What’s the story behind ASMR clips?

Quiet noises such as touching a microphone with your fingertips trigger a pleasant feeling in some people.
Photo Credit: © RUB, Marquard

Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum have published the first systematic review of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR).

Millions of people watch content creators on YouTube and social media platforms such as TikTok as they whisper soothing words, perform simulated role plays such as a visit to the hairdresser, or interact with certain objects such as the keyboard of a computer in a specific rhythm. About 25 to 30 percent of the viewers experience the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) associated with well-being, a characteristic tingling sensation on the scalp and neck. Tobias Lohaus of Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, together with Professor Patrizia Thoma (also Ruhr University) and Professor Silja Bellingrath (University of Duisburg-Essen), published the first systematic review on this topic. This systematic review reveals that, among other things, this phenomenon is associated with short-term positive effects on mental health. The research team published their findings in the journal Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice.

General aviation sector grounded by red tape and sky-high costs

Dr Lucas Tisdall piloting his plane.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of University of South Australia

Red tape, over-regulation, spiraling costs and a vacuum of government policy are putting significant pressure on the general aviation sector in Australia, according to a survey of industry chiefs.

Ageing infrastructure, thin profit margins and conflicts over airspace allocation are all contributing to pessimism in the non-airline civil aviation sector that employs thousands of people.

In a new paper published this month in Case Studies on Transport Policy, aviation experts from Queensland and the University of South Australia (UniSA) outline the issues plaguing the industry, most of which come down to a lack of policy direction in aviation.

The sector includes training, aeromedical, emergency response and charter services in rural and remote communities.

Interviews conducted with the principals of 21 aviation organizations reveal that outside of regulation, the main concerns are the costs associated with operating premises and airport infrastructure.

Extracellular vesicles captured using sustainable wood cellulose-based nanofiber sheets may identify and improve cancer treatment

Researchers developed a technique using cellulose nanofiber (CNF) sheets to capture extracellular vesicles (EVs). Extracting and analyzing EVs using this technology has the potential to revolutionize early cancer diagnosis and open the door to personalized medicine.
Image Credit: Takao Yasui

A research team in Japan, led by Nagoya University’s Akira Yokoi, has developed an innovative technique using cellulose nanofiber (CNF) sheets derived from wood cellulose to capture extracellular vesicles (EVs) from fluid samples and even organs during surgery. EVs are small structures from cancerous cells that play a crucial role in cell-to-cell communication. Extracting and analyzing EVs using this new technology has the potential to revolutionize early cancer diagnosis and open the door to personalized medicine. The researchers published their findings in Nature Communications. 

Cancer is notorious for its poor prognosis and in many cases goes undetected until its advanced stages, leaving patients with limited treatment options. Detecting the cancer early using EVs and analyzing them provides vital information on disease status and its progression. This should assist physicians in monitoring and adjusting personalized cancer treatment plans. However, researchers have been limited in previous attempts to use EVs due to the lack of an effective isolation strategy. 

Scientists are taking major steps towards completing the world’s first synthetic yeast.

Photo Credit: Karyna Panchenko

A UK-based team of Scientists, led by experts from the University of Nottingham and Imperial College London, have completed construction of a synthetic chromosome as part of a major international project to build the world’s first synthetic yeast genome.

The work, which is published today in Cell Genomics, represents completion of one of the 16 chromosomes of the yeast genome by the UK team, which is part of the biggest project ever in synthetic biology; the international synthetic yeast genome collaboration.

The collaboration, known as 'Sc2.0' has been a 15-year project involving teams from around the world (UK, US, China, Singapore, UK, France and Australia), working together to make synthetic versions of all of yeast's chromosomes. Alongside this paper, another 9 publications are also released today from other teams describing their synthetic chromosomes. The final completion of the genome project - the largest synthetic genome ever - is expected next year.

New antifungal molecule kills fungi without toxicity in human cells, mice

The mechanism for a critical but highly toxic antifungal is revealed in high resolution. Self-assembled Amphotericin B sponges (depicted in light blue) rapidly extract sterols (depicted in orange and white) from cells. This atomic level understanding yielded a novel kidney-sparing antifungal agent. 
Illustration Credit: Jose Vazquez

A new antifungal molecule, devised by tweaking the structure of prominent antifungal drug Amphotericin B, has the potential to harness the drug’s power against fungal infections while doing away with its toxicity, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison report in the journal Nature.

Amphotericin B, a naturally occurring small molecule produced by bacteria, is a drug used as a last resort to treat fungal infections. While AmB excels at killing fungi, it is reserved as a last line of defense because it also is toxic to the human patient – particularly the kidneys. 

Temperature increase triggers viral infection

Illustration of phage virus injecting its DNA into a cell
Illustration Credit: Alex Evilevitch and Ting Liu

Researchers at Lund University, together with colleagues at the NIST Synchrotron Facility in the USA, have mapped on an atomic level what happens in a virus particle when the temperature is raised.

