Professor Michael Bukrinsky at George Washington University in Washington DC is working with scientists across the globe to elucidate the molecular mechanisms behind the comorbidities associated with human immunodeficiency virus so that they can be targeted with therapies.
Professor Michael Bukrinsky at George Washington University in Washington DC is working with scientists across the globe to elucidate the molecular mechanisms behind the comorbidities associated with human immunodeficiency virus so that they can be targeted with therapies.
The global climate crisis poses a major threat to human civilisation. The combustion of fossil fuels to generate energy is the primary cause of this crisis, due to the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. At the same time, the Earth faces another great crisis. Underneath Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA, lies one of Earth’s most powerful volcanoes, which has the potential for an eruption that would be catastrophic to the entire world. Researchers Dr Thomas Arciuolo and Dr Miad Faezipour propose a solution to both of these problems, by harnessing the mighty energy reserve within the Yellowstone Supervolcano to generate clean, emission-free power – turning the Yellowstone curse into an immense blessing.
Shigellosis is an infection of the Shigella bacteria with over 164 million cases each year leading to 1.1 million deaths. The ever-increasing antibiotic resistance of the bacteria means we need alternatives or supplements to existing antibiotics. Dr Kristin Parent from Michigan State University is working on exciting, collaborative projects hunting for bacteriophages to be used in novel therapeutics.
Patterns can be found across the entire natural world – from the spots on a leopard’s coat to stripes in mineral deposits deep underground. Such motifs are better known as Turing patterns – named after the famous mathematician and codebreaker, Alan Turing, who proposed the theory behind them. Turing patterns are often found on large scales, but they become much rarer at smaller scales, with very few known examples at microscopic and atomic scales. Aharon Kapitulnik and Yuki Fuseya have revealed a new atomic-scale Turing pattern, which arises in an atom-thick layer of bismuth atoms.
Psychiatric assistance dogs trained to help with mental health symptoms have become increasingly popular as a complementary intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sarah Leighton and her colleagues from Purdue University and the University of Arizona in the USA are exploring the effectiveness of psychiatric assistance dog partnerships for military veterans with PTSD.