Earth
So-called transposons are abundant DNA-elements found in every eukaryotic organism as a consequence of their ability to jump and multiply within the host genome. Their activity represents a threat to the integrity of the host genome and thus the host cell engages a number of protective mechanisms to silence the expression of transposons. It is known that some of these mechanisms fail in cancer cells and also ageing cells, leading to a mobilization of transposons with largely unknown consequences.
The increased temperature and acidification of our oceans over the next century have been argued to cause significant physical changes in an economically important marine species.
Scientists from the University of Plymouth exposed blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) to current and future levels of ocean acidification (OA) or warming (W), as well as both together - commonly known as OAW.
Results of an international study published today in Autophagy and led by researchers from Monash University, School of Biological Sciences, provides renewed hope for children suffering from a progressive and devastating muscle disease.
Stephen Greenspan and Laura Zah were devastated when they learned their son Alexander had a rare genetic mutation, which causes a deadly neuromuscular disease with no known treatment or cure.
Fluctuations in the weather can have a significant impact on melting Antarctic ice, and models that do not include this factor can underestimate the global impact of sea level rise, according to Penn State scientists.
"We know ice sheets are melting as global temperatures increase, but uncertainties remain about how much and how fast that will happen," said Chris Forest, professor of climate dynamics at Penn State. "Our findings shed new light on one area of uncertainty, suggesting climate variability has a significant impact on melting ice sheets and sea level rise."
Three fossils found in a lignite mine in southeastern Yunan Province, China, are about 6.4 million years old, indicate monkeys existed in Asia at the same time as apes, and are probably the ancestors of some of the modern monkeys in the area, according to an international team of researchers.
Tiny bubbles can solve large problems. Microbubbles--around 1-50 micrometers in diameter--have widespread applications. They're used for drug delivery, membrane cleaning, biofilm control, and water treatment. They've been applied as actuators in lab-on-a-chip devices for microfluidic mixing, ink-jet printing, and logic circuitry, and in photonics lithography and optical resonators. And they've contributed remarkably to biomedical imaging and applications like DNA trapping and manipulation.
The key to promoting the hydrogen economy represented by hydrogen vehicles is to produce hydrogen for electricity generation at an affordable price. Hydrogen production methods include capturing by-product hydrogen, reforming fossil fuel, and electrolyzing water. Water electrolysis in particular is an eco-friendly method of producing hydrogen, in which the use of a catalyst is the most important factor in determining the efficiency and price competitiveness.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, USA - Researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) have solved the 100-year-old mystery of what activates magnesium ions in the cell. The discovery is expected to be a springboard for future development of novel drugs to treat cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders such as diabetes, and other diseases.
This work, which verifies one of the predictions of Einstein's General Relativity, is to be published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
"First of all, I have to say that exercise in general seems to be good for the health of the elderly. And our study results show that on top of that, training regularly at high intensity has an extra positive effect," says Dorthe Stensvold.
Stensvold is a professor in the Cardiac Exercise Research Group (CERG) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and has been looking forward to sharing the results from the Generation 100 study for a while now.
Scientists at the Autonomous University of Tamaulipas (UAT) in Mexico recently discovered five new species of parasitoid wasps in Mexico, but the name of one of them sounds a bit weird: covida. Why this name?
Secure telecommunications networks and rapid information processing make much of modern life possible. To provide more secure, faster, and higher-performance information sharing than is currently possible, scientists and engineers are designing next-generation devices that harness the rules of quantum physics. Those designs rely on single photons to encode and transmit information across quantum networks and between quantum chips. However, tools for generating single photons do not yet offer the precision and stability required for quantum information technology.
The way in which bone formation occurs needs to be redefined. This was revealed by Radboud university medical center researchers and their colleagues in a publication in Nature Communications. It turns out that bone formation does not require complex biomolecules in collagen at all. This means that the production of bone substitutes and biomaterials is less complicated than was previously thought.
A team of scientists from Siberian Federal University evaluated the competitiveness of Russian forest industry products by analyzing international trade data from different regions of the country and comparing it to the data from other markets. The study was published in the Forest Policy and Economics journal and supported by the Russian Science Foundation (project no. 19-18-00145).
Neurobiologists at Heidelberg University have discovered how a special receptor at neuronal junctions that normally activates a protective genetic programme can lead to nerve cell death when located outside synapses. Their fundamental findings on neurodegenerative processes simultaneously led the researchers at the Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences (IZN) to a completely new principle for therapeutic agents. In their experiments on mouse models, they discovered a new class of highly effective inhibitors for protecting nerve cells. As Prof.