New research has shed light on how genetics influences the growth of the placenta, revealing a link to risk of disease in the mother. Scientists from the University of Exeter worked with colleagues in Norway and Denmark to lead a largescale international collaboration which examined placental growth in the greatest detail yet. They caried out the first ever genome-wide association study of the weight of the placenta at birth, generating a number of revelations. Among the findings published in Nature Genetics, the team concluded that faster growth of the placenta can contribute to risk of preeclampsia, and to earlier delivery ...

Creating artificial life is a recurring theme in both science and popular literature, where it conjures images of creeping slime creatures with malevolent intentions or super-cute designer pets. At the same time, the question arises: What role should artificial life play in our environment here on Earth, where all life forms are created by nature and have their own place and purpose? Associate professor Chenguang Lou from the Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, together with Professor Hanbin Mao from Kent State University, is the parent of a special artificial hybrid molecule that could lead to ...

Scientists using the H.E.S.S. observatory in Namibia have detected the highest energy gamma rays ever from a dead star called a pulsar. The energy of these gamma rays clocked in at 20 tera-electronvolts, or about ten trillion times the energy of visible light. This observation is hard to reconcile with the theory of the production of such pulsed gamma rays, as the international team reports in the journal Nature Astronomy. Pulsars are the left-over corpses of stars that spectacularly exploded in a supernova. The explosions leave behind ...

A team of scientists at the QOT Centre for Quantum Optical Technologies, including a student from the Faculty of Physics (University of Warsaw), made a device capable of the conversion of quantum information between microwave and optical photons. The results of research, published in “Nature Photonics” magazine, highlight a new microwave detection method with possible applications in quantum technologies, as a part of quantum network infrastructure, and in microwave radio-astronomy.    Conversion of quantum information Whenever you listen to a song on your phone or computer, a conversion of information happens – ...

About The Study: This study found that use of glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists for weight loss compared with use of bupropion-naltrexone was associated with increased risk of pancreatitis, gastroparesis, and bowel obstruction but not biliary disease. Given the wide use of these drugs, these adverse events, although rare, must be considered by patients who are contemplating using the drugs for weight loss because the risk-benefit calculus for this group might differ from that of those who use them for diabetes.  Authors: Mahyar Etminan, Pharm.D., M.Sc., of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit ...

For pregnant women with type 1 diabetes, a technology giving insulin doses, as informed by a smartphone algorithm, helps them better manage their blood sugars compared with traditional insulin pumps or multiple daily injections, according to a new randomised trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) meeting in Hamburg (2-6 October). Despite better systems for monitoring blood sugars and delivering insulin, hormonal changes and altered eating patterns during pregnancy mean that ...

A research team co-led by scholars from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has successfully morphed all-inorganic perovskites at room temperature without compromising their functional properties. Their findings demonstrate the potential of this class of semiconductors for manufacturing next-generation deformable electronics and energy systems in the future. All-inorganic lead halide perovskites are becoming increasingly important semiconducting materials in energy conversion and optoelectronics because of their outstanding performance and enhanced environmental stability. “However, unlike metal ...

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today announced the launch of Texas Health Equity Alliance for Breast Cancer (THEAL), a community-wide health care initiative to reduce breast cancer disparities in the Houston area, particularly for Black women.  THEAL builds upon the expertise of MD Anderson’s Department of Health Disparities Research in addressing the determinants of cancer disparities while leveraging the cancer prevention and control platform’s experience in leading cross-sector collaboratives ...

“The Queen’s Gambit” miniseries portrayed the life of a fictional chess prodigy, Beth Harmon, who is continuously underestimated in male-dominated competitions. A team of New York University psychology researchers has now found some “real-life” evidence of what Harmon faced as a younger player: Parents and coaches of youth chess players peg the highest potential rating of girl players to be lower than that of boy players. Moreover, the study’s authors, who included Jennifer Shahade, a two-time US Women’s Chess champion, found ...

Young female chess players often face gender bias both in the male-dominated chess world and among parents and mentors who believe girls have less potential to succeed in chess than boys, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.   “It’s disheartening to see young female players’ potential downgraded, even by the people who are closest to them, like their parents and coaches,” said lead researcher Sophie Arnold, a doctoral student at New York University.  The study, which was published online in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, presents what the researchers say is the first large-scale ...

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA [October 5, 2023] — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®)—a non-profit alliance of leading cancer centers across the United States—has released a follow-up survey on the ongoing chemotherapy shortages: 72% of the centers surveyed continue to experience a shortage of carboplatin and 59% are still seeing a shortage of cisplatin. Overall, 86% of centers surveyed reported experiencing a shortage of at least one type of anti-cancer drug. View the updated survey results at NCCN.org/platinum-update. The NCCN Best Practices Committee originally shared survey results ...

NEW YORK, NY and SANTA BARBARA, CA – The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) and the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research are pleased to announce the 2023 Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR Research Grants for Junior Faculty recipients. The Research Grant for Junior Faculty provides an early career investigator with up to $150,000 for one to two ...

Pireco Co., Ltd., a student-led venture company of UNIST, has accomplished a remarkable feat in establishing an international standard for their multi-biometrics identification solution designed for companion animals. This groundbreaking solution simplifies the process of accurately identifying and registering companion animals by simply scanning the distinctive patterns of ridges and creases on their noses using smartphones. The advent of this pioneering technology sets the stage for global registration ...

