Children today spend more time in cars than previous generations. They also spend less time playing on the streets and in unstructured and unsupervised activity outdoors. The lack of opportunities for physical activity and the loss of freedom to explore their local neighbourhood … | Continue reading
In optogenetics, researchers use light to control protein activity. This technique allows them to alter the shape of embryonic tissue and to inhibit the development of abnormalities. Now, scientists in EMBL's De Renzis group have enhanced the technique to stop organ-shaping proce … | Continue reading
Firefighters, legislators, and residents on the East Coast should watch carefully the way their California counterparts are dealing with wildfires tearing through the state. The combined forces that brought about the blaze are growing more and more present in the Northeast, said … | Continue reading
Population geneticists at Bielefeld University and the British Antarctic Survey have found that eleven seal species only narrowly escaped extinction. Their study has been published today in Nature Communications. | Continue reading
Cells replicate by dividing, but scientists still don't know exactly how they decide when to split. Deciding the right time and the right size to divide is critical for cells – if something goes wrong it can have a big impact, such as with cancer, which is basically a disease of … | Continue reading
Scientists have predicted that within two years a viral disease outbreak will likely hit European wheat harvests, leading to a hike in food prices across the continent. | Continue reading
How would you move through a space when you can't see the obstacles ahead? For example, how would you find your way out of a maze if you were blindfolded? You could either use your other senses, such as touch, to find your way out – or better yet, you could get someone who can se … | Continue reading
New analysis of the structure and function of the naturally-occurring antimicrobial agent tunicamycin has revealed ways to produce new, safe antibiotics for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other disease-causing bacteria. | Continue reading
It may not be your actual Superman, but participants to ESA's ɸ-week are certainly embracing some 'superhero' ideas for the future of Earth observation, including high-flying platforms – something between a satellite and an aircraft. | Continue reading
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology produced subnano-sized metallic particles that are as much as 50 times more effective than well-known Au-Pd bimetallic nanocatalysts. | Continue reading
A study led by researchers of the University of Barcelona quantifies the presence of textile microfibers in south European marine floors from the Cantabrian Sea to the Black Sea. The study has analysed the amount of these colored fibers, which vary between three to eight millimet … | Continue reading
A new study has found ground-breaking evidence from an ice core in the Swiss-Italian Alps that proves the 7th century switch from gold to silver currencies in western Europe actually occurred a quarter of a century earlier than previously thought. | Continue reading
Bacteria are increasingly resistant to available antibiotics. A team of chemists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now identified important enzymes in the metabolism of staphylococci. Blocking these enzymes in a targeted manner starves them. | Continue reading
A new study sheds light on how toothed whales adapted their sonar abilities to occupy different environments. The study shows that as animals grew bigger, they were able to put more energy into their echolocation sounds—but surprisingly, the sound energy increased much more than … | Continue reading
Revealing how a gene is activated in cancer cells to produce an enzyme that helps the cells thrive could lead to new treatments. | Continue reading
Cancer will become easier to detect and diagnose early using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) thanks to A*STAR researchers who have engineered biocompatible iron oxide nanoparticle contrast agents¹. | Continue reading
As part of the cellular conservation of endangered species, a research group initiated a primary cell culture project aimed at preserving endangered avian species in Japan, such as the Okinawa rail. However, primary cells cannot be cultured indefinitely because of cellular senesc … | Continue reading
Researchers have developed a humanoid robot prototype, HRP-5P, intended to autonomously perform heavy labor or work in hazardous environments. | Continue reading
The field of intelligent nanorobotics is based on the great promise of molecular devices with information processing capabilities. In a new study that supports the trend of DNA-based information carriers, scientists have engineered a DNA navigator system that can perform single-m … | Continue reading
When we think of retirement, we usually conjure images of silver-haired folks playing golf, going on long vacations or taking daytime naps as a reward for a lifetime of work. | Continue reading
Daniel Ruiz-Carrascal stands on a mound of jagged rocks that seem out of place in the otherwise smooth and grassy landscape. "The glacier was here in the mid-1500s," he explains. The white peak of Nevado Santa Isabel looms a mile ahead and about 1,300 feet taller than our own diz … | Continue reading
Hidden in a distant galaxy cluster collision are wisps of gas resembling the starship Enterprise—an iconic spaceship from the "Star Trek" franchise. | Continue reading
Researchers from the Departments of Chemistry and Engineering Science at the University of Oxford have found a general way of predicting enzyme activity. Enzymes are the protein catalysts that perform most of the key functions in Biology. Published in Nature Chemical Biology, the … | Continue reading
Researchers with the University of California, San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Princeton University recently walked back scientific findings published last month that showed oceans have been heating up dramatically faster than previously thought as a result of … | Continue reading
Scientists from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), Japan, have discovered that a catalyst poison, which deactivates homogeneous catalysts, can be "reborn" as an efficient ligand by introduction of a substituent, in chemical reactions. This finding is of servic … | Continue reading
Music plays an important role in most people's lives regardless of the genre and in a wide variety of contexts from celebrations and parties to simply providing background while a task is being performed. Until very recently, music was only heard when musicians played it live, th … | Continue reading
If thermoelectric materials can convert low-grade heat into electricity, we may never need to charge wearable technology at home again. | Continue reading
A team of researchers from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Harvard University and Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology has developed a way to make batteries in almost any shape that can be imagined. In their paper published in the journal ACS Nano, … | Continue reading
Heat is transported through the ocean by a deep-ocean circulation system, known as the global heat conveyor belt, which constantly circulates water around the globe and helps to balance the earth's climate. | Continue reading
Studies on the Devonian of China have lasted for about 170 years, and important progress has been made recently. Based on well-studied bio- and chronostratigraphy of the Devonian in South China and adjacent areas, in combination with recent achievements in carbon isotope stratigr … | Continue reading
Researchers at Shinshu University in Japan have discovered that editing the chemical properties of fusicoccins, a kind of toxic organic compound produced by fungus to blight plants, can transform them into chemicals with anti-tumor properties in cells. The results of the study we … | Continue reading
An international team of researchers has identified and proved that adding impurities with a lower concentration of electrons stabilizes the antiferromagnetic state of cuprates, high-temperature superconducting compounds based on copper. The research team, led by a senior fellow … | Continue reading
A nanoscale optical antenna developed by researchers at A*STAR allows the manipulation of visible light waves on the scale of microchips. Such nanoantennae may enable the development of high-resolution imaging systems in small mobile devices. | Continue reading
Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) offer a stable and efficient way to generate clean electrochemical power, but are impractical for use in portable devices because of their high operating temperatures. A new design and production strategy developed by Florencia Edith Wiria of the A* … | Continue reading
Composite panels that sandwich a porous inner core between two solid outer sheets are increasingly being used in aircraft to reduce weight while maintaining structural rigidity. A study led by A*STAR may help other industries exploit the benefits of sandwich panels by using three … | Continue reading