Connecting Research and Experts with Journalists

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To produce biofuels from nonedible plants, researchers can use cellulase to break down plant cellulose into glucose, which can be fermented to generate bioethanol. Researchers have now used a specialized optical microscope to visualize single cellulase enzymes interacting with different forms of cellulose. This allowed them to investigate enzyme function in the presence of the product of the reaction and other components of plant biomass.

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Since the early 1970s, there has been a worldwide promise to support women in achieving positions of authority in U.S. corporations. However, the business world has not necessarily met that promise. Cindy Schipani, Merwin H. Waterman Collegiate Professor of Business Administration and professor of business law, explores some of the limiting factors and opportunities for improvement in her recent research.

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New research sheds light on how deep-sea “comb jellies” adapt and survive at extreme pressures. The work may inform what’s known about the human body — in particular, how a specific lipid called plasmalogen found in nerve cells might work in our brains.

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In a recent study, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine suggest the cell’s messenger RNA (mRNA) — the major translator and regulator of genetic material — along with a critical protein called ZAK, spur the cell’s initial response to UV radiation damage and play a critical role in whether the cell lives or dies.

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The first comprehensive analysis of recent book bans in the U.S. reveals that characters and authors of color are more likely to be targeted by book bans than their white counterparts.

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The July 2024 issue of Toxicological Sciences includes a Contemporary Review on AHR-signaling, an In-Depth Review on allergic reactions, and Tox Spotlight articles on physiologically based kinetic models and neonatal exposure to a flame retardant.

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Work by UMD's Aneesh Rai and co-authors sheds light on when and why decision-makers do notice a lack of diversity in groups and make efforts to correct it. They find consistent evidence that the size of the group is an important factor.

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) space hardware team has delivered a payload for NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-R (PTD-R) satellite.

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Studies investigate monthly cycle fluctuations, trial results reducing excess androgens, transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat depression, and liver regeneration

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Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the State University of New York at Buffalo and Washington University at St. Louis probed how condensates behave like viscoelastic putty and age to more solid states.