Earth
(BOSTON) -- We have a mutualistic but complicated relationship with the collection of microbes in our gut known as the intestinal microbiome. This complex community of bacteria breaks down different food components, and releases nutrients such as vitamins and a plethora of other factors that control functions in tissues way beyond the intestinal tract.
Metalenses -- flat surfaces that use nanostructures to focus light -- are poised to revolutionize everything from microscopy to cameras, sensors, and displays. But so far, most of the lenses have been about the size of a piece of glitter. While lenses this size work well for some applications, a larger lens is needed for low-light conditions, such as an imaging system onboard orbital satellites, and VR applications, where the lens needs to be larger than a pupil.
New insight on how a type of cell facilitates the spread of HIV-1 has been published today in the open-access journal eLife.
The findings in mice suggest that subcapsular sinus macrophages, the first layer of cells in the draining lymph node, act as a kind of 'shuttle' for HIV-1 virus-like particles. These cells help the particles spread by loading them onto two types of immune cells, follicular dendritic cells and B cells.
Computers can learn to find solar flares and other events in vast streams of solar images and help NOAA forecasters issue timely alerts, according to a new study. The machine-learning technique, developed by scientists at CIRES and NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), searches massive amounts of satellite data to pick out features significant for space weather. Changing conditions on the Sun and in space can affect various technologies on Earth, blocking radio communications, damaging power grids, and diminishing navigation system accuracy.
Of the many marvels of the human immune system, the processing of antigens by the class I proteins of the major histocompatability complex (MHC-I) is among the most mind-boggling. Exactly how these proteins carry out their crucial functions has not been well understood. Now, however, researchers at UC Santa Cruz have worked out the details of key molecular interactions involved in the selection and processing of antigens by MHC-I proteins.
Tropical Storm 07A has developed in the eastern Arabian Sea, one day after Tropical Storm 06A developed in the western part of the sea. Infrared imagery from an instrument aboard Terra revealed that very high, powerful storms with very cold cloud top temperatures were southwest of the center.
Tropical Storm 07A developed on Dec. 2 from a low-pressure area designated as System 91A. The storm consolidated into a tropical storm today and was renamed 07A.
LA JOLLA, CA - Scientists at Scripps Research have developed a method for rapidly discovering potential cancer-treating compounds that work by resurrecting anti-tumor activity in immune cells called T cells.
Cancerous tumors often thrive because they render T cells dysfunctional or "exhausted." The new method uncovers medicinal compounds that can restore the function of these T cells, making cancers vulnerable to them again.
Laboratory research is the possibly best-known driving force for advancement in science. However, when it comes to investigating evolutionary processes, lab work often faces its limitations. This is where the power of big data and computational modelling comes into play. A recent joint effort from the Bielefeld University and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) in Gatersleben to understand the evolution of C4 photosynthesis, demonstrates the potential of in silico modelling in science.
Success with improving a model plant's response to harsh conditions is leading plant molecular researchers to move to food crops including wheat, barley, rice and chickpeas.
Flinders and La Trobe University researchers in Australia are focusing on genes that encode antioxidant enzymes to minimise harmful oxidative responses in leaf cells to environmental stress. Experiments showed the plant with enhanced enzyme levels becoming more hardy and recovering more readily from exposure to drought and 'high light'.
According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular (CV) disease has become the leading cause of death worldwide. However, vascular regeneration is a promising treatment for cardiovascular disease. Remodeling the endothelium - i.e., forming a confluent vascular endothelial cell monolayer on the lumen - plays a vital role in this process.
People who repeatedly encounter a fake news item may feel less and less unethical about sharing it on social media, even when they don't believe the information, research indicates.
In a series of experiments involving more than 2,500 people, Daniel A. Effron, a London Business School associate professor of organizational behavior, and Medha Raj, a PhD student at the University of Southern California, found that seeing a fake headline just once leads individuals to temper their disapproval of the misinformation when they see it a second, third, or fourth time.
A novel engineering process can deliver a safe and effective dose of medicine for brain tumors without exposing patients to toxic side effects from traditional chemotherapy.
University of Cincinnati professor Andrew Steckl, working with researchers from Johns Hopkins University, developed a new treatment for glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Steckl's Nanoelectronics Laboratory applied an industrial fabrication process called coaxial electrospinning to form drug-containing membranes.
A team of researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Riverside have found a way to produce a long-hypothesized phenomenon--the transfer of energy between silicon and organic, carbon-based molecules--in a breakthrough that has implications for information storage in quantum computing, solar energy conversion and medical imaging. The research is described in a paper out today in the journal Nature Chemistry.
In a Perspective article appearing in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Tim Palmer (Oxford University), and Bjorn Stevens (Max Planck Society), critically reflect on the present state of Earth system modelling.
They argue that it is a mistake to frame understanding of global warming as the product of sophisticated models, because this framing understates the contributions of physical principles and simple models, as well as observations, in establishing this understanding.
The painful symptoms of endometriosis - a chronic condition which affects millions of women - could potentially be reduced with a drug that had previously been investigated as a cancer treatment.
Researchers found that using dichloroacetate to treat the cells of women with endometriosis lowered the production of lactate - a potentially harmful waste product - and stopped abnormal cell growth.