An apple carries about 100 million bacteria—good luck washing them off

To the heroes among you who eat the whole apple: besides extra fiber, flavonoids and flavor, you're also quaffing 10 times as many bacteria per fruit as your core-discarding counterparts.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/an-apple-carries-about-100-million-bacteria-good-luck-washing-them-off

Hawaii governor visits those blocking telescope construction

The governor of Hawaii on Tuesday visited protesters blocking the construction of a giant telescope on the state's tallest mountain while acknowledging that their grievances were not just about a new observatory but also about the treatment of Native Hawaiians going back more than a century.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/hawaii-governor-visits-those-blocking-telescope-construction

Putting the brakes on lateral root development

There's no organ system in the body that does as much for humans as roots do for plants. Part anchor and part mouth, a plant's root system architecture is critical to its success. But the process of growing new roots is costly to a plant, and there can be diminishing returns.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/putting-the-brakes-on-lateral-root-development

Hit your head, lose your sense of smell

It's long been known that people who suffer a major concussion can lose their sense of smell temporarily and also develop affective problems, such as anxiety and depression. Now scientists have found that's true even for people who get a minor concussion.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/hit-your-head-lose-your-sense-of-smell

Researchers unlock access to pain relief potential of cannabis

University of Guelph researchers are the first to uncover how the cannabis plant creates important pain-relieving molecules that are 30 times more powerful at reducing inflammation than Aspirin.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/researchers-unlock-access-to-pain-relief-potential-of-cannabis

Zhang group identifies gene that may make TNBC cells vulnerable to existing

Certain therapies that have proven effective in treating some types of breast cancers are ineffective for women diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In fact, there is limited targeted drug therapy for this type of breast cancer—the most aggressive type, diagnosed in about 20 percent of breast cancer patients.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/zhang-group-identifies-gene-that-may-make-tnbc-cells-vulnerable-to-existing

Buying local? Higher price means higher quality in consumers' minds

Why are we willing to pay much more for a six pack of craft beer, a locally produced bottle of wine or a regional brand item, often choosing them over national brands?

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/buying-local-higher-price-means-higher-quality-in-consumers-minds

Algae living inside fungi: How land plants first evolved

Scientists think that green algae are plants water-living ancestors, but we are not sure how the transition to land plants happened.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/algae-living-inside-fungi-how-land-plants-first-evolved

What motivates people to join—and stick with—citizen science projects?

From searching for extraterrestrial life to tracking rainfall, non-experts are increasingly helping to gather information to answer scientific questions. One of the most established hands-on, outdoor citizen science projects is the University of Washington-based Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team, COASST, which trains beachgoers along the West Coast, from California to Alaska, to monitor their local beach for dead birds.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/what-motivates-people-to-join-and-stick-with-citizen-science-projects

Harnessing the power of microbes for mining in space

For centuries, people have done the hard work of mining useful minerals and metals from solid rock. Then, scientists learned how to harness the power of tiny microbes to do some of this labor. This process, called biomining, has become common on Earth.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/harnessing-the-power-of-microbes-for-mining-in-space

How to restore a coral reef

New guidelines drafted by a consortium of concerned experts could enable corals to adapt to changing environments and help restore declining coral populations in the Caribbean. The guidelines provide a definitive plan for collecting, raising, and replanting corals that maximizes their potential for adaptation.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/how-to-restore-a-coral-reef

Active pharmaceutical ingredients can persist in the environment

Homeowners who rely on private wells as their drinking water source can be vulnerable to bacteria, nitrates, and other contaminants that have known human health risks. Because they are not connected to a public drinking water supply, the homeowners are responsible for ensuring that their own drinking water is safe.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/active-pharmaceutical-ingredients-can-persist-in-the-environment

PrEP use high but wanes after three months among young African women

In a study of open-label Truvada as daily pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV among 427 young African women and adolescent girls, 95% initiated the HIV prevention strategy, and most used PrEP for the first three months. However, PrEP use fell among participants in this critical population during a year of follow-up clinic visits, although HIV incidence at 12 months was low. The preliminary results suggest that tailored, evidence-based adherence support strategies may be needed to durably engage young African women in consistent PrEP use. The study, known as HPTN 082, was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), both parts of the National Institutes of Health. The data were presented at the 10th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/prep-use-high-but-wanes-after-three-months-among-young-african-women

