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Science News Archive January 2017 - Page 7


Page 7 of 35

A cellular system makes the battle against a rare disease personal

Researchers have created a human stem-cell based system to find drugs for mitochondrial disease. They extracted skin cells from patients with faulty mitochondria and used them to identify a promising potential drug called avanafil. This breakthrough gives the potential for truly personalized treatments for rare diseases.

How fast is the universe expanding? Quasars provide an answer

The H0LiCOW collaboration has made a new measurement of the Hubble constant using quasars and gravitational lensing. The result agrees with recent independent studies but disagrees significantly with cosmic microwave background measurements, potentially indicating new physics beyond the standard cosmological model.

SourceEcole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateJan 26, 2017

'Knitted muscles' provide power

Scientists at Linköping University and the University of Borås developed a new technology that turns fabric into muscular tissue, allowing it to actuate like muscle fibers. The 'textile muscles' can be integrated into clothing, providing power for devices like exoskeletons, and opening up new opportunities for people with disabilities

SourceLinköping University·JournalScience Advances·DateJan 25, 2017

Lessons for optimizing exercise programs

A new study published in Experimental Physiology found that sprint interval training is a powerful stimulus to elicit cellular remodelling in both men and women. The research, conducted at McMaster University, showed that changes in gene expression over a short time-scale are similar between the sexes.

SourceThe Physiological Society·JournalExperimental Physiology·DateJan 25, 2017

Video game ratings work, if you use them

Research from Iowa State University shows that video game ratings can effectively reduce violent play in children when used by parents to guide purchases and set rules. Parents who use the rating system and mediate their child's play are less likely to experience negative behaviors, such as acting out or misbehaving.

SourceIowa State University·JournalJournal of Public Policy & Marketing·DateJan 25, 2017

Corralling stink bugs could lead to better wine

A recent study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that stink bugs can contaminate wine with stress compounds, affecting its quality. The researchers discovered that pressing is a key step in releasing these compounds, and that limiting stink bugs to three per grape cluster could improve wine quality.

SourceAmerican Chemical Society·JournalJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry·DateJan 25, 2017

How water can split into two liquids below zero

Researchers confirmed a theoretical possibility of dual liquid states in sub-zero water and other tetrahedral molecules. A study using DNA origami and simulation revealed that such structures could exhibit a high-density and low-density liquid phase, separated by an empty lattice.

SourceSpringer·JournalThe European Physical Journal E·DateJan 25, 2017