By David Chandler WOODS HOLE, Mass. -- Octopus arms are one of the most flexible structures known in all of the biological world. Their agility is so extraordinary that robotics researchers want to learn the secrets behind their movements, hoping to apply some of the same principles. They envision soft, flexible robotic appendages that, like the highly tactile octopus arms, can search and carry out tasks through tight and narrow openings, such as delivering life-saving food and water to people trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings. Now, researchers from the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole and Florida Atlantic University (FAU) ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – “Magic mushroom” edibles sold at smoke shops and convenience stores are likely to contain no psilocybin but instead a range of undisclosed active ingredients, a study led by an Oregon State University College of Pharmacy scientist shows. The research collaboration, which included a state-certified testing laboratory and a scientific instrument manufacturer, published its findings today in JAMA Network Open, a journal of the American Medical Association. In Portland, the scientists purchased 12 gummies and chocolates labeled as magic mushrooms and analyzed their contents. Psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound produced ...

About The Study: In this prospective study of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study cohort, modifiable parental factors in early adolescence were associated with specific adolescent sleep outcomes 4 years later, with screen use and emotional regulation serving as mediators. Adolescent sex moderated the association between parental warmth and sleep chronotype. These findings highlight potential targets for evidence-based interventions to improve adolescent sleep health. Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Rosalind Ge, MSc (saig@student.unimelb.edu.au) ...

About The Study: In this economic evaluation estimating effects of the possible health care policy changes on HIV transmission, findings suggest that even modest reductions in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) coverage would result in thousands of avoidable HIV infections and billions of dollars of increases in net health care costs. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Patrick S. Sullivan, DVM, PhD, email pssulli@emory.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.31341) Editor’s Note: Please ...

A newly discovered set of mathematical equations describes how to turn any sequence of random events into a clock, scientists at King’s College London reveal.  The researchers suggest that these formulae could help to understand how cells in our bodies measure time and to detect the effects of quantum mechanics in the wider world.  Studying these timekeeping processes could have far-reaching implications, helping us to understand proteins with rhythmic movements which malfunction in motor neurone disease or chemical receptors that cells use to detect harmful toxins.  Einstein famously said that “Time is whatever a clock measures” ...

Rapid scientific advances are accelerating the development of medical innovations, from personalized treatments to curative gene therapies and advanced diagnostic tools. But significant policy and regulatory reforms at the Food and Drug Administration are needed to fully harness the game-changing potential of these technologies, according to a new white paper from the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics. The white paper offers comprehensive recommendations for how FDA can modernize drug development by streamlining clinical trials, providing clearer guidance to drugmakers about newer technologies, and improving agency efficiency amid ...

Michael J. Welsh, MD, University of Iowa professor of internal medicine, has won the 2025 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for his fundamental research on cystic fibrosis (CF), which paved the way to new therapies that have transformed the health and life expectancy of people with CF.  Lasker Awards, sometimes called “America’s Nobels,” are among the world’s most prestigious biomedical and clinical research awards.  Welsh shares the award with Jesús (Tito) González (formerly, Vertex ...

In the Bronze Age, the so-called Nuraghe culture flourished in Sardinia. A culture that is known for tower-like stone constructions, nuraghers, and for the small bronze figures, bronzetti, which often depict warriors, gods and animals. These figures have fascinated scientists, but their exact metallic origins have been unknown. To find out where the copper in these figures came from, the research team used a new scientific method called a multi-proxy approach (a combination of different chemical analyses). Here, they compared isotopes of copper, tin, lead and a rarer isotope called ...

Early and accurate diagnosis of dementia remains a major challenge. Standard approaches such as MRI and PET scans can provide valuable information about brain structure and function, but they are expensive, not always accessible, and often too expensive for repeated use. A team of researchers in the UK has now demonstrated that a compact, noninvasive technology—broadband near-infrared spectroscopy (bNIRS)—may offer a new way to detect brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease, even in the early stages. In this pilot study reported in the Journal of Biomedical Optics, scientists used bNIRS to monitor both blood ...

“Our findings establish novel connections between aging biology and IPF pathogenesis while demonstrating the potential of AI-guided approaches in therapeutic development for age-related diseases.” BUFFALO, NY — September 11, 2025 — A new research paper was published  in Volume 17, Issue 8 of Aging-US on August 8, 2025, titled “AI-driven toolset for IPF and aging research associates lung fibrosis with accelerated aging.” In this study, researchers Fedor Galkin, Shan Chen, Alex Aliper, Alex Zhavoronkov, and Feng Ren from Insilico Medicine used artificial ...

WASHINGTON — Researchers have used the centuries-old idea of pinhole imaging to create a high-performance mid-infrared imaging system without lenses. The new camera can capture extremely clear pictures over a large range of distances and in low light, making it useful for situations that are challenging for traditional cameras. “Many useful signals are in the mid-infrared, such as heat and molecular fingerprints, but cameras working at these wavelengths are often noisy, expensive or require cooling,” said research team leader Heping Zeng from East China Normal University. “Moreover, traditional lens-based setups have ...

A new analysis by UN University scientists reveals that African women remain significantly underrepresented in key leadership positions in the water sector across the continent  Richmond Hill, Canada – 11 September 2025: Women experience major consequences from water scarcity and pollution. Across the world, many women and girls lose education and employment opportunities due to spending long hours fetching water. They also face major health and safety risks due to lack of access to safe water to satisfy their menstrual and hygiene needs. Yet they remain underrepresented in leadership and decision-making in water governance, leaving policies disconnected ...