Researchers from Concordia University and Northwestern University published a new Journal of Marketing study that presents the Comparative Method of Valuation as a more accurate way to measure customers’ willingness to pay for a product or service. The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled “Measuring Willingness to Pay: A Comparative Method of Valuation” and is authored by Sharlene He, Eric T. Anderson, and Derek D. Rucker. At the grocery store, a customer may be willing to pay $18 for a bottle of Riesling when comparing it to a $15 bottle ...

The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology today announced that the Alliance Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) determined that the phase III AMBASSADOR (A031501) trial met one of its dual primary endpoints of disease-free survival (DFS) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with localized muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (MIUC) and locally advanced urothelial carcinoma. At a pre-specified interim analysis review, pembrolizumab demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful ...

One treatment each of two psychedelic drugs lowered depression and anxiety and improved cognitive functioning in a sample of U.S. special operations forces veterans who sought care at a clinic in Mexico, according to a new analysis of the participants’ charts. The treatment included a combination of ibogaine hydrochloride, derived from the West African shrub iboga, and 5-MeO-DMT, a psychedelic substance secreted by the Colorado River toad. Both are designated as Schedule I drugs under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act. In addition to relieving symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), ...

HOUSTON – (Oct. 5, 2023) – An interdisciplinary team of Rice University scientists has won a $1.9 million National Science Foundation grant for research on materials that could serve as the basis for next-generation energy-efficient computing devices. The team ⎯ led by Kaiyuan Yang and including co-investigators Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Yimo Han, Douglas Natelson, Shengxi Huang and Lane Martin ⎯ will focus on multiferroics, materials with distinctive electric and magnetic properties that carry “transformative technological potential,” ...

AMES, Iowa – The foundation of a house remains, the basement ripped open and exposed, with the rest of the house blown away. A brick-veneered bank building partially caved in. A collapsed high school gym. Gravestones knocked over. Debris piercing a building.   Partha Sarkar kept hitting next, scrolling through the photo evidence of the destruction he gathered and assessed the day after an EF5 tornado ripped through Parkersburg on May 25, 2008.   Then Sarkar, professor and interim chair of aerospace engineering at Iowa State University, opened a photo showing a house ...

Acoels have been found to host a wide diversity of symbiotic, photosynthetic microalgae. Animals and plants need energy. Some animals get energy by eating other animals, and many plants harvest the energy in sunlight through photosynthesis. However, in the ocean, there exists a remarkable group of small, worm-like animals called acoels that do both—some acoels form relationships (symbiosis) with single-celled, photosynthetic microalgae. A study by Assistant Professor Kevin Wakeman and his undergraduate student, Siratee Riewluang, at Hokkaido University, Japan, has shed some light on the biodiversity underpinning symbiotic relationships between acoels and microalgae. ...

Bumblebees have a remarkably successful method for fighting off Asian hornets, new research shows. When attacked, buff-tailed bumblebees drop to the ground – taking the hornets down with them. This either causes the hornet to lose its grip, or the bee raises its sting and tussles until the hornet gives up. University of Exeter scientists witnessed over 120 such attacks, and were stunned to find that bumblebees fought off the hornets every time. Despite this, they found bumblebee colonies had reduced growth rates in ...

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has conceived of and launched a new artificial intelligence (AI) fellowship in just two months — record speed — to support leaders in Congress as they craft legislation, in particular policies related to emerging opportunities and challenges with AI. Capitol Hill’s surging interest in AI policy follows the public release of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools. The STPF Rapid Response Cohort in AI operates under the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) program and is part of the 51st class of 276 scientists and engineers placed across ...

A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, for the first time provides a comprehensive set of genomic resources for pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, that researchers believe will be integral for protecting these threatened mammals. Pangolins, which are found in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, are the only mammals covered in scales. They are trafficked at record numbers for their meat and supposed medicinal properties. The animals are also at risk due to widespread deforestation of their native habitats. Pangolins are made up of eight surviving species ...

Eating more plant-based meals is better for our health and better for the planet. But cultural preferences are significant barriers to reducing meat consumption - especially for men, who are underrepresented among vegans and vegetarians. Studies have found that eating meat is associated with masculinity, and that gender stereotypes label plant-based diets as suitable for women but not men. So is it possible to change the perception of plant-based food with marketing, and convince men to eat more of it? “Men might be less inclined to consume vegan food due to the need to perform gender,” said Alma Scholz, lead author of a new study published in Frontiers in Communication. ...

A research team led by Dr. Ho Sang Jung of the Department of Nano-Bio Convergence at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT, in collaboration with the KOTITI Testing & Research Institute, has developed the world's first technology to rapidly and highly sensitively detect microplastics(MPs) in the field, which are well known to cause human and genetic toxicity through environmental pollution and the food chain. The on-site applicable MPs detection technology developed ...

Osaka, Japan – As organizations work to reduce their energy consumption and associated carbon emissions, one area that remains to be optimized is indoor heating and cooling. In fact, HVAC – which stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning – represents, on average, about 40% of a building’s total energy use. Methods that conserve electricity while still providing a comfortable indoor environment for workers could make a significant difference in the fight against climate change. Now, researchers from Osaka University have demonstrated significant energy savings through the application of a new, AI-driven algorithm ...