For The Better

Drugs that selectively kill senescent cells may benefit otherwise healthy older women but are not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ remedy, Mayo Clinic researchers have found. Specifically, these drugs may only benefit people with a high number of senescent cells,…

Chemists have discovered a way to use visible light to synthesize a class of compounds particularly well suited for use in pharmaceuticals. The class of compounds, called azetidines, had been previously identified as a good candidate to build therapeut…

In a recent study, researchers suggest the cell’s messenger RNA (mRNA) — the major translator and regulator of genetic material — along with a critical protein called ZAK, spur the cell’s initial response to UV radiation damage and play a critical ro…

Researchers have developed a new two-photon polymerization technique that uses two lasers to 3D print complex high-resolution structures. The advance could make this 3D printing process less expensive, helping it find wider use in a variety of applicat…

Solar panel and biorefinery designers could learn a thing or two from iridescent giant clams living near tropical coral reefs, according to a new study. This is because giant clams have precise geometries — dynamic, vertical columns of photosynthetic …

A major challenge in developing a vaccine for HIV is that the virus mutates fast — very fast. Although a person initially becomes infected with one or a few HIV strains, the virus replicates and mutates quickly, resulting in a ‘swarm’ of viral strains…

A team of researchers had already been working with electricity price data for years before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, exploring statistics and developing forecasting methods. Now they zero in on how prices in different countries relate and how coun…

Scientists have identified a gene which, when missing or impaired, can cause obesity, behavioural problems and, in mothers, postnatal depression. The discovery, reported today in Cell, may have wider implications for the treatment of postnatal depressi…

Randomized controlled trials, or RCTs, are believed to be the best way to study the safety and efficacy of new treatments in clinical research. However, a recent study found that people of color and white women are significantly underrepresented in RCT…

Raising the energy state of an atom’s nucleus using a laser, or exciting it, would enable development of the most accurate atomic clocks ever to exist. This has been hard to do because electrons, which surround the nucleus, react easily with light, inc…

A research effort has made advances that could enable a broader range of currently unimagined optoelectronic devices.

A class of proteins that regulates cell repair and enhances cell growth-signaling systems could be a promising new target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, according to a new study. They found that disrupting necess…

A promising therapy that treats blood cancers by harnessing the power of the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells could now treat solid tumors more efficiently.

The release in July 2024 of the blockbuster film Twisters (centred around a social-media celebrity storm-chaser) demonstrates an ongoing public fascination in hazards and extreme weather. The arrival of camera and streaming technologies have made it ea…

A new study shows how the global economy could claw back billions of dollars lost each year due to workplace injuries and illness.