Category Biology/Biotechnology

Frost-covered regions present the best candidates for the future habitability of Mars and further astrobiological exploration, research into brines shows. Mars, once thought too cold and dry for liquid water, may briefly host salty brines twice a day during certain seasons. These fleeting bursts wouldn’t be enough to sustain humans, but they could have supported hardy life in Mars’ past—and may guide future missions searching for signs of it.

Due to extreme temperatures and the dryness of Mars, it’s thought to be impossible for liquid water to form on the planet’s surface, a critical precondition for habitability...

Cornell University researchers have developed a low-power microchip they call a “microwave brain,” the first processor to compute on both ultrafast data signals and wireless communication signals by harnessing the physics of microwaves.

Detailed in the journal Nature Electronics, the processor is the first true microwave neural network and is fully integrated on a silicon microchip. It performs real-time frequency domain computation for tasks like radio signal decoding, radar target tracking and digital data processing, all while consuming less than 200 milliwatts of power.

“Because it’s able to distort in a programmable way across a wide band of frequencies instantaneously, it can be repurposed for several computing tasks,” said lead author Bal ...

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers, along with their colleagues, engineered a new molecule that appears promising as an effective antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning with fewer side effects than other molecules currently being tested, according to a new study published in the journal PNAS.

Carbon monoxide poisoning accounts for 50,000 emergency room visits in the U.S. each year and causes about 1,500 deaths. These deaths may occur when carbon monoxide released from combustion builds up in an enclosed space, which can result from ventilation failures in indoor natural gas burning equipment, or running gasoline generators or automobiles indoors or in a closed garage...

Fresh grapes contain a potent mix of over 1,600 compounds that benefit heart, brain, skin, and gut health. New evidence suggests they deserve official superfood recognition, with benefits even at the genetic level.

A new article appearing in the current issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry explores the concept of “superfoods” and makes a case that fresh grapes have earned what should be a prominent position in the superfood family. The author, leading resveratrol and cancer researcher John M. Pezzuto, Ph.D., D.Sc., Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Western New England University, brings forth an array of evidence to support his perspective on this issue.

As noted in the article, the term “superfood” is a common word without an...