New study unveils emotional hubs that exist across languages
From Tokyo University of Science 22/01/24 Emotions exert a profound influence on human behavior, prompting extensive explorations in the realms of psychology and linguistics. Understanding central emotions also has practical utility since it can help organizations create messages that resonate better with people. For instance, businesses can enhance their connection with their customers, and non-profits […]
‘Sudden death’ of quantum fluctuations defies current theories of superconductivity
From Princeton University 16/01/24 By Tom Garlinghouse for the Princeton University Department of Physics Princeton physicists have discovered an abrupt change in quantum behavior while experimenting with a three-atom-thin insulator that can be easily switched into a superconductor. The research promises to enhance our understanding of quantum physics in solids in general and also propel […]
Using AI, MIT researchers identify a new class of antibiotic candidates
From Massachusetts Institute of Technology 10/01/24 Using a type of artificial intelligence known as deep learning, MIT researchers have discovered a class of compounds that can kill a drug-resistant bacterium that causes more than 10,000 deaths in the United States every year. In a study appearing today in Nature, the researchers showed that these compounds […]
An electrifying improvement in copper conductivity
From DOE/Pacific Northwest National 08/01/24 A common carbon compound is enabling remarkable performance enhancements when mixed in just the right proportion with copper to make electrical wires. It’s a phenomenon that defies conventional wisdom about how metals conduct electricity. The findings, reported December 2023 in the journal Materials & Design, could lead to more efficient […]
Multitasking microbes: UW–Madison scientists engineer bacteria to make two valuable products from plant fiber
From University of Wisconsin–Madison 08/01/24 We often look to the smallest lifeforms for help solving the biggest problems: Microbes help make foods and beverages, cure diseases, treat waste and even clean up pollution. Yeast and bacteria can also convert plant sugars into biofuels and chemicals traditionally derived from fossil fuels — a key component of […]
Sea fireflies synchronize their sparkle to seek soulmates
From Cornell University 06/12/23 In sea fireflies’ underwater ballet, the males sway together in perfect, illuminated synchronization, basking in the glow of their secreted iridescent mucus. “It’s extreme,” said Nicholai M. Hensley, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior in the College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s an illustration of convergent evolution […]
Rice-engineered material can reconnect severed nerves
From Rice University 29/10/23 Researchers have long recognized the therapeutic potential of using magnetoelectrics ⎯ materials that can turn magnetic fields into electric fields ⎯ to stimulate neural tissue in a minimally invasive way and help treat neurological disorders or nerve damage. The problem, however, is that neurons have a hard time responding to the […]
Study confirms age of oldest fossil human footprints in North America
From U.S. Geological Survey 16/10/23 The 2021 results began a global conversation that sparked public imagination and incited dissenting commentary throughout the scientific community as to the accuracy of the ages. “The immediate reaction in some circles of the archeological community was that the accuracy of our dating was insufficient to make the extraordinary claim […]
New chambers discovered in Sahura’s Pyramid
From University of Würzburg 01/10/23 An Egyptian-German mission led by Egyptologist Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled of the Department of Egyptology at Julius-Maximilians-Universität of Würzburg (JMU) has made a significant discovery within Sahura’s Pyramid. The exploration has unearthed a number of storage rooms that had not been documented before. This discovery sheds new light on the […]
Stop ageing: Innovators extend life of worms using DNA therapy
From Eötvös Loránd University 26/09/23 Researchers Dr. Ádám Sturm and Dr. Tibor Vellai from Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary have made an exciting breakthrough in understanding how we age. They focused on “transposable elements” (TEs), which are parts of DNA that can move around in our genetic code. When these TEs move too much, they destabilize […]