Large diet study suggests it’s carbs, not fats, that are bad for your health

A large, 18-country study may turn current nutritional thinking on its head. The new research suggests that it’s not the fat in your diet that’s raising your risk of premature death, it’s too many carbohydrates — especially the refined, processed kinds of carbs — that may be the real killer. The research also found that Read more about Large diet study suggests it’s carbs, not fats, that are bad for your health[…]

Experts excited by brain ‘wonder-drug’ – BBC News

Scientists hope they have found a drug to stop all neurodegenerative brain diseases, including dementia.In 2013, a UK Medical Research Council team stopped brain cells dying in an animal for the first time, creating headline news around the world.But the compound used was unsuitable for people, as it caused organ damage.Now two drugs have been Read more about Experts excited by brain ‘wonder-drug’ – BBC News[…]

Towards quantum communications in free-space seawater

Here we experimentally demonstrate that polarization quantum states including general qubits of single photon and entangled states can survive well after travelling through seawater. We perform experiments with seawater collected over a range of 36 kilometers in the Yellow Sea. For single photons at 405 nm in a blue-green window, we obtain an average process Read more about Towards quantum communications in free-space seawater[…]

Peanut allergy cured for 4 years in majority of children in immunotherapy trial

A small clinical trial conducted at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has led to two-thirds of children treated with an experimental immunotherapy treatment being cured of their allergy. Importantly, this desensitisation to peanuts persisted for up to four years after treatment. […] Forty-eight children were enrolled in the PPOIT trial and were randomly given either Read more about Peanut allergy cured for 4 years in majority of children in immunotherapy trial[…]

Scientists win Nobel Prize in Chemistry for making tiny machines out of molecules

https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/5/13162476/nobel-prize-chemistry-tiny-machine-molecules-nanocar-stoddart-ferringa-sauvage This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to three scientists who figured out how to build tiny machines out of molecules. The machines, which include a nano-sized car, are invisible to the human eye and have important implications in medicine and other fields. The researchers — Jean-Pierre Sauvage, J. Fraser Stoddart, and Bernard Feringa Read more about Scientists win Nobel Prize in Chemistry for making tiny machines out of molecules[…]

Biogenic non-crystalline U(IV) revealed as major component in uranium ore deposits

Historically, it is believed that crystalline uraninite, produced via the abiotic reduction of hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) is the dominant reduced U species formed in low-temperature uranium roll-front ore deposits. Here we show that non-crystalline U(IV) generated through biologically mediated U(VI) reduction is the predominant U(IV) species in an undisturbed U roll-front ore deposit in Wyoming, Read more about Biogenic non-crystalline U(IV) revealed as major component in uranium ore deposits[…]

Researchers capture first ‘image’ of a dark matter web that connects galaxies

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have been able to capture the first composite image of a dark matter bridge that connects galaxies together. The scientists publish their work in a new paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The composite image, which combines a number of individual images, confirms predictions that galaxies Read more about Researchers capture first ‘image’ of a dark matter web that connects galaxies[…]

An Unexpected New Lung Function Has Been Found – They Make Blood

Researchers have discovered that the lungs play a far more complex role in mammalian bodies than we thought, with new evidence revealing that they don’t just facilitate respiration – they also play a key role in blood production. In experiments involving mice, the team found that they produce more than 10 million platelets (tiny blood Read more about An Unexpected New Lung Function Has Been Found – They Make Blood[…]

End of fillings in sight as scientists find Alzheimer’s drug makes teeth grow back 

Fillings could be consigned to history after scientists discovered that a drug already trialled in Alzheimer’s patients can encourage tooth regrowth and repair cavities. Researchers at King’s College London found that the drug Tideglusib stimulates the stem cells contained in the pulp of teeth so that they generate new dentine – the mineralised material under Read more about End of fillings in sight as scientists find Alzheimer’s drug makes teeth grow back […]

20,000 Worldclass University Lectures Made Illegal, So We Irrevocably Mirrored Them – LBRY

Today, the University of California at Berkeley has deleted 20,000 college lectures from its YouTube channel. Berkeley removed the videos because of a lawsuit brought by two students from another university under the Americans with Disabilities Act. We copied all 20,000 and are making them permanently available for free via LBRY. This makes the videos Read more about 20,000 Worldclass University Lectures Made Illegal, So We Irrevocably Mirrored Them – LBRY[…]

