Researchers at Salk Institute discover that inhibitory neurons in visual cortex 'talk' with excitatory neurons to keep balance of chemical signals, excluding surrounding neurons. This fine-scale network organization enables the brain to focus attention on specific stimuli rather than all visual inputs.
The Amazing Light Symposium honored innovative physicists under 40 with over $100,000 in awards. The symposium also launched a new educational partnership centered on optical and laser science and engineering.
RIT and Cal State will train thousands of math and science teachers through a $500,000 National Science Foundation grant. Students completing technical studies at RIT will receive financial support to pursue teaching credentials.
Researchers used tiny worms to study the genetic factors affecting anesthetic response, identifying 10 genes that modify its effects. This breakthrough aims to design more specific and effective anesthetics with minimal adverse effects.
The Health Care Standards Landscape (HCSL) is a comprehensive source of information on health care standards, providing real and sample data to demonstrate its capabilities. Organizations such as the Agency for Health Research and Quality are collaborating with NIST on this project.
A recent study has discovered that plant wounds trigger the release of chemical signal molecules that attract bacteria, causing a cancer-like disease called crown gall. The discovery may lead to novel controls for gall tumors and potentially a cure for this economically significant disease.
The University of Manchester has received a £1.9m grant to develop e-science software as part of the Open Middleware Infrastructure Institute-UK (OMII-UK) initiative. The project will focus on the myGrid platform, which supports biomedical research and has been widely adopted since 2001.
Researchers developed nanorobot fabrication to build extremely small sensors, improving detection capabilities for aircraft carriers and mini-UAVs. The new technology is also being considered for breast cancer detection, enabling non-contact examinations.
Researchers at Medical College of Georgia have found that inhaling nitric oxide gas can help normalize a sickle cell patient's hemoglobin by restoring its natural charge and shape. This may prevent unhealthy clustering of hemoglobin S molecules and improve oxygen delivery to the body.
The five-site network will identify genetic and environmental determinants of premature birth, utilizing advanced genomic technologies and statistical methods. The study's goal is to gain a deeper understanding of preterm births, a leading cause of infant mortality.
Scientists at Queen's University have discovered a new antifreeze protein in fleas that can inhibit ice growth by six Celsius degrees, potentially allowing for longer storage of transplant organs. This could lead to an extended preservation period and improve the viability of transplants.
A new study reveals that tree diversity in tropical forests plays a crucial role in determining their ability to store carbon and provide other essential ecosystem services. The researchers simulated different extinction scenarios and found that the types of trees remaining had a significant impact on carbon storage capacity.
A new study by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers found that white-tailed deer in the chronic wasting disease (CWD) zone use very small home ranges, typically half a square mile in size. This suggests that deer may not be spreading CWD through long-distance travel, contradicting previous assumptions.
A study published in Nature analyzed 11,624 genes and found that around 9% have evolved too rapidly to be explained by chance. The researchers suggest that positive Darwinian natural selection is responsible for the increased rate of evolution, particularly in genes involved in immune function and sensory perception.
Researchers found that certain carbon nanoparticles activate human platelets and stimulate blood clotting, leading to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The study also revealed that some nanoparticles mimic molecular bridges involved in platelet interactions.
Researchers at VCU Massey Cancer Center discovered a new agent, Bay 43-9006, that targets the Mcl-1 protein to inhibit leukemia cell survival. The study found that Bay 43-9006 reduces Mcl-1 levels through an unusual mechanism, inhibiting protein synthesis.
Rutgers chemists invent variant of room temperature ionic liquids to overcome viscosity barrier, enabling safer and more efficient industrial processes. The new chemicals could be used in industries such as chemical manufacturing, electroplating, and radioactive waste handling.
Researchers found that cocaine alters the normal biochemical processes in the brain, allowing genes to be turned on and off. Chronic cocaine use causes long-lasting changes in the brain's circuitry, whereas short-term use affects genes differently.
A recent NIST paper explains that actual fuel tank capacity can vary from the rated capacity rating due to design characteristics, manufacturing process, and physics. Drivers are cautioned against using the 'half full' reading on the fuel gauge to determine exact fuel tank capacity.
New research by Vanderbilt University psychologist Jessica Giles finds that noun labels, such as 'murderer' or 'sex offender', can lead to negative and fixed views of people described with these terms. The study also suggests that the use of labels like this has a lasting impact on children's perceptions.
A research group led by Manoranjan Misra has developed a novel method to split water molecules and generate hydrogen using solar light. The method involves titanium dioxide nanotube arrays, which can efficiently produce hydrogen energy in a more efficient manner than current market standards.
Researchers found a special type of nucleosome bearing protein Htz1 that allows genes to be read by cellular machinery in a regulated manner, enabling gene expression. This discovery has implications for understanding how gene activation and repression is altered in cancer cells and developing targeted treatments.