Microglia, the immune cells that protect the brain, are thought to maintain a healthy brain environment by removing unwanted substances through dynamic remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton, the cell's internal framework. It has been known that microglia express Hv1/VSOP, a channel protein that transports protons, but it was believed to function at the cell membrane surface, regulating pH in its vicinity.
The U.S. ethanol industry experienced its first major "boom" in the early 2000s, thanks to changes in U.S. energy policies—particularly biofuel mandates—along with the surging crude oil prices and the phaseout of a fuel additive, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). In response, corn prices rose by as much as 31% and, according to a new study from South Dakota State University's Ness School of Management and Economics, farmland values in ethanol-producing states increased by as much as 44%.
The successive heat waves that sweep across southern Spain in summer have harmful effects on the entire community that lives there, from humans to the microbes that inhabit the soil. Both share an impressive resilience that has enabled them to survive and adapt, each in its own way, to successive episodes of extreme temperatures. But that adaptability has its limits.
A new study published in the journal People and Nature reveals a significant gap in public awareness regarding one of the world's most widespread invasive species: the freshwater jellyfish Craspedacusta sowerbii. Despite being present on six continents and well-documented by scientists in Europe, this unnoticed (cryptic meaning "under the radar") invader remains largely unknown to the public, a factor that researchers say may be hindering the development of early warning systems and effective environmental policy.
Spain, one of the few places in the world where a total solar eclipse will be visible in August, has begun preparations for an event it hopes will shift tourism away from the beaches and toward the countryside.
A collaboration between electrical and chemical engineers at Newcastle University is responsible for a reversible glue that can change how we recycle electronic waste. The team has already demonstrated reversible adhesive technology with wide applicability in general packaging applications, but this new glue is electrically conductive. This means that it can join electronic components, just like solder does. Unlike solder, however, a simple wash with a green solvent like acetone, or using an alkaline solution, will allow the components to be separated for reuse or recycling.
Alternative therapies that aid the body's immune system to fight bacteria have shown promise in addressing the global threat of antibiotic resistance. University of Queensland researchers have found when under attack, the body's immune cells activate a cellular process called mitochondrial fission to kill invading bacteria. Their study is published in the journal Science Immunology.
As densely populated coastal communities struggle to keep up with rising sea levels, new research reveals a way to predict how river deltas build land and protect coastal regions from encroaching oceans. This insight will help engineers and policymakers estimate how much new land can be created or maintained when human intervention is used to redirect river channels, making these efforts more effective for coastal restoration and flood protection.
The amount of sunlight, or solar radiation, that a location receives makes a big impact on weather conditions, crop success, rainfall and overall climate trends. Today, instruments called pyrheliometers are used to carefully calculate how much sunlight occurs at a particular location, but these instruments weren't available to quantify sunlight until 1838, and automated pyrheliometers weren't invented until the early 20th century.
The Tenpō Famine of the 1830s was one of the worst in Japanese history, with the poor weather causing escalating rice prices as a major cause. To better understand how historical weather anomalies affected crop prices in Japan and ultimately led to the famine, researchers developed a new framework to analyze historical weather data.
