A truly remarkable property of quantum materials, superconductivity is the complete loss of electrical resistance under quite specific, and sometimes very harsh, conditions. Despite the tremendous potential for quantum computers and high-sensitivity detectors, the application of superconductors is hindered by the fact that their valuable properties typically manifest themselves at very low temperatures or extremely high pressures. Until recently, the list of superconductors was topped by a mercury-containing cuprate, which becomes superconducting at 135 kelvins, or −138 degrees Celsius (-217 degrees Fahrenheit)....

As the Perseverance rover embarks on a journey to seek signs of ancient life in the 3.7 billion years old Jezero crater, Cabrol theorizes that not only life could still be present on Mars today, but it could also be much more widespread and accessible than previously believed. Her conclusions are based on years of exploration of early Mars analogs in extreme environments in the Chilean altiplano and the Andes funded by the NASA Astrobiology Institute....

The central Arctic Ocean has limited biological productivity when compared to other oceans. This is due to the limited sunlight caused by the Polar Night or sea-ice cover, as well as the scarcity of available nutrient sources. As a result, microalgae or phytoplankton in the upper water layers have less access to energy than their counterparts in other waters. As such, the surprise was great when, on the expedition ARCTIC2018 in August and September 2018 on board the Russian research vessel Akademik Tryoshnikov, large quantities of particulate – i....

Wasps provide crucial support to their extended families by babysitting at neighboring nests, according to new research by a team of biologists from the universities of Bristol, Exeter and UCL published today (February 15, 2021) in Nature Ecology and Evolution. The findings suggest that animals should often seek to help more distant relatives if their closest kin are less in need. Dr. Patrick Kennedy, lead author and Marie Curie research fellow in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol, said: “These wasps can act like rich family members lending a hand to their second cousins....

Diseased trees will have to be identified and destroyed. This includes trees in nurseries and newly planted trees. Mature trees will be left standing, since they take longer to die and are valuable to wildlife. There is an import ban on ash trees that has been in place since October. These measures won’t eradicate this disease from the UK. Ash trees are the third most common in the UK, and there are as many as 90 million ash trees at risk....

Now researchers from Montreal and India have captured a radio signal from the most distant galaxy so far at a specific wavelength known as the 21 cm line, allowing astronomers to peer into the secrets of the early universe. With the help of the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope in India, this is the first time this type of radio signal has been detected at such a large distance. “A galaxy emits different kinds of radio signals....

Knowing precisely where proteins are frustrated could go a long way toward making better drugs. That’s one result of a new study by Rice University scientists looking for the mechanisms that stabilize or destabilize key sections of biomolecules. Atom-scale models by Rice theorist Peter Wolynes, lead author and alumnus Mingchen Chen and their colleagues at the Center for Theoretical Biological Physics show that not only are some specific frustrated sequences in proteins necessary to allow them to function, locating them also offers clues to achieve better specificity for drugs....

However, it is extremely difficult to study oxygen molecules on the metal oxide surface without altering them. At TU Wien, this has now been achieved with a special trick: a single oxygen atom is attached to the tip of an atomic force microscope and then it is gently guided across the surface. The force between the surface and the oxygen atom is measured, and an image is taken with extremely high resolution....

Suicide is the primary cause of mortality for Australians aged 15 to 44, taking the lives of almost nine people daily. According to some estimates, suicide attempts happen up to 30 times more often than fatalities. “Suicide has large effects when it happens. It impacts many people and has far-reaching consequences for family, friends, and communities,” says Karen Kusuma, a University of New South Wales Ph.D. candidate in psychiatry at the Black Dog Institute, who investigates suicide prevention in adolescents....

An emerging nanomedicine cancer treatment involving the injection of tiny nanoparticles carrying compounds that can poison cancerous cells has many benefits. This so-called photodynamic therapy (PDT) is non-toxic and it doesn’t involve invasive surgery. A team led by Jan van Hest from Eindhoven University of Technology in collaboration with researchers from China and the UK have designed a new PDT nanoparticle that attack cancerous cells in a novel way: they enter cells and shut down their power stations – their mitochondria – making the therapy much more effective....

