Bacteria called methylotrophs can use methane and methanol as fuel; in doing so, they produce large amounts of formaldehyde during growth, but until recently no one knew how they detected and responded to this toxic compound. Publishing on 26th May,…
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Apps That Can Help You Organize Your Professional Life
Remote work allowed us to spend more time doing leisure activities at home but it also brought a whole new set of complications. From double-booking yourself for Zoom meetings to collaborating with a team across different time zones, working from…
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Study finds that regulatory protein prevents signaling that triggers cell death
A protein implicated in neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) prevents the activation of an innate immune response that leads to cell death, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered. The protein, called TDP-43, regulates the accumulation of double-stranded RNA—genetic material found…
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A protein that guards against prostate cancer, fatty liver disease, diabetes
FIU Biomolecular Sciences Institute researchers investigating a protein they hoped would be a tumor suppressor instead discovered it was responsible for protecting people from so much more. It turns out Inositol Polyphosphate-4-Phosphatase Type II B, or INPP4B, protects obese mice…
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Dr MAI THI NGUYEN-KIM on the hidden chemistry that rules our lives
Hidden chemistry that rules our lives and loves: Dr MAI THI NGUYEN-KIM says you can transform your health once you’ve discovered its secrets As a chemist, sometimes I feel like the mother of an ugly child whose beauty only I…
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Scientists probe mystery of ‘thunderstorm asthma’ event that sent thousands to the ER
Calls to emergency departments spiked in the wake of a thunderstorm that swept over Melbourne, Australia, in 2016. It was a rare outbreak of “thunderstorm asthma,” the most severe ever recorded. Now, a new model, published April 14 in the…
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Mimes help us ‘see’ objects that don’t exist
When we watch a mime seemingly pull rope, climb steps or try to escape that infernal box, we don’t struggle to recognize the implied objects—our minds automatically ‘see’ them, a new study concludes. To explore how the mind processes the…
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Neuroscientists identify brain circuit motifs that support short-term memory
Humans have the innate ability to store important information in their mind for short periods of time, a capability known as short-term memory. Over the past few decades, numerous neuroscientists have tried to understand how neural circuits store short-term memories,…
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“I meditated for 10 minutes every day and found a method that didn’t involve sitting in silence”
When it came to meditating, writer Alice Barraclough was a skeptic, but keen to reap the benefits she kept hearing about. She tried different methods until she found one that did not involve sitting in silence. I have a confession:…
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Research shows that BSers are more likely to fall for BS
People who frequently try to impress or persuade others with misleading exaggerations and distortions are themselves more likely to be fooled by impressive-sounding misinformation, new research from the University of Waterloo shows. The researchers found that people who frequently engage…
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