Gonorrhea's own enzyme triggers therapy against multidrug-resistant strains in lab tests
Scientists at the Universities of Liverpool and Oxford have developed a promising new way to kill antibiotic-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium that causes gonorrhea, using a targeted therapy that is activated at the bacterial surface while minimizing damage to human cells.
First 3D map reveals hidden thermal structure of nearby interstellar medium
Astronomers have built the first three-dimensional map of gas temperature in the space surrounding our solar system, revealing a far messier and more dynamic picture than current models predict. The study was submitted to the arXiv preprint server on July 16.
6.5 million Americans face landslide risks—a new database shows where they live
Landslides cause an estimated $3 billion to $6 billion in damage and multiple fatalities annually in the United States. Those numbers could easily increase as housing needs spur development in landslide-prone areas and climate change increases the severity and frequency of heavy rains, which often trigger landslides. Despite the threat, there has never been a systematic, nationwide accounting of who is most at risk from landslides.
Rare-earth ions could enable telecom-ready control of interacting qubits
Quantum technologies are devices and systems that exploit the laws of quantum mechanics and could perform tasks that are difficult or impossible to tackle using their classical counterparts. These technologies process and store information using qubits (i.e., quantum bits), which can exist in a superposition of multiple states simultaneously.
Play is essential for young children, including when it comes to their learning
Prioritizing play offers a variety of benefits for children, from helping them grow their vocabulary to managing their big feelings with fewer behavioral problems.
Play also benefits children's cognitive and social and emotional development.
Impact of climate change may be equivalent to 3.3 million years of transformations in tropical vegetation
The tropics cover less than one-third of Earth's surface but are home to more than half of all known species. Forests, savannas, grasslands and deserts: A vast array of environments stretches along the planet's equatorial belt. This diversity, however, is not static. It is the result of millions of years of changes that have reshaped the tropical landscape time and again.
US residents near small rivers face disproportionately high future flood risks
An international team, including Kumamoto University and its partner institutions, has found severe flood risks and high climate-adaptation costs for U.S. small rivers.
Self-cleaning nanoscale sensor could transform personalized medicine
Imagine a smart bandage that could continuously monitor an infected wound, alerting doctors when bacteria spread or when treatment begins to work. That vision is one step closer to reality with new research from Virginia Tech.
A lipid switch that blocks anthrax from entering cells
Every cell carefully builds and positions thousands of proteins that allow it to sense and respond to its surroundings. Even small changes to these proteins often determine whether they work properly or are destroyed before they ever reach the cell surface. One such protein is CMG2. By binding collagen VI, it helps maintain the extracellular matrix, the network of molecules that supports tissues throughout the body.
Tabby's star may be orbited by a planetary-mass companion
By analyzing data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and conducting new radial velocity measurements, U.K. and French astronomers have found evidence that the mysterious Tabby's star may be orbited by an object about nine times more massive than Jupiter. The new findings are published on the preprint server arXiv.