Researchers create new form of matter—supersolid is crystalline and superfluid at the same time

By using lasers to manipulate a superfluid gas known as a Bose-Einstein condensate, the team was able to coax the condensate into a quantum phase of matter that has a rigid structure—like a solid—and can flow without viscosity—a key characteristic of a superfluid. Studies into this apparently contradictory phase of matter could yield deeper insights Read more about Researchers create new form of matter—supersolid is crystalline and superfluid at the same time[…]

Sponge can soak up and release spilled oil hundreds of times

A new material can absorb up to 90 times its own weight in spilled oil and then be squeezed out like a sponge and reused, raising hopes for easier clean-up of oil spill sites. But to determine whether this material could help sort out a big spill in marine waters, they needed to perform a Read more about Sponge can soak up and release spilled oil hundreds of times[…]

Switched-on DNA: Sparking nano-electronic applications

“It has been established that charge transport is possible in DNA, but for a useful device, one wants to be able to turn the charge transport on and off. We achieved this goal by chemically modifying DNA,” said Tao, who directs the Biodesign Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors and is a professor in the Fulton Read more about Switched-on DNA: Sparking nano-electronic applications[…]

GM Salmonella destroys cancer

A genetically modified bacterium destroys tumors by provoking an immune response, according to a study published Wednesday. Using mice and cultures of human cancer cells, a South Korean-led scientific team demonstrated that Salmonella typhimurium engineered to make a foreign protein caused immune cells called macrophages and neutrophils to mobilize against the cancer. […] Tumors shrank Read more about GM Salmonella destroys cancer[…]

Germany Is Threatening Biohackers With Prison

Over the last few years, advances in science have made the kind of experiments once only accessible to PhDs with fancy labs far more attainable. College undergrads are constructing gene drives. Anyone can buy a kit on the internet to concoct their own bioluminescent beer. […] The German government, it seems, is none too pleased Read more about Germany Is Threatening Biohackers With Prison[…]

Boffins perfect 3D bioprinter that produces slabs of human skin

In a paper for the journal Biofabrication, the team details how the printer lays down bioinks containing human plasma as well as primary human fibroblasts and keratinocytes. The printer first lays down a layer of external epidermis and then a thicker layer of fibroblasts that produce collagen, which will make the flesh strong and elastic. Read more about Boffins perfect 3D bioprinter that produces slabs of human skin[…]

Scientists create first stable semisynthetic organism

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have announced the development of the first stable semisynthetic organism. Building on their 2014 study in which they synthesized a DNA base pair, the researchers created a new bacterium that uses the four natural bases (called A, T, C and G), which every living organism possesses, but that Read more about Scientists create first stable semisynthetic organism[…]

Physicists show that real-time error correction in quantum communications is possible

Now researchers have shown that there is a grey area where Nature cannot tell the difference between the classical and the quantum. This opens the possibility of first performing quantum experiments with a type of classical light called “classically entangled” light. By preparing and sending a so-called “classically entangled” beam the team could show that Read more about Physicists show that real-time error correction in quantum communications is possible[…]

Thermoelectric paint enables walls to convert heat into electricity

Already researchers have developed photovoltaic paint, which can be used to make “paint-on solar cells” that capture the sun’s energy and turn it into electricity. Now in a new study, researchers have created thermoelectric paint, which captures the waste heat from hot painted surfaces and converts it into electrical energy. “I expect that the thermoelectric Read more about Thermoelectric paint enables walls to convert heat into electricity[…]

NIH Scientists Identify Potent Antibody that Neutralizes Nearly All HIV Strains

Scientists from the National Institutes of Health have identified an antibody from an HIV-infected person that potently neutralized 98 percent of HIV isolates tested, including 16 of 20 strains resistant to other antibodies of the same class. The remarkable breadth and potency of this antibody, named N6, make it an attractive candidate for further development Read more about NIH Scientists Identify Potent Antibody that Neutralizes Nearly All HIV Strains[…]

making paralysed people feel through fake hands

Touch is essential for hand use. Yet, brain-controlled prosthetic limbs have not been endowed with this critical sense. In a new study by Flesher et al ., microelectrode arrays were implanted into the primary somatosensory cortex of a person with spinal cord injury and, by delivering current through the electrodes, generated sensations of touch that Read more about making paralysed people feel through fake hands[…]