SAN ANTONIO — January 8, 2024 —NASA and NOAA have selected Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) to develop QuickSounder, the first in a new generation of NOAA low-Earth orbit environmental satellites. Under the $54 million contract, SwRI will design and build the satellite and operate it for three years. QuickSounder will kick off NOAA’s Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON) program. The Near Earth Orbit Network is a collaborative mission between NASA and NOAA. NASA will manage the development and launch of the satellites for NOAA, which will operate them and deliver data to users worldwide. NEON satellites ...

Press release – Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology EMBARGO: 8 JANUARY 2024 AT 11:00 AM ET (US)   Scientists have developed 3D mini-organs from human fetal brain tissue that self-organize in vitro. These lab-grown organoids open up a brand-new way of studying how the brain develops. They also offer a valuable means to study the development and treatment of diseases related to brain development, including brain tumors. Scientists use different ways to model the biology of healthy tissue and disease in the lab. These include cell lines, laboratory animals and, since a few years, 3D mini-organs. ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – New research shows that the recently emerged BA.2.86 omicron subvariant of the virus that causes COVID-19 can be neutralized by bivalent mRNA vaccine-induced antibodies in the blood, which explains why this variant did not cause a widespread surge as previously feared. However, the study in cell cultures showed this SARS-CoV-2 variant can infect human cells that line the lower lung and engage in virus-host cell membrane fusion more efficiently, two features linked to severe disease symptoms. The study is published today (Jan. 8, 2024) in the journal Cell. The BA.2.86 variant of omicron is the ancestor of the currently dominating JN.1 and has about ...

About The Study: In this study of more than 2 million individuals born in Denmark, sibling death in childhood and early adulthood was associated with increased risks of overall and most type-specific early-onset cardiovascular diseases, with the strength of associations varying by cause of death and age difference between sibling pairs. The findings highlight the need for extra attention and support to the bereaved siblings to reduce cardiovascular disease risk later in life.  Authors: Guoyou Qin, Ph.D., and Yongfu Yu, Ph.D., ...

About The Study: Early-life digital media exposure was associated with atypical sensory processing outcomes in multiple domains in this study that included 1,471 children. These findings suggest that digital media exposure might be a potential risk factor for the development of atypical sensory profiles. Further research is needed to understand the relationship between screen time and specific sensory-related developmental and behavioral outcomes, and whether minimizing early-life exposure can improve subsequent sensory-related outcomes.  Authors: Karen F. Heffler, M.D., of the Drexel University ...

About The Study: Diagnostic errors in hospitalized adults who died or were transferred to the intensive care unit were common and associated with patient harm in this analysis of 2,428 patient records at 29 hospitals. Problems with choosing and interpreting tests and the processes involved with clinician assessment are high-priority areas for improvement efforts.  Authors: Andrew D. Auerbach, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of California, San Francisco, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit ...

Babies and toddlers exposed to television or video viewing may be more likely to exhibit atypical sensory behaviors, such as being disengaged and disinterested in activities, seeking more intense stimulation in an environment, or being overwhelmed by sensations like loud sounds or bright lights, according to data from researchers at Drexel’s College of Medicine published today in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. According to the researchers, children exposed to greater TV viewing by their second birthday were more likely to develop atypical sensory processing behaviors, such as “sensation seeking” and “sensation ...

Cedars-Sinai Cancer investigators have analyzed the cells within triple-negative breast cancer tumors before and after radiation therapy with immunotherapy, identifying three patient groups with different responses to the treatment. Their study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Cancer Cell, found that for some patients with this difficult-to-treat cancer, radiation therapy plus immunotherapy could yield the best tumor-fighting immune response prior to surgery. “Our most important finding was identifying these three different patient groups,” said Simon Knott, PhD, co-director of the Applied Genomics Shared Resource at ...

Hydrogen energy has emerged as a promising alternative to fossil fuels, offering a clean and sustainable energy source. However, the development of low-cost and efficient catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction remains a crucial challenge. A research team led by scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has recently developed a novel strategy to engineer stable and efficient ultrathin nanosheet catalysts by forming Turing structures with multiple nanotwin crystals. This innovative discovery paves the way for enhanced catalyst performance for green hydrogen production. Producing hydrogen through the process of ...

An international team of researchers has found that Africa’s birds of prey are facing an extinction crisis. The report, co-led by researchers from the School of Biology at the University of St Andrews and The Peregrine Fund, and published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution (4 January 2024), warns of declines among nearly 90% of 42 species examined, and suggests that more than two-thirds may qualify as globally threatened. Led by Dr Phil Shaw from St Andrews and Dr Darcy Ogada of The Peregrine ...

After stem cell transplantation, the donated immune cells sometimes attack the patients' bodies. This is known as graft versus host disease or GvHD. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Universitätsklinikum Regensburg (UKR) have shown that GvHD is much less common when certain microbes are present in the gut. In the future, it may be possible to deliberately bring about this protective composition of the microbiome. Stem cell transplantation can save the lives of patients suffering ...

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A team of Chinese researchers used a novel theory to invent a new type of ultrathin optical crystal with high energy efficiency, laying the foundation for next-generation laser technology. Prof. Wang Enge from the School of Physics, Peking University, recently told Xinhua that the Twist Boron Nitride (TBN) made by the team, with a micron-level thickness, is the thinnest optical crystal currently known in the world. Compared with traditional crystals of the same thickness, its energy efficiency is raised by 100 to 10,000 times. Wang, also an ...

