Culture
For years, scientists have explored ways to alter the cells of microorganisms in efforts to improve how a wide range of products are made - including medicines, fuels, and even beer. By tapping into the world of metabolic engineering, researchers have also developed techniques to create "smart" bacteria capable of carrying out a multitude of functions that impact processes involved in drug delivery, digestion, and even water decontamination.
But, altering the genetic and regulatory processes that take place within cells presents challenges.
Two palaeontologists working on the world-renowned Burgess Shale have revealed a new species, called Mollisonia plenovenatrix, which is presented as the oldest chelicerate. This discovery places the origin of this vast group of animals--of over 115,000 species, including horseshoe crabs, scorpions and spiders--to a time more than 500 million years ago. The findings are published in the prestigious journal Nature on September 11, 2019.
Published in Nature today, scientists have shown how this hourglass-like feature, which dwarfs all other radio structures in the Galactic Centre, is likely the result of a phenomenally energetic burst that erupted near the Milky Way's supermassive black hole a few million years ago.
What The Study Did: Hidradenitis suppurativa is a painful skin condition where lumps form under the skin. This observational study examined the risk of new long-term opioid use among patients with the condition who hadn't previously used opioids.
Authors: Amit Garg, M.D., of the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in New Hyde Park, New York, is the corresponding author.
(doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2019.2610)
A bio-inspired bot uses water from the environment to create a gas and launch itself from the water's surface.
The robot, which can travel 26 metres through the air after take-off, could be used to collect water samples in hazardous and cluttered environments, such as during flooding or when monitoring ocean pollution.
Robots that can transition from water to air are desirable in these situations, but the launch requires a lot of power, which has been difficult to achieve in small robots.
An international team of astronomers has discovered one of the largest features ever observed in the center of the Milky Way - a pair of enormous radio-emitting bubbles that tower hundreds of light-years above and below the central region of our galaxy.
This hourglass-like feature, which dwarfs all other radio structures in the galactic center, is likely the result of a phenomenally energetic burst that erupted near the Milky Way's supermassive black hole a few million years ago.
Using computational tools to investigate gene transcription networks in large collections of brain tissues, a scientific team has identified a gene that acts as a master regulator of schizophrenia during early human brain development. The findings may lay the groundwork for future treatments for the highly complex neuropsychiatric disorder.
Space agencies must invest more resources on field geology training of astronauts to take full advantage of scientific opportunities on the Moon and other planetary bodies, Kip Hodges and Harrison Schmitt urge, in an Editorial. The Moon represents a pristine archive of the early history of the Solar System, making it an ideal research target for scientists seeking a window into planetary formation. Key to the success of these efforts will be careful field geology prior to sample collection.
K2-18b, which is eight times the mass of Earth, is now the only planet orbiting a star outside the Solar System, or 'exoplanet', known to have both water and temperatures that could support life.
The discovery, published today in Nature Astronomy, is the first successful atmospheric detection for an exoplanet orbiting in its star's 'habitable zone', at a distance where water can exist in liquid form.
Scientists at Newcastle University have shown that patterns - particularly stripes which are easy to spot when an animal is still - can also help conceal speeding prey.
They tested out their theories on praying mantises in a specially constructed miniature cinema where they were played videos of rectangular shapes which imitated bugs moving across a background similar to the natural environment.
As they watched movies of the bugs moving at different speeds, the mantises would move their heads and follow the bugs across the screen, tracking them as if they were prey.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 calls for ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture. The environmental challenges posed by agriculture are however massive, and many fear that they will only become more pressing as we try to meet the growing need for food worldwide. IIASA researchers and colleagues from Japan propose alternative hunger eradication strategies that will not compromise environmental protection.
An international team of scientists, led by researchers at McMaster University, has solved a centuries-old mystery of 'Fraser's Clawed Frog', an unusual and elusive species found in West Africa.
The findings, published today in the journal PLOS ONE, dispel previous myths and shed new light on Xenopus fraseri including its geographic origin, evolutionary relationships, ecology, and distinctive species traits.
A pioneering investigation developed by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) alongside the University of Sussex and University College London, shows that olfactory stimuli combined with auditory stimuli can change our perception of our body. These results provide new knowledge in the field of cognitive neuroscience and human-computer interaction.
If you want to build the most accurate clock in the world, you need something that "ticks" very fast and extremely precise. In an atomic clock, electrons are used, which can be switched back and forth between two different states in a very precisely defined way. Even more precise, however, would be a nuclear clock that does not use states of electrons, but internal states of the atomic nucleus.
This news release has been removed because it has been deemed ineligible against our news release guidelines.