Scientists are revising the history of one of the world's most important crops. Drawing on genetic and archaeological evidence, researchers have found that a predecessor of today's corn plants still bearing many features of its wild ancestor was likely brought to South America from Mexico more than 6,500 years ago. Farmers in Mexico and the southwestern Amazon continued to improve the crop over thousands of years until it was fully domesticated in each region.
Research in mouse cells identifies defective metabolic pathway in aging immune T cells. The pathway is critical for switching T cells from dormancy into illness-fighting mode. In experiments, researchers restored lagging T-cell function by adding small-molecule compounds. Findings suggest possible mechanism behind weakened immunity common in the elderly.
Scientists have identified a new catalyst that uses only about a quarter as much platinum as current technology by maximizing the effectiveness of the available platinum.
A whole-genome sequencing study of nearly 2,000 families has implicated mutations in 'promoter regions' of the genome -- regions that precede the start of a gene -- in autism. The study is the first genome-wide analysis to uncover a role for mutations in the noncoding portion of the genome in any human condition.
Researchers have invented a new way to fabricate nanoscale 3D objects of nearly any shape. They can also pattern the objects with a variety of useful materials, including metals, semiconducting quantum dots, and DNA.
The evidence used to support the EPA's 2009 Endangerment Finding on greenhouse gases is even stronger and more conclusive now. This finding comes three months after a senior Republican senator said that the Trump Administration might still try to repeal the landmark decision.
According to a recent study, air pollution not only affects air quality, but it also changes the pathways along which new particles are formed in the atmosphere.
Researchers have discovered a human protein that helps fight the Ebola virus and could one day lead to an effective therapy against the deadly disease, according to a new study. The newly discovered ability of the human protein RBBP6 to interfere with Ebola virus replication suggests new ways to fight the infection.
When making sense of the massive amount of information packed into an ice core, scientists face a forensic challenge: how best to separate the useful information from the corrupt. Tools from information theory, a branch of complexity science, can quickly flag which segments, in over a million data points, require further investigation.
A new quantum algorithm has been implemented for quantum chemical calculations such as Full-CI on quantum computers without exponential/combinatorial explosion, giving exact solutions of Schroedinger Equations for atoms and molecules, for the first time.
Four growing seasons after the engineered spring flood of the Colorado River Delta in March 2014, the delta's birds, plants and groundwater continue to benefit. The diversity and abundance of birds of special conservation concern remains high in the restoration sites, groundwater was recharged and some of the trees are now more than 14 feet (4.2 meters) tall, according to a new article.
Pulling off a little plastic bandage may soon get a lot less painful. Researchers have developed a new type of adhesive that can strongly adhere wet materials -- such as hydrogel and living tissue -- and be easily detached with a specific frequency of light. The adhesives could be used to attach and painlessly detach wound dressings, transdermal drug delivery devices, and wearable robotics.
New research shows that an experimental HIV vaccine strategy works in non-human primates. In the study, rhesus macaque monkeys produced neutralizing antibodies against one strain of HIV that resembles the resilient viral form that most commonly infects people, called a Tier 2 virus.
Patients who underwent physical therapy soon after being diagnosed with pain in the shoulder, neck, low back or knee were approximately 7 to 16 percent less likely to use opioids in the subsequent months, according to a new study.
A research team led by MIT scientists has developed an ingestible capsule that can be controlled using Bluetooth, a widely adopted wireless protocol. Manufactured using 3D-printing technology, the capsule could be deployed to deliver drugs to treat a variety of diseases. It could also be designed to sense infections, allergic reactions, or other events, and [...]
Extrasolar ‘Neptunes’ are exoplanets with masses and radii similar to those of the ice giants in the Solar System. In 2015, astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope found that GJ 436b, one of the warmest known Neptunes, is losing its atmosphere. The gas giant isn’t expected to evaporate away, but hotter Neptunes might not [...]
Researchers suggest that projected increases in air temperatures, rainfall inundation and blistering solar radiation could significantly reduce hawksbill hatching success at a selection of major nesting beaches.
Scientists have taken an important step toward the goal of making diseased hearts heal themselves -- a new model that would reduce the need for bypass surgery, heart transplants or artificial pumping devices.
Johnson & Johnson says its product is safe. But asbestos, a carcinogen that can exist underground near talc, was a concern inside the company for decades.
