The largest ever study of the genetics of the brain—encompassing some 36,000 brain scans—has identified more than 4,000 genetic variants linked to brain structure. The results of the study, led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, are published in Nature Genetics. Our brains are very complex organs, with huge variety between individuals in terms [...]
Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have found that the virus responsible for chikungunya fever can spread directly from cell to cell—perhaps solving the longstanding mystery of how the virus, now emerging as a major health threat, can manage to escape antibodies circulating in the bloodstream. The findings, published in Nature Microbiology, could help in [...]
Could plants be the answer to the looming threat of microplastic pollution? Scientists at UBC's BioProducts Institute found that if you add tannins—natural plant compounds that make your mouth pucker if you bite into an unripe fruit—to a layer of wood dust, you can create a filter that traps virtually all microplastic particles present [...]
Two molecular languages at the origin of life have been successfully recreated and mathematically validated, thanks to pioneering work by Canadian scientists at Université de Montréal. Living organisms are made up of billions of nanomachines and nanostructures that communicate to create higher-order entities able to do many essential things, such as moving, thinking, surviving [...]
Scientists are hard at work developing a new vaccine against a future pandemic caused by the mysterious Disease X, the designation adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the next hypothetical pandemic. Around 200 British scientists are hard at work doing just that at the Porton Down laboratory complex in Wiltshire, Sky News reported. "What [...]
Using machine learning to improve living. A groundbreaking machine-learning study has revealed the optimal drug combinations to prevent the recurrence of COVID-19 after initial infection. Interestingly, the ideal combination differs among patients. Using real-world data from a hospital in China, the UC Riverside-led study discovered that factors such as age, weight, and other health conditions dictate [...]
A team of bioengineers and biomedical scientists from the University of Sydney and the Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI) at Westmead have used 3D photolithographic printing to create a complex environment for assembling tissue that mimics the architecture of an organ. The teams were led by Professor Hala Zreiqat and Dr. Peter Newman at [...]
Decades of work by a series of researchers has led to a groundbreaking drug, innovative patents, and the launch of a new startup. A scientific journey decades in the making at Duke University has discovered a novel antibiotic approach to combat gram-negative bacteria, including Salmonella, Pseudomonas, and E. coli, which are often responsible for urinary tract [...]
How one regulatory protein acts as a multi-tool of bacterial cell wall remodeling. For bacterial cells to grow and divide, their cell walls need continual remodeling. This process requires a careful balance of lytic enzymes and peptidoglycan production. A team of researchers headed by Martin Thanbichler discovered that a central regulator can control completely [...]
For the first time, researchers have observed "quantum superchemistry" in the lab. Long theorized but never before seen, quantum superchemistry is a phenomenon in which atoms or molecules in the same quantum state chemically react more rapidly than do atoms or molecules that are in different quantum states. A quantum state is a set of [...]
