Activation mechanism of flaviviruses identified
A collaboration between researchers at the Center for Virology of the Medical University of Vienna and the Pasteur Institute in Paris has provided unexpected insights into the atomic interactions of the tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus in infected.....»»
90,000-year-old human footprints found on Moroccan beach
An international team of archaeologists has found and identified a trackway made by multiple humans approximately 90,000 years ago in what is now Morocco. In their paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, the group describes how they tested.....»»
Researchers identify new species of tuft-tailed rat in Madagascar
In an international effort, researchers have identified a previously unknown tuft-tailed rat (genus Eliurus) taxon in the Montagne d'Ambre forest in northern Madagascar, underscoring the region's extraordinary biodiversity. This discovery, published.....»»
Researchers discover molecular mechanism that influences the symmetrical shape of the style
Humans are attracted to symmetry: in our buildings, our gardens, in our potential partners. For plants, the symmetrical shapes of organs are a matter of survival because the form directly impacts the function......»»
To stick or not to stick? Mixed sand columns illuminate design of better materials
Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have been studying the strength and toughness of sand columns made of a mixture of sticky and non-sticky grains. They have uncovered the mechanism behind how the strength changes as grains are mixed in di.....»»
Scientists Just Discovered a New Type of Magnetism
In an atomically thin stack of semiconductors, a mechanism unseen in any natural substance causes electrons’ spins to align......»»
Small exoplanet could be hot and steamy according to Hubble
Hubble recently identified water vapor in the atmosphere of a small, hot exoplanet......»»
Researchers discover great floods recurrently occurred in the lower Pearl River, southern China
River flooding is among the most catastrophic disasters worldwide. The Pearl River, the longest watercourse in southern China, particularly its lower reach with dense population and economic activity, has been identified as one of the world's most vu.....»»
New simulation tool advances molecular modeling of biomolecular condensates
A University of Massachusetts Amherst team has made a major advance toward modeling and understanding how intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) undergo spontaneous phase separation, an important mechanism of subcellular organization that underlies.....»»
Ancient "relaxant-inflammatory" mechanism gets sponges moving
Did you know that sponges can move? While not exactly the champions of underwater acrobatics, sponges exhibit coordinated movements—despite not having muscles or neurons......»»
Team unravels activation mechanism of a protein that combats bacteria
The human immune system is constantly fending off a wide range of invaders—a feat that requires a diverse array of cellular troops and molecular weaponry. Although a great deal is already known about immune defense cells and the strategies they emp.....»»
Researchers: Britain is at bursting point and its flood barriers need to be updated
Flooding is the top environmental hazard identified in the UK's National Risk Register, after a pandemic. Around one in six homes are currently at risk of flooding—a value likely to increase......»»
Dark black eggs found on ocean floor represent deepest free-living flatworms ever observed
A pair of marine scientists at Hokkaido University, in Japan, has found evidence of the deepest free-living flatworms ever observed. In their study, published in the journal Biology Letters, Keiichi Kakui and Aoi Tsuyuki, identified flatworm eggs fou.....»»
Nigerian Police Bust Pirate Site Operators After Actress Suffers Panic Attacks
The Criminal Investigations Department of Nigeria's police has arrested five suspects in one of the largest online piracy actions ever carried out in the country. The suspects were identified following complaints from filmmakers, including actress To.....»»
Scientists chart the growing weather extremes on maritime Antarctic islands
Scientists at British Antarctic Survey have found that the number of warm weather events in the South Orkney Islands has significantly increased in frequency over the last 75 years. Using newly available historical data, scientists have identified th.....»»
Follow the salt: Connecting salt concentrations and motion in roundworms
Joint research led by Ayaka Matsumoto and Yuichi Iino of the University of Tokyo demonstrates that temporal decrease in salt concentration leads to the activation of the neck motor neuron of roundworms, but only in a specific phase of its activity......»»
Study of gigantism in whales provides clues to genomic mechanism involved in tumor suppression
The functioning of certain regions of a few genes in cetaceans (whales, porpoises and dolphins) may explain why the Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) can reach lengths of up to 30 meters—almost 10 m more than a bus—while the Bottlenose dolphin (.....»»
Energy supply in human cells is subject to quality control, researchers discover
Researchers at the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) have discovered a new quality control mechanism that regulates energy production in human cells. This process takes place in mitochondria, the power plants of the cell......»»
New deep-sea crustacean discovered in Bahamas
An international team of marine biologists including Oliver Shipley, Ph.D., of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University, have discovered a unique isopod, a form of crustacean, that has been formally identified a.....»»
New potato-threatening pathogens reported for first time in Pennsylvania, US
As the home of beloved snack companies like Martin's Potato Chips, Utz and Snyder's of Hanover, Pennsylvania values its potatoes. Tasty tubers across the state may face the threat of newly identified pathogen strains, though, according to Penn State.....»»
Chilled-out tadpoles defy climate odds
University of Queensland researchers have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that allows tadpoles in cold environments to mitigate the detrimental effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation......»»