Microbially produced fibers: Stronger than steel, tougher than Kevlar
A new fiber, made by genetically engineered bacteria is stronger than steel and tougher than Kevlar. Spider silk is said to be one of the strongest, toughest materials on the Earth. Now engineers at Washington University in St. Louis have designed amyloid silk hybrid proteins and produced them in engineered bacteria. The resulting fibers are […]
Obamacare Marketplace Sign-ups Pass 2 Million, Likely Pushing Down Uninsured Rate
More than 2 million people have signed up for insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s online marketplaces since Feb. 15, taking advantage of the Biden administration’s extended period for open enrollment that began on that day, the Department of Health and Human Services announced on Wednesday. That figure means total marketplace enrollment is probably at an […]
Raise a Glass? Study Tallies Cancer Cases From Booze
More than 700,000 new cases of cancer worldwide in 2020 were attributable to alcohol consumption, according to a population-based modeling study. Men accounted for about three-quarters of these cancer cases, which most commonly affected the esophagus and liver, reported Harriet Rumgay, BSc, of the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s Cancer Surveillance Branch in Lyon, […]
Brain circuit for spirituality?
More than 80 percent of people around the world consider themselves to be religious or spiritual. But research on the neuroscience of spirituality and religiosity has been sparse. Previous studies have used functional neuroimaging, in which an individual undergoes a brain scan while performing a task to see what areas of the brain light up. […]