LOS ANGELES — City of Hope® Research Spotlight offers a glimpse into groundbreaking scientific and clinical discoveries advancing lifesaving cures for patients with cancer, diabetes and other chronic, life-threatening diseases. Each spotlight features research-related news, such as recognitions, collaborations and the latest research defining the future of medical treatment. This roundup highlights a clinical trial for a new leukemia medicine, insights into how DNA mutations are stabilized, a potential ...

Weill Cornell Medicine has received a four-year, $3.4 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, for a study of the details and dynamics of the autoimmune process that causes type 1 diabetes. Dr. Shuibing Chen, the Kilts Family Professor of Surgery and director of the Center for Genomic Health at Weill Cornell Medicine, will lead the project. Dr. Chen’s long-time collaborator, Dr. Stephen Parker, professor of computational medicine and bioinformatics, human genetics and biostatistics, and director of the Epigenomic Metabolic Medicine Center (EM2C) at the Caswell ...

Why do so many people return to crime after serving their sentence – even in Norway, with one of the world’s most humane prison systems? That is the question Olea Linnea Andersson recently explored in her master’s thesis in cybernetics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Not only has she looked at prison sentences, but at the entire journey: from before birth, through schooling, substance abuse, conviction, incarceration and life after prison. Through a combination of interviews, surveys and data analysis from the Norwegian Correctional Service, she has identified ...

Boston, MA – Today, the Kraft Center for Community Health at Mass General Brigham announced that the winner of the inaugural Kraft Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Community Health is ThriveLink, a telephonic AI enrollment solution that empowers families to verbally complete and submit applications for safety-net programs like health insurance, food stamps and utility assistance. The St. Louis-based organization was selected for the $100,000 national prize from nearly 150 applications submitted from across the country, all of which were dedicated to the idea of making a transformative or innovative ...

Researchers at Hiroshima University have developed a realistic, highly sensitive method to detect the Unruh effect—a long-predicted phenomenon at the crossroads of relativity and quantum theory. Their novel approach opens new possibilities for exploring fundamental physics and for developing advanced technologies. The work is published in Physical Review Letters on July 23, 2025. The Fulling-Davies-Unruh effect, or simply the Unruh effect, is a striking theoretical prediction at the profound intersection of Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity and Quantum Theory. “In quantum theory, even the vacuum seethes with tiny energy fluctuations, ...

Americans are more knowledgeable this year in answering basic civics questions, according to the Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey, conducted annually by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania. More than two-thirds of U.S. adults (70%) are able to name all three branches of government – the executive, judicial, and legislative – significantly more than a year ago (65%). When asked which rights the First Amendment guarantees, 79% can name “freedom of speech,” an increase over ...

Ginseng has long been used in traditional medicine to replenish Qi and address deficiency syndromes, often manifesting as fatigue and immune compromise. Modern research is now elucidating the mechanisms behind these effects, focusing on ginseng’s immunomodulatory properties, ability to improve quality of life, and potential role in cancer therapy. This review aims to consolidate recent findings on these aspects, highlighting both the promises and limitations of ginseng as a scientifically supported therapeutic agent. Immunomodulatory Effects of Ginseng Ginseng’s immunomodulatory properties are primarily attributed to its active compounds, ginsenosides ...

Meningiomas are the most common primary brain tumors, accounting for nearly one-third of all central nervous system (CNS) tumors. While most are benign and manageable, 20–30% progress to high-grade forms that behave aggressively, recur frequently, and resist standard treatments. Recurrence remains a major clinical challenge, as these tumors often return stronger, leaving patients with limited therapeutic options. Despite advances in understanding their genetic and molecular profiles, how meningiomas evolve from primary to recurrent states has remained ...

People are exposed to millions of fungal spores every day, even potentially harmful ones like those from Aspergillus fumigatus. For most individuals, this constant exposure is harmless, as the immune system efficiently clears the spores without causing illness. However, for a growing number of people with weakened immune systems due to cancer, organ transplants, or chronic diseases, Aspergillus spores can lead to life-threatening infections known as aspergillosis. Thus, understanding the specific immune mechanisms that fight fungal infections is essential for developing therapies ...

In today’s world, people are increasingly prioritizing their health and well-being, with daily exercises and calorie-tracking apps becoming the new norm. People are therefore interested in incorporating highly nutritious food items such as fruits and vegetables into their diet plans. However, these foods—owing to contamination as well as due to certain cooking methods such as heating, smoking, grilling, roasting, and frying—may contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (hydrophobic organic compounds comprising ...

ROCHESTER, Minnesota — A new genetic test developed at Mayo Clinic is redefining how clinicians diagnose and manage hereditary pancreatitis. Pancreatitis, inflammation of the pancreas, is a complex condition that can lead to chronic pain, repeated hospitalizations and serious complications including diabetes, kidney failure and pancreatic cancer.  The new hereditary pancreatitis gene panel available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories (Mayo ID: PANGP) resulted from collaboration ...

Mentavi Health announced that its landmark, real-world validation study of the Mentavi Diagnostic Evaluation has been published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (JCP), a widely read and respected journal. The open-access article demonstrates that Mentavi’s asynchronous, online evaluation is as accurate as a traditional face-to-face clinical interview in the diagnosis of attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and provides the first peer-reviewed evidence base for a fully digital ...

A zigzag stitch enables fabric to stretch until the thread is straight. University of Tartu researchers report in Advanced Materials that thread packing can encode fabric stretchability, leading the way to tailoring wearables at industrial scale. As every body is unique, achieving a perfect dynamic fit of garments has to date relied on artisanal tailoring that cannot scale. Machine embroidery can place load-bearing thread in arbitrary patterns, but has been applied almost exclusively for visual appeal, such as logos and decorations. Embroidery machines ...