EL PASO, Texas (Feb. 6, 2024) – A group of researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso are behind an emerging lithium extraction technology that won the inaugural Hill Prize from the Texas Academies of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST) on Monday. The $500,000 in prize funds will support a joint research effort by Alma Energy and UTEP to extract lithium from hydrothermal waters. “If this technology succeeds, it would be a really massive breakthrough in environmentally-friendly lithium extraction,” said Benjamin Brunner, Ph.D., the co-inventor of the technology ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Extreme events wipe out entire forests, dramatically eliminating complex ecosystems as well as local communities. Researchers have become quite familiar with such attention-grabbing events over the years. They know less, however, about the more common moderate-severity disturbances, such as relatively small fires, ice storms, and outbreaks of pests or pathogens.  “Since they’re more common, they’re probably playing a larger role in the ecosystem than we might have appreciated before,” said Brady Hardiman, associate professor of forestry and natural resources and environmental ...

ATLANTA — Influenza A viruses with induced resistance to a new candidate antiviral drug were found to be impaired in cell culture and weakened in animals, according to a study by researchers in the Center for Translational Antiviral Research at Georgia State University. In a study published in PLoS Pathogens, the authors explored the developmental potential of 4’-fluorouridine (4’-FlU), a clinical drug candidate, for influenza therapy. They resistance profiled the compound against influenza viruses and mapped possible routes of viral escape, addressing specifically ...

Microbes are social beings. Much like humans, they communicate and cooperate with each other to solve problems bigger than themselves. In a microbial community, there will even be free riders, and others that police them. So, what if researchers could influence their social evolution to promote certain behaviors? Doing so can be vital to solving many of today’s challenges such as combating infection and antibiotic resistance, developing microbial strategies for wastewater treatment or harvesting alternative energy sources. A research group led by Dervis Can Vural, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at ...

1. An international research team led by NIMS, the Osaka University Graduate School of Science and the Kanazawa University Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) has succeeded for the first time in controlling the chirality of individual molecules through structural isomerization. The team also succeeded in synthesizing highly reactive diradicals with two unpaired electrons. These achievements were made using a scanning tunneling microscope probe at low temperatures.   2. It is usually quite challenging to control the chirality of individual molecular units and synthesize extremely reactive diradicals in organic chemistry, preventing ...

TAMPA, Fla. — Patient-reported outcomes are important indicators of how cancer drugs impact patients’ lives. By assessing the benefits and risks of drugs from a patient’s perspective, scientists and physicians can improve the development of patient-centered drugs and care. In a recent study published in eClinicalMedicine, part of The Lancet Discovery Science, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers demonstrate that there is a significant unmet need for improved analyses and reporting of patient-reported outcomes in genitourinary cancer clinical trials. Health care professionals have realized that how a disease and its treatment ...

In December 2023, the new "FOOD includes" project funded by the European Commission started at the Center for Lifelong Learning at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). Over its 36-month term, the objective of "FOOD includes" is to increase take-up and improve the inclusiveness and accessibility of adult education. The project has been designed for adults with lower academic qualifications and migrants who are less likely to take advantage of continuing education and training opportunities. Therefore, the project focuses on activities revolving ...

The waste in our water could soon generate new waves of clean energy development, job creation and economic growth across the Great Lakes thanks to a new regional innovation and economic development initiative launched by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The initiative will fund efforts to find new ways to recover clean water, nutrients and materials for clean energy technologies from wastewater — all while removing dangerous chemicals. These efforts will be carried out by Great Lakes ReNEW, a collaboration of research institutions, universities, ...

In the human body, the lungs and their vasculature can be likened to a building with an intricate plumbing system. The lungs’ blood vessels are the pipes essential for transporting blood and nutrients for oxygen delivery and carbon dioxide removal. Much like how pipes can get rusty or clogged, disrupting normal water flow, damage from respiratory viruses, like SARS-CoV-2 or influenza, can interfere with this “plumbing system.” In a recent study, researchers looked at the critical role of vascular ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Christi Bergin has devoted 40 years of her life to helping teachers and their students. Throughout her career, she’s noticed two simultaneous trends in the field that seem to be connected: a rise in disruptive classroom behavior, and an exodus of teachers from the profession who leave due to stress and burnout. To help combat these trends, Bergin, a professor emerita in the University of Missouri College of Education and Human Development, has focused her research on improving prosocial behavior — actions that show kindness, compassion, empathy and respect — in classrooms and communities. Not ...

Black men with firearm-acquired disabilities face negative physical and psychological impacts on their manhood, independence and mobility, according to a Rutgers Health study.   The study, published in the American Journal of Men’s Health, explored the relationship between Black manhood/masculinities and firearm-acquired disabilities. Participants’ disabilities also impacted their perceptions of independence. Specifically, participants felt that they were a burden to their caretakers because of their reliance on them. This loss of independence ...

Researchers have discovered two new freshwater hyphomycete (mould) species, Acrogenospora alangii and Conioscypha yunnanensis, in southwestern China.  This discovery, detailed in a study published in MycoKeys, marks the addition of these species to the Acrogenospora and Conioscypha genera, further enriching the diversity of freshwater fungi known in the region. A research team consisting of Lu Li, Hong-Zhi Du and Ratchadawan Cheewangkoon from Chiang Mai University, Thailand, as well as Vinodhini Thiyagaraja and Rungtiwa Phookamsak from Kunming Institute of Botany, China, and Darbhe Jayarama Bhat from King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, employed comprehensive morphological ...

A Colorado State University experiment spanning more than two decades has found that removal of apex predators from an ecosystem can create lasting changes that are not reversed after they return – at least, not for a very long time.  The study, funded by the National Science Foundation and published in Ecological Monographs, challenges the commonly held belief that the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park restored an ecosystem degraded by their absence.   Researchers in CSU’s Warner College of Natural Resources ...

