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    Ancient Stardust Sheds Light on the First Stars

    March 8, 2017, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    This artist's impression shows what the very distant young galaxy A2744_YD4 might look like. Observations using ALMA have shown that this galaxy, seen when the Universe was just 4 percent of its current age, is rich in dust. Such dust was produced by an earlier generation of stars and these observations provide insights into the birth and explosive deaths of the very first stars in the Universe. Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

    This artist’s impression shows what the very distant young galaxy A2744_YD4 might look like. Observations using ALMA have shown that this galaxy, seen when the Universe was just 4 percent of its current age, is rich in dust. Such dust was produced by an earlier generation of stars and these observations provide insights into the birth and explosive deaths of the very first stars in the Universe. Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

    Astronomers have used ALMA to detect a huge mass of glowing stardust in a galaxy seen when the Universe was only 4% of its present age. This galaxy was observed shortly after its formation and is the most distant galaxy in which dust has been detected. This observation is also the most distant detection of oxygen in the Universe...

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    Craters show Earth is Bombarded at Random

    March 8, 2017, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    A thankfully rare event: an asteroid hits the Earth. (Visualisations: iStock / Solarseven)

    A thankfully rare event: an asteroid hits the Earth. (Visualisations: iStock / Solarseven)

    Do mass extinctions, like the fall of the dinosaurs, and formation of large impact craters on Earth occur together at regular intervals? “This question has been under discussion for more than 30 years now,” says Matthias Meier, ETH Zurich’s Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology. As late as 2015, US researchers indicated that impact craters were formed on Earth around every 26 million years. “We have determined, however, that asteroids don’t hit the Earth at periodic intervals,” says Meier, refuting the popular hypothesis.

    In the past, researchers have even postulated the existence of a companion star to the Sun...

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    Small molecules fighting Aging-related Diseases

    March 8, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    One of the activating molecules synthesized by the research group binds to Sirtuin 6. The chemical name of the activator is “4-(pyridine-3-yl)-4,5-dihydropyrrolo[1,2-α]quinoxaline”. Illustration: Clemens Steegborn (free with attribution).

    One of the activating molecules synthesized by the research group binds to Sirtuin 6. The chemical name of the activator is “4-(pyridine-3-yl)-4,5-dihydropyrrolo[1,2-α]quinoxaline”. Illustration: Clemens Steegborn (free with attribution).

    For the first time molecules able to activate enzyme sirtuin 6 has been produced by an international research network led by Bayreuth Biochemist Prof. Dr. Clemens Steegborn. Furthermore, the scientists were able to reveal the structural basis of such processes. These findings will enable the development of drugs that might support the fight against aging-related diseases. Sirtuins are enzymes that fulfil a variety of regulatory functions in the body. In particular, they regulate energy metabolism and stress responses...

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    New Protein discovered in Aging, Cancer

    March 7, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    ITGB3 (integrin β3) is regulated by the Polycomb protein CBX7 •β3 regulates senescence by activating TGF-β in a paracrine and autocrine fashion •β3 is highly expressed in OIS and induces senescence via ligand-independent pathway •There is a positive correlation between β3 levels and aging in different tissues

    ITGB3 (integrin β3) is regulated by the Polycomb protein CBX7 •β3 regulates senescence by activating TGF-β in a paracrine and autocrine fashion •β3 is highly expressed in OIS and induces senescence via ligand-independent pathway •There is a positive correlation between β3 levels and aging in different tissues

    A protein has been found to have a previously unknown role in the aging of cells, according to an early study by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). The researchers hope that the findings could one day lead to new treatments for aging and early cancer. A number of ‘abnormal’ cells have previously been found in tissues derived from old patients and at the initial stages of cancer...

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