The side of Pluto’s largest moon viewed by NASA’s passing New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015 is characterized by a system of “pull apart” tectonic faults, which are expressed as ridges, scarps and valleys—the latter sometimes reaching more than 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) deep. Charon’s tectonic landscape shows that, somehow, the moon expanded in its past, and – like Bruce Banner tearing his shirt as he becomes the Incredible Hulk – Charon’s surface fractured as it stretched....

Scientists at Scripps Research have unveiled a new tissue-clearing method for rendering large biological samples transparent. The method makes it easier than ever for scientists to visualize and study healthy and disease-related biological processes occurring across multiple organ systems. Described in a paper in Nature Methods on March 28, 2022, and dubbed HYBRiD, the new method combines elements of the two main prior approaches to tissue-clearing technology, and should be more practical and scalable than either for large-sample applications....

Nebulae are among the most visually impressive objects in the night sky. They are interstellar clouds of dust, molecules, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases where new stars are being born. Although they come in different shapes and colors many share a common characteristic: when observed for the first time, their odd and evocative shapes trigger astronomers’ imaginations and lead to curious names. This dramatic region of star formation, which has acquired the nickname of the Seagull Nebula, is no exception....

The origin of the Red Planet’s small moons has been debated for decades. The question is whether the bodies were asteroids captured intact by Mars gravity or whether the tiny satellites formed from an equatorial disk of debris, as is most consistent with their nearly circular and co-planar orbits. The production of a disk by an impact with Mars seemed promising, but prior models of this process were limited by low numerical resolution and overly simplified modeling techniques....

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered how some types of diarrhea-causing E. coli bacteria damage the intestines, leading to malnutrition and stunting. Through studies on human cells and mice, they have also shown that vaccination against a toxin produced by these E. coli can protect infant mice from intestinal damage. The findings suggest that a vaccine against this kind of E. coli could boost global efforts to ensure that all children not only make it to age 5, but thrive....

Cosmologically speaking, the Milky Way and its immediate neighborhood are in the boondocks. In a 2013 observational study, University of Wisconsin–Madison astronomer Amy Barger and her then-student Ryan Keenan showed that our galaxy, in the context of the large-scale structure of the universe, resides in an enormous void — a region of space containing far fewer galaxies, stars and planets than expected. Now, a new study by a UW–Madison undergraduate, also a student of Barger’s, not only firms up the idea that we exist in one of the holes of the Swiss cheese structure of the cosmos, but helps ease the apparent disagreement or tension between different measurements of the Hubble Constant, the unit cosmologists use to describe the rate at which the universe is expanding today....

But the latest research, published today, evens the score between the two galaxies. It found the weight of the Andromeda is 800 billion times heavier than the Sun, on par with the Milky Way. Astrophysicist Dr. Prajwal Kafle, from The University of Western Australia node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, said the study used a new technique to measure the speed required to escape a galaxy. “When a rocket is launched into space, it is thrown out with a speed of 11km/s to overcome the Earth’s gravitational pull,” he said....

The Carolina Sandhills Salamander was previously lumped in as an unusual population of the Southern Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea cirrigera), but researchers at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences applied next generation sequencing technology to show that the new species differs genetically (in both the mitochondrial and nuclear genome) from other species of two-lined salamanders (Eurycea bislineata complex). These results, published in Herpetologica today, back up more conspicuous evidence, as the Carolina Sandhills Salamander also differs in coloration, size and natural history from other members of the complex....

The widespread availability of sensors and their increasing simplicity have opened up new possibilities in the world of sports. These sensors can provide in-depth insights for referees, coaches, and players, but for this to be practical, they must be compact, self-sustaining, and cost-effective. Two technologies well suited for this are triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) and piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs). Both work by converting mechanical energy into electric energy, albeit in different ways....

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) — commonly known as male-pattern baldness (female-pattern baldness in women) — is a condition caused by genetic, hormonal and environmental factors. It affects an estimated 50 percent of all men and almost as many women older than 50. While it is not a life-threatening condition, AGA can lower a person’s self-esteem and psychological well-being. There are a few FDA-approved medications to treat hair loss, but the most effective can have side effects such as loss of libido and erectile dysfunction....