A new paper in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, published by Oxford University Press, finds that a new form of digital technology—essentially preventing people from using an asset for which they have a loan if they don’t make payments, rather than repossessing the asset itself—may be a better way for lenders to secure loans, particularly for loan recipients in developing countries. Using collateral to secure debt helps overcome economic frictions, lowering the cost of providing credit. More than 80% of total household debt in the United States is secured by ...

Evanston, IL—The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) will award its 2024 ISSCR Achievement Award to Fiona M. Watt, D.Phil., F.R.S., F.Med.Sci., EMBO Director and leader of a research group at EMBL - Heidelberg, Germany. The award recognizes the transformative body of work of an investigator that has had a major impact on the field of stem cell research or regenerative medicine. Dr. Watt will present her research during Plenary VII on 13 July at the ISSCR 2024 Annual Meeting in Hamburg, Germany. ISSCR 2024 is the world’s leading gathering of the brightest minds in stem cell research and cell and regenerative medicine. “Fiona is a giant in stem cell ...

Evanston, IL—The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is honoring Jun Wu, Ph.D. with the 2024 ISSCR Outstanding Young Investigator Award. Dr. Wu is an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, U.S.A. and a New York Stem Cell Foundation–Robertson Investigator. The award recognizes the exceptional achievements of an investigator in the early part of his or her independent career in stem cell research. Dr. Wu will present his work during Plenary II, New Technologies to Engineer and Phenotype Stem Cell Systems, on 10 July during the ISSCR 2024 Annual Meeting taking place in Hamburg, Germany. ...

Evanston, IL— The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) will present this year’s ISSCR Momentum Award to Sergiu P. Paşca, M.D., Kenneth T. Norris, Jr. Professor and the Uytengsu Director of Stanford Brain Organogenesis, Stanford University, U.S.A. The award recognizes the exceptional achievements of a mid-career investigator whose innovative research has established a major area of stem cell-related research with a strong trajectory for future success. Dr. Paşca will present his research during Plenary VII on 13 July 2024 during the ISSCR 2024 Annual Meeting in Hamburg, Germany. ISSCR 2024 is the world’s leading ...

A new study has provided insight into how experiences and features of neurodiversity vary amongst adults in the UK. There is variation in people’s attributes and experiences across all populations. Neurodivergent people, such as people with a diagnosis of ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, may experience the world in distinctive ways. But, we are only beginning to appreciate how traits and experiences associated with neurodivergence differ across the whole population. Now, new research from the University of Birmingham has provided a more detailed picture of what neurodiversity looks like amongst adults in the UK. The research is published in JCPP Advances. Ian Apperly, ...

American Geophysical Union 6 February 2024 AGU Release No. 24-04 For Immediate Release This press release is available online at: https://news.agu.org/press-release/seattle-fault-may-have-origins-in-an-ancient-tear-in-the-continent Seattle fault may have origins in an ancient tear in the continent Magnetic data suggest the hazardous Seattle fault zone developed as the edge of the continent tore itself in two more than 50 million years ago, providing a possible new origin story for the fault AGU ...

Black holes not only existed at the dawn of time, they birthed new stars and supercharged galaxy formation, a new analysis of James Webb Space Telescope data suggests. The insights upend theories of how black holes shape the cosmos, challenging classical understanding that they formed after the first stars and galaxies emerged. Instead, black holes might have dramatically accelerated the birth of new stars during the first 50 million years of the universe, a fleeting period within its 13.8 billion—year history. "We know these monster black holes ...

Xuan Wang, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, is designing a framework for Multi-Autonomous Multi-Human (MAMH) systems.  The operation of many real-world systems involves the co-existence of human and autonomous agents. Inadequate coordination among these agents can lead to significant performance degradation or safety risks.   In this project, Wang aims to develop a novel framework for Multi-Autonomous Multi-Human coordination, which could enhance algorithmic scalability and ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- When diagnosing skin diseases based solely on images of a patient’s skin, doctors do not perform as well when the patient has darker skin, according to a new study from MIT researchers. The study, which included more than 1,000 dermatologists and general practitioners, found that dermatologists accurately characterized about 38 percent of the images they saw, but only 34 percent of those that showed darker skin. General practitioners, who were less accurate overall, showed a similar decrease in accuracy ...

The Vilcek Foundation announces the recipients of the 2024 Vilcek Foundation Prizes in Biomedical Science. Awarded annually since 2006, the prizes recognize outstanding immigrant scientists at the forefront of their fields, and celebrate the importance of immigrant contributions to scientific research and discovery in the United States. In 2024, the foundation awards $250,000 in prizes to Luciano Marraffini (b. Argentina), Gerta Hoxhaj (b. Albania), Tomasz Nowakowski (b. Poland) and Takanori Takebe (b. Japan). “With the 2024 Vilcek Foundation Prizes in Biomedical Science, we honor scientists who have ...

No increased risks for babies, and for some serious neonatal complications lower risks. This is the result of the largest study to date on the safety of newborn babies whose mothers were vaccinated against COVID-19 during pregnancy. The study is a collaboration between Swedish and Norwegian researchers and is published in the journal JAMA. COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy was not associated with any increased risks in newborn infants. On the contrary, the study of nearly 200,000 newborns in Sweden and Norway showed that babies born by women who chose to be vaccinated ...

About The Study: In this population-based study from Sweden and Norway that included 94,000 infants exposed to COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and 102,000 control infants born between June 2021 and January 2023, vaccination of pregnant individuals with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines was not associated with increased risks of neonatal adverse events in their infants.  Authors: Mikael Norman, M.D., Ph.D., of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2023.26945) Editor’s Note: Please ...