Animal birth control - the natural way: How some mammals pause their pregnancies Diapause, or delayed implantation, is a biological strategy for waiting out conditions unfavorable to sustaining newborns.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-mammals-pregnancies.html?utm_source=n...

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Huge bacteria-eating viruses close gap between life and non-life

Scientists have discovered hundreds of unusually large, bacteria-killing viruses with capabilities normally associated with living organisms, blurring the line between living microbes and viral machines.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-huge-bacteria-eating-viruses-gap-life...

These phages—short for bacteriophages, so-called because they "eat" bacteria—are of a size and complexity considered typical of life, carry numerous genes normally found in bacteria and use these genes against their bacterial hosts.

Altogether they identified 351 different huge phages, all with genomes four or more times larger than the average genomes of viruses that prey on single-celled bacteria.

Among these is the largest bacteriophage discovered to date: Its genome, 735,000 base-pairs long, is nearly 15 times larger than the average phage. This largest known phage genome is much larger than the genomes of many bacteria.

These huge phages bridge the gap between non-living bacteriophages, on the one hand, and bacteria and Archaea. There definitely seem to be successful strategies of existence that are hybrids between what we think of as traditional viruses and traditional living organisms."

Ironically, within the DNA that these huge phages lug around are parts of the CRISPR system that bacteria use to fight viruses. It's likely that once these phages inject their DNA into bacteria, the viral CRISPR system augments the CRISPR system of the host bacteria, probably mostly to target other viruses.

"It is fascinating how these phages have repurposed this system we thought of as bacterial or archaeal to use for their own benefit against their competition, to fuel warfare between these viruses," said UC Berkeley graduate student Basem Al-Shayeb. Al-Shayeb and research associate Rohan Sachdeva are co-first authors of the Nature paper.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2007-4

New technologies, strategies expanding search for extraterrestrial life. Such "technosignatures" can range from the chemical composition of a planet's atmosphere, to laser emissions, to structures orbiting other stars, among others.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-technologies-strategies-extraterrestr...

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Earth's cousins: Upcoming missions to look for 'biosignatures' in exoplanet atmospheres such as quirks in chemical composition that are telltale signs of life.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-earth-cousins-upcoming-missions-biosi...

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Facial expressions don't tell the whole story of emotion. 'Can we truly detect emotion from facial articulations?'" "And the basic conclusion is, no, you can't."

it takes more than expressions to correctly detect emotion.

Facial color, for example, can help provide clues.

"What we showed is that when you experience emotion, your brain releases peptides—mostly hormones—that change the blood flow and blood composition, and because the face is inundated with these peptides, it changes color,

The human body offers other hints, too, he said: body posture, for example. And context plays a crucial role as well.

Culture plays a role in expressions. 

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-02-facial-dont-story-emotion.html?...

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De novo genes-genes that have evolved from scratch- are far more common and important :genetic novelty can also be generated by totally new genes evolving from scratch.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-de-novo-genes-common-important.html?u...

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Reproductive genome from the lab: Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried generated a system, which is able to regenerate parts of its own DNA and protein building blocks.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-reproductive-genome-laboratory.html?u...

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Bioengineers developing organisms without biological parents: Bioengineers are on the brink of developing artificial organisms that will open up new applications in medicine and industry. Find out their risks and benefits.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-bioengineers-biological-parents.html?...

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Scientists are much more open but less agreeable than people in other professions. They’re more likely to be intellectually curious, idealistic, & passionate than non-scientists. But as a group, they also tend to be more rigid, cynical, and tactless

https://www.natureindex.com/news-blog/scientists-are-curious-and-id...

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‘Radiation-eating’ fungi could protect astronauts in space ...

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/radiation-ea...

https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2020/02/04/fungi_that_eat_rad...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677413/

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The First Molecule In The Universe
Scientists have identified mystery molecules in space and the compound thought to have started chemistry in the cosmos

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-first-molecule-in-th...

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Newly Named Chibanian Age Demarcates Earth’s Last Magnetic Flip
The time period, which spans 770,000 to 126,000 years ago, started with a reversal of the planet’s magnetic field

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/newly-named-chibanian-ag...

Communicating science can benefit from scientists 'being human'

MU researchers determine a scientist's 'perceived authenticity' can inform trust and credibility with audience

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/uom-csc021920.php

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The key to effective science communication isn’t the science. It’s communication.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00452-3

Lesson 1: Don’t argue with beliefs. People tend to incorporate facts that align with their belief systems.

Lesson 2: Listen.

Lesson 3: Learn what people really think.

When feelings speak louder than facts, appealing to feelings can actually work in favour of science.

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Viewpoint: Glyphosate causes kidney disease? Debunking anti-GMO activist Vandana Shiva’s herbicide junk science.
We are not taking sides. You can analyse this and come to your own conclusion ...

https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2020/02/19/viewpoint-glyphosate-...

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New Discoveries in Human Anatomy

Using advanced microscopy and imaging techniques, scientists have revealed new parts of the human body and overturned previous misconceptions.

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/new-discoveries-in-human...

Lack of oxygen during the period anticipating child birth, a condition that may affect children of pregnant women subjected to a high blood pressure disorder called pre-eclampsia, has been found to be a cause of schizophrenia.

No, demons are not responsible for the condition!

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-lack-oxygen-pregnancy-schizo...

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Scientists (theoretically) predict state of matter that can conduct both electricity and energy perfectly - with 100% efficiency—never losing any to heat or friction.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-scientists-state-electricity-energy-p...

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How earthquakes deform gravity

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-earthquakes-deform-gravity.html?utm_s...

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https://theconversation.com/what-are-viruses-anyway-and-why-do-they...

What are viruses anyway, and why do they make us so sick?

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China Science Communication tells you about nine occasions when you should wash your hands.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-02-20/Coronavirus-prevention-is-in-...

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There’s scant evidence the ‘binaural beats’ illusion relaxes your brain

https://theconversation.com/sounds-like-hype-theres-scant-evidence-...

