Science
press releases.

Science28 Feb 2024

Dimensions Research GPT – evidence-based research insights for ChatGPT platform users

Digital Science is pleased to announce the launch of two new products – Dimensions Research GPT and Dimensions Research GPT Enterprise – bringing the unmatched, trusted research coverage of Dimensions to the ChatGPT platform. Users can get AI-generated answers to research-related questions on the GPT platform informed by Dimensions’ huge database, making ChatGPT more research-specific for topic exploration. Available to users of both the free and paid Dimensions Analytics web application, Dimensions Research GPT and Dimensions Research GPT Enterprise help overcome ...

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Science28 Feb 2024

Calcium crystal deposits in the knee contribute to joint damage

(Boston)— Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, affecting approximately 600 million people worldwide and 34 million people in the U.S. There are no treatments available that prevent its progression to date. Recommended pharmacological treatments for symptoms have either small-to moderate effects or short-term effects, often with side effects, and lifestyle behaviors such as exercise and weight loss are under-utilized. Historically, intra-articular mineralization (IAM) or calcium crystal deposits in the joint, were thought to be of no clinical consequence, and perhaps just something that happens with older ...

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Science28 Feb 2024

Online toxicity can only be countered by humans and machines working together, according to Concordia researchers

Wading through the staggering amount of social media content being produced every second to find the nastiest bits is no task for humans alone. Even with the newest deep-learning tools at their disposal, the employees who identify and review problematic posts can be overwhelmed and often traumatized by what they encounter every day. Gig-working annotators, who analyze and label data to help improve machine learning, can be paid pennies per unit worked. In a new Concordia-led paper published in IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, researchers argue that supporting ...

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Science28 Feb 2024

SwRI sponsors Future Leaders Program at 2024 ITS America Conference & Expo

SAN ANTONIO– February 28, 2024 – Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and ITS Arizona are inviting college students to participate in the Future Leaders Program at this year’s ITS America Conference & Expo, April 22-25, at the Phoenix Convention Center. The Future Leaders Program allows the next generation of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) leaders to attend education sessions and meet with exhibitors, sponsors and technology providers, all while networking with ITS professionals who can offer career advice and mentorship. “The ITS industry is continuously looking for smart and creative people to ...

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Science28 Feb 2024

Endocrine Society supports federal legislation protecting IVF access

WASHINGTON—The Endocrine Society is calling for members of Congress to support federal legislation protecting access to in vitro fertilization (IVF). The Access to Family Building Act (S.3612/H.R.7056), proposed by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), would ensure people can access safe, effective IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies to start or grow their families. Families’ access to IVF services is being threatened by an Alabama State Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos ...

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Science28 Feb 2024

Understanding genetic risk could save sight and predict multiple sclerosis earlier in young people

Young people could be spared from going blind by a new genetic risk tool that could also help diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS) earlier, to start effective treatments. Optic neuritis is a condition that affects people of all ages, but especially young adults, usually manifesting in blurred vision and sometimes pain when moving the eyes. Up to half of people affected in the UK eventually go on to develop MS – often many years later. Emerging evidence indicates that starting the very effective MS treatments earlier may improve long term health. Optic neuritis occurs because of swelling in or around the optic nerve. For those with MS-related optic neuritis, the swelling subsides ...

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Science28 Feb 2024

Light stimulates a new twist for synthetic chemistry

Molecules that are induced by light to rotate bulky groups around central bonds could be developed into photo-activated bioactive systems, molecular switches, and more. Researchers at Hokkaido University, led by Assistant Professor Akira Katsuyama and Professor Satoshi Ichikawa at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, have extended the toolkit of synthetic chemistry by making a new category of molecules that can be induced to undergo an internal rotation on interaction with light. Similar processes are believed to be important in some natural biological systems. Synthetic versions might ...

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Science28 Feb 2024

Yeast and kelp flies can replace fishmeal in feed

Kelp flies and marine yeast cultivated on by-products from the seafood industry can be used in feed for farmed salmon. Replacing fishmeal and soybeans can create more sustainable and circular food production, according to a thesis from the University of Gothenburg. Food from aquaculture, such as farmed fish, is the food industry’s fastest growing sector. One key reason is that this is a nutritious and protein-rich food that is generally more sustainably produced than protein from land animals. However, fish farming also has challenges. One is obtaining sufficient amounts of sustainable high-quality feed. Currently, fish feed accounts for about ...

