A team of student researchers from John Jay College of Criminal Justice has discovered at least three families of human microRNA genes not shared with any other primate species on chromosome 21. These genes may have played a significant role in the unique evolution of the human species.
Researchers have identified a new family of small-molecule metabolites responsible for the bright green color in certain shark species. This unique biofluorescence mechanism allows sharks to identify each other and potentially fight off microbial infections.
A team of engineers, marine biologists, and roboticists developed soft gripper devices that allow scientists to gently collect delicate organisms from the deep sea. The devices were able to collect sea slugs, corals, sponges, and other marine life with less damage than traditional tools.
Researchers at Harvard University have developed an origami-inspired device, RAD, that can capture delicate sea creatures like jellyfish, squid, and octopuses without harming them. The device uses a folding polyhedral enclosure to trap organisms, allowing scientists to collect data and then release them unharmed.
A study by Dr. Jonathon Rendina and Dr. Jeffrey Parsons found that 70% of HIV-positive and 36% of HIV-negative men perceive the 'Undetectable = Untransmittable' message as accurate, with rates increasing since earlier studies. Regular testing and PrEP use are associated with higher accuracy perceptions.
Researchers discovered that bacteria use pili as their sense of touch when interacting with surfaces, leading to a new understanding of bacterial surface sensing. This mechanism may help scientists develop strategies to control bacterial growth, either beneficially in bioreactors or pathogenically on medical devices.
Mousensor, LLC has been awarded a National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to develop a human-nose-on-a-chip based on fundamental research at CUNY. The company aims to detect and digitize every single smell, enabling fragrance houses to increase competitive advantage through unique product development.
The Pierre Auger Collaboration reports that cosmic rays with energies a million times greater than the protons accelerated in the Large Hadron Collider come from much further away. The study discovered an anisotropy in the arrival directions of over 30,000 cosmic particles, indicating an extragalactic origin.
New research reveals coloration's significance in individual survival and reproduction, influencing camouflage, mate choice, and social signaling. The study also explores the evolution of color production and perception across species.
A new study reveals that amplicon sequencing is more robust than shotgun sequencing in discovering microbial biodiversity, with 27% more families identified. The research has significant repercussions for future analyses of microbial diversity.
Researchers create a structure composed of nanometrically thin layers, where minute changes in thickness can be sensed using specific angle of incidence. The discovery demonstrates Anderson localization in a regime thought to have vanishingly small effects, revealing the importance of disorder on optical behavior.
Researchers are using an underwater touchscreen to investigate dolphin communication, cognitive abilities and social behavior. The system provides dolphins with choice and control over activities, enabling scientists to decode their vocal communication and gain insights into their way of thinking.
Researchers discovered that Titan's river networks, like Mars', formed topography without plate tectonics. This finding suggests a distinct geological history for the moons of Saturn and challenges our understanding of Earth's unique surface.
Researchers have identified the neural basis for password-based species recognition in cowbirds, a behavior that resolves the paradox of species recognition in brood parasites. The study reveals that young cowbirds use a specific chatter call as a 'password' to identify conspecifics and avoid imprinting on host species.
Researchers aim to enhance couples' communication to reduce drug use and HIV infection risk among partnered gay men. The brief 3-session intervention integrates HIV testing and counseling into an existing evidence-based program.
A new study reveals that both medical terminology and prior experience can impact surrogates' feelings after making life-prolonging treatment decisions. Surrogates who received 'Allow Natural Death' terminology perceived their decision as good and were more likely to sign the document.
Researchers found that male cuckoos respond aggressively to unfamiliar intruders and tolerate neighboring males with overlapping territories. The birds use their distinctive 'cu-coo' call for recognition, demonstrating complex social behavior in brood parasitism.
Researchers identified autophagy as a critical process for promoting germline stem cell proliferation, specifically by regulating the cell cycle of progenitor cells. The study also found that autophagy is finely tuned in surrounding tissues to maintain germline homeostasis.
The NIDA grant will support two studies examining the mechanisms linking HIV syndemic factors, including emotion regulation, executive attention, and attentional bias. The findings aim to advance syndemic research and inform the development of interventions to reduce the burden of HIV among gay and bisexual men.
Dr. Gita Martohardjono presents research on bilingual populations, showing changes in Spanish processing and predicting the impact of English use on brain responses. Her findings suggest that social factors hinder language learning in adults.
A new study found that birds of prey interact more with scented packages than unscented ones, suggesting they associate the scent of peppermint oil with food. This method can be used to encourage species-specific feeding behaviors in zoos.
A new study reveals that a minor pilin protein triggers pilus retraction in Vibrio cholerae, differing from other disease-causing bacteria. This discovery advances understanding of Type IV pili function and may aid in developing prevention and treatment strategies for cholera.
A new study analyzed the human microbiome to estimate the postmortem interval of cadavers. The researchers used machine learning to predict the time since death with accuracy up to two days. This method could lead to a definitive way to establish time since death, shedding light on homicide cases and corroborating or disproving alibis.
Two studies reveal that dopaminergic neurons in the brain encode errors in singing performance, helping juvenile zebra finches learn to accurately imitate their tutor's song. Meanwhile, another study finds that songbirds adjust song cadence towards an innate template, rather than learning rhythm from other birds.
A new study found that common cuckoo eggs experience similar amounts of decalcification during embryonic development as warbler eggs, maintaining thicker shells. This adaptation helps ease hatching and reduces the risk of host bird puncture.
Physicists create a memory bit that traps and releases electrons with laser excitation, storing vast amounts of data in an atomic-sized defect. The resulting storage densities would be hundreds of thousands of times larger than existing Blu-ray technology.
A new study by John Jay College's PRISM program reveals that undergraduate research experiences lead to nearly tripled graduation rates among science majors and a significant increase in students pursuing graduate degrees and STEM careers. The program has also improved student pipeline to post-graduate professional careers in STEM fields.
A team at The City University of New York led by Dr. Carlos Meriles has successfully demonstrated charge transport between Nitrogen-Vacancy color centers in diamond, paving the way for room-temperature quantum information processing and three-dimensional optical data storage.