Opening the window in your home will not flush out the chemicals in the air! The chemicals clinging to the walls and on surfaces in the home immediately replace them by detaching from these surfaces & floating into the air as soon as the conc. drops!

All homes have chemicals in the air that are inhaled by the home's occupants. The chemicals come from materials such as couches and pillows, and also from products such as hair sprays, room deodorizers and scented candles. Other contributors include cleaning products and fumes from heating or cooking oils.

the researchers wondered if simply opening the windows and doors to a home would reduce the amount of chemicals in the air.

The experiments consisted of testing the air in a model home

Afterward, all the doors and windows were opened for a period of time and then closed again. The air was then tested again for the same chemicals. As expected, the researchers found that concentrations of most of the chemicals dropped dramatically when the doors and windows were opened—but they were surprised to see that the chemicals returned to their original concentrations within just a few minutes.

The researchers suggest that the reason opening the doors and windows did not reduce chemical levels for more than a few minutes was because the chemicals were clinging to the walls and on surfaces in the home. As concentration levels in the air dropped, the chemicals were immediately replaced by chemicals detaching from these surfaces and floating into the air.

The researchers also mopped the floor in the house several times using vinegar, and sprayed ammonia on most of the surfaces in the house to change surface pH. They found that it only made things worse. Readings showed that chemical concentrations in the air were higher for a short period of time.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-window-home-flush-chemicals-air.html?...

More information: Chen Wang et al. Surface reservoirs dominate dynamic gas-surface partitioning of many indoor air constituents, Science Advances (2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay8973

Study finds microbes can alter an environment dramatically before dying out

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-microbes-environment-dying.html?utm_s...

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How COVID-19 Is Spread: Scientists’ latest understanding of the facts, the suspicions, and the discounted rumors of SARS-CoV-2’s transmission from person to person

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/how-covid-19-is-spread-6...

ALPHA collaboration reports first measurements of certain quantum effects in antimatter

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-alpha-collaboration-quantum-effects-a...

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Researchers combine lasers and terahertz waves in camera that sees 'unseen' detail interior of solid objects

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-combine-lasers-terahertz-camera-unsee...

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Fundamental symmetry tested using antihydrogen

Microbes in our ancestors’ stomachs helped them adapt to new areas

https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/microbes-in-our-ancestors-stomach...

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Different shades of hypnobirthing: the techniques don’t work for everyone.

https://theconversation.com/what-is-hypnobirthing-the-technique-the...

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How gut bacteria make broccoli a superfood

Study on artificial and biological neural networks found that the use of contrived experimental manipulations with the hope of uncovering simple rules or representations is unlikely to yield models that can be effectively applied to the real world.

Models based on artificial neural networks do not learn rules or representations of the world around them that are easy for humans to interpret. On the contrary, they typically use local computations to analyze different aspects of data in a high-dimensional parameter space.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-perspective-artificial-biolo...

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When coronavirus is not alone: Team of complexity scientists present 'meme' model for multiple diseases

The interplay of diseases is the norm rather than the exception - the presence of even one more contagion in the population can dramatically shift the dynamics from simple to complex.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-coronavirus-team-complexity-scientist...

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New plant based eco-glue: just a single drop of the eco-glue has enough strength to hold up to 90 kg weight, but can still be easily removed by the touch of a finger. And it 's cheap!

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-combination-plant-based-particles-eco...

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Antibiotics May Compromise Manure's Carbon-Fixing Effects

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/antibiotics-may-compromi...

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Solar Weather Linked to Gray Whale Strandings

When the sun’s atmosphere is stormy, more whales end up on the beach, according to a new study. Biologists speculate it may have to do with navigation or health.

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/solar-weather-linked-to-...

Line of defense: Scientists report surprising evolutionary shift in snakes

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-line-defense-scientists-evolutionary-...

In the animal kingdom, survival essentially boils down to eat or be eaten. How organisms accomplish the former and avoid the latter reveals a clever array of defense mechanisms. Maybe you can outrun your prey. Perhaps you sport an undetectable disguise. Or maybe you develop a death-defying resistance to your prey's heart-stopping defensive chemicals that you can store in your own body to protect you from predators.

Species of the Rhabdophis genus. Commonly called "keelbacks" and found primarily in southeast Asia, the snakes sport glands in their skin, sometimes just around the neck, where they store bufadienolides, a class of lethal steroids they get from toads, their toxic prey of choice.

"These snakes bend their necks in a defensive posture that surprises unlucky predators with a mouthful of toxins"."Scientists once thought these snakes produced their own toxins, but learned, instead, they obtain it from their food—namely, toads."

In a surprising twist, the researchers discovered not all members of the genus derive their defensive toxin from the same source. A species group of the snakes, found in western China and Japan, shifted its primary diet from frogs (including toads) to earthworms.

The earthworms don't produce the toxins; instead, the snakes also snack on firefly larvae, which produce the same class of toxins as the toads. Their findings appear in the Feb. 24, 2020, early online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This is the first documented case of a vertebrate predator switching from a vertebrate prey to an invertebrate prey for the selective advantage of getting the same chemical class of defensive toxin.

A  new type of battery combines negative capacitance and negative resistance within the same cell, allowing the cell to self-charge without losing energy!

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-simple-self-charging-battery-power-so...

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Synthesizing a superatom (a name given to a cluster of atoms that seem to exhibit properties similar to elemental atoms) : Opening doors to their use as substitutes for elemental atoms

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-superatom-doors-substitutes-elemental...

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Scientists document striking changes in Pacific Arctic ecosystems because of warmer ocean water.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-scientists-document-pacific-arctic-ec...

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Gene loss more important in animal kingdom evolution than previously thought

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-gene-loss-important-animal-kingdom.ht...

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The genetic secret of night vision

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-genetic-secret-night-vision.html?utm_...

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The do's and don'ts of monitoring many wildlife species at once

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-donts-wildlife-species.html?utm_sourc...

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How resident microbes restructure body chemistry

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-resident-microbes-body-chemi...

