University students who are survivors of sexual violence are forced to perform a constant, exhausting "calculus"—weighing risks, safety, stigma, emotional costs, institutional consequences and likelihood of being believed—when deciding whether and how to seek help.
An international research team led by TU Darmstadt Professor Beatrix Süß, working in close collaboration with partners in Germany and Denmark, has elucidated how an RNA switch newly developed at TU Darmstadt recognizes the antibiotic doxycycline and thereby selectively activates or deactivates gene expression. This makes doxycycline a promising basis for synthetic biology and, potentially, for gene therapies as well. The team recently published its findings in Nature Communications.
Under the microscope, mitochondria inside healthy terminal Schwann cells form a web of interconnected branches, with tiny doughnut-shaped loops appearing near where the cells branch and split.
In a perspective article, Sergio Carbajo and colleagues call for a "Discovery Compact" in the face of the recent destabilization of the postwar compact for science, which reliably supported basic research for decades.
MIT engineers have developed a new way to program natural killer (NK) immune cells to target cancerous T cells or T cells that have become autoreactive, leading to diseases such as lymphoma and autoimmune hepatitis.
As temperatures broke records this summer, sales of air-conditioning units soared. But this technology can compound climate change.
Scientists have found a way to make salt taste saltier without increasing its sodium content, a welcome development in the culinary world. Salt is a powerful flavor enhancer, drawing out the subtle flavors of a dish while balancing sweetness and bitterness. Its appeal comes hand in hand with some drawbacks. Salt activates the brain's reward system, making food more pleasurable, but eating too much salty food can negatively affect cardiovascular health.
Women leave academia at higher rates than men, contributing to consistent gender imbalances at senior levels. Interventions often target work-life balance and motherhood.
In biology, a group of enzymes called 2-oxoglutarate-dependent oxygenases is responsible for catalyzing a wide range of reactions that play a role in everything from how genetic code is used by cells to the synthesis of antibiotics.
A survey of 15-year-olds around the world suggests that the underperformance of boys in education may be linked to gendered cultural attitudes about whether it is important to try hard at school.
