Beyond sci-fi: Manipulating liquid metals without contact: Look Ma. No hands!
In a landmark discovery, FLEET University of Wollongong (UOW) researchers have realised the non-contact manipulation of liquid metal. The metals can be controlled to move in any direction, and manipulated into unique, levitated shapes such as loops and squares by using a small voltage and a magnet. The liquid metal used is galinstan, an alloy […]
New path to treat advanced triple-negative breast cancer
A new study by researchers at Yale Cancer Center shows inhibition of the CECR2 gene prevents triple-negative breast cancer from advancing or metastasizing. The discovery is an early step in finding new therapeutics for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), one of the most difficult disease sub-types to treat. The findings are published online today in the […]
Microbiome of mother’s vagina may affect infant mortality risk and baby’s development, study in mice shows
A new study in mice from University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers showed that an unhealthy vaginal microbiome in pregnant mothers in combination with an unhealthy diet contributed to increased pup deaths and altered development in the surviving babies. The researchers offset these deaths from the unhealthy vaginal microbiome by giving the mothers a […]
Why the Omicron variant causes less severe disease: Eight COVID-19 drugs remain active against Omicron in cell culture study
A new study by researchers from the University of Kent and the Goethe University Frankfurt shows that the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is less effective than Delta at blocking a cellular defence mechanism against viruses, the so-called “interferon response.” Moreover, cell culture findings indicate that eight important COVID-19 drugs and drug candidates remain effective against Omicron. […]
Link found between gut microbes and stroke: Findings lay the groundwork for new stroke treatments, prevention strategies
New findings from Cleveland Clinic researchers show for the first time that the gut microbiome impacts stroke severity and functional impairment following stroke. The results, published in Cell Host & Microbe, lay the groundwork for potential new interventions to help treat or prevent stroke. The research was led by Weifei Zhu, Ph.D., and Stanley Hazen, […]
River flows linked to the ups and downs of imperiled Chinook salmon population
A study led by Simon Fraser University researchers has discovered that sufficient water flows during summer can be critical to a Chinook salmon population in the interior of British Columbia. The researchers investigated how water flows in the Nicola watershed affect early summer-run Chinook salmon. The team used an advanced time-series model to understand 22 […]
COVID-19 may cause fetal inflammation even in absence of placental infection, researchers report
Researchers at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health’s Perinatology Research Branch in Detroit have found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may cause fetal inflammation even in the absence of placental infection. Pregnant women have a higher risk of severe illness if infected with COVID-19. Infection increases […]
New study overturns popular theory on evolution of termite size
Researchers have completed a comprehensive analysis of the head width of over 1500 species of termites and determined that their size isn’t gradually shrinking at a geological timescale. Termites belong to the cockroach branch of the evolutionary tree. They split from their sister cockroach group at the end of the Jurassic period, around 150 to […]
Fully 3D-printed, flexible OLED display: Technology opens door to ubiquitous, more easily fabricated electronic screens
In a groundbreaking new study, researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities used a customized printer to fully 3D print a flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display. The discovery could result in low-cost OLED displays in the future that could be widely produced using 3D printers by anyone at home, instead of by technicians […]
Is energy the key to Alzheimer’s disease?
A team of researchers at the University of Adelaide has found a link between the way that cells produce energy for brain function and the mutated genes found in Alzheimer’s disease. The discovery published in Disease Models and Mechanisms has prompted further examination of the link as a fundamental, early driver of Alzheimer’s disease in […]