SciGlow is a newsletter of science stories from the major research labs. Headlines link to in-depth articles and editorials. SciGlow keeps scientists and others up-to-date on current research.
A study led by researchers at international conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London) and Imperial College London has found that culling drives badgers to roam 61% further afield – helping to explain why the practice, intended to reduce bovine TB transmission, can sometimes exacerbate the problem instead. Published in the Journal of Applied Ecology today (Wednesday … Read more
Research presented today at the 28th EADV Congress in Madrid shows, for the first time, that exposure to common air pollutants known as particulate matter (PM) is linked to hair loss in humans. The research was conducted by exposing cells from the human scalp at the base of hair follicles, known as human follicle dermal … Read more
When a heart attack occurs, muscle in the heart tissue can be scarred, interfering with electrical activity necessary for healthy heart function. Drug treatments are available that alleviate further damage, but these don’t lead to tissue regeneration. Using artificial materials to patch or rebuild damaged parts has been tried but only recently has work focused … Read more
When it comes to our differences from Neanderthals, most of what we know comes from comparing fossils. But fossils can only tell us about bones and not whole living organisms. That’s changing thanks to a new paper from a team of genomics researchers at Vanderbilt, who have developed a first-of-its-kind computational method. Their approach uses … Read more
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids in Dresden, Princeton University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have spotted a famously elusive particle: The axion – first predicted 42 years ago as an elementary particle in extensions of the standard model of … Read more
Using an atomic-force microscope fitted with an electrode tip 1,000 times smaller than a human hair, University of Oregon researchers have identified in real time how nanoscale catalysts collect charges that are excited by light in semiconductors. As reported in the journal Nature Materials, they discovered that as the size of the catalytic particles shrinks … Read more
Researchers, led by Delft University of Technology, have made two steps in the conversion of quantum states between signals in the microwave and optical domains. This is of great interest for connecting future superconducting quantum computers into a global quantum network. This week they report on their findings in Nature Physics and in Physical Review … Read more
Predicting if droughts and heat waves will kill forests is difficult, but new work involving an engineering researcher at The University of Alabama could help spot problems early to mitigate risks and possibly help restore forests. Using data gathered from publicly available satellite and aerial imagery, researchers found they can detect whether forests are approaching … Read more
Common toxins in the ocean will become even more toxic in the future, threatening marine life and even humans, new research reveals. Two of these toxins – saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin – are used by a variety of species, for example puffer fish or blue-ringed octopuses, to attract mates, ward off predators and kill prey. The … Read more
Any object, whether natural or not, has essential features that can range anywhere between millimeters to nanometers. For example, if we want to study a computer chip, we need to get a 3D view of its overall structure as well as its integrated circuits – and we need to do that without destroying it. However, … Read more