Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which describes gravity as a curvature of space-time, explains a multitude of gravitational phenomena. But that theory falls apart within the tiniest of volumes – the center of a black hole or the universe at its explosive birth, when it was smaller than the diameter of an atom. That’s where […]

“The dream of predicting a protein shape just from its gene sequence is now a reality,” said Paul Adams, Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences at Berkeley Lab. For Adams and other structural biologists who study proteins, predicting their shape offers a key to understanding their function and accelerating treatments for diseases like cancer and COVID-19. The […]

With today’s existing translation tools to overcome language barriers, global collaboration should be no major feat for researchers. Yet throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, articles published in Chinese journals focusing on critical aspects of the disease were often never cited by English journals. As a result, U.S. academics wasted precious time performing research thereby replicating already […]

Sign language, like spoken language, supports infant cognitive development in hearing infants, according to a groundbreaking new study by Northwestern University researchers. Cognitive developmental scientists from Northwestern University discovered that observing American Sign Language (ASL) promotes cognition in hearing infants who had never been exposed to a signed language. For 3- and 4-month-old infants, sign […]

It was a moment three years in the making, based on intensive research and design work: On Sept. 5, for the first time, a large high-temperature superconducting electromagnet was ramped up to a field strength of 20 tesla, the most powerful magnetic field of its kind ever created on Earth. That successful demonstration helps resolve […]

Researchers from Durham University, UK, have discovered a simple way to make chiral nitrogen structures as single mirror image molecules. This first enantioselective synthesis of ammonium cations makes such stable nitrogen stereocentres easily accessible – something that so far had been only possible using certain natural compounds. Nitrogen, like carbon, phosphorus and other elements, forms […]

A mass exodus of scientists and scholars from Afghanistan has followed the Taliban’s return to power last month. Chaos ensued when the Islamic nationalist movement established its authority over the nation’s higher education system but did not put in place a functioning government until 7 September. It is a hardline interim government comprised of entirely […]

One area of knowledge that changed substantially during the Renaissance was the study of medicine and the branch of medicine that probably changed the most was anatomy. This change has produced two notable myths that need to be quickly dealt with before we tackle the real history.  The myths concern Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) and […]

Electrochemical reactions that are accelerated using catalysts lie at the heart of many processes for making and using fuels, chemicals, and materials — including storing electricity from renewable energy sources in chemical bonds, an important capability for decarbonizing transportation fuels. Now, research at MIT could open the door to ways of making certain catalysts more […]

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have developed a new comprehensive questionnaire for surveying feline personality and behaviour. A dataset of more than 4,300 cats representing 26 breed groups revealed seven personality and behaviour traits, with significant differences observed between breeds. Cats are our most common pets, and feline behaviour is increasingly being investigated due […]