A customer shops for food items inside a Tesco supermarket store in east London. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Minor genetic differences can affect the ability to utilize the energy of various nutrients, according to a new study by the University of Helsinki.

The findings of the study were published in the journal 'Nature Communications.'

Female waste picker at sisdole landfill in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo: Tina Schoolmeester

A new study has explained how fuel can be produced from renewable sources such as waste wood and straw. The findings of the research were published in the journal 'Frontiers in Energy Research' in collaboration with the researchers at Straubing Campus for Biotechnology and Sustainability of the Technical in Munich (TUM) and Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT) in Finland.

his handout picture released on April 8, 2022 by Harikane Et Al, shows the most distant galaxy HD1 (13,5 billion light years), object in red appearing at the centre of a zoom-in image, according to the Astrophysical journal. (Photo by Harikane et al / AFP) / - LEHTIKUVA

An international team of astronomers has discovered the most distant astronomical object of all time: a galaxy. Shining only about 300 million years after the Big Bang, it may contain the oldest stars in the universe or a supermassive black hole.

The findings of the study were published in 'The Astrophysical Journal'.

LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Rutgers University's top health researchers are calling for a change in approach to developing COVID-19 vaccines, and vaccines to fight future pandemics to incorporate both conventional and challenging trials.

Though the satellite is just the size of a milk carton, it will carry two unique scientific instruments developed by the Centre of Excellence. Photo: Mikko Raskinen / Aalto University

Foresail-1, the first satellite from the Finnish Centre of Excellence in Research of Sustainable Space, is ready for space. ‘With the help of long-term funding from the Academy of Finland, we have created the first scientific space programme in Finland, which aims to develop more sustainable space technology,’ says Professor Minna Palmroth from the University of Helsinki, the director of the Centre of Excellence.

Medical staff members tend to a Covid-19 patient at the Seinäjoki Central Hospital in Seinäjoki, Finland.

Turmeric, quercetin and vitamin D were already known to have antiviral, antibacterial and immunomodulatory properties. Therefore, the researchers wanted to know what positive effects the combination of these three substances could have - not only on the virulence of COVID-19, but also on the development of the associated pneumonia.

According to a new study led by Columbia University, a new type of ultraviolet light is safe for people. It took less than five minutes to reduce the level of indoor airborne microbes by more than 98 per cent.

The study was published in the journal, 'Scientific Reports'.

LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Scientists have taken an important step in developing nature-based solutions to beat the global crisis that has erupted due to plastic waste.

They have characterised an enzyme that has the remarkable capacity to help break down terephthalate (TPA), one of the chemical building blocks of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, which is used to make single-use drinks bottles, clothing and carpets.

A health worker gets a swab sample from a woman to be tested for Covid-19 coronavirus at a swab collection site in Beijing on March 21, 2022. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

According to a study led by the American Society for Microbiology, saliva samples can identify COVID-19 more quickly than testing with nasal swabs.

The study was published in the journal, 'Microbiology Spectrum'.

Researchers have discovered a new form of ice, which could have implications for our understanding of distant, water-rich planets.

The findings of the study were published in the journal 'Physical Review B'.