Henneguya salminicola: Microscopic parasite has no mitochondrial DNA

An international team of researchers has found a multicellular animal with no mitochondrial DNA, making it the only known animal to exist without the need to breathe oxygen. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes their study of Henneguya salminicola, a microscopic, parasitic member of the group Myxozoa and its unique physiology.

One of the common characteristics of all multicellular animals on Earth is mitochondrial respiration—the process by which oxygen is used to generate adenosine triphosphate—the fuel used to power cellular processes. The process takes place in mitochondria, which has both its own genome and the main genome found in the rest of the body's cells. But now, there is a known exception: Henneguya salminicola.

H. salminicola is a microscopic parasite that infects salmon. When the host dies, spores are released that are consumed by worms, which can also serve as hosts for the parasite. When salmon eat the worms, they become infected as the parasite moves into their muscles. They can be seen by fishermen as white, oozing bubbles, which is why salmon with H. salminicola infections are sometimes said to have tapioca disease.

In their work, the researchers sequenced the DNA of H. salminicola tissue and found no mitochondrial DNA at all. Believing they had made an error, the team repeated their work and once again found no sign of mitochondrial DNA. Confused, they sequenced the DNA of close relatives of H. salminicola and found evidence of the expected mitochondrial genomes. H. salminicola did have structures that resembled mitochondria but they were not capable of producing the enzymes needed for respiration, a finding that suggested the creature was capable of surviving without oxygen—a first. The presence of structures that resemble mitochondrial DNA suggests that the tiny parasites have undergone a process of de-evolution. In addition to losing the apparatus to create ATP, they also have lost tissue, nerve cells and muscles.

The researchers did not find any other mechanism for producing the fuel cells in H. salminicola would need to survive, but suggest they likely steal energy from their host using some type of proteins.

More information: Dayana Yahalomi et al. A cnidarian parasite of salmon (Myxozoa: Henneguya) lacks a mitochondrial genome, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1909907117

Press release

Arms race between bacteria and viruses: New light

A new study reveals how bacterial immune systems can be harmful for their hosts, and why they are not found in all bacteria. 

The existing CRISPR anti-viral immunity was often a disadvantage to the bacterium when infected by certain viruses.

CRISPR has become well known for its repurposing as a tool for precise genetic engineering. However, CRISPR systems (segments of DNA) naturally occur in many bacteria and have the important function of providing bacteria with immunity against viruses or foreign DNA.

This triggered a major question as to whether autominnunity is important in other bacterial pathogens. 

 Triggering the powerful CRISPR defence systems is risky for a bacterium. "Importantly, this may help answer a long-standing question of why these defence systems are absent in 60 per cent of bacteria."

For example, Staphylococcus aureus pathogens that often take up extra genes to become multidrug resistant, seldom have CRISPR defence. An example of this is MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) an infection often occurring in people who have been in hospitals or other healthcare settings like residential care homes, which has become resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections. It seldom has CRISPR defence.

More information: Clare Rollie et al, Targeting of temperate phages drives loss of type I CRISPR–Cas systems, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-1936-2

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/on-the-road-to-3-d-print...

Hundreds of bird species in India are in decline, according to the country’s first major report on the state of bird populations. Birds of prey and waterbirds seem to have been hit particularly hard owing to habitat destruction, hunting and the pet trade.

But it’s not all bad news. Species such as the house sparrow seem to be doing better than previously thought.

The State of India’s Birds report, released on 17 February, relied on more than 10 million observations from birdwatchers recorded in the online repository of worldwide bird sightings, eBird.

The report’s authors — researchers from 10 government and non-profit research and conservation groups — used eBird data to analyse long-term trends for 261 bird species. That is, the proportional change in the frequency of reported sightings of since 1993. They found that more than half of those species have declined since 2000. The group also looked at the current annual trends in 146 species; nearly 80% have declined in the past 5 years.

The researchers classified 101 species as of high conservation concern, and another 319 species as of moderate conservation concern, on the basis of declines in their abundance and range, and their status on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00498-3?utm_source=Natur...

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Can a rogue star kick Earth out of the solar system?

https://www.space.com/rogue-star-kick-earth-out-solar-system.html

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New study allows brain and artificial neurons to link up over the web. Research on novel nanoelectronics devices has enabled brain neurons and artificial neurons to communicate with each other over the Internet.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200226110843.htm

Scientists 'film' a quantum measurement. Measuring a quantum system causes it to change—one of the strange but fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics. Researchers now have now been able to demonstrate how this change happens.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-scientists-quantum.html?utm_source=nw...

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Scientists discovered entirely new class of RNA caps in bacteria and described the function of 'alarmones' and their mechanism of function.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-discovery-class-rna-caps-bacteria.htm...

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Chemists learn how to detect phenols in smoked food samples using vitamin B4

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-chemists-phenols-food-samples-vitamin...

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Mosaic evolution - where subsets of traits evolve independently of others - painted lorikeets a rainbow of colour ...

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-mosaic-evolution-lorikeets-rainbow.ht...

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Researchers turn bacterial cell into biological computer: Currently, the computer identifies and reports on toxic and other materials. Next up: the ability to warn about hemorrhaging in the human body.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-bacterial-cell-biological.html?utm_so...

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Cannibalism on rise among polar bears, say Russian scientists: Cases of polar bears killing and eating each other are on the rise in the Arctic as melting ice and human activity erode their habitat.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-cannibalism-polar-russian-scientists....

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Sugary drinks a sour choice for adults trying to maintain normal cholesterol levels

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-sugary-sour-choice-adults-ch...

Computer scientists' new tool fools hackers into sharing keys for better cybersecurity

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-02-scientists-tool-hackers-keys-cy...

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Scientists show how caloric restriction prevents negative effects of aging in cells

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-scientists-caloric-restriction-negati...

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Quantum researchers able to split one photon into three

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-quantum-photon.html?utm_source=nwlett...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-02-snowflakes-soot-particles-unique-affe...

