N95 masks filter about 85% of particles smaller than 300 nm. SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus that causes COVID-19) is in the size range of 65-125 nm, so some virus particles could slip through these coverings. Also, because of shortages, many health care workers have had to wear the same N95 mask repeatedly, even though they are intended for a single use. To help overcome these problems, Muhammad Mustafa Hussain and colleagues wanted to develop a membrane that more efficiently filters particles the size of SARS-CoV-2 and could be replaced on an N95 mask after every use....

Airplane wings, wind turbines, and indoor heating systems all struggle under the weight and chill of ice. Defrosting and de-icing techniques are energy-intensive, however, and often require large masses of ice to melt completely in order to work. Researchers from the University of Illinois and Kyushu University in Japan have developed a new technique that requires only a thin layer of ice at the interface of a surface to melt, allowing it to slide off under the force of gravity....

From April 7th to May 2nd, 2019, Dr. Tracie Seimon, a co-leader of the biology field team from the Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition, and part of the Zoological Health Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo, collected environmental samples from two sites located at elevations of 5,110 and 5,190 meters (16,765 and 17,027 feet) above sea level, along Sagarmatha National Park on the Southern Flank of Mount Everest. The samples were taken from locations 6 km (3....

Studies in mice show fat location matters for intermittent fasting. In a mouse study, Australian researchers have mapped out what happens behind the scenes in fat tissue during intermittent fasting, showing that it triggers a cascade of dramatic changes, depending on the type of fat deposits and where they are located around the body. Using state-of-the-art instruments, University of Sydney researchers discovered that fat around the stomach, which can accumulate into a ‘protruding tummy’ in humans, was found to go into ‘preservation mode’, adapting over time and becoming more resistant to weight loss....

Researchers have discovered a new role for a well-known signaling protein that regulates how bone marrow stem cells turn into either bone or fat. The discovery could potentially lead to new treatments for osteoporosis. “It shifts the thinking about what controls the differentiation of stem cells to bone cells instead of fat cells, and how to make sure this mechanism stays active with aging,” said Bjorn Olsen, Hersey Professor of Cell Biology at HMS and professor of developmental biology and dean for research at Harvard School of Dental Medicine....

A revolutionary pacemaker that re-establishes the heart’s naturally irregular beat is set to be trialed in New Zealand heart patients this year. A revolutionary pacemaker that re-establishes the heart’s naturally irregular beat is set to be trialed in New Zealand heart patients this year, following successful animal trials. “Currently, all pacemakers pace the heart metronomically, which means a very steady, even pace. But when you record heart rate in a healthy individual, you see it is constantly on the move,” says Professor Julian Paton, a lead researcher and director of Manaaki Manawa, the Centre for Heart Research at the University of Auckland....

For the first time, researchers have discovered that prostate cancer can be killed by targeting a single enzyme, called PI5P4Kα. The findings, published recently in the journal Science Advances, could help address the growing threat of treatment resistance in prostate cancer and could also lead to improved treatments for other cancers, such as those affecting the breast, skin, and pancreas. “This is the first time this enzyme has been implicated in prostate cancer, and we expect that it will prove relevant to other cancers as well,” says co-senior author Brooke Emerling, Ph....

The analysis of satellite observations helps to reduce a long-standing climate change uncertainty: How will marine low-level clouds evolve as the planet heats up, and how will this feed back on warming? These clouds, such as the stratocumulus clouds responsible for the often gloomy conditions of San Francisco summers, are widespread over the global oceans and strongly cool the planet by shading the surface from sunlight. The new study finds that, overall, this cooling effect will be modestly reduced as the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere increases....

A team of researchers have tested everything from t-shirts and socks to jeans and vacuum bags to determine what type of mask material is most effective at trapping the ultrafine particles which may contain viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge and Northwestern University, tested the effectiveness of different fabrics at filtering particles between 0.02 and 0.1 micrometers – about the size of most viruses – at high speeds, comparable to coughing or heavy breathing....

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells to become embryonic stem cells capable of transforming into any other cell type in the body. It is believed that stem cell therapies hold the promise of replacing cells damaged through injury or illness. Diseases or conditions that might be treated through stem cell therapy include Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, cardiac disease and spinal cord injuries....

