News Curated �鶹��ý Channel: Nature (journal)

Study Provides Scaffold to Selectively Target Drug Breakdown Process

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 20:05:49 EST

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital explored selectively blocking the CYP3A4 protein responsible for breaking down large swaths of approved drugs, providing a way to improve drug efficacy.

How to (Theoretically) Spot an Alien

Washington University in St. Louis — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 10:35:33 EST

Are we alone in the universe? The answer to one of humanity's biggest questions is complicated by a basic reality: If there is life on other worlds, it may not look familiar. A study in Nature Communications proposes a new way to search for life using tell-tale patterns of energy.

Landmark Study Identifies New Genetic Cause of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Bringing Long-Awaited Answers to Families

Mount Sinai Health System — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 05:00:00 EST

A seminal study from researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and their collaborators in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, and Iceland has uncovered a new genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). The discovery offers both closure and hope to potentially thousands of families worldwide who have long been searching for answers. The study, published in the April 10 online issue of Nature Genetics [DOI: 10.1038/s41588-025-02159-5], reveals that mutations in a small, previously overlooked non-coding gene called RNU2-2 are responsible for relatively common NDD. Non-coding genes are genes that don't produce proteins but may still play critical roles in regulating cell functions.

Quantum Shells Redefine X-ray Detection with Unmatched Speed and Sensitivity

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 20:20:20 EST

Researchers have developed a new type of scintillator using a colloidal quantum shell structure. These scintillators detect ionizing radiation, such as X-rays and electrons, with new levels of speed, efficiency, and durability. The advance could benefit fields ranging from medicine to national security to particle physics.

Sink or Swim: The Fate of Sinking Tectonic Plates Depends on Their Ancient Tectonic Histories

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 18:35:24 EST

New findings provide a greater understanding of plate subduction, or how tectonic plates slide beneath one another This recycling of surface materials and volatile elements deep into the Earth's interior, can impact long-term climate stability, atmospheric balance, and the habitability of our planet over billions of years.

Hidden Forces Shape Plants From the Inside Out

Universite de Montreal — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 18:30:27 EST

UdeM scientists use a combination of experimental data and modelling to reveal how physical forces help plants to generate their complex 3D shapes.

A Comprehensive Map of the Human Cell

University of California San Diego — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 11:00:00 EST

By mapping the subcellular architecture of tumor cells, researchers can better understand how mutations cause cancer.

Imaging Nuclear Shapes by Smashing them to Smithereens

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 22:45:43 EST

Researchers demonstrated a new way to reveal the shapes of atomic nuclei. The method analyzes the flow and momentum of particles from high-energy collisions of nuclei. Those flow patterns are linked to the shape of nuclear matter created in these collisions, and the shape of the nuclear matter is in turn determined by the shapes of the colliding nuclei. The researchers compared observed flow patterns with flow models for different sizes and shapes of melted matter to reconstruct the highly deformed shapes of colliding uranium nuclei. STAR Collaboration

Researchers Discover a New Type of Quantum Entanglement

American Technion Society — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 11:25:45 EST

New Technion study reveals a new form of quantum entanglement in photon angular momentum within nanoscale structures, a thousandth the width of a hair--paving the way for miniaturized quantum communication and computing.

Is AI in Medicine Playing Fair?

Mount Sinai Health System — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 05:00:00 EST

As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly integrates into health care, a new study by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai reveals that all generative AI models may recommend different treatments for the same medical condition based solely on a patient's socioeconomic and demographic background.

NK Cells Complexed with Bispecific Antibody Yield High Response Rates in Patients with Lymphoma

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 05:00:00 EST

A novel cell therapy approach using cord blood-derived natural killer (NK) cells pre-complexed with AFM13, or acimtamig, a CD30/CD16A bispecific antibody, was safe and generated strong response rates for patients with refractory CD30-positive lymphomas, according to a new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Virus Infects Cells with a Protective Cloaking Mechanism

University of California San Diego — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 20:40:06 EST

Viruses known as "jumbo phage" are a new hope against the rising antibacterial infection crisis. Researchers have discovered how jumbo phage are able to infect bacteria so efficiently. They found a compartment that protects and hides valuable DNA material from the bacteria's immune defense system.

New COVID-19 Drug Shows Greater Promise Against Resistant Viral Strains

Rutgers University-New Brunswick — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 19:40:19 EST

A second-generation compound outperforms predecessor in the fight against coronavirus.

Electrochemical Method Supports Nitrogen Circular Economy

Washington University in St. Louis — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 10:35:30 EST

A new approach developed by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis converts nitrogen waste into valuable chemical product.

Laughing Gas: An Old Drug's New Trick to Fight Depression

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 10:25:22 EST

Nitrous oxide--better known as "laughing gas"--can potentially transform treatment for tough-to-beat depression. This centuries-old anesthetic gas targeted specific brain cells in mice and quickly reduced symptoms, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, reported today in Nature Communications.

Understanding How Laughing Gas Can Fight Depression

University of Chicago Medical Center — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 06:00:00 EST

New study helps explain the mechanisms by which nitrous oxide affects the brain, potentially offering insights that could help relieve treatment-resistant depression.

New Antibiotic for Multidrug Resistant Superbug, That Causes Gonorrhoea

University of Vienna — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 05:45:12 EST

The increase of microbes resistant to antibiotics is a growing problem. These include, for example, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium which causes gonorrhea. Researchers from the universities in Konstanz and Vienna discover a new class of antibiotic that selectively targets Neisseria gonorrhoeae. These substances trigger a self-destruction program, which also operates in multi-resistant variants of the pathogen. This type of treatment could be used in an adapted form against other pathogens, so the scientists have made a real breakthrough in the fight against superbugs. The results have been published in the renowned journal Nature Microbiology.

Nature's Time Machine: How Long-Term Studies Unlock Evolution's Secrets

Georgia Institute of Technology — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:35:40 EST

Georgia Tech scientists are revealing how decades-long research programs have transformed our understanding of evolution, from laboratory petri dishes to tropical islands -- along the way uncovering secrets that would remain hidden in shorter studies.

New Method Creates 854x More Mitochondria, Offering Hope for Cartilage Regeneration

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 06:10:32 EST

Scientists have unveiled a revolutionary method for mass-producing high-quality human mitochondria, potentially transforming treatments for degenerative diseases. By refining stem cell culture conditions, researchers achieved an extraordinary 854-fold increase in mitochondrial production while significantly enhancing energy output.

Highly Accurate Blood Test Diagnoses Alzheimer's Disease, Measures Extent of Dementia

Washington University in St. Louis — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 05:00:00 EST

A newly developed blood test for Alzheimer's disease not only aids in the diagnosis of the neurodegenerative condition but also indicates how far it has progressed, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Lund University in Sweden.