The ideal material for interfacing electronics with living tissue is soft, stretchable, and just as water-loving as the tissue itself—in short, a hydrogel. Semiconductors, the key materials for bioelectronics such as pacemakers, biosensors, and drug delivery devices, on the other hand, are rigid, brittle, and water-hating, impossible to dissolve in the way hydrogels have traditionally been built. A paper published today in Science from the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) has solved this challenge that has long ...

Male birds help their parents less than females because they’re too busy scouting for new places to live and breed, a remarkable new study shows. The study, led by researchers at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter, examined the cooperative behaviour and movement patterns of social birds called white-browed sparrow weavers, which live in the Kalahari desert. These birds live in family groups in which only a dominant pair breeds – and their grown-up offspring, particularly females, help ...

The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) has been awarded an eight-year contract, valued up to $48 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support the utilization of cutting-edge body-on-a-chip technologies aimed at studying and developing potential treatments for sulfur mustard and other fibrosis-inducing chemicals. The program has been approved with an initial contracting commitment of approximately $18 million. This contract represents a continued partnership between WFIRM and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), ...

Research Highlights: A retrospective look at Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke registry data from 2003 to 2022 finds substantial and sustained improvements in acute stroke care among those in the quality improvement program. Researchers found increased adherence to evidence-based stroke care translates to better clinical outcomes and, ultimately, more patients being discharged home or to a skilled nursing facility more quickly. Overall, authors say the positive trends suggest concerted quality improvement initiatives can improve ...

Dr. Katie Custer Bojakowski, an instructional assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M University and the director and curator of its Anthropology Research Collections (ARC), has been awarded a Preservation Assistance Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The NEH’s Preservation Assistance Grants program helps organizations protect their collections of historical and cultural items, making sure they remain available for students, scholars and the public. These grants help address risks to these collections, ...

Neuroscientists have learned a lot – like which neurons and circuits are associated with different behaviors – by recording the activity of small sets of neurons. But what happens when you record thousands of neurons at one time? Or when you want to figure out the role of neurons when there isn’t an obvious external catalyst or you’re not sure what you’re even looking for? That’s where Rastermap comes in. The new visualization tool developed by the Stringer and Pachitariu labs at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus helps ...

About The Study: This cohort study uses data from the Children With Vesicoureteral Reflux trial to assess estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) changes in participants with vs without recurrent urinary tract infections. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, David S. Hains, MD, MBA, email dhains@iu.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.4546) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions ...

In 1181, a new star shone near the Cassiopeia constellation for six months before disappearing. This event, recorded as a “guest star” by Chinese and Japanese observers almost a millennium ago, has puzzled astronomers for centuries. It is one of a few supernovae to be documented before the invention of telescopes. In addition, it remained an “orphan” the longest, meaning that none of the celestial objects visible today could be assigned to it. Now known as the supernova SN 1181, its remnant has only been traced in 2021 to the nebula ...

Clinics that offer exosome therapies claim they have the ability to repair and regenerate tissues and treat inflammatory and other immune-related conditions in a noninvasive way. Now, a team of bioethicists and legal scholars from Japan is sounding the alarm on the urgent need for stronger regulations surrounding these unproven interventions. Their letter appears October 24 in the journal Stem Cell Reports. “Administering these treatments to patients without scientific evidence or a clear ...

When early cartographers undertook perilous expeditions to map unknown corners of the world with sextants, compasses, and hand-drawn diagrams, it’s unlikely they imagined that someday anyone with an internet connection would have access to a seamless view of the entire planet from the comfort of their own home. Today, pioneering scientists are working to create a similar experience for a much tinier, but no less important domain: developing embryos. The goal is to track and map the behavior of each and every cell working together to create an adult lifeform, and present that map in a clickable, ...

Using a few zaps of electricity to the skin, researchers can stop bacterial infections without using any drugs. For the first time, researchers designed a skin patch that uses imperceptible electric currents to control microbes. The results appear October 24 in the Cell Press journal Device. “This opens up exciting possibilities for drug-free treatments, especially for skin infections and wound healing, where antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a serious challenge,” says University of Chicago’s Bozhi Tian, one of the paper’s ...

About The Study: These interim findings demonstrate the feasibility of targeted interpretation of a predefined set of genes from genome sequencing in a population of different racial and ethnic groups. DNA sequencing offers an additional method to improve screening for conditions already included in newborn screening and to add those that cannot be readily screened because there is no biomarker currently detectable in dried blood spots. Additional studies are required to understand if these findings are generalizable to populations of different racial and ethnic groups and ...

Early results from a study of newborn screening methods show that DNA analysis picks up many more preventable or treatable serious health conditions than standard newborn screening and is favored by most parents who are offered the option. The study—called GUARDIAN—is one of the first large-scale studies in the world to use genome sequencing as a method for newborn screening and is the first to publish preliminary results.  “The results show us that genome sequencing can radically improve children’s medical care,” says Joshua Milner, professor of Pediatrics, director of Allergy/Immunology and Rheumatology ...

