University of Helsinki News - SciTechDaily

Mystery Solved: Scientists Discover Unique Evolutionary Branch of Snakes

University of Helsinki — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 04:13:39 +0000

Scientists have resolved the evolutionary history of the mock viper, placing it in a unique new snake family, Psammodynastidae, which aids in understanding and conserving this distinct species. An international team, spearheaded by researchers from the University of Helsinki, has unraveled the evolutionary history of the mock viper. This snake, which only mildly venomous and [...]

Astronomers Stunned by Strange Star: V889 Herculis Breaks Known Rules of Stellar Rotation

Johanna Pellinen, University of Helsinki — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 08:16:07 +0000

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have discovered that the star V889 Herculis rotates in a way that is unlike our Sun. While the Sun spins fastest at its equator, V889 Herculis rotates fastest at a latitude of about 40 degrees. This unique finding helps scientists better understand the complexities of how stars like the [...]

When Antidepressants Are Ineffective: Personalized Magnetic Stimulation Could Help Treat Depression

University of Helsinki — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 22:23:24 +0000

Magnetic stimulation therapy could aid patients who don’t respond to antidepressants. Scientists from the University of Helsinki and Stanford University are refining techniques that may lead to personalized treatments in the future. Not every patient with depression benefits from medication. Recent research highlights potential improvements in an alternative approach, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), for treating [...]

Fukushima’s Lingering Mystery: Scientists Conduct First-Ever Imaging of Radioactive Cesium

University of Helsinki — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 17:05:22 +0000

A new study has directly imaged radioactive cesium atoms in environmental samples from Fukushima, providing crucial data for nuclear waste management and environmental recovery efforts. Thirteen years after the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), researchers have achieved a groundbreaking feat: for the first time, they have successfully conducted direct imaging of [...]

Turning Tech Trash Into Precious Metals: Extracting Gold, Silver and Copper From Electronic Waste

Riitta-Leena Inki, University of Helsinki — Mon, 20 May 2024 03:50:46 +0000

Waste computers and cell phones, solar panels, and other electronic waste are becoming an important source of noble metals alongside mining. Researchers at the University of Helsinki have developed sustainable dissolution methods for noble metals. The extraction methods currently in use consume a lot of energy and are detrimental to the environment. The method of [...]

Solar Storm Secrets Unveiled: Tree Ring Evidence From the 1859 Carrington Event

University of Helsinki — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 17:12:34 +0000

A research group coordinated by the University of Helsinki was able to measure a spike in radiocarbon concentration of trees in Lapland that occurred after the Carrington flare. This discovery helps to prepare for dangerous solar storms. The Carrington Event of 1859 is one of the largest recorded solar storms in the last two centuries. [...]

Unlocking the Secrets of Aging: Researchers Reveal Key to Intestinal Balance

University of Helsinki — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 10:26:41 +0000

The ability of intestinal stem cells to preserve the cellular equilibrium in the gut diminishes with age. Scientists at the University of Helsinki have identified a novel interaction between the adaptation of intestinal stem cells to nutrients and the aging process. The finding may make a difference when seeking ways to maintain the functional capacity [...]

New Biology Unveiled for Fundamental Cellular Machinery

University of Helsinki — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 09:46:58 +0000

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have revealed the complex structure and interaction network of an essential cellular supercomplex called Commander. This breakthrough is expected to enhance our knowledge of inherited developmental disorders. Cellular communication depends on receptors located on the cell’s surface. The regular absorption and organization of these receptors, essential for either breaking [...]

Global Implications: More Aerosol Particles Than Thought Are Forming Over Siberia

University of Helsinki — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 21:55:39 +0000

Recent research has discovered that, in contrast to earlier assumptions, substantial quantities of aerosol particles are generated across extensive regions of the West Siberian taiga during spring. These findings indicate that rising temperatures can greatly influence the climate due to this phenomenon. Aerosol particles significantly contribute to the Earth’s cooling process. They can impact the [...]

Unlocking Cancer’s Resistance Secrets With Genetic Barcodes

University of Helsinki — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 12:49:25 +0000

By genetically labeling cancer cells, ReSisTrace uncovers pre-existing resistant states, leading to targeted therapies that prevent treatment evasion, offering a new frontier in personalized cancer care. In many cancers, such as ovarian cancer, each round of chemotherapy kills the majority of cancer cells, while a small population of them survives through treatment. Labeling Cancer Cells [...]

Challenging Assumptions: Scientists Discover That the Northern Peatlands Are Still Expanding

University of Helsinki — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 00:11:06 +0000

A recent study from the University of Helsinki has revealed that the northern peatlands have been expanding in size over the past centuries. This finding contrasts with the previous belief that the growth of peatlands in Fennoscandia had either stopped or slowed down considerably, as it was assumed that all the flat regions conducive to [...]

“Cosmic Anomaly” – Scientists Solve Decades-Old Supergalactic Mystery

University of Helsinki — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 00:11:50 +0000

Why is the immense supergalactic plane predominantly filled with a single type of galaxy? This longstanding astronomical mystery may finally be solved. The Milky Way galaxy, our cosmic home, is nestled within a vast expanse known as the local Supercluster. This colossal structure encompasses numerous hefty galaxy clusters and a multitude of individual galaxies. Characterized [...]

