A team of Rice bioengineers has developed a mathematical model that clarifies why interleukin-12 ⎯ a potent immune-boosting protein that holds promise for cancer treatment ⎯ loses effectiveness over time when used as an immunotherapeutic.

BUFFALO, NY- November 6, 2024 – A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science), Volume 16, Issue 20 on October 24, 2024, entitled “On the lifespan of Enchytraeus crypticus - impact of iron (nanomaterial and salt) on aging.”

An epidemiological study found that 56% of a large breeding colony of Caspian terns died from a 2023 outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza at Rat Island in Washington state. Since then, no birds have successfully bred on the island, raising concerns that the outbreak may have had a significant impact on an already declining Pacific-coast population. As part of the study, researchers also documented that the avian flu virus H5N1was transmitted to harbor seals for the first time in the northeastern Pacific. While there has not been another large coastal wildlife outbreak of H5N1 since, researchers estimated that about 10-14% of the Caspian tern population in the Pacific flyway have been lost to H5N1 infections.

A new study by Tel Aviv University and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History has proven, for the first time, that bats can navigate in nature over many kilometers using only echolocation, without relying on other senses.

Professor Igor Lesanovsky from the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the University of Tübingen, Professor Ferdinand Schmidt-Kaler from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Professor Markus Hennrich from the University of Stockholm have been awarded a Synergy Grant from the European Research Council (ERC). Their research project uses quantum simulators consisting of electronically excited ion crystals to tackle unsolved questions in physics, but also to illuminate complex processes in chemistry, biology, and information processing. The ERC is providing funds of nearly EUR 10 million over a period of six years. Around EUR 3.5 million of these are earmarked for the research at JGU.

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have found that administering the dried seeds of a type of jujube called Ziziphus jujuba Miller var. spinosa, used as a medicinal herb in traditional Chinese medicine, holds promise in restoring cognitive and motor function in model mice.