Like snowflakes, soot particles are unique, affecting climate modelling ... now that we know this we can make models that agree with actual conditions ...

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When developed countries decide to stop offshoring their plastic problem, less developed ones can breathe easy ...

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-offshoring-plastic-problem.html?utm_s...

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Tying up molecules as easily as laces: scientists are trying to knot molecules together to create new, custom-made mechanical properties that could give rise to new materials.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-tying-molecules-easily-laces.html?utm...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-02-sniprs-aim-disease-related-mutations....

SNIPRs take aim at disease-related mutations

The body's immune response to fungal infections changes when a patient is also infected by a virus, according to new research which investigated the two types of infection together for the first time. fresh light on the immune system's ability to deal with co-infection.

Typically, white blood cells will attack pathogens through a process called phagocytosis—where a pathogen is engulfed by the white blood cell. In fungal infections, however, this process sometimes 'reverses' - ejecting the fungus back out of the white blood cell via a process called vomocytosis.

In a new study, published in PLOS Pathogens, the researchers were able to show that this process of expulsion is rapidly accelerated when the white blood cell detects a virus.

The team used advanced microscopy techniques to study live white blood cells exposed to two different types of virus, HIV, and measles, alongside the fungal pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans. This opportunistic pathogen is particularly deadly among HIV+ patients, where it causes around 200,000 deaths per year worldwide.

The researchers found that, instead of becoming simply less able to deal with the fungus, the white blood cells began expelling the fungal cells much more rapidly.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-unravels-immune-fungal-viral...

Learning difficulties due to poor connectivity, not specific brain regions

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-difficulties-due-poor-specif...

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How does the brain put decisions in context? Study finds unexpected brain region at work

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-brain-decisions-context-unex...

Why is there any matter in the universe at all? New study sheds light

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-universe.html?utm_source=nwletter&...

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Researcher discovers huge flaw with anthropometry, the measurement of facial features from images

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-02-huge-flaw-anthropometry-facial-...

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Fighting fake news: LSU professor relaunches fake news and disinformation resource website: https://faculty.lsu.edu/fakenews/

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-02-lsu-professor-relaunches-fake-n...

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How stable conditions are maintained during cell division ...

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-stable-conditions-cell-division.html?...

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Male-killing bacteria hold key to butterflies' curious colour changes

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-male-killing-bugs-key-butterflies-cur...

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GPS for chromosomes: Reorganization of the genome during development

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-gps-chromosomes-genome.html?utm_sourc...

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The enemy within: How a killer hijacked one of nature's oldest relationships

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-enemy-killer-hijacked-nature-oldest.h...

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Why objects in images may appear closer—or farther—than they actually are

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-images-closeror-fartherthan....

Deep-sea coral gardens discovered in canyons off Australia's South West

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-deep-sea-coral-gardens-canyons-austra...

Fasting at night or in the morning? Listen to your biological clock, says new research

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-fasting-night-morning-biolog...

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Eating fruit during pregnancy boosts babies' brain development, new study confirms

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-fruit-pregnancy-boosts-babie...

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Wormholes Reveal a Way to Manipulate Black Hole Information in the Lab

Paleontologists discover why the oceans are so diverse

A new study in the journal Science has given insight into why the world's oceans are full of more species than ever before -- a question that has long been a focus of paleontological research.

Coronavirus: who is most at risk of dying?

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-coronavirus-dying.html?utm_s...

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Unraveling turbulence: New insights into how fluids transform from order to disorder

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-unraveling-turbulence-insights-fluids...

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One little bandicoot can dig up an elephant’s worth of soil a year – and our ecosystem loves it

https://theconversation.com/one-little-bandicoot-can-dig-up-an-elep...

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Carbon chains adopt fusilli or spaghetti shapes if they have odd or even numbers

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-carbon-chains-fusilli-spaghetti-odd.h...

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The natural direction of heat flows—from hot to cold—can be reversed thanks to quantum effects

https://sciencex.com/news/2020-03-natural-flowsfrom-hot-coldcan-rev...

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The magnet that didn't exist

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-magnet-didnt.html?utm_source=nwletter...

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https://techxplore.com/news/2020-03-deep-networks-statistical-intui...

Why deep networks generalize despite going against statistical intuition

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https://techxplore.com/news/2020-03-tackling-5g-based-mobile-cloud-...

Tackling 5G-based mobile computing and cloud computing security concerns head-on

Cartilage cells, chromosomes and DNA preserved in 75 million-year-old baby duck-billed dinosaur

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-cartilage-cells-chromosomes-dna-milli...

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Computer from slime mould: A model to design logic gates inspired by a single-cell organism

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-03-logic-gates-single-cell.html?ut...

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Exploring neural mechanisms behind the perception of control in stressful situations

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-exploring-neural-mechanisms-...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-sea-mountains-muffle-earthquakes.html...

Sinking sea mountains make and muffle earthquakes

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Why billionaire climate philanthropists will always be part of the problem

https://theconversation.com/why-billionaire-climate-philanthropists...

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https://techxplore.com/news/2020-03-potassium-metal-battery-emerges...

Potassium metal battery emerges as a rival to lithium-ion technology

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https://techxplore.com/news/2020-03-tools-large-scale-storage-renew...

New tools show a way forward for large-scale storage of renewable energy

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A new tool for switching proteins on and off

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-tool-proteins.html?utm_source=nwlette...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-fast-ecofriendly-de-icing-aircrafts.h...

A fast, ecofriendly way of de-icing aircrafts

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-epoxy-resins-hardening-button.html?ut...

Epoxy resins: Hardening at the push of a button

Egg stem cells do not exist, new study shows

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-egg-stem-cells.html?utm_source=nwlett...

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Rethinking 'tipping points' in ecosystems and beyond

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-rethinking-ecosystems.html?utm_source...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-groundwork-life.html?utm_source=nwlet...

When rocks lay the groundwork for the origin of life: Mineral catalysts found in deep-sea vents convert CO2 and H2 to biomolecules, showing striking parallels to known biological pathways.

