Too Little, Too Late, WTO Finally Eases Patent Rights On COVID Vaccines

In what definitely feels like a case of way too little, way too late, the WTO last week finally decided to grant the TRIPS waiver on COVID vaccines, allowing others to make more of the vaccine without violating patent rights. The WTO has long had this ability to issue a patent waiver as part of Read more about Too Little, Too Late, WTO Finally Eases Patent Rights On COVID Vaccines[…]

Scientists develop antimicrobial, plant-based food wrap designed to replace plastic

Aiming to produce environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic food wrap and containers, a Rutgers scientist has developed a biodegradable, plant-based coating that can be sprayed on foods, guarding against pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms and transportation damage. The scalable process could potentially reduce the adverse environmental impact of plastic food packaging as well as protect human Read more about Scientists develop antimicrobial, plant-based food wrap designed to replace plastic[…]

The Earth moves far under our feet: A new study shows that the inner core oscillates

USC scientists have found evidence that the Earth’s inner core oscillates, contradicting previously accepted models that suggested it consistently rotates at a faster rate than the planet’s surface. Their study, published today in Science Advances, shows that the inner core changed direction in the six-year period from 1969–74, according to the analysis of seismic data. Read more about The Earth moves far under our feet: A new study shows that the inner core oscillates[…]

New technique shows in detail where drug molecules hit their targets in the body

Scientists at Scripps Research have invented a way to image, across different tissues and with higher precision than ever before, where drugs bind to their targets in the body. The new method could become a routine tool in drug development. Described in a paper in Cell on April 27, 2022, the new method, called CATCH, Read more about New technique shows in detail where drug molecules hit their targets in the body[…]

Researchers have rejuvenated a 53-year-old woman’s skin cells so they are the equivalent of a 23-year-old’s.

[…] The origins of the technique stem from the 1990s, when researchers at the Roslin Institute just outside Edinburgh developed a method of turning an adult mammary gland cell taken from a sheep into an embryo. It led to the creation of Dolly the cloned sheep. The Roslin team’s aim was not to create clones Read more about Researchers have rejuvenated a 53-year-old woman’s skin cells so they are the equivalent of a 23-year-old’s.[…]

New method for making tissue transparent could speed the study of many diseases

Scientists at Scripps Research have unveiled a new tissue-clearing method for rendering large biological samples transparent. The method makes it easier than ever for scientists to visualize and study healthy and disease-related biological processes occurring across multiple organ systems. Described in a paper in Nature Methods on March 28, 2022, and dubbed HYBRiD, the new Read more about New method for making tissue transparent could speed the study of many diseases[…]

Global science project links Android phones with satellites to improve weather forecasts

Collecting satellite data for research is a group effort thanks to this app developed for Android users. Camaliot is a campaign funded by the European Space Agency, and its first project focuses on making smartphone owners around the world part of a project that can help improve weather forecasts by using your phone’s GPS receiver. Read more about Global science project links Android phones with satellites to improve weather forecasts[…]

Unprecedented videos show RNA switching ‘on’ and ‘off’

Similar to a light switch, RNA switches (called riboswitches) determine which genes turn “on” and “off.” Although this may seem like a simple process, the inner workings of these switches have confounded biologists for decades. Now researchers led by Northwestern University and the University at Albany discovered one part of RNA smoothly invades and displaces Read more about Unprecedented videos show RNA switching ‘on’ and ‘off’[…]

Chemists cook up way to remove microplastics using okra

Extracts of okra and other slimy plants commonly used in cooking can help remove dangerous microplastics from wastewater, scientists said Tuesday. The new research was presented at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society, and offers an alternative to the synthetic chemicals currently used in treatment plants that can themselves pose risks to health. Read more about Chemists cook up way to remove microplastics using okra[…]

Saturn’s high-altitude winds generate an extraordinary aurorae, tells us more about what they are

Leicester space scientists have discovered a never-before-seen mechanism fuelling huge planetary aurorae at Saturn. Saturn is unique among planets observed to date in that some of its aurorae are generated by swirling winds within its own atmosphere, and not just from the planet’s surrounding magnetosphere. At all other observed planets, including Earth, aurorae are only Read more about Saturn’s high-altitude winds generate an extraordinary aurorae, tells us more about what they are[…]

Researchers create strong synthetic enamel similar to natural tooth covering

A team of researchers from Beihang University, the Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology and the Michigan Institute of Translational Nanotechnology has developed a synthetic enamel with properties similar to natural tooth enamel. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their enamel and how well it compared to natural enamel Read more about Researchers create strong synthetic enamel similar to natural tooth covering[…]

Scientists Figured Out Which Animals Were in a Zoo Just by Taking DNA From the Air

