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Mutant protein plays key role in Huntington’s disease

Back in 1993, researchers had discovered that Huntington’s disease is typically caused by a single mutated gene, known as HTT.

8 Mar 2021

Cactus pear could provide biofuel as well as sustainable food and livestock feed

Could cactus pear become a major crop like soybeans and corn in the near future, and help provide a biofuel source, as well as a sustainable food and forage crop?

8 Mar 2021

Gut mycobiome correlates with metabolic outcomes in response to diet

Studies of the microbiome in the human gut focus mainly on bacteria. Other microbes that are also present in the gut -- viruses, protists, archaea and fungi -- have been largely overlooked.

8 Mar 2021

Researchers find large quantities of previously undetected PFAS

Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) found large quantities of previously undetectable compounds from the family of chemicals known as PFAS in six watersheds on Cape Cod using a new method to quantify and identify PFAS compounds.

8 Mar 2021

Study identifies molecular mechanism by which HSPCs recover after chemotherapy-induced injury

Chemotherapy has a damaging effect on hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) in bone marrow. However, once chemotherapy ends, HSPCs regenerate, a process that has remained unknown--until now.

From Osaka University 8 Mar 2021

Virtual clinical trials could transform the development of new drugs

New cutting-edge research undertaken at the University of Leicester could revolutionize the way new drugs are developed and the way patients are cared for, through a pioneering new approach using virtual clinical trials.

8 Mar 2021

Study reveals how big droughts in the Greater Mekong region increase CO2 emissions

A study on big droughts in the Greater Mekong region revealed findings that can help reduce the carbon footprint of power systems while providing insights into better designed and more sustainable power plants.

8 Mar 2021

First lockdown led to a sharp drop in air pollutant emissions

Analyses by the University of Innsbruck show that traffic restrictions during the first lockdown last March led to a sharp drop in air pollutant emissions, significantly more than for carbon dioxide.

8 Mar 2021

Promising drug targets identified for aggressive forms of cancers

Scientists have largely been producing transcriptomic data in an attempt to find clues about modified cellular pathways that may be fueling cancer behavior.

5 Mar 2021

New sensor can rapidly detect RNA and DNA molecules

According to a new study, a tiny sensor used in brain chemistry research can rapidly identify the crucial molecules that offer the genetic instructions for life.

5 Mar 2021

New way to create eco-friendly fungicides that protect food crops

A new study has revealed an important phase in researchers’ quest to produce targeted and more eco-friendly fungicides that protect food crops.

5 Mar 2021

Specific proteins in plants can prevent zinc deficiency in humans

More than two billion individuals across the world are malnourished because of zinc deficiency.

5 Mar 2021

Mutant peptides derived from SARS-CoV-2 hamper activation of CD8+ killer T cells

A deep sequencing study of 747 SARS-CoV-2 virus isolates has revealed mutant peptides derived from the virus that cannot effectively bind to critical proteins on the surface of infected cells and, in turn, hamper activation of CD8+ killer T cells that recognize and destroy these infected cells.

5 Mar 2021

UN research: 17% of total food available to consumers went into waste bins

An estimated 931 million tonnes of food, or 17% of total food available to consumers in 2019, went into the waste bins of households, retailers, restaurants and other food services, according to new UN research conducted to support global efforts to halve food waste by 2030.

5 Mar 2021

Putting a price on carbon can reduce emissions that cause climate change

Putting a price on producing carbon is the cheapest, most efficient policy change legislators can make to reduce emissions that cause climate change, new research suggests.

5 Mar 2021

New automated workflow to identify genetic basis of microbial growth inhibition

Researchers at the Earlham Institute (EI) have created a new automated workflow using liquid handling robots to identify the genetic basis to prevent plant pathogens, which can be used on a much larger and rapid scale than current methods.

5 Mar 2021

Species' thermal tolerance is linked to the current climate where they live

Many species might be left vulnerable in the face of climate change, unable to adapt their physiologies to respond to rapid global warming. According to a team of international researchers, species evolve heat tolerance more slowly than cold tolerance, and the level of heat they can adapt to has limits.

5 Mar 2021

Three new COVID-19 variants can evade antibodies that act against original virus

New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that three new, fast-spreading variants of the virus that cause COVID-19 can evade antibodies that work against the original form of the virus that sparked the pandemic.

5 Mar 2021

Engineered safety switch reduces CAR-T immunotherapy-related side effects

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have successfully used an experimental safety switch, incorporated as part of a chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, a type of immunotherapy, to reduce the severity of treatment side effects that sometimes occur.

5 Mar 2021

Vegan diet leads to poorer bone health, shows study

The vegan diet is on-trend. How this type of diet affects health is the subject of scientific studies. In a new study from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the bone health of 36 vegans, as well as 36 people following a mixed-food diet, was determined with an ultrasound measurement of the heel bone.

5 Mar 2021