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-organ-on-a-chip-drug-toxicity-screeni...

New 'organ-on-a-chip' system holds promise for drug toxicity screening

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Swamp wallabies conceive new embryo before birth—a unique reproductive strategy

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-swamp-wallabies-embryo-birtha-unique....

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Genes that Escape Silencing on the Second X Chromosome May Drive Disease

https://www.the-scientist.com/features/genes-that-escape-silencing-...

Free lists of grants and fellowships around the world available online

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00599-z?utm_source=Natur...

The databases — one for graduate students, one for postdoctoral researchers and one for junior faculty members — are produced and posted

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Contraception: Stopping sperm in their tracks

An automated high-throughput platform can screen for molecules that change the motility of sperm cells and their ability to fertilize.

https://elifesciences.org/articles/55396?utm_source=content_alert&a...

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How Fake News Goes Viral—Here’s the Math

Models similar to those used to track disease show what happens when too much information hits social media networks

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-fake-news-goes-viral...

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Protective bio-shell could extend egg shelf life

https://www.scidev.net/global/innovation/news/protective-bio-shell-...

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Images of 'invisible' holes on cells may jumpstart research

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-images-invisible-holes-cells-jumpstar...

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One of the hallmarks of cancer is cell immortality.Researchers now have developed a promising molecular tool that targets and inhibits one of cell immortality's underlying gears: the enzyme telomerase.

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-chemists-inhibit-critical-gear-cell.h...

Air pollution 'pandemic' shortens lives by 3 years: study

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-world-air-pollution-pandemic...

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Engineers zap and unstick underwater smart glue

With a small zap of electricity, biomedical engineers at Michigan Technological University take an underwater smart glue prototype from sticky to not in seven seconds.

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-zap-unstick-underwater-smart.html?utm...

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-visceral-fat-brain-cognition...

Visceral fat delivers signal to the brain that hurts cognition

Excessive weight around our middle gives our brain's resident immune cells heavy exposure to a signal that turns them against us, setting in motion a crescendo of inflammation that damages cognition, according to new research.

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-obesity-virulence-influenza....

Obesity promotes virulence of influenza

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-microstructures-self-assemble-materia...

Microstructures self-assemble into new materials

A material that is designed at the nanoscale but assembles itself—with no need for the precision laser assembly.

--

Scientists shed light on mystery of dark matter

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-scientists-mystery-dark.html?utm_sour...

--

They are there and they are gone: A fourth neutrino chase

--

Scientists created an 'impossible' superconducting compound

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-scientists-impossible-superconducting...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-protein-meteorite.html?utm_source=nwl...

Protein discovered inside a meteorite

Protein called hemolithin discovered inside a meteorite ...

Anti-evolution drug could stop antibiotic resistance

The spread of antibiotic resistance is partly due to the ability of bacteria to pick up DNA from their surroundings. A new study, which started at the University of Groningen, showed that drugs blocking this ability (which is called 'competence') in the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae can indeed stop the spread of resistance in mice. As competence is blocked without affecting cell growth, it will be difficult for the bacteria to evolve resistance to the blockade. The study was published online by the journal Cell Host & Microbe on 3 March.

n order to pick up these resistance genes, a chain of events is needed that brings the bacteria in a state called 'competence.' During competence, bacteria express all the machinery required to 'catch' and incorporate the resistance genes into their own genomes.

Growth stress: Researchers figured out how to stop the cells from becoming competent.

In this assay, 1366 approved drugs were screened. It turned out that 46 of them blocked the induction of competence, without negatively affecting growth.

"When cells are under growth stress, for instance in the presence of antibiotics, they try to find a solution and become resistant to these drugs," explains Domenech. "Importantly, we did not observe resistance to the drugs found here as they do not cause growth stress." The 46 drugs could be divided into two groups: drugs affecting ion homeostasis, and antipsychotics. Several candidates were selected for further exploration. "This showed that they all acted through the same mechanism," says Domenech. They disrupted the proton-motive force: the electrochemical gradient that moves protons across the bacterial membrane and powers various processes.

WOW! Parrots get probability, use stats to make choices: study

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-parrots-probability-stats-choices.htm...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-cells-defend-viruses.html?utm_source=...

Researchers clarify how cells defend themselves from viruses

--

https://sciencex.com/news/2020-03-evolution-famous-image-wrong.html...

Evolution: That famous 'march of progress' image is just wrong

--

The origin of satiety: Brain cells that change shape after a meal

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-satiety-brain-cells-meal.htm...

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Busting junk science related to dreams: Real reasons Why People Dream About Their Teeth Falling Out

https://elemental.medium.com/why-people-dream-about-their-teeth-fal...

--

Paleontologists Are Skeptical About Baby Dinosaur Cells Supposedly ...

https://gizmodo.com/paleontologists-are-skeptical-about-baby-dinosa...

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Alarming: Plastic Nests: Seabirds are using fishing debris to construct nests.

https://www.the-scientist.com/image-of-the-day/image-of-the-day-pla...

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-ultra-precise-mind-controlle...

It's like you have a hand again: In a major advance in mind-controlled prosthetics for amputees, researchers have tapped faint, latent signals from arm nerves and amplified them to enable real-time, intuitive, finger-level control of a robotic hand.

Tropical forests' carbon sink is already rapidly weakening

The ability of the world's tropical forests to remove carbon from the atmosphere is decreasing, according to a study tracking 300,000 trees over 30 years, published today in Nature.

The global scientific collaboration, led by the University of Leeds, reveals that a feared switch of the world's undisturbed tropical forests from a carbon sink to a carbon source has begun.

Intact tropical forests are well-known as a crucial global carbon sink, slowing climate change by removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in trees, a process known as carbon sequestration. Climate models typically predict that this tropical forest carbon sink will continue for decades.

However, the new analysis of three decades of tree growth and death from 565 undisturbed tropical forests across Africa and the Amazon has found that the overall uptake of carbon into Earth's intact tropical forests peaked in the 1990s.

