Culture
For the first time, astrophysicists have heard a black hole ringing like a bell. By reanalyzing the first black hole merger ever detected, the astrophysicists measured the gravitational wave 'tones' emitted following the event. The breakthrough comes 10 years earlier than expected and confirms that the properties of black holes are just as Einstein predicted in his theory of general relativity in 1915.
Metastasizing breast cancers typically seek out the bones, lung, and brain. Brain metastases are especially dangerous; many women survive for less than a year after diagnosis. How is the cancer able to get past the blood brain barrier? And can it be blocked?
Those questions led PhD candidate Golnaz Morad, DDS, and her mentor Marsha Moses, PhD, to conduct an in-depth investigation of exosomes, also known as extracellular vesicles or EVs, and their role in breast-to-brain metastasis. Their surprising findings appear in the journal ACS Nano.
Patients with sepsis often require surgery or imaging procedures under general anesthesia, yet there is no standard regimen for anesthetizing septic patients. Of volatile (inhaled) anesthetics, sevoflurane and isoflurane are the most commonly used drugs, despite their undetermined mechanisms of action. A novel study in The FASEB Journal suggests that the type of drug used in general anesthesia could be critical to the survival of patients with sepsis.
Songbirds exposed to imidacloprid, a widely used neonicotinoid insecticide, exhibit anorexic behavior, reduced body weight and delays in their migratory itinerary, according to a new study. This is perhaps the first direct evidence of a mechanistic link between the pesticide and declining migratory bird populations.
Rats can be taught to play hide and seek with humans and can become quite skilled at the game, according to a new study, which presents a novel paradigm for studying insights into the neurobiology of playful behavior in animals. The inherent characteristics of animal play behavior – that it is free and provides no benefits beyond the game – make it difficult to evaluate using the traditional methods of neuroscience, which often rely on strict control and conditioning. As a result, very little is known about the prevalence or neural basis of playful behaviors in animals.
JILA physicists have demonstrated a novel atomic clock design that combines near-continuous operation with strong signals and high stability, features not previously found together in a single type of next-generation atomic clock. The new clock, which uses laser "tweezers" to trap, control and isolate the atoms, also offers unique possibilities for enhancing clock performance using the tricks of quantum physics.
Vincent Pasque and his team at KU Leuven have unravelled parts of a mechanism that may one day help to treat Rett syndrome and other genetic disorders linked to the X chromosome.
Women and most female mammals have two X chromosomes, but only one of these is active in any given cell. This active X chromosome is selected through a flip-of-the-coin process in the very early stages of embryonic development: each chromosome has a 50/50 chance of remaining active and getting to express its genes, or to be inactivated through a process called X chromosome inactivation.
Bone marrow-derived cells play a role in changes to the mouse uterus before and during pregnancy, enabling implantation of the embryo and reducing pregnancy loss, according to research published September 12 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology. Although the study was done in mice, it raises the possibility that dysfunction of bone marrow-derived progenitor cells may contribute to implantation failure and pregnancy loss in women.
To make soap, just insert an oxygen atom into a carbon-hydrogen bond. The recipe may sound simple. But carbon-hydrogen bonds, like gum stuck in hair, are difficult to pull apart. Since they provide the foundation for far more than just soap, finding a way to break that stubborn pair could revolutionize how chemical industries produce everything from pharmaceuticals to household goods.
Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in British Columbia. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed a hydrogen supply chain model that can enable the adoption of zero-emission, hydrogen-powered cars--transforming them from a novelty into everyday transportation in just 30 years.
DENVER/September 12, 2019 - A new, two-minute screening technique could help save cats from dying prematurely of heart disease. Morris Animal Foundation-funded researchers at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University recently developed a focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU) protocol for use by veterinarians in general practice to increase detection of cardiac issues in cats that aren't outwardly showing signs of disease.
Plants, algae and other photosynthetic organisms remove carbon dioxide from the air, incorporating it into starches in a process known as carbon fixation. In green algae, which contribute up to a third of global carbon fixation, this activity is greatly enhanced by an organelle called the pyrenoid.
Just beneath their scales, Komodo dragons wear a suit of armor made of tiny bones. These bones cover the dragons from head to tail, creating a "chain mail" that protects the giant predators. However, the armor raises a question: What does the world's largest lizard - the dominant predator in its natural habitat - need protection from?
After scanning Komodo dragon specimens with high-powered X-rays, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin think they have an answer: other Komodo dragons.
An inexpensive thermoelectric device harnesses the cold of space without active heat input, generating electricity that powers an LED at night, researchers report September 12 in the journal Joule.
NEW YORK, NY (September 12, 2019)--When faced with a predator or sudden danger, the heart rate goes up, breathing becomes more rapid, and fuel in the form of glucose is pumped throughout the body to prepare an animal to fight or flee.
These physiological changes, which constitute the "fight or flight" response, are thought to be triggered in part by the hormone adrenaline.