Science
press releases.

Science23 Jul 2024

Advanced phase-controlled 3D biochemical imaging

A new publication from Opto-Electronic Advances; DOI 10.29026/oea.2024.240064, discusses advanced phase-controlled 3D biochemical imaging. Three-dimensional (3D) imaging provides deep insights into understanding of complex biological and biomedical systems, which offers far more detailed information than traditional 2D methods. A standout in this field is nonlinear optical microscopy, particularly coherent Raman Scattering (CRS) microscopy (e.g., coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and ...

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Science23 Jul 2024

Study uses Game of Thrones to advance understanding of face blindness

Psychologists have used the hit TV series Game of Thrones to understand how the brain enables us to recognise faces. Their findings provide new insights into prosopagnosia or face blindness, a condition that impairs facial recognition and affects approximately 1 in 50 people. The researchers scanned the brains of over 70 study participants as they watched footage from the popular TV series. Half of the participants were familiar with the show’s famously complex lead characters and the other half had never seen the series. When lead characters appeared on screen, MRI scans showed that in neurotypical ...

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Science23 Jul 2024

An isolated viral load test may generate false positive results for people using long-acting PrEP

A single laboratory-based HIV viral load test used by U.S. clinicians who provide people with long-acting, injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) did not reliably detect HIV in a multi-country study. In the study, a single positive viral load test was frequently found to be a false positive result. However, a second viral load test with a new blood sample was able to distinguish true positive results from false positive results for all participants whose initial viral load test was positive. The findings were presented at the 2024 International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) ...

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Science23 Jul 2024

NLM extends commitment to LOINC with $5 million award

INDIANAPOLIS -- The National Library of Medicine has awarded Regenstrief Institute a five-year, $5 million contract extension to ensure the continued maintenance, expansion and public distribution of LOINC®, a global standard for health terminology. The NLM issued its initial contract to support the creation and development of LOINC in 1999. With this extension, NLM's commitment to LOINC will reach 30 years by the time the award expires in 2029. “The NLM’s continued support of LOINC demonstrates the value the standard delivers to patients, care providers, health ...

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Science23 Jul 2024

HHMI invests over $300 million in 26 new investigators

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute announced on July 23, 2024 that 26 of the nation’s leading scientists have been named HHMI Investigators. Paving the way for new scientific and biomedical discoveries in fields ranging from neuroscience to immunology to structural biology, these scientists come from 19 US institutions and join HHMI’s current Investigator community, comprising more than 250 scientists. HHMI will invest more than $300 million in this newest cohort over the next seven years, enabling each Investigator to push the boundaries of science. “HHMI is committed to supporting visionary scientists who are pursuing discoveries that will change ...

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Science23 Jul 2024

New car smell reaches toxic levels on hot days

A study of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by new cars on hot summer days finds concerning levels of formaldehyde and other aldehydes. Consumers are familiar with—and even drawn to—the “new car smell” produced as VOCs from carpets, upholstery, and other interior materials in newly manufactured passenger vehicles. These VOCs can cause a range of health effects, including headaches, inflammation of the eyes, nose and throat, fatigue, irritability, dry cough, lung disease, and disorientation. Jianyin Xiong, Shaodan Huang, and colleagues sought to capture the levels of VOCs in the passenger cabins of new cars on ...

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Science23 Jul 2024

A promising new method uses light to clean up forever chemicals

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), nicknamed ‘forever chemicals,’ pose a growing environmental and health threat. Since the invention of Teflon in 1938, PFASs and perfluorinated polymers or PFs have been widely used for their exceptional stability and resistance to water and heat. These properties made them ideal for countless applications, from cookware and clothing to firefighting foam. However, this very stability has become a major problem. PFASs do not easily break down in the environment, leading ...

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Science23 Jul 2024

Can a World Cup run drive interest in a nation? New study finds evidence of the “flutie effect” off the field

Nearly four decades ago, Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie launched a game-winning, mid-field touchdown pass to upset the University of Miami on the game’s final play—prompting a subsequent surge in applications to the school in what has been dubbed the “Flutie Effect.” A team of NYU researchers has now found evidence of this effect beyond the gridiron—and athletic competition. During and after Morocco’s surprising run to the World Cup semi-finals in the fall 2022, online searches on non-sports topics related to Morocco increased ...

