For The Better

The structure adopted by lead sulphide nanoparticles changes surprisingly often as they assemble to form ordered superlattices. This is revealed by an experimental study that has been conducted at DESY’s X-ray source PETRA III.

For a cell to grow and divide, it needs to produce new proteins. This also applies to cancer cells. Researchers have now investigated the protein eIF4A3 and its role in the growth of cancer cells. The study shows that by blocking or reducing the produc…

Scientists have grown beating heart cells in the lab and shown how they are vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. In a new study, they used this system to show that an experimental peptide drug called DX600 can prevent the virus entering the heart cells.

Tests of glass samples gathered on Apollo missions show magnetization may result from impacts of objects like meteors, not as a result of magnetization from the presence of a magnetic shield.

Two new molecules that generate minute amounts of the gas hydrogen sulfide have been found to prevent skin from aging after being exposed to ultraviolet light found in sunlight. Sunburn is a major cause of premature aging in skin, and a primary risk fa…

Patients with vitamin D deficiency who received vitamin D supplements had a reduced need for pain relief and lower levels of fatigue in palliative cancer treatment, a randomized and placebo-controlled study shows.

Using observations from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), astronomers have identified an unprecedented collection of pulsating red giant stars all across the sky. These stars, whose rhythms arise from internal sound waves, provide th…

Scientists have created a model of the rare pediatric eye cancer that more closely mimics the biology of patient tumors.

Physicists have linked together, or ‘entangled,’ the mechanical motion and electronic properties of a tiny blue crystal, giving it a quantum edge in measuring electric fields with record sensitivity that may enhance understanding of the universe.

Biologists tested free-ranging squirrels to determine how quickly they adapt to the bendiness of their launching branch in order to successfully land. The squirrels learned within a few trials to leap no matter how bendy, but have a failsafe to stick t…

An immune signal promotes the production of energy-burning ‘beige fat,’ according to a new study. The finding may lead to new ways to reduce obesity and treat metabolic disorders.

Fasting before and during exposure to Salmonella enterica bacteria protects mice from developing a full-blown infection, in part due to changes in the animals’ gut microbiomes, according to new research.

Researchers have characterized a mechanism that allows bacteria to direct their movement in response to the mechanical properties of the surfaces the microbes move on — a finding that could help fight certain pathogens.

Today’s gold standard for COVID diagnostics is qRT-PCR, but turnaround is typically more than a day. Newer assays using CRISPR enzymes require initial amplification of RNA, requiring special equipment not available in doctors’ offices, workplaces, etc….

Researchers have found that introducing a polymer coating onto a tin catalyst accelerated the conversion of a greenhouse gas (CO2) into an industrial fuel (formate). Computational and electrochemical investigations supported a mechanism wherein a compl…