/ en-us Â鶹ÒùÔº internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Â鶹ÒùÔºics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. To grow and survive, tiny organisms such as yeast must sometimes adapt their nutrient sources in response to changes in the environment. FMI researchers have now found that yeast cells communicate with each other to use less favorable nutrients if they foresee a shortage of their favorite food. This communication is facilitated by secreted molecules that interact with a protein in mitochondria, the cells' energy factories. /news/2024-09-yeast-chit-chat-microorganisms-communicate.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:41:03 EDT news646396861 CRISPR, the gene-editing technology, has been one of the major breakthroughs in biology in the last two decades. And while students learn about the capability to cut, paste, and alter genes, it's rare that they get the chance to understand the technology by using it themselves. /news/2024-09-kit-classroom-crispr-accessible.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 18 Sep 2024 10:53:05 EDT news645875581 Studying the complex motility patterns of cells and microorganisms is key to understanding their behaviors and biomechanics. However, many conventional microscopes are constrained by fixed lenses and the lack of ability to track organisms over extended periods without manual intervention. /news/2024-08-tracking-microscope-democratize-microorganism.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Wed, 14 Aug 2024 12:13:03 EDT news642856381 A strong belief in the Protestant Work Ethic might underpin the decision-making of many people choosing "natural" approaches to health care, new research suggests. /news/2024-06-protestant-ethic-natural-health.html Economics & Business Thu, 06 Jun 2024 11:06:51 EDT news636890806 The green shift has created a strong interest in exploiting the economic opportunities in the ocean, but the ocean is not so easily economized. This is revealed in a comprehensive study, which, among other things, shows how the cod resists being domesticated. /news/2024-03-difficulties-exploiting-economic-opportunities-ocean.html Economics & Business Tue, 12 Mar 2024 17:01:04 EDT news629481661 Last month, we heard yet again about the need to stop global warming at about 1.5 degrees centigrade above pre-industrial levels. The International Energy Agency outlined a plan to meet that goal, and the United Nations secretary-general implored nations to get serious about cutting emissions to make it a reality. /news/2023-10-opinion-climate-isnt-emissions-huge.html Environment Thu, 19 Oct 2023 13:22:04 EDT news616940521 India launched a rocket on Friday carrying an unmanned spacecraft to land on the Moon, its second attempt to do so as its cut-price space program seeks to reach new heights. /news/2023-07-india-cut-price-mission-moon.html Space Exploration Fri, 14 Jul 2023 07:39:15 EDT news608539151 In a new report now featured on the cover page of and published in Science Advances, Hans Hon Sang Chan and a research team in materials, chemistry and quantum photonics at the University of Oxford generated exactly emulated quantum computers with up to 36 qubits to explore resource-frugal algorithms and model two- and three-dimensional atoms with single and paired particles. /news/2023-03-quantum-chemistry-simulations.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 14 Mar 2023 09:10:01 EDT news598003453 Americans likely are receiving smaller tax refunds than they have in recent years, and most people will not be going out to spend this money, according to the February 2023 Consumer Food Insights Report. This month's report also looks more closely at religious demographics and includes new data on frozen food preferences. /news/2023-03-americans-frugal-tax-refunds.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Thu, 09 Mar 2023 03:59:08 EST news597556743 Rarely in nature does less turn out to be more. But that's the case when it comes to the roots of corn dealing with drought conditions, according to a Penn State-led international team of researchers who discovered evidence of the benefits of a "parsimonious" root phenotype in a new study. /news/2022-12-steep-cheap-deep-roots-corn.html Plants & Animals Agriculture Thu, 08 Dec 2022 12:19:33 EST news589724370 It's been over 35 years since a spacecraft visited Uranus and Neptune. That was Voyager 2, and it only did flybys. Will we ever go back? There are discoveries waiting to be made on these fascinating ice giants and their moons. /news/2022-12-explore-ice-giants-missions-simple.html Space Exploration Planetary Sciences Wed, 07 Dec 2022 13:33:05 EST news589642381 Want to save the world? Start with your clothing. /news/2022-10-latest-fashion-trend-consumers.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Tue, 04 Oct 2022 10:52:03 EDT news584099521 A new study from the University of Sussex Business School reveals the technologies and academic disciplines that are being overlooked by research funders in the global fight against climate change. /news/2022-05-years-climate-funding-overlooked-potential.html Environment Tue, 03 May 2022 13:28:38 EDT news570803313 Perfect hexagonal structures inspired by honeycombs in bee nests are widely used to build everything from airplane wings, boats, and cars, to skis, snowboards, packaging and acoustic dampening materials. /news/2021-07-bees-optimal-honeycomb.