South Africa is slowly lifting out of the water – by up to two millimeters per year depending on the region. It had been assumed up to now that this phenomenon was due to mantle flow in the Earth’s crust. However, a study carried out by the University of Bonn now provides another explanation: Droughts and the associated water loss are the main reason for this land uplift. The results have now been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

If the protein TDP-43 is defective inside a nerve cell it can form neurotoxic aggregates, which are the cause of the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Nerve cells are also damaged by TDP-43 in Alzheimer's dementia. A research team led by Goethe University has now succeeded in preventing these aggregates by manipulating the protein so that it is transported to the cell's own repair system. The study was carried out as part of the Cluster4Future PROXIDRUGS. The cluster is researching a new class of drugs that reprogram cellular systems to render disease-relevant proteins harmless.

A recent study in Engineering reveals that bank filtration (BF) can be a highly effective pretreatment for gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration. This approach addresses common issues in GDM systems, such as poor permeate quality and low stable flux when treating polluted water, offering a sustainable and practical solution.

The Chinese caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) is a valuable traditional medicine, also known throughout Asia by its Tibetan name དབྱར་རྩྭ་དགུན་འབུ (Yartsa Gunbu), meaning “summer grass, winter worm”. The mature fungus O. sinensis contains abundant active biological components, including polysaccharides, alkaloids, amino acids, inorganic elements, and others. Studies have previously confirmed that O. sinensis possesses multiple pharmacological activities. Therefore, it holds high value in the commercial market and is in increasing demand. However, the unique formation process and harsh growth environment contribute to the preciousness and scarcity of the species. To meet market demand, multiple mycelium types have been isolated from natural O. sinensis and cultivated artificially using fermentation technology. Currently, both natural and cultivated O. sinensis products are available as healthy Chinese herbal medicines on the market. However, there is a lack of comparative reviews on the two types of O. sinensis in terms of their compositions and medicinal functions. This mini-review will focus on the bioactive ingredients and medicinal functions of both natural and cultivated O. sinensis, intending to elucidate their medical values as traditional Chinese medicines for human use.

 

Enhanced Durability of Fire-Safe Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries via Electron Sponge Technology

- Dendrite suppression in aqueous zinc-ion batteries via anodic electron sponge for fast electron uptake

- Complete dendrite suppression achieves threefold durability and sustains over 2,500 charge-discharge cycles - Published in the January Issue of Nature Communications (IF 14.7), a leading international journal

Researchers Dr. Jung Hoon Yang and Dr. Chan-Woo Lee of the Energy Storage Research Department at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (President: Chang-Keun Yi, hereinafter referred to as ‘KIER’) have developed a novel copper oxide-based electrode material and successfully applied it to aqueous zinc-ion batteries, achieving a threefold improvement in durability.

If you haven’t heard of a tardigrade before, prepare to be wowed. These clumsy, eight-legged creatures, nicknamed water bears, are about half a millimeter long and can survive practically anything: freezing temperatures, near starvation, high pressure, radiation exposure, outer space and more. Researchers reporting in ACS’ Nano Letters took advantage of the tardigrade’s nearly indestructible nature and gave the critters tiny “tattoos” to test a microfabrication technique to build microscopic, biocompatible devices.