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    Magnesium is essential for the Immune System, including in the Fight Against Cancer

    January 21, 2022, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Immunofluorescence microscopy: T cells (blue) attack cancer cells (gray) by binding to them via their surface protein LFA-1. LFA-1 needs magnesium to adopt an active, elongated form (active LFA-1 in red). (Image: J. Lötscher et al., Cell, 2022)

    The level of magnesium in the blood is an important factor in the immune system’s ability to tackle pathogens and cancer cells. Writing in the journal Cell, researchers from the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel have reported that T cells need a sufficient quantity of magnesium in order to operate efficiently. Their findings may have important implications for cancer patients.

    Magnesium deficiency is associated with a variety of diseases, such as infections and cancer...

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    Mini Electricity Generator made from Quantum Dots

    January 20, 2022, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    Mickael L. Perrin in his lab at Empa. Here he will set on to create a quantum heat engine that operates at room temperature using graphene nanoribbons. Image: Empa

    Machines and electronic devices often generate waste heat that is difficult to utilize. If electricity could be generated from this waste heat, it would offer a means for a clean and sustainable power production: Such a technology would be ideally suited for low-power electronics applications such as wearables or low-cost Internet-of-Things devices. This includes, for example, wearable (medical) devices and sensors, with a wide range of applications in the healthcare and sports industry, in smart buildings and mobility applications.

    Thermoelectric generators, machines that generate electricity by exploiting temperature di...

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    Internal Ocean in Small Saturn Moon uncovered

    January 20, 2022, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute An SwRI scientist has discovered that Saturn’s small moon Mimas (left) likely has something in common with its larger neighbor Enceladus: an internal ocean beneath a thick icy surface. Thought to be a frozen inert satellite, Mimas is now considered a “stealth” ocean world with a surface that does not betray what lies beneath. This discovery could greatly expand the number of potentially habitable worlds thought to exist.

    Discovery could point to a new class of ‘stealth’ ocean worlds. A Southwest Research Institute scientist set out to prove that the tiny, innermost moon of Saturn was a frozen inert satellite and instead discovered compelling evidence that Mimas has a liquid internal ocean...

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    Research Team identifies New Mechanism for Protecting DNA

    January 20, 2022, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Discovery offers hope to better understand how diseases like cancer, premature aging can be prevented. Researchers from Case Western Reserve University have identified a new mechanism by which a protein known for repairing damaged DNA also protects the integrity of DNA by preserving its structural shape.

    The discovery, involving the protein 53BP1, offers insight into understanding how cells maintain the integrity of DNA in the nucleus, which is critical for preventing diseases like premature aging and cancer.

    A research team led by Youwei Zhang, an associate professor of pharmacology at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and a member of the Molecular Oncology Program at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, conducted the study. The findings were published (Jan...

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