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Science23 Jul 2024

Staying hip to orthopedic advances: Comparing traditional and new hip replacement stems

Osaka, Japan — Needing a hip replacement is unfortunate, but even more unfortunate is to need to do it again. Surgeons at Osaka Metropolitan University have provided new insights into the performance of two types of stems used in total hip replacement surgery. Their findings are expected to contribute to the enhancement of long-term outcomes, improving patients’ quality of life and reducing the need for revision surgeries. Their paper was published in The Bone & Joint Journal on June 1. The hip joint, which connects the femur, or thighbone, to the pelvis, plays a crucial ...

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Science23 Jul 2024

Time-division multiplexing planning and design strategies for parking lots in compact cities

Compact city is an urban planning strategy aimed at promoting environmental, economic, and social sustainability through spatial configurations featured with relatively high density and mixed land use. The continuous growth in car ownership forces cities to construct more static transportation facilities such as parking lots, squeezing the activity spaces of residents and consequently giving rise to a series of efficiency and equity issues. Thus, the conflict between people and vehicles in compact cities is increasingly prominent and urgently ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

Teens benefit from a new primary care virtual driving assessment model

Integrating driving support into a primary care setting can address a leading cause of family stress as well as teen adolescent morbidity and mortality. Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for adolescents, and a leading cause of crashes is driver error. To address this, researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania implemented a 15-minute self-administered virtual driving assessment test in 19 primary care practices. 3,037 adolescents 15 years and older completed the virtual driving ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

Can we predict who will develop migraine headaches?

A migraine is not just a bad headache. It is a much-dreaded part of a neurologic disorder that has an array of possible symptoms, including pulsating cranial pain, waves of queasiness, bouts of vomiting, and hypersensitivity to light and sound. They frequently materialize unannounced and at the most inopportune of moments. Pubescent girls with a family history of migraine headaches are especially vulnerable — yet there remain many unknowns regarding the who, when and why of the disorder. Hadas Nahman-Averbuch, PhD, a scientist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis with expertise ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

Ore-some: New date for Earth's largest iron deposits offers clues for future exploration

Research led by Curtin University reveals that Earth’s largest iron ore deposits – in the Hamersley Province of Western Australia – are about one billion years younger than previously believed, a discovery which could greatly boost the search for more of the resource. Using a new geochronology technique to accurately measure the age of iron oxide minerals, researchers found the Hamersley deposits formed between 1.4 and 1.1 billion years ago, rather than 2.2 billion years ago as previously estimated. Lead author Dr Liam Courtney-Davies, who was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Curtin University’s John de Laeter ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

Wijesekera receives funding for FHWA driving simulator support research: Hands-on support for CDA/CARMA - ARCHER Integration Phase I

Duminda Wijesekera, Professor, Cybersecurity Engineering; Professor, Computer Science, received funding for the project: “FHWA Driving Simulator Support Research: Hands-on support for CDA/CARMA - ARCHER Integration Phase I.” He will evaluate and test the Nvidia Drive Sim to understand functionality, behaviors, limitations, and interfaces that would be required in full integration. Nvidia Drive Sim is a simulation platform for autonomous vehicles. He will also work to discern the ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

Study: Retail viability in Fairfax City mixed use development

Center for Retail Transformation (CRT) and Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship (CREE) jointly received funding to study retail viability led by Mehmet Altug, Associate Professor, Information Systems and Operations Management and Director of CRT, Costello College of Business. Led by Mehmet Altug, the two centers CRT and CREE at Costello College of Business have teamed up to determine market-specific retail opportunities within Fairfax City, specifically within five Small Area Plans. The project will specifically consider ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

Improved efficacy of pembrolizumab when combined with sEphB4-HSA in HPV-negative EphrinB2-positive HNSCC

“Future development for sEphB4-HSA in HNSCC is likely to focus on patients with HPV-negative disease where there is greatest need to improve on the outcomes with pembrolizumab monotherapy.” BUFFALO, NY- July 22, 2024 – A new research paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 15 on July 10, 2024, entitled, “Improved efficacy of pembrolizumab combined with soluble EphB4-albumin in HPV-negative EphrinB2 positive head neck squamous cell carcinoma.” Patients with relapsed or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) after primary local ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

Chimpanzees gesture back and forth quickly like in human conversations

When people are having a conversation, they rapidly take turns speaking and sometimes even interrupt. Now, researchers who have collected the largest ever dataset of chimpanzee “conversations” have found that they communicate back and forth using gestures following the same rapid-fire pattern. The findings are reported on July 22 in the journal Current Biology. “While human languages are incredibly diverse, a hallmark we all share is that our conversations are structured with fast-paced turns of just 200 milliseconds on average,” ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

