Explainer: What are chemical bonds?

Imagine a glass jar holding 118 types of building blocks. Every type is a slightly different color, size and shape. And each represents an atom of a different element on the periodic table. With enough jars, you can use the blocks to build anything — as long as you follow a few simple rules. A

New recycling technologies could keep more plastic out of landfills

It feels good to recycle. When you sort soda bottles and plastic bags from the rest of your garbage, it seems like you’re helping the planet. The more plastic you put in the blue bin, the more you’re keeping out of landfills, right? Wrong. No matter how much plastic you try to recycle, most ends

Transcriptomic alterations in malignant pleural mesothelioma cells in response to long‑term treatment with bullfrog sialic acid‑binding lectin

Molecular Medicine Reports 2021 June [Link] Takeo Tatsuta, Arisu Nakasato, Shigeki Sugawara, Masahiro Hosono Abstract Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a universally lethal type of cancer that is increasing in incidence worldwide; therefore, the development of new drugs for MPM is an urgent task. Bullfrog sialic acid‑binding lectin (cSBL) is a multifunctional protein that has

Here’s why people picked certain stars as constellations

The Big Dipper’s stars are a celestial landmark. Visible in the Northern Hemisphere’s night sky, the stars draw out a shape like a scoop with a handle. Beginner stargazers can easily pick it out. Now, scientists have shown that three factors can explain why certain groups of stars form such recognizable patterns. One is how

Effect of IL-15 addition on asbestos-induced suppression of human cytotoxic T lymphocyte induction

Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 2021 [Link] Naoko Kumagai-Takei, Yasumitsu Nishimura, Hidenori Matsuzaki, Suni Lee, Kei Yoshitome, Tatsuo Ito, Takemi Otsuki Abstract Background: Asbestos fibers possess tumorigenicity and are thought to cause mesothelioma. We have previously reported that exposure to asbestos fibers causes a reduction in antitumor immunity. Asbestos exposure in the mixed lymphocyte reaction

Patterns in brain activity can identify who will struggle to read

Reading involves several different areas of the brain. A new study finds that connections between these regions can predict how well someone reads. Surprisingly, new data show that the connections that develop while doing mental math computations also predict reading ability. Chris McNorgan works at the University at Buffalo in New York. As a cognitive

Level up your demonstration: Make it an experiment

Science demonstrations can be real crowd pleasers. In fact, Camille Schrier won the 2020 Miss America crown after performing a science demonstration during the talent portion of the competition. On stage, she mixed common chemicals to create massive mountains of steaming foam — a trick often called “elephant toothpaste.” It wowed the judges. But as

Sulforaphane inhibits PRMT5 and MEP50 function to suppress the mesothelioma cancer cell phenotype

Molecular Carcinogenesis 2021 April 19 [Link] Geraldine Ezeka, Gautam Adhikary, Sivaveera Kandasamy, Joseph S Friedberg, Richard L Eckert Abstract Mesothelioma is a highly aggressive cancer of the mesothelial lining that is caused by exposure to asbestos. Surgical resection followed by chemotherapy is the current treatment strategy, but this is marginally successful and leads to drug-resistant

Scientists Say: Pi

Pi (noun “pye”) This is a mathematical constant — a number whose value never changes. Symbolized by Greek letter π, pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference — the distance around the outer edge — to its diameter, the length across its center. That ratio is always pi to one. The number pi is

Dinosaur-killing asteroid radically changed Earth’s tropical forests

Some 66 million years ago, a very different type of rainforest thrived in what is now Colombia. Ferns unfurled. Towering conifers reached for the skies. Flowering shrubs bathed in the sunlight that streamed down to them through large gaps in the canopy between those trees. Then an asteroid crashed into Earth. Overnight, everything changed. The