E. coli superbug strains can persist in healthy women's guts

A recent study of over 1,000 healthy women with no symptoms of urinary tract infections showed nearly 9 percent carried multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli strains in their guts.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/e-coli-superbug-strains-can-persist-in-healthy-womens-guts

Study identifies cells required for the development of a healthy uterus

Knowledge of the biological processes involved in the development of the uterus is important for understanding uterine health and fertility. A research team led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has uncovered important insights on a type of cell that is critical for the formation of a functioning uterus.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/study-identifies-cells-required-for-the-development-of-a-healthy-uterus

Researchers map protein-gene interactions involved in Alzheimer's disease

Among the confounding challenges of diagnosing and treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the fact that patients with asymptomatic and symptomatic versions of the degenerative condition may share similar neuropathological burdens but experience significantly different rates of cognitive decline.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/researchers-map-protein-gene-interactions-involved-in-alzheimers-disease

Most women use vaginal ring for HIV prevention in open-label study

In an open-label study of women in southern and eastern Africa, a vaginal ring that is inserted once a month and slowly releases an antiviral drug was estimated to reduce the risk of HIV by 39%, according to statistical modeling. In addition, the study found that participants appeared to use the ring more in the open-label study than in a previous clinical trial. These and other results of the HIV Open Label Extension (HOPE) study were presented today at the 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2019) in Mexico City.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/most-women-use-vaginal-ring-for-hiv-prevention-in-open-label-study

Cane toad testes smaller at the invasion front

Understanding the dynamics of cane toad dispersal is vital information for scientists helping native animals survive the spread of the poisonous invasive species.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/cane-toad-testes-smaller-at-the-invasion-front

Left eye? Right eye? American robins have preference when looking at decoy eggs

Just as humans are usually left- or right-handed, other species sometimes prefer one appendage, or eye, over the other. A new study reveals that American robins that preferentially use one eye significantly more than the other when looking at their own clutch of eggs are also more likely to detect, and reject, a foreign egg placed in their nest by another bird species—or by a devious scientist.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/left-eye-right-eye-american-robins-have-preference-when-looking-at-decoy-eggs

Psychological support 'not available' to one in three cancer patients who need it

People with cancer have trouble accessing appropriate psychological support, a new global report published today by the All.Can international cancer initiative reveals.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/psychological-support-not-available-to-one-in-three-cancer-patients-who-need-it

Eyes on VENUS: ORNL to deliver unique US neutron imaging capability for science discovery

The ability to directly see the atomic fabric of materials provides pivotal information in accelerating the design and improving the performance of future technologies. Visualizing in real space the behaviors and dynamics of materials requires powerful probes and advanced instrumentation.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/eyes-on-venus-ornl-to-deliver-unique-us-neutron-imaging-capability-for-science-discovery

'Browning' white fat cells opens new avenue to obesity prevention

Scientists are getting closer to understanding how to turn the body's energy-storing white fat cells into energy-burning beige fat cells, opening up hopes that fat deposits could one day be deliberately manipulated to prevent obesity and related health conditions.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/browning-white-fat-cells-opens-new-avenue-to-obesity-prevention

Finding one's way in the rainforest

Knowing which direction to go in order to reach food or home is important for many animal species, including humans. For human foragers who travel long distances every day for hunting and gathering, orientation skills are essential. Haneul Jang and her colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology set out to study how the Mbendjele BaYaka people in Republic of the Congo orient themselves in the dense rainforest. The researchers conducted more than 600 pointing tests with 54 Mbendjele BaYaka men, women and children aged between six and 76 years, in which the participants were asked to point to an out-of-sight target in more than 60 different rainforest locations (including the camp).

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/finding-ones-way-in-the-rainforest

Hundreds of scientists embark on mission aimed at improving air quality forecasts

Extreme wildfire seasons are no longer an outlier in the western United States, where climate change is drying out vegetation and people are moving deeper and deeper into western forests.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/hundreds-of-scientists-embark-on-mission-aimed-at-improving-air-quality-forecasts

New multi-material 3-D nanoprinting strategy could revolutionize optics, photonics and biomedicine

Engineers at the University of Maryland (UMD) have created a new multi-material 3-D nanoprinting technique that was featured on the inside front cover of the July 21 issue of Lab on a Chip.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-multi-material-3-d-nanoprinting-strategy-could-revolutionize-optics-photonics-and-biomedicine

Were infected ticks tested as a biological weapon on the US public?

