Новости за 16.05.2022

An international team of researchers, including one from The University of Western Australia (UWA), has successfully unraveled the genomes of 418 unique samples of rapeseed from across the globe to identify traits that breeders can use to improve crop yield.

The gene-editing technique known as CRISPR has accelerated biological and medical research in the last decade by allowing scientists to repair the DNA of human cells almost as simply as using a pair of scissors.

A total of 21 new beetle species were discovered in the whale carcass that washed ashore at the Rottumerplaat in 2020. The creatures are experts in consuming meat, skin and bones.

The technological advancement of optical lenses has long been a significant marker of human scientific achievement. Eyeglasses, telescopes, cameras, and microscopes have all literally and figuratively allowed us to see the world in a new light. Lenses are also a fundamental component of manufacturing nanoelectronics by the semiconductor industry.

Polymer scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently announced in the journal Nature Communications that they have solved a longstanding mystery surrounding a nanoscale structure, formed by collections of molecules, called a double-gyroid. This shape is one of the most desirable for materials scientists, and has a wide range of applications; but until now, a predictable understanding of how these shapes form has eluded researchers.

Uncovering the past of historically under-represented communities sometimes means having to do a little digging, through newspapers, archives and even the ground.

Hybrid agricultural and horticultural crops can play an important role in supporting global food security. They produce higher yields and are often more resistant than non-hybrid varieties to diseases and climate stress. But for many crops, no hybrid varieties are available. Why is that?

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) scientists working in the vast Amazon Basin have contributed more than 57,000 camera trap images for a new study published in the journal Ecology by an international team of 120 research institutions.

It's not enough to understand what the effects of climate change are. Society needs ways to get ahead of these changes, to predict them before they actually happen. And when it comes to conservation, the approach scientists use to study species in the wild could be critical to these predictions, according to a recent research review led by biologist Stephanie Green and published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

Whi3 is a mnemon (Whi3mnem), or in other words, a protein that stores information in individual cells by forming stable super-assemblies. This memory state is then inherited by only one individual daughter cell at mitosis (individual memory). For example, when facing an uncommitted mating partner, budding yeast cells coalesce the G1/S inhibitor Whi3 into a dominant mnemon super-assembly that drives escape from mating pheromone response. This mnemon state remains stable in the mother cell for many... Читать дальше...

We need to dispel the arrogant and misguided idea that modern humans are superior to earlier human species. It is thanks in part to all our predecessors such as Neanderthals that we are who we are today. This is according to Marie Soressi, Professor of Hominin Diversity Archaeology.

These were days, months and years that many will come to remember: the drought from 2018 to 2020. An international team of researchers led by scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) has succeeded in categorizing the historical dimensions of this event. Based on their findings, no drought covering such a large area for an extended period and coinciding with warmer temperature has occurred in Europe since the middle of the 18th century. The years from 2018 to 2020 thus represent a new benchmark for droughts. Читать дальше...

Methane emissions have been increasing rapidly in recent years, contributing significantly to global warming. Despite this, methane is not adequately treated within existing national and international governance frameworks. Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) researchers highlight the urgent need for action in a new study published in Environmental Science & Policy.

With antibiotic-resistant infections on the rise and a continually morphing pandemic virus, it's easy to see why researchers want to be able to design engineered nanoparticles that can shut down these infections.

Scientists have shown that elevated heavy metal levels in rivers can lead to higher levels of antibiotic resistance.

Microbial communities shape our health and the health of our planet. Some are familiar to humans, like the microbes that reside in the gut, known as our microbiome. Others keep fermenting along mostly under the radar.

Body-worn cameras (BWCs) have become increasingly common in U.S. police departments, but we know little about their use in the field, including the factors related to whether and why police activate them. A new study examined the prevalence and correlates of BWC activation in Phoenix, Arizona. The study found that departmental policy may be the most important factor in determining BWC activation, and that policies that confine, structure, and check officers' activation of BWCs affect officers' decisions about turning on the devices.

Toxic airborne nanoparticles from vehicles on our roads, which enter our bodies and lungs and damage human health, can more effectively be screened out by tall, dense trees than other "green infrastructure," finds a new study from the University of Surrey.

Europe and parts of the U.S. are set for a sweltering and dry summer this year, posing risks for crops and boosting demand for energy for cooling at a time when prices of commodities are already running high.

Gaze aversion, lack of emotional expression, repetitive body movements, or speaking in monolog tone can sway people's judgment of another's credibility and honesty—notably in the criminal justice system.

This week, the world got its first-ever look at Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy. The image of a hazy golden ring of superheated gas and bending light was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope, a network of eight radio observatories scattered across the globe.

Research by a Kingston University economist provides fresh evidence for Bitcoin being a safe haven for finance during a nation's economic crisis. The cryptocurrency proves volatile during a global crisis, however, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources confirmed in a news release on May 13 that several fox kits were infected with the currently circulating H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Olefins, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide can be converted to aldehydes by the hydroformylation of olefins. Upon further conversion, chemicals including alcohols, acids, and esters are obtained.

Before this decade is over, NASA will send astronauts to the moon for the first time since the Apollo Era. As part of the Artemis Program, NASA also plans to establish the infrastructure that will allow for a "sustained program of lunar exploration." A key part of this is the Lunar Gateway, an orbiting space station that will facilitate regular trips to and from the lunar surface. In addition to being a docking point for ships going to and from Earth, the station will also allow for long-duration missions to Mars.