CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Teenagers use generative artificial intelligence for many purposes, including emotional support and social interactions. A study by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers found that parents have little understanding of GAI, how their children use it and its potential risks, and that GAI platforms offer insufficient protection to ensure children’s safety. The research paper by information sciences professor Yang Wang, the co-director of the Social Computing Systems Lab, and doctoral student Yaman Yu is one of the first published sources of data on the uses and risks of GAI for children. Wang ...

University of Texas at Arlington senior Ken Perry has always been interested in how the heart works. This curiosity led the Arlington High School graduate to start working in the lab of UTA kinesiology Professor R. Matthew Brothers during his second year of college. Now, two years later, Perry is the recipient of two research awards from the American Physiological Society (APS) for his research on a connection between high-fat meals and cardiovascular health. “I always wanted to learn about heart and blood flow, so when friend of mine interested in research encouraged me to apply for the SURPINT program ...

ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell University researchers have created the smallest walking robot yet. Its mission: to be tiny enough to interact with waves of visible light and still move independently, so that it can maneuver to specific locations – in a tissue sample, for instance – to take images and measure forces at the scale of some of the body’s smallest structures. The team’s paper, “Magnetically Programmed Diffractive Robotics,” published in Science. “A walking robot that’s small enough to interact with and shape light effectively takes a microscope’s lens and puts it directly ...

Salicylic acid is vital for protecting plants from pathogens, but its synthesis remains unclear. A recent study by Shinshu University researchers has discovered that the protein HSR201 is key to its production. They found that HSR201 localizes to specific organelles called peroxisomes through a unique targeting signal. This discovery improves our understanding of how plants produce salicylic acid and could pave the way for developing engineered crops with improved disease resistance. Plant hormones, or phytohormones, are vital for plant growth, adaptation, and defense. ...

A new study from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Institut Curie reveals how stem cells sense and respond to their environment, with implications for inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer.  Stem cells constantly adapt to their environment to maintain organ and tissue health, informed by chemical signals and physical forces. When they do not function as intended, stem cells can result in a number of health conditions including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal (bowel) cancer, where they continue to divide until a tumour forms. Until ...

As part of the COVID-19 International Research Team, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pittsburgh and Weill Cornell Medicine discovered a novel cause of cytokine storm — the extreme inflammatory response associated with increased risk of death in COVID-19 infection. Their findings were reported Nov. 27 in the online issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  In an intensive genomic search for causes of cytokine storm, the research team used autopsy samples obtained from 40 patients who died from COVID-19. They performed genome analysis ...

"Sleep disturbances are a significant concern in individuals with dementia, affecting their overall health and quality of life, as well as that of their family members and caregivers.” BUFFALO, NY- December 2, 2024 – A new review was published on the cover of Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 16, Issue 21, titled, “Sleep deprivation in dementia comorbidities: focus on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, anxiety/depression and thyroid disorders.” The review, authored by Upasana Mukherjee, Ujala Sehar, Malcolm Brownell, and ...

For the first time, scientists have invented a liquid ink that doctors can print onto a patient’s scalp to measure brain activity. The technology, presented December 2 in the Cell Press journal Cell Biomaterials, offers a promising alternative to the cumbersome process currently used for monitoring brainwaves and diagnosing neurological conditions. It also has the potential to enhance non-invasive brain-computer interface applications. “Our innovations in sensor design, biocompatible ink, and high-speed printing pave the way for future on-body manufacturing of electronic tattoo sensors, with broad applications both within and beyond ...

Ketone bodies, produced by the body to provide fuel during fasting, have roles in regulating cellular processes and aging mechanisms beyond energy production.  Research at the Buck Institute shows that ketone bodies can best be understood as powerful signaling metabolites affecting brain function in aging and Alzheimer’s disease. A new study demonstrates that ketone bodies and similar metabolites have profound effects on the proteome and protein quality control in the brain. Publishing in Cell Chemical Biology, Buck Institute scientists, ...

About The Study: In this retrospective medical record review study, rules-based e-triggers were useful for post hoc detection of missed opportunities in diagnosis in emergency department visits. Interventions to target emergency department work system factors are urgently needed to support patient-clinician encounters and minimize harm from diagnostic errors.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Hardeep Singh, MD, MPH, email hardeeps@bcm.edu. To access the embargoed study: ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest the need for greater scrutiny of crisis pregnancy center practices, particularly their service provision, provider qualifications, and how these conform with regulations or best practices. A key concern is their promotion of abortion pill reversal, which lacks FDA approval or scientific support and may cause harm.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, John W. Ayers, PhD, MA, email ayers.john.w@gmail.com. To ...

La Jolla, Calif. (December 2, 2024) — A new study from scientists at the University of California San Diego introduces a powerful new approach to understanding the operation of crisis pregnancy centers, non-profit organizations dedicated to an anti-abortion agenda. The study published in JAMA Internal Medicine provides the first account of the practices of crisis pregnancy centers (CPC) operating in the United States.  "While our study shows crisis pregnancy centers provide valuable community services, like parenting classes,  there is a clear need for consumer safety measures to prevent the promotion and use of their ...