"When the temperature rises, the virus's genetic material changes its form and density, becoming more fluid-like, which leads to its rapid injection into the cell," says Alex Evilevitch who led the study.

Viruses lack their own metabolism and the ability to replicate independently; they are entirely dependent on a host cell to multiply. Instead, the virus hijacks the internal machinery of the infected cell to produce new virus particles, which are then released and spread to infect other cells.

In most cases, the virus's genetic material, DNA, is enclosed within a protective protein shell called a capsid. A research group at Lund University is working to understand the process by which the virus ejects its genetic material from the capsid and into cells and what causes the virus's DNA to be released.

It all began with a study published in 2014, where the Lund University researchers observed that there seems to be a sudden change in the virus's genetic material when exposed to the infection temperature, around 37 degrees.

‘Alien’ wasps thriving in tropical forests, study finds

Dolichomitus
Photo Credit: Pjt56
(CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)

Researchers say they have discovered high diversity of Darwin wasps in a tropical rainforest in Brazil, wasps which were previously thought to thrive more in cooler habitats.

The wasps, which survive by living off host insects and spiders until adult-sized, were discovered on a mountain in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. The number of types found were similar to that previously found in the whole of the UK.

The latest findings adds to a growing body of evidence that debunks the widely held belief that the Darwin wasp does not thrive in tropical environments and points to the possibility of many wasp species unknown to researchers in the past.

Researchers say it also provides further evidence of the biodiversity of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest and the significance of protecting and restoring the land from the effects of climate change and damage caused by human activities.

Physicists trap electrons in a 3D crystal for the first time

The rare electronic state is thanks to a special cubic arrangement of atoms (pictured) that resembles the Japanese art of “kagome.” 
Image Credit: Courtesy of the researchers / MIT

Electrons move through a conducting material like commuters at the height of Manhattan rush hour. The charged particles may jostle and bump against each other, but for the most part they’re unconcerned with other electrons as they hurtle forward, each with their own energy.

But when a material’s electrons are trapped together, they can settle into the exact same energy state and start to behave as one. This collective, zombie-like state is what’s known in physics as an electronic “flat band,” and scientists predict that when electrons are in this state, they can start to feel the quantum effects of other electrons and act in coordinated, quantum ways. Then, exotic behavior such as superconductivity and unique forms of magnetism may emerge.

Now, physicists at MIT have successfully trapped electrons in a pure crystal. It is the first time that scientists have achieved an electronic flat band in a three-dimensional material. With some chemical manipulation, the researchers also showed they could transform the crystal into a superconductor — a material that conducts electricity with zero resistance.

Scientists engineer potent immune cells for ‘off-the-shelf’ cancer immunotherapy

Illustration Credit: Scientific Frontline

UCLA scientists have developed a new method to engineer more powerful immune cells that can potentially be used for “off-the-shelf” cell therapy to treat challenging cancers.

“Off-the-shelf” cell therapy, also known as allogenic therapy, uses immune cells derived from healthy donors instead of patients. The approach can bring cell therapies, like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, to more patients in a timelier manner, which is one of the major barriers in getting these life-saving treatments to patients.

“Time is often of the essence when it comes to treating people with advanced cancers,” said Lili Yang, associate professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Currently, these types of therapies need to be tailored to the individual patient. We have to extract white blood cells from a patient, genetically engineer the cells and then re-infuse them back into the patient. This process can take weeks to months and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat each patient.”

Experts predict ‘catastrophic ecosystem collapse’ of UK forests within the next 50 years if action not taken

Photo Credit: Greg Larcombe

A team of experts from across Europe has produced a list of 15 overlooked and emerging issues that are likely to have a significant impact on UK forests over the next 50 years.

This is the first ‘horizon scanning’ exercise – a technique to identify relatively unknown threats, opportunities, and new trends – of UK forests. The aim is to help researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and society in general, better prepare for the future and address threats before they become critical.

Dr Eleanor Tew, first author, visiting researcher at Cambridge’s Department of Zoology and Head of Forest Planning at Forestry England said: “The next 50 years will bring huge changes to UK forests: the threats they face, the way that we manage them, and the benefits they deliver to society.”

Forestry England, a part of the Forestry Commission, collaborated with the University of Cambridge on the study, which was published today in the journal, Forestry.

TUM makes first daily current measurements of changes in the earth's rotation

The ring laser in Wettzell has been continuously improved since its commissioning.
Photo Credit: Astrid Eckert / TUM 

Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have succeeded in measuring the earth's rotation more exactly than ever before. The ring laser at the Geodetic Observatory Wettzell can now be used to capture data at a quality level unsurpassed anywhere in the world. The measurements will be used in determining the earth's position in space, will benefit climate research and will make climate models more reliable.

