Ishikawa, Japan -- Although grasping objects is a relatively straightforward task for us humans, there is a lot of mechanics involved in this simple task. Picking up an object requires fine control of the fingers, of their positioning, and of the pressure each finger applies, which in turn necessitates intricate sensing capabilities. It’s no wonder that robotic grasping and manipulation is a very active research area within the field of robotics. Today, industrial robotic hands have replaced humans in various complex and hazardous ...

Nursing homes were a key battleground during the COVID pandemic and prioritized for distribution of PPE, vaccines, and COVID testing kits.  However, new research shows that monoclonal antibodies and oral antiviral drugs were not used in these facilities as much as would be expected given the high-risk of resident populations.   Brian McGarry, PhD, with the University of Rochester Medical Center, and collaborators at Harvard University, authored the new study, which appears today in JAMA.  The authors examined data compiled ...

The neurons in our bodies are dotted with tiny pores that let essential molecules pass in and out of our cells. Neurons need these channels to send the signals that allow us to move, think, and perceive the world around us. Now, structural biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have captured never-before-seen images of one of the largest pores in human neurons. It’s called calcium homeostasis modulator protein 1, or CALHM1 for short. Previous studies have shown that mutations in the Cahlm1 gene may be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. CSHL’s new ...

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) has wreaked havoc on coral reefs across the Caribbean, resulting in significant mortality of various coral species, including Pseudodiploria strigosa, which has been particularly affected in the Mexican Caribbean. In response to the decreased abundance and colony density caused by SCTLD, scientists have explored larval-based restoration methods, despite concerns about disease transmission. A new PeerJ Life & Environment study reveals that even colonies affected by SCTLD can play a vital role in the assisted sexual reproduction for the restoration of SCTLD-susceptible species.  The ...

Living with and having a close bond with a companion animal does not necessarily lead to significant mental health improvements in people with a serious mental illness, say researchers. A survey, conducted by the University of York, revealed that living with an animal - a dog, cat, fish or bird for example - did not improve wellbeing or reduce depression, anxiety or feelings of loneliness for owners with serious mental illness, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, compared to those who live without an animal. The researchers, who followed up on an earlier survey conducted in 2021 on investigating aspects of animal ownership and mental ...

Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important in drug discovery. Advances in the use of Big Data, learning algorithms and powerful computers have now enabled researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) to better understand a serious metabolic disease.  Cystinosis is a rare lyosomal storage disorder affecting around 1 in 100,000 to 200,000 newborns worldwide. Nephropathic (non-inflammatory) cystinosis, the most common and severe form of the disease, manifests with kidney disease symptoms ...

A new study published in the CABI journal Human-Animal Interactions suggests that companion animals – including dogs, cats, fish and birds – do not significantly benefit the emotional health of owners with severe mental illness. Results showed that owning an animal was not significantly associated with the wellbeing, depression, anxiety or loneliness scores for owners with a range of severe mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder or psychosis. The researchers, who followed up on an earlier survey conducted ...

Scientists hoping to reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry have developed a way to grow building materials using knitted molds and the root network of fungi. Although researchers have experimented with similar composites before, the shape and growth constraints of the organic material have made it hard to develop diverse applications that fulfil its potential. Using the knitted molds as a flexible framework or ‘formwork’, the scientists created a composite called ‘mycocrete’ which is ...

A low-cost version of ketamine to treat severe depression has performed strongly in a double-blind trial that compared it with placebo. In research published today in the British Journal of Psychiatry, researchers led by UNSW Sydney and the affiliated Black Dog Institute found that more than one in five participants achieved total remission from their symptoms after a month of bi-weekly injections, while a third had their symptoms improve by at least 50 per cent. The study was a collaboration between ...

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global, ONR’s international arm, welcomed new leadership today, as Capt. Andy “Big Tuna” Berner was sworn in as the new ONR Global commanding officer during a ceremony at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. Berner takes over for Capt. Matthew Farr. Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus served as presiding officer of the change-of-command ceremony, as well as presenter of awards. “Learning from our partners and allies ...

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) surges in young children occurred outside the usual November to March season, when immune-based prophylactic is available to protect children at high risk for severe illness. In 2021, RSV season began in May, leaving these kids without a prophylactic until September, due to lack of drug availability and challenges with insurance authorization for off-season administration. During this time, pediatric hospitalizations for RSV in 2021-2022 spiked and ...

Peer-reviewed / Observational study / People One of the largest observational studies to date of ‘superagers’ – people in their eighties with the memory function of people decades younger – suggests they also move more quickly and have better mental health than typical older adults. MRI scans add to evidence that superagers have more grey matter in key regions linked to memory function. No differences in biomarkers or genetic risk factors for neurodegenerative disease were detected between superagers and typical older adults, suggesting ...

Children with autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders in India can be successfully identified by community healthcare workers using a low-cost app, a study has found. The results, published today (Friday 14 July) in Autism, could open the door to help millions of children with autism spectrum conditions to get earlier screening quickly and inexpensively, leading to life-changing support. Researchers from India, the UK and US tested the app with 131 two- to seven-year-olds living in low-resource neighbourhoods of Delhi, India. The tests were carried out at the homes of the children, by non-specialist ...

