Category Health/Medical

Groundbreaking Technique yields important new Details on Silicon, Subatomic Particles and possible ‘Fifth Force’

Groundbreaking technique yields important new details on silicon, subatomic particles and possible ‘fifth force’
As neutrons pass through a crystal, they create two different standing waves – one along atomic planes and one between them. The interaction of these waves affects the path of the neutron, revealing aspects of the crystal structure. Credit: NIST

Using a groundbreaking new technique at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an international collaboration led by NIST researchers has revealed previously unrecognized properties of technologically crucial silicon crystals and uncovered new information about an important subatomic particle and a long-theorized fifth force of nature.

By aiming subatomic particles known as neutrons at silicon crystals and monitoring the outcome with exquisite sensitivity, the NIST scientists were able to obtain three extraordinary resu...

Read More

Safeguarding Clean Water for Spaceflight Missions

Biofilms are dense, multispecies aggregates of cells, which clump together in a residue that forms on surfaces. Biofilms are resistant to antimicrobials and notoriously difficult to clean up. They can cause a range of health issues and have a corrosive effect on many materials, including stainless steel, making them a threat to the water supply system of the International Space Station.

In a first study of its kind, scientists characterized different bacterial populations isolated over time from potable (drinking) water from the International Space Station (ISS).

By all appearances, the universe beyond Earth is a vast, lonely, and sterile space. Yet, wherever humans may travel, an abundance of microbial life will follow.

In a first study of its kind, lead author Jiseon Yang at th...

Read More

Study illuminates origins of Lung Cancer in Never Smokers

Genomic and evolutionary classification of lung cancer in never smokers |  Nature Genetics
Landscape of mutational processes in Sherlock-Lung.

A genomic analysis of lung cancer in people with no history of smoking has found that a majority of these tumors arise from the accumulation of mutations caused by natural processes in the body. This study was conducted by an international team led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and describes for the first time three molecular subtypes of lung cancer in people who have never smoked.

These insights will help unlock the mystery of how lung cancer arises in people who have no history of smoking and may guide the development of more precise clinical treatments. The findings were published September 6, 2021, in Nature Genetics.

“What we’re seeing is that there a...

Read More

Targeting the Gut to Relieve Rheumatoid Arthritis

Targeting the gut to relieve rheumatoid arthritis
Section of graphical abstract from paper. Credit: Med

UCL researchers have shown that damage to the lining of the gut plays an important role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis, paving the way for a new approach to treating the disease.

In the pre-clinical study, which used mouse models and patient samples, the research team propose that restoration of the gut-barrier could offer a new therapeutic approach to reducing the severity of Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes joint pain, swelling, and inflammation...

Read More