A team of astronomers has found that Venus has never been habitable, despite decades of speculation that our closest planetary neighbour was once much more like Earth than it is today. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, studied the chemical composition of the Venusian atmosphere and inferred that its interior is too dry today for there ever to have been enough water for oceans to exist at its surface. Instead, the planet has likely been a scorching, inhospitable world for its entire history. The results, reported in the journal Nature Astronomy, have implications for understanding Earth’s uniqueness, and for the search for life on planets outside ...

The deep neural network models that power today’s most demanding machine-learning applications have grown so large and complex that they are pushing the limits of traditional electronic computing hardware. Photonic hardware, which can perform machine-learning computations with light, offers a faster and more energy-efficient alternative. However, there are some types of neural network computations that a photonic device can’t perform, requiring the use of off-chip electronics or other techniques that hamper speed and efficiency. Building on a decade of research, scientists from ...

Researchers from the Organoid group (previously Clevers group) at the Hubrecht Institute have developed a new organoid that mimics the human fetal pancreas, offering a clearer view of its early development. The researchers were able to recreate a complete structure that includes the three key cell types in the pancreas, which previous organoids couldn’t fully mimic. Notably, the team identified a new stem cell that develops into the three cell types. These findings, published in Cell ...

Researchers at EPFL and Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), led by professors Grégoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch, have achieved a major milestone in the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI). By applying deep brain stimulation (DBS) to an unexpected region in the brain—the lateral hypothalamus (LH)—the team has improved the recovery of lower limb movements in two individuals with partial SCI, greatly improving their autonomy and well-being. Wolfgang Jäger, a 54-year-old from Kappel, Austria, has been in a wheelchair ...

Source: Beijing Institute of Technology Press   Lithium-ion batteries are celebrated for their high specific energy, long service life, and low self-discharge rates. However, ensuring their reliability and safety under various operating conditions is critical for their continued success in industrial applications. Digital twin technology, which creates a virtual replica of a physical entity, offers a promising solution by enabling real-time monitoring and optimization of battery performance. This technology facilitates interactive feedback, data fusion, and iterative ...

Analyzing capacity degradation characteristics and accurately predicting the knee point of capacity are crucial for the safety management of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). A recent breakthrough study presented by researchers from Shandong University introduces a knee point prediction method based on neural network. This advanced method can help us clarify the degradation mechanism and predict the knee point. The study focuses on battery life, which is the result of multiple coupling aging mechanisms affected by multiple factors. It is significantly necessary to clarify the mechanism for the capacity degradation at each stage and possess the ability to detect the knee point. It can not only ...

A cancer therapy that prompts the body’s immune defenses against viruses and bacteria to attack tumors can make patients more vulnerable to heart attack and stroke. A possible explanation for this side effect is that the treatment interferes with immune regulation in the heart’s largest blood vessels, a new study suggests. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center, the new work focused on a potent class of cancer-fighting drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors. These medications ...

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have demonstrated that large language models (LLMs), such as GPT-4, could help automate functional genomics research, which seeks to determine what genes do and how they interact. The most frequently-used approach in functional genomics, called gene set enrichment, aims to determine the function of experimentally-identified gene sets by comparing them to existing genomics databases. However, more interesting and novel biology is often beyond the scope of established databases. Using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze gene ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Alcohol’s ability to increase people’s pain threshold is one reason that drinking also leads to more aggressive behavior, a new study suggests.   Researchers found that the less pain that study participants felt after drinking an alcoholic beverage, the more pain they were willing to inflict on someone else.   “We’ve all heard the idiom ‘I feel your pain,’” said study co-author Brad Bushman, professor of communication at The Ohio State University.   “But if intoxicated people can’t feel their own pain, they might be less likely to feel ...

It’s a big year for microRNAs. The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, who discovered the first microRNA in 1993. Today, we know that humans make more than 1,000 different microRNAS. These molecules are critical for building and maintaining healthy bodies, so it’s crucial that they’re made the right way. Errors in microRNA manufacture can put us at risk for developmental disorders, cancer, or neurodegenerative disease. To learn how cells accurately generate a mind-boggling array of microRNAs, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor and HHMI Investigator Leemor ...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — As record-breaking droughts are becoming a new normal around the globe, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) launch the most comprehensive global publication on drought risks and solutions as an urgent wake-up call for world leaders and citizens. The landmark new World Drought Atlas depicts the systemic nature of drought risks through dozens of maps, infographics, and case studies. It illustrates how drought risks are interconnected across sectors like energy, agriculture, river transport, and international trade and how they can trigger cascading effects, fueling inequalities and ...

DURHAM, N.C. -- Since the first fiber optic cables rolled out in the 1970s, they’ve become a major part of everything from medical devices to high-speed internet and cable TV. But as it turns out, one group of marine mollusks was way ahead of us. A new study reveals that clams called heart cockles -– so-named because of their heart-shaped shells -- have unique structures in their shells that act like fiber optic cables to convey specific wavelengths of light into the bivalves’ tissues. Researchers from Duke University and Stanford University used electron and laser microscopy and computer simulations ...

**EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL MONDAY, DEC. 2, AT 5 A.M.** Biology textbooks may need a revision, say Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists, who present new evidence that an armlike structure of mammalian brain cells may be a different shape than scientists have assumed for more than a century.  Their study on mouse brain cells shows that the cells’ axons — the armlike structures that reach out and exchange information with other brain cells — are not the cylindrical tubes often pictured in books and on websites ...