It started with an offhand remark, an unusual characterization for astronomers talking about stars: “They’re going off like popcorn.” The comment referred to the fact that stars are exploding all around us. Although exploding stars, or supernovae, are rare among any particular group of stars, the vastness of space ensures that at almost any given instant, a new supernova has detonated somewhere in the observable universe. “They’re going off all the time, the universe is so enormous,” said Alex Parker, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ Institute for Theory and Computation....

Weather permitting, the bright light from the plumes of the Moon rocket’s twin solid rocket boosters and four RS-25 engines could be seen against the dark night sky for up to 70 seconds after liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The rocket and spacecraft will no longer be visible to the naked eye after reaching an altitude of 42,000 feet. Launch visibility is dependent upon several factors, including launch time and dates....

Who would have thought that a small basic compound like vitamin B6 in the banana or fish you had this morning may be key to your body’s robust response against COVID-19? Studies have so far explored the benefits of vitamins D and C and minerals like zinc and magnesium in fortifying immune response against COVID-19. But research on vitamin B6 has been mostly missing. Food scientist Thanutchaporn Kumrungsee hopes their paper published in Frontiers in Nutrition can be the first step in showing vitamin B6’s potential in lowering the odds of patients becoming seriously ill with the coronavirus....

Patients with low vitamin D levels who are hospitalized for COVID-19 may have a lower risk of dying or requiring mechanical ventilation if they receive vitamin D supplementation of at least 1,000 units weekly, according to a study presented virtually at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting. “Given how common vitamin D deficiency is in the world and the United States, we believe that this research is highly relevant right now,” said co-author Sweta Chekuri, M....

The results, which were published in the journal Nutrients, are important since cystic fibrosis affects more than 160,000 individuals globally. Cystic fibrosis is characterized by lung inflammation and airway-blocking mucus accumulation. The life-shortening condition is linked to recurrent lung infection and affects 40,000 individuals in the United States. In the U.S., around 1,000 new instances are identified each year, with most patients being 2 years old or less. Patients with cystic fibrosis still only have a 40-year median life expectancy, despite steady advances in alleviating complications....

New study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine sheds light on weight gain during the COVID-19 quarantine. More Americans weighed in as obese during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic than in the previous year. A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, presents evidence from a large, nationally representative survey that documents this trend and helps to explain behavior changes that led to widespread weight gain in 2020....

It turns out that’s far from a simple question, but a team of researchers at MIT and elsewhere has come up with a way to figure out the best option for a given location and type of installation. The bottom line is that for household-scale rooftop systems in relatively dry locations, the more efficient but more costly panels would be better, but for grid-scale installations or for those in wetter climates, the established, less efficient but cheaper panels are better....

Volcanoes form when magma, which consists of the partially molten solids beneath a planet’s surface, erupts. On Earth, that magma is mostly molten rock, composed largely of silica. But not every planetary body is made of rock — some can be primarily icy or even metallic. “Cryovolcanism is volcanic activity on icy worlds, and we’ve seen it happen on Saturn’s moon Enceladus,” says Arianna Soldati, assistant professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences at NC State and lead author of a paper describing the work....

Research led by the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust has revealed new insight into the biological mechanisms of the long-term positive health effects of breastfeeding in preventing disorders of the immune system in later life. Breastfeeding is known to be associated with better health outcomes in infancy and throughout adulthood, and previous research has shown that babies receiving breastmilk are less likely to develop asthma, obesity, and autoimmune diseases later in life compared to those who are exclusively formula fed....

People living with HIV often suffer from chronic inflammation, even though antiretroviral therapy has made HIV a manageable disease. This can put them at an increased risk of developing comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease and neurocognitive dysfunction, which can make a significant impact on the longevity and quality of their lives. Now, a new study published in the journal Cell Reports on November 14 explains why chronic inflammation may be happening and how suppression or even eradication of HIV in the body may not resolve it....