Culture
NEW YORK, NY --A new discovery by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons could fix one of the major shortcomings of current gene-editing tools, including CRISPR, and offer a powerful new approach for genetic engineering and gene therapy.
Their new technology, called INTEGRATE, harnesses bacterial jumping genes to reliably insert any DNA sequence into the genome without cutting DNA. Current gene-editing tools rely on cutting DNA, but those cuts can lead to errors.
A chemical residue study of incense burners from ancient burials at high elevations in the Pamir Mountains of western China has revealed psychoactive cannabinoids.
This study, conducted by researchers from the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, provides some of the earliest clear evidence for the use of cannabis for its psychoactive compounds, and the awareness of higher tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-producing varieties of the plant.
Archaeological remains of coastal occupation in the form of shell middens are commonly found on today's shorelines, and evidence for shellfish as a food source goes back 164,000 years. Within this time frame, sea-levels changed dramatically and shorelines moved on the scale of kilometers. The current study, published in PLOS ONE, reveals that this movement of coastlines impacted the majority of shell middens by causing shells to wash away or to currently be underwater, and thus has skewed our understanding of past coastal subsistence around the world.
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Mellon College of Science and College of Engineering have developed a semiliquid lithium metal-based anode that represents a new paradigm in battery design. Lithium batteries made using this new electrode type could have a higher capacity and be much safer than typical lithium metal-based batteries that use lithium foil as anode.
The interdisciplinary research team published their findings in the current issue of Joule.
In 2018, researchers at MIT and the auto manufacturer BMW were testing ways in which humans and robots might work in close proximity to assemble car parts. In a replica of a factory floor setting, the team rigged up a robot on rails, designed to deliver parts between work stations. Meanwhile, human workers crossed its path every so often to work at nearby stations.
UMBC's Hua Lu, professor of biological sciences, and colleagues have found new genetic links between a plant's circadian rhythm (essentially, an internal clock) and its ability to fend off diseases and pests. The findings were 10 years in the making and published in Nature Communications this week. The results could eventually lead to plants that are more resistant to disease-causing pathogens and better treatment for human diseases.
June 12, 2019 -- Alcohol use among Tanzanian youth is rising and the high density of alcohol selling outlets and alcohol advertisements coupled with low enforcement of minimum drinking age laws are likely facilitating this uptick, according to a study by the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences. The volume of alcohol advertising that youth encounter in Tanzania is increasing as competition among global and local alcohol producers intensifies.
Over the past four years, an instrument attached to a telescope in the Chilean Andes - known as the Gemini Planet Imager - has set its gaze on 531 stars in search of new planets. The team, led by Stanford University, is now releasing initial findings from the first half of the survey, published June 12 in The Astronomical Journal.
The survey imaged six planets and three brown dwarfs orbiting these 300 stars and offered new details about Jupiter-like planets, which could influence theories about how Earth formed and became habitable.
If you're looking for a top-notch hospital with a wide range of services, narrowing your list to hospitals with a five-star patient experience rating might lead you astray. Many five-star hospitals offer fewer services than those without five stars, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers published June 10 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Supersized alcopops are ready-to-drink flavored alcoholic beverages with high alcohol content. Drinking just one of the 23.5 oz. cans constitutes binge drinking. Drinking multiple cans can lead to alcohol poisoning and death. Four Loko is the leading brand of supersized alcopop consumed by underage drinkers. A new study led by George Mason University's College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) found that Four Loko is among the cheapest ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages available in the United States.
Scientists from James Cook University and Royal Life Saving Society - Australia have found reason can go out the window when people's family members, children and pets are in trouble in the water, and people should be better trained in water rescue skills.
JCU's Associate Professor Richard Franklin was part of a study that examined successful rescues, and drownings where someone had died trying to rescue another in trouble in the water.
Researchers in Japan have discovered that the Plasmodium parasites responsible for malaria rely on a human liver cell protein for their development into a form capable of infecting red blood cells and causing disease. The study, which will be published June 12 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, suggests that targeting this human protein, known as CXCR4, could be a way to block the parasite’s life cycle and prevent the development of malaria.
Researchers have conducted the first analysis of Bitcoin power consumption based on empirical data from IPO filings and localization of IP addresses. They found that the cryptocurrency's carbon emissions measure up to those of Kansas City--or a small nation. The study, published June 12 in the journal Joule, suggests that cryptocurrencies contribute to global carbon emissions, an issue that must be considered in climate change mitigation efforts.
WASHINGTON--Transgenerational bisphenol A (BPA) exposure may contribute to autism, according to a mouse study published in the Endocrine Society's journal Endocrinology.
Fear overgeneralization (i.e., deficits in the discrimination of safety and threat) is an important pathological characteristic of anxiety-related syndromes such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder.
However, unlike traditional conditioned fear, the mechanism of processing innate fear is largely unknown.