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Three DNA loops prove essential for efficient wing tissue regeneration in fruit flies

After an injury, DNA not only changes its activity but also the way it is organized spatially within the cell nucleus. In this process, certain regions of DNA establish new physical contacts through chromatin loops that act as bridges, bringing together sequences that are far apart in the genome's linear sequence. Now, a study has identified—in an animal model—the formation of these loops as an essential step in tissue regeneration after an injury.

Phys.org14 Sept

Magma repeatedly breaks and heals during eruptions, microscopic evidence suggests

Explosive volcanic eruptions can be as destructive as they are difficult to predict, launching pyroclasts—the fragments of magma and rock blasted from a volcano—into the air and surrounding areas. These particles can have wide-ranging impacts, as seen during this summer's eruption of Mount Etna in Italy, when ash fell over the nearby city of Catania and closed its international airport for weeks. The size of erupted pyroclasts helps determine how far they travel and the hazards they pose. However, exactly how and where they form has remained poorly understood.

Phys.org14 Sept

Forest fire smoke reduces bird diversity, study suggests

When forests burn, the direct consequences are obvious: houses go up in flames and habitats are destroyed. The damage caused by smoke extending far beyond the fire area is less visible. Sarah Meier, an environmental economist at ETH Zurich, investigated this in relation to avian populations in the U.S. together with Eric Strobl from the University of Bern.

Phys.org14 Sept

Common wastewater pollutant turns male minnows into poorer parents and fiercer rivals

A team of researchers has found that a common wastewater pollutant turned male fathead minnows into worse fathers and fiercer rivals, revealing ecological impacts that laboratory studies missed.

Phys.org14 Sept

Radiation-tolerant rotifers rebuild broken chromosomes over successive generations

DNA repair mechanisms are essential for maintaining the integrity of our genome. When they malfunction, they can cause disease or contribute to the development of cancer. Nature, however, offers remarkable examples of organisms that have evolved exceptional repair capabilities. Bdelloid rotifers are one such example.

Phys.org14 Sept

Antibody cocktails could steer viruses into evolutionary dead ends

When a virus mutates, the world usually finds out the hard way. Variants of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 can slip past vaccines and antibody drugs before scientists fully understand what has changed. A new study from Harvard's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (CCB) suggests the hard way may not be inevitable.

Phys.org14 Sept

When a friend becomes a caregiver

Eldercare, typically considered a family obligation, is evolving to adapt to demographic shifts that make reliance on spouses and children less assured.

Phys.org14 Sept

Active black holes reveal star-forming rings and shock waves in nine nearby galaxies

A new study of nine nearby galaxies has shown that actively growing supermassive black holes may contribute to, rather than prevent, star formation in their host galaxies.

Phys.org14 Sept

Turning a potent greenhouse gas into a valuable pharmaceutical building block using light

The trifluoromethyl group, or CF₃, is widely used in pharmaceuticals. When added to organic molecules, it can improve metabolic stability and membrane permeability, making it highly valuable in drug development. One useful way to introduce a CF₃ group is through the use of highly reactive CF₃ radicals. However, existing methods for generating these radicals often rely on expensive, corrosive or potentially explosive reagents and can produce unwanted waste.

Phys.org14 Sept

Researchers identify rubber-related chemicals in Swiss milk

Every year, tire and road wear release an estimated 6 million tons of rubber particles into the environment, some of which eventually reach agricultural land through the air, water runoff and fertilizers. Because dairy farms often operate near roads, rubber-related chemicals can make their way into milk, potentially exposing people to them.

Phys.org14 Sept

First confirmed Diplodocus outside North America reshapes Late Jurassic migration picture

In a discovery that challenges our understanding of dinosaur distribution during the Late Jurassic period, paleontologists have identified the first evidence of the iconic Diplodocus outside North America.

Phys.org14 Sept

Economists examine how people infer, revise beliefs in face of new information

When people hear something new about a topic, they should update their beliefs to reflect the new information. But many people either underreact or overreact, with their responses varying based on different factors, including the environment. In "The Inference-Forecast Gap in Belief Updating," researchers compared how people make inferences and revise their beliefs in light of the same information.

Phys.org14 Sept

Peptide position determines whether gold nanoparticles branch or stay spherical

The position of biomineralization peptides within liposomes can influence how gold nanoparticles grow, reports a research team from the Institute of Science Tokyo. Peptides localized at the membrane interface promote branched structures, while those confined to the liposome interior favor spherical nanoparticles. The findings offer a new strategy for controlling nanoscale reaction environments in nanoparticle synthesis.

Phys.org14 Sept

Unused natural gas behind NYC's $300 million waste of a potent greenhouse gas

Methane emissions from the New York City metropolitan area are largely driven by natural gas use, according to a new study published today in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics by researchers at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, part of the Columbia Climate School. The findings may offer cities an overlooked pathway for reducing methane emissions while potentially saving consumers millions of dollars lost to wasted natural gas.

Phys.org14 Sept

Only 1 out of every 5 amphibian type localities in Ecuador are in protected areas

In taxonomy, the location where specimens used to formally describe a new species are collected is called a type locality. These sites can be thought of as the species' formal birthplace, much as the scientific article containing the original description constitutes its scientific birth certificate, because this is how the species officially acquires its identity and name within the scientific community.

Phys.org14 Sept

A painting signed 'L daVinci': Analysis reveals Renaissance pigments and later alterations

Researchers at Uppsala University have analyzed the color pigments in a historical painting signed "L daVinci." Most of the pigments are consistent with materials used during the Renaissance, while a more recent pigment appears to be linked to later alterations. The study demonstrates how materials science can provide new pieces of the puzzle behind the history of a work of art.

Phys.org14 Sept

Neutral radicals unlock porous organic semiconductors without chemical doping

Researchers at the Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS) at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) have developed a new strategy for producing covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with semiconducting properties without relying on chemical doping. The approach could open new avenues for developing materials for applications in electronics and energy storage.

Phys.org14 Sept

Mapping charge-carrier dynamics to guide more efficient organic solar cells

A Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) research team led by professors Taeyeon Kim and Doo-Hyun Ko of the Department of Chemistry recently published a comprehensive review titled "Carrier Dynamics in Nonfullerene Acceptor Organic Photovoltaics through Ultrafast Spectroscopy" in the journal ACS Nano.

Phys.org14 Sept

How can countries prevent shocks and disasters from turning into food crises? Analysis points to resilience measures

Floods, wildfires, conflicts, earthquakes, economic shocks, hurricanes or epidemics: These unexpected and often dramatic events affect people's lives and jobs, destroy crops, wipe out livestock and stored food, contaminate water, block roads, cut off communities and severely affect access to markets and food. This is a distressing picture—one expected to get much worse in the near future because of climate change and an increasingly polarized world. Yet science says no: These natural and human-made shocks do not have to lead to more hunger by default.

Phys.org14 Sept

Chocolate's new climate threat: Too much rain

Cocoa farmers in West Africa cannot stop intense downpours from damaging their crops. But they may be able to anticipate the risk and prepare, protecting both their livelihoods and their plants, the source of one of the world's most beloved foods.

Phys.org14 Sept