For The Better

Scientists studied the differences in activity of immune genes between male and female Kentish Plovers and found that the immune genes of males were more active. This is evidence that males live longer than females due to differences in their immune sy…

The humble pine tree is more than just a common sight in North Carolina — it’s also a handy tool for monitoring the proliferation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in our state over time.

Researchers are using modern sensor technology to automatically track oxygen levels and other stream vital signs 24/7, through changing seasons, floods and droughts. In a new study, researchers analyzed at least a year’s worth of data from 222 rivers a…

New research found that children with positive, early interactions with their care givers — characterized by warmth, responsiveness, and a stimulating home environment — were at reduced risk of childhood obesity.

A tiny burrowing frog that lives underground in the Amazon, known to local people as the ‘tapir frog’ because its long nose, has been given an official scientific description.

An international team of scientists has taken a snapshot of a cyclic molecule using a novel imaging method. Researchers used the world’s largest X-ray laser to explode the molecule iodopyridine in order to construct an image of the intact molecule from…

Physicists have learned to manipulate electrons in gigantic Rydberg atoms with such precision they can create ‘synthetic dimensions’ where the system acts as if it had extra spatial dimensions, which are important tools for quantum simulations.

A research group has discovered the logic that controls gene regulation in human cells. In the future, this new knowledge can be applied to, for example, investigating cancers and other genetic diseases.

New research associates the presence of Caudovirales in gut microbiota to an improvement in cognitive functions and memory in humans, mice and flies. The results show that bacteriophages present in the gut microbiota influence the relationship between …

The next generation of mosquito control might target the pests’ reproductive genes. Researchers examined genetic material of three species of mosquito responsible for killing millions of people around the world each year. Researchers revealed the surpr…

Recycling of electric car batteries can be easier, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly, according to a new scientific article, which outlines an optimized recycling process. The research represents a vital step towards the electromobility societ…

Physical distancing policies and particularly stay-at-home work mandates have proven highly effective at slowing the spread of the COVID-19 virus. But these measures have had numerous unwanted consequences, including dramatic reductions in economic pro…

A team of geologists and palaeontologists has discovered that, some 50 million years ago, there was a low-lying continent separating Europe from Asia that they have named Balkanatolia. At the time, it was inhabited by an endemic fauna that was very dif…

Students who attended three different field trips in fourth or fifth grade scored higher on end-of-grade exams, received higher course grades, were absent less often and had fewer behavioral infractions. These benefits were strongest when students ente…

Just like humans, rats are able to estimate a temporal error in their actions. This discovery opens up new avenues for identifying the mechanisms and brain structures which underlie the internal representation of time.

Medical researchers have developed a method for producing a low-cost, easy-to-use focused ultrasound device that can help open up the blood-brain barrier for non-invasive procedures and diagnostics.

The ability of cells to self-organize into specific patterns in tissues that serve a function is a universal feature of life. A well-known and much studied pattern is the compound eye of the fruit fly. Researchers now have discovered that the formation…

Tendons connect muscles with bones. When injured, they are really difficult to repair, and the existing therapeutic strategies often have complications. Researchers constructed artificial tendons that were mechanically and biologically similar to norma…

For the first time, researchers demonstrate an artificial organic neuron, a nerve cell, that can be integrated with a living plant and an artificial organic synapse. Both the neuron and the synapse are made from printed organic electrochemical transist…