Big Ten Academic Alliance BigScience Newswire

Researchers at Nebraska to lead largest drone-based study of storms

September 6, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been named leader of the TORUS project, the most ambitious investigation of severe storms and tornadoes using drones ever conducted. Read more about: Researchers at Nebraska to lead largest drone-based study of storms

Contact: Adam Houston, 402-472-2416, ahouston2@unl.edu

Research shows drug access the same in urban, rural areas

July 30, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Popular media often depict illicit drug use as an urban problem, but new University of Nebraska–Lincoln research shows access to illegal drugs is the same, no matter where a person lives. Read more about: Research shows drug access the same in urban, rural areas

Contact: Patrick Habecker, 402-472-8320, phabecker2@unl.edu

Team shatters theoretical limit on bio-hydrogen production

July 25, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Husker researchers have engineered a bacterium that produces more hydrogen than any before it — a breakthrough in the effort to scale up production of the clean-burning fuel. Read more about: Team shatters theoretical limit on bio-hydrogen production

Contact: Raghuveer Singh, 352-214-9540, raghuveer@huskers.unl.edu

'Molecular movie' captures chemical reaction on atomic scale

July 5, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Nebraska's Martin Centurion and colleagues have captured the clearest glimpse yet of a photochemical reaction – the type of light-fueled molecular transformations responsible for photosynthesis, vision and the ozone layer. Read more about: 'Molecular movie' captures chemical reaction on atomic scale

Contact: Martin Centurion, 402-472-5810, martin.centurion@unl.edu

115 years of data reveal longer U.S. growing season, temp trends

June 29, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The past century of climate change has extended the average U.S. growing season by nearly two weeks but driven annual buildups of yield-stifling heat in the West and Northeast, says new research from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Read more about: 115 years of data reveal longer U.S. growing season, temp trends

Contact: Suat Irmak, 402-472-4865, suat.irmak@unl.edu

360 degrees, 180 seconds: New technique speeds analysis of crop traits

June 18, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Nebraska researchers have devised a more efficient, accurate way to compare the properties of crops. Read more about: 360 degrees, 180 seconds: New technique speeds analysis of crop traits

Contact: Yufeng Ge, 402-472-3435, yge2@unl.edu

Study: Binge drinkers' brains respond differently to risky child's play

June 14, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

New Husker research suggests the same people who get a stronger jolt playing Crocodile Dentist may chase a more dangerous buzz when drinking, thanks to an anticipatory spike in their brains. Read more about: Study: Binge drinkers' brains respond differently to risky child's play

Contact: John Kiat, 402-472-3721, johnemmanuelkiat@gmail.com

Engineering duo invents software to detect structural damage

June 11, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

University of Nebraska–Lincoln civil engineers have developed 3-D software that can visually identify damage in a range of structures, from bridges in Nebraska to temples in Nepal. Read more about: Engineering duo invents software to detect structural damage

Contact: Richard Wood, 402-472-1916, rwood@unl.edu

Ocean-migrating trout adapt to freshwater environment in 120 years

May 29, 2018 Purdue University

Steelhead trout, a member of the salmon family that live and grow in the Pacific Ocean, genetically adapted to the freshwater environment of Lake Michigan in less than 120 years. The steelhead introduced into Lake Michigan continue to spawn in small freshwater tributaries and streams, but now treat the entirely freshwater habitat of the Great Lakes as a surrogate ocean. Read more about: Ocean-migrating trout adapt to freshwater environment in 120 years

Contact: Kayla Zacharias, 765-494-9318, kzachar@purdue.edu

Distinguished company: Birds can recognize members of other species

May 25, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Birds of a different feather can flock together when members of one species come to recognize individuals from another, says a pioneering study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Chicago. Read more about: Distinguished company: Birds can recognize members of other species

Contact: Allison Johnson, 402-472-1544, ajohnson165@unl.edu

Rare element to provide better material for high-speed electronics

May 24, 2018 Purdue University

Purdue researchers have discovered a new two-dimensional material, derived from the rare element tellurium, to make transistors that carry a current better throughout a computer chip. Read more about: Rare element to provide better material for high-speed electronics

Contact: Kayla Wiles, 765-494-2432, wiles5@purdue.edu

Simulations show how beta-amyloid may kill neural cells

May 24, 2018 Purdue University

eta-amyloid peptides, protein fragments that form naturally in the brain and clump into plaques in Alzheimer’s disease patients, are thought to be responsible for neuron death, but it hasn’t been clear how the substances kill cells. Now, a Purdue scientist has shown through computer simulations that beta-amyloid may accumulate to kill neural cells by boring holes into them. Read more about: Simulations show how beta-amyloid may kill neural cells

Contact: Brian Wallheimer, 765-532-0233, bwallhei@purdue.edu

Whey protein supplements and exercise help women improve body composition, not leading to bulkiness

May 23, 2018 Purdue University

It’s known that men benefit from whey protein supplements and exercise, and for what is believed to be the first time, the same can be said for women, according to a large study review by Purdue nutrition experts. Read more about: Whey protein supplements and exercise help women improve body composition, not leading to bulkiness

