Extracellular vesicles, or EVs, are tiny membrane-bound particles released by nearly all cells. They carry proteins, RNA, lipids, and other biological cargo that reflect the condition of their parent cells. Because EVs circulate in blood, urine, and other body fluids, scientists see them as promising biomarkers for diagnosing diseases without invasive biopsies. However, traditional laboratory methods such as Western blotting and ELISA analyze EVs in bulk, averaging signals across millions of particles and often missing rare but clinically important subpopulations. [...]
As rain falls, lurking within stormwater runoff are hidden microplastics, polluting the water sources they drain into. Even though microplastics originate in urban environments such as cities, existing data sets focus on marine and coastal areas. Without data sources on microplastics in cities, scientists are unable to develop models for predicting stormwater runoff that deal with this pollution. [...]
Brands and retailers could increase their sales by simply using more transparent packaging for desirable items, according to new research co-authored by Bayes Business School and Vienna University of Economics and Business. The findings are published in the International Journal of Research in Marketing. [...]
As the spread of infectious diseases accelerates, technologies that can accurately distinguish multiple viruses in a single test are becoming increasingly important. KAIST and an international research team have developed a new diagnostic technology that simultaneously identifies various viruses and variants by controlling the "speed" of gene scissors. [...]
An international research team has achieved an important milestone for astrophysics at GSI/FAIR in Darmstadt: In the CRYRING@ESR storage ring, scientists were able to measure nuclear reactions at extremely low energies for the first time, mirroring the conditions inside stars. This novel experimental approach lays the foundation for decoding the formation of elements in the universe with even greater precision in the future. [...]
The old maxim "location, location, location" may be as important in the social media landscape as it is in real estate. When a social media post about a user's personal experiences, feelings or beliefs includes geographic information, that location cue may affect how much readers like and empathize with the poster, according to a study led by Penn State researchers. [...]
Just as the human body relies on organs such as the heart or liver for essential functions, cells depend on their own tiny organs, or organelles, to carry out vital tasks, including transporting nutrients, removing waste, and regulating genetic activity. [...]
When a gene is turned on in a cell, it creates a ripple effect along the DNA strand, changing the physical structure of the strand. A new study by MIT researchers, appearing in Science, shows that these ripples can stimulate or suppress neighboring genes. These effects, which result from the winding or unwinding of neighboring DNA, are determined by the order of genes along a strand of DNA. Genes upstream of the active gene are usually turned up, while those downstream are inhibited. [...]
How do our genes determine our appearance and our susceptibility to disease? This question is central to biomedical research, and today we can sequence thousands of human genomes to identify these genes. However, genes work in complex networks. [...]
Though it's largely a hereditary trait, siblings often grow to be different heights. But even if they end up topping out at the same stature, they may take different paths to get there. As they progress through childhood, growth spurts can come at varying ages with varying intensities. [...]
Researchers at Yale, Google, and the University of California-Santa Barbara have created a device that simulates the quantum "tunneling" behavior of protons that occurs in chemistry, a process so common it occurs in everything from photosynthesis to the formation of human DNA. [...]
Fallen leaves, which are discarded every year, have been transformed into a resource that can replace waste plastics, a major nuisance in rural areas. A research team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed biodegradable agricultural vinyl made from fallen leaves, presenting a new way to solve the problem of conventional plastic vinyl, which is a cause of soil pollution. The study is published in the journal Green Chemistry. [...]
Cell division during the early stage of embryo development is a trade-off between speed and accuracy; the cells need to divide quickly to enable rapid growth, but it's important not to introduce errors that could be fatal to the developing embryo. But some stages of embryo development might be more tolerant of errors, coping with them without leading to complete failure. [...]
RNA technology is regarded as one of the newest frontiers in medicine, but in fact a primordial innovator got there way before we did. The malaria parasite, an ancient single-celled organism, has been using sophisticated RNA maneuvers for millennia. In a study recently published in Cell Reports, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science uncover the parasite's RNA strategies—mechanisms that could inspire unexpected applications for RNA-based tools in multiple areas of medicine. [...]
In August of 2020, the Grizzly Creek fire burned more than 30,000 acres around Interstate 70 in Colorado's Glenwood Canyon. The following summer, several rainstorms swept across the area and sent devastating debris flows, fast-moving torrents of mud, rocks, and water coursing across the highway. The road was closed for weeks, causing an estimated economic cost to the national economy of about $1,000,000 every hour. [...]
