A team of scientists identified a molecule that may reduce stroke-induced brain damage. Credit: Image courtesy of the NINDS

Multi-step screening process leads to molecule that may protect brain cells. In the fight against brain damage caused by stroke, researchers have turned to an unlikely source of inspiration: hibernating ground squirrels. While the animals’ brains experience dramatically reduced blood flow during hibernation, just like human patients after a certain type of stroke, the squirrels emerge from their extended naps suffering no ill effects. Now a potential drug could grant the same resilience to the brains of ischemic stroke patients by mimicking the cellular changes that protect the brains of those animals.

“For decades scientists have been searching for an effective brain...

“What we are doing technically,” Han explains, “is installing a new energy barrier, so the stored heat cannot be released immediately.” In its chemically stored form, the energy can remain for long periods until the optical trigger is activated

A new phase-change material stores heat in a stable chemical form, then releases it later on demand using light as a trigger. In large parts of the developing world, people have abundant heat from the sun during the day, but most cooking takes place later in the evening when the sun is down, using fuel – such as wood, brush or dung – that is collected with significant time and effort.

Now, a new chemical composite developed by researchers at MIT could provide an alternative...

Breakthrough could launch organic electronics beyond cell phone screens Researchers used ultraviolet light to excite molecules in a semiconductor, triggering reactions that split up and activated a dopant Credit: Jing Wang and Xin Lin

A discovery by Princeton University, Georgia Institute of Technology and Humboldt University in Berlin points the way to more widespread use of an advanced technology known as organic electronics. The research focuses on organic semiconductors, a class of materials prized for their applications in emerging technologies such as flexible electronics, solar energy conversion, and high-quality color displays for smartphones and televisions...

Clinical Evidence Supports a Protective Role for CXCL5 in Coronary Artery Disease. The American Journal of Pathology, 2017; DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2017.08.006

Research showed much lower levels of the protein CXCL5 in older people with clogged arteries. The buildup of plaque in the heart’s arteries is an unfortunate part of aging. But by studying the genetic makeup of people who maintain clear arteries into old age, researchers led by UNC’s Jonathan Schisler, PhD, have identified a possible genetic basis for coronary artery disease (CAD), as well as potential new opportunities to prevent it.

According to research published in the American Journal of Pathology, the protein CXCL5 is found in much higher levels in older adults with much clearer heart arteries...