Spaceflight can have a significant impact on the human body, and researchers are still trying to understand the details. In a recent study, scientists explored the relationship between the length of space missions and the time between them and the fluid in the human brain. The cerebrospinal fluid, stored in the brain in four pockets
The activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is responsible for relaying molecular signals in the body, which affects various bodily processes. It is estimated that around one-third of existing drugs work by controlling the activation of this protein. However, drugs that activate multiple signaling pathways rather than a specific target pathway can lead to adverse
Air travel has become increasingly popular over the years, but with it comes the risk of turbulence. According to a recent study by the University of Reading, turbulence has increased over the past four decades due to climate change. Turbulence is hazardous to aircraft and can cause discomfort and injuries to passengers and crew. The
The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulations aimed at reducing the harmful effects of hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants, known as the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), have been a significant success story. A study conducted by Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) reveals
As summer approaches, people all across America are getting ready to fire up their grills and cook everything from hot dogs to steaks. However, millions of Americans with seafood allergies cannot eat shrimp, a delicacy that many people enjoy during this season. However, researchers have developed a new method that could change that. The Journal
The European Union’s climate monitoring unit has reported that global oceans were warmer in May 2023 than any other May in records dating back to the 19th century. The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported that sea temperatures were a quarter of a degree Celsius higher than ice-free oceans in May when compared to the
In a recent study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, geophysicist D. Sarah Stamps and her team at the Geodesy and Tectonophysics Lab explored the processes behind the East African Rift System using 3D thermomechanical modeling. Stamps compared the different deformation styles of a rifting continent with playing with Silly Putty, stating
According to a new scientific study conducted by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), extractive and industrial development projects pose a severe threat to the fundamental rights of Indigenous Peoples. The study, which quantifies the negative impacts of these activities on the lifeways, lands, and rights of
Chemists at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in collaboration with K. Barry Sharpless, a two-time Nobel laureate, have developed a new chemical transformation they call phosphorus fluoride exchange (PFEx). The new technique snaps together chemical building blocks to form new molecules, leading to a vast array of complex molecules that can be explored. This
Researchers at the University of Helsinki and from the United States have found a new small molecule that can inhibit cells from producing cytokine proteins that promote inflammation. Cytokines are responsible for the onset of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. By inhibiting a target protein called Sec61, the researchers were able to alleviate arthritis symptoms
The Parker Solar Probe, a solar probe that made a dangerous plunge into the Sun’s corona, has now traced the wind that blows from the Sun’s surface back to its source. The probe made a record-breaking approach of 8.5 million kilometers (5.3 million miles) to the Sun in November 2021, which allowed the detection of
Photosynthesis, a process that enables plants and other organisms to convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into oxygen and energy in the form of sugar, is an integral part of Earth’s functioning. It is a process that is 2.3 billion years old and is responsible for the existence of life on our planet. However, as
Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed a new device made from a simple sponge that can help robots grasp objects more delicately, by mimicking the nuanced touch, or variable stiffness, of a human hand. The device can be used to improve the load capacity of soft robots or reduce damage on hard robots.
Researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed smart digital image sensors with visual perception capabilities. The team, led by Dayanand Kumar and Nazek El-Atab, used the Nobel Prize-winning technology of charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensors to create light-sensitive memory devices that can be programmed optically and erased electrically. What
The Denali Fault System is a 1,200-mile-long fault that runs in an upward arc from southwestern Alaska and the Bering Sea into western Canada’s Yukon Territory and British Columbia. The active strike-slip fault system, which runs through Denali National Park and Preserve, is responsible for the formation of the Alaska Range. In 2002, the Denali
