The figure shows a sub-population of ancient stars, called Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor (CEMP) stars. These stars contain 100 to 1,000,000 times LESS iron (and other heavy elements) than the Sun, but 10 to 10,000 times MORE carbon, relative to iron. The unusual chemical compositions of these stars provides clues to their birth environments, and the nature of the stars in which the carbon formed. In the figure, A(C) is the absolute amount of carbon, while the horizontal axis represents the ratio of iron, relative to hydrogen, compared with the same ratio in the Sun. Credit: University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame astronomers have identified what they believe to be the second generation of stars, shedding light on the nature of the universe’s first stars...

High-resolution model of six insulin molecules assembled in a hexamer. Credit: Isaac Yonemoto/Wikipedia

NZ researchers have uncovered a new mechanism that controls the release of insulin in the body, providing hope for those with a genetic susceptibility to type 2 diabetes. The findings show for the first time that a protein, beta catenin is crucial for controlling the release of insulin from the pancreas to maintain stable blood sugar levels. They focused on a variant in a gene called TCF7L2. This variant has been known to science for about 10 years and is the biggest contributing factor for whether people are genetically susceptible to getting type 2 diabetes or not.

“We wanted to understand what happens in the body’s cells that are associated with TCF7L2 and how the processes that go on...

Researchers have shown that a metabolic pathway associated with slowing aging also drives brain cancer. In the image above, cancer stem cells in a mouse brain section glow fluorescent green, allowing researchers to study the effect of inhibiting the pathway on the ability of cancer stem cells to survive and proliferate. Credit: AMIT GUJAR AND ALBERT H. KIM

While a particular metabolic pathway shows potential to slow down the aging process, new research indicates a downside: That same pathway may drive brain cancer. The pathway, known as the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) pathway, is overactive in a most deadly form of brain cancer, glioblastoma, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis...

Stanford engineers are developing new memory chips, based on materials other than silicon, to provide more energy-efficient ways to store data as digital zeros and ones. Credit: iStock / matejmo

Scientists often discover interesting things without completely understanding how they work. That has been the case with an experimental memory technology in which temperature and voltage work together to create the conditions for data storage. But precisely how was unknown. But when a Stanford team found a way to untangle the chip’s energy and heat requirements, their findings revealed a pleasant surprise: The process may be more energy efficient than was previously supposed. That’s good news for next-generation mobile devices whose batteries would last longer powering lower energy chips.

The new ...