Researchers have developed an automated auditory training program that marmoset monkeys can perform in their familiar environment on a voluntary basis. The team has accomplished getting non-human primates to complete a series of tests in which they hear different sounds and then match them to the appropriate, previously learned visual...
Less antibody diversity as we age
As we age, our immune system works less well. We become more susceptible to infections and vaccinations no longer work as effectively. A research team has investigated whether short-lived killifish also undergo aging of the immune system. Indeed, they found that as early as four months of age, killifish have...
Chaos theory provides hints for controlling the weather
Researchers have used computer simulations to show that weather phenomena such as sudden downpours could potentially be modified by making small adjustments to certain variables in the weather system. They did this by taking advantage of a system known as a 'butterfly attractor' in chaos theory, where a system can...
New study reveals why HIV remains in human tissue even after antiretroviral therapy
Thanks to antiretroviral therapy, HIV infection is no longer the life sentence it once was. But despite the effectiveness of drugs to manage and treat the virus, it can never be fully eliminated from the human body, lingering in some cells deep in different human tissues where it goes unnoticed...
Advances in street lighting are reducing the efficacy of coastal species’ camouflage
A study has shown species that rely on darkness to forage and feed are losing the gift of camouflage thanks to advances in the lighting used to illuminate the world's cities and coastlines.
Alpaca nanobodies potently neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants
Researchers have developed a novel strategy for identifying potent miniature antibodies, so-called nanobodies, against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. The approach led to the discovery of multiple nanobodies that in cell cultures and mice effectively blocked infection with different SARS-CoV-2 variants. The findings could pave the way for new treatments against COVID-19.
Study shows how bioactive substance inhibits important receptor
The A2A receptor regulates how vigorously the innate immune system attacks diseased cells. Researchers have now been able to show for the first time how an important inhibitor binds to the receptor. In the future, the results will facilitate the targeted search for molecules that give the innate immune system...
Like father like child: male parents lead young birds on first migration
GPS tracking of Caspian terns showed that male parents carry the main responsibility for leading young during their first migration from the Baltic Sea to Africa.
No flight, no bite: ‘Mosquito grounding’ bed net nearly halves malaria infection in Tanzanian children
A novel class of bed net that kills mosquitoes resistant to traditional insecticides by making them unable to move or fly, significantly reduces malaria infection in children, according to new research published in The Lancet. Unlike other insecticides which kill the mosquito via the nervous system, the effects of the...
Rapid glacial advance reconstructed during the time of Norse occupation in Greenland
The Greenland Ice Sheet is the second largest ice body in the world, and it has the potential to contribute significantly to global sea-level rise in a warming global climate. Understanding the long-term record of the Greenland Ice Sheet, including both records of glacial advance and retreat, is critical in...