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Study: Bloodworms Use Copper Harvested From Marine Sediments to Form Their Unique Jaws

Jaws of Glycera dibranchiata are composites of protein, melanin, and both mineral and ionic copper; to date, nanomechanical tests have correlated the ionic copper and melanin with hardness and wear resistance, but the function of protein is uncertain. Wonderly et al. characterize a Gly- and His-rich protein called multi-tasking protein (MTP) and, using recombinant protein, show that it performs six distinct functions critical for jaw formation and performance, namely (1) recruiting 22 equiv of Cu2+, (2) mediating a liquid-liquid phase separation of the MTP-copper complex, (3) catalyzing the oxidation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa) to melanin, (4) templating the interfacial polymerization of melanin, (5) integrating melanin and itself into thin films and fibers, and (6) providing intermolecular cohesion through Cu bridging. MTP achieves all these by assuming unprecedented roles as a building block, organizer, and fabricator -- a processing feat of considerable relevance to the autonomous production of other polymer composites, blends, and/or networks. Image credit: Wonderly et al., doi: 10.1016/j.matt.2022.04.001.
Apr 26, 2022 by News Staff

Bloodworms Glycera dibranchiata are known for their unusual jaws, which are made of protein (∼50% w/w), ionic and mineralized copper (up to 10%), and melanin (∼40% w/w). Jaws of Glycera dibranchiata are composites of protein, melanin, and both mineral and ionic copper; to date, nanomechanical tests have correlated the ionic copper and melanin with hardness and wear resistance, but the function of protein is uncertain. Wonderly et al. characterize...

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This artist’s impression shows the evolution of the Universe beginning with the Big Bang on the left followed by the appearance of the Cosmic Microwave Background. The formation of the first stars ends the cosmic dark ages, followed by the formation of galaxies. Image credit: M. Weiss / Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Time Might Not Actually Exist, Researchers Say

Apr 22, 2022 by The Conversation

In a new book published by the Oxford University Press, Australian Catholic University’s Dr. Sam Baron and his colleagues provide the first systematic...

Sahara Desert. Image credit: Hicham Atatri.

Dust from West Africa Crosses Atlantic Ocean, New Study Says

Apr 21, 2022 by News Staff

New research also suggests that dust transport from the Sahara to the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, which could be further transported downstream towards the...

The green fuel (alcohol) is represented by the green-colored droplets at the top of the image, which upon interacting with curcumin enveloped gold nanoparticles, efficiently yield energy (white-colored sparks at the bottom of the image). Image credit: Sri Sai Prasad Nayak / Lakshman Ventrapragada.

Scientists Use Curcumin to Create Highly Efficient Electrode

Apr 19, 2022 by News Staff

A team of researchers from India and the United States has combined curcumin, a molecule that was first extracted from the roots of Curcuma longa (turmeric),...

Speleothems in Yonderup Cave, Yanchep National Park, Western Australia. Image credit: Andy Baker.

Researchers Reconstruct Australia’s Fire History from Cave Stalagmite

Apr 18, 2022 by News Staff

A stalagmite from Yonderup Cave, a shallow cave in Western Australia, preserved a record of fire events and climate conditions. Speleothems in Yonderup...

Hwang et al. studied the capillary-induced coalescence of swelling pasta; they observed that, as pasta is cooked (hence, swollen and softened), capillary action more easily deforms the noodle, and two pasta noodles can coalesce with the shorter stick length: (a) picture of spaghetti aglio e olio; capillary adhesion between the noodles is induced by olive oil seasoned with garlic and pepper; (b) pasta radial and axial growth over time at 100 degrees Celsius cooking due to hygroscopic swelling; radial strain grows up to 70% of its original and axial strain up to 40% of its original after 30 min of cooking (at 100 degrees Celsius); pasta cross section shows color-gradient before it is sufficiently cooked. Image credit: Hwang et al., doi: 10.1063/5.0083696.

New Math Model Describes Swelling, Elasticity and Adhesion of Pasta as It Cooks

Apr 15, 2022 by News Staff

In new research, a team of researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has documented how pasta — composed of starch granules —...

A thermophotovoltaic cell (size 1 x 1 cm) mounted on a heat sink designed to measure the TPV cell efficiency. Image credit: Felice Frankel.

Researchers Develop Highly Efficient Heat Engine

Apr 14, 2022 by News Staff

The newly-developed heat engine is a thermophotovoltaic cell that captures high-energy photons from a white-hot heat source and converts them into electricity...

This is an artist’s impression of Çatalhöyük. Image credit: Dan Lewandowski.

Scientists Have New Theory on Origin of State

Apr 11, 2022 by News Staff

The conventional theory about the origin of the state is that the adoption of farming increased land productivity, which led to the production of food...

