Earth
The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is changing the world like never before. This crisis is unlikely contained in the absence of effective therapeutics or vaccine. The papain-like protease (PLpro) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) plays essential roles in virus replication and immune evasion, presenting a promising drug target.
Current species loss directly affects the life of humans as regards nutrition, water supply, construction materials, and energy sources. This is confirmed by the Jena Experiment, one of the biggest experiments on biodiversity in which scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) were involved. The Jena consortium now reports in Nature Ecology & Evolution that ecosystem functions cannot only be predicted from the properties of plants, but that the entire complexity of biotic and abiotic interactions has to be considered. (DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01316-9)
One of the most important questions in science is how life began on Earth.
One theory is that wet-dry cycling on the early Earth - whether through rainy/dry periods, or through phenomena such as geysers - encouraged molecular complexity. The hydration/rehydration cycle is thought to have created conditions that allowed membraneless compartments called complex coacervates to act as homes for chemicals to combine to create life.
After cancer surgery, the crucial question is: Are there possibly cancer cells left behind that can continue to grow, or has the entire tumor actually been removed? To find out, the tumor is examined by pathologists. Until now, thin sections were made which were then analyzed under a microscope. A new technique, developed at TU Wien (Vienna), together with the TU Munich, could now initiate a revolution in pathology: Tumor tissue is made transparent and illuminated with a special ultramicroscope.
Ecological monitoring is the recording of biological diversity and its spatial and temporal changes. The lack of monitoring programmes which cover a broad range of species often means that, in many countries, no clear assessments can be made about the status of biodiversity. As a result, factors which may lead to declines cannot be identified and remedied.
Irvine, Calif., Oct. 27, 2020 - Treating cancer without debilitating side effects has long been the holy grail of oncologists, and researchers at the University of California, Irvine and Switzerland's Lausanne University Hospital/University of Luassanne (CHUV/UNIL) may have found it.
Ithaca, NY--A new study from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology confirms that most birds--but not all--synchronize their migratory movements with seasonal changes in vegetation greenness. This is the first study of its kind to cover the Western Hemisphere during the year-long life cycle of North American migratory birds that feed on vegetation, seeds, nectar, insects, or meat. The findings were published today in the Journal of Animal Ecology.
Research at Washington State University sheds new light on one molecule that may be used to treat a heart condition that can lead to stroke, heart attack and other forms of heart disease.
That molecule is mavacamten. Scientists at WSU's Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience department discovered it suppresses excessive force generated by hyper-contractile muscle cells in the human heart.
FOLSOM, Calif., October 27, 2020 - A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that regular consumption of foods rich in omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), found in marine foods like fatty fish, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), found in plant foods like walnuts, was associated with improved outcomes in individuals who suffered a heart attack, including decreased risk of death.
Ice loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet has accelerated significantly over the past two decades, transforming the shape of the ice sheet edge and therefore coastal Greenland, according to scientific research led by Twila Moon, deputy lead scientist of the National Snow and Ice Data Center. These changes to the ice sheet could have far-reaching impacts on ecosystems and communities, as the flow of water under the ice sheet as well as nutrient and sediment flow are altered.
LA JOLLA, CA--Scientists at Scripps Research have uncovered a potential new strategy for treating eye diseases that affect millions of people around the world, often resulting in blindness.
Many serious eye diseases--including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and related disorders of the retina--feature abnormal overgrowth of new retinal blood vessel branches, which can lead to progressive loss of vision. It's a phenomenon called "neovascularization."
University of Calgary scientists and members of the Clark H. Smith Brain Tumour Centre at the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) have discovered a way to stop the growth of glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer. The finding, published in Nature Communications, provides a new tactic in the war against cancer that involves reprogramming the immune system to do what it does best - fight the tumour instead of fueling it.
Durham, NC - A study released today in STEM CELLS may point to a new treatment for myelin-related disorders including Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease. The study demonstrates that fibulin 5, a protein secreted by human Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs), plays an important role in the development of Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
Big tidal ranges some 400 million years ago may have initiated the evolution of bony fish and land vertebrates. This theory is now supported by researchers in the UK and at Uppsala University who, for the first time, have used established mathematical models to simulate tides on Earth during this period. The study has been published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A.
Marginalised young people in Brazilian cities can play an important role in responding to the threat of climate change, but youth engagement needs to be both 'playful' and take youth 'seriously' to support them in expressing their full potential in bringing about local change according to a new study.
Researchers working with young people in Sao Paulo, aged 12 to 18, discovered a mismatch between what matters to youth and the processes of communication around environmental issues by different adult groups.