Science
press releases.

Science21 Aug 2023

Ye receives National Science Foundation CAREER Award

Jinwei Ye, Assistant Professor, Computer Science, received funding for the project: "CAREER: Towards Polarimetric Visual Understanding." In this project, Ye will study how the way surfaces reflect polarized light can be used to help recognize objects more effectively. Ye will address the following two questions: (1) How does the polarization of light change after interacting with various types of surfaces? (2) What can polarized light tell us about the kinds of objects that it has interacted with? Addressing these questions can lead to significant improvements in machine vision systems by strengthening their capability to do geometric ...

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Science21 Aug 2023

For men with erectile dysfunction, penile implants are usually covered by insurance – but not always

August 21, 2022 – Implantable penile prostheses (IPPs) are an established treatment option for erectile dysfunction (ED), and are covered by insurance in about 80% of cases, reports a paper in the September issue of Urology Practice®, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer. However, some employer-sponsored insurance plans specifically exclude this guideline-recommended treatment option for ED, according to the new research by Dr. Mohit Khera, MD, MBA, MPH, of Baylor College ...

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Science21 Aug 2023

MSU hires Judd Herzer for new mobility director role

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University today named Judd Herzer as the director of MSU Mobility to help amplify and focus the university’s vast research activities in the smart-vehicle landscape. Satish Udpa, University Distinguished Professor in the College of Engineering at MSU and co-founder of MSU Mobility, has been fulfilling the duties of this newly created role in an interim capacity while the university looked for the ideal candidate. Mobility is among MSU’s principal areas of research and innovation, and MSU Mobility and its ...

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Science21 Aug 2023

Websites selling direct-to-consumer Anti-Mullerian Hormone Tests

About The Study: In this study including content analysis of 27 websites across multiple countries, most websites selling direct-to-consumer Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) tests included false and misleading claims which might lead consumers to purchase an AMH test in the belief that it can reliably predict fertility potential and age of menopause. Depending on the test result, this may in turn lead to misplaced anxiety or reassurance about one’s fertility and modifications to subsequent conception or contraceptive plans and behavior. Authors: Tessa Copp, Ph.D., of the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia, is the ...

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Science21 Aug 2023

To close the gap at the top, start with the bottom

Ames, IA — Twenty years ago, the National Football League adopted the Rooney Rule. It attempted to address racial disparity in top positions by requiring teams to interview at least one person of color for every head coach opening. But newly published research suggests the gap will persist unless it’s closed at the bottom. The NFL has a hierarchal labor pool, explains Andreas Schwab, co-author and associate professor of entrepreneurship at Iowa State University. Under the head coach are two coordinators who oversee defense and offense. These coordinators supervise position-specific coaches who may have their own assistant coaches. “To become ...

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Science21 Aug 2023

Chemists build synthetic catalysts to break down biomass like super enzymes

AMES, Iowa – Yan Zhao gestured toward the trees outside his campus window on a rainy afternoon. The professor of chemistry at Iowa State University is developing new synthetic catalysts to break down cellulose, the plant fibers that make those trees tall and strong. “Cellulose is built to last – a tree doesn’t just disappear after rain,” Zhao said. “Cellulose is a huge challenge to break down.” Zhao thinks he has an idea and a technology that can get the job done, making plant biomass a practical source of sugars that can be converted to many applications, including ...

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Science21 Aug 2023

Citizen scientists reveal how the common wasp spreads across UK

The Big Wasp Survey, a citizen science project involving thousands of volunteers throughout the UK, has yielded important genetic insights into the common wasp, reports a study led by UCL researchers. Using data and samples of Vespula vulgaris (a species of yellowjacket wasp known as the Common Wasp) collected by amateur ‘citizen scientists’, the researchers conducted the first large-scale genetic analysis of the insect across its native range. The insights, published in Insect Molecular Biology, revealed a single population of the wasp across Britain, while the insect’s genetics were more differentiated across the Irish Sea in Northern Ireland. The researchers ...

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Science21 Aug 2023

Recreational nitrous oxide use is no laughing matter

Nitrous oxide is a popular recreational drug, especially among young people, that can cause serious and sometimes permanent neurological defects. A new review in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) aims to help clinicians recognize signs of nitrous oxide toxicity https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.230196. Also known as “laughing gas,” nitrous oxide is an anesthetic sometimes used in pediatric and dental procedures. Inexpensive and easily obtainable online, it is increasingly used for a quick high. In the 2021 Global Drug Survey, 10% of all respondents, and 15% of Canadian respondents, indicated having used the drug in the ...

