Science & Technology
Decoy particles trick coronavirus as it evolves
Decoy nanoparticles mimic cells, attracting viruses to bind to them rather than infecting healthy cells. Researchers tested the strategy against the novel coronavirus and five of its variants, finding it was consistently effective.
How to rejuvenate the immune system of elderly people and reduce their risk of infectious disease
A new study identifies a reason for why older adults are significantly more susceptible to infectious diseases than younger people, a critical societal issue most recently exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic.
New study reveals that exposure to a group of widely used ‘forever chemicals’ may increase diabetes risk in middle-aged women
A new study finds that exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – a large and diverse group of industrial chemicals found in many everyday products – is associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes in midlife women.
Critical benefits of snowpack for winter wheat are diminishing
Scientists are studying the complex effects of climate change on winter crops. Warming winters may sound like a welcome change for some farmers because the change in temperature could reduce freezing stress on plants and create more ideal conditions fo…
Researchers map lung development after birth into late childhood
How do the lungs develop after taking their first breaths outside the womb? What cellular events and changes early in life give rise to lung malfunction and disease? To help answer these questions, scientists have constructed the first single-cell atla…
Lead as a social determinant of child and adolescent physiological stress and behavior
Lead is an environmental neurotoxicant that causes neurocognitive deficits and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. It also disproportionately affects socially disadvantaged communities. The association between lead exposure and children’s IQ has be…
Scientists crack egg forging evolutionary puzzle
Scientists have solved one of nature’s biggest criminal cases, an egg forgery scandal two million years in the making. Their findings suggest that the victims of this fraud may now be gaining the upper hand.
Rhesus monkeys can perceive their own heartbeat
Rhesus macaques are able to perceive their own heartbeats, according to a new study. The research creates a first-of-its-kind animal model of interoception, the ability to sense the internal state of one’s body. The findings provide an important model …
Climatic variability might not drive evolutionary change as much as previously thought
A new study combining records of climate change during the last 3.5 million years with fossil evidence of mammals in Africa reveals that times of erratic climate change are not followed by major upheavals in evolution.
UMass Amherst ensemble model most accurate for predicting COVID-19 deaths
The U.S. COVID-19 Forecast Hub, a collaborative research consortium, has generated the most consistently accurate predictions of pandemic deaths at the state and national level, according to a new paper. Every week since early April 2020, this internat…
New tool reveals how immune cells find their targets
Biological engineers have devised a new experimental tool that allows them to precisely pick out interactions between a particular B or T cell and its target antigen.
New tool reveals how immune cells find their targets
Biological engineers have devised a new experimental tool that allows them to precisely pick out interactions between a particular B or T cell and its target antigen.
Understanding ‘smart,’ spitting archerfishes
A new article thoroughly examines the evolutionary history and anatomical variation of archerfishes.
Study suggests why most smokers don’t get lung cancer
Cigarette smoking is overwhelmingly the main cause of lung cancer, yet only a minority of smokers develop the disease. A study suggests that some smokers may have robust mechanisms that protect them from lung cancer by limiting mutations. The findings …