New study adds more evidence for omicron immune evasion
A new study from Columbia researchers, in collaboration with scientists at the University of Hong Kong, adds more evidence that the omicron variant can evade the immune protection conferred by vaccines and natural infection and suggests the need for new vaccines and treatments that anticipate how the virus may soon evolve. The study was led […]
‘Drink your peas!’ Benefits of supplementing cow milk with plant protein
Scientists from the Department of Food Science and Technology at The Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio, USA) have developed a novel method of supplementing cow milk with vegetable protein using readily available current dairy processing equipment. A new report in the January 2022 issue of the Journal of Dairy Science® presents the study, which may […]
Mystery behind formation of surface ice-shapes on Pluto unraveled
Scientists have unravelled a fascinating new insight into how the landscape of the dwarf-planet Pluto has formed. A team of international researchers, including Dr Adrien Morison from the University of Exeter, has shown how vast ice forms have been shaped in one of the planet’s largest craters, Sputnik Planita. Perhaps the most striking feature on […]
Gene-editing used to create single sex mice litters, 100% efficiency
Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute, in collaboration with University of Kent, have used gene editing technology to create female-only and male-only mice litters with 100% efficiency. This proof of principle study, published in Nature Communications today (Friday 3rd December), demonstrates how the technology could be used to improve animal welfare in scientific research and […]
Synthetic tissue can repair hearts, muscles, and vocal cords
Combining knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering, scientists from McGill University develop a biomaterial tough enough to repair the heart, muscles, and vocal cords, representing a major advance in regenerative medicine. “People recovering from heart damage often face a long and tricky journey. Healing is challenging because of the constant movement tissues must withstand […]
Bringing 400-million-year-old fossilized armored worms to ‘virtual’ life
An international team of scientists from the United States and Australia, led by Sarah Jacquet at the University of Missouri, has documented the discovery of two new species of fossilized armored worms in Australia — Lepidocoleus caliburnus and Lepidocoleus shurikenus — dating from about 400 million years ago. Then, using the micro-CT imaging capabilities of […]
South Africa Braces For COVID-19 Wave Propelled By Omicron
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Worried scientists in South Africa are scrambling to combat the lightning spread across the country of the new and highly transmissible omicron COVID-19 variant as the world grapples with its emergence. In the space of two weeks, the omicron variant has sent South Africa from a period of low transmission to rapid […]
South Africa Finds New Variant Of COVID-19 With ‘Constellation Of Mutations’
A new variant of the coronavirus has been found in South Africa, troubling scientists who say the strain has a high number of mutations and is likely already sparking a jump in new cases around Johannesburg. The variant, which is being referred to as the B1.1.529 variant until the World Health Organization decides to assign […]
New survey method proves Rhode Island’s rarest frog may not be so rare
The rarest frog in Rhode Island may not be as rare as scientists once thought after a study by University of Rhode Island researchers using a seldom-used methodology turned up many more of the endangered animals than they expected. Eastern spadefoots — often called spadefoot toads, though they are actually frogs — have long been […]
Using T cells to target malignant brain tumors
Doctors and scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and from Heidelberg University’s Medical Faculty Mannheim have successfully tested a neoantigen-specific transgenic immune cell therapy for malignant brain tumors for the first time using an experimental model in mice. Cellular immunotherapies that specifically target malignant tumors are thought to be a promising approach in […]