Could a Drug Prevent Hearing Loss from Loud Music and Aging?  Researchers have found a gene that links deafness to cell death in the inner ear in humans – creating new opportunities for averting hearing loss.  A person’s hearing can be damaged by loud noise, aging and even certain medications, with little recourse beyond a hearing aid or cochlear implant.     But now, UCSF scientists have achieved a breakthrough in understanding what is happening in the inner ear during hearing loss, laying the groundwork for preventing deafness.     The research, ...

DETROIT (Jan. 8, 2024) – Henry Ford Health has earned two distinguished recognitions, the HX Pinnacle of Excellence Award® and HX Guardian of Excellence Award®, both in the category of Consumer Experience and granted by Press Ganey, a leading organization focused on patient experience measurement and healthcare performance improvement. These awards reflect Henry Ford Health's unwavering commitment to providing an exceptional care experience for each of its patients and their families. "We are immensely proud to receive the Pinnacle of Excellence and Guardian of Excellence Awards from Press Ganey,” said Bob Riney, President and ...

Mycelial fibers, the fibrous cells found in fruiting mushroom bodies, have gained momentum as a sustainable material for making leather and packaging owing to their excellent formability. Recently, a team of researchers from Shinshu University, Japan, has found a simple way of obtaining mycelial fibers, called “mycelial pulp,” from fruiting mushroom bodies and bleaching them using sunlight while keeping their mycelial structures intact. Every year, humans generate millions of tons of waste, and almost 38% of that waste ends up in a landfill. A significant portion of it is made up of plastic or petroleum-based ...

School connectedness – the degree to which students feel part of their school community – influences more than grades. For Black students, it’s a protective factor against depression and aggressive behavior later in life, according to a Rutgers University-New Brunswick study. “Our data provide fairly strong evidence for the idea that the experiences Black adolescents have in their school impacts their long-term mental health,” said Adrian Gale, an assistant professor in the Rutgers School ...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major global health concern impacting millions and causing symptoms like palpitations, dyspnea, fatigue, dizziness, and chest discomfort. Furthermore, these symptoms reduce patients’ quality of life and lead to increased mortality and morbidity. The medical community agrees that epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), chronic inflammation, imbalances in the autonomic nervous system (ANS), stretch-induced fibrosis, and genetic alterations are the main factors that influence AF pathogenesis. Despite extensive research efforts focused on uncovering the underlying mechanisms ...

Just like computers, the Internet, and smartphones have become commonplace in our daily lives, artificial intelligence and robotics (AIR) are the next technologies in line set to drastically change how we interact with the world and among ourselves. Various AI-driven applications are already in widespread use, such as Siri, Google Assistant, and ChatGPT, and both industrial- and consumer-grade robots are becoming increasingly capable and accessible. In our modern societies, where people rely more and more on AIR systems to perform tasks, it’s essential to prepare children and teenagers to understand ...

Loss of bone mineral density (BMD) with age is an important cause of osteoporosis (deterioration of bone tissue), which has been reported as one of the leading causes of falls among older adults in Japan. This leads to fractures that require long-term nursing. Prevention of osteoporosis in the aging population can thus help decrease the burden of disease and healthcare costs substantially.   Early lifestyle habits can largely influence health and disease onset in old age. In this regard, physical activities ...

Within the next 10 years, it’s projected that up to 50% of United States adults will be affected by obesity, which is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia.  Investigators at Michigan Medicine found that people with obesity who underwent bariatric surgery had stable cognition two years later.  Researchers say it suggests that bariatric surgery may mitigate the natural history of cognitive decline expected in people with obesity. The results are published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging. “Since individuals with obesity ...

How can climate policy be made more just and fair? IIASA researchers have synthesized different dimensions of justice into a framework that can be used by climate scientists and policymakers, explaining how previous research has neglected many potential justice positions and how these can be implemented in policy contexts. Dealing with climate change is not just about the environment – it is also about justice and fairness. This includes how we transition to cleaner ways of living, the different impacts on various groups of people, and who is responsible ...

Philadelphia, January 8, 2024 – Researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have developed a new AI-powered algorithm to help understand how different cells organize themselves into particular tissues and communicate with one another. This new tool was tested on two types of cancer tissues to reveal how these “neighborhoods” of cells interact with one another to evade therapy, and more studies could reveal more information about the function of these cells in the tumor ...

Prime editing, a versatile form of gene editing that can correct most known disease-causing genetic mutations, now has a new vehicle to deliver its machinery into cells in living animals. A team of researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has engineered virus-like particles to deliver prime editors to cells in mice at a high enough efficiency to rescue a genetic disorder. In the new work published today in Nature Biotechnology, the team adapted engineered virus-like particles (eVLPs) that they had previously designed to carry base editors — ...

The origin of Earth and the Solar System inspires scientists and the public alike. By studying the present state of our home planet and other objects in the Solar System, researchers have developed a detailed picture of the conditions when they evolved from a disk made of dust and gas surrounding the infant sun some 4.5 billion years ago. Three rings hinting at two planets With the breathtaking progress made in star and planet formation research aiming at far-away celestial objects, we can now investigate the conditions in environments around young stars and compare them to the ones derived for the early Solar System. Using the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large ...

Unknown germs are a common occurrence in hospitals. Researchers at the University of Basel have spent many years collecting and analyzing them. They have identified many new species of bacteria, some of which are significant for clinical practice. Bacterial infections can be treated more efficiently if the cause of the disease is known. In most cases, all it takes to identify a pathogen is an analysis in a medical laboratory. Sometimes, however, the standard methods are insufficient – for example, if the species of bacteria has not yet been classified or ...