A Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) physics doctoral student has just been presented with a prestigious award for his pioneering research in quantum sensing using a unique atomic fountain. U.S. Navy Cmdr. Jens Berdahl, a former naval aviator and F/A-18 pilot currently pursuing his doctorate through the service’s Permanent Military Professor (PMP) program, was recently presented with the highly competitive Margaret Burbidge Award for Best Experimental Research by a Graduate Student.  Presented by the American Physical Society, Far West Section, Berdahl received the award while presenting his research on NPS’s ...

Astronomers have captured unprecedented, detailed images of two stellar explosions—known as novae—within days of their eruption. The breakthrough provides direct evidence that these explosions are more complex than previously thought, with multiple outflows of material and, in some cases, dramatic delays in the ejection process. The international study, published in Nature Astronomy, used a cutting-edge technique called interferometry at the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy, or CHARA, Array in California. This approach allowed scientists, including Michigan State University researcher Laura Chomiuk, to combine the light from multiple ...

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researchers have created a new carbon-negative building material that could transform sustainable construction. The breakthrough, published in the high-impact journal Matter, details the development of enzymatic structural material (ESM), a strong, durable, and recyclable construction material produced through a low-energy, bioinspired process. Led by Nima Rahbar, the Ralph H. White Family Distinguished Professor and head of the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, the research team engineered ESM by using an enzyme that helps convert carbon dioxide into solid mineral particles. ...

Why does plastic turn brittle and paint fade when exposed to the sun for long periods? Scientists have long known that such organic photodegradation occurs due to the sun’s energy generating free radicals: molecules that have lost an electron to sunlight-induced ionization and have been left with an unpaired one, making them very eager to react with other molecules in the environment. However, the exact mechanisms for how and why the energy from the sun’s photons get stored and released in the materials over very long ...

***Under strict embargo until 14:00 (2:00 pm) U.S. Eastern Time Friday, 05 December 2025 *** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  New Research Highlights Syntax Bio’s Platform for Simple Yet Powerful Programming of Human Stem Cells The Science Advances publication details Cellgorithm™, a CRISPR-based technology that gives researchers greater control over gene activity and sets the stage for future applications in stem cell programming for research and therapeutic development. CHICAGO, Dec. 8, 2025 – Syntax Bio, a synthetic biology company programming the next generation of cell therapies, today announced the publication of new research in Science Advances detailing ...

Psycholinguists from the Center for Language and Brain found that phonological processing skills continue to influence text reading fluency in 15-to-18-year-old adolescents. This finding argues the long-held belief that in this age group the phonological processing skills are not involved in reading. The study was published in PLOS One.   Phoneme – is the smallest phonetic unit that helps to distinguish one word from another. Previously, it was stated that phonological processing skills (i.e., the ability to operate with phonemes) are required for early stages of reading development. However, researchers from the Center for Language and ...

Hospitals struggling to attract and retain enough registered nurses at the bedside are implementing alternative strategies to ensure patients get needed nursing care. This includes virtual nursing programs, a model of care in which nurses use video and messaging technologies to assess, monitor, educate, and coordinate care for hospitalized patients from an off-site location. A new study from the Penn Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR)—published in JAMA Network Open today—surveyed 880 in-hospital nurses about their experiences working alongside ...

On December 5, 2025, the Trump administration’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), whose members were handpicked by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary and vaccination critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is scheduled to determine whether it should recommend that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) change the recommendation in place since 1991 that newborns be vaccinated against hepatitis B. Infection with hepatitis B can cause liver damage (cirrhosis), liver cancer, and even death. Kennedy fired the members of ACIP ...

The University of Texas at Arlington and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport are expanding a multi-year partnership to improve stormwater management, environmental protection and long-term operational resilience at one of the world’s busiest airports. After completing the first phase of the project, DFW has extended its partnership with UTA’s Water Engineering Research Center (WERC) with a $2.38 million investment to build on its previous work by shifting from assessment to solutions. In total, DFW has committed more than $4 million to UTA under the interlocal agreement ...

A new AI model could help radiologists identify brain abnormalities in MRI scans for all conditions including stroke, multiple sclerosis and brain tumours. The study, led by researchers at King’s College London and published in Radiology AI, shows how AI could address the growing backlogs due to radiologist shortages as well as an increasing demand for MRIs year on year for over a decade. These backlogs could result in treatment delays and poorer patient outcomes because MRI scans are vital for diagnosing and monitoring a range of brain conditions ...

Hebrew Rehabilitation Center’s skilled nursing units have been rated as high-performing and recognized among the Best Nursing Homes of 2026 by U.S. News & World Report. This year, the Rehabilitative Services Units at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Boston and the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center at NewBridge on the Charles in Dedham, MA, were each rated as high-performing, the highest designation available. “We are pleased to receive this recognition from U.S. News & World Report for the quality efforts of the multidisciplinary teams serving our Rehabilitative ...

WASHINGTON — A pioneer in the field of quantum, Antoine Browaeys, Institut d'Optique, CNRS, France, has been recognized by Optica, Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, and the Deutsche Physikalische Gesell­schaft (DPG) with the 2026 Herbert Walther Award. He is honored for the realization of arrays of single neutral atoms held in optical tweezers as a platform for exquisitely controlled quantum simulation of many-body physics, and their development as a candidate platform for scalable quantum computation. “Congratulations to Antoine Browaeys on this well-deserved recognition,” said Jim Kafka, Optica 2025 President. “He is a world-leader ...

