DEG

Feb 03 2025SCIENCE

Can Smell Loss Be a Sign of Something More Serious?

The scent of trouble. Not to be overly dramatic, but scientists think they can catch big health problems like Parkinson's disease and Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) by noticing a change in smell. These are big diseases that mainly affect older people, and they can really mess with a person's thinki

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Feb 01 2025SCIENCE

C-terminal Amides: The Proteins Secret Weapon Against Cellular Damage

Cells are busy places. They need to keep their proteins in order which means fixing or removing the damaged ones and ensuring the healthy ones continue to do what they need to for the cell to live. This is done by a process known as protein homeostasis. When something goes wrong, proteins collect da

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Jan 30 2025SCIENCE

Phenol Pollutant Cleanup: A New Approach with Genetic Programming

Traditional methods for breaking down pollutants can be tough to nail down. Scientists often rely on complex equations that need lots of details about how the organism works. This can lead to big differences between what’s expected and what actually happens. Enter Genetic Programming (GP), a new way

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Jan 27 2025ENVIRONMENT

Bugs to the Rescue: Turning Plastic Waste into Valuable Soil

Imagine a world where tiny bugs help us clean up the massive plastic problem. That's what scientists are exploring with insect farming. The idea is to use certain insect larvae to munch on plastic waste, breaking it down into smaller pieces. This isn't a perfect solution, though, because they leave

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Jan 26 2025SCIENCE

Transforming Carbon Dioxide: A New Way with Enzyme-Amyloid Hybrids

Did you know that certain proteins can help turn carbon dioxide into sugar? Scientists have found a way to stabilize and enhance the work of these proteins, called enzymes. They created a platform using a special type of protein structure called amyloid fibrils. This platform can hold several enzyme

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Jan 25 2025ENVIRONMENT

Cleaning Chlorinated Water: A Closer Look at Electrochemical Fixes

Electrochemical reduction is an exciting way to tackle chlorinated hydrocarbons in groundwater. This method uses special processes like direct electron transfer and active hydrogen to break down these stubborn pollutants. Scientists are digging into how the structure of these pollutants affects how

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Jan 22 2025HEALTH

Combining Light Therapy and Stem Cells to Fight Brain Inflammation

Brain inflammation, a significant factor in neurodegenerative diseases, is managed by tiny immune cells called microglia. These cells can be pro-inflammatory (M1) or anti-inflammatory (M2). We know that human stem cells from umbilical cords (hUCMSCs) can release substances that reduce inflammation.

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Jan 21 2025HEALTH

Exploring the Choroid Plexus: A New Path to Understanding Progressive MS

Imagine you're trying to solve a puzzle, but you're missing some pieces. That's kind of what it's like when scientists study progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a disease that messes with your brain and spinal cord, causing damage to the protective layer around nerve cells. It affects million

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Jan 18 2025HEALTH

Boosting Medicine Delivery: Mixing Microneedles with Biodegradable Particles

Scientists sought to improve the way medicine, like methotrexate, passes through human skin. They used tiny needles called Dr. Pen microneedles and tiny, biodegradable beads called poly(d, l-lactide-co-glycolide) acid microparticles. These beads came in eight different forms. The team studied the be

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Jan 18 2025SCIENCE

The Secret Life of Bacteria: How Alcaligenes faecalis D04 Battles Toxins

In China, microcystin LR (MC-LR) pollution is a big problem for both aquatic life and human health. Scientists found a special bacterium, Alcaligenes faecalis D04, that can break down MC-LR without needing oxygen. This bug was discovered in water and can deal with these toxins at a rate of 0. 303 mi

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