Science
press releases.

Science30 Jul 2024

Mucus-based bioink could be used to print and grow lung tissue

Lung diseases kill millions of people around the world each year. Treatment options are limited, and animal models for studying these illnesses and experimental medications are inadequate. Now, researchers describe in ACS Applied Bio Materials their success in creating a mucus-based bioink for 3D printing lung tissue. This advance could one day help study and treat chronic lung conditions. While some people with lung diseases receive transplants, donor organs remain in short supply. As an alternative, medications and other treatments can be used to manage symptoms, but no cure is available for disorders such as chronic obstructive ...

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Science30 Jul 2024

Friendships in America may be in less peril than previously thought

American adults may typically have more friends than indicated by other recent surveys, with fewer Americans having no friends at all – though many would like closer friendships. Natalie Pennington of Colorado State University, US, and colleagues present these preliminary findings from the ongoing “American Friendship Project” in a study published July 30, 2024, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. Having more and higher quality friendships is linked with greater happiness and life satisfaction. However, research suggests that ...

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Science30 Jul 2024

Fruitful innovation: Transforming watermelon genetics with advanced base editors

The development of new adenine base editors (ABE) and adenine-to-thymine/guanine base editors (AKBE) is transforming watermelon genetic engineering. These innovative tools enable precise A:T-to-G and A:T-to-T base substitutions, allowing for targeted genetic modifications. The research highlights the efficiency of these editors in generating specific mutations, such as a flowerless phenotype in ClFT (Y84H) mutant plants. This advancement not only enhances the understanding of gene function but also significantly improves molecular breeding, paving the way for more efficient watermelon crop improvement. Traditional breeding methods for watermelon ...

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Science30 Jul 2024

Elusive predicted water structure created in the laboratory

Clathrate hydrates are complex water structures that contain foreign guest molecules inside a host water-molecule shell. A predicted clathrate hydrate phase structure has been stably synthesized in the lab and may play an important role in future material science research. Water molecules are made up of just three atoms: two hydrogen atoms bound to a single oxygen atom. Individual water molecules can weakly bind to one another and other molecules, changing their collective physicochemical properties. Clathrate hydrates, in particular, are lattices of water molecules that self-assemble ...

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Science30 Jul 2024

Suicide in US preteens ages 8 to 12, 2001 to 2022

About The Study: The findings of this study revealed a significant increase in the suicide rate among U.S. preteens between the 2001-2007 and 2008-2022 periods. Results showing a disproportionate increase in female suicide rates relative to male expand on existing evidence depicting a narrowing of the historically large gap in youth suicide rates between sexes. Suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in female preteens between 2001 and 2007 and the 5th leading cause of death between 2008 and 2022, while suicide in male preteens ...

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Science30 Jul 2024

Self-managed abortion attempts before vs after changes in federal abortion protections in the US

About The Study: In this serial nationally representative survey study, increased self-managed abortion (SMA) was observed following the loss of federal abortion protections. The findings revealed increased SMA use among marginalized groups, most often with ineffective methods. These findings suggest the need to expand access to alternative models of safe and effective abortion care and ensure those seeking health care post-SMA do not face legal risks. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Lauren Ralph, Ph.D., email lauren.ralph@ucsf.edu. To access the ...

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Science30 Jul 2024

Increases found in preteen suicide rate

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that rates of preteen suicide (ages 8-12) have been increasing by approximately 8% annually since 2008. These increases were most pronounced among female preteens, American Indian/Alaska Native or Asian/Pacific Islander preteens, and Hispanic preteens. While the overall number of preteen suicides is small compared to teen and adult populations, the researchers say the findings from this analysis underscore the need for age-appropriate and culturally responsive prevention efforts that include suicide risk screening ...

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Science30 Jul 2024

Endocrine Society merges with program director organization APDEM

WASHINGTON—The Endocrine Society, the world’s oldest and largest organization of scientists devoted to hormone research and physicians who care for people with hormone-related conditions, announced it is merging with the Association of Program Directors in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (APDEM). APDEM represents the academic leaders of more than 135 training programs that prepare fellows for clinical and research careers in endocrinology and metabolism. “The Endocrine Society and APDEM share a commitment to ...

