Curated News: PNAS

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Released: 27-Apr-2022 2:55 PM EDT
Building ‘Nanofactories’ to Help Make Medicines and More
Michigan State University

Thanks to a lesser-known feature of microbiology, Michigan State University researchers have helped open a door that could lead to medicines, vitamins and more being made at lower costs and with improved efficiency.

Newswise: How Ovarian Cancer Defies Immunotherapy
7-Apr-2022 3:35 PM EDT
How Ovarian Cancer Defies Immunotherapy
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, with collaborators, have further elucidated how ovarian cancer tumors defy immunotherapy, identifying new molecular targets that might boost immune response.

7-Apr-2022 3:25 PM EDT
From Rare Soil Microbe, a New Antibiotic Candidate
Washington University in St. Louis

Demand for new kinds of antibiotics is surging, as drug-resistant and emerging infections are becoming an increasingly serious global health threat. Researchers are racing to reexamine certain microbes that serve as one of our most successful sources of therapeutics: the actinomycetes.

Released: 8-Apr-2022 1:35 PM EDT
Women worldwide underrepresented in economics
Goethe University Frankfurt

Women are underrepresented in many academic professions.

Released: 6-Apr-2022 4:05 PM EDT
A mathematical shortcut for determining quantum information lifetimes
Argonne National Laboratory

In a result published in PNAS, scientists derive an elegant equation that provides allows scientists to instantly calculate the quantum information lifetime for 12,000 different potential qubit materials.

Newswise: Sugar-Coated Nanoparticles Target Macrophages, Reverse Pulmonary Fibrosis 
Released: 5-Apr-2022 1:05 PM EDT
Sugar-Coated Nanoparticles Target Macrophages, Reverse Pulmonary Fibrosis 
University of Illinois Chicago

Scientists have developed a treatment for pulmonary fibrosis by using nanoparticles coated in mannose — a type of sugar — to stop a population of lung cells called macrophages that contribute to lung tissue scarring. The cell-targeting method holds promise for preventing this severe lung scarring disease, which can result in life-threatening complications like shortness of breath.

31-Mar-2022 1:15 PM EDT
Pancreatic Cancer Cells Harness Normal Tissue Turnover to Build Protective Barriers
NYU Langone Health

In the presence of pancreatic tumors, certain immune cells break down structural proteins into molecules that trigger the building of dense tissue, a known barrier to therapy, a new study shows.

Newswise: Black Lives Matter protests shift public discourse, IU research finds
Released: 1-Apr-2022 2:05 PM EDT
Black Lives Matter protests shift public discourse, IU research finds
Indiana University

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Black Lives Matter protests not only brought public attention to incidents of police brutality, such as the killing of George Floyd in 2020, but they also have shifted public discourse and increased interest in anti-racist ideas, according to research led by Indiana University researchers. Their paper, "Black Lives Matter protests shift public discourse," shows that the protests have created sustained interest beyond the singular events -- including broader issues such as systemic racism, redlining, criminal justice reform and white supremacy -- and have had a lasting impact on the way people think and talk about racism.

Newswise:Video Embedded new-study-shows-spiders-use-webs-to-extend-their-hearing
VIDEO
Released: 29-Mar-2022 9:40 AM EDT
New study shows spiders use webs to extend their hearing
Binghamton University, State University of New York

A newly published study of orb-weaving spiders has yielded some extraordinary results: The spiders are using their webs as extended auditory arrays to capture sounds, possibly giving spiders advanced warning of incoming prey or predators.

Released: 24-Mar-2022 1:45 PM EDT
After mating, fruit fly sperm no longer fully male
Cornell University

Long considered exclusively male, a new study of fruit flies finds sperm become partly female after mating.

Newswise: Endless forms most beautiful: Why evolution favours symmetry
Released: 14-Mar-2022 1:45 PM EDT
Endless forms most beautiful: Why evolution favours symmetry
University of Bergen

From sunflowers to starfish, symmetry appears everywhere in biology. This isn’t just true for body plans – the molecular machines keeping our cells alive are also strikingly symmetric.

Released: 8-Mar-2022 2:55 PM EST
FSU College of Medicine research advances understanding of DNA repair
Florida State University

A Florida State University College of Medicine researcher has made a discovery that alters our understanding of how the body’s DNA repair process works and may lead to new chemotherapy treatments for cancer and other disorders.The fact that DNA can be repaired after it has been damaged is one of the great mysteries of medical science, but pathways involved in the repair process vary during different stages of the cell life cycle.

