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• What does a virtual roller coaster ride tell us about migraine?
• Advantages of intranasal vaccination against SARS-CoV-2
• Neuroscientists posit that brain region is a key locus of learning
• Americans with higher net worth at midlife tend to live longer
• Better healthcare management can reduce the risk of delirium among older adults
• 'Feel good' brain messenger can be willfully controlled, new study reveals
• New measure of tropical forest vulnerability to help avoid 'tipping point'
• Cascaded metasurfaces for dynamic control of THz wavefronts
• Why four-legged animals are better sprinters
• Reverse optogenetic tool developed
• Bio-based coating for wood outperforms traditional synthetic options
• Brain-repair discovery could lead to new epilepsy treatments
• Potential role of 'junk DNA' sequence in aging, cancer
• New insights into immune responses to malaria
• Research 'final nail in the coffin' of Paranthropus as hard object feeders
• How the brain paints the beauty of a landscape
• Blushing plants reveal when fungi are growing in their roots
• Scientists identify five new plant species in Bolivia
• Water resources: Defusing conflict, promoting cooperation
• Topology in biology
• The impact of climate change on Kenya's Tana river basin
• DeepMind and EMBL release the most complete database of predicted 3D structures of human proteins
• Alpha variant of COVID-19 spread via 'super-seeding' event in UK, research finds

What does a virtual roller coaster ride tell us about migraine? Posted: 23 Jul 2021 10:12 AM PDT When experiencing the ups and downs of a virtual roller coaster ride, people who get migraine headaches reported more dizziness and motion sickness than people who do not get migraines, according to a new study.

Advantages of intranasal vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 Posted: 23 Jul 2021 10:08 AM PDT There are many reasons that an intranasal vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus would be helpful in the fight against COVID-19 infections, immunologists write in a new article.

Neuroscientists posit that brain region is a key locus of learning Posted: 23 Jul 2021 10:08 AM PDT Long thought of as a generic alarm system, the locus coeruleus may actually be a sophisticated regulator of learning and behavior, according to a new review.

Americans with higher net worth at midlife tend to live longer Posted: 23 Jul 2021 09:15 AM PDT In a wealth and longevity study to incorporate siblings and twin pair data, researchers analyzed the midlife net worth of adults (mean age 46.7 years) and their mortality rates 24 years later. They discovered those with greater wealth at midlife tended to live longer.

Better healthcare management can reduce the risk of delirium among older adults Posted: 23 Jul 2021 09:15 AM PDT New research by an Executive PhD Research student at the Business School (formerly Cass) outlines how elderly patients with neurological conditions are significantly more likely to develop delirium shortly after they are hospitalised, and those admitted on Sunday and Tuesday are more likely to develop the disorder.

'Feel good' brain messenger can be willfully controlled, new study reveals Posted: 23 Jul 2021 09:15 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that spontaneous impulses of dopamine, the neurological messenger known as the brain's 'feel good' chemical, occur in the brain of mice. The study found that mice can willfully manipulate these random dopamine pulses for reward.

New measure of tropical forest vulnerability to help avoid 'tipping point' Posted: 23 Jul 2021 09:15 AM PDT Humid tropical forests, vital in global efforts to limit rising temperatures, are under threat as a result of changes in land use and climate. Now, researchers have developed a new way to keep tabs on the vulnerability of these forests on a global scale using satellite data called the tropical forest vulnerability index (TFVI).

Cascaded metasurfaces for dynamic control of THz wavefronts Posted: 23 Jul 2021 09:14 AM PDT Researchers have developed a general framework and metadevices for achieving dynamic control of THz wavefronts. Instead of locally controlling the individual meta-atoms in a THz metasurface (e.g., via PIN diode, varactor, etc.), they vary the polarization of a light beam with rotating multilayer cascaded metasurfaces.

Why four-legged animals are better sprinters Posted: 23 Jul 2021 07:53 AM PDT Scientists have studied the characteristics determining the maximum running speed in animals. The model they developed explains why humans cannot keep up with the fastest sprinters in the animal kingdom. Based on these calculations, the giant spider Shelob from 'The Lord of the Rings' would have reached a maximum speed of 60 km/h.

Reverse optogenetic tool developed Posted: 23 Jul 2021 07:53 AM PDT A new optogenetic tool, a protein that can be controlled by light, has been characterized by researchers. They used an opsin -- a protein that occurs in the brain and eyes -- from zebrafish and introduced it into the brain of mice. Unlike other optogenetic tools, this opsin is not switched on but rather switched off by light. Experiments also showed that the tool could be suitable for investigating changes in the brain that are responsible for the development of epilepsy.

