[Metabolic Disease] Pacemaker cells for insulin release
Pancreatic islets keep blood glucose levels in check. When glucose is too high, β cells within the islets release insulin, which promotes glucose removal from the blood. But Johnson – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - September 1, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Paula A. Kiberstis Tags: Metabolic Disease Source Type: research
[Biophysics] Mechanical coupling of heart cells
Myocytes in adult hearts control the heartbeat through electrical signaling, which propagates contractions to neighboring cells. However, Chiou et al. now report that the developing – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - September 1, 2016 Category: Science Authors: L. Bryan Ray Tags: Biophysics Source Type: research
[Water Quality] Drinking water —and what else?
Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are everywhere, and they are persistent. Exposure to these compounds has been linked to several adverse health effects, so identification – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - September 1, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Nicholas S. Wigginton Tags: Water Quality Source Type: research
[Celestial Mechanics] The closest quasi-satellite to Earth
A quasi-satellite orbits close to a planet, circling the Sun with the same orbital period, but it is not gravitationally bound to the planet. The fifth known quasi-satellite of Earth – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - September 1, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Keith T. Smith Tags: Celestial Mechanics Source Type: research
[Gut Evolution] Just passing through
Our understanding of how guts evolved has included a long-held misconception. Despite reports dating back to the 1800s of a gut with more than one opening in metazoans (jellies and – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - August 31, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Sacha Vignieri Tags: Gut Evolution Source Type: research
[Materials Chemistry] A framework for drug delivery
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are attractive candidates for drug delivery if they can be formed from low-toxicity materials. Levine et al. noted that olsalazine, a low-toxicity – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - August 25, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Phil Szuromi Tags: Materials Chemistry Source Type: research
[Piezoelectrics] Making vibration sensors noble
Piezoelectric materials produce an electrical current in response to mechanical stress, making them exceptional vibration sensors and actuators. Piezoelectric materials tend to be oxides, – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - August 25, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Brent Grocholski Tags: Piezoelectrics Source Type: research
[Psychology] Slow-motion state of mind
Memory is fallible and therefore a potentially unreliable source of information in a court of law. Much better would be video evidence of a crime. Caruso et al. show that this – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - August 25, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Guy Riddihough Tags: Psychology Source Type: research
[Paleoecology] Climate change and megafaunal extinction
Woolly mammoths went extinct on the Asian and North American mainlands at the end of the last glaciation 13 to 14 thousand years ago. However, small relict populations are known to – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - August 25, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Andrew M. Sugden Tags: Paleoecology Source Type: research
[Optics] An integrated route to frequency combs
A frequency comb is a light source that provides a spectrum of precisely spaced wavelengths, the range of which can sometimes span over an octave. Such a light source can find a broad – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - August 25, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Ian S. Osborne Tags: Optics Source Type: research
[Development] Microtubule sliding during Drosophila development
The motor protein kinesin carries cargo to locations in the cell by moving along microtubules. Kinesin-1 can also move microtubules relative to each other. Winding et al. show – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - August 24, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Valda Vinson Tags: Development Source Type: research
[RNA Stability] Codon optimality at genome transition
Nucleotide triplets, or codons, designate specific amino acids for protein synthesis. However, that is not their only job. In yeast and bacteria, codons contribute to RNA stability, – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - August 11, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Beverly A. Purnell Tags: RNA Stability Source Type: research
[Climate Warming] Warming our world
How much will human emissions of carbon dioxide cause global temperatures to rise? The magnitude of that warming depends a great deal on the response of clouds: If clouds reflect more – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - August 11, 2016 Category: Science Authors: H. Jesse Smith Tags: Climate Warming Source Type: research
[Ecophysiology] Staying away for the long haul
Frigatebirds can fly without stopping for months. Such long flights, however, present considerable challenges to some physiological processes, notably sleep. Scientists think that birds – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - August 11, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Sacha Vignieri Tags: Ecophysiology Source Type: research
[Magnetism] Measuring the elusive interaction
When two spins interact, the part of the interaction that changes sign when the spins are exchanged is called the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya (DM) interaction. The DM interaction favors nonparallel – [Read More] (Source: Editors' Choice)
Source: Editors' Choice - August 11, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Jelena Stajic Tags: Magnetism Source Type: research
