Inflammation is a defense mechanism of the body to fight pathogens. However, when it is widespread and excessive, it can aggravate the pathology and even cause death. One of the ways in which this excessive response occurs is called a cytokine storm, an inflammatory process produced by these proteins, cytokines, which send a signal that triggers the immune system. “This response is often the cause of death in those affected by SARS-CoV-2 rather than the virus itself,” explains Óscar Fernández-Capetillo....

Adhesive molecules are found naturally throughout the body, holding its tens of trillions of cells together in highly organized patterns. They form structures, create neuronal circuits, and guide immune cells to their targets. Adhesion also facilitates communication between cells to keep the body functioning as a self-regulating whole. In a new study, published in the December 12, 2022, issue of Nature, researchers engineered cells containing customized adhesion molecules that bound with specific partner cells in predictable ways to form complex multicellular ensembles....

New research from the University of Utah shows that the people most likely to multitask have the lowest multitasking ability, including people who talk on cell phones while driving. Most people believe they can multitask effectively, but a University of Utah study indicates that people who multitask the most – including talking on a cell phone while driving – are least capable of doing so. “What is alarming is that people who talk on cells phones while driving tend to be the people least able to multitask well,” says psychology Professor David Sanbonmatsu, a senior author of the study....

A University of Minnesota Medical School study indicates this method could be a new approach to treating a variety of severe mental illnesses. In a pilot human study, researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital show it is possible to improve specific human brain functions related to self-control and mental flexibility by merging artificial intelligence with targeted electrical brain stimulation. Alik Widge, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and member of the Medical Discovery Team on Addiction at the U of M Medical School, is the senior author of the research published in Nature Biomedical Engineering....

Yinyin Bao, a senior scientist in the groups of ETH professors Jean-Christophe Leroux and Chih-Jen Shih, led a team of scientists in successfully using a new approach to generate a diverse spectrum of colors, including red, which was previously challenging to produce. Working with scientists from RMIT University in Melbourne, they utilized artificial intelligence algorithms to determine the required number of molecule subunits for each desired color. Potential applications for the fluorescent inks include UV-​activated security inks for banknotes, certificates, passports, or for encrypting information....

Up until now, it was thought that S0-2 may be a binary, a system where two stars circle around each other. Having such a partner would have complicated the upcoming gravity test. But in a study published recently in The Astrophysical Journal, a team of astronomers led by a UCLA scientist from Hawaii has found that S0-2 does not have a significant other after all, or at least one that is massive enough to get in the way of critical measurements that astronomers need to test Einstein’s theory....

444 women who were trying to become pregnant took part in the study, which assessed the allostatic load of the participants. Allostatic load refers to the cumulative “wear and tear” of chronic stress and life events. Women with higher allostatic load scores—based on nine indicators such as blood pressure, cortisol, blood sugar, noradrenaline, and cholesterol—were less likely to become pregnant within a year. For example, the women with an allostatic load score of 5-6 would have a 59% reduction of fecundability compared with those with scores of 0....

In an analysis of randomized controlled trials, individuals who consumed green tea experienced a significant decline in body weight and body mass index. On the other hand, the analysis did not show any significant change in terms of waist circumference (a measure of abdominal fat) with green tea supplementation. The findings are published in Phytotherapy Research. The analysis of 26 randomized controlled trials including 1,344 participants found that body weight and body mass index significantly changed after green tea was consumed for periods longer than 12 weeks and at a dosage of less than 800 mg/day....

Watching and recording the jets, which are believed to be only decades old, in their infancy allows researchers to observe their formation and growth and study how they influence their environments. “Timing and navigation are a fundamental portion of the Navy mission and constitute part of the key infrastructure the DOD relies on,” said Henrique Schmitt, Ph.D., an astronomer at NRL. “Understanding the evolution of jets in active galaxies is important for day-to-day tools like GPS....

Scientists have for the first time captured the complex dynamics of particle movement in granular materials, helping to explain why mixed nuts often see the larger Brazil nuts gather at the top. The findings could have vital impact on industries struggling with the phenomenon, such as pharmaceuticals and mining. Many people will have the experience of dipping their hands into a bag of mixed nuts only to find the Brazil nuts at the top....