Newswise: Single protein prompts mature brain cells to regenerate multiple cell types
Released: 7-Mar-2022 10:05 AM EST
Single protein prompts mature brain cells to regenerate multiple cell types
UT Southwestern Medical Center

A single protein can reverse the developmental clock on adult brain cells called astrocytes, morphing them into stem-like cells that produce neurons and other cell types, UT Southwestern researchers report in a PNAS study. The findings might someday lead to a way to regenerate brain tissue after disease or injury.

Newswise: An aromatic tomato could be looming – a la heirloom varieties, say UF scientists
Released: 7-Mar-2022 7:05 AM EST
An aromatic tomato could be looming – a la heirloom varieties, say UF scientists
University of Florida

In a newly published study, scientists showed that five of the compounds are part of a biochemical pathway for synthesis of these important flavor compounds. Using a closely related fruit, Solanum pennellii, scientists found a site on a chromosome essential to produce detectable nitrogenous volatiles in tomatoes, said Denise Tieman, a UF/IFAS research assistant professor of horticultural sciences.

Newswise: Study Reveals Strong Demand for Open-Access Science
Released: 23-Feb-2022 10:05 AM EST
Study Reveals Strong Demand for Open-Access Science
Georgia Institute of Technology

New study, published Feb. 23, 2022, in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), analyzed the reasons for 1.6 million downloads of National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) consensus reports, considered among the highest credibility science-based literature.

Newswise: Axolotls ‘Genetically Indistinguishable’ From Other Salamanders
Released: 22-Feb-2022 8:00 AM EST
Axolotls ‘Genetically Indistinguishable’ From Other Salamanders
University of Kentucky

Through reconstructing an evolutionary history, they found that genetic differences between axolotls and other salamanders in their region of Mexico were almost indistinguishable.

   
Newswise: For female yellowthroats, there’s more than one way to spot a winning mate
11-Feb-2022 10:00 PM EST
For female yellowthroats, there’s more than one way to spot a winning mate
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

One population of female common yellowthroats prefers males with larger black masks, but another group of females favors a larger yellow bib. A new study has found that both kinds of ornaments are linked to superior genes.

Newswise: Ebola Vaccine Being Used in Congo Produces Lasting Antibody Response, Study Finds
Released: 8-Feb-2022 5:10 PM EST
Ebola Vaccine Being Used in Congo Produces Lasting Antibody Response, Study Finds
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

A new study by UCLA researchers and colleagues demonstrates that the Ebola vaccine known as rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP results in a robust and enduring antibody response among vaccinated individuals in areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that are experiencing outbreaks of the disease. Among the more than 600 study participants, 95.6% demonstrated antibody persistence six months after they received the vaccine. The study is the first published research examining post–Ebola-vaccination antibody response in the DRC, a nation of nearly 90 million. While long-term analyses of the study cohort continue, the findings will help inform health officials’ approach to vaccine use for outbreak control, the researchers said.

Released: 7-Feb-2022 5:05 PM EST
Lab results show promise for future pancreatic cancer treatment
University of Illinois Chicago

University of Illinois Chicago researchers have developed a compound that may one day offer hope for pancreatic cancer treatment. A pre-clinical study of the experimental compound shows that it more than doubles the average survival time for mice with pancreatic cancer and that survival time was extended further when combined with immunotherapy.

Released: 1-Feb-2022 2:05 PM EST
More than 9,000 tree species yet to be discovered
Stellenbosch University

A new study puts the total number of tree species on Earth at 73 274, with another 9 186 still to be discovered. Roughly 40% of these undiscovered tree species are in South America.

Newswise: Early childhood exposure to lead in drinking water associated with increased teen delinquency risk
Released: 31-Jan-2022 5:05 PM EST
Early childhood exposure to lead in drinking water associated with increased teen delinquency risk
Indiana University

An IU study found that exposure to lead in drinking water from private wells during early childhood is associated with an increased risk of being reported for delinquency during teenage years.

Newswise: A Map for the Sense of Smell
Released: 31-Jan-2022 1:45 PM EST
A Map for the Sense of Smell
University of California San Diego

Our sensory systems provide us with immediate information about the world around us. Researchers have created the first sensory map for smell. The map details how the fruit fly’s olfactory receptor neurons, the components that sense smell, are organized within the insect’s sensory hairs.

Newswise: Hungry yeast are tiny, living thermometers
Released: 25-Jan-2022 2:25 PM EST
Hungry yeast are tiny, living thermometers
University of Washington

University of Washington researchers report that a yeast cells can actively regulate a process called phase separation in one of their membranes, a process that helps cells send different types of signals and perform different types of work.

