Science & Technology
Low-cost medicine effective in treating high blood pressure for some
Medical researchers found that chlorthalidone was effective in lowering blood pressure in individuals with advanced kidney disease.
Moderate amounts of caffeine not linked to maternal health risks
Consuming a low amount of caffeine during pregnancy could help to reduce gestational diabetes risk, according to researchers.
Singing, being male, and being an adult tend to produce more respiratory aerosols, study finds
A new study measured respiratory particles produced from people singing or playing instruments. Is singing worse than talking when it comes to how many particles are being emitted? Yes, according to the study. And the louder one talks or sings, the wor…
Competing quantum interactions enable single molecules to stand up
Nanoscale machinery has many uses, including drug delivery, single-atom transistor technology, or memory storage. However, the machinery must be assembled at the nanoscale which is a considerable challenge for researchers.
Researchers recreate deep-Earth conditions to see how iron copes with extreme stress
New observations of the atomic structure of iron reveal it undergoes ‘twinning’ under extreme stress and pressure.
PFAS exposure, high-fat diet drive prostate cells’ metabolism into pro-cancer state
A high-fat diet synergizes with exposure to PFAS to change the metabolism of benign and malignant prostate cells, according to a new study in mice.
AI helps design the perfect chickpea
A massive international research effort has led to development of a genetic model for the ‘ultimate’ chickpea, with the potential to lift crop yields by up to 12 per cent.
ESR-STM on single molecules and molecule-based structures
Researchers extend single-atom electron spin resonance with STM from atoms to molecules, opening the power of synthetic chemistry to engineer their quantum states.
Conflicting health information compromises attention and emotional responses
The 24-hour news cycle and social media bombardment often resulting in conflicting messages about health issues might be making it harder than ever for people to make critical decisions, according to a new study.
Surprising findings on how salt affects blood flow in the brain
Researchers reveal surprising new information about the relationship between neuron activity and blood flow deep in the brain, as well as how the brain is affected by salt consumption.
New technique may lead to safer stem cell transplants
Studying mice, researchers have developed a method of stem cell transplantation that does not require radiation or chemotherapy. Instead, the strategy takes an immunotherapeutic approach, combining the targeted elimination of blood-forming stem cells i…
It takes more than one mutant copy of the PIK3CA gene to make breast cancer more aggressive, study finds
Breast cancers that have an overactive PI3K enzyme tend to be more aggressive and to spread and divide more like stem cells. But a new study uncovers a surprising relationship between PI3K activity and mutations in the PIK3CA gene that codes for the en…
Students who repeat a grade experience more bullying, study finds
Students who have repeated a grade have higher risks of being victims of bullying in countries around the world, according to a new study of nearly half a million students.
Using mechanical tools improves our language skills, study finds
Research has revealed a correlation between being particularly proficient in tool use and having good syntactic ability. A new study has now shown that both skills rely on the same neurological resources, which are located in the same brain region. Fur…
Coal creation mechanism uncovered
The mechanism behind one of the first stages of coal creation may not be what we thought it was, according to a team of researchers who found that microbes were responsible for coal formation and production of methane in these areas, which has implicat…
Shining a light into ‘black holes’ in the Arabidopsis genome
Scientists have sequenced the genome of the world’s most widely used model plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana, at a level of detail never previously achieved. The study reveals the secrets of Arabidopsis chromosome regions called centromeres. The find…
Scientists discover sugar molecule on HIV-infected cell plays role in evading immune system
A new study shows how key features on the surface of HIV-infected cells help the disease evade detection by the immune system. It also shows how these features can be disabled.