Impact of pollutants on pollinators, and how neural circuits adapt to temperature changes

The Kavli Foundation and the U.S. National Science Foundation are collaborating to accelerate research in the emerging field of neurobiology in changing ecosystems. Awardees of the first Kavli-NSF grants will study the impact of atmospheric pollutants on the sense of smell in pollinators, and how neural circuits adapt to changes in temperature.

Do Coyotes Have Puppy Dog Eyes? New Study Reveals Wild Canines Share Dog’s Famous Expression

New research from Baylor University reveals that coyotes, like domestic dogs, have the ability to produce the famous “puppy dog eyes” expression. The study – “Coyotes can do ‘puppy dog eyes’ too: Comparing interspecific variation in Canis facial expression muscles,” published in the Royal Society Open Science – challenges the hypothesis that this facial feature evolved exclusively in dogs as a result of domestication.

A new era of research comes into focus

As the upgrade of the Advanced Photon Source nears completion at Argonne National Laboratory, scientists anticipate the experimental possibilities.

Outstanding Graduate Students selected for Department of Energy Office of Science Research Program

A total of 62 PhD students from 24 states have been selected for the prestigious Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program.

Molecular simulations, supercomputing lead to energy-saving biomaterials breakthrough

A team led by scientists at ORNL identified and demonstrated a method to process a plant-based material called nanocellulose that reduced energy needs by a whopping 21%, using simulations on the lab’s supercomputers and follow-on analysis.

The world’s fastest single-shot 2D imaging technique films ultrafast dynamics in flames

Candle flames, cars, and airplanes emit harmful gases and particles, which are formed through highly complex processes involving extremely fast reactions and often transient flow conditions. To better understand these processes, scientists from the USA and Europe developed the fastest 2D planar imaging system.

$1.8M NIH Grant to FAU Engineering Fuels Quest to Decode Human Evolution

FAU has received a five-year NIH grant to further research on designing and applying statistical methods to identify regions of the genome affected by natural selection, which is an important evolutionary force that enables humans to adapt to new environments and fight disease-causing pathogens.

Unlocking nature’s secrets: neutrons illuminate environmental and biological mysteries”

Neutron techniques are revolutionizing environmental and biological sciences, offering new ways to study complex systems like soil-root interactions and plant-microbe dynamics. Recent advancements in neutron imaging and scattering provide unprecedented insights, helping to address critical global challenges such as climate change and sustainable agriculture.

SHRO’s Giordano Climbs the Ranks of Top Scientists List

Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO) Founder and Director, the Italian American Antonio Giordano, MD, PhD, climbs in the rankings of the top scientists in the United States and around the world. This recognition puts Giordano in the company of accomplished researchers in science and medicine globally. A source of pride for Italy but also for the States.

Biotech entrepreneur donates $50 million to UC Irvine School of Biological Sciences

The University of California, Irvine has received a $50 million donation from Orange County biotech entrepreneur Charlie Dunlop for the School of Biological Sciences. Dean Frank LaFerla announced the gift before thousands of graduating students, faculty and family supporters at today’s school commencement, where Dunlop was the featured speaker.

Why some plant diseases thrive in urban environments

Something about city life seems to suit powdery mildew, a fungal disease that afflicts many plants, including leaves of garden vegetables and roadside weeds. A new study from biologists at Washington University in St. Louis finds that plants in the city of St. Louis had significantly more mildew than those in the suburbs or countryside.

Researchers Identify Priority Areas That Deliver on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Health

To meet the imperative of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework target, which seeks to protect at least 30 percent of the planet by 2030, researchers in an essay in PLOS Biology argue that “conservation areas need to be large enough to encompass functioning ecosystems and their associated biodiversity, and located in areas of high ecological integrity.”

Brookhaven Lab Biophysicist F. William Studier Awarded Merkin Prize in Biomedical Technology

F. William Studier, a senior biophysicist emeritus at the U.S. Department of Energy’s ‘Brookhaven National Laboratory, has won the 2024 Richard N. Merkin Prize in Biomedical Technology for his development in the 1980s of an efficient, scalable method of producing RNA and proteins in the laboratory.

Nature’s 3D printer: bristle worms form bristles piece by piece

A new interdisciplinary study led by molecular biologist Florian Raible from the Max Perutz Labs at the University of Vienna provides exciting insights into the bristles of the marine annelid worm Platynereis dumerilii. Specialized cells, so-called chaetoblasts, control the formation of the bristles. Their mode of operation is astonishingly similar to that of a technical 3D printer. The project is a collaboration with researchers from the University of Helsinki, Vienna University of Technology and Masaryk University in Brno.

Binghamton University biologist named Fellow of American Academy of Microbiology

Binghamton University, State University of New York researcher Karin Sauer is among 65 scientists elected as Fellows of the American Academy of Microbiology this year. Fellows are elected by their peers based on their scientific achievements and original contributions to the field of microbiology.

Weedy rice gets competitive boost from its wild neighbors

Weedy rice is an agricultural pest with a global economic impact. It is an aggressive weed that outcompetes cultivated rice and causes billions of dollars in yield losses worldwide. A study from Washington University in St. Louis offers new insights into genetic changes that give weedy rice its edge over cultivated rice in tropical regions of the world.

Membrane Technology: Looking Deep into Smallest Pores

Membranes of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VaCNT) can be used to clean or desalinate water at high flow rate and low pressure. Recently, researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and partners carried out steroid hormone adsorption experiments to study the interplay of forces in the small pores. They found that VaCNT of specific pore geometry and pore surface structure are suited for use as highly selective membranes. The researchers report in Nature Communications. (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44883-2)

RNA Scientist Receives Federal Funding to Commercialize Molecular Tool Against Alzheimer’s Disease

University at Albany scientist Scott Tenenbaum, founder of UAlbany spinoff company sxRNA Technologies, Inc. (sxRNA Tech), has received $500,000 from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, to study how aging brain cells shape the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and advance RNA technology that could inform new therapeutics to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

Media Tip: Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source to accelerate biological and environmental research

In October 2023, the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility at DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, officially launched a new initiative to expand biological and environmental research at the world leading X-ray and analysis facility.

These Robots Helped Understand How Insects Evolved Two Distinct Strategies of Flight

Robots built by engineers at the University of California San Diego helped achieve a major breakthrough in understanding how insect flight evolved, described in the Oct. 4, 2023 issue of the journal Nature. The study is a result of a six-year long collaboration between roboticists at UC San Diego and biophysicists at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Race-based variations in gut bacteria emerge by 3 months of age

Variations in the gut microbiome are linked to the incidence and mortality of diseases. A new study highlights a critical development window during which these differences emerge. The findings are based on analysis of data from 2,756 gut microbiome samples from 729 U.S. children between birth and 12 years of age.