13 July 2023 The Geological Society of America Release no. 23-26 Contact: Justin Samuel +1-303-357-1026 jsamuel@geosociety.org   For Immediate Release Geological Society of America Announces 2023–2024 Officers and Councilors Boulder, Colo., USA: Christopher (Chuck) M. Bailey, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, takes over the role of president of The Geological Society of America as of 1 July 2023. The incoming president-elect is Carmala N. Garzione, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. Rounding ...

The Colorado River, which provides drinking water to tens of millions of people and irrigation water to more than 5 million acres of farmland, has dropped by one-third in recent years. Arizona recently limited housing construction in the Phoenix area based on projections that groundwater will be unable to meet growing demand. The University of Arizona has received $4 million for phase one of a project to improve water security and water reuse methods in the arid southwestern United States. Phase two will be awarded an ...

Dozens of sessions at the Ecological Society of America’s upcoming Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon, Aug. 6-11, will feature research on the ecology of the geographic and environmental region surrounding the conference venue: the Pacific Northwest and Cascadia Bioregion, which encompass a vast area stretching from northern California to southern Alaska. The Pacific Northwest’s temperate rainforests are home to old-growth conifers and multiple threatened and endangered species. Its diverse marine and coastal environments host whales, puffins and vibrant kelp forests. The annual salmon runs in the region’s ...

University of Texas at Dallas scientists have discovered a previously unknown “housekeeping” process in kidney cells that ejects unwanted content, resulting in cells that rejuvenate themselves and remain functioning and healthy. The self-renewal process, which is fundamentally different from how other bodily tissues are thought to regenerate, helps explain how, barring injury or disease, the kidneys can remain healthy for a lifetime. The researchers described the mechanism in a study published April 17 in Nature Nanotechnology. Unlike ...

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Catherine Royer, Constellation Chair Professor of Bioinformatics and Biocomputation at the Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D. Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) and professor of biological sciences, has received a grant of over $400,000 from the National Science Foundation to investigate enzymes from organisms living in deep sea environments. “Ultimately, I hope to better understand how these enzymes function under the high pressure that is present in the deep sea,” said Royer. “They also thrive in high or low temperatures. Biomolecules from the surface do not have the ability to survive these extreme ...

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Penn State is part of a project that recently received a $1 million National Science Foundation (NSF) Engines Development Award. The award will fund the development of the Pennsylvania Industrial Hemp Engine (PAIHE), which will support the manufacture and deployment of bio-based products for application in green building construction, packaging, fabrics, renewable energy and land remediation. Launched by NSF’s new Directorate for Technology, Innovation ...

Stars beam brightly out of the darkness of space thanks to fusion, atoms melding together and releasing energy. But what if there’s another way to power a star? A team of three astrophysicists — Katherine Freese at The University of Texas at Austin, in collaboration with Cosmin Ilie and Jillian Paulin ’23 at Colgate University — analyzed images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and found three bright objects that might be “dark stars,” theoretical objects much bigger and brighter than our sun, powered by particles of dark matter annihilating. If confirmed, dark stars could reveal the nature ...

The percentage of infants from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experiencing hypothermia upon operating room (OR) arrival and at any point during the operation decreased from 48.7% to 6.4% and 67.5% to 37.4%, respectively, after implementation of a multidisciplinary quality improvement project at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The project and its success were featured in the journal Pediatric Quality and Safety. About one-third of infants admitted to children’s hospitals’ NICUs require surgery and ...

Argonne is shaping the future of clean and reliable energy solutions. Research into nuclear energy is gaining attention as a critical piece of the solution to climate change. As part of this trend, nuclear engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have received three new funding awards from the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative. These awards recognize the valuable contributions of Argonne’s world-class nuclear engineers and facilities in this field. Among ...

TUCSON, Ariz., July 13, 2023 — Critical Path Institute (C-Path), a leading global nonprofit committed to expediting drug development through the acceleration of regulatory-endorsed solutions, today announced a newly formalized Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Vivpro, an industry-leading provider of a revolutionary biointelligence software platform and innovative services. The partnership will enhance C-Path’s core competencies in accelerating drug development, by utilizing advanced data analytics and deep machine learning insights offered by Vivpro to further revolutionize ...

TUCSON, Ariz., July 12, 2023 — Critical Path Institute (C-Path) announced today that the Coordination of Rare Diseases based at Sanford Research (CoRDS), in partnership with Cure MITO, will contribute its mitochondrial disorders data from its international patient registry to the C-Path-managed Rare Disease Cures Accelerator-Data and Analytics Platform (RDCA-DAP®). RDCA-DAP provides a centralized and standardized infrastructure to support and accelerate rare disease characterization targeted to accelerate clinical drug development. Additionally, the platform advances best practices to support the rigorous conduct of natural history ...

LA JOLLA, CA—Scripps Research announced today that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has renewed funding for its Translational Institute to continue its work enrolling and engaging participants in the All of Us Research Program. The initial funding of $54 million will support Scripps Research Translational Institute’s work with a nationwide consortium to help build one of the largest, most diverse health research resources of its kind. The project is expected to last five years, with anticipated total funding ...