Silkworms help grow better organ-like tissues in labs

Biomedical engineers have developed a silk-based, ultrathin membrane that can be used in organ-on-a-chip models to better mimic the natural environment of cells and tissues within the body. When used in a kidney organ-on-a-chip platform, the membrane helped tissues grow to recreate the functionality of both healthy and diseased kidneys.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240606184338.htm

A new study reveals that marine cyanobacteria communicate

A breakthrough study changes the way we understand cyanobacteria, which are essential for the sustenance of life. The study shows that these organisms do not operate in isolation, but rather physically interact through membrane-nanotubes, which function as exchange bridges between cells.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240606152330.htm

Nanoparticles: Risk for babies in the womb

Little is yet known about the health effects of nanoparticles on pregnancy. An interdisciplinary team is currently analyzing the risks for babies in the womb. Using a lab model, the researchers were able to determine that certain nanoparticles impair the release of chemical messengers in the placenta and thus the formation of blood vessels.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240606152319.htm

People feel more connected to 'tweezer-like' bionic tools that don't resemble human hands

Some say the next step in human evolution will be the integration of technology with flesh. Now, researchers have used virtual reality to test whether humans can feel embodiment -- the sense that something is part of one's body -- toward prosthetic 'hands' that resemble a pair of tweezers. They report that participants felt an equal degree of embodiment for the tweezer-hands and were also faster and more accurate in completing motor tasks in virtual reality than when they were equipped with a virtual human hand.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240606152145.htm

Planet-forming disks around very low-mass stars are different

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, a team of astronomers studied the properties of a planet-forming disk around a young and very low-mass star. The results reveal the richest hydrocarbon composition seen to date in a protoplanetary disk, including the first extrasolar detection of ethane and a relatively low abundance of oxygen-bearing species. By including previous similar detections, this finding confirms a trend of disks around very low-mass stars to be chemically distinct from those around more massive stars like the Sun, influencing the atmospheres of planets forming there.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240606152101.htm

Tiny roundworms carve out unique parasitic niche inside pseudoscorpion's protective covering

In a parasitic first, a Baltic amber specimen has revealed that millions of years ago tiny worms known as nematodes were living inside of and feeding on the outer protective layer of pseudoscorpions.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240606001345.htm

Oral insulin drops offer relief for diabetes patients

Diabetes rates continue to rise. Scientists have now created a pain-free drug delivery method to help people with diabetes manage the disease and maintain their health more easily. Researchers have developed oral insulin drops that when placed under the tongue are quickly and efficiently absorbed by the body, potentially replacing the need for insulin injections.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240605162742.htm

Blood sausages and yak milk: Bronze Age cuisine of Mongolian nomads unveiled

Bronze cauldrons were used by the inhabitants of the Mongolian steppe around 2,700 years ago to process animal blood and milk. This is shown by a protein analysis of archaeological finds from this period.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240605162547.htm

Father's diet before conception influences children's health

A recent study provides new insights into how fathers' diets and overweight can affect their children's health even before conception. The findings of the study can help develop preventive health measures for men wishing to become fathers: The healthier the father's diet, the lower the risk for their children to develop obesity or diseases such as diabetes later in life.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240605162338.htm

Proton therapy demonstrates advantages in Phase III head and neck cancer trial

According to preliminary data from a multi-institution Phase III trial intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) achieved similar clinical outcomes and offered significant patient benefits when compared to traditional intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) as part of chemoradiation treatment for patients with oropharyngeal (head and neck) cancer.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240604184247.htm

Giant viruses found on Greenland ice sheet

Giant viruses found on the Greenland ice sheet probably regulate the growth of snow algae on the ice by infecting them. Knowing how to control these viruses could help us reduce the rate of ice-melt.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240604184205.htm

Population shifts, risk factors may triple U.S. cardiovascular disease costs by 2050

Driven by an older, more diverse population, along with a significant increase in risk factors including high blood pressure and obesity, total costs related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) conditions are likely to triple by 2050, according to recent projections. At least 6 in 10 U.S. adults (61%), more than 184 million people, are expected to have some type of CVD within the next 30 years, reflecting a disease prevalence that will have a $1.8 trillion price tag in direct and indirect costs.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240604132105.htm

Sunshine spurs spending: Investors bet big on sunny days

New research has found a connection between pleasant weather conditions and higher investment in lottery-like stocks.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240603195800.htm

Airplane noise exposure may increase risk of chronic disease

A new study indicates that airplane noise may increase one's risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases, a cluster of conditions such as heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension. The study found that people who were exposed to airplane noise levels at 45 dB or more were more likely to have higher self-reported body mass index (BMI), with the highest BMI measures linked to aircraft noise levels at 55 dB or above.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240603172239.htm

Microscopic defects in ice shape how massive glaciers flow, study shows

A glacier's flow depends on how microscopic defects move through the ice, according to new research that also yielded a new model for predicting how glaciers will flow, ultimately contributing to sea-level rise.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240603172218.htm

Shape and depth of ocean floor profoundly influence how carbon is stored there

The movement of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans and continents -- or carbon cycle -- regulates Earth's climate, with the ocean playing a major role in carbon sequestration. A new study finds that the shape and depth of the ocean floor explain up to 50% of the changes in depth at which carbon has been sequestered there over the past 80 million years. While these changes have been previously attributed to other causes, the new finding could inform ongoing efforts to combat climate change through marine carbon sequestration.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240603172205.htm

Altered carbon points toward sustainable manufacturing

Researchers develop a vastly more productive way to convert carbon dioxide into useful materials and compounds.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240603114419.htm

The embryo assembles itself

Biological processes depend on puzzle pieces coming together and interacting. Under specific conditions, these interactions can create something new without external input. This is called self-organization, as seen in a school of fish or a flock of birds. Interestingly, the mammalian embryo develops similarly. Scientists now introduce a mathematical framework that analyzes self-organization from a single cell to a multicellular organism.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240603114353.htm

Greenhouses cover more and more of Earth's surface

Greenhouse cultivation is booming globally, especially in the Global South -- and across one country in particular. This is revealed in a new study that deploys detailed satellite imagery and AI to map greenhouses across the planet. According to the researchers, the development is a source of both promise and concern.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240603114305.htm

Greenhouses cover more and more of Earth's surface

Greenhouse cultivation is booming globally, especially in the Global South -- and across one country in particular. This is revealed in a new study that deploys detailed satellite imagery and AI to map greenhouses across the planet. According to the researchers, the development is a source of both promise and concern.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240603114305.htm