In addition to posing physical and life risks, access to firearms has an impact on mental health. It increases suicides, intensifies psychological fragility, and amplifies violence. This is the conclusion of a study published in the September issue of the scientific journal Harvard Review of Psychiatry. The study was led by researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of São Paulo’s Medical School (FM-USP) in Brazil. The researchers conducted a systematic review of 467 studies from various ...

About The Study: Data from this cross-sectional study show that exposure to single and mixtures of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was associated with higher odds of endocrine disruption (ED) among women. The findings demonstrated that certain PFAS compounds, particularly n-PFOS, were associated with ED. PFAS are widely used in industry, and increasing evidence suggests that even low-level, chronic exposure may disrupt endocrine function and harm health. Exposure to mixtures of PFAS remained positively associated with developing ED.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Rezaul Karim Ripon, ...

About The Study: In this survey study, very few U.S. voters considered vaccines an important issue in the 2024 presidential election, but voters generally supported the government’s role in ensuring safe and effective vaccines and requiring children to be vaccinated for school. The partisan divide on vaccines reflects solid support among Trump voters compared to high support among Harris voters. A March 2025 poll showed that 68% of Republicans and 90% of Democrats support school vaccination requirements—similar to the present results. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, ...

How much the planet warms with each ton of carbon dioxide remains one of the most important questions in climate science, but there is uncertainty in predicting it. This uncertainty hinders governments, businesses and communities from setting clear emission-reduction targets and preparing for the impacts of climate change. The changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and surface temperatures are shaped by complex feedback between land, ocean, atmosphere and ecosystems, and this feedback can either amplify or mitigate warming. Reducing this uncertainty ...

Although the United States does not guarantee health care as a right, federal law mandates that hospitals cannot deny anyone lifesaving emergency care. However, a new study finds that restrictive state abortion laws may affect frontline emergency care despite federal protections—possibly hindering access to timely screening and treatment in pregnancy-related emergencies. The 1986 U.S. Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requires all Medicare-participating hospitals to screen every emergency ...

Simplifying nutrition information can empower consumers to make healthier, more informed dietary choices and reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to guidance issued by the American College of Cardiology and published in JACC, its flagship journal. The new guidance supports a standardized front-of-packaging food labeling system that highlights key nutrients to limit or encourage. Diet-related chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States, disproportionately affecting individuals from certain racial and ethnic groups and those of lower socioeconomic status. Following healthy dietary patterns, including ...

A fossil only tells part of the story. When an animal’s body is preserved as a fossil, there are often pieces missing, and even a perfectly-preserved body doesn’t tell the whole story of how that animal behaved, how it lived, and how it ultimately died. But the cause of death for one unlucky bird that lived about 120 million years ago is clearer: the cluster of rocks in its throat tells scientists that it probably choked to death. The reason why this bird was swallowing rocks in the first place is more of a mystery, and one that gets into the bigger picture of dinosaur ...

Iron-on patches can repair clothing or add personal flair to backpacks and hats. And now they could power wearable tech, too. Researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have combined liquid metal and a heat-activated adhesive to create an electrically conductive patch that bonds to fabric when heated with a hot iron. In demonstrations, circuits ironed onto a square of fabric lit up LEDs and attached an iron-on microphone to a button-up shirt. “E-textiles and wearable electronics can enable ...

When people are feeling happy, they’re more likely to see other people as happy. If they’re feeling down, they tend to view other people as sad. But when dealing with dogs, this well-established psychological effect ceases to work as expected. That’s according to a new study by behavioral scientists at Arizona State University. In one experiment, nudging people into positive emotional states by showing them pictures that usually cheer people up did not significantly impact how they perceived dog emotions. In a modified experiment, the effect actually worked in reverse: people prompted to feel upbeat tended to rate dogs as being sadder. Those nudged into a negative ...

A new study visualises three decades of income inequality data, the most comprehensive worldwide mapping to be done at a subnational level. Confirming worsening income inequality for areas with over 3.6 billion inhabitants, it also reveals hidden ‘bright spots’ where policy may be closing the gap. Income inequality is one of the most important measures of economic health, social justice and quality of life. More reliably trackable than wealth inequality, which was recently given a gloomy report card by the G20, income inequality is particularly relevant to immediate economic relief, mobility and people’s ...

As we age, the muscles we rely on for daily activities tend to become less reliable. With enough decline, even normal movements such as getting out of bed become risky. Low muscle mass in the elderly—known as sarcopenia—is a major concern for maintaining the quality of life in an aging population. Patients with sarcopenia are more likely to be hospitalized. They also are prone to falls and fractures which can precipitate health declines that often are both swift and steep. “The progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and function ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A genetic variant is likely putting some children suffering with myocarditis — inflammation of the heart muscle — at higher risk of developing heart failure, which can be fatal, according to a study published today in Circulation Heart Failure. According to the study, 34.4% of the children who developed dilated cardiomyopathy after developing myocarditis had a genetic variant that made them more susceptible to this condition. In comparison, only 6.3% of control children ...

Social justice must be at the heart of global restoration initiatives - and not “superficial” or “tokenistic” - if ecosystem degradation is to be addressed effectively, according to new research. Led by researchers the University of East Anglia (UEA) the study sought to explore what can make restoration effective for people and nature. Publishing their findings today in Nature Sustainability, they argue that placing social justice at the centre of restoration practice remains vital to success, with ecological targets aligned to local social, economic and cultural ones. Around the world, almost all kinds of ecosystems have been degraded ...