Immune memory less durable after severe COVID-19, study suggests: Researchers compared results in less-severe and severe COVID-19 cases one and five months after symptom onset
Infection-fighting B cells retain better memory of the coronavirus spike protein in University Hospital patients who recover from less-severe cases of COVID-19 than in those recovering from severe COVID-19, a new study suggests. Findings by scientists from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio were published Wednesday (Dec. 22) in the journal […]
How diet influences taste sensitivity and preference: Food choice can be regulated to mitigate nutrient deficit or excess
What you eat influences your taste for what you might want to eat next. So claims a University of California, Riverside, study performed on fruit flies. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, offers a better understanding of neurophysiological plasticity of the taste system in flies. To maintain ideal health, animals require a balanced […]
‘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 […]
2,700-year-old leather armor proves technology transfer happened in antiquity
Researchers at the University of Zurich have investigated a unique leather scale armor found in the tomb of a horse rider in Northwest China. Design and construction details of the armor indicate that it originated in the Neo-Assyrian Empire between the 6th and 8th century BCE before being brought to China. In 2013, a nearly […]
Researchers crack the synthetic code of rare molecules sought after in drug development
A research team at Lund University in Sweden has succeeded in producing two molecules that are otherwise only formed by microorganisms from extremely contaminated wastewater in an abandoned mine in South Korea. The method, which took four years to develop, could pave the way for new types of drugs. The study is published in Journal […]
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 […]
Can seven questions determine how wise you are? Seven-item Jeste-Thomas Wisdom Index has high validity to measure wisdom and potential to improve overall well-being
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that an abbreviated, seven-item scale can help determine with high validity a person’s level of wisdom, a potentially modifiable personality trait that has been shown to have a strong association to well-being. The study’s researchers had previously developed the 28-item San Diego Wisdom Scale […]
Eye imaging technology breaks through skin by crossing beams: New approach to optical coherence tomography increases its depth of view in biological tissues
Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a method for increasing the depth at which optical coherence tomography (OCT) can image structures beneath skin. The gold standard for imaging and diagnosing diseases within the retina, OCT has yet to find widespread use as an imaging technique for other parts of the body due to its […]
Research reveals new evidence that sugary beverage tax impacts are sustainable, effective: Tax in Seattle shows long-term reduction in demand and added sugars sold
Two new studies published by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago provide evidence that public policies to reduce consumption of added sugars through taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages are effective and sustainable. Sugar-sweetened beverages like soda, juice, and energy and sports drinks, are the largest contributor of added sugars in American diets. Overconsumption of added […]
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 […]