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Coral Skeleton Formation Rate Determines Resilience To Acidifying Oceans

A new University of Wisconsin–Madison study has implications for predicting coral reef survival and developing mitigation strategies against having their bony skeletons weakened by ocean acidification.

Microbes Help Hibernating Animals Recycle Nutrients, Maintain Muscle Through Winter

To get through a long winter without food, hibernating animals — like the 13-lined ground squirrel — can slow their metabolism by as much as 99 percent, but they still need important nutrients like proteins to maintain muscles while they hibernate.

Perception Study May Explain Promising Depression Therapy

Rather than constantly repainting a new canvas with a picture of the surrounding world each time it takes in information, the human brain appears to build a working model supported by predictions constantly checked and rechecked against the sights and sounds it already expects.

When A Task Adds More Steps, This Brain Circuit Helps You Notice

By tracking feedback during tasks, the anterior cingulate cortex notices when a new step has become necessary and signals the motor cortex to adjust.

At Bioenergy Crossroads, Should Corn Ethanol Be Left In The Rearview Mirror?

Transportation is responsible for a larger share of greenhouse gas emissions than any other sector of the U.S. economy, making biofuels a promising strategy to mitigate human-driven climate change.

Unique Structures in the Genetic Information of a Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus

Unique structures, called guanine quadruplexes (G4), have been discovered by a team of Czech scientists in the genetic information of a tick-borne encephalitis virus. The experts found out that these structures play an important role in the virus' replication and can be targeted in the search for new antivirals. In testing potential chemicals that recognize these G4 structures, they found promising molecules with a high antiviral effect. In the future, these substances may thus expand the repertoire of potential drugs for this infection.

Using Seismology For Groundwater Management

New research showcases a pilot application using seismometers to monitor groundwater aquifers in California.

MIT Chemists Develop A Wireless Electronic Lateral Flow Assay Test For Biosensing

Design from the Swager Lab uses electronic polymers, rather than colored lines, to indicate a positive response, enabling quantitative monitoring of biomarkers.

When Alzheimer’s Degrades Cells That Cross Hemispheres, Visual Memory Suffers

Research reveals cells that span brain hemispheres to coordinate activity in visual processing centers, shows Alzheimer’s degrades their structure and function.

These Neurons Have Food On The Brain

MIT scientists have discovered a population of neurons that light up whenever we see images of food.

Stronger Religious Beliefs Linked To Higher Levels Of Sexual Satisfaction, Study Shows

Having stronger religious beliefs is linked to higher levels of sexual satisfaction, a new study shows.

Microscopy Technique Reveals Hidden Nanostructures In Cells And Tissues

Separating densely packed molecules before imaging allows them to become visible for the first time.

In Animal Studies, Maternal Sleep Apnea Risks ‘Constellation Of Deficits’ In Male Offspring

Sleep apnea, a common disorder in which a person repeatedly stops and starts breathing while they sleep — often hundreds of times per night — is a growing problem in pregnancy.

Ancient Example Of Modern Global Warming Was Too Hot For Tiny, Important Ocean Creatures

During another time in which Earth warmed rapidly in conjunction with a spike in atmospheric carbon similar to our modern climate, seawater temperature and chemical changes decimated an important piece of the food web in the tropical Pacific Ocean, according to new research from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

A Science Trailblazer Retires: Stem Cell Researcher James Thomson’s Legacy Changed The Future Of Biology

The developing human body will eventually grow from a tiny two-celled zygote to a massively complex system comprising more than 37 trillion cells. If a single cell represented one second in time, all of our cells combined would span 1.8 million years.

How The Brain Generates Rhythmic Behavior

MIT neuroscientists have identified an oscillatory circuit that controls the rhythmic movement of mouse whiskers.

Understanding the Effect of Anti-Cancer Drugsmight Improve Cancer Treatment

An international team of scientists led by Hana Hanzlíková from the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Keith Caldecott from the University of Sussex in the UK has discovered which sites in the DNA molecule inside cancer cells are the basis of the effect of anticancer drugs (called PARP inhibitors). The results, published recently in the prestigious Nature Structural and Molecular Biology journal, will be used to understand the mechanism of the effect of PARP inhibitors that lead to the death of certain types of cancer cells and open the path to new ways of treating tumors.

MIT Students Contribute To Success Of Historic Fusion Experiment

Students are part of large team that achieved fusion ignition for the first time in a laboratory.

Studies Of Autism Tend To Exclude Women, Researchers Find

A commonly used screening test creates a gender gap that may hinder diagnosis and treatment for women and girls.

Hydropeaking Affects Fish Reproduction in Rivers

The so-called hydropeaking, i.e. discontinuous flow changes in rivers, significantly disrupts fish reproduction. In the current study, scientists from the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences focused on how hydropeaking affects the spawning asp shoal in the Želivka River. The local asp shoal, protected under the Natura 2000, faces unpredictable water current changes.