Light sheet microscopy is a powerful method for imaging the development and function of whole living organisms

Posted on November 28, 2016 by

Light sheet microscopy is a novel microscopy technique developed in the last ten years that is uniquely suited to image large living organisms. In a light-sheet microscope, a laser light sheet illuminates the sample perpendicularly to the observation along a thin plane within the sample. Out-of-focus and scattered light from other planes - which often impair image quality - is largely avoided because only the observed plane is illuminated. Researchers develop a combination of software and hardw...

University of Tokyo research findings provide evidence that learning ability is influenced by functional diversity of a single gene in a single neuron.

Posted on November 27, 2016 by

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have demonstrated that production of a specific type of insulin receptor is required for gustatory memory during starvation in worms. The finding provides evidence that learning ability is influenced by functional diversity of a single gene in a single neuron. C. elegans, a tiny roundworm that lives in soil, can remember concentrations of salts (NaCl etc.) to which it has been exposed during feeding or food deprivation and learn to approach or avoid thos...

NASA’s technology helps ‘Unique Logic’ develop attention-training game to sustain their attention in order to complete tasks

Posted on November 25, 2016 by

Imagine moving an object using only your mind. Software company Unique Logic’s Time on Task exercise makes that feat possible, at least on a computer screen. The game, which is designed to teach people how to sustain their attention in order to complete tasks, involves getting a forklift operator to transport a stack of crates from the ground onto the back of a big rig. It doesn’t seem like a particularly interesting plot, except for the fact that, instead of using a remote control to dictate th...

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON team suggest that fault curvature may control where big quakes occur

Posted on November 25, 2016 by

Major earthquakes - magnitude 8.5 and stronger -- occur where faults are mostly flat, say University of Oregon and French geologists. Curvier faults, they report in the journal Science, are less likely to experience earthquakes exceeding that strength. Large earthquakes, known as mega-quakes, were long thought to be possible only at the boundary between fast converging, young tectonic plates until two giant earthquakes -- the magnitude 9.4 quake in Indonesia in 2004 and the 9.0 quake in Japan...

Berkeley Lab X-Rays has captured Images of Photosynthesis in Action

Posted on November 24, 2016 by

Never mind the story of Moses parting the Red Sea. How exactly do plants split water? An international team of scientists is getting closer to the answer thanks to unprecedented, atomic-scale images of a protein complex found in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria captured by ultrafast X-ray lasers. The experiments, led by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), are helping researchers narrow down the process by which the protein, called photosyste...

CORNELL UNIVERSITY’s research has found cancer cells ‘talk’ to their environment, and it talks back

Posted on November 24, 2016 by

Interactions between an animal cell and its environment, a fibrous network called the extracellular matrix, play a critical role in cell function, including growth and migration. But less understood is the mechanical force that governs those interactions. A multidisciplinary team of Cornell engineers and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania have devised a method for measuring the force a cell -- in this case, a breast cancer cell -- exerts on its fibrous surroundings. Understanding ...

Researchers from Caltech and UCLA have developed a new approach to removing cellular damage that accumulates with age. Turning Back the Aging Clock.

Posted on November 21, 2016 by

Researchers from Caltech and UCLA have developed a new approach to removing cellular damage that accumulates with age. The technique can potentially help slow or reverse an important cause of aging. Led by Nikolay Kandul, senior postdoctoral scholar in biology and biological engineering in the laboratory of Professor of Biology Bruce Hay, the team developed a technique to remove mutated DNA from mitochondria, the small organelles that produce most of the chemical energy within a cell. A paper...

Hunt for dark matter and other phenomena that help scientists better understand how the universe functions at its most fundamental level

Posted on November 20, 2016 by

At least a quarter of the universe is invisible. Unlike x-rays that the naked eye can't see but equipment can measure, scientists have yet to detect dark matter after three decades of searching, even with the world's most sensitive instruments. But dark matter is so fundamental to physics that scientists supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Science are searching for it in some of the world's most isolated locales, from deep underground to outer space. "Without dark matter, it'...

Researchers have found associations between self-reported sleep duration and drinking of sugar-sweetened beverages

Posted on November 20, 2016November 20, 2016 by

A growing body of research has linked sugary beverage consumption to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions including high blood sugar and excess body fat, which can lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes. Lack of sleep is also associated with a higher risk for metabolic disease. Recently, several studies have linked the two factors in school-age children, showing that children who get less sleep are more likely to drink soda and other sugary beverages during the day, said Prather, who is also...

Family research suggest relationships during childhood are related to risk-taking by young adults

Posted on November 20, 2016 by

Oklahoma State University, used the domain-specific risk-taking scale (DOSPERT) to assess five areas of risk-taking, namely ethical, social, financial, recreational and health. The research tested the hypothesis that childhood relationships with parents were related to risk-taking by young adults. Prior research has shown that risk-taking by young children is related to their interactions with mothers and fathers. What makes some young adults behave in ways that have the potential to harm ...

