Eurekalert


The premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Updated: 3 years 8 months ago
A new culprit in antibacterial resistance: cysteine persulfide
A joint research project based in Kumamoto University, Japan has developed a new, highly sensitive analytical method that can detect degraded β-lactam antibacterial agents used in the treatment of bacterial infections. With this method, researchers found that reactive sulfur species produced by bacteria degrade and inactivate β-lactam antibiotics.
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Single-Shot COVID-19 Vaccine Generates Robust Immune Responses Against COVID-19 Variants
In a new study published in Nature, Dan Barouch, MD, PhD, Director of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, and colleagues report on the antibody and cellular immune responses generated by the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine against the original viral strain and against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. The team found that this vaccine induced immune responses against all the viral variants.
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Study: Important contribution to spintronics has received little consideration until now
The movement of electrons can have a significantly greater influence on spintronic effects than previously assumed. This discovery was made by an international team of researchers led by physicists from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). Until now, a calculation of these effects took, above all, the spin of electrons into consideration. The study was published in the journal "Physical Review Research" and offers a new approach in developing spintronic components.
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Assessing feasibility concerns in climate mitigation scenarios
What drives the feasibility of climate scenarios commonly reviewed by organizations like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)? And can they actually be extrapolated to the real world? A new systematic framework can help understand what to improve in the next generation of scenarios and explore how to make ambitious emission reductions possible by strengthening enabling conditions.
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Study of hyperhomocysteinemia in rats elucidates tracks to treating migraine
Homocysteine (HCY) is a sulfur-containing aminoacid, which attract more and more attention as the increase of homocysteine level associates with a number of pathological conditions.
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Brain connections mean some people lack visual imagery
New research has revealed that people with the ability to visualize vividly have a stronger connection between their visual network and the regions of the brain linked to decision-making. The study also sheds light on memory and personality differences between those with strong visual imagery and those who cannot hold a picture in their mind's eye.
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A study shows the unexpected effect of black holes beyond their own galaxies
At the heart of almost every sufficiently massive galaxy there is a black hole whose gravitational field, although very intense, affects only a small region around the center of the galaxy. Even though these objects are thousands of millions of times smaller than their host galaxies our current view is that the universe can be understood only if the evolution of galaxies is regulated by the activity of these black holes, because without them the observed properties of the galaxies cannot be explained.
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Brain alterations detected in obese children
The alterations detected link obesity to a brain condition similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder, which affects the same areas of the brain. Researchers analysed images of the brains of 230 children obtained by functional magnetic resonance imaging. This was the first study of these features in children. They believe the findings underscore the need for early intervention in child obesity, in order to prevent the alterations from becoming fixed in children's developing brains.
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A study analyzes the risk of karst groundwater contamination to human consumption
Five researchers from the Centre of Hydrogeology of the University of Malaga (CEHIUMA) are part of the international scientific team -- present in 11 different countries -- that is conducting a study to quantify the groundwater contamination risk linked to the processes of fast infiltration into karst aquifers, that is, aquifers formed by carbonate rocks.
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Solving mystery of the four-headed echidna penis
Australian scientists have for the first time detailed the anatomy and workings of the short-beaked echidna penis, demonstrating its innovative evolution.
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Innovation projects can reinvent the UN
Researchers at UNIGE demonstrate that innovative projects spearheaded by United Nations (UN) country offices are remodeling the institution and expanding its role. Digital initiatives, particularly those scaled through headquarters, were shown to have the strongest impact, changing ways of working, embedding new skills, and restructuring teams across the UN. These findings, published in the Journal of Management Studies, highlight that fostering even single innovative projects could lead to fundamental transformations in the UN.
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Meiosis: Mind the gap
Meiosis is a specialized cell division process required to generate gametes, the reproductive cells of an organism. During meiosis, paternal and maternal chromosomes duplicate, pair, and exchange parts of their DNA in a process called meiotic recombination. In order to mediate this exchange of genetic material, cells introduce double strand breaks (DSBs) into their chromosomal DNA.
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An atomic look at lithium-rich batteries
An international team of collaborators has made the first direct observation of the anionic redox reaction in a lithium-rich battery material. The research opens up pathways for improving existing battery cathodes--and designing new ones.
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COVID vaccine linked to low platelet count, nationwide study suggests
A condition that affects the blood, known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), may be associated the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in rare cases, research suggests.
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Association of rideshare use with alcohol-associated motor vehicle crash trauma
What The Study Did: This study looked at whether there was an association between rideshare use, motor vehicle crash traumas and impaired driving convictions in Houston, Texas, by comparing traumas and convictions before and after the introduction of Uber.
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Are social, behavioral risk factors associated with mortality among us veterans with COVID-19?
What The Study Did: An observational study of more than 27,000 veterans who received a positive test result for COVID-19 reports that risk factors such as housing problems, financial hardship, alcohol use, tobacco use and substance use weren't associated with higher mortality.
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Australian researchers create quantum microscope that can see the impossible
In a major scientific leap, University of Queensland researchers have created a quantum microscope that can reveal biological structures that would otherwise be impossible to see.
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Measuring sound diversity of quietness
The world is filled with myriad sounds that can overwhelm a person with relentless acoustics. Noise is so prevalent in everyday life that the concept and achievement of comfortable quiet is hard to define. During the 180th ASA Meeting, Aggelos Tsaligopoulos from the University of the Aegean will describe how quiet could be measured in the hopes of better understanding its impact on people. The session, "Towards a new understanding of the concept of quietness," will take place Wednesday, June 9.
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Language extinction triggers loss of unique medicinal knowledge
Indigenous peoples pass on their knowledge of medicinal plants orally. If their languages go extinct, valuable medical knowledge will be lost. A study by the University of Zurich estimates that 75% of the world's medicinal plant applications are only known in one language.
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A new approach will help save X-ray studies from failing results
Scientists from the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University with foreign colleagues have developed a method that allows not only to predict the appearance of glitches but even to eliminate their influence on experiments.
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