A new fiber sensor can spot tiny starch traces in water used for cleaning food. It helps stop cross‑contamination and keeps water clean. The device is built from a special fiber design that mixes regular multimode fiber with a core‑less section. A gel layer sits on the core‑less part to capture star
Collemopsidium pelvetiae is a marine fungus that makes an unusual partnership. It links with two photosynthetic allies: the brown alga Pelvetia canaliculata and a cyanobacterium. Together they form a tripartite symbiosis that scientists are studying to learn more about how lichens develop in salty w
Mining leaves behind soil packed with heavy metals like cadmium, lead, and copper. These metals stick around for years, hurting plants, animals, and even people who live nearby. One cleanup trick is to use special plants that suck up the metals. But this method has problems. The soil is often too ha
When organic waste like food scraps and yard trimmings gets turned into compost, it doesn’t just turn into soil. It also mixes with biosolids—treated sewage sludge—creating a nutrient-rich product used in gardens and farms. But there’s a catch: compost can contain PFAS, a group of man-made chemicals
Scientists have long wondered how ocean animals and microbes work together. Some research says these relationships follow a pattern where closely related animals share similar bacteria. But earlier studies didn’t always agree on this idea. Now, a new study takes a closer look at one group of bacteri
Scientists use a method called hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry to study how proteins fold. When comparing two drug versions, they need a test that shows the samples are almost identical, not just different. A new approach called TOST uses two one‑sided tests to set limits of acce
Lung cancer remains one of the toughest cancers to catch early, but scientists might have found a clever way to spot it before symptoms even show. Instead of waiting for tumors to form, they’re focusing on tiny molecules called miRNA-21, which appear in the blood early when lung cancer starts. The c
Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) is a common cleaning agent that can also act as a preservative in many everyday items. Recent research shows that BAC can interfere with an enzyme called 5α‑reductase 1, which is essential for turning testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the brain. The study tes
The seeds of Ginkgo biloba hold a nasty secret: they produce a poison called ginkgotoxin and its sugar‑bound form. Scientists wanted to know which genes make these chemicals, but the details were fuzzy. Using a step‑by‑step RNA sequencing plan, researchers collected seed samples at different grow
Recent studies point to a surprising connection between high blood pressure and the way our blood clots. When people develop hypertension, their arteries are more likely to form dangerous clots that can cause heart attacks or strokes. Researchers have found that the gut’s bacterial community, when o