Chemists at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung have developed a practical two-step method for alkylating alkenes via thianthrenation, addressing a long-standing synthetic challenge. This breakthrough simplifies complex molecule synthesis with applications in drug discovery, agrochemicals, and materials science. The paper, titled "Decarboxylative Alkylation of Alkenes," is published in Nature. [...]
Scientists at Heriot‑Watt University have demonstrated in a world-first, that light can be used to control every aspect of how electromagnetic waves oscillate, opening new technological frontiers. Researchers working in photonics, the science of light, have discovered a new way to control "polarization," a key property of light that plays a crucial role in the performance of technologies such as drug development and quantum computers. [...]
In thermodynamics, an "adiabatic process" is a system change that transfers no heat in or out of the system. Any and all energy change in that system are therefore accomplished by doing work on the system, work being action that moves matter over a distance. (An example is a bicycle tire pump or lifting a box from the floor.) [...]
While research on social media advertising has largely focused on images, videos, and platform algorithms, the role of ad copy has received relatively little attention. This gap is especially evident in non-English contexts, such as Japan. In addition, the same word or expression may be interpreted differently depending on the advertised product. [...]
Every year, antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as staph, causes serious infections and outbreaks in hospitals and community settings, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, including the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. Methicillin-resistant strains, known as MRSA, are a leading contributor to deaths associated with antimicrobial resistance globally. [...]
New research, focused on the feeding behavior of long-finned pilot whales, has shed light on one of Scotland's largest mass stranding events. The study, led by the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) based at the University of Glasgow, used stable isotope analysis to reconstruct the feeding history of 55 long-finned pilot whales that mass stranded in 2023. The findings have shed light on the animals' movements and foraging behavior in the weeks prior to the event, and on the broader factors that may contribute to mass strandings. [...]
A new test that uses emojis can check the social skills of preschoolers. A vocabulary test is underway. [...]
An international research team led by Cologne-based plant scientist Professor Dr. Bart Thomma from the Institute for Plant Sciences, the Collaborative Research Center MiBiNet and the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences has discovered the surprising evolutionary origin of fungal effector proteins: molecules that pathogens use today to infect their hosts appear to have evolved from ancient antimicrobial proteins. [...]
It's a common misconception that rainforests are the lungs of Earth. Our oceans produce most of the oxygen we consume and are more effective at storing carbon. [...]
Laser sail propulsion is an idea that won't go away. By aiming powerful Earth-based lasers at tiny spacecraft with light sails, tiny spacecraft can be accelerated to near-relativistic speeds without carrying fuel or an energy source, and without carrying any kind of propulsion system at all. There are clear advantages to this idea, if it can be implemented. [...]
Particle accelerators such as those at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva are typically highly complex large-scale devices. In these ring-shaped facilities, which are often several kilometers in length, magnets and radio-frequency cavities are used to accelerate elementary particles. An alternative approach is now emerging: compact laser–plasma accelerators that can be built and operated at a fraction of the cost. These accelerators can achieve acceleration gradients up to around 1,000 times higher than those of conventional accelerators. Researchers at HHU contributed significantly to this development. [...]
Infants who grew up in early child care institutions in the 1950s have a much shorter life expectancy than the general population, according to a long-term study of individuals in Zurich. For the first time, the study provides robust evidence that early deprivation of affection and stimulation has serious consequences across the life span. [...]
Scientists have shown that evolution has been using the same genetic "cheat sheet" for over 120 million years, suggesting that life on Earth may be more predictable than first imagined. The international team, led by scientists at the University of York and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, studied several distantly related South American rainforest butterfly and moth species that sport similar wing color patterns that warn away predators, a phenomenon known as mimicry. [...]
A pounding heart, shaking limbs, chills and a churning stomach—it's no wonder that fear is an emotion we usually try to avoid. At least most of the time. We may not like having the wits scared out of us in a real-life crisis, but millions of people flock to scary attractions like haunted houses every year. [...]
New research led by Flinders University argues thick tooth enamel helped kangaroos chart an unconventional evolution story, compared to the animals of other continents. A 50-million-year natural "experiment" among Australia's marsupials suggests that the outcomes of evolution are far from certain. [...]