Researchers were able to identify 74 species of animals by looking for DNA in air samples collected at two zoos. The experiment shows that free-floating DNA could be used to track wild animals, including endangered or invasive species, without needing to observe them directly. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has shaken up how animal populations can be Read more about Scientists Figured Out Which Animals Were in a Zoo Just by Taking DNA From the Air[…]

Researchers Teach Human Brain Cells in a Dish to Play “Pong”

[…] Researchers at the biotechnology startup Cortical Labs have created “mini-brains“ consisting of 800,000 to one million living human brain cells in a petri dish, New Scientist reports. The cells are placed on top of a microelectrode array that analyzes the neural activity. […] To teach the mini-brains the game, the team created a simplified Read more about Researchers Teach Human Brain Cells in a Dish to Play “Pong”[…]

Researchers uncover the surprising cause of the Little Ice Age in 1300s

New research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst provides a novel answer to one of the persistent questions in historical climatology, environmental history and the earth sciences: what caused the Little Ice Age? The answer, we now know, is a paradox: warming. The Little Ice Age was one of the coldest periods of the past Read more about Researchers uncover the surprising cause of the Little Ice Age in 1300s[…]

The FDA Just Approved Eye Drops to Correct Aging near sighted Vision

[…] It’s estimated that a quarter of the world’s population is affected by the condition known as presbyopia, which is one of the many unfortunate side effects of aging that typically starts affecting people in their 40s. The condition limits a person’s ability to focus on nearby objects, such as small print […] he use Read more about The FDA Just Approved Eye Drops to Correct Aging near sighted Vision[…]

Physicists discover special transverse sound wave

A research team at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has discovered a new type of sound wave: The airborne sound wave vibrates transversely and carries both spin and orbital angular momentum like light does. The findings shattered scientists’ previous beliefs about the sound wave, opening an avenue to the development of novel applications in Read more about Physicists discover special transverse sound wave[…]

DARPA Funded Researchers Accidentally Create The World’s First Warp Bubble

Warp drive pioneer and former NASA warp drive specialist Dr. Harold G “Sonny” White has reported the successful manifestation of an actual, real-world “Warp Bubble.” And, according to White, this first of its kind breakthrough by his Limitless Space Institute (LSI) team sets a new starting point for those trying to manufacture a full-sized, warp-capable Read more about DARPA Funded Researchers Accidentally Create The World’s First Warp Bubble[…]

How do death rates from COVID-19 differ between people who are vaccinated and those who are not?

To understand how the pandemic is evolving, it’s crucial to know how death rates from COVID-19 are affected by vaccination status. The death rate is a key metric that can accurately show us how effective vaccines are against severe forms of the disease. This may change over time when there are changes in the prevalence Read more about How do death rates from COVID-19 differ between people who are vaccinated and those who are not?[…]

Testing social scientists with replication studies shows them capable of changing their beliefs

A team of researchers from the University of Alabama, the University of Melbourne and the University of California has found that social scientists are able to change their beliefs regarding the outcome of an experiment when given the chance. In a paper published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, the group describes how they tested Read more about Testing social scientists with replication studies shows them capable of changing their beliefs[…]

Researchers Defeat Randomness to Create perfect local testability for information

Suppose you are trying to transmit a message. Convert each character into bits, and each bit into a signal. Then send it, over copper or fiber or air. Try as you might to be as careful as possible, what is received on the other side will not be the same as what you began with. Read more about Researchers Defeat Randomness to Create perfect local testability for information[…]

Cancer Cells Use “Tiny Tentacles” To Suck Mitochondria Out of Immune Cells

To grow and spread, cancer cells must evade the immune system. Investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and MIT used the power of nanotechnology to discover a new way that cancer can disarm its would-be cellular attackers by extending out nanoscale tentacles that can reach into an immune cell and pull out its powerpack. Slurping Read more about Cancer Cells Use “Tiny Tentacles” To Suck Mitochondria Out of Immune Cells[…]

Physicists reveal non-reciprocal flow around the quantum world

A pair of theoretical physicists, from the University of Exeter (United Kingdom) and the University of Zaragoza (Spain), have developed a quantum theory explaining how to engineer non-reciprocal flows of quantum light and matter. The research may be important for the creation of quantum technologies which require the directional transfer of energy and information at Read more about Physicists reveal non-reciprocal flow around the quantum world[…]

Researchers develop program to read any genome sequence and decipher its genetic code – shows underlying evolutionary forces

Yekaterina “Kate” Shulgina was a first year student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, looking for a short computational biology project so she could check the requirement off her program in systems biology. She wondered how genetic code, once thought to be universal, could evolve and change. That was 2016 and today Shulgina Read more about Researchers develop program to read any genome sequence and decipher its genetic code – shows underlying evolutionary forces[…]