About The Study: In this cohort study, non-Hispanic Black race was associated with increased odds of not receiving guideline-concordant care (GCC) and less timely treatment initiation. Non-Hispanic Black race was associated with increased all-cause mortality, which was reduced after adjusting for GCC and clinical and sociodemographic factors. These findings suggest that optimizing timely receipt of GCC may represent a modifiable pathway to improving inferior survival outcomes among older non-Hispanic Black ...

About The Study: This cross-sectional study found that absolute concentrations of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine in urine specimens increased from 2013 to 2023, with a decrease in heroin concentration during that period. The findings suggest that exposure to these substances, as well as the illicit drug supply, has fundamentally changed in many parts of the U.S., highlighting the need to reinforce surveillance initiatives and accelerate efforts to treat individuals with illicitly manufactured fentanyl and/or stimulant exposure.  Corresponding Author: To ...

Scientists at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have developed a first-of-its-kind experimental therapy that has the potential to enhance heart repair following a heart attack, preventing the onset of heart failure. Cardiovascular disease continues to be the world’s leading cause of death, contributing to one-third of deaths annually. After a heart attack, the heart’s innate ability to regenerate is limited, causing the muscle to develop scars to maintain its structural integrity. ...

HOUSTON ― Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center demonstrated that anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in combination with mutation-directed targeted therapy extended overall survival (OS) in patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC). Findings from the Phase II single center study published today in JAMA Oncology.  The trial enrolled 42 patients across three cohorts to evaluate mutation-matched targeted therapy and the immune checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab. The median OS across all cohorts was 19 months, which compares favorably to historical OS of five months for patients with ATC. ...

Producing materials such as steel, plastics and cement in the United States alone inflicts $79 billion a year in climate-related damage around the world, according to a new study by engineers and economists at the University of California, Davis. Accounting for these costs in market prices could encourage progress toward climate-friendly alternatives.  “We wanted to look at the cost to society to produce these materials,” said Elisabeth Van Roijen, a recent Ph.D. graduate from the UC Davis Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering ...

On-demand ride services or ride-sourcing services have been experiencing fast development and steadily reshaping the way people travel in the past decade. Various optimization algorithms, including reinforcement learning approaches, have been developed to help ride-sourcing platforms design better operational strategies to achieve higher efficiency. However, due to cost and reliability issues, it is commonly infeasible to validate these models and train/test these optimization algorithms within real-world ride-sourcing platforms. Acting as a proper test bed, a simulation platform for ride-sourcing systems will thus be essential for both ...

A team of researchers has undertaken a study of the future of carbon anodes for lithium-ion batteries. Their review provides a comprehensive overview of the progression in carbon anode development and the current status of their industrialization. This study underscores the critical role of interphase regulation engineering in advancing lithium-ion battery technology.   Their research is published in the journal Carbon Future on September 24, 2024.   Today, graphite is the most commonly used material for anodes in lithium-ion batteries. Graphite can operate at a low voltage, is readily available, and cost effective. While graphite materials ...

WASHINGTON — Researchers have developed a faster and more accurate method for acquiring and reconstructing high-quality 3D surface measurements. The approach could greatly improve the speed and accuracy of surface measurements used for industrial inspection, medical applications, robotic vision and more. “Traditional 3D imaging works by comparing two viewpoints, similar to how our eyes work together to judge depth,” said research team leader Ce Zhu from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. “In contrast, our new approach ‘feels’ the surface by projecting light ...

Background and Aims Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) is a key factor in ferroptosis, which is involved in ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, little is known about its role in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI). This study aimed to investigate the role of GPX4 methylation in ferroptosis during HIRI.   Methods For the in vivo experiments, an ischemia-reperfusion model was created by subjecting mice to simulated HIRI. Ferroptosis occurrence, GPX4 promoter methylation, and global methylation levels were then assessed.   Results Ferroptosis ...

A review paper by scientists at Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences summarized the progress of biointegrated flexible and stretchable optoelectronics for wearable and implantable cardiac healthcare. The new review paper, published on Oct. 18 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, focuses on the advances in biointegrated flexible and stretchable optoelectronics for wearable and implantable cardiac healthcare systems. With the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, it is imperative that medical monitoring and treatment become more instantaneous and comfortable for ...

The Science and Science Careers’ 2024 Top Employers Survey polled employees in biotechnology, biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, and related industries to determine the 20 best employers as well as their driving characteristics. Respondents to the web-based survey were asked to rate companies based on 24 characteristics, including innovative leadership, respect for employees, and social responsibility. Insmed, Bridgewater, New Jersey, receives the top honor this year in a ranking of the world’s most respected employers. The rankings, determined from a study conducted by an independent research firm commissioned by the Science/AAAS Office of Publishing, ...

It takes a lot to succeed with ambitious goals. Among other things, we need passion and belief that we will succeed, and we usually need support from others. However, we also need to have the right attitude – the right mindset, one that makes us willing to do what it takes to change and improve. Experts refer to it as a growth mindset. So, how do we know if we actually have the right mindset? How can a coach know if a talented athlete has the mindset needed to become one of the best? An individual’s mindset is influenced by external factors that can change, and it may also vary from day to ...