Contact: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Study finds minority homeless youth more likely to be stopped by police

May 23, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

In one of the first investigations of how homelessness, race and policing intersect among youth, Nebraska researchers have found that homeless youth of color face more frequent police contact and arrest – although all youth who live on the street are more likely to encounter police. Read more about: Study finds minority homeless youth more likely to be stopped by police

Contact: Tara Warner, 402-472-3080, twarner2@unl.edu

Technique doubles conversion of CO2 to plastic component

May 22, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

With atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continuing to rise, Nebraska engineers and their European colleagues have devised a strategy to more efficiently recycle the greenhouse gas. Read more about: Technique doubles conversion of CO2 to plastic component

Contact: Vitaly Alexandrov, 402-472-5323, valexandrov2@unl.edu

Teenage rebellions can incite changes in religious beliefs

May 21, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Higher education has been long portrayed as the enemy of faith, but new University of Nebraska–Lincoln research suggests teenage rebellion is playing a role in losing — or gaining — religion. Read more about: Teenage rebellions can incite changes in religious beliefs

Contact: Philip Schwadel, 402-472-6008, pschwadel2@unl.edu

Team develops equation for designing clean-energy catalysts

May 14, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

New guidelines laid down by Nebraska's Xiao Cheng Zeng could steer the design of less costly, more efficient catalysts geared toward revving up the production of hydrogen as a renewable fuel. Read more about: Team develops equation for designing clean-energy catalysts

Contact: Xiao Cheng Zeng, 402-472-9894, xzeng1@unl.edu

Be wary of cosmetic surgeons’ online reviews

April 26, 2018 Northwestern University

Consumers should be wary of cosmetic surgeons’ online reviews, which have grown 40 percent a year. The ratings are highly polarized, and some are written by non-patients, reports a new study. The reviews lack balance; people are either very happy or very unhappy with the surgeon. Surprisingly, patients report treatment by the doctor’s staff is almost as important as surgical outcome. The study examined online reviews in six major U.S. cities. Read more about: Be wary of cosmetic surgeons’ online reviews

Contact: Marla Paul, 312-503-8928, marla-paul@northwestern.edu

Switch controls light on a nanoscale for faster information processing

April 25, 2018 Purdue University

Purdue researchers have helped design a compact switch that enables light to be more reliably confined to small computer chip components for faster information processing. Read more about: Switch controls light on a nanoscale for faster information processing

Contact: Kayla Wiles, 765-494-2432, wiles5@purdue.edu

Purdue archaeologists part of ancient horse find in Nile River Valley

April 25, 2018 Purdue University

An ancient horse burial at Tombos along the Nile River Valley shows that a member of the horse family thousands of years ago was more important to the culture than previously thought, which provides a window into human-animal relationships more than 3,000 years ago. Read more about: Purdue archaeologists part of ancient horse find in Nile River Valley

Contact: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

New method for interpreting cryo-EM maps makes it easier to determine protein structures

April 25, 2018 Purdue University

A new algorithm makes interpreting the results of cryo-electron microscopy maps easier and more accurate, helping researchers to determine protein structures and potentially create drugs that block their functions. Read more about: New method for interpreting cryo-EM maps makes it easier to determine protein structures

Contact: Kayla Zacharias, 765-494-9318, kzachar@purdue.edu

New test could tell doctors whether patients will respond to chemotherapy

April 23, 2018 Purdue University

Less than half the patients diagnosed with cancer respond favorably to chemotherapy, but a new method for testing how patients will respond to various drugs could pave the way for more personalized treatment. Using Doppler light scattering, like a weather radar, researchers can determine how a patient will respond to chemotherapy even before they begin treatment. Read more about: New test could tell doctors whether patients will respond to chemotherapy

Contact: Kayla Zacharias, 765-494-9318, kzachar@purdue.edu

Personalized bio-inks boost healing potential of printable body tissue

April 23, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital have incorporated platelet-rich plasma into a bio-ink: a 3-D-printed mixture of cells and gel that could eventually become the stuff of skin grafts and regenerative tissue implants. Read more about: Personalized bio-inks boost healing potential of printable body tissue

Contact: Ali Tamayol, 402-472-2375, atamayol@unl.edu

Unprecedented wave of large-mammal extinctions linked to ancient humans

April 19, 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Nebraska's Kate Lyons has co-authored a new study suggesting that ancient humans began hunting large mammal species to extinction at least 90,000 years earlier than once thought. Read more about: Unprecedented wave of large-mammal extinctions linked to ancient humans

Contact: Kate Lyons, 773-841-6521, katelyons@unl.edu

Far-red fluorescent silk can kill harmful bacteria as biomedical and environmental remedy

April 18, 2018 Purdue University

A silk hybrid material attacks bacteria when illuminated by a green light, thanks to a far-red fluorescent protein researchers transferred to its genetic makeup. The all-natural material would be safer than conventional photocatalytic, or light-activated, means to kill harmful pathogens such as bacteria. Read more about: Far-red fluorescent silk can kill harmful bacteria as biomedical and environmental remedy

Contact: Kayla Wiles, 765-494-2432, wiles5@purdue.edu

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