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Science28 Feb 2024

Meltwater in the North Atlantic can lead to European summer heatwaves, study finds

Scientists from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) have discovered that increased meltwater in the North Atlantic can trigger a chain of events leading to hotter and drier European summers. The paper, which will be published in the European Geosciences Union’s open access journal Weather and Climate Dynamics, suggests that European summer weather is predictable months to years in advance, due to higher levels of freshwater in the North Atlantic. Discussing the implications, lead author Marilena Oltmanns, Research Scientist at the National Oceanography Centre, said: “While the UK and northern Europe experienced unusually cool and wet weather in Summer 2023, Greenland experienced ...

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Science28 Feb 2024

A threat to what is ours: How Japanese people react to perceived territorial infringements

Osaka, Japan – Throughout the world, it is common for threats to national sovereignty or territorial integrity to stir up strong emotions among the public. Now, researchers from Japan have found that the strength of the reaction to such threats can break down along political lines in interesting ways. In a study published in Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, researchers from Osaka University have revealed that the Japanese public is highly sensitive to what are known as “collective ownership ...

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Science28 Feb 2024

A liking for licking

HONG KONG (28 Feb 2024) — Unique insights into the social lives of cattle revealed in a new study by scientists at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) can enhance our understanding of animal behaviour and welfare. The study suggests that sex and social status influence social grooming (where one animal licks another, also known as allogrooming) among free-ranging feral cattle in Hong Kong. The CityUHK researchers found that feral cattle performed preferential grooming of certain individuals and, in particular, that more dominant females received more grooming. This asymmetrical distribution of licking also applied to whom male cattle decided to ...

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Science28 Feb 2024

Could we assess autism in children with a simple eye reflex test?

Scientists at UC San Francisco may have discovered a new way to test for autism by measuring how children’s eyes move when they turn their heads. They found that kids who carry a variant of a gene that is associated with severe autism are hypersensitive to this motion. The gene, SCN2A, makes an ion channel that is found throughout the brain, including the region that coordinates movement, called the cerebellum. Ion channels allow electrical charges in and out of cells and are fundamental to how they function. Several variants ...

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Science28 Feb 2024

Concerted efforts urgently needed to meet 2030 Global Alcohol Action Plan targets

Concerted international efforts are urgently needed to meet the targets set out in the 2030 Global Alcohol Action Plan (GAAP) and avert “dire consequences” for low and middle income countries, where alcohol markets are expanding, warn health scientists in the open access journal BMJ Global Health. A lack of progress on alcohol and health in the wake of the 2010 Global Strategy for Reducing the Harmful Use of Alcohol prompted the 75th World Health Assembly to initiate the Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-30 and declare alcohol a public health priority, ...

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Science28 Feb 2024

The West is best to spot UFOs

“This [Tic Tac-shaped object that] had just traveled 60 miles in…less than a minute, was far superior in performance to my brand-new F/A-18F and did not operate with any of the known aerodynamic principles that we expect for objects that fly in our atmosphere.” In July of 2023, retired commander in the U.S. Navy David Fravor testified to the House Oversight Committee about a mysterious, Tic Tac-shaped object that he and three others observed over the Pacific Ocean in 2004. The congressional hearings riveted ...

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Science27 Feb 2024

Walleye struggle with changes to timing of spring thaw

Walleye are one of the most sought-after species in freshwater sportfishing, a delicacy on Midwestern menus and a critically important part of the culture of many Indigenous communities. They are also struggling to survive in the warming waters of the Midwestern United States and Canada. According to a new study published Feb. 26 in the journal Limnology and Oceanography Letters, part of the problem is that walleye are creatures of habit, and the seasons — especially winter — are changing so fast that this iconic species of freshwater fish can’t keep up. The timing of walleye spawning ...

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Science27 Feb 2024

Study finds pesticide use linked to Parkinson’s in rocky mountain, great plains region

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2024 MINNEAPOLIS – Pesticides and herbicides used in farming have been linked to Parkinson’s disease in the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains region of the country, according to a preliminary study released today, February 27, 2024, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 76th Annual Meeting taking place April 13–18, 2024, in person in Denver and online. “We used geographic methods to examine the rates ...

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Science27 Feb 2024

CBD shown to ease anxiety without the risks that can come with THC

Cannabis products high in the nonintoxicating compound CBD can quell anxiety better than THC-dominant products— and without the potential side effects, new University of Colorado Boulder research suggests. The study of 300 people, published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, is the first randomized trial to examine how legal, commercially available cannabis impacts anxiety symptoms. The study comes as one in five U.S. adults suffer from an anxiety disorder, making it the most common mental illness in the country, and prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications are on the rise. “We ...

