Latest News Releases 21 June

Assembly of HIV-1 takes place on the inner plasma membrane leaflet of infected cells, a geometric building process that creates hexamers out of trimers of the viral Gag protein, guided by Gag’s N-terminal matrix domain. Yet details of that virion assembly have been lacking for four decades. Researchers now provide the first atomic view of the matrix lattice, showing molecular details at 2.1 angstroms resolution, advancimg the understanding of key mechanisms of viral assembly and viral envelope protein incorporation.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers have developed an accessible way to make N95 face masks not only effective barriers to germs, but on-contact germ killers. The antiviral, antibacterial masks can potentially be worn longer, causing less plastic waste as the masks do not need to be replaced as frequently.

A team led by the University of Washington has compiled and analyzed hundreds of these field observations to produce the first comprehensive report of the impacts of the 2021 heat wave on shellfish.

MIT engineers devised a recipe for improving any autonomous robotic system. Their optimization code can automatically identify how and where to tweak a system to improve a robot’s performance.

While access to food is a national concern, college students are experiencing food insecurity at a rate four times higher than the general public. A research article featured in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier, discusses how students' use of a campus food pantry can positively affect their physical health, mental health and lead to improvements in sleep.

A camera system developed by Carnegie Mellon University researchers can see sound vibrations with such precision and detail that it can reconstruct the music of a single instrument in a band or orchestra.Even the most high-powered and directed microphones can't eliminate nearby sounds, ambient noise and the effect of acoustics when they capture audio. The novel system developed in the School of Computer Science's Robotics Institute (RI) uses two cameras and a laser to sense high-speed, low-amplitude surface vibrations. These vibrations can be used to reconstruct sound, capturing isolated audio without inference or a microphone. "We've invented a new way to see sound," said Mark Sheinin, a post-doctoral research associate at the Illumination and Imaging Laboratory (ILIM) in the RI.

Although little is known about Professor Giorgi Eliava, without his avid support of bacteriophage research, our knowledge about phage therapy might not have been acquired. A tribute to the life of Professor Eliava and the institute he founded.

MIAMI, Fl.-- Recognizing the value of coral reefs in reducing erosion, flooding, and storm damage, the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has selected the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science as a top recipient of funding for its nationwide Reefense research program. Through this program, a team of University faculty will help address security threats to U.S. military and civilian infrastructure that lie along the coastline.