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Science18 Aug 2023

A new way to identify chiral molecules with light could vastly improve detection efficiency

Chiral molecules are those that have two versions that are mirror images, like our right and left hands. These molecules have the same structure but different properties when they interact with other molecules, including those inside our bodies. This is important for example in drug molecules, where only the right- or left-handed version may have the desired effect. Detecting and quantifying the chirality of matter however has been difficult. Current methods using a form of light that produces a (right- or left-twisting) helix ...

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Science18 Aug 2023

A new “spin” on ergodicity breaking

In a recent Science paper, researchers led by JILA and NIST Fellow Jun Ye, along with collaborators JILA and NIST Fellow David Nesbitt, scientists from the University of Nevada, Reno, and Harvard University, observed novel ergodicity-breaking in C60, a highly symmetric molecule composed of 60 carbon atoms arranged on the vertices of a “soccer ball” pattern (with 20 hexagon faces and 12 pentagon faces). Their results revealed ergodicity breaking in the rotations of C60. Remarkably, they ...

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Science18 Aug 2023

UH leading multi-institutional program to provide research opportunities to postbaccalaureates

With the juggling act of maintaining grades while also keeping a job, undergraduate students pursuing STEM degrees often graduate without any research experience, despite the benefits that research can have on their careers. To provide more graduates from diverse backgrounds with research and mentoring experiences, Rebecca Zufall and Richard Meisel, associate professors of biology and biochemistry at the University of Houston’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, are leading a multi-institutional program that will provide ...

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Science18 Aug 2023

Public may overestimate pushback against controversial research findings

Controversial research can put people on the defensive and may even lead to calls to censor findings that conflict with a particular ideological perspective. However, a pair of studies published in Psychological Science, by authors Cory J. Clark (University of Pennsylvania), Maja Graso (University of Groningen), Ilana Redstone (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), and Philip E. Tetlock (University of Pennsylvania), suggest a tendency to overestimate the risk that research findings will fuel public support for harmful actions. Harmful actions related to research findings, according ...

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Science18 Aug 2023

Ancient metal cauldrons give us clues about what people ate in the Bronze Age

Archaeologists have long been drawing conclusions about how ancient tools were used by the people who crafted them based on written records and context clues. But with dietary practices, they have had to make assumptions about what was eaten and how it was prepared. A new study published in the journal iScience on August 18 analyzed protein residues from ancient cooking cauldrons and found that the people of Caucasus ate deer, sheep, goats, and members of the cow family during the Maykop period (3700–2900 BCE). “It’s really exciting to get an idea of what people were making ...

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Science18 Aug 2023

Scientists reviewed the trajectory design and optimization for Jovian system exploration

The Jovian system has greatly attracted the interest of human exploration because of the important scientific value. However, Jupiter and its 4 Galilean moons form a unique and complex multi-body dynamical environment that greatly challenges trajectory design and optimization. Moreover, the extremely strong radiation environment of Jupiter and the low available fuel of spacecraft further increase the difficulty of trajectory design. In order to satisfy the requirements of diverse missions of the Jovian system exploration, develop new mission concepts, and obtain higher merit with lower cost, a variety of theories and methodologies of ...

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Science18 Aug 2023

Texas A&M study finds secondhand smoke may be source of lead exposure in children

Lead exposure has long been a known health risk, especially for young children. Research has found that even at low levels, chronic exposure to lead can cause damage to the brain and other organs and cause problems with cognitive and motor skills. In response, public health officials have determined that there is no safe exposure level and have made great efforts to eliminate lead-based paint and lead pipes in homes and phase out the use of leaded gasoline. But another possible source of lead exposure in children has been largely overlooked: secondhand ...

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Science18 Aug 2023

Study observes sudden acceleration of flow, generates new boundary layer

In an experiment on how turbulent boundary layers respond to acceleration in the flow around them, aerospace engineers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign observed an unexpected internal boundary layer. “Not only were we able to identify a new internal boundary layer, but we were able to systematically track its height so we can understand its growth rate. We also noticed that it only formed if our pressure grading, our acceleration, was sufficiently strong. There was a threshold under which we didn't ...

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Science17 Aug 2023

Oregon State researchers develop novel technique for sniffing out toxic algae blooms

Different cyanobacterial species produce different toxins, said OSU’s Kimberly Halsey, who led the study. Most of them cause gastrointestinal illness and acute skin rashes, and they can be deadly. In 2017, more than 30 cattle died after drinking contaminated water at Junipers Reservoir near Lakeview, Oregon, and blooms particularly pose a threat to dogs entering affected lakes. Even though the research dealt with just one lake and one toxin, the research demonstrates VOCs’ potential in monitoring critical waterways, said Halsey, associate professor of microbiology in the College of Science. She said the study published ...

