Biomedical science assumes that people want to live as long as possible. They don’t.
Just like humans, plants also communicate with each other as soon as any danger or attack is detected in their neighbourhood. Scientists know about this phenomenon since the 1980s, having identified at least 80 species who act in their defence in crisis situations. However, it was still shrouded in mystery as to how exactly plants receive such danger signals from their neighbours.
Now, a team of Japanese scientists has not just solved this puzzle but also filmed the communication among plants in an amazing video. In a study published in Nature Communications, molecular biologists at Saitama University in Japan, Yuri Aratani and Takuya Uemura, demonstrated how these plants behave upon detecting danger.
To conduct the experiment, scientists set off caterpillars on leaves cut from tomato plants and a commonly used weed called Arabidopsis thaliana. To better analyse its impact on the neighbouring plant, the compounds were concentrated in a plastic bottle and pumped onto the recipient plant at a constant rate.
In 2024, there is still a place for physical workspaces – but employers need to think carefully about when and how to use them.
By associate professor christhina candido and dr behnaz avazpour, university of melbourne; iva durakovic, UNSW and dr samin marzban, university of wollongong.
“In most scenarios, AI will likely worsen overall inequality,” said IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
Have you ever wondered why SSRIs take time to show effects? A new study has delved into why antidepressants like SSRIs take weeks to start working and how this may impact mental health care.
SSRIs, or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, belong to a category of antidepressant drugs designed to elevate serotonin levels in the brain. Notable examples of SSRIs include fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), and escitalopram (Lexapro).
These medications generally have few unpleasant side effects and can be highly effective in treating various mood disorders, including depression and certain anxiety disorders. However, one significant drawback of SSRIs is the delayed onset of their therapeutic effects — SSRIs often take several weeks to show noticeable improvements in mood.
HaptX’s new technology uses tactile and force feedback to allow people to ‘feel’ virtual objects with high fidelity.
In a new Review Article, Dr. Zoltan Arany discusses the epidemiology and clinical presentation of peripartum cardiomyopathy, as well as the mechanistic basis for potential therapeutics.
A recent neuroimaging study shows psilocybin, found in magic mushrooms, significantly alters brain connectivity in alcohol-dependent rats. This mirrors effects seen in humans, offering new avenues for researching the therapeutic impact of psychedelics.
Scientists have unveiled a roadmap for bringing perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells to market, paving the way for a future powered by abundant, inexpensive clean energy in Saudi Arabia and the world.
The authors of the article, published in Science, include Prof. Stefaan De Wolf and his research team at King Abdullah University of Science (KAUST) and Technology Solar Center. The team is working on improving solar efficiency to meet Saudi Arabia’ solar targets.
Perovskite/silicon tandem technology combines the strengths of two materials— perovskite’s efficient light absorption and silicon’s long-term stability—to achieve record-breaking efficiency. In 2023, the De Wolf laboratory reported two world records for power conversion efficiency, with five achieved globally in the same year, showing rapid progress in perovskite/silicon tandem technology.
