Science
press releases.

Science24 May 2023

Mixing metals for improved performance

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – A teenage fascination with metals has led to a prestigious early-career award for a superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) materials scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Shreyas Balachandran has been chosen to receive the ICMC Cryogenic Materials Award for Excellence, presented annually to an individual under 40 who has demonstrated innovation, impact and international recognition for their work in advancing the knowledge of cryogenic materials. “It’s ...

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Science24 May 2023

SwRI’s Dr. Peter Lee named STLE Fellow

SAN ANTONIO — May 24, 2023 —Dr. Peter Lee of Southwest Research Institute’s Tribology Research and Evaluations Section has been named a Fellow of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE). An STLE fellowship recognizes society members with significant contributions over 20 years of active practice in the field of tribology and lubrication engineering. These contributions must meet a standard considered by STLE above and beyond those typically expected of a scientist or engineer. Tribology is the study of lubrication, friction ...

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Science24 May 2023

Phytophthora “the plant destroyer” meets its match with a new identification tool

Known as the “plant destroyer,” the genus Phytophthora is considered one of the most important groups of plant pathogens—causing significant economic and environmental losses throughout history and into today. There are over 200 identified species in the Phytophthora genus. These pathogens, and those yet to be identified, can spread quickly due to the increasing rate of global trade, e-commerce, and travel. Rapid identification is therefore critical for effective plant disease management. While several international online resources for Phytophthora identification ...

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Science24 May 2023

New research prizes will give $2.5 million to top scientists in Texas

DALLAS – Texas scientists will receive $2.5 million in funding to advance their research thanks to a new prize program from Lyda Hill Philanthropies and TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology). The Hill Prizes, funded by Lyda Hill Philanthropies, will accelerate high-risk, high-reward research ideas with significant potential for real-world impact. The Prizes will celebrate top Texas innovators and researchers whose work could significantly impact science and society in five categories: Medicine, Engineering, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences ...

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Science24 May 2023

Morressier joins the fight for science with federated integrity suite for authors and publishers

Berlin and Washington DC, May 24, 2023 – Morressier announced today an integrity suite that will be offered as part of its end-to-end platform, designed to increase the quality of and trust in the outputs of scientific research. Pre-flight checks for authors will flag potential quality issues, check for completeness of submissions, and provide recommendations for improvements in areas such as language. Publishers using the Morressier platform now have access to a powerful suite of automated tools to help them identify integrity issues early and at scale. Plagiarism detection tools in the Morressier platform, for instance, indicate phrases in submissions that may ...

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Science24 May 2023

Life stressors may contribute to multiple sclerosis flares, disability

A Michigan Medicine-led study finds that stressors across the lifespan — including poverty, abuse and divorce — are associated with worsening health and functional outcomes for people with multiple sclerosis. Using survey data from more than 700 people with MS, researchers discovered that stressful events occurring both in childhood and adulthood contributed significantly to participants’ level of disability. The results are published in Brain and Behavior. “MS is the leading cause of non-traumatic ...

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Science24 May 2023

Long or short menstrual cycles linked to higher risk of CVD including atrial fibrillation

Research Highlights: An analysis of data for more than 58,000 women in the U.K. Biobank found that both short (less than 21 days) or long (more than 35 days) menstrual cycles were associated with the development of cardiovascular disease, heart attack or atrial fibrillation (AFib). Short or long menstrual cycle length was associated with a 19% higher risk of heart disease among those women compared to women with menstrual cycle length between 22 to 34 days. Irregular menstrual cycle length was associated with a 40% higher risk of atrial ...

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Science24 May 2023

Racial disparities in outcomes for pregnant and postpartum veterans and their infants

A new study showed that despite there being no significant racial disparities in access or use of care during the perinatal period among veterans using Veterans Administration care, Black veterans were more likely than white veterans to experience postpartum re-hospitalization and to have a low-birth-weight infant. The study is published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Women’s Health. Click here to read the article now. Jodie Katon, PhD, MS, from VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, and coauthors, reported that Black veterans were 67% more likely than white veterans to have a postpartum re-hospitalization and 67% more likely to have a low-birth-weight ...

