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Science News Archive November 2017 - Page 31


Page 31 of 42

Video of blood clot contraction reveals how platelets naturally form unobtrusive clots

A Penn study reveals the physical mechanism of how platelets contract and shrink blood clots, which can inform new ways to diagnose and treat conditions like ischemic stroke and deep vein thrombosis. The research found that contracting platelets cause clots to shrink by bending and shortening individual fibrin fibers.

SourceUniversity of Pennsylvania School of Medicine·JournalNature Communications·DateNov 8, 2017

The revolt of the Rust Belt may explain Trump's election

The article attributes Trump's victory to a rejection of the Democratic Party by working-class voters in the Rust Belt, citing institutions like labor unions as key factors. The author argues that regional characteristics and institutions connected these voters to national politics, explaining unusual voting behavior in 2016.

SourceWiley·JournalBritish Journal of Sociology·DateNov 8, 2017

Microbial murder mystery solved

Killer cells use a methodical approach to destroy bacterial invaders, inflicting oxidative damage and targeting critical proteins with the deadly enzyme granzyme B. The discovery offers new insights into how immune systems combat bacteria, potentially leading to the development of new antimicrobial drugs.

SourceBoston Children's Hospital·JournalCell·DateNov 8, 2017

Astronomers discover a star that would not die

An international team of astronomers discovered a star that exploded multiple times over 50 years, challenging existing theories on cosmic catastrophes. The star, iPTF14hls, was found to be at least 50 times more massive than the sun and may be the first example of a rare 'Pulsational Pair Instability Supernova'.

SourceW. M. Keck Observatory·JournalNature·DateNov 8, 2017

Walk this way: A better way to identify gait differences

Researchers at Osaka University designed a novel gait recognition method that can overcome intra-subject variations by view differences. The proposed architectures outperformed state-of-the-art benchmarks in accordance with their suitable situations of verification/identification tasks and view differences.

SourceOsaka University·JournalIEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology·DateNov 8, 2017

Nanoshells could deliver more chemo with fewer side effects

Researchers at Rice University and Northwestern University have developed a method to use nanoshells to deliver high doses of cancer-killing drugs inside tumors. The approach uses laser-activated gold nanoparticles to release approved drugs in laboratory cultures, demonstrating clinical applicability.

SourceRice University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateNov 8, 2017

Exercise may benefit patients with leg ulcers

Researchers found that supervised exercise accelerated ulcer healing time by 22 weeks compared to compression therapy alone. The study suggests benefits for patients with venous leg ulcers, including cost savings.

SourceWiley·JournalBritish Journal of Dermatology·DateNov 8, 2017

Cool textiles to beat the heat

Researchers have developed a new material for clothing that can cool people down without external energy needed, using a nanocomposite thread made from boron nitride and polyvinyl alcohol. The fabric is more efficient at moving heat away from the body than pure polyvinyl alcohol or cotton fabrics.

SourceAmerican Chemical Society·JournalACS Nano·DateNov 8, 2017

Visual intelligence is not the same as IQ

A new study reveals that visual intelligence is a separate entity from general intelligence (IQ), with considerable individual differences among people. Researchers developed a novel test to measure visual object recognition and found that performance on this task was not predictive of IQ.

SourceVanderbilt University·JournalCurrent Directions in Psychological Science·DateNov 8, 2017

Transforming fibrils into crystals

An international team of experts has made a fundamental discovery by transforming amyloid fibrils into crystals, a process previously thought to be impossible. The transformation involves untwisting the fibril to form an elongated, matchstick-like crystal with unprecedented stability.

SourceETH Zurich·JournalNature Communications·DateNov 8, 2017

A new way to mix oil and water

Researchers at MIT have developed a new way to mix oil and water, creating stable nanoscale emulsions without the need for shaking or sonicating. By cooling an oil bath with surfactant and allowing water vapor to condense onto its surface, they produce uniform droplets that remain stable over several months.

SourceMassachusetts Institute of Technology·JournalNature Communications·DateNov 8, 2017

Gender roles in ancient times

Researchers at Osaka University have found a key gene responsible for the development of male and female traits in an ancient crustacean. The study reveals how this gene, doublesex1, is expressed differently in males and females, leading to distinct sex-specific characteristics.

SourceOsaka University·JournalScientific Reports·DateNov 8, 2017

Identify the best drought index to study global drylands

A new study compares the spatiotemporal characteristics of global drylands using three different drought indices: SWI, PET_Th, and PET_PM. The researchers found that the Surface Wetness Index (SWI) yields broadly similar results to the Thornthwaite method when considering interdecadal variability of global and continental drylands.

SourceInstitute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences·JournalAdvances in Atmospheric Sciences·DateNov 8, 2017

How ice in clouds is born

Scientists have found that water droplets in clouds can turn to ice more rapidly than previously predicted, with a disordered ice structure forming under certain cloud conditions. This discovery reconciles theoretical models of clouds with observations of freezing rates, helping cloud modelers understand better their observational data.

SourceUniversity of Utah·JournalNature·DateNov 8, 2017

How the skin becomes inflamed

The study identifies a protein called IL-36 as a key player in inducing skin inflammation in response to bacteria on the skin surface. This finding has significant implications for developing alternative treatments for atopic dermatitis, a condition affecting 20% of children and 5% of adults.

SourceJohns Hopkins Medicine·JournalCell Host & Microbe·DateNov 8, 2017

Sifting gold from the data deluge

Researchers develop new data mining technique to extract genetic information from large sequence data sets. The method, tested on a plant family with unique floral structures, retrieves useful sequences from genes influencing flower shape and symmetry.

SourceBotanical Society of America·JournalApplications in Plant Sciences·DateNov 8, 2017