Science
press releases.

Science5 Jan 2024

Low-cost microscope projection photolithography system for high-resolution fabrication

Integrated optical signal distributing, processing, and sensing networks require the miniaturization of basic optical elements, such as waveguides, splitters, gratings, and optical switches. To achieve this, fabrication approaches that allow for high-resolution manufacturing are required. Curved elements like bends and ring resonators are especially challenging to fabricate, as they need even higher resolution and lower sidewall roughness. Additionally, fabrication techniques with precise control of absolute structure dimensions are imperative. Several ...

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Science5 Jan 2024

New images reveal what Neptune and Uranus really look like

Under embargo until 00:01 GMT on Friday 5 January 2024 /19:01 ET Thursday 4 January 2024 Royal Astronomical Society and University of Oxford press release Neptune is fondly known for being a rich blue and Uranus green – but a new study has revealed that the two ice giants are actually far closer in colour than typically thought. The correct shades of the planets have been confirmed with the help of research led by Professor Patrick Irwin from the University of Oxford, which has been published today in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. He and his team found that both worlds ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Bipolar disorder linked to early death more than smoking

Having bipolar disorder – a serious mental illness that can cause both manic and depressed moods – can make life more challenging. It also comes with a higher risk of dying early. Now, a study puts into perspective just how large that risk is, and how it compares with other factors that can shorten life. In two different groups, people with bipolar disorder were four to six times more likely as people without the condition to die prematurely, the study finds. By contrast, people who had ever smoked were about twice as likely to die prematurely than those ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Study shows liraglutide results in increased insulin sensitivity independent of weight loss

A new study published in the journal Diabetes demonstrates that a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist, a member of a class of medication used to treat Type 2 diabetes and obesity, can lead to a rapid improvement in insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity is how responsive cells are to insulin, an essential hormone that controls blood glucose levels. An increase in insulin sensitivity means insulin can more effectively lower the blood glucose. Reduced insulin sensitivity or insulin resistance is a feature of Type 2 diabetes. Thus, improved ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Early nerve intervention reduces pain and complications after amputation

Waltham — January 4, 2024 — Performed early – at the time of amputation – a procedure called targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) can reduce pain scores and prevent complications related to abnormal nerve regrowth, suggests a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer. "Our experience suggests that that acute TMR reduces neuroma formation, and lowers the incidence of both phantom ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Seizures identified as potential cause of sudden unexplained death in children

In a study designed to better understand sudden, unexpected deaths in young children, which usually occur during sleep, researchers have identified brief seizures, accompanied by muscle convulsions, as a potential cause. Experts estimate in excess of 3,000 families each year in the United States lose a baby or young child unexpectedly and without explanation. Most are infants in what is referred to as sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, but 400 or more cases involve children aged 1 and older, and in what is called sudden unexplained death in children (SUDC). Over half of these children are toddlers. The study findings come from a registry of more than 300 SUDC cases, set up ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Where’s the snow? Northeastern cities see record temps, low snowfall in 2023

CORNELL UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE FOR RELEASE: Jan. 4, 2024 Kaitlyn Serrao 607-882-1140 kms465@cornell.edu Where’s the snow? Northeastern cities see record temps, low snowfall in 2023 ITHACA, N.Y. - In the Northeastern United States, warming average temperatures for most all climate data sites in December 2023 ranged from 3.6 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit above normal – making 2023 the warmest year on record for 13 of the region’s 35 major locations, including New York City. A total of 28 cities in the region saw one of their top-five warmest years, according to a report Jan. 2 ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

The (wrong) reason we keep secrets

In and out of the workplace, people often keep adverse information about themselves secret because they worry that others will judge them harshly. But those fears are overblown, according to new research from the McCombs School of Business. In fact, when study participants pushed through fear to reveal a secret, those in whom they confided were significantly more charitable than they expected. “When we’re thinking about conveying negative information about ourselves, we’re focused on the content of the message,” said study co-author Amit Kumar, assistant professor of marketing at Texas McCombs. “But the ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Lighting the circuits to risky decision-making

Life consists of infinite possibilities — appearing in the real world as multiple choices, that then require decision-making in order to determine the best course of action. However, with every choice there also exists a certain amount of uncertainty or ‘risk’. Therefore, behind every decision, lies an intricate evaluation process that balances the ‘risks’ and ‘rewards’ associated with taking such actions. This can, in extreme cases, manifest itself as a pathological behavioral state of high risk-high return (HH) and low risk-low return (LL) decision processing that has been associated with gambling disorders. Although ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

The snail or the egg?

