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The pioneering technology that is uncovering the mysteries of the 'Kraken'
A new study has shown that the key to filming the largest deep-sea squid on this planet was our knowledge of this animal's unique eye.
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Antiviral response: Eosinophils active in immediate defense during influenza a infection
For the first time in published literature, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) researchers showed that a variety of white blood cells known as eosinophils modify the respiratory barrier during influenza A (IAV) infection, according to a recent paper in the journal Cells. This research could have implications in understanding SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection in asthmatic patients.
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Incentives could turn costs of biofuel mandates into environmental benefits
Researchers from the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation examined the economic and environmental costs of the Renewable Fuels Standard mandates through 2030, including the impact on water quality in the Mississippi River basin and Gulf of Mexico. Models showed maintaining the corn ethanol mandate will lead to substantial social and environmental costs because it incentivizes expanded corn production. But the cellulosic ethanol mandate can provide an overall benefit with the right performance-based policies.
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Research shows consuming prebiotic supplements once a day has a positive impact on anxiety levels
A new study from the University of Surrey has found that 4-weeks of daily galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) prebiotic intake can reduce anxiety levels and result in an overall improvement in wellbeing in young women.
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University of Chicago scientists design "Nanotraps" to catch, clear coronavirus
Researchers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) at the University of Chicago have designed a completely novel potential treatment for COVID-19: nanoparticles that capture SARS-CoV-2 viruses within the body and then use the body's own immune system to destroy it.
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New duckbilled dinosaur discovered in Japan
An international team of paleontologists has identified a new genus and species of hadrosaur or duck-billed dinosaur, Yamatosaurus izanagii, on one of Japan's southern islands.The fossilized discovery yields new information about hadrosaur migration, suggesting that the herbivors migrated from Asia to North America instead of vice versa. The discovery also illustrates an evolutionary step as the giant creatures evolved from walking upright to walking on all fours.
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The science of sound, vibration to better diagnose, treat brain diseases
As part of a five-year, $2 million NSF project, Georgia Tech researchers uncover new methods for using sound and vibration to treat and diagnose brain diseases. The research could eliminate reliance on MRIs, paving the way for less costly and simpler systems that could serve a wider population.
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'Dominating' fungus could be solution to producing more biofuels and chemicals
The discovery of a novel enzyme that releases a valuable chemical from agricultural waste could provide an important breakthrough in the upscaling of renewable fuels and chemicals, a new study shows.
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Seaweed solutions
It's easy to think that more nutrients -- the stuff life needs to grow and thrive -- would foster more vibrant ecosystems. Yet nutrient pollution has in fact wrought havoc on marine systems, contributing to harmful algae blooms, worse water quality and oxygen-poor dead zones.
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Don't go fracking my heart
New research compares the health impacts of fracking on either side of the New York and Pennsylvania border and found that people who live in areas with a high concentration of wells are at higher risk for heart attacks.
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Exposure to high heat neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 in less than one second
Arum Han, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, and his collaborators have designed an experimental system that shows exposure of SARS-CoV-2 to a very high temperature, even if applied for less than a second, can be sufficient to neutralize the virus so that it can no longer infect another human host.
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Household aerosols now release more harmful smog chemicals than all UK vehicles
Aerosol products used in the home now emit more harmful volatile organic compound (VOC) air pollution than all the vehicles in the UK, new research shows. A new study by the University of York and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science reveals that the picture is damaging globally with the world's population now using huge numbers of disposable aerosols - more than 25 billion cans per year.
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NYU Abu Dhabi researchers design simulator to help stop the spread of 'fake news'
To improve news literacy and reduce the spread of misinformation, NYUAD Center for Cybersecurity researcher and lead author Nicholas Micallef is part of a team that designed Fakey, a game that emulates a social media news feed and prompts players to use available signals to recognize and scrutinize suspicious content and focus on credible information. Players can share, like, or fact-check individual articles.
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Stem cell therapy shows potential to heal intestinal disease in premature infants
WFIRM scientists are tackling necrotizing enterocolitis with a human placental-derived stem cell (hPSC) therapy strategy that is showing promising results.
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Few young adult men have gotten the HPV vaccine, study finds
Using data from the 2010-2018 National Health Interview Surveys, Michigan Medicine researchers found that just 16% of men who were 18 to 21 years old had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine at any age. In comparison, 42% of women in the same age bracket had gotten at least one shot of the vaccine.
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Exploiting non-line-of-sight paths for terahertz signals in wireless communications
After developing a link discovery method in 2020 using terahertz radiation, Brown and Princeton researchers addressed what would happen if a wall or other reflector creates a non-line-of-sight path from the base station to the receiver. In APL Photonics, they consider two different generic types of transmitters and explore how their characteristics can be used to determine whether an NLOS path contributes to the signal received by the receiver.
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New 2D superconductor forms at higher temperatures than ever before
Researchers at the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have discovered a new way to generate 2D superconductivity at an interface of an insulating oxide material, at a higher transition temperature than ever seen before for these materials.
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Researchers find mechanism underlying muscle weakness in Becker disease
Muscle weakness in patients with Becker disease is caused by unusual electrical activity in muscle fibres termed 'plateau potentials' that make them temporarily inactive, says a study published today in eLife.
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Researchers show new holistic approach to genetics and plant breeding
A group of researchers has discovered a new approach to cereal plant breeding that takes into account the internal "calculator" of plant seeds that makes them continuously reorganize themselves (global coherence). The approach includes unforeseen and unintended changes in the plant when genetically manipulated by the plant breeders. The researchers expect that the method can be used to improve the world's crops much more efficiently.
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Salk scientists reveal how brain cells in Alzheimer's go awry, lose their identity
Despite the prevalence of Alzheimer's, there are still no treatments, in part because it has been challenging to study how the disease develops. Now, scientists at the Salk Institute have uncovered new insights into what goes awry during Alzheimer's by growing neurons that resemble--more accurately than ever before--brain cells in older patients. And like patients themselves, the afflicted neurons appear to lose their cellular identity.
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