result in tumor rejection.
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Closing in on state-of-the-art semiconductor solar cells
Mixed-cation single crystals narrow the gap between perovskite and top-performing semiconductor solar cells.
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Staying down on the farm
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) researchers studied the nonlinear dynamics responsible for "power hop" instabilities in tractors. They found that bouncing, friction, and joint free-play are all critical factors for modeling this outcome. Understanding how this dynamic instability occurs can help improve industrial safety.
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Cayman Islands sea turtles back from the brink
Sea turtles in the Cayman Islands are recovering from the brink of local extinction, new research shows.
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New protocol makes Bitcoin transactions more secure and faster than Lightning
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are becoming increasingly popular. Transactions are usually anonymous, fast and inexpensive. But in certain situations, fraud is possible, users can discover information about other users that should be kept secret, and sometimes delays occur. TU Wien has now developed an improved protocol which solves these problems.
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Greta Thunberg and Fridays For Future, from global myth to local mobilization
In 2019 the climate movement experienced an unprecedented growth in its mobilization capacity and its political and media impact. The success of the movement is closely linked to the figure of Greta Thunberg and the global impact of her discourse and the "Fridays for Future" movement in hundreds of cities around the world.
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Young people and adolescents know too little about pathogens such as COVID-19
A school-based scientific study in Italy, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Mauritius and Japan shows that young people know too little about reciprocal disease transmission from animals to humans (zoonoses) and the integrative management of health risks (One Health concept). The results of the international study were published in the scientific journal Frontiers in public health.
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Mangroves and seagrasses absorb microplastics
Microplastics do not just end up in the open sea - in fact, a lot also end up in the ecosystems of the coastal zones, a new study shows and this may threaten wildlife.
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Stirling experts develop artificial intelligence to monitor water quality more effectively
Artificial intelligence that enhances remote monitoring of water bodies - highlighting quality shifts due to climate change or pollution - has been developed by researchers at the University of Stirling.
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Scientists find gene mutation linked to exfoliation syndrome,most common cause of glaucoma
A team of researchers from A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), and the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) have identified a genetic mutation associated with exfoliation syndrome, characterised by abnormal protein material accumulating in the front of the eye. It is the most common cause of glaucoma, and a major cause of irreversible blindness. The findings could lead to further research on the causes of the systemic disorder and potential cures.
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