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Science24 May 2023

Propellers are louder over ground, researchers find

The effects of the ground on propeller noise have been measured experimentally for the very first time by researchers in the Aeroacoustics research team at the University of Bristol. In findings, published in the Journal of Sound and Vibration, the team found clear differences in the noise characteristics of propellers when over ground, known as ‘Ground Effect’, compared to when operated normally. They noted an overall noise increase when measuring at angles above the ground, with hydrodynamic and acoustic interaction effects being a key factor to the overall noise trends. It is hoped this research, tested in the National Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel ...

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Science24 May 2023

Study reveals unique molecular machinery of woman who can’t feel pain

The biology underpinning a rare genetic mutation that allows its carrier to live virtually pain-free, heal more rapidly and experience reduced anxiety and fear, has been uncovered by new research from UCL. The study, published in Brain, follows up the team’s discovery in 2019 of the FAAH-OUT gene and the rare mutations that cause Jo Cameron to feel virtually no pain and never feel anxious or afraid. The new research describes how the mutation in FAAH-OUT ‘turns down’ FAAH gene expression, as well as the knock-on effects on other molecular pathways linked to wound healing and mood. It is hoped the findings will ...

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Science23 May 2023

Few adult smokers and nonsmokers think e-cigarettes have lower levels of harmful chemicals than cigarettes

About half of cigarette smokers and young adult non-smokers think that nicotine-based electronic cigarettes have the same amount or even more harmful chemicals than regular tobacco-based cigarettes, according to a Rutgers study. The study, published in Addiction, measured perceived levels of harmful chemicals in e-cigarettes compared with cigarettes using national samples of more than 1,000 adults ages 18 and older who smoke cigarettes and 1,000-plus adults ages 18 to 29 who are nonsmokers. The study also measured associations with e-cigarette/cigarette relative harm perceptions, e-cigarette use and interest. About 20 percent of all participants ...

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Science23 May 2023

The aging mouse prostate: kinetics of lymphocyte infiltration

“This dataset presents the most comprehensive profiling of the aging adult mouse prostate immune profile to date.” BUFFALO, NY- May 23, 2023 – A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 15, Issue 9, entitled, “Highly multiplexed immune profiling throughout adulthood reveals kinetics of lymphocyte infiltration in the aging mouse prostate.” Aging is a significant risk factor for disease in several tissues, including the prostate. Defining the kinetics ...

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Science23 May 2023

Strategic habitat restoration can generate a win-win for forests and farmers

Carefully planned restoration of agricultural coffee landscapes can increase both farmers’ profit and forest cover over a 40-year period, according to a study publishing May 23rd in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Dr. Sofía López-Cubillos at the University of Queensland in Australia, and colleagues. Restoring patches of natural vegetation in agricultural land presents a trade-off for farmers: while the lost cropland can reduce profitability, increases in ecosystem services like pollination can improve crop yield. To investigate how conservation priorities can be balanced with economic needs, researchers developed a novel planning framework to model the ...

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Science23 May 2023

Oxygen restriction helps fast-aging mice live longer

For the first time, researchers have shown that reduced oxygen intake, or “oxygen restriction”, is associated with longer lifespan in lab mice, highlighting its anti-aging potential. Robert Rogers of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, US, and colleagues present these findings in a study publishing May 23rd in the open access journal PLOS Biology. Research efforts to extend healthy lifespan have identified a number of chemical compounds and other interventions that show promising effects in mammalian lab animals— ...

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Science23 May 2023

Study: Transcatheter mitral valve repair safe, successful

Long-awaited outcomes data of transcatheter edge-to-edge procedures to repair patients’ leaky mitral valves revealed the minimally invasive procedure to be safe and effective in nearly 90% of patients, according to Cedars-Sinai physician-scientists. Their findings on the condition called degenerative mitral regurgitation were published today in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), representing the largest study to date that examines outcomes for patients treated outside of a clinical trial with transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER). “Treatment was successful in nearly nine out of every 10 patients in whom TEER was used to repair ...

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Science23 May 2023

Underreporting of quality measures in nursing home ratings

About The Study: The results of this quality improvement study involving 13,000 nursing homes suggest widespread underreporting of major injury falls and pressure ulcers, and underreporting was associated with the racial and ethnic composition of a facility. Alternative approaches to measuring quality need to be considered. Authors: Prachi Sanghavi, Ph.D., of the University of Chicago, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.14822) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other ...

