If you read lots of science news you may have noticed that regular publications have announced the discovery of traces of dark matter. This time the results came from the Italian satellite PAMELA whose acronym means “Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light nuclei Astrophysics”. Launched in 2006, its task is to measure radiation and identify the regions of space where there are gluts of particles called positrons.
A positron is a particle of antimatter, the antiparticle of the electron. When these two particles meet they annihilate, releasing energy in the …

South Korea – Scientists from the National Institute of Animal Sciences have developed genetically modified pigs whose organs can be transplanted into humans.
To address the shortage of organs for human transplants, many researchers were working on the use of organs of animals. Hybrid pigs able to produce organs for humans is an assumption, but the biggest challenge is to ensure compatibility between man and animal. They have found that the piglets “Gall-knockout”, mini-pigs of 80 kg would be safe for humans.
Normally, cells of graft animals are protected by a molecule …

France – Scientists have developed an electronic system to recognize the age of wines. It is even capable of giving the composition of the barrel in which they were fermented.
The process is based on the exploitation of complex and varied characteristics that distinguish the wines. Each bottle is filled with a unique drink, which has its own colour and its original flavor.
Researchers analyzed the compounds in vaporized samples of wine to produce detailed chemical signatures that can be matched against a database of characteristics to identify a wine’s source.
With the …

Thanks to their great capacity for adaptation, the bacteria gradually learn to resist antibiotic treatment. French Researchers involving Inserm, University Paris Descartes, the INRA, the Pasteur Institute and CNRS have shown that one of their strategies to divert fatty acids present in human blood for their own growth .
Bacteria are able to survive to adapt quickly to new environments, including the presence of antibiotics. Their genetic material evolves and diversifies, the resistant germs are selected and the treatment becomes ineffective. In recent years, bacteria pathogenic for humans are largely resistant …

Three studies conducted by institutes of health shows that the combination of hundreds of small genetic variations could be the cause of at least one-third of the risk of schizophrenia.
The three studies conducted by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, the company deCODE genetics and the consortium on the molecular genetics of schizophrenia have focused on 8014 cases of schizophrenia and 19,090 people not suffering from it.
A specific area of chromosome 6 is highlighted. This area covers the genes related to immunity and infection, and also genes involved in …