Study prompts new ideas on cancers' origins
Cancer therapies often target cells that grow and divide rapidly, such as stem cells, but in studying how stomach cancers occur, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that even when the stomach isn't able to make stem cells, other cells in the stomach can begin to divide and contribute to precancerous lesions.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/wuso-spn121517.php
Single-photon detector can count to 4
Engineers have shown that a widely used method of detecting single photons can also count the presence of at least four photons at a time. The researchers say this discovery will unlock new capabilities in physics labs working in quantum information science around the world, while providing easier paths to developing quantum-based technologies.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/du-sdc121517.php
UTA discovery could reduce cost, energy for high-speed Internet connections
UTA and University of Vermont researchers developed an optical medium in which multiple beams of light can autocorrect their properties without affecting other beams. This could lead to a dramatic reduction in the cost and energy consumption of high-speed internet communications.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uota-udc121517.php
BIDMC researchers use artificial intelligence to identify bacteria quickly and accurately
Microscopes enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) could help clinical microbiologists diagnose potentially deadly blood infections and improve patients' odds of survival, according to microbiologists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/bidm-bru121517.php
Amber-tinted glasses may provide relief for insomnia
Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center tested a method to reduce the adverse effects of evening ambient light exposure, while still allowing use of blue light-emitting devices.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/cumc-agm121517.php
What does hair loss have to teach us about cancer metastasis?
Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have identified a signaling pathway regulating cell migration and metastasis. Unexpected hair loss in a preclinical model helped them to identify the pathway. When cells within the skin that maintain hair follicles migrate too often, hair follicle maintenance is disrupted. Researchers speculated that this pathway might also play a role in cancer cell migration. Indeed, they showed that disrupting this pathway in preclinical models increased metastasis.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/muos-wdh121517.php
Nanodiscs catch misfolding proteins red-handed
When proteins misfold, accumulate and clump around insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, they kill cells. Now, researchers, including University of Michigan biophysicists, have obtained a structural snapshot of these proteins when they are most toxic, detailing them down to the atomic level.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uom-ncm121317.php
Complex, old-growth forests may protect some bird species in a warming climate
Old forests that contain large trees and a diversity of tree sizes and species may offer refuge to some types of birds facing threats in a warming climate, scientists have found.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/osu-cof121517.php
Genetic instructions from mom set the pattern for embryonic development
A new study indicates an essential role for a maternally inherited gene in embryonic development. The study found that zebrafish that failed to inherit specific genetic instructions from mom developed fatal defects earlier in development, even if the fish could make their own version of the gene.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/pu-gif121517.php
After searching 12 years for bipolar disorder's cause, U-M team concludes it has many
Nearly 6 million Americans have bipolar disorder, and most have probably wondered why. After more than a decade of studying over 1,100 of them in-depth, a team of scientists has an answer -- or rather, seven answers.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/mmu-as1121517.php
How much can late Permian ecosystems tell us about modern Earth? A lot
New paleontological research shows that during the late Permian, the equator was dry and desert-like, yet surprisingly a hotspot for biodiversity. Similarly to modern rainforests, equator ecosystems were home to a unique diversity of species, including those both anciently and newly evolved. After the late Permian extinction, this diversity was decimated, and the climate change event that triggered an extinction back then is informative as we move forward with protecting our planet's species diversity.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/fm-hmc121517.php
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/
