news 2024

Study reveals differences between ratings among the population Discrepancies in restaurant ratings investigated: A new study by the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden shows how strongly ratings of restaurants differ among the population. While cleanliness, value for money and service quality are generally appreciated, other criteria such as vegan dishes, accessibility and portion sizes vary greatly.

Researchers at TU Delft have discovered that E. coli bacteria can synchronise their movements, creating order in seemingly random biological systems. By trapping individual bacteria in micro-engineered circular cavities and coupling these cavities through narrow channels, the team observed coordinated bacterial motion.

Scientists discover a natural flu defense mechanism that activates in the nasal cavity during pregnancy McGill scientists have discovered that pregnancy may trigger a natural immunity to boost protection against severe flu infection. Contrary to the common belief that pregnancy increases vulnerability to infections, researchers found that it strengthened an immune defense in mice, blocking the Influenza A virus from spreading to the lungs, where it can cause severe infection.

Doctoral candidate Sabrine Marangoni from UdeM's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine has compiled 24 videos documenting signs of pain in cats. Cats are masters at masking their pain, a natural instinct to avoid attracting predators. However, this poses a challenge for the veterinarians and care teams who must assess and manage pain in cats.

The discovery that an unexpected brain region is crucial for walking recovery in mice with spinal cord injuries has led a deep brain stimulation therapy in humans. The approach restored enough leg control in two individuals with partial spinal injuries to walk unaided and even climb stairs. Researchers at EPFL and Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), led by professors Grégoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch, have achieved a major milestone in the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI).

Physicists are getting closer to controlling single-molecule chemical reactions - could this shape the future of pharmaceutical research? Controlling matter at the atomic level has taken a major step forward, thanks to groundbreaking nanotechnology research by an international team of scientists led by physicists at the University of Bath.

Machine learning models of brain age can serve as indicators of infants' brain development, a new Yale study shows. The human brain undergoes significant development during the final prenatal months and through the first year of life. And while scientists have begun to map the developmental trajectories of this early period, blueprints of healthy development do not yet exist.

In the effort to develop new quantum technologies of the future, scientists are pursuing several different approaches. One avenue seeks to use molecules as the fundamental building blocks of quantum technologies. Now scientists at Caltech have figured out a new way to use ultrafast laser pulses to realize an important quantum mechanical property known as superposition, turning a relatively simple molecule into a quantum sensor-a tool that can measure chemical phenomena in its surroundings through inherently quantum means.

Around 32% of people who have had prior damage from lung diseases will die after five years if they also get a common fungal infection, a major global review has found. The review also finds that 15% of people with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) die in the first year following other lung diseases.

Genetic study also reveals long-distance travelling in Neolithic societies An international team of researchers led by Pere Gelabert and Ron Pinhasi of the University of Vienna and David Reich of Harvard University has produced the most complete set of Early Neolithic genetic data from Central Europe to date.

Scientists are calling for changes to chemistry textbooks after discovering a fundamental aspect of structural organic chemistry has been incorrectly described for almost 100 years. The team from Cardiff University's School of Chemistry, dispute the long-held belief that alkyl groups - a chemical group consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms arranged in a chain - donate electrons to other parts of a molecule.

A screening study carried out at MedUni Vienna has shown that the rare but dangerous infection with the hepatitis D virus remained often undetected. Seamless testing at University Hospital Vienna for the presence of a hepatitis D infection increases the diagnosis rate of this now treatable disease. The results of It is estimated that more than 40,000 people in Austria are chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus.

A twenty-year study in Congo's largest protected park confirms that rangers are effective in preserving endangered bonobos Scientists now know how many bonobos live in one of the largest pristine tropical forests, a place believed to be the world's stronghold for the endangered species. The research, conducted over two decades by a team of 48 scientists, estimates that between 8,000 to 18,000 adult bonobos inhabit Salonga National Park in the DRC.

Scientists have uncovered a new link between the immune system and the development of Parkinson's disease. Researchers at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) at McGill University have discovered that an immune response plays a key role in how toxic protein clumps, known as Lewy bodies, form in brain cells and contribute to disease.

In mountainous areas, earthquakes can sometimes be amplified by the shape of the landscape. Research by the University of Twente shows that further from the epicentre, the shape of the terrain's topography increases the risk of landslides. Closer to the epicentre, it is mainly the strength of the earthquake itself.

An affordable and effective nutritional approach to help reduce inflammation and prevent Type 2 diabetes. The team led by May Faraj, Professor of Nutrition at Université de Montréal and Director of the Nutrition, Lipoproteins and Cardiometabolic Diseases Research Unit at the Montréal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), sheds new light on the role of marine-source omega-3 supplementation in treating adipose tissue inflammation and reducing the risk for cardiometabolic diseases like Type 2 diabetes.

The first computer algorithm capable of identifying which tumour cells are driving aggressive cancer growth has been developed by Cancer Research scientists from UCL and The Francis Crick Institute. The innovative algorithm, called SPRINTER*, analyses individual cells within a tumour to identify those that are growing the most rapidly.

Labelling lone bananas as 'sad singles' tugs at shoppers' heartstrings and increases sales by 58 percent. Faced with a pile of loose, unsold single bananas, retailers can motivate customers to buy overlooked fruit by giving it emotional appeal, according to new research from the University of Bath's School of Management.

Study: High temperatures are associated with decreased immune system performance in a wild primate (DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adq6629) The immune performance of wild capuchin monkeys declines when the animals experience higher temperatures, and younger monkeys seem to be particularly vulnerable to heat, according to a University of Michigan study.