Lipid droplets as endogenous intracellular microlenses
With the demand in real-time monitoring of endoplasmic variations and rapid detection of extracellular signals, a great number of approaches to bioimaging have been developed. The past few decades have witnessed a dramatic progress in optical imaging.....»»
New material could remove respiratory droplets from air
Although plexiglass barriers are seemingly everywhere these days—between grocery store lanes, around restaurant tables and towering above office cubicles—they are an imperfect solution to blocking virus transmission......»»
Plexiglass Is Everywhere, With No Proof It Keeps Covid at Bay
Sales of plexiglass tripled to roughly $750 million in the U.S. after the pandemic hit, as offices, schools, restaurants and retail stores sought protection from the droplets that health authorities suspected were spreading the coronavirus. There was.....»»
Uncovering cellular mechanisms driving epidermal form and function
A team of Northwestern Medicine investigators has discovered a set of intracellular mechanisms that support the polarized function of the skin's outermost layer, the epidermis, according to findings published in Current Biology......»»
Ion and lipid transporters specialize for their niche
Cell viability require that a variety of functions at the cell membrane are maintained properly. P-type ATPases translocate substrates across the membrane, and they have evolved into different types taking care of specific substrates within a diverse.....»»
Not just a phase for RNAs
A phenomenon in which an RNA named NORAD drives a protein named Pumilio to form liquid droplets in cells, much like oil in water, appears to tightly regulate the activity of Pumilio. A new study suggests that such RNA-driven 'phase separation,' in tu.....»»
Ion and lipid transporters specialize for their niche
Cell viability requires that a variety of functions at the cell membrane are maintained properly. P-type ATPases translocate substrates across the membrane, and they have evolved into different types taking care of specific substrates within a divers.....»»
Normal breathing sends saliva droplets 7 feet; masks shorten this
The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control recommend keeping a certain distance between people to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These social distancing recommendations are estimated from a variety of studies, but further rese.....»»
Scientists explore lipid metabolism with simulations and experiments
In humans and animals, fat cells produce and store fat in special organelles, which are specialized subunits within the cell, called lipid droplets. The lipid droplets make up the largest part of the volume of these fat cells, also known as adipocyte.....»»
Mechanochemical peptide bond formation behind the origins of life
The presence of amino acids on the prebiotic Earth is widely accepted, either coming from endogenous chemical processes or being delivered by extraterrestrial material. On the other hand, plausibly prebiotic pathways to peptides often rely on differe.....»»
Filter membrane renders viruses harmless
Viruses can spread not only via droplets or aerosols like the new coronavirus, but in water, too. In fact, some potentially dangerous pathogens of gastrointestinal diseases are water-borne viruses......»»
Water droplets become hydrobots by adding magnetic beads
Using a piece of magnet, researchers have designed a simple system that can control the movement of a small puddle of water, even when it's upside down. The new liquid manipulation strategy, described in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science on J.....»»
The 60-Year-Old Scientific Screwup That Helped Covid Kill
All pandemic long, scientists brawled over how the virus spreads. Droplets! No, aerosols! At the heart of the fight was a teensy error with huge consequences......»»
Researchers 3D print complex micro-optics with improved imaging performance
In a new study, researchers have shown that 3D printing can be used to make highly precise and complex miniature lenses with sizes of just a few microns. The microlenses can be used to correct color distortion during imaging, enabling small and light.....»»
The Teeny, Tiny Scientific Screwup That Helped Covid Kill
All pandemic long, scientists brawled over how the virus spreads. Droplets! No, aerosols! At the heart of the fight was a mysterious error in decades-old research......»»
Simulating sneezes and coughs to show how COVID-19 spreads
Researchers have published papers on the droplets of liquid sprayed by coughs or sneezes and how far they can travel under different conditions. Their findings reinforce the importance of wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, avoiding poorly.....»»
Simulating sneezes and coughs to show how COVID-19 spreads
Two groups of researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have published papers on the droplets of liquid sprayed by coughs or sneezes and how far they can travel under different conditions......»»
Protein remodels intracellular membrane to help Legionella bacteria survive in host cells
Scientists at UT Southwestern have discovered a key protein that helps the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease to set up house in the cells of humans and other hosts. The findings, published in Science, could offer insights into how other bact.....»»
The Coronavirus Is an Airborne Threat, the CDC Acknowledges In Updated Public Guidance
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: Federal health officials on Friday updated public guidance about how the coronavirus spreads, emphasizing that transmission occurs by inhaling very fine respiratory droplets and aerosolized.....»»
With new optical device, engineers can fine tune the color of light
Among the first lessons any grade school science student learns is that white light is not white at all, but rather a composite of many photons, those little droplets of energy that make up light, from every color of the rainbow—red, orange, yellow.....»»
Atomic-level insights gained for a key lipid-binding protein implicated in cancer
Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys have identified, at an atomic level, how a part of a protein called PLEKHA7 interacts with a cell's membrane to regulate important intercellular communications......»»