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Tue, 27 Jul 2021 08:57:24 EDT news546595039 Microscopy techniques that incorporate mid-infrared (IR) illumination holds tremendous promise across a range of biomedical and industrial applications due to its unique biochemical specificity. However, the method is primarily limited by the detection range, where existing mid-infrared (mid-IR) detection techniques often combine inferior methods that are also costly. In a new report now published on Science Advances, Inna Kviatkovsky and a research team in physics, experimental and clinical research, and molecular medicine in Germany, found that nonlinear interferometry with entangled light provided a powerful tool for mid-IR microscopy. The experimental setup only required near-IR detection with a silicon-based camera. They developed a proof-of-principle experiment to show wide-field imaging across a broad wavelength range covering 3.4 to 4.3 micrometers (µm). The technique is suited to acquire microscopic images of biological tissue samples at the mid-IR. This work forms an original approach with potential relevance for quantum imaging in life sciences. /news/2020-10-microscopy-undetected-photons-mid-infrared-region.html General Â鶹ÒùÔºics Optics & Photonics Tue, 20 Oct 2020 09:30:03 EDT news522402909 In materials science, conducting and semiconducting materials can be embedded in insulating polymeric substrates for useful biointerface applications. However, it is challenging to achieve the composite configuration directly using chemical processes. Laser-assisted synthesis is a fast and inexpensive technique used to prepare various materials but their applications in the construction of biophysical tools and biomedical materials remain to be explored. In a new report, Vishnu Nair and a research team in chemistry, molecular engineering, physics and atom probe tomography at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, U.S., used laser writing to convert portions of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) into nitrogen-doped cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC). They facilitated electrochemical and photoelectrochemical activity between the two surfaces by connecting the dense 3C-SiC surface layer to the PDMS matrix using a spongy graphite layer. They developed two-dimensional (2-D) silicon carbide patterns in PDMS and freestanding 3-D constructs. Nair et al. established the function of laser-produced composites by applying flexible electrodes for isolated heart pacing and photoelectrodes for local peroxide delivery to smooth muscle sheets. The work is now published on Science Advances. /news/2020-08-laser-nitrogen-doped-silicon-carbide-biological.html Materials Science Fri, 28 Aug 2020 11:10:01 EDT news517831579 Nature has worked for eons to perfect surface textures that protect, hide and otherwise help all kinds of creatures survive. /news/2020-08-heat-free-technology-metallic-replicas-rose.html Materials Science Thu, 27 Aug 2020 09:27:42 EDT news517739259 It is the most widely used product in the world. Cement is indispensable yet its reputation has become quite tainted in the course of the ongoing climate debate. Mixed with water, sand and gravel, it results in concrete, on which our modern world is built. However, the frugal material is in the limelight primarily because of another property: The production of one ton of cement causes around /news/2020-06-alternative-cement-recipesa-recipe-eco-concrete.html Materials Science Thu, 04 Jun 2020 10:46:24 EDT news510486380 The season of blockbusters is upon us, but theaters have been empty for months—and it's unclear what they'll show, or who will come, when they reopen. Derek Long focuses on the history of the film industry, in particular film distribution, as a professor of media and cinema studies at Illinois. He spoke with News Bureau social sciences editor Craig Chamberlain about the state of movies, current and future. /news/2020-05-movie-theaters-survive-covid-.html Economics & Business Thu, 28 May 2020 08:20:01 EDT news509870932 In a new study published on Scientific Reports, Mohammad-Hossein Beigi and a research team in the departments of Engineering and Applied Science and Cellular Biotechnology in Canada and Iran described a new method to form biocompatible biomaterials for bone tissue engineering. They engineered web-like, three-dimensional (3-D) Titania nanofibrous coatings using high intensity laser-induced reverse transfer (HILIRT). The team first demonstrated the mechanism of ablation and Titanium (Ti) deposition on glass substrates using multiple picosecond laser pulses in ambient air to compare theoretical predictions with experimental results. They examined the performance of glass samples developed by coating titania nanofibrous structures through varied laser pulse durations, using methods such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM). /news/2019-12-plasma-ionization-based-d-titania-nanofiber-like.html Bio & Medicine Nanophysics Mon, 16 Dec 2019 09:40:04 EST news495710344 Materials scientists aim to use bioinspired soft robots to carry out advanced interactions between humans and robots, but the associated technology remains to be developed. For example, soft actuators must perform quickly with force to deliver programmable shape changes and the devices should be easy to fabricate and energy efficient for untethered applications. In a new report on Science Advances, Zoey S. Davidson and an interdisciplinary research team in the departments of Â鶹ÒùÔºical Intelligence, Materials Science and Engineering, and the School of Medicine in Germany, U.S. and Turkey, combined several characteristics of interest using two distinct active materials systems to build soft robots. /news/2019-12-shape-programmable-dielectric-liquid-crystal-elastomer.html General Â鶹ÒùÔºics Mon, 09 Dec 2019 09:30:01 EST news495099424 The routine measurement of radiation doses can be clinically challenging due to limitations with conventional dosimeters used to measure the dose uptake of external ionizing radiation. In a new study, Karthik Pushpavanam and an interdisciplinary team of researchers in the departments of Chemical Engineering, Molecular Sciences, Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center and Arizona Veterinary Oncology in the U.S. has described a novel gel-based nanosensor. The technology allows colorimetric detection and quantification of topographical radiation dose profiles during radiotherapy. /news/2019-11-topographical-dose-profiles-gel-nanosensors.