Clay Mathematics Institute has offered a prize of US$1,000,000 to the one who provides scientific explanation from a mathematical point of view for confinement of particles

Posted on November 19, 2016 by

In mathematical physics, the Yang–Mills existence and mass gap problem is an unsolved problem and one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems defined by the Clay Mathematics Institute, which has offered a prize of US$1,000,000 to the one who solves it. In physics, confinement of particles is such an important phenomenon that the Clay Mathematics Institute has even pledged an award of a million dollars to anyone who can give a convincing and exhaustive scientific explanation from a mathematical...

University of Nebraska-Lincoln research shows that Predators can drive increase in virus populations.

Posted on November 13, 2016 by

The transparent belly of a tiny beast has revealed how algae-infecting chloroviruses bloom in freshwater around the world, says a new study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Millimeter-sized crustacean known as a copepod excretes partially digested paramecia and the green algae living inside those paramecia. A new study has shown that this partial digestion exposes the otherwise-protected algae to chloroviruses, allowing the viruses to replicate and bloom in their freshwater habitats. ...

Mouse experiments with Zika antibody suggest protection for fetuses

Posted on November 8, 2016November 8, 2016 by

In early studies on mice, a research team has found a Zika virus antibody that when given to pregnant animals protected their fetuses, and also protected adult mice from the disease. The findings raise hope for a potential treatment to prevent maternal-fetal transmission of the virus to prevent microcephaly and other devastating birth defects until a vaccine is available and also may help guide vaccine development. The team, based at Washington University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt Uni...

SlicePlanner new hybrid approach to planning, combining an old-fashioned paper and digital calendars.

Posted on November 7, 2016 by

SlicePlanner is a brand new hybrid approach to planning, combining an old-fashioned paper ... our unique system complements your favorite digital calendars. Slice Planner is the first ever paper planner connected to the digital calendars. It is not only an old-fashioned paper planner refreshed by the technology of 2016 but also a specially-designed time management system that presents a new approach to planning your day and time. Powered by computer vision and augmented reality, our unique...

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY -Sunshine matters a lot to mental health.

Posted on November 4, 2016 by

Sunshine matters. A lot. The idea isn't exactly new, but according to a recent BYU study, when it comes to your mental and emotional health, the amount of time between sunrise and sunset is the weather variable that matters most. Your day might be filled with irritatingly hot temperatures, thick air pollution and maybe even pockets of rainclouds, but that won't necessarily get you down. If you're able to soak up enough sun, your level of emotional distress should remain stable. Take away sun ...

Berkeley Lab scientists have identified ‘How our cells keep errors in the transporting genetic information in cells process in check’

Posted on November 4, 2016 by

Mistakes happen. This is the case in the process of transporting genetic information in cells. How our cells keep errors in this process in check is the subject of a new paper by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). They found that RNA-binding proteins are regulated such that gateway proteins can recognize and block aberrant strands of genetic code from exiting the nucleus. Unused messenger RNA (mRNA) strands that cannot exit the ...

MIT researchers and their colleagues are designing an imaging system that can read closed books.

Posted on November 3, 2016 by

New computational imaging method identifies letters printed on first nine pages of a stack of paper. MIT researchers and their colleagues are designing an imaging system that can read closed books. In the latest issue of Nature Communications, the researchers describe a prototype of the system, which they tested on a stack of papers, each with one letter printed on it. The system was able to correctly identify the letters on the top nine sheets. “The Metropolitan Museum in New York show...

MIT research scientists set traps for atoms with single-particle precision

Posted on November 3, 2016 by

Atoms, photons, and other quantum particles are often capricious and finicky by nature; very rarely at a standstill, they often collide with others of their kind. But if such particles can be individually corralled and controlled in large numbers, they may be harnessed as quantum bits, or qubits — tiny units of information whose state or orientation can be used to carry out calculations at rates significantly faster than today’s semiconductor-based computer chips. In recent years, scientists ...

Blackbirds switch abruptly to fly-by-night behaviour at migration time

Posted on October 17, 2016 by

The normally diurnal birds don't need time to adjust their circadian clocks before departing for their winter habitats Each year, billions of songbirds set out on autumn evenings to fly to their wintering grounds, necessitating a change of daily rhythm for the usually diurnal animals. Scientists had always assumed that the birds gradually adjusted their rhythm, but new technology has now enabled researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell, with international partners...

Eating high-glycemic load diet could increase depression and fatigue

Posted on October 8, 2016 by

A high-glycemic load diet is linked to higher depression symptoms, fatigue and mood disturbance compared to a low-glycemic load diet, a new study finds. The glycemic load (GL) helps people assess how food portions affect blood sugar levels, and can be useful for people with diabetes who may be unsure about how a meal could affect their management. Foods with a high GL are those with a high carbohydrate value that influence blood glucose levels quickly. Bread, rice and many breakfast cereal...

