Telehealth patients were not more likely to develop substance use disorder Researchers found that a small number of people who received initial stimulant prescription via telehealth developed stimulant disorder and emphasize the importance of follow-up care Telehealth can make health care easier to access for patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who need treatment, but experts worry about an increased risk of substance use disorder for patients being prescribed controlled medications such as stimulants for ADHD during these appointments. Mass General Brigham researchers scrutinized this concern with the first-ever study comparing ...

The oceans are full of living things, with microscopic algae (phytoplankton) at the base of the marine food chain. These organisms make a living in the same way as land plants, using the sunlight that penetrates the upper 100 meters or so of the ocean as the energy source by which they synthesise organic matter for their cells. Every year, these tiny algae make about as much organic carbon as land plants. Like land plants, they obtain the building blocks of their cells from the surrounding environment – not a soil in this case but the seawater solution they live in. But unlike the land ecosystem, when these algae die, they fall into the dark ...

Bioengineering researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a soft, thin, stretchable bioelectronic device that can be implanted into a tadpole embryo’s neural plate, the early-stage, flat structure that folds to become the 3D brain and spinal cord. The researchers demonstrated that the device could integrate seamlessly into the brain as it develops and record electrical activity from single brain cells with millisecond precision, with no impact on normal tadpole embryo development or behavior. These so-called cyborg tadpoles offer a glimpse into a future in which profound mysteries of the brain could be illuminated, ...

Art restoration takes steady hands and a discerning eye. For centuries, conservators have restored paintings by identifying areas needing repair, then mixing an exact shade to fill in one area at a time. Often, a painting can have thousands of tiny regions requiring individual attention. Restoring a single painting can take anywhere from a few weeks to over a decade.  In recent years, digital restoration tools have opened a route to creating virtual representations of original, restored works. These tools apply techniques of computer vision, image recognition, and color matching, to generate a “digitally restored” version of a painting relatively quickly. Still, there has ...

Randomness is incredibly useful. People often draw straws, throw dice or flip coins to make fair choices. Random numbers can enable auditors to make completely unbiased selections. Randomness is also key in security; if a password or code is an unguessable string of numbers, it’s harder to crack. Many of our cryptographic systems today use random number generators to produce secure keys. But how do you know that a random number is truly random? Classical computer algorithms can only create pseudo-random numbers, and someone with enough knowledge of the algorithm or the system could ...

Infection control researchers at Mass General Brigham have developed a virtual reality (VR) tool to train clinicians on core concepts in infection control, including cleaning and disinfecting portable medical equipment, to prevent the spread of infections throughout healthcare facilities. They successfully piloted the VR training tool at seven facilities across the United States, and their hope is such training can increase staff competency and improve patient safety. The work is published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. “Devices ...

MADISON — Once only a part of science fiction, lasers are now everyday objects used in research, healthcare and even just for fun. Previously available only in low-energy light, lasers are now available in wavelengths from microwaves through X-rays, opening a range of different downstream applications. In a new study publishing June 11, 2025, in the journal Nature, an international collaboration led by scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has generated the shortest hard X-ray ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Silicon is king in the semiconductor technology that underpins smartphones, computers, electric vehicles and more, but its crown may be slipping according to a team led by researchers at Penn State. In a world first, they used two-dimensional (2D) materials, which are only an atom thick and retain their properties at that scale, unlike silicon, to develop a computer capable of simple operations. The development, published today (June 11) in Nature, represents a major leap toward the realization of thinner, faster and more energy-efficient electronics, the researchers said. They created a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor ...

About The Study: This survey study found that after Dobbs, 42% of survey respondents who provided abortions in states banning abortion relocated to another state. Almost all clinicians who relocated from any policy context relocated to states not banning abortion.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Dana Howard, PhD, email dana.howard@osumc.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.14884) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research database, alcohol-associated liver disease mortality increased significantly across demographic groups, with particularly concerning trends among women, younger adults, and American Indian and Alaska Native populations. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted public health interventions and enhanced surveillance, especially given ...

Paleontologists have identified a new species of dinosaur, Khankhuuluu, which is being described as the closest-known ancestor to the giant Tyrannosaurs. The finding by an international team of researchers – led by Jared Voris and Dr. Darla Zelenitsky in the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary – is published in the journal Nature. Voris, first author and a PhD candidate in the Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, says the new species of Tyrannosaur would have lived 86 million years ago and was a medium-sized, fleet-footed predator that evolved after the extinction of other large predatory dinosaurs. Khankhuuluu was ...

(Sacramento, Calif.) — Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed an investigational brain-computer interface that holds promise for restoring the voices of people who have lost the ability to speak due to neurological conditions. In a new study published in the scientific journal Nature, the researchers demonstrate how this new technology can instantaneously translate brain activity into voice as a person tries to speak — effectively creating a digital vocal tract. The system allowed the study participant, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), to “speak” through a computer ...

PHILADELPHIA— Tailored feedback to surgeons dramatically cuts excessive opioid prescriptions for common surgeries, aligning them with evidence-based guidelines without affecting patient pain control. This approach offers a promising strategy to combat the opioid crisis by aligning prescribing practices with evidence-based guidelines, addressing the critical issue of overprescribing, where excessive opioid prescriptions can lead to harmful side effects and can lead to dependence in some patients or diversion of unused pills. The findings, by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, were published ...