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Science30 Jul 2024

Controlled Release Society inducts SwRI’s Dr. James Oxley into College of Fellows

SAN ANTONIO — July 30, 2024 — Dr. James Oxley, an Institute scientist at Southwest Research Institute’s Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Division, has been named a Fellow by the Controlled Release Society. Recognized for excellence and innovation in delivery science, Oxley is an expert in microencapsulation, nanoencapsulation and other controlled-release technologies used in energy, food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and consumer product applications. “I’m honored and humbled by this recognition,” said Oxley, who began his Institute career in 2004. “Encapsulation research ...

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Science30 Jul 2024

Study finds police misconduct ‘hotspots’ across Florida

Not all police misconduct is the same. Misconduct can range from offenses like homicide and sexual assault to seemingly minor infractions such as accepting free coffee from the public. Exactly what qualifies as police misconduct varies locally, and the response to this behavior is typically handled internally by law enforcement. The absence of a commonly accepted framework to assess and interpret police misconduct remains a complex and contentious issue. Moreover, progress in researching this area is hindered by the limited ...

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Science30 Jul 2024

TGF-β and HIPPO signaling pathways interplay in distinct hepatic contexts

The liver's ability to communicate with other organs is crucial for maintaining homeostasis, particularly through signaling pathways. During liver regeneration, communication with organs such as the brain, pancreas, intestine, and heart is vital, mediated by chemical messengers like hormones, cytokines, and growth factors. Among these signals, the TGF-β and HIPPO pathways are critical, functioning as tumor suppressors and regulating liver development and regeneration. The review focuses on these pathways' interplay in maintaining liver homeostasis, facilitating regeneration, and contributing to diseases like hepatitis, fibrosis, ...

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Science30 Jul 2024

Study: Fear of falling, fall-related injuries haunt full-time wheelchair, motorized scooter users

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Many studies have focused on falls among people who are ambulatory and have conditions like multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease, but research to address falls among those who rely on wheelchairs or motorized scooters is rare, scientists report in a new study. The researchers found that full-time wheelchair or motorized-scooter users also experience falls and fall-related injuries, and many live with the fear of falling again. The findings are detailed in the journal Disability and Rehabilitation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 5.5 million Americans ...

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Science30 Jul 2024

Suicide rates among Asian American or Pacific Islander youth sharply increased between 1999-2021

The results, utilizing National Center for Health Statistics for Asian Americans or Pacific Islander youth ages 10-19 years who died by suicide, were published in the July 25 issue of JAMA Network Open. The study authors — Brian TaeHyuk, the Buehler Family Sesquicentennial Endowed Assistant Professor at BC’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development; Seungbin Oh, an assistant professor in the Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine Program at Boston University; and Arielle ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

Semaglutide may show promise for smoking cessation

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 29 July 2024 Annals of Internal Medicine Tip Sheet @Annalsofim Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

Analogies for modeling belief dynamics

Researchers who study belief dynamics often use analogies to understand and model the complex cognitive–social systems that underly why we believe the things we do and how those beliefs can change over time. Ideas can be transmitted like a virus, for instance, “infecting” a population as they spread from person to person. We might be drawn — like magnets — to others with a similar worldview. A society’s beliefs can shift slowly before reaching a tipping point that thrusts society into a new phase. In a new paper in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, SFI Professor Mirta Galesic and ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

Many juvenile ‘lifers’ freed

In 1953, 15-year-old Joe Ligon and four other Pennsylvania teens went on an alcohol-fueled tear that resulted in the stabbing deaths of two people and injuries to six more. The teens were tried as a group, and all received life without parole. After a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 2012 and 2016 found that mandatory life sentences for juveniles was unconstitutional, Ligon’s case went to federal court. After 67 long years in prison, the case was decided in his favor in 2020. Ligon was granted his freedom in 2021 — at 83 years of age and after ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

UW model shows cortical implants like Elon Musk’s Blindsight unlikely to ‘exceed normal human vision’