Bio-based coating for wood outperforms traditional synthetic options Posted: 23 Jul 2021 07:53 AM PDT Researchers have used lignin, a natural polymer abundant in wood and other plant sources, to create a safe, low-cost and high-performing coating for use in construction. As there is a global urge to meet the rising sustainability standards, this new coating has great potential to protect wood, whose use in construction is continually increasing. The new coating is non-toxic, hydrofobic, it retains wood's breathability and natural roughness while being resistant to color changes and abrasion.

Brain-repair discovery could lead to new epilepsy treatments Posted: 23 Jul 2021 07:53 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a previously unknown repair process in the brain that they hope could be harnessed and enhanced to treat seizure-related brain injuries.

Potential role of 'junk DNA' sequence in aging, cancer Posted: 23 Jul 2021 07:52 AM PDT Researchers have recently identified a DNA region known as VNTR2-1 that appears to drive the activity of the telomerase gene, which has been shown to prevent aging in certain types of cells. Knowing how the telomerase gene is regulated and activated and why it is only active in certain cell types could someday be the key to understanding how humans age and how to stop the spread of cancer.

New insights into immune responses to malaria Posted: 23 Jul 2021 07:52 AM PDT Advanced technologies have been used to solve a long-standing mystery about why some people develop serious illness when they are infected with the malaria parasite, while others carry the infection asymptomatically.

Research 'final nail in the coffin' of Paranthropus as hard object feeders Posted: 23 Jul 2021 07:52 AM PDT New research debunks a long-held belief about our ancestors' eating habits.

How the brain paints the beauty of a landscape Posted: 23 Jul 2021 07:52 AM PDT Researchers investigate how our brains proceed from merely seeing a landscape to feeling its aesthetic impact.

Blushing plants reveal when fungi are growing in their roots Posted: 23 Jul 2021 07:52 AM PDT Scientists have created plants whose cells and tissues 'blush' with beetroot pigments when they are colonized by fungi that help them take up nutrients from the soil. This is the first time this vital, 400 million year old process has been visualized in real time in full root systems of living plants. Understanding the dynamics of plant colonisation by fungi could help to make food production more sustainable in the future.

Scientists identify five new plant species in Bolivia Posted: 23 Jul 2021 07:52 AM PDT Scientists have identified five new plant species in the Bolivian Andes. The species are all part of the genus Jacquemontia, which are twining or trailing plants with pretty blue flowers.

Water resources: Defusing conflict, promoting cooperation Posted: 23 Jul 2021 07:52 AM PDT Researchers have developed a methodology for avoiding conflicts of use in transboundary rivers. The model-based procedure allows for participatory planning and cooperative management of water resources.

Topology in biology Posted: 23 Jul 2021 07:52 AM PDT A phenomenon known from quantum systems could now make its way into biology: Researchers show that the notion of topological protection can also apply to biochemical networks. The model which the scientists developed makes the topological toolbox, typically used only to describe quantum systems, now also available to biology.

The impact of climate change on Kenya's Tana river basin Posted: 23 Jul 2021 07:52 AM PDT Many species within Kenya's Tana River Basin will be unable to survive if global temperatures continue to rise as they are on track to do - according to new research. A new study outlines how remaining within the goals of the Paris Agreement would save many species. The research also identifies places that could be restored to better protect biodiversity and contribute towards global ecosystem restoration targets.

DeepMind and EMBL release the most complete database of predicted 3D structures of human proteins Posted: 23 Jul 2021 06:56 AM PDT DeepMind is partnering with EMBL to make the most complete and accurate database yet of the predicted human protein structures freely and openly available to the scientific community. The AlphaFold Protein Structure Database will enable research that advances understanding of these building blocks of life, accelerating research across a variety of fields. AlphaFold's impact is already being realized by early partners researching neglected diseases, studying antibiotic resistance, and recycling single-use plastics.

Alpha variant of COVID-19 spread via 'super-seeding' event in UK, research finds Posted: 22 Jul 2021 11:20 AM PDT The rapid spread of the Alpha variant of COVID-19 in the UK resulted from biological changes in the virus and was enhanced by large numbers of infected people 'exporting' the variant around the country, in what the researchers call a 'super-seeding' event.

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