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Scientists find ways to boost memory in aging brains

Memory loss may not simply be a symptom of getting older. New research from Virginia Tech shows that it’s tied to specific molecular changes in the brain and that adjusting those processes can improve memory.

In two complementary studies, Timothy Jarome, associate professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ School of Animal Sciences, and his graduate students used gene-editing tools to target those age-related changes to improve memory performance in older subjects. The work was conducted on rats, a standard model for studying how memory changes with age.

“Memory loss affects more than a third of people over 70, and it’s a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease,” said Jarome, who also holds an appointment in the School of Neuroscience. “This work shows that memory decline is linked to specific molecular changes that can be targeted and studied. If we can understand what’s driving it at the , we can start to understand what goes wrong in dementia and eventually use that knowledge to guide new approaches to treatment.”

Longstanding Mystery Solved: Scientists Discover How Life’s Most Essential Molecule Enters Mitochondria

Yale researchers revealed how vitamin B5 fuels mitochondria, offering new insight into brain and metabolic disorders. The human body produces a molecule from vitamin B5 that plays a crucial role in nearly every metabolic process needed for life. When the production of this molecule is disrupted.

First-ever detection of ‘heavy water’ in a planet-forming disk

The discovery of ancient water in a planet-forming disk reveals that some of the water found in comets—and maybe even Earth—is older than the disk’s star itself, offering breakthrough insights into the history of water in our solar system.

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have made a first-ever detection of doubly deuterated water (D₂O, or “heavy water”) in a planet-forming disk around V883 Ori, a young star. This means that the water in this disk, and by extension the water in comets that form here, predates the birth of the star itself, having journeyed through space from ancient molecular clouds long before this solar system formed.

The research is published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

An edible fungus could make paper and fabric liquid-proof

As an alternative to single-use plastic wrap and paper cup coatings, researchers in Langmuir report a way to waterproof materials using edible fungus. Along with fibers made from wood, the fungus produced a layer that blocks water, oil and grease absorption. In a proof-of-concept study, the impervious film grew on common materials such as paper, denim, polyester felt and thin wood, revealing its potential to replace plastic coatings with sustainable, natural materials.

“Our hope is that by providing more ways to potentially reduce our reliance on , we can help lessen the waste that ends up in landfills and the ocean; nature offers elegant, to help us get there,” says Caitlin Howell, the corresponding author of the study from the University of Maine.

Fungi are more than their mushroom caps; underground they form an extensive, interwoven network of feathery filaments called mycelium. Recently, researchers have been inventing water-resistant materials made from these fibrous networks, including leather-like, electrically conductive gauze and spun yarn, because the surface of mycelium naturally repels water.

How to advance technology without cognitive overload

A new paper explores how managing cognitive load distribution is vital for navigating complex technologies and enabling their effective use.

In October 1935, the U.S. Army held a flying competition. On paper, Boeing’s entry, nicknamed the Flying Fortress, appeared to be the clear favorite. It was bigger, faster, and could fly farther than other bombers. Captained by an experienced test pilot, the Flying Fortress took off, rose 300 meters, stalled, and then came crashing down to Earth, killing the pilot and another crew member.

The problem was not mechanical. Nor was it poor training. Instead, as one newspaper put it, the bomber was “too much airplane for one man to fly.” With four engines and an array of complicated controls, the Flying Fortress required many intricate operations to be performed at once—more than even the most competent pilot could remember.

How a nutrient spark turned Earth into an oxygen world

A new study has revealed how phosphorus, a nutrient essential for photosynthesis, surged into ancient oceans and started Earth’s first major rise in atmospheric oxygen more than 2 billion years ago.

Dr. Matthew Dodd, from UWA’s School of Earth and Oceans, is lead author of the study published in Nature Communications. “By fueling blooms of photosynthetic microbes, these phosphorus pulses boosted burial and allowed oxygen to accumulate in the air, a turning point that ultimately made possible,” Dr. Dodd said.

The research combined a global archive of ancient carbonate rocks with modeling to simulate Earth’s climate system and show that ocean phosphorus and rose and fell together during the Great Oxidation Event.

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