A nutrient known for helping the body burn fat may also cause inflammation when the immune system is in overdrive. Yale researchers found that L-carnitine, a nutrient abundant in red meat and widely used in exercise and weight-loss supplements, could worsen severe inflammation in mice. After a bacterial component triggered inflammation and sharply lowered blood […]
A Nutrient Found in Red Meat Could Make Dangerous Inflammation Even Worse
A nutrient known for helping the body burn fat may also cause inflammation when the immune system is in overdrive. Yale researchers found that L-carnitine, a nutrient abundant in red meat and widely used in exercise and weight-loss supplements, could worsen severe inflammation in mice. After a bacterial component triggered inflammation and sharply lowered blood […]
New X-Ray Technology Captures 4.6 Times More Light Without Losing Sharpness
Scientists have developed a new approach to X-ray imaging that captures significantly more light without sacrificing image sharpness. A major obstacle to sharper X-ray images is that much of the light generated inside detectors never reaches the camera. Researchers have developed a nanostructured surface that increased average light output by 4.64 times and improved the […]
“The Closest Thing to Magic” – Researchers Create an Invisible Pipe That Moves Liquids Through Thin Air
Scientists have developed an invisible tube made entirely of ultrasonic waves that can guide liquids through mid-air without physical contact. Researchers at the University of Helsinki have created a pipe with no physical walls, using ultrasound to guide a stream of liquid horizontally through open air. The technology could provide a new way to transport […]
Uranus and Neptune May Have Been Cosmic Strangers All Along, New Research Reveals
Uranus and Neptune have long been considered planetary twins, but new research suggests their similarities may conceal surprisingly different origins. Neptune may have formed from material that originated much closer to the young Sun, challenging the long-standing belief that it and Uranus developed from the same reservoir of cosmic ingredients. New research suggests the two […]
Scientists Discover How Dead Stars Could Break One of Physics’ Most Famous Limits
New simulations suggest that powerful internal magnetic fields could allow some white dwarfs to grow far beyond a long-established stellar mass limit. New research suggests that some white dwarfs, the incredibly dense remnants of dead stars, could grow far heavier than a fundamental limit in astrophysics predicts. Computer simulations show that powerful internal magnetic fields […]
Alzheimer’s-Linked Proteins Have a Hidden Role in Human Reproduction
Proteins commonly associated with devastating brain diseases may have an unexpected role in reproduction. Proteins commonly associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease may have a surprising function in human reproduction. Researchers at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute have discovered that amyloid fibrils, tiny protein fibers found in semen, can help transport RNA into sperm cells. The […]
A Natural Compound Found in Everyday Foods Shows Surprising Power Against Lung Cancer
A natural compound found in common foods has shown promising effects against lung cancer cells. Quercetin, a compound found in citrus fruits, onions, and buckwheat, slowed lung cancer cell division and movement in laboratory experiments. At the highest dose tested, cell migration nearly stopped. The findings come from researchers at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen at Friedrich-Alexander Universität […]
A Last Refuge: Australian Waters Could Save a Critically Endangered Ocean Predator
Despite decades of research, major gaps in scientists’ understanding of green sawfish could complicate efforts to save the species. Green sawfish have disappeared from large parts of their former range, but northern Australia still supports some of the last relatively intact populations of this critically endangered species. A new scientific review suggests these waters could […]
Do Spiders Dream? Scientists Discover a Mysterious Sleep State
Scientists have discovered that spiders experience REM-like sleep, complete with twitching muscles and moving eyes, raising the intriguing possibility that they might dream. Spiders may have more in common with sleeping humans than scientists previously realized. Researchers at the University of Bonn have discovered that Australian jumping spiders experience two distinct stages of sleep, including […]