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Science News Archive September 2021 - Page 14


Page 14 of 40

River research reveals scale of macroplastic pollution

New research from the University of Leicester shows that macroplastics travel much slower through river systems than previously believed, remaining in place for significant periods. The study suggests existing estimates of riverine plastic flux to the ocean may have been overestimated, highlighting the need for further research.

SourceUniversity of Leicester·JournalFrontiers in Water·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 21, 2021

Wistar scientists identify new therapeutic target in ovarian cancer subtype with poor prognosis

Scientists at The Wistar Institute discovered that loss of ARID1A function enhances a cellular stress response pathway that promotes survival of cancer cells, making them sensitive to pharmacological inhibition. This finding points to a new therapeutic opportunity for ovarian clear cell carcinomas with ARID1A mutations.

SourceThe Wistar Institute·JournalCancer Research·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 21, 2021

Repeated injury to airway stem cells could be major factor in chronic lung disease

Researchers link repeated injury to airway stem cells with chronic lung disease, suggesting that biological aging of these cells may contribute to the development of this condition. The study found that injury caused activation of a subset of stem cells, leading to their premature aging and loss of functional capacity.

SourceAlphaMed Press·JournalStem Cells Translational Medicine·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 21, 2021

Rates of infectious disease linked to authoritarian attitudes and governance – study

A new study reveals a strong connection between infection rates and strains of authoritarianism in public attitudes and politics. The research found that the more infectious US cities and states had more authoritarian-leaning citizens, with correlations between higher disease rates and conservative voting patterns.

SourceUniversity of Cambridge·JournalJournal of Social and Political Psychology·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 21, 2021

Discovery of a universal system for transporting nucleic acids into cells

A team of researchers from IOCB Prague has discovered a new type of nanoparticles capable of safely transporting various types of nucleic acids used for therapeutic purposes into cells. The universal nature of their system sets it apart from existing solutions, allowing for efficient transport of mRNA and other RNA molecules into cells.

Sensitivity to painful external stimuli preserved in all phases of Alzheimer’s disease in mice

Researchers studied mice with Alzheimer's disease and found that pain sensitivity is maintained throughout the disease progression. Females are more sensitive to pain, while males experience greater emotional distress, highlighting age- and sex-specific responses to pain in Alzheimer's disease.

SourceUniversitat Autonoma de Barcelona·JournalFrontiers in Aging Neuroscience·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 21, 2021

“Beach ball” representations calculated for US underground nuclear tests can aid monitoring

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory calculated moment tensors for 130 underground nuclear and 10 chemical tests to aid explosion monitoring. The study's database of carefully documented explosions will be useful for researchers, allowing them to distinguish explosions from earthquakes and estimate yield.

SourceSeismological Society of America·JournalBulletin of the Seismological Society of America·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 21, 2021

From amateur to expert

Researchers used mice to demonstrate that acquired knowledge is stored in early visual areas of the brain, highlighting the widespread storage of semantic memories. The study showed that part of category knowledge is already present in the visual cortex.

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·JournalNature Neuroscience·DateSep 21, 2021