Inside the mind of a spider
For a creature that—legs and all—might be no larger than a pencil eraser, spiders continue to surprise researchers with their cognitive abilities. Lisa Taylor, a University of Florida entomologist, has spent her career studying arachnids. She says understanding how spiders think is just one of the unknowns that drives her research. “They’re such tiny animals, […]
The Higgs boson and the rise of the standard model of particle physics in the 1970s
At the dawn of the 1970s, the idea of a massive scalar boson as the keystone of a unified theoretical model of the weak and electromagnetic interactions had yet to become anchored in a field that was still learning to live with what we now know as the standard model of particle physics. As the […]
‘Tabula sapiens’ multi-organ cell atlas already yielding surprises for biologists
With rare exceptions, each of the trillions of cells in our bodies carries an exact duplicate of the human genome, which contains between 20,000 and 25,000 protein-coding genes. But to carry out the specialized functions that make life possible, organs like the kidney, lung, heart, and brain rely on tissues built from distinctive cell types, […]
Mind the gap: Space inside eggs steers first few steps of life
Imagine sitting at a meeting where the shape of the table and your place at it might impact how you get along with the other members. Cells also communicate with their nearest neighbors, and in embryos, nothing is left to chance in the “seating plan” for the first few cells. However, questions remain about the […]
The future of desalination? A fast, efficient, selective membrane for purifying saltwater
Water scarcity is a growing problem around the world. Desalination of seawater is an established method to produce drinkable water but comes with huge energy costs. For the first time, researchers use fluorine-based nanostructures to successfully filter salt from water. Compared to current desalination methods, these fluorous nanochannels work faster, require less pressure and less […]
Acoustic black holes as noise traps in wooden structures
Research is currently being completed at Empa on a world-first in the sound insulation of wooden buildings. Using a physical theory from the 1990s and the tools of digitization, a research team has developed new floor elements made of solid wood panels that have so-called acoustic black holes. The idea came from Stefan Schoenwald, head […]
Solid tumors use a type of T cell as a shield against immune attack
An unexpected trick in cancer’s playbook may fool an important component of our immune systems into knocking down our natural defenses against solid tumors. Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center say this newfound vulnerability involves a misuse of a type of T cell, part of a large family of blood cells that are essential to […]
Alarming rise found in esophageal cancer and Barrett’s esophagus in middle-aged adults
Adults aged 45 to 64 experienced a nearly doubled rate of esophageal cancer and a 50 percent increase in the precancerous condition Barrett’s esophagus between 2012 and 2019, according to a database analysis of roughly five million patients to be presented at Digestive Disease Week 2022. “This strong growth in prevalence should be of concern […]
More cardiovascular disease found in lean people with NAFLD than in those who are overweight
Those with a normal body mass index (BMI) with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are more likely to have cardiovascular disease than those who are overweight or living with obesity, according to research selected for presentation at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2022. Roughly 25 percent of adults in the U.S. have NAFLD, a term for […]
Gallstone disease shown to be strong predictor of pancreatic cancer
Patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) were six times more likely to have had gallstone disease within the year prior to diagnosis than non-cancer patients, suggesting gallstones could be a warning sign for this aggressive and deadly cancer, according to research to be presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2022. PDAC is the most common […]