The formation of aggregates due to protein misfolding and resulting protein instability is associated with several diseases. Previous studies have shown the potential of sulfobetaine polymer, a zwitterionic polymer, to suppress protein aggregation. Now, researchers elucidate the mechanism underlying this process and show ways to optimize protein stabilization using these polymers. Going ahead, future therapies may be able to prevent or reverse diseases like Alzheimer's by building on the unique ability of zwitterionic polymers.
Engineers have helped design a new method to make hydrogen gas from water using only solar power and agricultural waste such as manure or husks. The method reduces the energy needed to extract hydrogen from water by 600%, creating new opportunities for sustainable, climate-friendly chemical production.
Findings showed that how tight a parental T cell binds to a cancer-related protein determines whether its offspring will become functional anti-cancer effector cells or dysfunctional 'exhausted' T cells.
A team of researchers have developed a new machine-learning method that detects hate speech on social media platforms with 88 per cent accuracy, saving employees from hundreds of hours of emotionally damaging work.
Over the last two years, scientists have used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to explore what astronomers refer to as Cosmic Dawn -- the period in the first few hundred million years after the big bang where the first galaxies were born.
Research reveals taking pictures of food isn't just content for our social media feeds, but could be the key to improving people's diets.
Cultivating creativity in schools is vital for a future driven by artificial intelligence (AI). But while teachers embrace creativity as an essential 21st century skill, a lack of valid and reliable creativity tests means schools struggle to assess student achievement. Now, a new machine-learning model is providing teachers with access to high-quality, fit-for-purpose creativity tests, that can score assessments in a fraction of the time and a fraction of the cost.
Researchers combined computer simulations and transmission electron microscopy experiments to better understand the ordering mobility and formation of microstructure domains in Fe3Al alloy. They were able to correlate structural changes with heat treatment to understand how particular mechanical behavior can be achieved. This is expected to allow the superelastic properties of Fe3Al to harnessed for the 3D printing of construction materials for absorbing seismic activity.
The eyes of raptors such as eagles can accurately perceive prey from kilometers away. Is it possible to model the camera technology after the bird's eyes? Researchers developed a new type of camera, which was inspired by the structures and functions of bird's eyes.
A whaler's forgotten aerial photos from 1937 have given researchers the most detailed picture of the ice evolution in East Antarctica to date. The results show that the ice has remained stable and even grown slightly over almost a century, though scientists observe early signs of weakening. The research offers new insights that enhance predictions of ice changes and sea level rise.
Team utilizes advanced statistical techniques to project the future groundwater depletion risk.
During an earthquake, soil can weaken through subsidence and liquefaction. These processes can cause buildings to collapse as the soil becomes unable to support their weight. Researchers have now developed a model that predicts soil-bearing strength and thickness to identify stable construction sites and reduce structural risks. Additionally, the model can also predict other soil conditions in real-time and function as an early-warning system to identify potential hazards.
Lenses are used to bend and focus light. Normal lenses rely on their curved shape to achieve this effect, but physicists have made a flat lens of only three atoms thick which relies on quantum effects. This type of lens could be used in future augmented reality glasses.
Although dengue outbreaks cannot be prevented, it is possible to anticipate them. Scientists have recently identified a global climate indicator that may help improve predictions about the magnitude of dengue outbreaks several months in advance. This indicator, which can be used for any world region, is based on temperature fluctuations at the surface of the Indian Ocean. Obtaining reliable long-term predictions could facilitate efforts to tackle this infection, which has been on the rise for several decades and threatens half of the world's population.
Fossils found on the shoreline of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe represent a completely new dinosaur species. This remarkable find, named Musankwa sanyatiensis, marks only the fourth dinosaur species named from Zimbabwe.
A research group have discovered a novel modulator for human regulatory T cells. This novel regulator can strengthen or dampen immune response and provides a new basis for therapeutic approaches for immune mediated diseases.
Researchers have demonstrated that some childhood leukemia originate during embryonic development, although they do not manifest after a few months after birth.
Urbanization in Africa is accelerating quickly, showing no signs of slowing down. An international team of researchers addresses critical gaps in our understanding of how this urbanization affects local food and ecological systems, emphasizing the importance of recognizing shifts in dietary patterns.
Using a combination of cutting-edge immunologic technologies, researchers have successfully stimulated animals' immune systems to induce rare precursor B cells of a class of HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). The findings are an encouraging, incremental step in developing a preventive HIV vaccine.
A drug approved to treat certain autoimmune diseases and cancers successfully alleviated symptoms of a rare genetic syndrome called autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1). Researchers identified the treatment based on their discovery that the syndrome is linked to elevated levels of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), a protein involved in immune system responses, providing new insights into the role of IFN-gamma in autoimmunity.
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