Science & Technology

Unlocking the molecular mechanism of PTSD treatment. Scientists discover that modulating NMDA receptor activity is the key to successful treatment.

Researchers have found a way to supercharge immune cells that could enable them to clear disease and infections faster

Exercising during pregnancy bestows a wealth of benefits upon a child. New research suggests that exercise may also help reduce the offspring’s chances of getting type 2 diabetes. Researchers uncovered how SOD3, a key protein released by the placenta a…

By comparing the infectious viral load caused by ancestral SARS-CoV-2 as well as by the Delta and Omicron variants, scientists highlight the benefits of vaccination.

The growth of human shoulders slows down just before birth and speeds up thereafter; this alleviates the problem of shoulder dystocia. Computed tomography was used to obtain cross-sectional representations of the clavicle in humans, chimpanzees, and Ja…

The first large-scale study of its kind has uncovered more than 4,000 years’ worth of distinctive foraging behavior in a species once driven to the brink of extinction.

A team of researchers developed a framework that may help clinicians objectively identify and estimate harms and benefits of opioid use for pain management.

With their superior properties, topological qubits could help achieve a breakthrough in the development of a quantum computer designed for universal applications. So far, no one has yet succeeded in unambiguously demonstrating a quantum bit, or qubit f…

It is estimated that about one in four adults worldwide has an abnormal build-up of fat in the liver, called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD can lead to permanent liver damage, and heart disease is the leading cause of death in people …

Scientists have announced a significant advance in our understanding of epilepsy, as they have identified a potential method of preventing damaging seizure activity. Brain cells are nourished by an intricate network of capillaries that forms the so-cal…

Organic aerosols — such as those released in cooking — may stay in the atmosphere for several days, because of nanostructures formed by fatty acids as they are released into the air.

A photocatalyst made using a combination of titanium dioxide and copper oxide nanoclusters inactivates various variant types of novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Scientists have developed this antiviral photocatalyst, in a recent breakthrough, which has be…

Breathing, seeing, hearing — the family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is involved in a variety of physiological processes and is also the cause of diverse diseases. Some members of the GPCR family respond to mechanical stimuli. Researchers ha…

A very small percentage of people with HIV-1, known as ‘post-treatment controllers’ (PTCs), are able to control their infection after interrupting all antiretroviral therapy. Understanding the fundamental mechanisms that govern their immune response is…

In patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, a genetic disease predisposing to colon cancer, mutations of the APC gene induce the formation of intestinal polyps, but also reduce immune system activity. In a new study, researchers describe the mecha…

Chemical syntheses in liquids and gases take place in three-dimensional space. Random collisions between molecules have to result in something new in an extremely short time. But there is another way: on a gold surface under ultrahigh vacuum conditions…

A new study examines the ability of the human gut microbiome to digest xanthan gum, a relatively recently introduced food ingredient found in many processed foods.

Disulfiram is a drug used to treat chronic alcoholism. However, studies suggest that it also inhibits chemokine receptor signaling pathways that are associated with the regulation of anxiety in rodents. Now, researchers show that disulfiram can effecti…

People may be willing to condone statements they know to be false and even spread misinformation on social media if they believe those statements could become true in the future, according to new research.

In a discovery that could speed research into next-generation electronics and LED devices, a research team has developed a reliable, scalable method for growing single layers of hexagonal boron nitride on graphene.