New gel breaks down alcohol in the body

Researchers have developed a protein-based gel that breaks down alcohol in the gastrointestinal tract without harming the body. In the future, people who take the gel could reduce the harmful and intoxicating effects of alcohol.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240513150509.htm

New drug makes exercise, everyday tasks easier for people with common heart condition

People with the heart condition obstructive cardiomyopathy were able to use significantly more oxygen while exercising after taking the investigational drug aficamten, according to a new study.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240513150439.htm

Research on centromere structure yields new insights into the mechanisms of chromosome segregation errors

Researchers have made a surprising new discovery in the structure of the centromere, a structure that is involved in ensuring that chromosomes are segregated properly when a cell divides. Mistakes in chromosome segregation can lead to cell death and cancer development. The researchers discovered that the centromere consists of two subdomains. This fundamental finding has important implications for the process of chromosome segregation and provides new mechanisms underlying erroneous divisions in cancer cells. The research was published in Cell on May 13th 2024.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240513133652.htm

Potential power and pitfalls of harnessing artificial intelligence for sleep medicine

A new article highlights how artificial intelligence stands on the threshold of making monumental contributions to the field of sleep medicine. Through a strategic analysis, researchers examined advancements in AI within sleep medicine and spotlighted its potential in revolutionizing care in three critical areas: clinical applications, lifestyle management, and population health. The committee also reviewed barriers and challenges associated with using AI-enabled technologies.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240513123455.htm

Study reveals patients with brain injuries who died after withdrawal of life support may have recovered

Analysis of 1,392 patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) found that some patients for whom life support was withdrawn may have survived and recovered some level of independence a few months after injury. Families are often asked to make decision to withdraw life support within 72 hours of a brain injury, and the new study suggests delaying decisions may be beneficial for some patients.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240513105222.htm

Hide and seek between atoms: Find the dopant

Collaborative efforts decode the mechanism behind stabilizing cathode doping in electric vehicle batteries.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240513105212.htm

Plant virus treatment shows promise in fighting metastatic cancers in mice

An experimental treatment made from a plant virus is effective at protecting against a broad range of metastatic cancers in mice, shows a new study. The treatment, composed of nanoparticles fashioned from the cowpea mosaic virus -- a virus that infects black-eyed pea plants -- showed remarkable success in improving survival rates and suppressing the growth of metastatic tumors across various cancer models, including colon, ovarian, melanoma and breast cancer.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240513105128.htm

Cellular activity hints that recycling is in our DNA

Introns are perhaps one of our genome's biggest mysteries. They are DNA sequences that interrupt the sensible protein-coding information in your genes, and need to be 'spliced out.'

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240510162624.htm

Melanoma in darker skin tones

Melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer that accounts for 75% of all skin-cancer-related deaths, is often detected later in people with darker skin complexions -- and the consequences can be devastating, a new study reveals.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240510142242.htm

US Navy Growler jet noise over Whidbey Island could impact 74,000 people's health

As often as four days a week, Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island fly loops overhead as pilots practice touch-and-go landings. The noise is immense. New research shows that the noise isn't just disruptive -- it presents a substantial risk to public health.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240510133022.htm

ERR-gamma 'trains' stomach stem cells to become acid-producing cells

Researchers have identified molecular and genetic pathways that direct the generation and maturation of parietal cells, the only cells in the body that produce acid, from stem cells. The findings can lead to new strategies to regulate parietal cell function in different diseases involving these cells, including autoimmune gastritis and stomach and esophageal cancers.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240510111443.htm

AI systems are already skilled at deceiving and manipulating humans

Many artificial intelligence (AI) systems have already learned how to deceive humans, even systems that have been trained to be helpful and honest. Researchers describe the risks of deception by AI systems and call for governments to develop strong regulations to address this issue as soon as possible.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240510111440.htm

Transforming common soft magnets into a next-generation thermoelectric conversion materials by 3 minutes heat treatment

A research team has demonstrated that an iron-based amorphous alloy, widely used as a soft magnetic material in transformers and motors, can be transformed into a 'transverse' thermoelectric conversion material that converts electric and thermal currents in orthogonal directions, with just a short period of heat treatment. This is the first example that highlights the importance of microstructure engineering in the development of transverse thermoelectric conversion materials, and provides new design guidelines for materials development to realize environmentally friendly power generation and thermal management technologies using magnetic materials.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240509180831.htm

GPS-like system shows promise as HIV vaccine strategy to elicit critical antibodies

A team has developed a vaccine approach that works like a GPS, guiding the immune system through the specific steps to make broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240509170244.htm

A fragment of human brain, mapped in exquisite detail

Researchers have created the largest synaptic-resolution, 3D reconstruction of a piece of human brain to date, showing in vivid detail each cell and its web of neural connections in a piece of human temporal cortex about half the size of a rice grain.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240509155503.htm

Ocean biodiversity work needs improvement

An international collaboration says the world's largest marine protected areas aren't collectively delivering the biodiversity benefits they could be because of slow implementation of management strategies and a failure to restrict the most impactful human activities.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240509124740.htm

New Rhizobia-diatom symbiosis solves long-standing marine mystery

Scientists have discovered a new partnership between a marine diatom and a bacterium that can account for a large share of nitrogen fixation in vast regions of the ocean. The newly-discovered bacterial symbiont is closely related to the nitrogen-fixing Rhizobia which live in partnership with many crop plants and may open up new avenues to engineer nitrogen-fixing plants.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240509124708.htm

Researchers harness blurred light to 3D print high quality optical components

Researchers have developed a new 3D printing method called blurred tomography that can rapidly produce microlenses with commercial-level optical quality. The new method may make it easier and faster to design and fabricate a variety of optical devices.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240509110855.htm

Saturated soils could impact survival of young trees planted to address climate change

New research has looked into the potential effects of increased rainfall in regions being earmarked for expansion of temperate rainforests. Amid global calls for more trees to be planted as part of efforts to combat climate change, this study highlights the importance of factoring in soil conditions when looking at where and how to create the temperate rainforests of the future.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240509110814.htm

Astrophysicists discover a novel method for hunting the first stars

A recent study has discovered a novel method for detecting the first-generations stars, known as Population III (Pop III) stars, which have never been directly detected. These potential discoveries about Pop III stars hold the promise of unlocking the secrets of the universe's origin and providing a deeper understanding of the remarkable journey from the primordial cosmos to the world we inhabit today.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240509110753.htm