The House of Representatives has instructed the Pentagon to disclose whether it used ticks to infect the American public with Lyme disease between 1950 and 1975. The allegation comes from Chris Smith, the Republican representative for New Jersey. A long-standing campaigner on Lyme disease, Smith says the claims are from a new book about the illness and the man who discovered it—a bioweapons scientist called Willy Burgdofer.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/were-infected-ticks-tested-as-a-biological-weapon-on-the-us-public

Depression associated with risky sexual behavior among truck drivers in Kenya

Truck drivers in sub-Saharan Africa are particularly at risk for both mental health disorders, including depression, and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, due to the stressful, transient lifestyle associated with their occupation.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/depression-associated-with-risky-sexual-behavior-among-truck-drivers-in-kenya

Researchers unveil first of four reports on racial disparities in prosecutor behavior

To promote fairness and transparency in the criminal justice system, researchers at FIU and Loyola University Chicago have partnered with prosecutors in Tampa, Chicago, Jacksonville and Milwaukee to take a fresh look at prosecutorial performance and decision-making.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/researchers-unveil-first-of-four-reports-on-racial-disparities-in-prosecutor-behavior

Vision scientist says evolution has trained humans to construct reality, rather than to see the world as it truly is

Perception is not objective reality. Case in point: The above image is stationary and flat …just try telling your brain that. In his new book, The Case Against Reality, UCI cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman applies this concept to the whole of human consciousness—how we see, think, feel and interact with the world around us. And he thinks we've been looking at it all wrong.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/vision-scientist-says-evolution-has-trained-humans-to-construct-reality-rather-than-to-see-the-world-as-it-truly-is

Breast cancer research could expand lung cancer therapies

New research into a genetic mutation's role in breast cancer could open new treatment options for lung cancer, according to a Michigan State University scientist.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/breast-cancer-research-could-expand-lung-cancer-therapies

To assess a cell's health, follow the glucose

A new spectroscopic technique reveals that glucose use in live cells provides valuable information about the functional status of cells, tissues, and organs. Shifts in a cell's use of glucose can signal changes in health and progress of disease.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/to-assess-a-cells-health-follow-the-glucose

North Carolina coastal flooding is worsening with climate change, population growth

A historic 120-year-old data set is allowing researchers to confirm what data modeling systems have been predicting about climate change: Climate change is increasing precipitation events like hurricanes, tropical storms and floods.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/north-carolina-coastal-flooding-is-worsening-with-climate-change-population-growth

Spontaneous magnetization in a non-magnetic interacting metal

Over the past decade, numerous physics studies have explored how oscillating electric fields produced by lasers or microwave sources can be used to dynamically alter the properties of materials on demand. In a new study featured in Nature Physics, two researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), in Singapore, have built upon the findings of these studies, uncovering a mechanism through which a non-magnetic interacting metal can spontaneously magnetize.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/spontaneous-magnetization-in-a-non-magnetic-interacting-metal

Scientists discover new chemistry that may help explain the origins of cellular life

Before life began on Earth, the environment likely contained a massive number of chemicals that reacted with each other more or less randomly, and it is unclear how the complexity of cells could have emerged from such chemical chaos. Now, a team led by Tony Z. Jia at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Kuhan Chandru of the National University of Malaysia has shown that simple α-hydroxy acids, like glycolic and lactic acid, spontaneously polymerize and self-assemble into polyester microdroplets when dried at moderate temperatures followed by rehydration. This could be what happened along primitive beaches and river banks, or in drying puddles. These form a new type of cell-like compartment that can trap and concentrate biomolecules like nucleic acids and proteins. These droplets, unlike most modern cells, are able to merge and reform easily, and thus could have hosted versatile early genetic and metabolic systems potentially critical for the origins of life.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/scientists-discover-new-chemistry-that-may-help-explain-the-origins-of-cellular-life

Garlic on broccoli: A smelly approach to repel a major pest

Agricultural insect pests seek out familiar scents to find their plant hosts. However, they can also be repelled by odors from other plant species.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/garlic-on-broccoli-a-smelly-approach-to-repel-a-major-pest