Odor preference rankings were collected from nine culturally and geographically diverse populations. These included the three hunter-gatherer groups, Seri from a coastal desert and Maniq and Semaq Beri from tropical rainforest, one shoreline forager, Mah Meri, from a tropical coast; one swidden-horticulturalist, Semelai, from tropical rainforest; one farmer-foraging community, Chachi, from tropical rainforest; one subsistence agriculturalist community, Imbabura Quichua, from temperate highlands; and two urban dwellers from industrial and postindustrial communities of bustling urban settings, Mexican and Thai. The data from these nine communities were then related to available data from a large dataset on odor preference collected from urban dwellers from New York City, the United States. Image credit: Arshamian et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.02.062.

Culture Plays Minimal Role in Perception of Odor Pleasantness, Says New Study

Apr 5, 2022 by News Staff

Humans share sensory systems with a common anatomical blueprint, but individual sensory experience nevertheless varies. In olfaction, it is not known to...

In two large cohorts of U.S. men and women, Pacheco et al. found inverse associations between avocado consumption and the incidence of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease events after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors and other dietary variables. Image credit: Briam Cute.

Higher Avocado Consumption Tied to Lower Risk of Cardiovascular and Coronary Heart Diseases

Apr 4, 2022 by Natali Anderson

In two large prospective cohorts of U.S. men and women followed for 30 years, higher intake of avocado (≥2 servings/week) was associated with a lower...

Louge et al. show how water vapor penetrates powders and grains. Image credit: Pexels.

Deserts Inhale and Exhale Water Vapor through Their Surface, Scientists Say

Mar 31, 2022 by News Staff

Using a new probe that detects tiny amounts of moisture on sand grains, a team of researchers from Cornell University, the Ecole Polytechnique de l’Université...

Boolani et al. suggest that energy and fatigue are unique traits that could be defined by distinct bacterial communities not driven by diet. Image credit: Darryl Leja, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health.

Distinct Gut Bacterial Communities are Associated with Personality Traits: Study

Mar 31, 2022 by News Staff

New research provides evidence that the four traits (i.e., mental energy and fatigue, physical energy and fatigue) may have unique yet overlapping gut...

Sleep restriction combined with ad libitum food promotes excess energy intake without varying energy expenditure. Image credit: Covassin et al., doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2022.01.038.

Study: Lack of Sleep Predisposes to Abdominal Visceral Obesity

Mar 30, 2022 by News Staff

Visceral fat is deposited deep inside the abdomen around internal organs and is strongly linked to cardiac and metabolic diseases. New research from Mayo...

Sketches illustrating core-mantle helium exchange processes: (a) 3He acquisition during Earth’s accretion by ingassing from the nebular atmosphere and transport through the magma ocean to the proto-core; and (b) 3He transport from the core to the mantle and from the mantle to the ocean after accretion. Image credit: Olson & Sharp, doi: 10.1029/2021GC009985.

Primordial Helium Isotope is Leaking Out of Earth’s Metallic Core: Study

Mar 29, 2022 by News Staff

Each year, about 2 kg of helium-3, a rare isotope of helium gas, escapes from Earth’s interior, mostly along the mid-ocean ridge system. Helium-3 is...

Plums (Prunus domestica). Image credit: Vanessa / K-e-k-u-l-é.

Daily Prune Consumption Improves Bone Health, New Study Finds

Mar 29, 2022 by News Staff

Bone mineral density (BMD) is known to decrease rapidly after menopause and women over the age of 50 are more likely to experience hip fractures, which...

Daytime napping and cognition may drive each other’s changes bidirectionally. Image credit: StockSnap.

Study Finds Bidirectional Link between Daytime Napping and Cognitive Aging

Mar 28, 2022 by News Staff

In a new cohort study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, participants tended to nap longer and more frequently with aging; most importantly,...

Octopuses can solve complex puzzles and show a preference for different individuals. Image credit: Edmond Lafoto.

Do Mollusks and Crustaceans Have Emotions?

Mar 25, 2022 by News Staff

If the United Kingdom joins a handful of other nations to recognize the sentience of invertebrates, such as octopuses, crabs, lobsters and crayfish, by,...

Kuitems et al. provide evidence that the Norse were active on the North American continent in the year 1021 CE. Image credit: Oscar C.R.

Increasingly Dry Conditions Contributed to Norse Abandonment of Southern Greenland, Study Shows

Mar 23, 2022 by News Staff

Declining temperature has been thought to explain the abandonment of Norse settlements in southern Greenland in the early 15th century CE, although limited...

Alpha-linolenic acid, a type of omega-3 fatty acid, is found in flaxseed oil as well as canola, soy, perilla, and walnut oils. Image credit: Handwerker / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Plant-Derived Fatty Acid Reduces Heart Disease Risk, New Review Says

Mar 23, 2022 by News Staff

Alpha-linolenic acid, a vegetable omega-3 fatty acid, can benefit heart health and reduce the risk of heart disease, according to a review paper published...

Heiss et al. found daily consumption of cranberries for one month improved cardiovascular function in healthy men. Image credit: Pexels.

Daily Cranberry Consumption Improves Cardiovascular Function: Study

Mar 22, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Daily consumption of whole cranberry powder for one month improves vascular function in healthy men and this is linked with specific metabolite profiles...

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