Toxic chemicals from microplastics can be absorbed through skin

Toxic chemicals used to flame-proof plastic materials can be absorbed into the body through skin, via contact with microplastics, new research shows.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240419131901.htm

Octopus inspires new suction mechanism for robots

A new robotic suction cup which can grasp rough, curved and heavy stone, has been developed by scientists.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240418165216.htm

Siblings with unique genetic change help scientists progress drug search for type 1 diabetes

Two siblings who have the only known mutations in a key gene anywhere in the world have helped scientists gain new insights that could help progress the search for new treatments in type 1 diabetes.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240418111749.htm

Study identifies new metric for diagnosing autism

Autism spectrum disorder has yet to be linked to a single cause, due to the wide range of its symptoms and severity. However, a recent study suggests a promising new approach to finding answers, one that could lead to advances in the study of other neurological conditions.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240417182844.htm

First evidence of human occupation in lava tube cave in Saudi Arabia

New research has highlighted an area in Arabia that once acted as a key point for cultural exchanges and trades amongst ancient people -- and it all took place in vast caves and lava tubes that have remained largely untapped reservoirs of archaeological abundance in Arabia. Through meticulous excavation and analysis, the international team uncovered a wealth of evidence at Umm Jirsan, spanning from the Neolithic to the Chalcolithic/Bronze Age periods (~10,000-3,500 years ago).

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240417182745.htm

New class of antimicrobials discovered in soil bacteria

Researchers have discovered toxic protein particles, shaped like umbrellas, that soil bacteria known as Streptomyces secrete to squelch competitors in their crowded microbial communities, especially others of their own species. What makes these newly detected antibacterial toxins different is that, unlike the Streptomyces' small-molecule antibiotics, umbrella toxins are large complexes composed of multiple proteins. They are also far more specific in the bacteria they target. They tend to go after bacteria that form branching filaments, an usual growth pattern among bacteria. The scientists are intrigued by the potential clinical clinical applications of this discovery, because they suspect the pathogens that cause tuberculosis and diphtheria might be sensitive to umbrella toxins.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240417131143.htm

Coral reef microbes point to new way to assess ecosystem health

A new study shows that ocean acidification is changing the mix of microbes in coral reef systems, which can be used to assess ecosystem health.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240416214653.htm

Real-time detection of infectious disease viruses by searching for molecular fingerprinting

Researchers develop breakthrough technology for wide-ranging and ultra-sensitive active nano-spectral sensor, surpassing current limitations.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240416214609.htm

Florida Wildlife Corridor eases worst impacts of climate change

Florida is projected to lose 3.5 million acres of land to development by 2070. A new study highlights how Florida can buffer itself against both climate change and population pressures by conserving the remaining 8 million acres of 'opportunity areas' within the Florida Wildlife Corridor (FLWC), the only designated statewide corridor in the U.S. Interactions between the FLWC and climate change had not been previously examined until now. Findings show substantial climate resilience benefits from the corridor, yielding a much higher return on investment than originally thought. About 90 percent of Floridians live within 20 miles of the corridor.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240416115958.htm

Most massive stellar black hole in our galaxy found

Astronomers have identified the most massive stellar black hole yet discovered in the Milky Way galaxy. This black hole was spotted in data from the European Space Agency's Gaia mission because it imposes an odd 'wobbling' motion on the companion star orbiting it. Astronomers have verified the mass of the black hole, putting it at an impressive 33 times that of the Sun.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240416115955.htm

Seed ferns: Plants experimented with complex leaf vein networks 201 million years ago

According to a research team led by palaeontologists, the net-like leaf veining typical for today's flowering plants developed much earlier than previously thought, but died out again several times. Using new methods, the fossilized plant Furcula granulifer was identified as such an early forerunner. The leaves of this seed fern species already exhibited the net-like veining in the late Triassic (around 201 million years ago).

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240416115952.htm

Physicists explain--and eliminate--unknown force dragging against water droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces

Researchers adapt a novel force measurement technique to uncover the previously unidentified physics at play at the thin air-film gap between water droplets and superhydrophobic surfaces.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240416115950.htm

New insights could unlock immunotherapy for rare, deadly eye cancer

New research explains why metastatic uveal melanoma is resistant to conventional immunotherapies and how adoptive therapy, which involves growing a patient's T cells outside the body before reinfusing them, can successfully treat this rare and aggressive cancer.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240416115939.htm

Twisted pollen tubes induce infertility

Plants with multiple sets of chromosomes, known as polyploids, are salt-tolerant or drought-resistant and often achieve higher yields. However, newly formed polyploid plants are often sterile or have reduced fertility and are unsuitable for breeding resistant lines. The reason is that the pollen tube in these plants grows incorrectly, which keeps fertilization from taking place. Pollen tube growth is mainly controlled by two genes that could be useful in crop breeding.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240416115917.htm

Quantum electronics: Charge travels like light in bilayer graphene

An international research team has demonstrated experimentally that electrons in naturally occurring double-layer graphene move like particles without any mass, in the same way that light travels. Furthermore, they have shown that the current can be 'switched' on and off, which has potential for developing tiny, energy-efficient transistors -- like the light switch in your house but at a nanoscale.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240416115914.htm

Scientists identify cell vulnerability 'fingerprint' related to Parkinson's, Lewy body dementia

A new study offers a first look into the complex molecular changes that occur in brain cells with Lewy bodies, which are key pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease and some dementias. The findings reveal that brain cells with Lewy bodies exhibit a specific gene expression pattern akin to a disease-related fingerprint.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240416115846.htm

Take it from the rats: A junk food diet can cause long-term damage to adolescent brains

A study on the effects of a junk food diet on rats reinforces scientific understanding about the gut-brain connection.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240415231853.htm

Green-to-red transformation of Euglena gracilis using bonito stock and intense red light

Euglena gracilis, often regarded as a 'superfood,' is a promising microalga with many health and nutritional benefits. In a recent study, researchers found an efficient and low-resource approach to trigger a reddening reaction in E. gracilis using red light and a bonito fish-based culture medium. This reaction is a sign of higher and diverse carotenoid content ratio, meaning the proposed method could help turn E. gracilis into an even more nutritious food source.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240415110527.htm

Researchers resolve old mystery of how phages disarm pathogenic bacteria

Bacterial infections pose significant challenges to agriculture and medicine, especially as cases of antibiotic-resistant bacteria continue to rise. In response, scientists are elucidating the ways that bacteria-infecting viruses disarm these pathogens and ushering in the possibility of novel treatment methods.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240415110524.htm

Physicists solve puzzle about ancient galaxy found by Webb telescope

Physicists solve a puzzle linked to JWST-ER1g, a massive ancient galaxy that formed when the universe was just a quarter of its current age.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240415110447.htm