Cells called astrocytes derived from the induced pluripotent stem cells of patients with bipolar disorder offer suboptimal support for neuronal activity. This malfunction can be traced to an inflammation-promoting molecule called interleukin-6 (IL-6), which is secreted by astrocytes. The results highlight the potential role of astrocyte-mediated inflammatory signaling in the psychiatric disease, although further investigation is needed.
Researchers have developed a new quantum version of a 150-year-old thermodynamical thought experiment that could pave the way for the development of quantum heat engines.
Nuisance flooding has increased on U.S. coasts in recent decades due to sea level rise, and new research has uncovered an additional reason for its added frequency -- higher local tide ranges.
New research describes novel achievements designed to make the implementation of gene drives safer and more controllable. The new split drive and home-and-rescue systems address concerns about the release of gene drives in wild populations.
Could cactus pear become a major crop like soybeans and corn in the near future, and help provide a biofuel source, as well as a sustainable food and forage crop? Researchers believe the plant, with its high heat tolerance and low water use, may be able to provide fuel and food in places that previously haven't been able to grow sustainable crops.
A meta-analysis finds that vision impairment and blindness are tied to an increased risk of mortality, prompting the need to address global eye health disparities.
Studies show that engaging high school girls in physics before they begin formal studies gives them an edge, and helping K-12 teachers incorporate engineering concepts in the classroom boosts their students -- and themselves.
A research team is a 3D printing method called stereolithography and jelly-like materials known as hydrogels to develop a 3D printing method that's 10-50 times faster than the industry standard. The team says its progress toward 3D-printed human tissue and organs -- biotechnology that could eventually save countless lives lost due to the shortage of donor organs.
The process of egg formation in fruit flies relies on physical phenomena analogous to the exchange of gases between balloons of different sizes, according to a new study by biologists and mathematicians.
Astronomers using data from the eROSITA X-ray telescope aboard the Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) observatory have detected the largest supernova remnant ever discovered with X-rays. “Our aim is to combine expertise across multiple wavelengths, from radio to X-ray, to search for hundreds of supernova remnants (SNRs),” said co-author Dr. Natasha Hurley-Walker, an astronomer at the Curtin University [...]
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have discovered the reason for the dimming of a red hypergiant star called VY Canis Majoris. VY Canis Majoris is located 3,840 light-years away in the constellation of Canis Major. Also known as VY CMa, HD 58061 or HIP 35793, VY Canis Majoris, the star is about 1,420 [...]
New research has found that new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 can evade antibodies that work against the original form of the virus that sparked the pandemic, potentially undermining the effectiveness of vaccines and antibody-based drugs now being used to prevent or treat COVID-19.
Researchers have developed a method based on artificial intelligence that rapidly identifies currently available medications that may treat Alzheimer's disease. The method also reveals potential new treatment targets for the disease.
Researchers examining 14 years of hospital admissions data conclude that the fine particles in wildfire smoke can be several times more harmful to human respiratory health than particulate matter from other sources such as car exhaust. While this distinction has been previously identified in laboratory experiments, the new study confirms it at the population level.
Satellite imagery shows that the area covered by kelp forests off the coast of Northern California has dropped by more than 95 percent, with just a few small, isolated patches of bull kelp remaining. Species-rich kelp forests have been replaced by 'urchin barrens,' where purple sea urchins cover a seafloor devoid of kelp and other algae. A new study documents this dramatic shift in the coastal ecosystem and analyzes the events that caused it.
Two thirds of children use more than one screen at the same time after school, in the evenings and at weekends as part of increasingly sedentary lifestyles, according to new research.
DNA sequencing of bacteria found in pigs and humans in rural eastern North Carolina, an area with concentrated industrial-scale pig-farming, suggests that multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains are spreading between pigs, farmworkers, their families and community residents, and represents an emerging public health threat, according to a new study.
