Thursday, 16 May 2019

How host-cell enzymes combat the coronavirus

Host-cell enzymes called PARP12 and PARP14 are important for inhibiting mutant forms of a coronavirus, according to a study published May 16 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Stanley Perlman of the University of Iowa, Anthony Fehr of the University of Kansas, and colleagues.

* This article was originally published here

Stay safe in the sun by knowing how to protect your skin

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Do spray sunscreens work as well as sunscreen lotions, and do I need to buy different sunscreen for my kids than what I use myself?

* This article was originally published here

Particulate matter from aircraft engines affects airways

In a unique, innovative experiment, researchers under the leadership of the University of Bern have investigated the effect of exhaust particles from aircraft turbine engines on human lung cells. The cells reacted most strongly to particles emitted during ground idling. It was also shown that the cytotoxic effect is only to some extent comparable to that of particles from gasoline and diesel engines.

* This article was originally published here

Video game rivals Microsoft and Sony team up in cloud

Longtime video game console rivals Microsoft and Sony on Thursday announced an alliance to improve their platforms for streaming entertainment from the internet cloud.

* This article was originally published here

Malnourished fruit flies preserve genital size to ensure reproductive success

In most animals, body size shrinks when food becomes scarce, but some parts are protected from shrinkage. In humans without enough food, the body becomes small, but the size of the head stays the same, hinting at biological mechanisms that act to preserve the all-important brain.

* This article was originally published here

What do they mean by 'stem cells'? Recommended guidelines for reporting on cell therapies

Cell therapies including so-called "stem cells" are increasingly being marketed and used for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders - despite questions about these treatments and their effectiveness. A new tool for standardizing communication about cell therapies is presented in the May 15 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

* This article was originally published here

Toy transformers and real-life whales inspire biohybrid robot

Drawing inspiration from biology and the toy shelf, researchers at Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College and City University of Hong Kong have developed a swimming robot with a light-controlled cellular engine that can perform highly-targeted drug delivery.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers teach robots handwriting and drawing

An algorithm developed by Brown University computer scientists enables robots to put pen to paper, writing words using stroke patterns similar to human handwriting. It's a step, the researchers say, toward robots that are able to communicate more fluently with human co-workers and collaborators.

* This article was originally published here

Balancing the beam: Thermomechanical micromachine detects terahertz radiation

Radiation from many parts of the electromagnetic spectrum has been harnessed for extremely beneficial uses, in fields as diverse as medicine, imaging and photography, and astronomy. However, the terahertz (THz) region of the spectrum, situated between microwaves and infrared light, has been relatively underutilized owing to difficulties in generating such radiation artificially and in building devices to detect it.

* This article was originally published here

Bedbugs evolved more than 100 million years ago—and walked the earth with T. rex

Bedbugs—some of the most unwanted human bed-mates—have been parasitic companions with other species aside from humans for more than 100 million years, walking the earth at the same time as dinosaurs.

* This article was originally published here

Older and poorer communities are left behind by the decline of cash

A future without cash seems almost inevitable. Recent statistics paint a damning picture: while cash accounted for 62% of all payments by volume in 2006, this dropped to 40% in just a decade and is predicted to fall yet further to 21% by 2026.

* This article was originally published here

Rape myths like 'stranger danger' challenged by global drug survey

Many of the beliefs people hold about rape are downright wrong. For example, women are often told they can avoid sexual assault by monitoring how much alcohol they drink on a night out. "Don't leave your drink unattended" and "drink from bottles instead of cups" are common pieces of advice. There's even a wristband that's marketed as a "simple, wearable test to see if your drink may have been spiked".

* This article was originally published here

A face-following robot arm with emotion detection

Researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) have recently developed a face-following robotic arm with emotion detection inspired by Pixar Animation Studios' Luxo Jr. lamp. This robot was presented by Vernon Stanley Albayeros Duarte, a computer science graduate at UAB, in his final thesis.

* This article was originally published here

Energy-free superfast computing invented by scientists using light pulses

Superfast data processing using light pulses instead of electricity has been created by scientists.

* This article was originally published here

Calling attention to gender bias dramatically changes course evaluations

With growing evidence of gender bias on student course evaluations, a new intervention developed by Iowa State University researchers may help reduce bias against women instructors.

* This article was originally published here

Brain network activity can improve in epilepsy patients after surgery

Successful epilepsy surgery can improve brain connectivity similar to patterns seen in people without epilepsy, according to a new study published in the journal Neurosurgery.

* This article was originally published here