Ultimi Articoli

Maní, 1562: the day the World Ended

Maní, 1562: the day the World Ended

07 Luglio 2025

Twilight settled heavily upon Maní that day, but it was...

Droni e Blockchain: la nuova frontiera della gestione delle emergenze in tempo reale

Droni e Blockchain: la nuova frontiera della gestione delle emergenze in tempo reale

04 Luglio 2025

Un team internazionale guidato dalla School of Computer Science della...

Una spugna solare per desalinizzare il mare: Aerogel 3D e acqua potabile a basso consumo

Una spugna solare per desalinizzare il mare: Aerogel 3D e acqua potabile a basso consumo

04 Luglio 2025

La scarsità di acqua potabile è una delle sfide ambientali...

Il viroma intestinale: virus che guariscono e rivoluzionano la medicina di precisione.

Il viroma intestinale: virus che guariscono e rivoluzionano la medicina di precisione.

03 Luglio 2025

Nel vasto universo del microbiota intestinale umano, i protagonisti più...

Pediatri di famiglia: un allarme nazionale con epicentro al Nord

Pediatri di famiglia: un allarme nazionale con epicentro al Nord

03 Luglio 2025

Mancano almeno 502 pediatri di famiglia in Italia, con il...

L’efficienza delle piante nel “catturare” il carbonio

L’efficienza delle piante nel “catturare” il carbonio

03 Luglio 2025

Uno studio internazionale, al quale ha contribuito anche il Cnr-Isafom,...

Next-Generation Fitness: personalizzazione dell’esercizio attraverso "Enduromics" e "Resistomics"

Next-Generation Fitness: personalizzazione dell’esercizio attraverso "Enduromics" e "Resistomics"

01 Luglio 2025

L’esercizio fisico è universalmente riconosciuto come uno degli strumenti più...

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Luglio 2025

Chemists at the University of Basel have been able to show for the first time that anaerobic bacteria can produce the vitamin ergothioneine in the absence of oxygen. This suggests that bacteria were forming this compound even before there was oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere. The vitamin’s function therefore remains a mystery, as it was previously ascribed a role in oxygen-dependent processes.

Ergothioneine is a sulfur-containing vitamin. Whereas bacteria and fungi can produce it themselves, higher organisms rely on absorbing it from food or from the ground. It is suspected that ergothioneine plays an important physiological role in combating oxidative stress in cells. However, its precise role remains unclear. There are currently no known symptoms of its deficiency, which explains why the vitamin has long been overlooked. To gain a better understanding of its function, the group led by Professor Florian Seebeck at the University of Basel’s Department of Chemistry is researching the sequence of chemical reactions by which bacteria produce the vitamin. Scientists have long been aware of an oxygen-dependent reaction pathway in which a key step is the formation of a carbon–sulfur bond using oxygen from the air. Until now, however, studies had only focused on aerobic organisms, which require oxygen in order for their metabolism to operate.

Pubblicato in Scienceonline

 

 European bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Illustration by Citron

 

We may be underestimating the long-term impact of oil spills on fish, particularly their ability to tolerate low oxygen environments, according to research from the University of British Columbia (UBC), the Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO) and L'Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (Ifremer). The new study tested the capacity of European sea bass to perform not just in typical seawater but also in low-oxygen level sea water. Researchers used a novel integrated respiratory assessment paradigm (IRAP) to screen both the fish’s aerobic capacity and tolerance for low-oxygen (hypoxic) levels, grouping the fish into hypoxia tolerant and hypoxia sensitive phenotypic groups. They then exposed the fish to dispersed crude oil for 48 hours. The fish’s performance was retested nearly six months later—much longer than most previous studies – to see if the exposure to oil had residual effects.

Pubblicato in Scienceonline

 

 

The Nobel prize in Physics 2017 has been awarded to Rainer Weiss, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Barry C Barish and Kip S Thorne, both of the California Institute of Technology, for their work on constructing the Ligo gravitational wave detector and the amazing record of those waves.The waves, which were predicted by Albert Einstein a hundred years ago, came from a collision between two black holes, more than a thousand million years ago. According to the Nobel committee "The signal was extremely weak when it reached Earth, but is already promising a revolution in astrophysics. Gravitational waves are an entirely new way of observing the most violent events in space and testing the limits of our knowledge." The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) was designed to detect the gravitational waves predicted by Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. The prediction of these waves (GWs), oscillations in the space–time metric that propagate at the speed of light, is one of the most profound differences between Einstein's general theory of relativity and the Newtonian theory of gravity that it replaced.