Elon Musk recently declared on X that Blindsight, a cortical implant to restore vision, would have low resolution at first “but may ultimately exceed normal human vision.” That pronouncement is unrealistic at best, according to new research from the University of Washington. Ione Fine, lead author and UW professor of psychology, said Musk’s projection for the latest Neuralink project rests on the flawed premise that implanting millions of tiny electrodes into the visual cortex, the region of the brain that processes information received from the eye, will result in high-resolution vision. For the study, ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

UVA's Data Justice Academy receives new funding from NSF

The National Science Foundation will provide funding to the University of Virginia’s Data Justice Academy, the agency recently announced, support that will help the summer program continue to serve undergraduate students from groups that are historically underrepresented in data science. Established in 2021, the Data Justice Academy provides a 10-week residential experience to participants in which they perform mentored research while learning technical skills. The overriding goal of the Data Justice Academy, which is jointly managed by UVA’s School of Data Science and Equity Center, ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

Orthopedic surgeon-scientist Dr. Frank Henn named Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, announced today that R. Frank Henn, III, MD, Professor of Orthopaedics, who has served as Interim Chair of the Department since 2022, has been appointed to serve as the new Chair of UMSOM’s Department of Orthopaedics, effective immediately. Dr. Henn, who joined the Department in 2010, is an academic leader and highly regarded, board-certified orthopaedic surgeon; he has published significant scientific research, and is a leading clinician focusing on the care of the shoulder and knee, with an emphasis in cartilage ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

Young scientists face career hurdles in interdisciplinary research

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Scientists agree that solving some of society’s greatest challenges in biomedicine such as food sustainability, aging and disease treatment will need researchers from a variety of scientific fields working together. But a new study finds that the young scientists who most embrace interdisciplinary research face “career impediments” not seen in their peers who focus their work only within their own disciplines. The results are troublesome and pose a “grave challenge” to efforts to increase interdisciplinary ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

New progress in research into malignant catarrhal fever in cattle

A research team led by University of Liège scientists has published a groundbreaking study on malignant catarrhal fever (MCF). This disease is caused by the alcelaphine gammaherpesvirus 1 (AlHV-1), which infects its natural host, the wildebeest. This study sheds light on the mechanisms by which this virus, which is asymptomatic and latent in the wildebeest, causes an oligoclonal expansion of CD8+ T lymphocytes in cattle, leading to the development of MCF. In 2013, the research team had already demonstrated (1) that malignant catarrhal fever (MCF), which is fatal in cattle, only develops if the AlHV-1 virus can maintain a ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

Words like ‘this’ and ‘that’ act as attention tools across languages

All languages have words like ‘this’ and ‘that’ to distinguish between referents that are ‘near’ and ‘far’. Languages like English or Hebrew have two of these ‘demonstratives’. Languages like Spanish or Japanese use a three-word system. For instance, in Spanish, ‘este’ signals something close to the speaker, ‘ese’ signals something far from the speaker but close to the listener, and ‘aquel’ signals something far from both. “The reason why we were interested in demonstratives is because of their ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

To get drivers to put down their phones, make it a game

If you’re trying to keep drivers from picking up their phones, make it a game, according to a new Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) study led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. When drivers could earn points for making reductions in handheld phone use and had the chance to compete in a weekly leaderboard of others like them, researchers saw as much as a 28 percent reduction in handheld phone use while driving, a habit that stuck once the intervention—and the games—ended. “Distracted driving ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

A camera trap for the invisible

DURHAM, N.C. -- It sounds fantastical, but it’s a reality for the scientists who work at the world’s largest particle collider: In an underground tunnel some 350 feet beneath the France–Switzerland border, a huge device called the Large Hadron Collider sends beams of protons smashing into each other at nearly the speed of light, creating tiny eruptions that mimic the conditions that existed immediately after the Big Bang. Scientists like Duke physicist Ashutosh Kotwal think the subatomic debris of these collisions could contain hints ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

Association for Molecular Pathology announces 2024 award recipients

ROCKVILLE, Md. – July 29, 2024 – The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global molecular diagnostic professional society, today announced the recipients of this year’s Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics, Jeffrey A. Kant Leadership, and Meritorious Service Awards. These prestigious accolades will be presented to the winners this November during AMP’s 2024 Annual Meeting & Expo in Vancouver, British Columbia. Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics Atul Butte, MD, PhD Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg Distinguished ...

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