A new research article, with lead authors from the University of Gothenburg, gives indications of the best places in Iceland to build thermal power stations.

In Iceland, heat is extracted for use in power plants directly from the ground in volcanic areas. Constructing a geothermal power station near a volcano can be beneficial, since Earth’s mantle is located relatively close to the crust in those areas, making the heat easily accessible. This means that the boreholes do not need to be very deep and the pipes to the power plant can be short.

To treat sea lice infections in aquaculture, veterinary medicines are widely used. However, these medicines may cause collateral damage.

Sea lice are a group of marine copepods living as parasites and severely affecting the fitness of the host fish, especially farmed fish, such as salmonids. Emamectin benozoate (EMB), an efficient insecticide in terrestrial pest control, is used to kill sea lice and combat sea lice infections in high-intensity salmonid aquaculture. Although beneficial for ensuring healthy fish and maintaining cost-effective production of salmonids, the use of EMB has become controversial due to reported adverse effects on non-target species that are considered key for maintaining a healthy environment.

To treat sea lice infections in aquaculture, veterinary medicines are widely used. However, these medicines may cause collateral damage.

27 February 2017 — 02 March 2017 Graphene Flagship

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Venue: Graphene Experience Zone at the 2017 Mobile World Congress (MWC)

The Graphene Flagship and ICFO, with support from the GSMA, present the Graphene Experience Zone at the 2017 Mobile World Congress (MWC). MWC is the world's largest gathering for the mobile industry, (with over 100,000 attendees), and will be held from 27 February to 2 March 2017 in Barcelona. The Graphene Experience Zone will showcase the latest achievements and innovations from the graphene community in an interactive and accessible way.

I ricercatori dell’Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”, coordinati da Claudio Sette, docente di Anatomia Umana, hanno evidenziato il ruolo della proteina Sam68 nell’autorinnovamento e differenziamento delle cellule chiamate “progenitori neurali”, dalle quali si svillupano i neuroni adulti. Come si legge nello studio pubblicato su eLife, rivista scientifica open acces, la proteina Sam68 permette un corretto processamento del pre-mRNA, la molecola nella quale vengono copiate le istruzioni contenute in un gene. Il meccanismo descritto nello studio riveste un ruolo fondamentale nella regolazione dello sviluppo del sistema nervoso.  Problemi relativi a questo processo determinano l’insorgenza di malattie sia neurologiche che neurodegenerative, come l’autismo o la sclerosi laterale amiotrofica. La scoperta di Sam68 permetterà di studiare se difetti nell’espressione o nel funzionamento di questa nuova proteina contribuiscono a patologie del sistema nervoso e, se così fosse, trovare il modo per contrastarli.

In future, it may be possible to use nanofibres to improve the attachment of bone implants, or the fibres may be used directly to scaffold bone regeneration. This would aid the healing of fractures and may enable the care of osteoporosis. This is detailed in a new dissertation.

Stem cells are among the most energetically activated, migratory and proliferative sub-populations of tumour cells, according to observations by scholars at the Biomedical Research Centre at the University of Salford. Cancerous stem cells are often left behind after chemotherapy with the potential to create new tumours – a process called recurrence and metastasis.

Il sistema binario della famiglia dei polari intermedi fa registrare un comportamento anomalo: stop ai rifornimenti di gas dalla prima stella alla nana bianca sua compagna e "trend" di luce negativo
“Rifornimenti” interrotti nel cielo dell’Acquario.

C’era una volta una strana coppia stellare chiusa in un sistema binario, composta da una nana bianca e da una compagna "generosa", che inviava gas alla prima nutrendola e agevolandone i processi di accrescimento. I due soggetti dello studio, condotto dai ricercatori dell’Università di Notre Dame, sono due astri che abitano nella nostra galassia a 500 anni luce dalla Terra, in corrispondenza della costellazione dell’Acquario: racchiuse in un sistema binario di tipo polare intermedio noto come FO Aquarii, le due stelle hanno fatto registrare un comportamento anomalo.

It’s the big astrophysical whodunnit. Across the Universe, galaxies are being killed and the question scientists want answered is, what’s killing them?

New research published today by a global team of researchers, based at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), seeks to answer that question. The study reveals that a phenomenon called ram-pressure stripping is more prevalent than previously thought, driving gas from galaxies and sending them to an early death by depriving them of the material to make new stars.

Captured image marks an important milestone as AlSat Nano is Algeria’s first CubeSat mission.

Surrey Space Centre (SSC), University of Surrey was responsible for the design, build and verification of the spacecraft including a training program for Algerian students, as well as supporting development of a ground station in Algeria and training their operators.

AlSat Nano stuck to a tight development schedule, with less than 18 months between payload selection and flight readiness, allowing UK industry and academia to stay ahead of the curve in the competitive global CubeSat market.