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 25 Nov 2019 09:30:07 EST news493630552 Biochemists can use electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) on protein single crystals to determine the ultimate electronic structure of paramagnetic protein intermediates and investigate the relative magnetic tensor to a molecular structure. The method is, however, withheld by typical protein crystal dimensions (0.05 to 0.3 mm) that do not provide sufficient signal intensity during protein crystallography. In a new study on Science Advances, Jason W. Sidabras and an interdisciplinary research team in the departments of Chemical Energy Conversion, Photobiotechnology, Institute for Biology and Experimental Â鶹ÒùÔºics in Germany presented a microwave self-resonant microhelix to quantify nanoliter samples. The scientists implemented the technique in a commercial X-band (mid-range frequency; 9.5 GHz) EPR spectrometer. The self-resonant microhelix provided a measured signal-to-noise improvement compared to other commercial EPR resonators. The work enables advanced EPR techniques to study protein single crystals for X-ray crystallography, without size-related exclusions or challenges. To demonstrate the method, Sidabras et al. used single crystal protein [FeFe]-hydrogenase (from Clostridium pasteurianum) with 0.3 mm by 0.1 mm by 0.1 mm dimensions. /news/2019-11-electron-paramagnetic-resonance-epr-spectroscopy.html General Â鶹ÒùÔºics Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Mon, 04 Nov 2019 10:33:48 EST news492086010 Our Milky Way is a frugal galaxy. Supernovas and violent stellar winds blow gas out of the galactic disk, but that gas falls back onto the galaxy to form new generations of stars. In an ambitious effort to conduct a full accounting of this recycling process, astronomers were surprised to find a surplus of incoming gas. /news/2019-10-milky-raids-intergalactic-bank-accounts.html Astronomy Thu, 10 Oct 2019 10:20:39 EDT news489921621 Thermoelectric materials technology can convert between heat and electricity within a materials construct, but many existing materials contain rare or toxic elements. In a new study on Science, Wenke He and colleagues reported the temperature dependent interplay between three separate electronic bands in hole-doped tin sulfide (SnS) crystals. The materials behaviour allowed synergistic optimization between effective mass (m*) and carrier mobility (µ), which the research team boosted by introducing selenium (Se). /news/2019-10-high-thermoelectric-low-cost-sns091se009-crystals.html Materials Science Tue, 08 Oct 2019 09:40:01 EDT news489744175 Researchers in the U.S. and China have developed a method to transform a smartphone into a fluorescence microscope. The handheld smartphone-fluorescence microscope (HSFM) device allows complex biomedical analyses both rapidly and inexpensively. Conventional fluorescence microscopes play an important role to detect diverse cells and proteins, but they are bulky and inconvenient for point-of-care diagnoses. Now writing in Light: Science & Applications, Bo Dai and an interdisciplinary research team detailed the use of liquid polymers to create miniature two-droplet lenses dyed with colored solvents. The lenses were compatible across several different smartphone cameras. The low-cost, experimental setup allowed them to observe and count cells, monitor the expression of fluorescently tagged genes and distinguish between normal tissues and tumors. The easily accessible and affordable smartphone technology can contribute to frugal science and will lead to better administration of onsite and economically viable personalized medicine. /news/2019-09-handheld-smartphone-fluorescence-microscope.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 03 Sep 2019 09:30:01 EDT news486713575 Cell culture plates that are in everyday use in biology can be effectively transformed into microfluidic devices, opening paths for biologists to miniaturize cell-based workflows. In a recent report, Ph.D. researcher Cristian Soitu and co-workers in the departments of Engineering Science and Pathology at the University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K., described a simple method to create microfluidic arrangements around cells. In the study, the cells were already growing on standard Petri dish surfaces, when the scientists used the interface between the immiscible fluid media in the container as a building material. /news/2019-06-fluid-walls-cells.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Fri, 14 Jun 2019 09:30:05 EDT news479714989 A 5,000-year-old toy still enjoyed by kids today has inspired an inexpensive, hand-powered scientific tool that could not only impact how field biologists conduct their research but also allow high-school students and others with limited resources to realize their own state-of-the-art experiments. /news/2019-05-ancient-toy-tool-state-of-the-art-science.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 22 May 2019 11:59:13 EDT news477745131 Cane toads are exhausted by releasing their deadly toxin and will go to great lengths not to release it. They far prefer to run or freeze when a predator approaches. /news/2019-05-cane-toads-poison-resort.html Ecology Cell & Microbiology Thu, 16 May 2019 08:28:56 EDT news477214128 Biological tissues are built when cells anchor to specific sites on a 3-D microfiber network in an extracellular matrix (ECM). Scientists are keen to recreate biological tissues in the lab using bioinspired tissue engineering and genetic engineering, to form functional ECM motifs fused to recombinant silk proteins. Under adequate physiological conditions, bioengineered silk proteins and fibronectin-silk (FN-silk) can self-assemble into microfiber networks that mimic native ECM. /news/2019-04-ecm-like-fibers-bioactive-silk-d.html Materials Science Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:30:05 EDT news475743213