Released: 24-Jan-2022 3:00 PM EST
New Study: Meat May Not Have Made Us Human, After All
University at Albany, State University of New York

The importance of meat eating in human evolution is being challenged by a new study from a team of five paleoanthropologists that includes the University at Albany’s John Rowan.

Newswise: New Study Calls Into Question the Importance of Meat Eating in Shaping Our Evolution
20-Jan-2022 10:25 AM EST
New Study Calls Into Question the Importance of Meat Eating in Shaping Our Evolution
George Washington University

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences calls into question the primacy of meat eating in early human evolution.

Newswise: Shifting ocean closures best way to protect animals from accidental catch
12-Jan-2022 3:05 PM EST
Shifting ocean closures best way to protect animals from accidental catch
University of Washington

Many nations are calling for protection of 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 from some or all types of exploitation, including fishing. Building off this proposal, a new analysis led by the University of Washington looks at how effective fishing closures are at reducing accidental catch. Researchers found that permanent marine protected areas are a relatively inefficient way to protect marine biodiversity that is accidentally caught in fisheries. Dynamic ocean management — changing the pattern of closures as accidental catch hotspots shift — is much more effective.

Released: 13-Jan-2022 1:55 PM EST
When assessing COVID plans, people place party over policy
University of Colorado Boulder

When a politician we like supports a COVID-19 policy, we tend to support it. But when a political foe endorses the exact same plan, we tend to oppose it, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research forthcoming Jan. 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Released: 10-Jan-2022 1:50 PM EST
The "surprisingly simple" arithmetic of smell
Washington University in St. Louis

Algorithm finds ON neurons, which are activated when an odorant is present, and OFF neurons, which are silenced when an odorant is present but become activated after the odor presentation ends.

Newswise: Computer Model of Blood Enzyme May Lead to New Drugs for Cardiovascular Disease
Released: 3-Jan-2022 4:05 PM EST
Computer Model of Blood Enzyme May Lead to New Drugs for Cardiovascular Disease
UC San Diego Health

Computer simulations from UC San Diego School of Medicine reveal the action mechanism and substrate specificity of an important blood enzyme. These findings open the door for new therapeutics against cardiovascular disease, and further support a unifying theory of phospholipase function.

Released: 9-Dec-2021 2:25 PM EST
‘Tipping point’ makes partisan polarization irreversible
Cornell University

As polarization has escalated in the U.S., the question of if and when that divide becomes insurmountable has become ever more pressing. In a new study, “Polarization and Tipping Points” published Dec. 7 in PNAS, researchers have identified a tipping point, beyond which extreme polarization becomes irreversible.

Released: 9-Dec-2021 11:55 AM EST
On Violations, Enforcement, and Deterrence
American Technion Society

Israeli researchers revealed surprising findings about the effectiveness of various deterrence patterns: frequent mild punishments are more effective than infrequent severe punishments

Newswise: The Tipping Point for Legislative Polarization
Released: 7-Dec-2021 4:05 PM EST
The Tipping Point for Legislative Polarization
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

A predictive model of a polarized group, similar to the current U.S. Senate, demonstrates that when an outside threat – like war or a pandemic – fails to unite the group, the divide may be irreversible through democratic means.

Released: 7-Dec-2021 12:05 PM EST
Targeted nanomedicine reduces vascular lesions, could help prevent stenosis
University of Chicago

A new targeted nanomedicine treatment developed at the University of Chicago has shown promise in reducing vascular lesions caused by atherosclerosis in a mouse model.

17-Nov-2021 2:00 PM EST
Kids, teens believe girls aren’t interested in computer science, study shows
University of Washington

Children as young as age 6 develop stereotypes that girls aren't interested in computer science and engineering, according to new research from the University of Washington and the University of Houston.

Newswise: 900-mile mantle pipeline connects Galápagos to Panama
Released: 22-Nov-2021 7:05 AM EST
900-mile mantle pipeline connects Galápagos to Panama
Cornell University

A Cornell University geochemist has helped discover solid evidence that connects the geochemical fingerprint of the Galápagos plume with mantle materials underneath Panama and Costa Rica – documenting the course of a mantle plume that flows sideways through upper portions of the Earth.

Newswise: “Mantle wind” blows through slab window beneath Panama
Released: 19-Nov-2021 5:00 PM EST
“Mantle wind” blows through slab window beneath Panama
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Volcanic gases are helping researchers track large-scale movements in Earth’s deep interior. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists, together with a group of international collaborators, have discovered anomalous geochemical compositions beneath Panama.