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Science17 Aug 2023

RESEARCH ALERT: City of Hope scientists unravel how TET2 gene deficiency fuels development of acute myeloid leukemia

FINDINGS Scientists at City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, have identified how low levels of the TET2 gene fuel the rapid growth of acute myeloid leukemia in animal models. Cell Stem Cell recently published the study. A team led by Jianjun Chen, Ph.D., the Simms/Mann Family Foundation Chair in Systems Biology at Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, found that TET2 deficiency sets off a cascade of biochemical changes that enhance the bone marrow cancer’s ability to spread. These changes ...

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Science17 Aug 2023

Racial and ethnic differences in gut microbiome emerge at 3 months old

Gut microbiome variation associated with race and ethnicity arises after three months of age and persists through childhood, according to a new study published August 17th in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Elizabeth K. Mallott of Washington University in St. Louis, US, Seth Bordenstein of Pennsylvania State University, US, and colleagues. Human microbiome variation has been linked to the incidence, prevalence and mortality of many diseases and is known to associate with race and ethnicity in the United States. However, in this context race and ethnicity are considered proxies for inequitable exposure to social and environmental determinants of health due to structural racism. ...

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Science17 Aug 2023

LRT, REM, mass transit projects and their fuzzy reality

The city of Gatineau is planning a tramway network that will link up with Ottawa, where the Light Rail Transit (LRT) continues to be bogged down by major mishaps. With Montreal’s new Réseau express métropolitain (REM) light transit system experiencing its own hiccups to start, how can cities looking to incorporate mass transport systems successfully launch such endeavors while avoiding project failures and years of misfortune? New research from a University of Ottawa professor suggests project leaders not overlook the “F” word. Telfer School of Management professor Lavagnon Ika found a lack of full appreciation ...

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Science17 Aug 2023

FGM identified as a leading cause of death in African countries

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a leading cause of death in the countries where it is practised, with over 44,000 additional women and young girls dying each year, a new study reveals. FGM accounts for more deaths in these countries than any cause other than enteric infections – usually resulting from consuming contaminated food or water – respiratory infections, or malaria and remains legal in five of the 28 countries where it is most practiced. Researchers are calling for FGM to be made illegal Mali, Malawi, Chad, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, given that legal change can lead to cultural change. They also say that efforts must be ...

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Science17 Aug 2023

New call for joint effort to bolster research integrity

Who’s responsible for upholding research integrity, mitigating misinformation or disinformation and increasing trust in research? Everyone – even those reporting on research – says a new article published by leading research integrity experts. In their paper published in the journal Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics, Dr Leslie McIntosh (Vice President Research Integrity, Digital Science) and Ms Cynthia Hudson Vitale (Director, Science Policy and Scholarship, Association of Research Libraries) call for improved policies and worldwide coordination between funding bodies, publishers, academic institutions, scholarly ...

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Science17 Aug 2023

Philosopher: Mindfulness rests on dubious philosophical foundations

Recent years have seen an explosive growth in mindfulness, which has been adapted from Buddhist meditation practices: in schools, the health services and workplaces, different forms of therapy based on mindfulness are on offer, and meditation apps such as Headspace and Ten Percent Happier are downloaded by millions of people all over the world. In other words, there is no doubt that mindfulness is fulfilling a need and that many feel that they are being helped by the techniques it offers. But according to PhD Odysseus Stone from the University of Copenhagen, many of the philosophical ...

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Science17 Aug 2023

Marijuana and hallucinogen use, binge drinking reached historic highs among adults 35 to 50

Past-year use of marijuana and hallucinogens by adults 35 to 50 years old continued a long-term upward trajectory to reach all-time highs in 2022, according to the Monitoring the Future (MTF) panel study, an annual survey of substance use behaviors and attitudes of adults 19 to 60 years old. Among younger adults aged 19 to 30, reports of past-year marijuana and hallucinogen use as well as marijuana and nicotine vaping significantly increased in the past five years, with marijuana use and vaping at their highest historic levels for this age group in 2022. The MTF study is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, ...

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Science17 Aug 2023

Endocrine Society honors endocrinology field’s leaders with 2024 Laureate Awards

WASHINGTON—The Endocrine Society today announced it has chosen 14 leading endocrinologists as winners of its prestigious 2024 Laureate Awards, the top honors in the field. Endocrinologists are scientists and medical doctors who specialize in unravelling the mysteries of hormone disorders to care for patients and cure diseases. These professionals have achieved breakthroughs in scientific discoveries and clinical care benefiting people with hundreds of conditions, including diabetes, thyroid disorders, obesity, hormone-related cancers, growth problems, osteoporosis and infertility. Established in 1944, the Society’s Laureate ...

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