The egg did come first. Egg-laying arose deep in evolutionary time, long before animals even made their way onto land. Throughout evolution, there have been many independent transitions to live-bearing across the animal kingdom, including insects, fish, reptiles, and mammals. Yet, these examples have taught us very little about the number of genetic changes it takes to go from eggs to live offspring. Now, an international team of researchers led by ISTA postdoc Sean Stankowski has used a humble marine snail to reveal the genetic changes that underpin the transition to live-bearing. The main advantage of investigating this phenomenon in ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Editorial: Genuine images in 2024

In an Editorial, Science Journals’ Editor-in-Chief, Holden Thorp, outlines changes to the publication’s editorial policies and practices for 2024, including plans to adopt the use of Proofig – an artificial intelligence-powered image-analysis tool – to detect altered images across all six of the Science family journals. Proofig is a tool that screens images for duplication and other types of manipulations. Although Science has been conducting “human-eye” image checks on some papers, the new tool will enhance Science’s review process and reduce ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Biologists uncover the secrets of evolutionary change

**Strictly embargoed until 19:00 GMT on Thursday 4 January 2024** Biologists uncover the secrets of evolutionary change Images available here Big evolutionary changes happen gradually and not in giant leaps, a team of biologists led by the University of Sheffield have discovered Using new methodology to study an evolutionary shift in the birthing style of marine snails, experts have been able to answer the long-debated question as to how game-changing innovations like flight, vision, and the bearing of live offspring happened Understanding the evolutionary origin of these developments is important because ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Does self-checkout impact grocery store loyalty?

In an effort to reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction, retailers have implemented self-checkouts in stores across the country. They have become increasingly popular, but some brands like Walmart are removing self-checkouts in some locations while adding more in others. There are many advantages and disadvantages of self-checkout for both the customer and the retailer, but little formal research has investigated the impact of self-checkout on customers’ shopping experience. This led researchers from Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business to look at how self-checkout systems in grocery stores influence customer loyalty ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Springs aboard – gently feeling the way to grasp the microcosmos

These “picosprings” have remarkably large and tuneable compliancy and can be controlled remotely through magnetic fields (even deep within the human body) allowing articulated motion in microrobots as well as micromanipulations well beyond the state of the art. Moreover, the extension of the picosprings can also be used visually to measure forces, for example propulsion or grasping forces, in interaction with other objects like cells. For example, these picosprings have been used to measure the locomotive propulsion force of sperm cells. The publication showcases these capabilities by demonstrating several ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Worm study raises concern about DEET's effect on reproduction

Researchers have uncovered evidence hinting that the most common bug spray ingredient, DEET, might cause reproductive problems by affecting the formation of egg cells during pregnancy. The findings come from a study in C. elegans — worms that don’t look like they have much in common with humans yet serve as surprisingly useful bellwethers of how toxins in the environment affect human reproduction. Get more HMS news here The research, published Jan. 4 in iScience, raises difficult questions. Chief among them is how to balance the possible reproductive harms ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Limited English proficiency and sepsis mortality by race and ethnicity

About The Study: The findings of this study of 2,709 patients hospitalized with sepsis from 2016 to 2019 at an urban tertiary care center suggest a language-based inequity in outcomes. Further studies are needed to understand drivers of this inequity, how it may manifest in other diverse health systems, and to inform equitable care models for patients with limited English proficiency. Authors: Neha P. Limaye, M.D., M.P.H., of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Study reveals new genetic link between anorexia nervosa and being an early riser

BOSTON – New research indicates that the eating disorder anorexia nervosa is associated with being an early riser, unlike many other disorders that tend to be evening-based such as depression, binge eating disorder and schizophrenia. The study, which is published in JAMA Network Open and led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), in collaboration with University College London and the University of the Republic in Uruguay, also revealed a link between anorexia nervosa and insomnia risk. Previous research has suggested a possible connection between eating disorders and the body’s internal clock, or circadian clock, which controls a wide range of biological ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