This decision is based on a recently completed schedule risk assessment of the remaining integration and test activities prior to launch. Previously, Webb was targeted to launch in March 2021. “The perseverance and innovation of the entire Webb Telescope team has enabled us to work through challenging situations we could not have foreseen on our path to launch this unprecedented mission,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at the agency’s headquarters in Washington....

The disease can result in reduced blood flow to essential organs, widespread inflammation, and irregular blood clotting. As a result, sepsis may result in shock, organ failure, and death if it is not promptly diagnosed and treated. However, determining which pathogen is causing sepsis or if an infection is present in the bloodstream or elsewhere in the body may be challenging. Additionally, it may be tough to evaluate whether a patient really has an infection in many cases with symptoms that resemble sepsis....

Previous research conducted in a number of laboratories has shown how brain activity triggers changes in gene expression in neurons, an early step in plasticity. The team’s research, which was recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience, focuses on the next important stage of plasticity—the conversion of the genetic code into proteins. “We still don’t understand all the mechanisms underlying how cells in our brain change in response to experiences, but this approach gives us a new window into the process,” says Hollis Cline, Ph....

Collaborative network to enlist medical imaging and clinical data sciences to reveal unique features of COVID-19. The National Institutes of Health has launched the Medical Imaging and Data Resource Center (MIDRC), an ambitious effort that will harness the power of artificial intelligence and medical imaging to fight COVID-19. The multi-institutional collaboration, led by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of NIH, will create new tools that physicians can use for early detection and personalized therapies for COVID-19 patients....

Using molecular dating tools and epidemiological simulations, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues at the University of Arizona and Illumina, Inc., estimate that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was likely circulating undetected for at most two months before the first human cases of COVID-19 were described in Wuhan, China in late-December 2019. Writing in the March 18, 2021, online issue of Science, they also note that their simulations suggest that the mutating virus dies out naturally more than three-quarters of the time without causing an epidemic....

The researchers, led by Mark Hatley, M.D., Ph.D., of the Department of Oncology, published their findings in the January 8 issue of the scientific journal Cancer Cell. Hatley said understanding the cell of origin will bring badly needed insights to aid the diagnosis and treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma. “We are still using the same chemotherapy that was in use 46 years ago, with the same outcomes,” Hatley said. “A better understanding of the machinery of rhabdomyosarcoma could enable entirely new treatment approaches....

A new species of feathered dinosaur has been discovered in China, and described by American and Chinese authors in the journal, The Anatomical Record. The one-of-a-kind specimen offers a window into what the earth was like 120 million years ago. The fossil preserves feathers and bones that provide new information about how dinosaurs grew and how they differed from birds. “The new dinosaur fits in with an incredible radiation of feathered, winged animals that are closely related to the origin of birds,” said Dr....

Researchers led by Eric Glowacki, principal investigator of the organic nanocrystals subgroup in the Laboratory of Organic Electronics, Linköping University, have developed a tiny, simple photoactive film that converts light impulses into electrical signals. These signals in turn stimulate neurons (nerve cells). The research group has chosen to focus on a particularly pressing application, artificial retinas that may in the future restore sight to blind people. The Swedish team, specializing in nanomaterials and electronic devices, worked together with researchers in Israel, Italy, and Austria to optimize the technology....

By quieting the quantum whisper, we can now listen to the more subtle notes of the cosmic symphony. Gravitational wave detectors have opened a new window to the universe by measuring the ripples in spacetime produced by colliding black holes and neutron stars, but they are ultimately limited by quantum fluctuations induced by light reflecting off of mirrors. LSU Ph.D. physics alumnus Jonathan Cripe, postdoctorsl fellow, NIST, and his team of LSU researchers have conducted a new experiment with scientists from Caltech and Thorlabs to explore a way to cancel this quantum backaction and improve detector sensitivity....