People who use moist snuff ‘snus’ have significantly higher levels of the protein cornulin in their blood than non-snusers. This previously unknown relationship was found in a new study from Umeå University, Sweden. Whether higher levels per se increase the risk of disease has, however, not yet been clarified. “It’s important to know about this…
Biochemical ‘Fingerprints’ Reveal Diabetes Progression
Researchers from Umeå University in Sweden describe a new method to study biochemical changes that occur in the pancreas during the development of diabetes. The method, recently published in Scientific Reports, is based on molecular spectroscopy and can be used to extract biochemical profiles (or “fingerprints”) containing information about disease progression. The method could facilitate…
Climatic Stability Resulted in the Evolution of More Bird Species
Malaria Control Efforts Can Benefit From Forecasting Using Satellites
Climate Changes May Lead to More Poisonous Mercury in Plankton
Global warming is expected to increase runoff and input of organic matter to aquatic ecosystems in large regions of the Northern hemisphere including the Baltic Sea. Research performed in Sweden is now indicating a sevenfold increase in poisonous methylmercury in zooplankton as a consequence. This increase is due to an altered structure of the aquatic…
Static Electricity Can Control Nanoballoon
Molecular sized machines could in the future be used to control important mechanisms in the body. In a recent study, researchers at University of California, Berkeley and Umeå University show how a nanoballoon comprising a single carbon molecule ten thousand times thinner than a human hair can be controlled electrostatically to switch between an inflated…