Key takeaways Accreditation doesn’t just recognize quality, it helps create it: In this large-scale analysis of American College of Surgeons quality accreditation programs, the authors found that the accreditation process often helps hospitals improve the care they provide. Just over half of hospitals obtain accreditation on their first attempt: 61% of hospitals that sought accreditation passed after the first site visit, and 80% of those that failed the initial attempt went on to pass on their second attempt. CHICAGO (June 11, 2025) — ...

A new pilot project led by McGill University researchers is showing early success in helping cancer survivors return to work, addressing an aspect of recovery they say is often overlooked. iCanWork is an online support program being developed by Christine Maheu, Associate Professor at McGill’s Ingram School of Nursing, in collaboration with BC Cancer. “Work isn’t considered a key health indicator in cancer care, even though it’s a major concern from the moment someone is diagnosed and is associated with better quality of life in survivors” said Maheu. Lingering side effects of cancer treatment like fatigue, “chemo brain” ...

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA [June 11, 2025] — New research in the June 2025 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found that older people with cancer had better daily functioning, improved mood, stronger illness understanding, and a higher quality of life if they participated in a telehealth-based care program called Geriatric Assessment-Guided Intervention-Supportive Care (GAIN-S). GAIN-S’ supportive care services included personalized fitness training, nutritional support, psychiatric care, and psychosocial assistance, all delivered remotely. The randomized ...

Ischemic stroke exacts a heavy toll in death and disability worldwide. After ischemic stroke, the accumulation of pathobiomolecules in the brain extracellular space (ECS) will exacerbate neurological damage and cognitive impairment. “PBM has been demonstrated to improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models by accelerating molecular transportation in the brain ECS. This suggests that PBM may have a potential role in the accumulation of pathobiomolecules in the brain ECS following ischemic stroke.” said ...

In the past 20 years, substantial progress has been made in the detection and stimulation technology of deep brain neural information; especially, the deep brain electrode array device has emerged in neuroscience research and clinical application. Primates possess a more developed central nervous system and a higher level of intelligence than rodents. Detecting and modulating deep brain activity in primates enhances our understanding of neural mechanisms, facilitates the study of major brain diseases, enables brain–computer interactions, and supports advancements in artificial intelligence. Traditional imaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging, positron ...

Seagrasses are critical to coastal ecosystems – offering habitat, stabilizing the seafloor and buffering wave energy – but globally they’re increasingly under threat. Beginning in 2011, a series of intense algal blooms – fueled by pollution and nutrient overload – wiped out vast stretches of vital seagrass beds in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon (IRL). In the wake of this collapse, the fast-growing green seaweed Caulerpa prolifera has spread across areas once dominated by native seagrass species like Halodule wrightii, filling in the ...

Recent advances in robotic ultrasound systems have shown promise for improving diagnostic imaging consistency. However, maintaining stable contact force across dynamic physiological changes (e.g., breathing, tremors) without continuous sensor recalibration remains a critical hurdle. "By integrating a hybrid active-passive force control mechanism, our method decouples force regulation from real-time feedback dependencies while ensuring adaptability across patients," stated corresponding author Qingsong Xu, a professor at the University of Macau. The tripartite system combines (a) a passive constant-force mechanism (positive/negative stiffness ...

Drinking a smoothie is a popular way to consume fruits and vegetables, many of which are rich in micronutrients called polyphenols. If this beverage is purchased at a store, it’s likely been pasteurized with heat or pressure to prevent harmful bacteria growth and extend shelf-life. Now, a preliminary study in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports that processing smoothies with high heat could also make polyphenols easier for the gut microbiome to absorb. Fruits and vegetables are key to a healthful human diet, ...

Breathalyzers are a frequently used tool to measure the amount of ethanol in someone’s breath, which relates to their blood alcohol content. However, alcoholic beverages contaminated by methanol (sometimes called wood alcohol) are hard to identify and toxic if ingested. Researchers reporting in ACS Sensors have developed a prototype sensor that quickly and easily detects small amounts of methanol in breath — a step toward developing a “methanol breathalyzer” to efficiently diagnose poisonings. Methanol and ethanol, despite being structurally similar, have vastly different effects on the body when ingested. Ethanol gives ...

To treat bacterial infections, medical professionals prescribe antibiotics. But not all active medicine gets used up by the body. Some of it ends up in wastewater, where antimicrobial-resistant bacteria can develop. Now, to make a more efficient antibiotic treatment, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science modified penicillin, so that it’s activated only by green light. In early tests, the approach precisely controlled bacterial growth and improved survival outcomes for infected insects. “Controlling drug activity with light will allow precise and safe treatment of localized infections,” says Wiktor Szymanski, a corresponding author of the study. “Moreover, ...

The ghostly woman’s voice pipes through the speakers, covered in radio static but her message intact from beyond — “The birch canoe slid on the smooth planks.” A secret message from the other side? A spectral insight? No, something much spookier: Voice recordings captured, secretly, from the radio frequencies emitted by ubiquitous, cheap microphones in laptops and smart speakers. These unintentional signals pass, ghost-like, through walls, only to be captured by simple radio components and translated back to static-filled — but easily intelligible ...

The molecules that form the foundation of life on Earth are as diverse as they are complex. Among these, carbohydrates play a vital role as energy sources and in structural functions, such as forming cell walls. One class of carbohydrates, β-1,2-glucans, consists of glucose chains and is found in bacteria. These molecules are involved in various important biological processes, such as bacterial infection and environmental adaptation. Despite their biological significance, β-1,2-glucans are rare, compared to cellulose and laminarin, and structurally complex, making them particularly difficult to ...