Combatting dry eye
New targets for therapies for the common condition of dry eye disease may be in sight, researchers report. The team of US researchers found that, in mice with dry eye disease, the cornea activated expression of the gene SPARC.
Plant CO2 sensor
Scientists have identified a sensor for controlling CO2 uptake by plants – a discovery that could help to engineer crops for better productivity or drought tolerance.
Leishmaniasis progress
A new project has been launched in Eastern Africa to enhance diagnosis and treatment of leishmaniasis, a vector-borne disease transmitted by sandflies and caused by protozoa.
Sounding out green H2
Hydrogen is likely to be pivotal in the transition to a clean-energy economy. Now, Australian researchers have come up with an approach that could make green hydrogen more attractive commercially.
Affordable diagnostics
Researchers from the University of Glasgow, UK, have taken the lead in an international undertaking ‘to provide Sub-Saharan Africa with portable, reliable and affordable methods to diagnose diseases’.
Dietary restriction for flies
Removing a single essential dietary amino acid makes fruit flies more resistant to chemicals such as nicotine, a new study has found. In people, this approach could potentially provide protection against physical traumas such as surgery or chemotherapy.
Rinse aid discovery
An ingredient in professional dishwasher detergents could damage the gut wall and trigger inflammation, according to a study of human epithelial cells. The intestinal barrier is a crucial defense against foreign substances entering the bloodstream, but there is a suspicion among some researchers that chemical agents such as surfactants may damage this barrier, exposing the immune system to pro-inflammatory agents and gut bacteria.
Tetrazine isomer clicks
Fast, high yielding ‘click chemistry’ reactions earned scientists the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2022. One of the fastest click chemistry reactions involves 1,2,4,5-tetrazines with strained azadienophiles. Now scientists in California report the synthesis of 1,2,3,5-tetrazines, a family of compounds that hold great promise for pharmaceuticals, biological probes and other chemical products.
Toughest metal alloy
The toughest material ever recorded has been made in the US. The alloy comprises chromium, cobalt and nickel (CrCoNi) and its strength and ductility improved in liquid helium down to temperatures as low as 20K. Read the news article.
Sensor for ore sorting
A mining services company in Australia has won a global award for a new ore sorting technology to spot uneconomical low-grade ore. The technology was developed by CSIRO, the Australian government’s research organisation, and licensed to the company NextOre.