Science & Technology
Silver nanoparticles show promise in fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria
A new study found that small amounts of silver nanoparticles combined with a low dose of a common antibiotic inhibited the growth of resistant bacteria.
Thin, lightweight layer provides radiation barrier for perovskites in space, protection from elements on Earth
An ultrathin protective coating proves sufficient to protect a perovskite solar cell from the harmful effects of space and harden it against environmental factors on Earth, according to newly published research.
Ultra-processed foods may be linked to increased risk of cancer
Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods may be linked to an increased risk of developing and dying from cancer, an observational study suggests.
Study finds how our brains turn into smarter disease fighters
Combating Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases by inserting healthy new immune cells into the brain has taken a leap toward reality. Neuroscientists have found a way to safely thwart the brain’s resistance to them, vaulting a key hurdle in …
Mocktails or cocktails? Having a sense of purpose in life can keep binge drinking at bay
A new study reveals that having a sense of purpose in daily life can influence college students’ decisions on day-to-day alcohol consumption.
Diversity of viroids and viroid-like agents
A team of researchers has developed a computational pipeline to identify and better understand viroids and viroid-like covalently closed circular RNAs (cccRNAs, also referred to as, simply, circular RNAs).
Bioengineered skin grafts that fit like a glove
Bioengineers have developed a way to grow engineered skin in three-dimensional shapes, including a seamless ‘glove’ of skin that could be slipped onto a severely burned hand.
Warmer climate may drive fungi to be more dangerous to our health
A new study finds that raised temperatures cause a pathogenic fungus known as Cryptococcus deneoformans to turn its adaptive responses into overdrive. Heat increases its number of genetic changes, some of which might presumably lead to higher heat resi…
Researchers take a step toward novel quantum simulators
If scaled up successfully, the team’s new system could help answer questions about certain kinds of superconductors and other unusual states of matter.
With rapidly increasing heat and drought, can plants adapt?
As deserts expanded their range over the past 5-7 million years, many plants invaded the new biome and rapidly diversified, producing amazing adaptations to drought and heat. Can plants continue to adapt to increasing aridity caused by climate change? …
Aquatic organisms respond to flooding and drought disturbance in different ways
Populations of various species of aquatic insects and other invertebrates respond to flooding and waterway drying due to drought in different ways that can be anticipated, according to a new study that employed a novel method to assess the stability of…
Deer browsing is just one of many factors shaping North American forests
In a new study, a research team discovered evidence that browsing by white-tailed deer had relatively little long-term impact on two tree species in a northern forest.
New live bacterial product for stubborn superbug improves quality of life
The stubborn superbug Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, may have met its match. A esearcher is reporting the first well-controlled study to demonstrate the effectiveness of a new medicine for patients with the debilitating recurrent infection and dise…
How sound waves trigger immune responses to cancer in mice
When noninvasive sound waves break apart tumors, they trigger an immune response in mice. By breaking down the cell wall ‘cloak,’ the treatment exposes cancer cell markers that had previously been hidden from the body’s defenses, researchers have shown.
Biorefinery uses microbial fuel cell to upcycle resistant plant waste
Researchers have developed a sustainable, inexpensive two-step process that can upcycle organic carbon waste — including lignin, a difficult-to-breakdown material that gives plants their structure. By processing waste through a microbe-driven biorefin…
Scientists release newly accurate map of all the matter in the universe
A group of scientists have released one of the most precise measurements ever made of how matter is distributed across the universe today.
How to make hydrogels more injectable
A new computational framework can predict the structures, properties, and performance of granular hydrogels. The new model could one day make it easier to design the right gel for a particular biomedical application.
More variability helps learning
Variable stimuli influence learning processes in the visual system.
Understanding plants can boost wildland-fire modeling in uncertain future
A new conceptual framework for incorporating the way plants use carbon and water, or plant dynamics, into fine-scale computer models of wildland fire provides a critical first step toward improved global fire forecasting.