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Science23 May 2023

Hertz Foundation announces 2023 Hertz Fellows

Pleasanton, Calif., May 23, 2023 — The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the most promising innovators in science and technology, has announced the 2023 Hertz Fellows, 15 remarkable doctoral students in applied science, engineering and mathematics. By funding their graduate studies for five years, Hertz Fellowships provide each new fellow the freedom to tackle some of the most significant challenges facing our nation and the world today. Their research promises to improve human health, usher in advances in artificial intelligence and quantum technologies that redound to the greater good, yield a deeper understanding of our universe, contribute ...

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Science23 May 2023

Ready, set, go: New study shows how marathon running affects different foot muscles

With the current trend of fitness consciousness, many people have taken up long-distance running as a part of their exercise regime. They also participate in various local, national, and global marathons. But marathon running can lead to muscular fatigue and damage in the foot muscles, which can in turn lead to chronic pain or injuries. At present, there is little information on the impact of marathon running on the various foot muscles. Foot muscles are generally categorized as either intrinsic or extrinsic muscles. While intrinsic muscles originate and insert within the foot, extrinsic muscles originate ...

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Science23 May 2023

Lessons from blockbusters to help teams adapt

AMES, IA – We all like to think of ourselves as rational human beings. If there’s a drastic change in our lives or at work, we can evaluate our options and make the best choice. But James Summers, an expert in team management and adaptation at Iowa State University, says our ability to process information breaks down when we experience heightened negative emotions. Fear and anxiety can lead to withdrawal and avoidance, both of which hinder a group’s ability to coordinate and overcome challenges. Because of this, many researchers ...

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Science23 May 2023

Flavonol-rich foods like apples and blackberries can lower chances of developing frailty

Eating plant-based foods that contain dietary compounds called flavonols can lower your chances of developing frailty. Foods like apples and blackberries that contain flavonoids called quercetin may be the most important for frailty prevention. Approximately 10% to 15% of older adults experience frailty, a geriatric syndrome that leads to a greater risk of falls, fractures, disability, hospitalization, and mortality. Current dietary recommendations for frailty prevention primarily focus on protein intake. However there are many other foods that may have health benefits “There ...

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Science23 May 2023

Are we truly “inattentionally blind”? New study revisits “invisible gorilla” experiment for new insights

We are quite good at spotting unexpected objects while focused on another activity if they are moving fast, reveals a new study by a team of New York University researchers. Their findings cast doubt on a long-standing view that our ability to see the unexpected is necessarily impaired when our attention is already directed elsewhere. “For decades, it’s been thought that when we’re intently focused on something relevant, like driving or playing a game, we fail to spot something that unexpectedly enters our field of vision, even if it is clearly visible and moving,” says Pascal Wallisch, a clinical associate professor at New York University’s ...

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Science23 May 2023

Viewers actually 'binge-watch' TV with a lot of self-control

If viewers sometimes feel guilty about binge-watching television programing, they really shouldn’t. Though its name implies impulsive behavior, binge-watching TV is a common activity planned out by viewers, suggests new research from the University of California San Diego’s Rady School of Management and School of Global Policy and Strategy. The study, in collaboration with the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University and Fox School of Business at Temple University, reveals that viewers prefer to binge-watch ...

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Science23 May 2023

Prescribed burns encourage foul-smelling invaders

Though prescribed burns reduce wildfire threats and even improve habitat for some animals, new research shows these fires also spread stinknet, an aptly named weed currently invading superblooms across the Southwestern U.S. Stinknet, also called globe chamomile, is native to South Africa, but is commonly seen in photos of California’s colorful superblooms. “Not all flowering plants are indicative of a healthy ecosystem,” said Loralee Larios, UC Riverside assistant botany professor and study co-author. “This one isn’t.” In addition ...

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Science23 May 2023

3 undergraduate researchers from Argonne selected for National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program

Argonne supports students’ ongoing engagement with the lab and scientific research by helping them secure a graduate fellowship. Three students who have completed their participation in the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships Program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory were accepted into the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Their achievements highlight the important role Argonne plays in students’ continued engagement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (science, technology, ...

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Science23 May 2023

In 2050, over 800 million people globally estimated to be living with back pain

Analysis of over 30 years of data has shown the number of cases of low back pain is growing, with modelling suggesting by 2050, 843 million people will be affected by the condition largely due to population increases and ageing of populations. The continued lack of a consistent approach on back pain treatment, and limited treatment options have researchers concerned that this will lead to a healthcare crisis, as low back pain is the leading cause of disability in the world. In Australia, there will be a nearly 50 percent increase ...

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