An illustration of aquaporin’s effect on cells. Credit: M. Shapiro Laboratory/Caltech

Knowing which genes are switched on is important for the treatment and monitoring of disease. Now, for the first time, Caltech scientists have invented a new method to link MRI signals to gene expression in cells – including tumor cells – in living tissues. The technique, which eventually could be used in humans, would allow gene expression to be monitored non-invasively, requiring no surgical procedures eg biopsies.

In MRI, hydrogen atoms in the body – atoms that are mostly contained in water molecules and fat – are excited using a magnetic field...

#Image1: What would happen if you threw an iceberg into the sun? Surprising as it may seem, physicists still aren’t sure. (Image: NASA/SDO/AIA, NASA/STEREO, SOHO/ESA/NASA) #Image2: It may come as a surprise that temperature and voltage, basic notions developed in the 19th century, have until now lacked a mathematically rigorous definition, except for the case of an idealized equilibrium that does not actually occur in nature. The results of this study show that the two are intricately linked and could lead to a better understanding of what it means to be ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ at the subatomic and quantum scale. (Image: Charles Stafford/Abhay Shastry/UA)

If you thought that a kid’s room, a Norwegian Nobel Laureate and a laser pointer had nothing in common, 2 UA physicists are about to enlighten y...

Image and inset of region surrounding Sagittarius A*. Credit: NASA/UMass/D.Wang et al. Inset: NASA/STSc

Scientists at Princeton University and PPPL have developed a rigorous new method for modeling the accretion disk that feeds the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. It provides a much-needed foundation for simulation of the extraordinary processes involved. Accretion disks are clouds of plasma that orbit and gradually swirl into massive bodies such as black holes – intense gravitational fields produced by stars that collapse to a tiny fraction of their original size. These collapsed stars are bounded by an “event horizon,” from which not even light can escape...

Yamazaki, C., Fujii, N., Miyazawa, Y., Kamada, M., Kasahara, H. et al. Title: The gravity-induced re-localization of auxin efflux carrier CsPIN1 in cucumber seedlings: spaceflight experiments for immunohistochemical microscopy Journal: Nature Microgravity DOI: 10.1038/npjmgrav.2016.30

Researchers in Japan have examined cucumber seedlings germinated under the very weak gravity – or microgravity – conditions of the International Space Station. Plants are experts in survival and can control the direction of their roots to maximize the use of resources around them. Using specialized cells, they can sense gravity and redistribute hormones, called auxins, to stimulate growth and allow vital features of the plant to develop...