Science & Technology

Imagine sitting out in the sun, reading a digital screen as thin as paper, but seeing the same image quality as if you were indoors. It could soon be a reality. A new type of reflective screen – sometimes described as ‘electronic paper’ – offers optima…

Scientists have produced the first fine-detail molecular blueprints of a bacterial enzyme known as Lit, which is suspected to play a ‘stealthy’ role in the progression of infection by reducing the immune response. Blueprints such as these allow drug de…

The blood-brain barrier protects the brain and is notoriously hard to get past for drug delivery, making it difficult to treat disorders in the central nervous system. In a mice study, a team of researchers used a novel approach to study the barrier an…

Researchers have identified a specialized protein that appears to help prevent tumor cells from entering the bloodstream and spreading to other parts of the body.

Scientists used Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (LTEM) to visualize topological defects. They were able to do so by passing electrons and observing their deflections through a thin magnetic film. The topological defects were observed as contra…

Growth impairment, a common complication of Crohn’s disease in children, occurs more often in males than females, but the reasons are unclear. Now, a physician-scientists have found that factors associated with statural growth differ by sex.

In the United States, nearly every pediatric doctor’s visit begins with three measurements: weight, height and head circumference. Compared to average growth charts of children across the country, established in the 1970s, a child’s numbers can confirm…

Researchers combined close-up observations of Jupiter’s environment by NASA’s satellite Juno, which is currently orbiting the planet, with simultaneous X-ray measurements from the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton observatory (which is in Earth’s own …

Plant researchers have a potent new tool at disposal: A research team now shows how to close the stomata of leaves using light pulses.

To enable tissue renewal, human tissues constantly eliminate millions of cells, without jeopardizing tissue integrity, form and connectivity. The mechanisms involved in maintaining this integrity remain unknown. Scientists now reveal a new process whic…

Two factors that play a key role in climate change – increased climate warming and elevated ozone levels – appear to have detrimental effects on soybean plant roots, their relationship with symbiotic microorganisms in the soil and the ways the plants s…

Sea otters are the smallest marine mammal. As cold-water dwellers, staying warm is a top priority, but their dense fur only goes so far. We have long known that high metabolism generates the heat they need to survive, but we didn’t know how they were p…

Certain metabolites of bacteria from the intestine make immune cells more aggressive as a new study conducted by scientists reveals. The findings could help improve cancer therapies.

Changing climate patterns have left millions of people vulnerable to weather extremes. As temperature fluctuations become more commonplace around the world, conventional power-guzzling cooling and heating systems need a more innovative, energy-efficien…

DNA is composed of nucleobases represented by the letters A, T, G and C. But in a bacteriophage, another base, represented by the letter Z, exists. Scientists have now elucidated the biosynthesis pathway of this base.

A massive volcanic eruption in Indonesia about 74,000 years ago likely caused severe climate disruption in many areas of the globe, but early human populations were sheltered from the worst effects, according to a new study.

To understand the connection between human activity and a type of tumorlike disease called growth anomalies (GAs) researchers have started using an emerging molecular profiling method to identify 18 small molecules that promise to help them better unde…

A research team performs machine learning-powered photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging for thyroid cancer classification.

Babies younger than four weeks old, called neonates, were once thought not to perceive pain due to not-yet-fully-developed sensory systems, but modern research says otherwise.

Researchers have achieved micrometer spatial resolution for radio-frequency imaging of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond by enhancing the signal with quantum spin-locking. This work may lead to more accurate material characterization, medical diagnos…