Culture
The vast cultural and linguistic diversity of Latin American countries is still far from being fully represented by genetic surveys. Western South America in particular holds a key role in the history of the continent due to the presence of three major ecogeographic domains (the Andes, the Amazonia, and the Pacific Coast), and for hosting the earliest and largest complex societies.
Special permeable concrete pavement can help reduce the "urban heat island effect" that causes cities to sizzle in the summer, according to a Rutgers-led team of engineers.
Their study appears in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
Engineers at Lehigh University are the first to utilize a single enzyme biomineralization process to create a catalyst that uses the energy of captured sunlight to split water molecules to produce hydrogen. The synthesis process is performed at room temperature and under ambient pressure, overcoming the sustainability and scalability challenges of previously reported methods.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Attracting and retaining the best and brightest employees with an unemployment rate that is hovering near a 50-year low is a challenge for companies.
The challenge is made more difficult with more workers reaching retirement age, declining birth rates and fewer replacement workers to fill job openings.
One emerging answer: Get rid of unproductive "busy work" and commit to learning how to effectively design and implement flexible workload arrangements for interested high-potential employees on a career path.
AMES, Iowa - Climate change is outpacing the ability of birds and other species to adapt to their changing environment.
PROVIDENCE, RI [Brown University] -- Researchers from Tsinghua University and Brown University have discovered a simple way to give a major boost to turbulent heat exchange, a method of heat transport widely used in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
LA JOLLA, CA - Earth didn't always harbor life. But around 4 billion years ago, something in the environment changed, and systems with biological properties began to emerge. Many scientists believe a lively dance of molecules called amino acids is partly responsible for the shift: Molecules linked up, broke apart and eventually came together to form life as we know it.
We might never know exactly how the process worked, but chemists today have made new discoveries that build upon promising theories for how life formed.
A group of Australian scientists has created the world's first computer model that can accurately predict the movements of baby coral trout across the Great Barrier Reef. The study confirms the importance of fish larvae produced in no-take zones for the health of fish populations within nearby fishing zones.
Tracking the lives of thousands of tiny baby fish is no easy task. But knowing where they'll settle and spend their lives as adults is invaluable data for the fishing industry and reef managers.
Researchers reveal previously undiscovered hot spots on the surface of bacteria's critical enzyme, which could guide novel approaches to antibiotic design.
Researchers have identified key sections of a bacterial enzyme that could be targeted with new drugs to inhibit the spread of some bacterial infections. A team of scientists from Hokkaido University in Japan, Duke University in the U.S. and The Catholic University of Korea recently published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
BOSTON, Aug. 1, 2019 -- Use of the illegal stimulant methamphetamine causes build-up of tough protein fibers in heart muscle, which may help explain the development of enlarged hearts and heart failure in users, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2019 Scientific Sessions.
Methamphetamine, also known as meth, is an extremely addictive and commonly abused stimulant drug, with 1.6 million Americans reporting using the drug in 2017.
New Haven, Conn. -- Yale investigators have shown that the combination of a vaccine and a medicated cream is a promising strategy to dramatically reduce the recurrence of genital herpes. Their study, co-led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, was published in the journal npj Vaccines.
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2, which causes genital herpes, is very common, affecting more than 400 million people worldwide. There's no cure and efforts to develop a vaccine have had limited success.
Japanese researchers were able to rapidly and accurately predict the microstructure of Nickel - Aluminum (Ni-Al) alloys that are commonly used in the design of jet engine turbine parts. Predictions of the microstructure of these alloys have so far been time-consuming and expensive. The findings have the potential to greatly advance the design of materials - made up of a range of different alloys - that are used to make products in several different industry sectors.
Air pollution is made up of both gaseous and particulate matter (PM). Each year almost two million people die as a direct result of air pollution with many more experiencing impaired lung function, developing lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However research, on the effects of low level air pollution, is often overlooked.
Albinism is the best-known of a group of rare genetic disorders that can affect both eyes and skin. Some genes have been identified that are linked to these conditions, but many remain mysterious. Now a team led by UC Davis researchers has identified dozens of these genetic mutations in a screen of gene-targeted "knockout" mice. The authors hope the work, published Aug. 1 in Scientific Reports, will be a resource for clinicians specializing in genetic disorders.
Scientists have succeeded in reducing levels of the bovine leukemia virus (BLV) in cows with severe infections by combining an immune checkpoint inhibitor and an enzyme inhibitor. The finding could be utilized to control other diseases in cattle, and perhaps in humans someday.