We started texting during the early months of the pandemic, going back and forth every day for hours. The stay-at-home order created a space for us to get to know each other because neither of us had any other plans. We built a friendship founded on our love of music. I introduced him to the…
In most living animals, egg cells are vastly larger than sperm cells. In humans, for example, a single egg is 10 million times the volume of a sperm cell. In a new study, Northwestern University researchers found that competition and natural selection drove this curious size discrepancy. Using mathematical modeling, the researchers considered a time…
If you are exposed to silica (quartz) dust at work – e.g. from working with concrete and granite – you have a greater risk of certain types of rheumatic disease. This is shown by results from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, which have just been published in the International Journal of Epidemiology. Exposure to…
A new study has shown that underweight and overweight women are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing recurrent miscarriages compared to those of average weight. A research team led by the University of Southampton assessed the link between women’s lifestyle and risk of recurrent pregnancy loss, defined as women having two or more consecutive…
Research and industry experts will be leading a virtual event to discuss UK’s leadership in advanced materials – and how this could shape global cities of the future. The event, hosted jointly by The University of Manchester, Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership, and inward investment agency MIDAS, Material Gains: Building cities that are better for…
The nervous system is the internet of the human body and can in the same way transfer signals over long distances very quickly. Some of the most important elements in this signaling are the axons. They are projections of the nerve cells which send signals to other nerve cells or muscles. For instance, axons that…
Although antibodies induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection are largely protective, they do not completely protect against reinfection in young people, as evidenced through a longitudinal, prospective study of more than 3,000 young, healthy members of the US Marines Corps conducted by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Naval Medical Research…
One of the most comprehensive statistical analyses of drivers of food insecurity across 65 countries has concluded that household income consistently explains more discrepancy in food security than any other factor, including agricultural land resources and production. The Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth study, “Cross-national analysis of food security drivers: comparing results based on…
LA JOLLA, CALIF. – April 16, 2021 – Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys have identified a set of human genes that fight SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19. Knowing which genes help control viral infection can greatly assist researchers’ understanding of factors that affect disease severity and also suggest possible therapeutic options. The genes…
Scientists have figured out how to modify CRISPR’s basic architecture to extend its reach beyond the genome and into what’s known as the epigenome — proteins and small molecules that latch onto DNA and control when and where genes are switched on or off. In a paper published April 9, 2021, in the journal Cell,…