Biologists discover a key regulator in the pacemakers of our brain and heart

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T-type channels in pond snails and other invertebrates are similar to those found in humans. Biologists have discovered how an outer shield over T-type channels change the electrochemical signaling of heart and brain cells. Understanding how these shields work will help researchers eventually develop a new class of drugs for treating epilepsy, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Although pond snails reach only seven cm in length, its simple neural network and physiology make it a popular model organism with neurobiologists. Credit: University of Waterloo Biologists have discovered how an outer shield over T-type channels change the electrochemical signaling of heart and brain cells. Understanding how these shields work will help researchers eventually develop a new class of drugs for treating epilepsy, cardiovascular disease and cancer. The study from the University of Waterloo is published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry today and is featured as the “Paper of the Week” for its significance. The researchers discovered T-type channels in the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, can shift from using calcium ions to using sodium ions to generate the electrical signal because of an outer shield of amino acids called a turret situated above the channel’s entrance. Low voltage T-type channels generate tiny pulses of current at regular

The post Biologists discover a key regulator in the pacemakers of our brain and heart has been published on Technology Org.

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1. Structure of sodium channels different than previously believed

 
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Nanowire bridging transistors open way to next-generation electronics

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A new approach to integrated circuits, combining atoms of semiconductor materials into nanowires and structures on top of silicon surfaces, shows promise for a new generation of fast, robust electronic and photonic devices. Engineers at the University of California, Davis, have recently demonstrated three-dimensional nanowire transistors using this approach that open exciting opportunities for integrating other semiconductors, such as gallium nitride, on silicon substrates.



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Carina Nebula, Star Forming Gas-cloud Sculpture Stickers

Here's a great sheet of stickers featuring a beautiful image from deep space

Carina Nebula, Star Forming Gas-cloud Sculpture Stickers

tagged with: billowing interstellar gas clouds, cnbigc, star forming activity, carina nebula, amazing space sculpture, star nurseries, stellar winds, young hot stars, gas cloud sculpture

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A beautiful space photograph featuring the 7500 light year distant Carina Nebula. This Hubble image shows rich, interstellar gas clouds feeding the formation of new stars. As a proto star forms, the gas clouds get dragged to its surface and some gets emitted as tight jets of material travelling at hundreds of miles per second. These in turn help sculpt the gas clouds into weird and grotesque shapes, some looking like strange worms, swimming through space.

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Image credit: NASA, the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI) and ESA

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A Live View from the International Space Station

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Rare earth ions in a crystal become candidate for a quantum memory

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(Phys.org) —A promising material is lining itself up as a candidate for a quantum memory. A team at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Erlangen is the first to succeed in performing high-resolution spectroscopy and microscopy on individual rare earth ions in a crystal. With the aid of ingenious laser and microscopy technology they determined the position of triply charged positive praseodymium atoms (Pr3+) in an yttrium orthosilicate to within a few nanometres and investigated their weak interaction with light. In addition to its impact on fundamental studies, the work may make an important contribution to the quantum computers of the future because the ions investigated are suitable for storing and processing quantum information.



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Addition of pectin molecules strengthens silk biomaterials

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Figure 1: The addition of pectin to silk proteins produces a soft, tissue-like hydrogel (left) with a complex microstructure (right) that results in exceptional strength. Modified from Ref. 1 and licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. Credit: K. Numata et. al The human body has limited ability to self-repair damage to cartilage or bone. Implantable ‘bioscaffold’ materials that can be seeded with cells can potentially be used to regenerate these critical tissues. One such biomaterial under consideration is silk hydrogel—a nontoxic, natural substance produced by combining silk proteins with water to form an aqueous gel. Keiji Numata from the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science and colleagues have now devised a way to reinforce silk-based bioscaffolds through the addition of pectin-based fibers. Due to their high bound water content, silk hydrogels have been shown to accelerate the growth of human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) adhesion proteins. hMSCs can differentiate into bone and cartilage cells and are therefore ideal precursors for tissue regeneration strategies. Unfortunately, silk hydrogels often have insufficient mechanical strength for practical applications. To boost the elasticity and mechanical strength of silk hydrogels, Numata and his colleagues turned to pectin, a polysaccharide found in plant cells that is widely used as a food

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Colin Pillinger, 70, Dies; Set Europe’s Eye on Space

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Dr. Pillinger led a shoestring effort to put a European lander on Mars — a mission that failed to reach its destination, but succeeded in elevating the profile of space exploration in Europe.















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Radiation from early universe found key to answer major questions in physics

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Astrophysicists have measured the minute gravitational distortions in polarized radiation from the early universe and discovered that these ancient microwaves can provide an important cosmological test of Einstein's theory of general relativity.

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Odd planet, so far from its star: Gas giant 155 light years from our solar system

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A gas giant has been added to the short list of exoplanets discovered through direct imaging. It is located around GU Psc, a star three times less massive than the Sun and located in the constellation Pisces.

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Carina Nebula - Breathtaking Universe Star Sticker

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Carina Nebula - Breathtaking Universe Star Sticker

tagged with: star clusters, galaxies, starfields, constellation puppis, the stern, star nurseries, nebulae, space exploration, universe photographs, hrbstslr stlrnrsry, european southern observatory, eso, vista

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A gorgeous set of oval stickers showing the area surrounding the stellar cluster NGC 2467, located in the southern constellation of Puppis ("The Stern"). With an age of a few million years at most, it is a very active stellar nursery, where new stars are born continuously from large clouds of dust and gas.

The image, looking like a colourful cosmic ghost or a gigantic celestial Mandrill, contains the open clusters Haffner 18 (centre) and Haffner 19 (middle right: it is located inside the smaller pink region - the lower eye of the Mandrill), as well as vast areas of ionised gas.

The bright star at the centre of the largest pink region on the bottom of the image is HD 64315, a massive young star that is helping shaping the structure of the whole nebular region.

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ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA www.eso.org
Reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

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