By the 2010s, on average, the ability of a tropical forest to absorb carbon had dropped by one-third. The switch is largely driven by carbon losses from trees dying.

The study by almost 100 institutions provides the first large-scale evidence that carbon uptake by the world's tropical forests has already started a worrying downward trend.

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-tropical-forests-carbon-rapidly-weake...

Biomaterial discovery enables 3-D printing of tissue-like vascular structures

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-biomaterial-discovery-enables-d-tissu...

More information: Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14716-z

High-tech contact lenses correct color blindness

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-high-tech-contact-lenses.html?utm_sou...

--

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-03-tremors-ai-robots.html?utm_sour...

Fighting hand tremors with AI and robots

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-energy-error-free-catalysts.html?utm_...

Energy researchers invent error-free catalysts

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-bendable-cement-free-concrete-potenti...

New bendable cement-free concrete can potentially make safer, long-lasting and greener infrastructure

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-scorpions-fluorescent-compound-parasi...

Scorpions make a fluorescent compound that could help protect them from parasites

--

Excessive weight around our middle gives our brain's resident immune cells heavy exposure to a signal that turns them against us, setting in motion a crescendo of inflammation that damages cognition, according to new research.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-visceral-fat-brain-cognition...

--

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/mind-reading-and-...

Mind Reading and Mind Control Technologies Are Coming

We need to figure out the ethical implications before they arrive

Why men (and other male animals) die younger: It's all in the Y chromosome

According to popular theory, men live shorter lives than women because they take bigger risks, have more dangerous jobs, drink and smoke more, and are poor at seeking advice from doctors.

But research by scientists at UNSW Sydney suggests the real reason may be less related to human behaviour and more to do with the type of sex chromosomes we share with most animal species.

In a study published today in Biology Letters, researchers from UNSW Science's School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences analysed all available academic literature on sex chromosomes and lifespan—and they tried to establish whether there was a pattern of one sex outliving the other that was repeated across the animal kingdom.

Unguarded X hypothesis

Specifically, they wanted to test the 'unguarded X hypothesis' which suggests that the Y chromosome in heterogametic sexes—those with XY (male) sex chromosomes rather than XX (female) sex chromosomes—is less able to protect an individual from harmful genes expressed on the X chromosome. The hypothesis suggests that, as the Y chromosome is smaller than the X chromosome, and in some cases absent, it is unable to 'hide' an X chromosome that carries harmful mutations, which may later expose the individual to health threats.

Conversely, there is no such problem in a pair of homogametic chromosomes (XX), where a healthy X chromosome can stand in for another X that has deleterious genes to ensure those harmful genes aren't expressed, thus maximising the length of life for the organism.

First author on the paper and Ph.D. student Zoe Xirocostas says that after examining the lifespan data available on a wide range of animal species, it appears that the unguarded X hypothesis stacks up. This is the first time that scientists have tested the hypothesis across the board in animal taxonomy; previously it was tested only within a few groups of animals.

"We looked at lifespan data in not just primates, other mammals and birds, but also reptiles, fish, amphibians, arachnids, cockroaches, grasshoppers, beetles, butterflies and moths among others," she says.

"And we found that across that broad range of species, the heterogametic sex does tend to die earlier than the homogametic sex, and it's 17.6 percent earlier on average."

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-men-male-animals-die-younger.html?utm...

Regional stability of ecosystems over time depends on local species diversity

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-regional-stability-ecosystems-local-s...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-electrical-power-moderate-temperature...

Electrical power generation from moderate-temperature radiative thermal sources

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Wearing clothes could release more microfibres to the environment than washing them

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-microfibres-environment.html?utm_sour...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-reveals-mechanism-dissipate-excess-su...

A mechanism that plants can use to dissipate excess sunlight as heat: excess energy is transferred from chlorophyll, the pigment that gives leaves their green color, to other pigments called carotenoids, which can then release the energy as heat.

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-international-largest-geneti...

International study completes the largest genetic map of psychiatric disorders so far

International study completes the largest genetic map of psychiatric disorders so far: autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome were covered

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-carbon-membrane-power.html?utm_source...

New carbon membrane generates a hundred times more power

--

Paper sheds light on infant universe and origin of matter

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-paper-infant-universe.html?utm_source...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-natural-contaminant-threat-groundwate...

Natural contaminant threat to drinking water from groundwater

Experiments show dogs can 'smell' radiated heat
https://phys.org/news/2020-03-dogs.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm...

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Experts discover toolkit to repair DNA breaks linked to aging, cancer and MND

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-experts-toolkit-dna-linked-a...

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Study: Women's hormonal cycles do not affect preferences for men's behaviour

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-women-hormonal-affect-men-be...

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No comment: Wikipedia Censors List of Scientists Who Don’t Agree With Global-warming “Consensus”.

https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/35099-

wikipedia-censors-list-of-scientists-who-don-t-agree-with-global-wa...

https://archive.vn/NDmaV

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Bad Air: Pilots worldwide complain of unsafe cabin fumes

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/07/airplanes-unsafe-cabin-fum...

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Apollo Rock Samples Heat Up Moon Formation Debate

A new study suggests there are key differences between the compositions of Earth and its natural satellite, with significant implications for lunar history

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/apollo-rock-samples-heat...

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How a key brain region combines visual and spatial information to navigate

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-key-brain-region-combines-vi...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-darkness-unravel-energy.html?utm_sour...

From darkness to light: New findings unravel how plants control energy generation

New insights into evolution: Why genes appear to move around
https://phys.org/news/2020-03-insights-evolution-genes.html?utm_sou...

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Faster-Than-Light Speeds Could Be Why Gamma-Ray Bursts Seem to Go Backwards in Time

https://www.sciencealert.com/faster-than-light-speeds-could-be-the-...

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Researchers  tracked 300,000 trees only to find that rainforests are losing their power to help humanity

https://theconversation.com/we-tracked-300-000-trees-only-to-find-t...

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Effects of wildfires on health

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-effects-wildfires-health.html?utm_sou...

