The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan, China, killed tens of thousands of people and left millions homeless. About 20,000 deaths — nearly 30 percent of the total — resulted not from the ground shaking itself but from the landslides that it triggered. A model developed by researchers at Indiana University can help experts address such…
Study Raises Concern About Flame-Retardant Metabolites in Bald Eagles
Study Provides Promise in Search For Simple, Early Test For Alzheimer’s Disease
Researchers at Indiana University have found early evidence that tiny snippets of genetic material called microRNA may help with early detection of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. The study, published June 18 in Nature Scientific Reports, found that changes in microRNA are detectable in mice long before they start to show symptoms from neurodegeneration. These…
Syringe Exchange Program Played Key Role in Controlling HIV Outbreak
Excess Emissions’ Make Significant Contribution to Air Pollution
Biologists Create Beetle with Functional Extra Eye
On “Game of Thrones,” a three-eyed raven holds the secrets of the past, present and future in a vast fantasy kingdom. But for real-world biologists, a “three-eyed beetle” may offer a true glimpse into the future of studying evolutionary development. Using a simple genetic tool, IU scientists have intentionally grown a fully functional extra eye…
Biologists Discover Bacteria’s ‘Sense of Touch’
A study led by researchers at Indiana University, published Oct. 26 in the journal Science, reports a new method to determine how bacteria sense contact with surfaces, an action that triggers the formation of biofilms — multicellular structures that cause major health issues in people and threaten critical infrastructure, such as water and sewer systems. It’s…
NSF Awards University $4M for Medical Nanotechnology
Only a year after establishing the intelligent systems engineering program in the Indiana University School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, the university has been awarded a five-year, $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to advance nanoscale devices to improve human health, including fighting cancer. The grant will create the Engineered nanoBIO Hub at…
Improved Method to Chemically Engineer Molecules Could Reduce Nuclear Waste
A discovery by Indiana University researchers could advance the long-term storage of nuclear waste, an increasingly burdensome and costly task for the public and private agencies that protect people from these harmful chemicals. In a study published Sept. 14, the scientists report they have developed a new chemical principle with the potential to revolutionize the…
Banned Chemicals Pass Through Umbilical Cord From Mother to Baby, Research Finds
Scientists Discover Mechanism Behind Mosquito-Borne-Disease ‘Blocker’ Used to Fight Viruses
Insects Can Resist Genetic Methods to Control Disease Spread
Researchers are exploring the use of the revolutionary gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to fight human disease and agricultural blight. But a study from Indiana University has found several challenges to the method’s use in saving lives and crops. The research combines advanced genetic and statistical analyses to show how certain genetic and behavioral qualities in disease-carrying…
Research Sheds New Light on Forces That Threaten Sensitive Coastlines
Wind-driven expansion of marsh ponds on the Mississippi River Delta is a significant factor in the loss of crucial land in the Delta region, according to research published by scientists at Indiana University and North Carolina State University. The study found that 17 percent of land loss in the area resulted from pond expansion, much…
Atomic-Level Motion May Drive Bacteria’s Ability to Evade Immune System
A study from Indiana University has found evidence that extremely small changes in how atoms move in bacterial proteins can play a big role in how these microorganisms function and evolve. The research, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is a major departure from prevailing views about the evolution of new…