Neutron Stars’ Inner Mysteries: A Glimpse Into Quark-Matter Cores

University of Helsinki — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 22:45:26 +0000

New theoretical analysis places the likelihood of massive neutron stars hiding cores of deconfined quark matter between 80 and 90 percent. The result was reached through massive supercomputer runs utilizing Bayesian statistical inference. Neutron star cores contain matter at the highest densities reached in our present-day Universe, with as much as two solar masses of [...]

Palindromic Puzzles Solved: The Hidden Mechanism of Gene Creation

University of Helsinki — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 11:57:29 +0000

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have uncovered a mechanism that instantaneously generates DNA palindromes, potentially leading to the creation of new microRNA genes from noncoding DNA sequences. This discovery, which was made while studying DNA replication errors and their impact on RNA molecule structures, offers new insights into gene origins. The complexity of living [...]

Prolonging Lifespan and Easing Symptoms – Scientists Identify Potential Breakthrough Treatment for ALS

University of Helsinki — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 17:17:02 +0000

A team of researchers at the University of Helsinki, along with their collaborators, have discovered a promising drug candidate for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The drug, cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor CDNF has shown positive results in prolonging lifespan and alleviating disease symptoms in animal studies involving rats and mice. Understanding ALS Amyotrophic [...]

The Sahara’s Secret Past: When Deserts Turned Green

University of Bristol — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 22:33:41 +0000

A pioneering study has unveiled new insights into the humid phases in North Africa over the last 800,000 years, explaining why the Sahara Desert periodically transformed green. The study, recently published in the journal Nature Communications, showed periodic wet phases in the Sahara were driven by changes in Earth’s orbit around the Sun and were [...]

Beans vs. Beef: Is Reducing Red Meat Safe for Bone Health and Protein Intake?

University of Helsinki — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 19:13:04 +0000

New research demonstrated that the partial substitution of red and processed meat with pea- and fava bean–based food products ensured sufficient intake of amino acids in the diet and did not negatively affect bone metabolism. The study was conducted at the University of Helsinki. “Decreasing the consumption of red and processed meat in the diet [...]

Vlasiator Unveils: Solutions to a Central Mystery in Space Physics

University of Helsinki — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 18:51:07 +0000

Vlasiator, a supercomputer model for simulating near-Earth space, has revealed that plasma eruptions in near-Earth space are influenced by both magnetic reconnection and kinetic instabilities. While theories have long debated the cause, Vlasiator’s 6D modeling showcased that both theories coexist and function concurrently. This insight is crucial for spacecraft design, further research, and enhancing space [...]

The Ancient Dietary Secrets of Elephants: A Tale of Evolution and Adaptation

University of Helsinki — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 10:36:31 +0000

Recent research indicates that the molar teeth of proboscideans, which include elephants and their prehistoric kin, adapted due to shifts in diet brought about by vegetation and climatic changes in East Africa during the last 26 million years. Recent research from the University of Helsinki on proboscideans, which includes elephants and their ancient relatives, presents [...]

Ravens in Prehistory: Scientists Unearth a 30,000-Year-Old Relationship With Humans

University of Tübingen — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 22:24:14 +0000

Scientists from the University of Tübingen and the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment examine human-raven relationships. Long before the establishment of the first Neolithic settlements around 10,000 years ago, humans and wild animals had already formed diverse relationships. An international study conducted by experts from the Universities of Tübingen, Helsinki, and Aarhus offers [...]

Scientists Discover a New Potential Way To Stop Dementia Progression

University of Helsinki — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 08:23:46 +0000

Scientists from the University of Helsinki have successfully demonstrated that a compound known as a PREP inhibitor can prevent the build-up of a harmful protein responsible for memory disorders, among other things. This harmful protein buildup, similar to that seen in Parkinson’s disease, is also observed in Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. This [...]

Desulfovibrio Bacteria: Researchers Discover a Potential Cause of Parkinson’s Disease

University of Helsinki — Sun, 21 May 2023 18:39:07 +0000

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have demonstrated that certain strains of Desulfovibrio bacteria are the likely cause of Parkinson’s disease in most cases. The study enables the screening of the carriers of Desulfovibrio strains and the removal of the bacteria from the gut – also making it possible to prevent Parkinson’s disease. “Our findings [...]

Optimizing Nutrition – Scientists Sequence Faba Bean Genome

Aarhus University — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 12:25:00 +0000

Genetic studies provide a boost to the “Beans IN Toast” project. The genome of the faba bean, which boasts a massive 13 billion bases, surpassing the human genome by fourfold, has finally been sequenced. The research was recently published in the journal Nature. This remarkable technical feat is of great importance for the goal of [...]

Could COVID-19 Cause Type 1 Diabetes?

University of Helsinki — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 15:42:26 +0000

A recently concluded study has revealed that during the initial 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, a higher number of minors in Finland than usual were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The research findings indicate that the cause of this increase was not the virus itself, but rather changes in environmental factors. The global rise [...]