Prevalence of epilepsy in people of sexual and gender minoritized groups

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that sexual and gender minority adults in the U.S. have a disproportionate prevalence of epilepsy. The reasons for this disparity are likely complex and may be associated with biological and psychosocial determinants of health unique to this population; as such, these individuals are in need of protected access to medical care. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Emily L. Johnson, M.D., M.P.H., email ejohns92@jhmi.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.2243) Editor’s ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

Sexual and gender minorities are twice as likely to report active epilepsy

What: Sexual and gender minorities (SGM)—individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, transgender, non-binary, or gender-diverse—are twice as likely to report active epilepsy compared to non-SGM individuals, based on a National Institutes of Health (NIH) analysis of data from the population-based National Health Information Survey. “Active epilepsy” means a person has been diagnosed with epilepsy and has had more than one seizure in the past year or is currently taking anti-seizure medication. This study suggests that epilepsy could be added to the growing ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

UVM taps Tim Rademacher to lead research at Proctor Maple Research Center

Tim Rademacher is taking on a sweet new role at the University of Vermont—as the new Scientific Director of UVM’s Proctor Maple Research Center (PMRC). The PMRC is a field research station of the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Vermont, and is the oldest and most renowned maple science research centers in the world. Since 1947 it has produced cutting edge research on maple, supported maple sugar producers, and bolstered maple syrup production in Vermont—and globally. “I'm very excited to join PMRC with its rich history and its excellent work that has really pushed the industry in the past, says Rademacher, who will start this fall. “I ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

Foldable pouch actuator improves finger extension in soft rehabilitation gloves

Soft rehabilitation gloves have become popular tools for helping patients with hand function-related disabilities recover finger movement. These gloves often use soft pneumatic actuators that employ air pressure to generate movements. Despite significant design improvements in recent years, many available soft actuators have drawbacks in achieving bidirectional motion typical of finger joints—such soft actuators facilitate finger bending (or flexion) but not finger straightening (or extension). A group of biomedical researchers from Chiba University successfully ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

Male elephants signal ‘let’s go’ with deep rumbles

The bull elephants gather in the evening coolness to drink. After a spell, a senior male lifts his head and turns from the waterhole. With ears flapping gently, he lets out a deep, resonant rumble. One by one, the others respond, their voices overlapping in a sonorous, infrasonic chorus that whispers across the savanna. This elephant barbershop quartet conveys a clear message: It’s time to move on. Gradually, the elephants shift, their massive bodies swaying as they follow their rumbling leader to the next stop on their nocturnal wanderings. For the first time, scientists from Stanford University and other institutions have documented male elephants using “let’s ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

Exposing dengue’s invasion strategies

KANSAS CITY, MO—July 22, 2024—Mosquito-borne viral infections once confined to tropical regions are spreading. Dengue virus infects up to 400 million people worldwide each year according to World Health Organization estimates, and no available treatments exist for this disease. Now, research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research has uncovered surprising strategies for how dengue and hundreds of other viruses replicate in their hosts, with the potential to aid in developing novel antiviral treatments and vaccines. Led by Stowers Predoctoral Researcher Luciana ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

Under embargo: Smell of human stress affects dogs’ emotions leading them to make more pessimistic choices

Peer reviewed: Yes Type of evidence: Observational study Subject: Animals UNDER STRICT EMBARGO until 10:00 hours [UK BST] / 05:00 hours [US EDT] Monday 22 July 2024 Smell of human stress affects dogs’ emotions leading them to make more pessimistic choices Dogs experience emotional contagion from the smell of human stress, leading them to make more ‘pessimistic’ choices, new research finds. The University of Bristol-led study, published in Scientific Reports today [22 July], is the first to test how human stress odours affect dogs' learning and emotional state. Evidence in humans suggests that the smell of a stressed ...

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Science22 Jul 2024

Virginia Tech researchers find potential method to control mosquito populations through genetic breeding

Virginia Tech researchers have found a new way to identify genetic targets useful for control of mosquito populations, potentially offering an alternative to insecticides. Their study, published today in Communications Biology, focused on the genetic basis of species incompatibility. They crossed Ae. aegypti, a major global arboviral disease vector, and its sibling species, Ae. mascarensis, from the Indian Ocean. When offspring is crossed back with one parent, about 10 percent of the progeny becomes intersex and is unable to reproduce. The researchers identified abnormalities in the sex determination pathways of these ...

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