Computational drug discovery is used to identify a 12-mer peptide derived from BRINP2 with potent anti-obesity effects that are independent of leptin, glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor and melanocortin 4 receptor.
Using body parts from simple animals in robotics is not as controversial. But itâs still important to consider the impact on these living creatures. It may seem that bugs and jellyfish and mollusks arenât capable of caring about how we use their bodies. But what if weâre wrong about that? Some researchers are finding that such creatures might have more awareness and feelings than expected.
Living robots also interact with the environment. What if a jellyfish outfitted with electronics got eaten? Xu is hoping to develop biodegradable electronics that wouldnât harm other animals or pollute the ocean.
Biohybrid robots blur the line between machine and living thing. The jellyfish cyborgs are obviously still alive. But most biohybrids donât really fit into one category or the other. Shin says of her heart-cell-covered bot: âitâs not a creature.â But itâs not a typical robot, either.
Chemists identify a single molecule that naturally tiles in nonrepeating patterns, which could help build materials with novel electronic properties.
Scientists have long been racking their brains for ways to treat Alzheimerâs disease, the most common type of dementia.
Turns out that the answer may lie within our own brains. Researchers from Northwestern University suggest that enhancing the brainâs immune cells may better equip them to clear out harmful clumps of the toxic protein amyloid beta, a hallmark of Alzheimerâs.
âOur study is highly novel because we had the rare opportunity to analyze one of the largest post-mortem brain cohorts of Alzheimerâs patients treated with amyloid-targeting drugs â similar to those now approved by the FDA for Alzheimerâs disease,â lead author Lynn van Olst said.
The successful landing of a Cedar Park lunar lander is putting the pressure on efforts to build a workforce capable of reaching for the stars.
Interstellar material has been discovered in our solar system, but researchers continue to hunt for where it came from and how it got here. A new study led by Western astrophysicists Cole Gregg and Paul Wiegert recommends Alpha Centauriâthe next closest solar system to oursâis a great place to start, highlighting how and why itâs a prime target.
The findings were published March 6 in The Planetary Science Journal.
Interstellar objects are astronomical material, like asteroids or comets, not gravitationally bound to a star. They can come from other solar systems and be thrown into interstellar space by collisions or be slingshotted by a planet or starâs gravity.