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Safety zone saves giant moons from fatal plunge

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-safety-zone-giant-moons-fatal.html?ut...

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Roll-up TVs and bendable smart phones: The future of flexible electronic materials

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-roll-up-tvs-bendable-smart-future.htm...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-bacteria-tolerate-antibiotics.html?ut...

Bacteria might help other bacteria to tolerate antibiotics better

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Research on soldier ants reveals that evolution can go in reverse

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-soldier-ants-reveals-evolution-revers...

Why organisms shrink in a warming world

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200309093021.htm

Rapid DNA test quickly identifies victims of mass casualty event
https://phys.org/news/2020-03-rapid-dna-quickly-victims-mass.html?u...

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https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-and-the-black-death-spread-...

Coronavirus and the Black Death: spread of misinformation and xenophobia shows we haven’t learned from our past

--

http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2020/03/008.html

Don’t blame the messenger — unless it’s all stats and no story

--

Landmark Computer Science Proof Cascades Through Physics and Math

Have we really found an alien protein inside a meteorite?

Read more: Have we really found an alien protein inside a meteorite?
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2235981-have-we-really-found-a...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-global-endangered-species-overlooks-g...

Global plan to protect endangered species 'overlooks genetic diversity'

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Study reveals breast cancer cells shift their metabolic strategy to metastasize

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-reveals-breast-cancer-cells-shift.htm...

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-seismic-imaging-technology-f...

Seismic imaging technology could deliver finely detailed images of the human brain

--

Could cancer immunotherapy success depend on gut bacteria?

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-cancer-immunotherapy-success...

--

Not only washing your hands but drying them with disposable paper is also equally important to stop infections ...

https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-and-handwashing-research-sh...

Fruit fly study suggests neither nature nor nurture is responsible for individuality. Researchers found evidence that neither nature nor nurture leads to personality differences—it is the result of nonheritable noise during brain development.

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-fruit-nature-nurture-responsible-indi...

More information: Gerit Arne Linneweber et al. A neurodevelopmental origin of behavioral individuality in the Drosophila visual system, Science (2020). DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw7182

Solved: The mystery of the expansion of the universe

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-mystery-expansion-universe.html?utm_s...

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https://techxplore.com/news/2020-03-technological-anxiety.html?utm_...

Avoiding a technological anxiety attack

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Chemists create new artificial enzyme

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-chemists-artificial-enzyme.html?utm_s...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-domesticated-beneficial-soil-microbes...

Some domesticated plants ignore beneficial soil microbes

--

https://theconversation.com/malnourished-bugs-higher-co2-levels-mak...

Malnourished bugs: Higher CO2 levels make plants less nutritious, hurting insect populations

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-climate-shifts-prompt-shrubs-trees.ht...

Climate shifts prompt shrubs and trees to take root in open areas

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-cancer-cells-copper-binding-...

Cancer cells spread using a copper-binding protein

--

Scientists categorize neurons by the way the brain jiggles during a heartbeat

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-scientists-categorize-neuron...

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Thriving neuron 'nursery' found in a section of adult human nose tissue

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-neuron-nursery-section-adult...

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-altruism-people-happy-prior....

Altruism may not make people as happy as prior studies suggested

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Sea turtles may confuse the smell of ocean plastic with food

The reptiles respond to both scents by sniffing more, a key foraging behavior

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/sea-turtles-smell-plastic-ocean...

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https://www.sciencealert.com/astronomers-have-found-a-crazy-new-typ...

Astronomers Have Found a Peculiar New Type of Star That Only Pulses on One Side

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-zombie-brain-cells-neurons.h...

'Zombie' brain cells develop into working neurons

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-underground-food-sources-enable-bacte...

Underground food sources enable bacteria to release arsenic into groundwater

--

Researchers find new minor planets beyond Neptune

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-minor-planets-neptune.html?utm_source...

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How secure are four and six-digit mobile phone PINs?

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-03-six-digit-mobile-pins.html?utm_...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-chemicals.html?utm_source=nwletter&am...

A possible end to 'forever' chemicals

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-antiaging-biochemical-mechanism-mouse...

Antiaging biochemical mechanism found in mouse, bat and naked mole rat cells

Microbial DNA in patient blood may be tell-tale sign of cancer

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-microbial-dna-patient-blood-...

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Making choices becomes a lot easier when we have heuristics, or simple rules of thumb. One example is the five-a-day rule, which encourages people to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables each day. It's much easier to follow than weighing and adding up your daily intake of different fruits and vegetables to see if you've consumed the necessary amount in grams.

Popularising simple rules of thumb—like replace red meat and dairy with plant-based products—helps people skip the stupefying step of computing the complex carbon footprint of every single meal they eat. They allow people to make fast and effective decisions about what to eat.

If you want to reduce the climate impact of our food choices, try to replace red meat and dairy with plant-based products more often, and avoid products that are flown in or grown in a greenhouse. These choices would be good for the climate, with the added bonus of being good for your health.

Heuristics are remarkably effective compared to more complex strategies for making decisions. According to research in psychology, this is probably due to them being easier to remember, implement in different situations, and stick to over time.

Microbes far beneath the seafloor rely on recycling to survive

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-microbes-beneath-seafloor-recycling-s...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-amazon-collapse-years.html?utm_source...

Close to tipping point, Amazon could collapse in 50 years

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Building blocks for life on Earth arrived much later than we thought, billion-year-old rocks show

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-blocks-life-earth-thought-billion-yea...

Even concerned consumers don't know which food choices have the lowest climate impact

The energy used to grow, process, package and transport food accounts for about a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. But not all food is equally carbon-intensive. Researchers can measure the impact of different food choices at each stage of their journey—from farm to fork—to work out their carbon footprint.

Experts suggest that, to reduce your food-related carbon footprint, the best dietary changes to make include replacing red meat and dairy products with plant-based alternatives, and avoiding products that are flown in, or grown in a commercial greenhouse.