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Science27 Feb 2024

The anti-aging effect of vitamin D and vitamin D receptor in Drosophila midgut

“Our study demonstrated that the VitD/VDR [vitamin D/vitamin D receptor] pathway is required for intestinal homeostasis during normal differentiation and aging.” BUFFALO, NY- February 27, 2024 – A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 16, Issue 3, entitled, “The anti-aging effect of vitamin D and vitamin D receptor in Drosophila midgut.” Adult stem cells are pivotal for maintaining tissue homeostasis, and their functional ...

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Science27 Feb 2024

Teens benefit from "forest bathing" – even in cities

Youth mental health in urban environments is significantly better when more nature is incorporated into city design. A new study from University of Waterloo researchers suggests that forest bathing, the simple method of being calm and quiet amongst the trees, observing nature around you while breathing deeply, can help youth de-stress and boost health and well-being. The study was the first ever to collect on-site, real-time survey data from adolescents about their emotional responses to various urban environments like a transit hub, residential ...

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Science27 Feb 2024

Research lessons to inform future CAP reform

On February 7, 2024, BESTMAP marked the end of the four-year project with a significant Final Dissemination Event in Brussels, Belgium. Titled "Research Lessons to Inform Future CAP Reform," the event was coordinated by project partners - RISE Foundation in collaboration with BESTMAP's sister projects within the AGRIMODELS cluster, all under the Forum for the Future of Agriculture initiative. The event addressed concerns about the ongoing decline of biodiversity in Europe and the unmet environmental goals despite annual spending of €12.1 billion on environmentally oriented measures within the CAP. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) plays a crucial role ...

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Science27 Feb 2024

IVI to open Africa Regional Office in Rwanda

The International Vaccine Institute (IVI), an international organization with a mission to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health, and the Ministry of Health of Rwanda announced today that IVI will open its Africa Regional Office in Kigali this year. The IVI Board of Trustees (BOT) confirmed Rwanda as the location for IVI’s Africa Regional Office at a meeting in February, following a detailed evaluation of proposals from five countries to host the regional office. Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, said: “We are ...

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Science27 Feb 2024

ReadCube expands its award-winning literature management platform with the launch of Literature Review

Digital Science is pleased to announce that ReadCube, an award-winning leader in literature management and full-text document delivery, has launched a new solution for research-driven organizations – known simply as Literature Review by ReadCube. Literature Review seamlessly integrates with ReadCube's premier literature management platform, trusted by over 650 research organizations globally. Known for its best-in-class user experience and robust literature workflows, ReadCube's newest solution delivers a turnkey end-to-end workflow for teams tasked with monitoring and analyzing published literature related ...

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Science27 Feb 2024

Reaching federal youth sport participation goal could save US billions of dollars

First-of-its-kind study suggests increasing the percentage of youth in the United States who participate in sports to meet a Healthy People 2030 goal could improve children’s physical and mental health and save $80 billion. Achieving the Healthy People 2030 youth sports participation goal could save the United States $80 billion in direct medical costs and productivity losses and deliver over 1.8 million more quality years of life to Americans, according to a study that will be published on Feb. 27 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Every decade since 1980, Healthy People has provided science-based, 10-year national objectives and ...

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Science27 Feb 2024

AI-driven lab speeds catalysis research

Researchers have developed a “self-driving” lab that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and automated systems to provide in-depth analyses of catalytic reactions used in chemical research and manufacturing. The new tool, called Fast-Cat, can provide more information in five days than is possible in six months of conventional testing. At issue are the yield and selectivity of chemical reactions in the presence of molecules called ligands. Yield refers to how efficiently a chemical reaction produces a desired product from the chemicals you started with. Selectivity refers ...

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Science27 Feb 2024

The mechanism of SlWRKY80 participating in salt alkali stress through its involvement in JA metabolic pathway

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is the most widely cultivated and consumed horticultural crop. At present, saline–alkali is an important abiotic stress source that affects tomato production. Exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) can enhance the resistance of tomatoes to various stress, but its exact mechanism is still unclear. In January 2024, Horticulture Research published a research entitled by “SlWRKY80-mediated jasmonic acid pathway positively regulates tomato resistance to saline-alkali stress by enhancing spermidine content and stabilizing ...

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