Care to take a quick step down to the basement and see how fast the earth has been turning in the last few hours? Now you can at the Geodetic Observatory Wettzell. TUM researchers have improved the ring laser there so that it can provide daily current data, which until now has not been possible at comparable quality levels.

What exactly does the ring laser measure? On its journey through space the earth rotates on its axis at slightly varying speeds. In addition, the axis around which the planet spins is not completely static, it wobbles a bit. This is because our planet is not completely solid, but is made up of various component parts, some solid, some liquid. So, the insides of the earth itself are constantly in motion. These shifts in mass accelerate or brake the planet's rotation, differences which can be detected using measurement systems like the TUM ring laser.

Poison dart frogs: Personality determines reproductive strategies

The Allobates femoralis species of poison dart frogs follows different strategies during reproduction according to their behavioral type.
Photo Credit: Eva Ringler

Poison frogs of the species Allobates femoralis are common in the rainforests in South America. Their highly poisonous relatives, such as frogs of the genus Phyllobates, were frequently used by indigenous people of Colombia to extract toxins by rubbing the skin onto arrowheads for the purposes of hunting and fighting. Allobates femoralis frogs are not poisonous. Like many other animal species, however, they have distinct personality traits. Both the males and females, for example, may be particularly bold, aggressive, or eager to explore. Poison frogs mate with several partners over the course of a reproductive period and their character traits have a considerable influence on the reproductive strategies employed by individual animals. 

Most of the previous studies in other animal taxa have examined the effect of personality traits on a single measure of reproductive success. In two recently published studies, researchers in the Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Bern have presented new results on the effects of different combinations of personality traits in both males and females on different components of reproductive success. They examined the influence of personality on mating success, the number of clutches produced, as well as the numbers of offspring that survive into adulthood. The researchers were able to show that certain personality traits are already present in poison dart frogs at tadpole stage and that they also persist after the subsequent metamorphosis. 

Ural Scientists Have Synthesized a New Substance for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Scientists from the Ural Federal University, the Institute of Organic Synthesis of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, together with colleagues from India have developed a method for creating safe and non-toxic substances that could become the basis for drugs for Alzheimer's disease. Using the new technology, they synthesized and tested several compounds of tacrine analogues, which toxicity is estimated to be from two to five times lower than that of the known drug. The description of the new method and the compounds obtained was published in the Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry. 

"We believe that our technology will help to create safe substances that will become the basis for future drugs for Alzheimer's disease. Our studies have shown that the toxicity of the resulting substances is two to five times lower than that of tacrine. At the same time, they are effective as they help to increase the level of acetylcholine in the cerebral cortex, which slows down the destruction of neuronal connections. This allows patients to maintain their cognitive functions and lead an active and fulfilling life for as long as possible," explains Nibin Joy Muthipeedika, Senior Researcher at the UrFU Organic Synthesis Laboratory.

Why do climate models underestimate polar warming? ‘Invisible clouds’ could be the answer

Polar stratospheric clouds, also called nacreous or mother-of-pearl clouds, are not normally visible to the naked eye.
Photo Credit: Alan Light
(CC BY 4.0 DEED)

Stratospheric clouds over the Arctic may explain the differences seen between the polar warming calculated by climate models and actual recordings, find researchers from UNSW Sydney.  

The Earth’s average surface temperature has increased drastically since the start of the Industrial Revolution, but the warming effect seen at the poles is even more exaggerated. While existing climate models consider the increased heating in the Arctic and Antarctic poles, they often still underestimate the warming in these regions. This is especially true for climates millions of years ago, when greenhouse gas concentrations were very high. 

This is a problem because future climate projections are generated with these same models: if they do not produce enough warming for the past, we might underestimate polar warming – and therefore the associated risks, such as ice sheet or permafrost melting – for the future. 

This missing information caught the attention of scientists from the UNSW Climate Change Research Centre. 

How Mega-Floods can be Predicted

Flooding in Germany 2021
Photo Credit: Martin Seifert
Public Domain

When floods are predicted only on the basis of local data, there may be unpleasant surprises. A new method makes it possible to significantly improve predictions - using international data from hydrologically similar areas.

What can we expect in the worst-case scenario? In regions with a high risk of flooding, this is an important question: what extreme events should the protective measures be designed for? Often this is answered simply by looking at history: The worst flood events of the past decades or centuries are regarded as a realistic upper limit for what can be expected in the future.

However, this can be misleading, as so-called "mega-floods" have shown in recent years. Time and again, extreme flood events occur, extraordinary outliers that were not considered possible on the basis of local data. However, a major research project carried out under the leadership of TU Wien (Vienna) has now been able to demonstrate: If one considers the entire European continent, these local surprises are no longer surprising at all. If data from other regions with similar hydrological conditions is taken into account, the extent of these "mega-floods" suddenly becomes predictable. This has drastic consequences for the way in which flood protection must be dimensioned. The results have now been presented in the journal Nature Geoscience.