[Defaunation] Quantifying hunting-induced defaunation
As the human population grows and increasingly encroaches on remaining wildlife habitat, hunting threatens many species. Benítez-López et al. conducted a large-scale meta-analysis o – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 13, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Sacha Vignieri Tags: Defaunation Source Type: research
[Structural Biology] Nucleosomes in contact
In eukaryotic cells, genomic DNA must be compacted to fit inside the nucleus. A key player in DNA packaging is the nucleosome, which comprises a segment of DNA wrapped around an octamer – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 13, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Valda Vinson Tags: Structural Biology Source Type: research
[Zika Virus] One antibody for all and all antibodies for one
Antibodies against related flaviviruses such as dengue (DENV) and West Nile (WNV) can cross-react with Zika virus (ZIKV) and could thereby increase disease severity. Bardina et – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 13, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Caroline Ash Tags: Zika Virus Source Type: research
[Organic Chemistry] Stitching a belt out of carbon rings
If you had a molecular scalpel, you could slice a carbon nanotube twice against the long axis to excise a loop of fused phenyl rings. Of course, knives don't come that small. Instead, – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 13, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Jake Yeston Tags: Organic Chemistry Source Type: research
[Solar Cells] Transporter layers for greater stability
Although perovskite solar cells (PSCs) can have power conversion efficiencies exceeding 20%, they can have limited stability under ultraviolet irradiation. This is in part because the – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 13, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Phil Szuromi Tags: Solar Cells Source Type: research
[Planetary Geology] Hydrothermal processes on Enceladus
Saturn's moon Enceladus has a subsurface ocean covered by a layer of ice. Some liquid escapes into space through cracks in the ice, which is the source of one of Saturn's rings. In – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 13, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Keith T. Smith Tags: Planetary Geology Source Type: research
[Immunotherapy] Targeting nonviral antigens in viral-driven cancer
Adoptive cell transfer harnesses a patient's own T cells to destroy cancer. The strategy can successfully treat epithelial tumors driven by human papillomavirus (HPV), but it remains – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 13, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Priscilla N. Kelly Tags: Immunotherapy Source Type: research
[Autoimmunity] Regulating the regulators
Inhibitory receptors on T cells, including LAG3 (encoded by lymphocyte-activation gene 3), limit immune-mediated damage to the host. LAG3 is expressed by exhausted conventional – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 7, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Anand Balasubramani Tags: Autoimmunity Source Type: research
[Hypothesis] From learning to instinct
The molecular and cellular processes that govern animal learning are relatively well understood, but it is much less clear how animals acquire instincts. In a Perspective, Robinson – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 7, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Julia Fahrenkamp-Uppenbrink Tags: Hypothesis Source Type: research
[Physiology] An astrocyte call to arms after brain injury
Brain injury stimulates the infiltration of peripheral immune cells that may cause persistent secondary tissue damage, impairing patient recovery. Using a mouse model of inflammatory – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 7, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Leslie K. Ferrarelli Tags: Physiology Source Type: research
[Genome Assembly] Hi-C for mosquito genomes
Most genomes sequenced today are determined through the generation of short sequenced bits of DNA that are computationally pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. This has resulted in – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 7, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Laura M. Zahn Tags: Genome Assembly Source Type: research
[Geochemistry] A mantle story told with metal and gas
Differences in isotopic compositions of trace elements can help identify how regions of Earth's mantle have evolved over time. Mundl et al. identified several ancient domains – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 7, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Brent Grocholski Tags: Geochemistry Source Type: research
[Chemical Physics] X-ray vision catches Woodward-Hoffmann
The celebrated Woodward-Hoffmann (W-H) rules rationalize a variety of rapid bond rearrangements in organic molecules. The key insight involved symmetry conservation in the electronic – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 7, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Jake Yeston Tags: Chemical Physics Source Type: research
[Organic Chemistry] Picking structures out of a lineup
Pharmaceutical research relies critically on determining the correct structures of numerous complex molecules. When well-ordered crystals are not available for x-ray analysis, nuclear – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 7, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Jake Yeston Tags: Organic Chemistry Source Type: research
[Neuroscience] A tailored look at behavioral pharmacology
It is important to understand how animal behavior is mediated by molecular, cellular, and circuit components of the brain. However, it has been difficult to link the activity of specific – [Read More] (Source: This Week in Science)
Source: This Week in Science - April 7, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Stella M. Hurtley Tags: Neuroscience Source Type: research