New population risk prediction model for likelihood of ICU admission and survival

INDIANAPOLIS – A significant obstacle to improving care and outcomes for intensive care unit (ICU) patients is the unexpected nature of becoming seriously ill. Which groups of patients are likely to become severely ill and will they survive their ICU stay? In a first step in creating infrastructure for further studies to identify and follow cohorts of patients who may become critically ill, researchers including Sikandar Khan, D.O, M.S., of Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine, have developed and conducted ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

An innovative approach for evaluating muscle coordination and fatigue

Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a traditional method used to measure the electrical activity of muscles during physical activity. This method has remained unchanged for over 70 years and involves the use of two standard approaches. The first involves a pair of electrodes—metals that conduct electricity through non-metals—to record from a particular muscle, while the second employs a grid of electrodes arranged in a small rectangular layout in order to measure the potential distribution of intra-muscle activity. However, these approaches only provide a measurement of a single muscle at a time. Thus, limiting our understanding of how our muscles coordinate ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

New theoretical framework unlocks mysteries of synchronization in turbulent dynamics

Weather forecasting is important for various sectors, including agriculture, military operations, and aviation, as well as for predicting natural disasters like tornados and cyclones. It relies on predicting the movement of air in the atmosphere, which is characterized by turbulent flows resulting in chaotic eddies of air. However, accurately predicting this turbulence has remained significantly challenging owing to the lack of data on small-scale turbulent flows, which leads to the introduction of ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Gender parity in autism research: Synaptic similarities challenge focus on male models

New study reveals striking similarities in synaptic abnormalities and behavioral patterns between male and female mouse models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study challenges the traditional focus on male subjects in ASD research and highlights the critical importance of including both sexes in investigations. This finding urges a pivotal shift in the scientific community's approach to understanding and addressing ASD, emphasizing the necessity of considering both males and females to comprehensively ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Genomic ‘tweezer’ ushers in a new era of precision in microbiome research

In a landmark study recently published in the journal Nature Methods, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have unveiled mEnrich-seq—an innovative method designed to substantially enhance the specificity and efficiency of research into microbiomes, the complex communities of microorganisms that inhabit the human body. Unlocking the Microbial World with mEnrich-seq Microbiomes play a crucial role in human health. An imbalance or a decrease in the variety of microbes in our bodies can lead to an increased risk of several diseases. However, in many microbiome applications, the focus is on studying specific ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Development of zinc oxide nanopagoda array photoelectrode

Overview A research team consisting of members of the Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute and the Functional Materials Engineering Laboratory at the Toyohashi University of Technology, has developed a novel high-performance photoelectrode by constructing a zinc oxide nanopagoda array with a unique shape on a transparent electrode and applying silver nanoparticles to its surface. The zinc oxide nanopagoda is characterized by having many step structures, as it comprises stacks of differently sized hexagonal prisms. In addition, it exhibits very few crystal defects and excellent electron conductivity. By decorating its surface with silver nanoparticles, the zinc oxide nanopagoda ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

Surgical teams put on notice for poor behaviour

Australian researchers have successfully trialled a novel experiment to address offensive and rude comments in operating theatres by placing ‘eye’ signage in surgical rooms. The eye images, attached to the walls of an Adelaide orthopaedic hospital’s operating theatre without any explanation, had the desired effect in markedly reducing poor behaviour among surgical teams. Lead researcher University of South Australia Professor Cheri Ostroff attributed the result to a perception of being “watched”, even though the eyes were not real. The three-month experiment ...

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Science4 Jan 2024

The Avocado Debate: a polarizing fruit and its impact on society

The avocado has soared to unprecedented heights of popularity, gracing the plates of toast enthusiasts and health-conscious individuals worldwide. But what are the overlooked consequences of our latest food obsession? “The avocado has come to represent so much more than just a fruit. It’s wrapped up with ideas of generational conflict, environmental chaos and social injustice. Over the last century, through careful marketing, it has evolved into a commodity crop with a huge social media following.” says Honor May Eldridge, a food policy expert who works to promote sustainable agriculture around the ...

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