Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a process that removes CO2 from coal-burning power plant emissions in a way that is similar to how soda lime works in scuba diving rebreathers. Their research, published January 31 in the journal Chem, offers an alternative but simpler strategy for carbon…

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences were able to produce healthy mice with two mothers that went on to have normal offspring of their own. Mice from two dads were also born but only survived for a couple of days. The work, presented October 11 in the journal Cell Stem Cell, looks at what…

In 1991, German tourists discovered, in the Eastern Italian Alps, a human body that was later determined to be the oldest naturally preserved ice mummy, known as Otzi or the Iceman. Now, researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on July 12 who have conducted the first in-depth analysis of the Iceman’s stomach contents offer…

Modern solar cells, which use energy from light to generate electrons and holes that are then transported out of semiconducting materials and into external circuits for human use, have existed in one form or another for over 60 years. Little attention has been paid, however, to the promise of using light to drive another electricity-generating…

As the oceans ebb and flow, the resulting waves and splashes form tiny bubbles. The bubbles burst and release a vapor — called sea spray aerosol — into the air. This aerosol scatters sunlight and is involved in forming clouds and ultimately climate. But no two bubbles are the same, University of California, San Diego,…

When people migrate, Canis familiaris travels with them. Piecing together the details of those migrations has proved difficult because the clues are scattered across the genomes of hundreds of dog breeds. However, in a study published April 25 in Cell Reports, researchers have used gene sequences from 161 modern breeds to assemble an evolutionary tree of dogs. The…

Much of stem cell research over the past decade has focused on Mendelian disorders — those caused by a single gene, such as cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and Huntington’s disease. But as genome-wide association studies continue to reveal, most conditions are more complex, arising from dozens or hundreds of genetic mutations working together to cause…

Clinical trials found that it is safe to regularly infuse brain and lung cancer patients with 800 — 1000 times the daily recommended amount of vitamin C as a potential strategy to improve outcomes of standard cancer treatments. In a work presented March 30, 2017 in Cancer Cell, University of Iowa researchers also show pathways by…

Last spring, researchers made headlines with the discovery of what was surely a new species of octopod, crawling along the seafloor at a record-breaking ocean depth of more than 4,000 meters (about 2.5 miles) off Necker Island near Hawaii. The octopod’s colorless and squishy appearance immediately inspired the nickname “Casper.” Now, a report published in Current…

Researchers have discovered a dinosaur tail complete with its feathers trapped in a piece of amber. The finding reported in Current Biology on December 8 helps to fill in details of the dinosaurs’ feather structure and evolution, which can’t be determined from fossil evidence. While the feathers aren’t the first to be found in amber, earlier specimens…

Quantum computing is about to get more complex. Researchers have evidence that large molecules made of nickel and chromium can store and process information in the same way bytes do for digital computers. The researchers present algorithms proving it’s possible to use supramolecular chemistry to connect “qubits,” the basic units for quantum information processing, in Chem on…

The best microscope we have for peering inside of a cell can now produce color images. University of California, San Diego, scientists demonstrate this advancement in electron microscopy — of the ability to magnify objects up to ten million times — with photographs of cellular membranes and the synaptic connections between brain cells. The development…

Researchers have the clearest picture yet of the receptor that causes the “high” associated with marijuana. The three-dimensional image of cannabinoid receptor 1, revealed Oct. 20 in Cell, reveals how molecules like THC bind to cannabinoid receptor 1, which is found to be embedded in the surface of many nerve cells. This could explain how pain medications…

Stem cell-based transplantation approaches hold great potential for treating a wide range of eye diseases, but progress has been limited by concerns about cost, safety, and effectiveness. In two related studies published Sept. 15 inStem Cell Reports, the journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), scientists in Japan overcame a part of…

Now that 3D printing has made it easier to generate custom-made prosthetics, bioengineers are looking ahead at manufacturing actual cellular material. Such technology could be the basis for personalized biomedical devices; tissue-engineered skin, cartilage, and bone; or even working bladders. In a Trends in Biotechnology special issue on biofabrication, publishing August 17, researchers review and consider the…

Male mice appear to be precisely wired to know when they are intruders in another male’s territory, according to a study published June 23 in Cell Reports. The smell gives it away. But this study found that a genetically specific cluster of hypothalamic cells is wired to the olfactory system and responds only when a male…