Pubblicato in Scienceonline

According to a research conducted at the University of Jyväskylä, estrogen acts as a regulator of muscle energy metabolism and muscle cell viability. Menopause leads to the cessation of ovarian estrogen production concurrent to the deterioration of muscle function. After menopause, the risk of metabolic diseases also increases. Although a healthy lifestyle does not increase the amount of estrogen in circulation, it reduces risks. The well-known symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, mood swings and other so-called women’s troubles. The consequences of the menopausal withdrawal of estrogen production are, however, broader than commonly assumed. Menopause accelerates the aging changes of many tissues, of which perhaps the most known and well-studied is osteoporosis. The effects of estrogen on skeletal muscles are not yet well known. The study from the University of Jyväskylä discovered that estrogen acts as an upstream regulator for the energy metabolism and viability of muscle cells.

Pubblicato in Scienceonline

 

 

Research points to a new model of mental health service delivery that can save therapist time and money.



A stepped care model of treatment for youth with anxiety can be effectively delivered using at least 14% less therapist time than traditional treatment service, reports a study published in the October 2017 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP). In today's stretched economy, finding cheaper and more efficient ways to spend our public health dollars is critical. Mental health professionals can now treat young people with anxiety disorders effectively. But professional treatment comes at a cost. Standard, scientifically proven treatments for youth with anxiety usually require 15 to 20 hours of input from a mental health professional. Finding ways to reduce this time but still maintain good outcomes is the next research frontier.

Pubblicato in Scienceonline

 

 

Traditional Chinese medicine is widely used as a form of complementary medicine all over the world for various indications and for improving general health. Proprietary Chinese medicines (pCMs)—which are composed solely of Chinese medicines and formulated in a finished dose form—are generally believed to be natural and safe, but a new analysis in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reveals serious dangers.

Various reports have documented the adulteration of pCMs and health products with undeclared agents, including prescription drugs, drug analogues, and banned drugs. Such adulation can have serious and even fatal consequences. To examine the problem, Tony Wing Lai Mak, MBChB, MBA, FRCPath, FRCPA, FHKCPath, FHKAM(Path), Chor Kwan Ching, MBChB, MSc, FRCPA, FHKAM (Pathology), and their colleagues at the only tertiary referral clinical toxicology laboratory in Hong Kong retrospectively reviewed cases involving use of pCMs or health products adulterated with undeclared drugs referred to the centre from 2005 to 2015.

Pubblicato in Scienceonline

 

 A study has given new insights into how sleep contributes to brain plasticity – the ability for our brain to change and reorganise itself – and could pave the way for new ways to help people with learning and memory disorders.

Researchers at the Humboldt and Charité Universities in Berlin, led by Dr Julie Seibt from the University of Surrey, used cutting edge techniques to record activity in a particular region of brain cells that is responsible for holding new information – the dendrites. The study, published in Nature Communications, found that activity in dendrites increases when we sleep, and that this increase is linked to specific brain waves that are seen to be key to how we form memories. Dr Julie Seibt, Lecturer in Sleep and Plasticity at the University of Surrey and lead author of the study, said: “Our brains are amazing and fascinating organs – they have the ability to change and adapt based on our experiences. It is becoming increasingly clear that sleep plays an important role in these adaptive changes. Our study tells us that a large proportion of these changes may occur during very short and repetitive brain waves called spindles.

Pubblicato in Scienceonline
Lunedì, 02 Ottobre 2017 09:24

La scuola hi-tech in gara

Sulla scia del successo delle precedenti edizioni, il concorso ‘InvFactor - anche tu genio’, organizzato dall’Istituto di ricerche sulla popolazione e le politiche sociali del Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche (Irpps-Cnr) e dalla Rappresentanza in Italia della Commissione Europea, torna a selezionare le migliori invenzioni create dagli studenti nei laboratori scolastici. La premiazione dei tre vincitori 2017 si è tenuta il 28 settembre a Roma, presso lo Spazio Europa.