Northwest University Researcher Guillermo Ameer Has Developed Regenerative Bandage That Heals Diabetic Wounds Faster

Posted on October 8, 2016 by

At some point in their lives, 15 percent of people with diabetes will develop a painful and hard-to-treat foot ulcer. Twenty-four percent of those affected will require a lower-leg amputation because of it. And, in some instances, what seems like a harmless sore might even lead to death. A Northwestern Engineering team has developed a new treatment for this severe and potentially deadly complication of diabetes. Called a “regenerative bandage,” the novel material heals diabetic wounds four ti...

Northwestern Medicine Scientists Have Found That RNA Test Helps Identify Bacterial Infections in Infants

Posted on October 4, 2016 by

Northwestern Medicine scientists, working with the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN), recently assessed whether an RNA biosignature of the body’s response to infection could distinguish if infants 60 days or younger with fever were experiencing a serious bacterial infection. The results, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, show how RNA biosignatures may be an alternative – and more accurate – method to identify infants with bacterial infectio...

University of Virginia, has earned First Place in NASA’s 2015-2016 University Aeronautics Design Challenge for their concept of an electric-powered, commuter-sized airplane.

Posted on October 3, 2016 by

A team of 13 students from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, has earned First Place in NASA’s 2015-2016 University Aeronautics Design Challenge for their concept of an electric-powered, commuter-sized airplane featuring “green aviation” technologies. Sponsored by NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, the engineering design contest specifically asked students to incorporate distributed electric propulsion, or DEP, in their concept for an airplane that could enter se...

Purdue University Research mid-infrared photothermal microscope, an innovation that could bring insights into drug delivery and cancer treatment.

Posted on October 1, 2016 by

Chemical contrast has long been sought for label-free visualization of biomolecules and materials in complex living systems. Although infrared spectroscopic imaging has come a long way in this direction, it is thus far only applicable to dried tissues because of the strong infrared absorption by water. It also suffers from low spatial resolution due to long wavelengths and lacks optical sectioning capabilities. We overcome these limitations through sensing vibrational absorption–induced photothe...

Max Planck Institute and the University of Stuttgart have found a way of generating acoustic hologram . Sound can now be structured in three dimensions.

Posted on October 1, 2016October 1, 2016 by

Sound can now be structured in three dimensions. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the University of Stuttgart have found a way of generating acoustic holograms, which could improve ultrasound diagnostics and material testing. The holograms can also be used to move and manipulate particles. Shaped with ultrasound: Max Planck researchers from Stuttgart transmit ultrasonic waves through a bath of water © Kai Melde / MPI for Intelligent Systems Pee...

3-D printable ink produces synthetic bone implant with properties that induce bone regeneration

Posted on October 1, 2016 by

Northwestern University research team has developed a 3-D printable ink that produces a synthetic bone implant that rapidly induces bone regeneration and growth. This hyperelastic “bone” material, the shape of which can be easily customized, one day could be especially useful for the treatment of bone defects in children. Bone implantation surgery is never an easy process, but it is particularly painful and complicated for children. With both adults and children, often times bone is harvested...

Germany’s Max Planck Institute have identified mechanism in brain that allows it to decide when we’re unsure how to respond, how does our brain decide

Posted on September 25, 2016 by

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig and the University, have identified neural mechanisms that help us understand whether a difficult and complex social situation is emotionally positive or negative. “When someone offends you while smiling, should your brain interpret it as a smile or an offense? The mechanism we found includes two areas in the brain that act almost as ‘remote controls’ that together determine what value to attribute to a s...

Augmentative and alternative communication

Posted on September 7, 2016 by

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is an umbrella term that encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing for those with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language. AAC is used by those with a wide range of speech and language impairments, including congenital impairments such as cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment and autism, and acquired conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's d...

Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis Study finds adapted yoga feasible, beneficial for adults with traumatic brain injury

Posted on September 6, 2016 by

A research team, led by an IU School of Health and Rehabilitation faculty member at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, has determined that adapted yoga is both feasible and beneficial for adults with stroke or traumatic brain injury. Subjects in a recently published study of adults with traumatic brain injury demonstrated improved balance, flexibility, strength, endurance and walking speed after participation in adapted yoga. The study underscores the belief that adapted yoga m...

Monash University in Melbourne researchers have successfully created artificial photosynthesis that could power homes

Posted on September 6, 2016 by

Researchers at Monash University in Melbourne have successfully developed the world’s most energy-efficient ‘artificial photosynthesis’ technique, which effectively mimics plant-based photosynthesis by using solar energy to convert water into hydrogen. The process, which creates hydrogen and oxygen by running an electric current through water, could be used to inexpensively power our homes and cars in just a few years, say the researchers. Electrochemical splitting of water could provide a ch...