Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog – Page 91

Get the latest international news and world events from around the world.

Log in for authorized contributors

New co-assembly strategy unlocks robust circularly polarized luminescence across the color spectrum

To demonstrate practical functionality, the team incorporated various achiral luminescent dyes (red, green, blue) into the co-assembled polymer framework. The dyes were anchored via hydrogen bonding and adopted the chirality of their environment during co-assembly, resulting in CPL in all three colors.

Notably, this full-color CPL capability is rare, with red emission being especially difficult to achieve. In this system, the polymer matrix enabled chirality transfer and also passivated the dye molecules, leading to brighter, longer-lasting light with higher quantum yields compared to the same dyes used alone.

“The ability to produce strong CPL across the broadens the scope for practical applications, particularly in photonic devices that require low optical losses and high signal discrimination,” added Prof Lin.

Brain’s immune response linked to olfactory problems associated with Alzheimer’s

A fading sense of smell can be one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease even before cognitive impairments manifest. Research by scientists at DZNE and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) sheds new light on this phenomenon, pointing to a significant role for the brain’s immune response, which seems to fatally attack neuronal fibers crucial for the perception of odors.

The study, published in Nature Communications, is based on observations in mice and humans, including analysis of brain tissue and so-called PET scanning. These findings may help to devise ways for and, consequently, early treatment.

The researchers came to the conclusion that these olfactory dysfunctions arise because immune cells of the brain called “microglia” remove connections between two brain regions, namely the olfactory bulb and the .

Space mice babies: Stem cells cryopreserved in space produce healthy offspring

Features of spaceflight such as gravitational changes and circadian rhythm disruption—not to mention radiation—take a toll on the body, including muscle wasting and decreased bone density. These may even affect the ability to produce healthy offspring.

Studying the impact of spaceflight on —egg and sperm precursor cells—is particularly important because they directly influence the next generation, and any irreversible damage done to these will likely be transmitted to offspring. Previous examinations of embryonic that have undergone spaceflight have revealed abnormalities, but the exact cause of the damage has remained unknown.

This inspired a team of researchers at Kyoto University to test the potential damage to spermatogonial stem cells during spaceflight and the resulting offspring. The team utilized stem cells from , which have a much shorter reproductive life span than humans.

Sweden’s most powerful laser delivers record-short light pulses

For the first time, researchers at Umeå University have demonstrated the full capabilities of their large-scale laser facility. In a study published in Nature Photonics, the team reports generating a combination of ultrashort laser pulses, extreme peak power, and precisely controlled waveforms that make it possible to explore the fastest processes in nature.

This Martian Rock’s Mysterious Spots May Reveal Clues to Ancient Life

By studying the leopard-like spots on rocks from Earth and Mars now, scientists will be ready to analyze returned space samples when they arrive. In 2024, NASA’s Perseverance rover retrieved an unusual rock sample from Mars. Named Sapphire Canyon, the specimen stands out for its striking pattern:

/* */