In a triumph for cell biology, researchers have assembled the first high-resolution, 3-D maps of entire folded genomes and found a structural basis for gene regulation, a kind of “genomic origami” that allows the same genome to produce different types of cells. The research appears online Thursday in the journal Cell. A central goal of the five-year project, a collaboration among researchers at Harvard University, Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, was to identify the loops in the human genome....

When hunting for AD biomarkers, some researchers have turned to the study of subtle changes in a protein called tau. These changes, or posttranslational modifications, can make the tau protein more likely to clump, which leads to neuron loss and impaired memory. Two such modifications involve the phosphorylation of tau at specific amino acids, resulting in versions called p-tau181 and p-tau217. These biomarkers have been shown to effectively differentiate AD tissues from those of people with other neurodegenerative diseases....

Cleveland, Ohio – Scientists have named a new species of horned dinosaur (ceratopsian) based on fossils collected from Montana in the United States and Alberta, Canada. Mercuriceratops (mer-cure-E-sare-ah-tops) gemini was approximately 6 meters (20 feet) long and weighed more than 2 tons. It lived about 77 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous Period. Research describing the new species is published online in the journal Naturwissenschaften. Mercuriceratops (Mercuri + ceratops) means “Mercury horned-face,” referring to the wing-like ornamentation on its head that resembles the wings on the helmet of the Roman god, Mercury....

We may all be drinking more coffee to help us survive the COVID-19 lockdown. Today scientists announce the healthiest way to make a brew. The first study to examine links between coffee brewing methods and risks of heart attacks and death has concluded that filtered brew is safest. The research is published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). “Our study provides strong and convincing evidence of a link between coffee brewing methods, heart attacks and longevity,” said study author Professor Dag S....

Cornell researchers have created a reference catalog using calibrated spectra and geometric albedos (the light reflected by a surface) of 19 of the most diverse bodies in our solar system: all eight planets, from rocky to gaseous; nine moons, from frozen to lava spewing; and two dwarf planets, one in the asteroid belt (Ceres) and one in the Kuiper belt (Pluto). By comparing observed spectra and albedos of exoplanets to this catalog of our own home planetary system, scientists will be able to characterize them in reference to the wide range of icy, rocky, and gaseous worlds in our home system....

Study suggests some medications might inhibit virus replication in human cells. Despite the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, effective therapeutics are needed until worldwide immunity has been achieved. A study published in PLOS Pathogens by Adam Pickard and Karl Kadler at University of Manchester, United Kingdom, and colleagues suggests that some FDA-approved drugs could be safely repurposed to treat COVID-19 infections. The majority of the world’s population is still unvaccinated, yet there are few medications that have been proven safe, easily distributed, and capable of reducing the spread of SARS-CoV-2....

They found sea ice coverage shifts over timescales of decades to centuries — so shrinking ice cannot be expected to return rapidly if climate change is slowed or reversed. The study examined whether past ice changes north of Iceland were “forced” (caused by events such as volcanic eruptions and variations in the sun’s output) or “unforced” (part of a natural pattern). At least a third of past variation was found to be “forced” — showing the climate system is “very sensitive” to such driving factors, according to lead author Dr....

Scientists were shocked by the age of a newly discovered acanthodian species from China. The discovery is the oldest undisputed jawed fish and precedes the first acanthodian body fossils by around 15 million years. The researchers’ findings were recently published in the journal Nature. Reconstructed from thousands of tiny skeletal fragments, Fanjingshania, named after the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site Fanjingshan, is a bizarre fish with an external bony “armor” and multiple pairs of fin spines that set it apart from living jawed fish, cartilaginous sharks, and rays, and bony ray- and lobe-finned fish....

As news of the coronavirus broke out in the Hubei province, China, in late December 2019, stricter measures were put in place. As a result, by late January, factories were closed and streets were cleared as Chinese authorities had ceased daily activities to stop the spread of the illness. This led to the dramatic reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions – those released by power plants, industrial facilities, and vehicles – in all major Chinese cities between late-January and February....

The big idea Much of the brittle, upper crust of Venus is broken into fragments that jostle and move – and the slow churning of Venus’ mantle beneath the surface might be responsible. My colleagues and I arrived at this finding using decades-old radar data to explore how the surface of Venus interacts with the interior of the planet. We describe it in a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on June 21, 2021....