How our liver kills
Our livers can fight back against the immune system – reducing organ rejection but also making us more susceptible to liver disease, report scientists from the University of Sydney’s Centenary Institute.
The role of law in fighting non-communicable disease
World leaders gathering at the United Nations in New York this week to discuss non-communicable disease (NCD) such as obesity and diabetes need to consider how law is an essential weapon in the fight against the problem, a University of Sydney legal expert said.
Proton-based transistor could let machines communicate with living things
Human devices, from light bulbs to iPods, send information using electrons. Human bodies and all other living things, on the other hand, send signals and perform work using ions or protons.
‘Inexhaustible’ source of hydrogen may be unlocked by salt water
A grain of salt or two may be all that microbial electrolysis cells need to produce hydrogen from wastewater or organic byproducts, without adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere or using grid electricity, according to Penn State engineers.
Deforestation reduces rainfall in Africa
Deforestation in the rainforests of West Africa reduces rainfall over the rest of the forest, according to new University of Leeds research published in Geophysical Research Letters.
Some smokers successfully switch to electronic cigarettes
While electronic cigarettes may be a long-term alternative to the real thing for some smokers, Penn State College of Medicine researchers suggest medical providers should continue to encourage more traditional smoking cessation methods.
Save Our Soils
Researchers must collaborate to manage one of the planet’s most precious and threatened resources — for food production and much more, says Steve Banwart.
Minerals from ocean-floor rocks found in ultra-deep diamonds
Mineral inclusions discovered in diamonds prove that surface rocks can be subducted into the deep part of the Earth’s mantle. The isotopic composition of the diamonds confirms that recycling of crustal materials, including carbon, extends into the lower mantle.
Global study offers new hope for regulating blood pressure
Researchers at The University of Western Australia in collaboration with more than 200 centres from 24 countries have identified DNA links to blood pressure which could lead to new treatments for cardiovascular disease.
Sheffield experts shine a light on the detection of bacterial infection
Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed polymers that fluoresce in the presence of bacteria, paving the way for the rapid detection and assessment of wound infection using ultra-violet light.
