news 2022

A new tool to identify small molecules offers benefits for diagnostics, drug discovery and fundamental research. A new machine learning model will help scientists identify small molecules, with applications in medicine, drug discovery and environmental chemistry. Developed by researchers at Aalto University and the University of Luxembourg , the model was trained with data from dozens of laboratories to become one of the most accurate tools for identifying small molecules.

Research from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and UC Louvain warns of the effects of global warming on the fragile ecosystems of one of Africa's largest lakes. A rise of a few degrees in the water temperature can unbalance the ecosystem, with a major impact on local habitats as a result. "For our research, we combined a 3D hydrodynamic model of Lake Tanganyika made using SLIM-3D by Professor Eric Deleersnijder's research group at UC Louvain, with our own VUB expertise on climate modelling," says lead author Kevin Sterckx of VUB's Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering.

Wide variation in brain cells makes octopus brain even more complex than thought For the first time, researchers are mapping the different cell types found in octopus brains. Because of these animals' amazing ability to think, it should come as no surprise that their brain cells exhibit similar properties to the known neurons and glia in other animals.

A new type of selectivity to better describe reactivity in organic chemistry has been conceptualized. Researchers from the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry (LCO - ULB) have published their work in Cell Reports Physical Science. An important part of organic chemistry consists of the synthesis of products via a sequence of chemical reactions.

The Department of Social Sciences contributed to a large-scale replication study that aimed to understand the role of decisions scientists make during the research process. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study highlights the importance of Open Science and collaboration among scientists.

Regular exercise may protect pancreatic beta cells from stresses that contribute to diabetes. Researchers from the ULB Center for Diabete Research observed this in a study published in Diabetologia . Diabetes is characterized by a progressive loss of pancreatic beta cells, the same cells that produce insulin and thus maintain the right level of sugar in the blood.

Inhibition, mental set shifting, and memory updating are related to math skills in preschool children. These meta-analytic findings from a research project led by the Luxembourg Centre for Educational Testing and the University of Oslo were published in the Psychological Bulletin. Would you follow the squirrel? Imagine you-re sitting in your first-grade math class while there is an orange squirrel jumping from branch to branch just outside the classroom window.

Biophysicists from the University of Luxembourg have uncovered how microplankton - key photosynthetic organisms which produce nearly 50% of the oxygen we breathe - adopt a thrifty lifestyle when nutrients turn limiting. They strategically harness internal lipids to regulate swimming properties to maximise their fitness.

Study is first to predict impact of climate change on mangrove distribution in South Africa A team of scientists from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Nelson Mandela University, the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and the University of the Western Cape has been able to show for the first time that ocean currents and coastal geomorphology may continue to hold back the spread of mangrove forests along the South African coast, even as global warming creates a more ideal climate for them.

IceCube neutrinos give us the first image of the depths of an active galaxy. They allow us to get a little closer to the answer to the eternal question of the origin of cosmic rays . For the first time, an international team of scientists - including the IIIHE, Faculty of Science - has found evidence of high-energy neutrino emission in the galaxy NGC 1068.

As a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many scholars and scientists have left the country. More than 30 Ukrainian researchers displaced by the war have temporarily joined the University of Luxembourg mainly as research fellows and in some cases under temporary contracts funded by the FNR. In this series of interviews, we briefly present the researchers and their work.

Sports and fitness apps, such as Strava, are gaining in popularity year after year. They have also often become true social networks. You share some very personal data there, and sometimes unknowingly your home or work location as the starting point for your sports activities too. Apps usually allow you to hide those locations, but researchers from the imec-DistriNet research group at KU Leuven discovered that, in many cases, this option gives a false sense of security.

Sports fitness apps, such as Strava, are gaining popularity year after year. They have also often become true social networks. You share very personal data there, and sometimes unknowingly also your home or work location as the starting point of your sports activities. The apps usually allow you to hide those locations, but researchers from the imec-DistriNet research group at KU Leuven discovered that in many cases that option gives a false sense of security.

A team led by Prof Kiavash Movahedi (VUB, VIB) has mapped in detail how the immune system acts against pathogens invading the brain. The findings shed new light on host-pathogen interactions and the long-term consequences of brain infections. The results, published in the renowned journal Immunity, show how different types of immune cells are involved in the defence against brain infections.

Researchers at KU Leuven have discovered a promising new method for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer. In such cases, conventional treatments involve the use of medication to suppress or inhibit the patient's male hormones in order to slow down the disease. After some time, however, the cancer cells become resistant to that medication.

Gamma delta (γδ) T cells are immune system cells that possess several characteristics that make them attractive cellular targets for cancer immunotherapy. A team of researchers sought to better understand the development of these T cells in humans. Gamma delta (γδ) T cells are of increasing interest as target cells for cancer immunotherapy.

VUB/UGent researchers use a new method to assess discrimination in housing market more precisely and find 10% of brokers are willing to select tenants based on ethnicity Tuesday, October 4, 2022 — Doctoral students in sociology Abel Ghekiere (VUB) and Louis Lippens (UGent) have developed a new method to examine real estate agents' underlying reasons for discriminating against potential tenants.

What is a perfect fluid - It is a theoretical model of a fluid that allows to assume that the fluid is not viscous, that it does not conduct heat, that it is incompressible and does not create vortices. It is therefore an approximation of reality that simplifies the theoretical predictions of fluid flows.

When it comes to well-being at work, self-employed people are often overlooked. In her doctoral study, occupational sociologist Jessie Gevaert investigated working conditions and mental well-being among those working for themselves. She concludes that precarious working conditions among self-employed workers can have serious consequences for their mental well-being.

When a tumor develops in an organism, it is very common for the cancer cells to leave the tumor and settle in another organ where they proliferate, creating what is called metastasis. This process is an important factor in mortality since it means the worsening of the disease. Hence the interest in better understanding what happens during this phenomenon.