Try whispering at one end of the Echo Wall in the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. People at the far end of the curved wall will still hear you, from 65 meters away. This is the whispering-gallery effect. Now, researchers from Japan have used the underlying principles of the whispering-gallery effect to stop counterfeiters in their tracks. High-security identification should be exceptionally resistant to counterfeiting. Unfortunately, identity thieves eventually learn how to duplicate even highly complex patterns....

In a new study published online on April 2 in the journal Nature Physics, scientists describe new studies of a form of artificial spin ice — a nanometer-scale configuration of magnets so small that their north and south poles spontaneously flip back and forth at room temperature. They find that a particular configuration of artificial spin ice, called Shakti spin ice, also displays the sort of topological order more commonly studied in association with quantum mechanical systems....

The star in question (only known by its catalog number IRAS 15398-3359) is small, young, and relatively cool for a star. Its diminutive stature means the weak light it shines can’t even reach us through a cloud of gas and dust that surrounds it. But this doesn’t stop inquisitive minds from exploring the unknown. In 2013, Oya and her collaborators used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile to observe the star in submillimeter wavelengths, as that kind of light can penetrate the dust cloud – for reference, red light is around 700 nanometers....

Scientists have simulated the transition of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein structure from when it recognizes the host cell to when it gains entry, according to a study published on August 31, 2021, in eLife. The research shows that a structure enabled by sugar molecules on the spike protein could be essential for cell entry and that disrupting this structure could be a strategy to halt virus transmission. An essential aspect of SARS-CoV-2’s lifecycle is its ability to attach to host cells and transfer its genetic material....

Nature has unquestionably developed the best method for massive data storage: DNA. Based on this knowledge, DNA has been used to store digital data by translating binary (0 or 1) values into one of the four different DNA “letters” (A, T, C, or G). But how can one search through the database of data encoded in DNA to discover a certain datum? And how is it possible to execute computations using DNA-encoded data without first transforming it into electronic form?...

Researchers from the University of Arizona identified an asteroid known as 1998 OR2 as one probable source of shock-darkened meteorites in a recent paper that was published in the Planetary Science Journal. About 1 ½ miles wide, the near-Earth asteroid passed by Earth in close proximity in April 2020. Meteorites are asteroid fragments that break off into space and crash down on Earth. “Shock darkening is an alteration process caused when something impacts a planetary body hard enough that the temperatures partially or fully melt those rocks and alter their appearance both to the human eye and in our data,” said lead study author Adam Battle, a UArizona graduate student studying planetary science....

Around 4 billion years ago, Earth was an inhospitable place, devoid of oxygen, bursting with volcanic eruptions, and bombarded by asteroids, with no signs of life in even the simplest forms. But somewhere amid this chaotic period, the chemistry of the Earth turned in life’s favor, giving rise, however improbably, to the planet’s very first organisms. What prompted this critical turning point? How did living organisms rally in such a volatile world?...

The planets in the Solar System, including our Earth, are bathed in the solar wind, a supersonic flow of highly energetic, charged particles relentlessly released by the Sun. Our planet and a few others stand out in this all-pervasive stream of particles: these are the planets that have a magnetic field of their own, and so represent an obstacle to the sweeping power of the solar wind. It is the interaction between Earth’s magnetic field and the solar wind that creates the intricate structure of the magnetosphere, a protective bubble that shields our planet from the vast majority of solar wind particles....

“According to Schrödinger‘s idea, it is possible for a microscopic particle, such as a single atom, to exist in two different states at once. This is called a superposition. Moreover, when such a particle interacts with a macroscopic object, they can become ‘entangled’, and the macroscopic object may end up in a superposition state. Schrödinger proposed the example of a cat, which can be both dead and alive, depending on whether or not a radioactive atom has decayed – a notion which is in obvious conflict with our everyday experience,” Professor Rempe explains....

Animal study reveals pain-associated gene expression signature that remains after infection clears; findings could lead to new pain treatments. A new animal study has provided important insights into how COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 — the virus responsible for COVID-19 — can lead to long-term pain. The new findings also point to a potential therapy for COVID-related pain. “A significant number of people suffering from long COVID experience sensory abnormalities, including various forms of pain,” said Randal (Alex) Serafini, an MD/PhD candidate from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City....