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Categories: Chemistry: Biochemistry, Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published Artificial reef designed by MIT engineers could protect marine life, reduce storm damage



Engineers designed an 'architected' reef that can mimic the wave-buffering effects of natural reefs while providing pockets for marine life. The sustainable and cost-saving structure could dissipate more than 95 percent of incoming wave energy using a small fraction of the material normally needed.
Published Robot, can you say 'cheese'?



What would you do if you walked up to a robot with a human-like head and it smiled at you first? You'd likely smile back and perhaps feel the two of you were genuinely interacting. But how does a robot know how to do this? Or a better question, how does it know to get you to smile back?
Published Rock-wallaby bite size ‘packs a punch’



Australian rock-wallabies are 'little Napoleons' when it comes to compensating for small size, packing much more punch into their bite than larger relatives. Researchers made the discovery while investigating how two dwarf species of rock-wallaby are able to feed themselves on the same kinds of foods as their much larger cousins.
Published Scientists extract genetic secrets from 4,000-year-old teeth to illuminate the impact of changing human diets over the centuries



Researchers have recovered remarkably preserved microbiomes from two teeth dating back 4,000 years, found in an Irish limestone cave. Genetic analyses of these microbiomes reveal major changes in the oral microenvironment from the Bronze Age to today. The teeth both belonged to the same male individual and also provided a snapshot of his oral health.
Published Secrets of the naked mole-rat: new study reveals how their unique metabolism protects them from heart attacks



This unusual, subterranean mammal with extreme longevity shows genetic adaptations to low oxygen environments which could offer opportunities for advancing other areas of physiological and medical research in humans, including the development of novel therapeutic approaches.
Published Researchers create biocompatible nanoparticles to enhance systemic delivery of cancer immunotherapy



Researchers are enhancing immunotherapy effects against malignant tumors by developing and validating patent-ending poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid), or PLGA, nanoparticles modified with adenosine triphosphate, or ATP.
Published Milk on ice: Antarctic time capsule of whole milk powder sheds light on the enduring qualities--and evolution--of dairy products past and present



In a remarkable discovery, whole milk powder manufactured in New Zealand in 1907 and transported to Antarctica with explorers seeking the South Pole was unveiled after more than a century. The find has allowed dairy researchers to answer the question: Is the milk we enjoy today different from the milk consumed in previous generations? Now, a new comparative study has peered back in time to demonstrate that -- despite advancements in selective breeding and changes to farm practices -- milk of the past and milk today share more similarities than differences and are still crucial building blocks of human nutrition.
Published Researchers show that introduced tardigrade proteins can slow metabolism in human cells



Tardigrade proteins are potential candidates in technologies centered on slowing the aging process and in long-term storage of human cells.
Published New method to measure entropy production on the nanoscale



Entropy, the amount of molecular disorder, is produced in several systems but cannot be measured directly. A new equation sheds new light on how entropy is produced on a very short time scale in laser excited materials.
Published Silicon spikes take out 96% of virus particles



An international research team has designed and manufactured a virus-killing surface that could help control disease spread in hospitals, labs and other high-risk environments.
Published Two coral snakes recorded battling for prey in a scientific first



Two red-tailed coral snakes have been observed competing over a caecilian in the first documented wild case of kleptoparasitism within the family Elapidae.
Published Pushing back the limits of optical imaging by processing trillions of frames per second



Pushing for a higher speed isn't just for athletes. Researchers, too, can achieve such feats with their discoveries. A new device called SCARF (for swept-coded aperture real-time femtophotography) can capture transient absorption in a semiconductor and ultrafast demagnetization of a metal alloy. This new method will help push forward the frontiers of knowledge in a wide range of fields, including modern physics, biology, chemistry, materials science, and engineering.
Published Bees use antennae to decode hive mates' dances in the dark



Scientists have discovered how honeybees can decipher dances by their hive mates that relay directions to food.
Published Caller ID of the sea: Tagging whale communication and behavior



Biologists use a novel method of simultaneous acoustic tagging to gain insights into the link between whale communication and behavior
Published Wild bird gestures 'after you'



A small-bird species, the Japanese tit (Parus minor), uses wing movements as a gesture to convey the message 'after you,' according to new research. When a mating pair arrives at their nest box with food, they will wait outside on perches. One will then often flutter its wings toward the other, apparently indicating for the latter to enter first. The researchers say that this discovery challenges the previous belief that gestural communication is prominent only in humans and great apes, significantly advancing our understanding of visual communication in birds.
Published Bioelectronic mesh capable of growing with cardiac tissues for comprehensive heart monitoring



A team of engineers has recently built a tissue-like bioelectronic mesh system integrated with an array of atom-thin graphene sensors that can simultaneously measure both the electrical signal and the physical movement of cells in lab-grown human cardiac tissue. This tissue-like mesh can grow along with the cardiac cells, allowing researchers to observe how the heart's mechanical and electrical functions change during the developmental process. The new device is a boon for those studying cardiac disease as well as those studying the potentially toxic side-effects of many common drug therapies.
Published Researchers take major step toward developing next-generation solar cells



Engineers have discovered a new way to manufacture solar cells using perovskite semiconductors. It could lead to lower-cost, more efficient systems for powering homes, cars, boats and drones.
Published Revolutionizing hydrogen production: Economical and efficient solutions unveiled



Scientists introduce superaerophobic three-dimensional nickel nanostructured catalysts for accelerated water electrolysis.
Published Physicists develop modeling software to diagnose serious diseases



Researchers have recently published FreeDTS -- a shared software package designed to model and study biological membranes at the mesoscale -- the scale 'in between' the larger macro level and smaller micro level. This software fills an important missing software among the available biomolecular modeling tools and enables modeling and understanding of many different biological processes involving the cellular membranes e.g. cell division.
Published Research uncovers a rare resin fossil find: A spider that aspires to be an ant



Spiders that disguise themselves as ants live in many locations around the globe but until now most had been able to avoid detection from fossil researchers as well as predators.