Primo classificato è il progetto proposto dall’Iti ‘G. M. Angioy’ di Sassari: ‘Sintesi e applicazione green di nanoparticelle di rame’. L’aspetto importante e innovativo di questo procedimento sta nel fatto che la sintesi, che ha lo scopo di creare un nuovo materiale conduttivo, è realizzata attraverso una ‘green way’, ovvero con l'utilizzo di prodotti naturali, a partire da un infuso di foglie di alloro. Tali nanoparticelle evidenziano proprietà conduttive se disperse in gomma arabica, pertanto si potrebbe pensare a un utilizzo di questo metodo ecocompatibile per la realizzazione di circuiti, resistenze e pannelli touch a basso costo. 

Pubblicato in Scienza generale

 

 

‘Buried beneath the sands’ exhibition to take place at University of Leicester until 12 November

The rediscovery of Ancient Egyptian monuments, temples and tombs during the 19th century by pioneering adventurers will be charted as part of a new exhibition running at the University of Leicester until 12 November.  

Titled ‘Buried beneath the sands: Unearthing Ancient Egypt’, the exhibition is brought to life through a number of beautiful contemporary images which showcase the majesty of the Pyramids of Giza, the Great Temple at Abu Simbel and a number of other iconic structures – some of the most exceptionally preserved monuments in history.   The exhibition celebrates the achievements of Egyptologist and adventurer Giovanni Belzoni, who was the first to set foot inside Abu Simbel, which had been sealed for centuries beneath the sands of the desert. Belzoni’s exploits in Egypt have aroused strong feelings among some archaeologists – he used a battering ram to open sealed doorways in the Valley of the King and he carved his name (together with those of his companions) on the north wall of the temple sanctuary at Abu Simbel.

Pubblicato in Scienceonline

Frequent sauna bathing reduces the risk of elevated blood pressure, according to an extensive follow-up population-based study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland. The risk of developing elevated blood pressure was nearly 50% lower among men who had a sauna 4–7 times a week compared to men who had a sauna only once a week. These findings were published recently in the American Journal of Hypertension.

The same researchers have previously shown that frequent sauna bathing reduces the risk of sudden cardiac death, and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Elevated blood pressure is documented to be one of the most important risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. According to the research group, underlying protective mechanisms may include the beneficial effects of regular sauna bathing on blood pressure.

Pubblicato in Scienceonline

Medicina

Il viroma intestinale: virus che guariscono e rivoluzionano la medicina di precisione.

Il viroma intestinale: virus che guariscono e rivoluzionano la medicina di precisione.

03 Luglio 2025

Nel vasto universo del microbiota intestinale umano, i protagonisti più...

Paleontologia

Quanhucun: Un viaggio nel neolitico cinese e il mistero dei gatti dell'antico granaio

Quanhucun: Un viaggio nel neolitico cinese e il mistero dei gatti dell'antico granaio

25 Giugno 2025

Immaginate di tornare indietro nel tempo di 5.300 anni, nelle fertili pianure dello Shaanxi,...

Geografia e Storia

Las Loras: Un Paesaggio Forgiato dalla Potenza Tettonica e Milioni di Anni di Erosione

Las Loras: Un Paesaggio Forgiato dalla Potenza Tettonica e Milioni di Anni di Erosione

26 Giugno 2025

Come si sono formati i celebri altopiani calcarei (loras) del Geoparco Mondiale UNESCO di...

Astronomia e Spazio

Scienze Naturali e Ambiente

L’efficienza delle piante nel “catturare” il carbonio

L’efficienza delle piante nel “catturare” il carbonio

03 Luglio 2025

Uno studio internazionale, al quale ha contribuito anche il Cnr-Isafom, ha...

 

Scienzaonline con sottotitolo Sciencenew  - Periodico
Autorizzazioni del Tribunale di Roma – diffusioni:
telematica quotidiana 229/2006 del 08/06/2006
mensile per mezzo stampa 293/2003 del 07/07/2003
Scienceonline, Autorizzazione del Tribunale di Roma 228/2006 del 29/05/06
Pubblicato a Roma – Via A. De Viti de Marco, 50 – Direttore Responsabile Guido Donati

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