Well-intentioned but misinformed

For one, corporate sustainability campaigns tend to shift responsibility onto consumers by focusing on reusing and recycling packaging. This has the obvious appeal of presenting no risk to a company's bottom line. Although reducing the amount of plastic packaging that ends up in landfill is important, it's unlikely to make much difference to climate change.

What should we do when the organic vegetables are wrapped in plastic and non-organic ones aren't? Or when the milk-based yogurt pot is decorated with a landscape of happy cows wandering free in lush fields, while the plainly packaged soy yogurt conjures images of the Amazon burning to ashes? What about when the fresh bananas arrive from Ecuador but the local Scottish strawberries are kept in the freezer? Whether it's plastic packaging versus organic produce, animal welfare versus deforestation, or travel miles versus energy consumption, there is a lot to consider.

Another cause for confusion might be the nature of advice given by climate experts. Often, the climate impact of food choices is presented in terms of grams of greenhouse gas emissions.

We found that people were confused when they were asked "how many grams of greenhouse gas emissions could be saved by growing 1 kg of produce organically instead of conventionally?", or "packing 1 kg of produce into a paper bag instead of plastic"? They were less confused and could answer more accurately when asked the same questions about the percentage of the greenhouse gas emissions that could be saved.

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-consumers-dont-food-choices-lowest.ht...

Genetics research sheds light on 'dark' portion of genome

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-genetics-dark-portion-genome.html?utm...

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-reveals-delicate-dynamic-con...

Study reveals a delicate dance of dynamic changes in the conscious brain

--

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-patching-flat-herniated-disc...

New fix heals herniated discs: A new two-step technique to repair herniated discs uses hyaluronic acid gel to re-inflate the disc and collagen gel to seal the hole, essentially repairing ruptured discs like you'd repair a flat tire.

--

https://www.vox.com/2018/8/21/17588092/vaccines-science-community-e...

The scientific community strongly supports the use of vaccines, based on decades of experience and research showing vaccines are effective and safe.

--

https://www.sciencealert.com/a-potential-universal-flu-vaccine-just...

A Potential Universal Flu Vaccine Just Passed an Important Clinical Trial

--

https://www.sciencealert.com/hiv-cured-london-man-still-has-no-trac...

Second Person Declared 'Cured' of HIV, With No Trace of Infection After Nearly 3 Years

--

What’s the difference between pandemic, epidemic and outbreak?

https://theconversation.com/whats-the-difference-between-pandemic-e...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-mechanical-animal-origami-precisely-n...

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) in Japan have identified a new mechanism that helps animals to develop with precise and constant form.

A new mechanism that helps animals to develop with precise and constant form.

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New nano strategy fights superbugs: It's not enough to take antibiotic-resistant bacteria out of wastewater to eliminate the risks they pose to society. The bits they leave behind have to be destroyed as well. 

Researchers at Rice University's Brown School of Engineering have a new strategy for "trapping and zapping" antibiotic resistant genes, the pieces of bacteria that, even though theirs hosts are dead, can find their way into and boost the resistance of other bacteria.

The team led by Rice environmental engineer Pedro Alvarez is using molecular-imprinted graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets to absorb and degrade these genetic remnants in sewage system wastewater before they have the chance to invade and infect other bacteria.

The researchers targeted plasmid-encoded antibiotic-resistant genes (ARG) coding for New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM1), known to resist multiple drugs. When mixed in solution with the ARGs and exposed to ultraviolet light, the treated nanosheets proved 37 times better at destroying the genes than graphitic carbon nitride alone. "Unfortunately, some superbugs resist chlorination, and resistant bacteria that die release extracellular ARGs that get stabilized by clay in receiving environments and transform indigenous bacteria, becoming resistome reservoirs. "In this paper, we discuss a trap-and-zap strategy to destroy extracellular ARGs. Our strategy is to use molecularly imprinted coatings that enhance selectivity and minimize interference by background organic compounds."

Molecular imprinting is like making a lock that attracts a key, not unlike natural enzymes with binding sites that only fit molecules of the right shape. For this project, graphitic carbon nitride molecules are the lock, or photocatalyst, customized to absorb and then destroy NDM1.

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-nano-strategy-superbugs.html?utm_sour...

Two-pronged attack on DNA repair could kill drug-resistant cancers

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-two-pronged-dna-drug-resista...

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-coronavirus-surfaces-days.ht...

Tests show new coronavirus lives on some surfaces for up to three days

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Heat and light create new biocompatible microparticles:

Heat & light create new biocompatible microparticles. Biomedical engineers have devised a method that is safe for living tissues that will allow them to create new shapes attractive for drug delivery, diagnostics and tissue engineering.

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-biocompatible-microparticles.html?utm...

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Researchers create focus-free camera with new flat lens

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-focus-free-camera-flat-lens.html?utm_...

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Scientists discover the mathematical rules underpinning brain growth

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-scientists-mathematical-underpinning-...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-earth-mantle-core-planet-early.html?u...

New theory: Earth's mantle, not its core, may have generated planet's early magnetic field

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Biocontrol: New aflatoxin biocontrol product lowers contamination of groundnut and maize

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-aflatoxin-biocontrol-product-lowers-c...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-03-india-chandrayaan-highest-resolution-...

You have to see the pics to believe this: India's Chandrayaan 2 is creating the highest-resolution map we have of the moon

--

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-03-hack-siri-google-ultrasonic.htm...

Research finds a new way to hack Siri and Google Assistant with ultrasonic waves

--

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-03-fast-charging-electric-car-batt...

Fast-charging damages electric car batteries: Commercial fast-charging stations subject electric car batteries to high temperatures and high resistance that can cause them to crack, leak, and lose their storage capacity

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-spillway-electrons-lithium-metal-batt...

'Spillway' for electrons could keep lithium metal batteries from catching fire

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-hero-proteins.html?utm_source=nwlette...

Hero proteins are here to save other proteins: Researchers have discovered a new group of proteins, remarkable for their unusual shape and abilities to protect against protein clumps associated with neurodegenerative diseases