Released: 17-Nov-2021 10:10 AM EST
New group of antibacterial molecules identified
Karolinska Institute

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Umeå University, and the University of Bonn have identified a new group of molecules that have an antibacterial effect against many antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

12-Nov-2021 5:05 PM EST
Sanford Burnham Prebys unravels mysteries of the aging Down syndrome brain
Sanford Burnham Prebys

New research from Sanford Burnham Prebys has revealed features of the aging Down syndrome brain that could help explain why people with Down syndrome almost inevitably get Alzheimer's later in life.

11-Nov-2021 10:15 AM EST
Cannabis Use During Pregnancy Impacts the Placenta and May Affect Subsequent Child Development
Mount Sinai Health System

Women who use cannabis during pregnancy, potentially to relieve stress and anxiety, may inadvertently predispose their children to stress susceptibility and anxiety, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the City University of New York published Monday, November 15, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).

Newswise: Combining pressure, electrochemistry to synthesize superhydrides
Released: 15-Nov-2021 11:00 AM EST
Combining pressure, electrochemistry to synthesize superhydrides
University of Illinois Chicago

A new study featured in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers a potential alternate approach that combines pressure and electrochemistry to stabilize superhydrides at moderate, perhaps even close to ordinary, pressures.

Released: 10-Nov-2021 12:40 PM EST
Viral true tweets spread just as far as viral untrue tweets
Cornell University

Viral, true tweets spread just as far, wide and deep as viral untrue tweets, according to new research from Cornell University that upends the prevailing assumption that untruths on Twitter move faster.

Released: 5-Nov-2021 4:25 PM EDT
New COVID vaccine design is easier to manufacture, doesn’t need cold storage
Boston Children's Hospital

Currently available COVID vaccines require cold storage and sophisticated manufacturing capacity, which makes it difficult to produce and distribute them widely, especially in less developed countries.

Released: 2-Nov-2021 5:35 PM EDT
Study casts doubt on theory that women aren't as competitive as men
University of Arizona

As researchers investigate reasons for America's persistent gender wage gap, one possible explanation that has emerged in roughly the last decade is that women may be less competitive than men, and are therefore passed over for higher-ranking roles with larger salaries.

Released: 2-Nov-2021 8:40 AM EDT
Antibiotic resistance outwitted by supercomputers
University of Portsmouth

Scientists may have made a giant leap in fighting the biggest threat to human health by using supercomputing to keep pace with the impressive ability of diseases to evolve. A new study by an international team, co-led by Dr Gerhard Koenig from the University of Portsmouth, tackled the problem of antibiotic resistance by redesigning existing antibiotics to overcome bacterial resistance mechanisms.

Newswise:Video Embedded sperm-switch-swimming-patterns-to-locate-egg
VIDEO
Released: 1-Nov-2021 1:05 PM EDT
Sperm switch swimming patterns to locate egg
Cornell University

A new study reveals how sperm change their swimming patterns to navigate to the egg, shifting from a symmetrical motion that moves the sperm in a straight path to an asymmetrical one that promotes more circular swimming.

Released: 25-Oct-2021 3:50 PM EDT
New gene could help improve tomato flavor and shelf life
Cornell University

A team of researchers have identified a gene that regulates tomato softening independent of ripening, a finding that could help tomato and other fruit breeders strike the right balance between good shelf life and high-quality flavor.

Released: 18-Oct-2021 5:20 PM EDT
Lavish wealth tolerated more for individuals than groups
Cornell University

If you consider “the superwealthy,” “the 1%” or “the economic elite,” rather than individuals, you’re more likely to attribute vast wealth to systemic advantages that have contributed to decades of widening income inequality in the United States, and to feel more troubled by it.

Released: 14-Oct-2021 12:50 PM EDT
Supercomputers reveal how X chromosomes fold, deactivate
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Using supercomputer-driven dynamic modeling based on experimental data, researchers can now probe the process that turns off one X chromosome in female mammal embryos.

Released: 12-Oct-2021 12:55 PM EDT
Researcher discovers key gene responsible for cancer drug resistance
University of Missouri, Columbia

A researcher at the University of Missouri School of Medicine has discovered an enzyme that plays a key role in the ability of cancer cells to resist drug treatment.

Released: 12-Oct-2021 8:40 AM EDT
Antiviral compound blocks SARS-CoV-2 from entering cells
Washington University in St. Louis

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a chemical compound that interferes with a key feature of many viruses that allows the viruses to invade human cells. The compound, called MM3122, was studied in cells and mice and holds promise as a new way to prevent infection or reduce the severity of COVID-19 if given early in the course of an infection, according to the researchers.



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