Lifeboat Foundation

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Scientists reveal gut transit time and pH as key drivers of microbiome and metabolic individuality, paving the way for personalized dietary strategies.

Surprisingly, the complex signaling system predated the idea of a simple stop sign by nearly 30 years.

Has human evolution come to a standstill? Advances in technology and medicine have radically changed the way we live, but could they be changing the course of our genetic future? The surprising truth behind how modern progress may be changing our biology — and what it means for our survival.

Junk DNA may not be so ‘junky’ after all – these regions may hide genetic material coding for tiny proteins involved in disease processes like cancer and immunology.

Our records of the human genome may still be missing tens of thousands of ‘dark’ genes. These hard-to-detect sequences of genetic material can code for tiny proteins, some involved in disease processes like cancer and immunology, a global consortium of researchers has confirmed.

They may explain why past estimates of our genome’s size were way larger than what the Human Genome Project discovered 20 years ago.

Continue reading “‘Dark Genes’ Hiding Unseen in Human DNA Have Just Been Revealed” »

In a recent study published in The Lancet Diabetes Endocrinology, researchers evaluate the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists on kidney and cardiovascular outcomes.

Improving kidney and cardiovascular outcomes

Non-communicable diseases account for nearly 70% of global deaths, with diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) among the top causes.

The manipulation of mechanical strain in materials, also known as strain engineering, has allowed engineers to advance electronics over the past decades, for instance enhancing the mobility of charge carriers in devices. Over the past few years, some studies have tried to devise effective strategies to manipulate strain in two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors that are compatible with existing industrial processes.

Researchers at Stanford University recently introduced a CMOS-compatible approach to engineer the tensile strain (i.e., stretchiness) in monolayer semiconductor transistors.

This approach, outlined in a paper published in Nature Electronics, relies on the use of silicon nitride capping layers that can impart strain on monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) transistors integrated on silicon substrates.

A research team affiliated with UNIST has unveiled an ultra-strong adhesive patch platform that adheres effectively to rough skin surfaces and shows remarkable motion adaptiveness during dynamic body movements, all while offering irritation-free removal on demand. The key to this technology lies in the surface adaptability inspired by barnacles and armadillo carapaces, which feature a tessellated structure that balances rigidity and flexibility.

The team, led by Professor Hoon Eui Jeong from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Professor Jae Joon Kim from the Department of Electrical Engineering at UNIST, along with researchers from the National Institute of Ecology (NIE), has introduced a highly adhesive, detachable, and stretchable skin patch, known as the Motion Adaptive Tessellation Patch.

This innovative technology is garnering attention for its potential to facilitate the commercialization of wearable electronic devices, such as health care monitoring systems and transdermal drug delivery systems. The research is published in the journal Advanced Materials.

Japan is readying a $65-billion push in microchips and artificial intelligence aimed at reclaiming its status as a global tech leader and meeting the urgent challenges of its aging, shrinking population.

The 10-trillion-yen package, which lawmakers could approve this week, is also seen as preparation for an uncertain world as fears grow of a potential Chinese invasion of chip powerhouse Taiwan.

But analysts warn that question marks remain over worker shortages and whether Japan can generate enough electricity for energy-hungry AI data centers.

Year 2016 Shape changing gold nanoparticles face_with_colon_three

Gold nanoclusters are important nanomaterials but their structural assignment can be challenging if single crystals can’t be grown. Here, the authors use pair distribution function analysis of X-ray powder diffraction data for Au144(SR)60nanoclusters, and show that they exhibit polymorphism.