Science

Champaign, IL — Scientists report that they have built a living “minimal cell” with a genome stripped down to its barest essentials – and a computer model of the cell that mirrors its behaviour. By refining and testing their model, the scientists say they are developing a system for predicting how changes to the genomes, […]

Hoboken, NJ — A study published in Indoor Air simulated the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on a flight from London to Hanoi and on another flight from Singapore to Hangzhou. When simulating the dispersion of droplets of different sizes generated by coughing, talking, and breathing activities in an airline cabin by […]

Houston, TX and Chicago, IL ― Scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Northwestern Medicine have identified natural extracellular vesicles containing the ACE2 protein (evACE2) in the blood of COVID-19 patients that can block infection from broad strains of SARS-CoV-2 virus in preclinical studies. The study was published today (Jan. 20) in […]

Basel, Switzerland — The level of magnesium in the blood is an important factor in the immune system’s ability to tackle pathogens and cancer cells. Writing in the journal Cell, researchers from the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel have reported that T cells need a sufficient quantity of magnesium in order to operate […]

Osaka, Japan – In a recent article published in Hepatology, a group led by researchers at Osaka University investigated the molecular mechanisms that drive development of Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) – a cancer which develops in bile ducts in the liver and has a poor prognosis and high mortality rate – and identified specific genes that […]

La Jolla, CA — Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have found they can dramatically improve survival of mice with cystic fibrosis through a partial bone marrow transplant. Their new study in the Journal of Immunology shows that a partial bone marrow transplant helps these mice by introducing a population of healthy immune […]

Berlin, Germany — A single blood sample from a critically ill COVID-19 patient can be analyzed by a machine learning model which uses blood plasma proteins to predict survival, weeks before the outcome, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS Digital Health by Florian Kurth and Markus Ralser of […]

Bellingham, WA —Recent advances in brain imaging techniques facilitate accurate, high-resolution observations of the brain and its functions. For example, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a widely used noninvasive imaging technique that employs near-infrared light (wavelength >700 nm) to determine the relative concentration of haemoglobin in the brain, via differences in the light absorption patterns […]

Cleveland, OH — Researchers from Case Western Reserve University have identified a new mechanism by which a protein known for repairing damaged DNA also protects the integrity of DNA by preserving its structural shape. The discovery, involving the protein 53BP1, offers insight into understanding how cells maintain the integrity of DNA in the nucleus, which […]

Ottawa, ON, Canada — A study from the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Social Sciences has revealed the limitations of manipulating emotional responses to counter distressing moments, with participants – particularly women – relying on spontaneous regulated emotion rather than a forced response to cope. These findings cast doubt on past research that suggested using […]

Urbana, IL — As health and research institutions continue to rapidly develop new methodologies for detecting SARS-CoV-2, researchers from the Holonyak Micro & Nanotechnology Laboratory have found themselves at both forefronts of discovery and featured on the cover of the Journal of the American Chemical Society with their paper: Label-free Digital Detection of Intact Virions by […]

Guildford, UK — University of Surrey researchers have developed a single-step procedure to put single-crystal silicon under more strain than has been achieved before. The discovery, which has a patent pending, could be crucial to the future development of silicon photonics, which underpins the technologies behind the internet-of-things, and is currently constrained by the lack […]