Mukremin Kilic, OU astrophysicist, and team have discovered two detached, eclipsing double white dwarf binaries with orbital periods of 40 and 46 minutes, respectively. Only a handful of white dwarf binaries are know with orbital periods less than one hour in our galaxy and most were discovered by Kilic and colleagues. Credit: University of Oklahoma

Astrophysicists have discovered 2 detached, eclipsing double white dwarf binaries with orbital periods of 40 and 46 minutes, respectively. White dwarfs are the remnants of Sun-like stars, many of which are binaries. However, only a handful of white dwarf binaries are known with orbital periods less than one hour in the Milky Way – a galaxy made up of 200 billion stars – and most have been discovered by Kilic and his colleagues.

“Short-period wh...

A visualization of the Sun’s three-dimensional magnetic field. By tracing magnetic field lines at extremely high resolution, researchers highlight the inherent complexity of the Sun’s magnetic field and its intimate connection to visible emission from the solar corona. Credit: TACC/Predictive Science, Inc

Scientists have forecast the corona of the sun with Stampede2 supercomputer at The University of Texas at Austin’s Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) during the upcoming eclipse. The findings shed light on what the eclipse of the sun might look like Aug. 21 when it will be visible across much of the US, tracing a 70-mile-wide band across 14 states...

The latest research from Hiroshima University connecting DHA synthesis to estrogen production, and consequentially brain health, backs up further the old adage that a daily intake of fish oil is good for you. Credit: Yasuhiro Ishihara

Estrogen production in the brain has been directly linked to the presence of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). DHA is found in abundance in fish oils and is also synthesized from alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in some vegetable-based oils. The latest research from Hiroshima University connecting DHA synthesis to estrogen production, and consequentially brain health, backs up further the old adage that a daily intake of fish oil is good for you.

Assistant Professor Yasuhiro Ishihara, from HU’s Laboratory of Molecular Brain Science, keenly aw...

A gold nanostar under an electron microscope. The nanostar’s size causes it to accumulate within tumors, where researchers use infrared light to heat it and destroy cancerous growths. Credit: Tuan Vo-Dinh, Duke University

New treatment cures, vaccinates mouse in small proof-of-concept study. By combining an FDA-approved cancer immunotherapy with an emerging tumor-roasting nanotechnology, Duke University researchers improved the efficacy of both therapies in a proof-of-concept study using mice. The potent combination also attacked satellite tumors and distant cancerous cells, completely curing two mice and effectively vaccinating one against the disease. The results appeared online in Scientific Reports on August 17.

“The ideal cancer treatment is non-invasive, safe and uses multiple approa...