Chemists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have found a new use for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), not just as genetic material, but as a tool for more efficient production of medicinal compounds. Certain parts of DNA, called phosphates, can act like tiny “hands” that guide chemical reactions to selectively produce the desired mirror-image version of a compound. Many medicinal compounds are chiral, meaning they come in two mirror-image forms, like right and left hands, that can behave very differently in the body. This is an important aspect because many drugs only work in ...

Renewable energy of the future is concentrated solar power because it can be easily used to store thermal energy. Despite the fact that, historically, it is more expensive and complex than photovoltaic power, in recent years huge advances have taken place in this technology, and concentrated solar power plants are spreading across more and more countries as a source for a sustainable future. As Iñigo González de Arrieta, a researcher in the Thermophysical Properties of Materials group of the University of the Basque ...

In recognition of her innovative experimental approaches and breakthrough discoveries on the genetic mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders, Dr. Xin Jin has been named the 2026 Peter Gruss Young Investigator. “The field of nominees was incredibly impressive; however, Dr. Jin stood out among the nominees for her creative and multidisciplinary integration of methodologies to make tremendous progress toward understanding principles of brain development and function. She is well on her way to becoming a leader in the neuroscience field,” ...

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, often diagnosed late and resistant to treatment Scientists discovered a new sugar-based cloak that helps tumor cells evade the immune system An experimental antibody blocked that disguise, reawakening immune cells and slowing tumor growth in mice Northwestern team is now refining the antibody for human studies CHICAGO --- Pancreatic cancer is notoriously hard to treat and often resists the most advanced immunotherapies. Northwestern Medicine scientists have uncovered a novel explanation for that resistance: Pancreatic ...

New York, NY and Boston, MA -- The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), a national non-profit whose mission is to support and advance healthy aging through biomedical research, will host its annual Scientific Awards of Distinction ceremony in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), on November 13, 2025 from 6:30pm-9:00pm ET in Room 306 of the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts. AFAR Scientific Director Steven N. Austad, PhD, will host ...

A new genomic method has enabled multiple people with rare conditions to receive diagnoses that were previously unattainable by identifying complex structural genetic changes that are often missed by standard tests. Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Genomics England, Cambridge University Hospitals, and their collaborators analysed the DNA from 13,700 parents and children from the 100,000 Genomes Project. They found that many of these genetic changes, known as structural variants, directly disrupt genes involved ...

An international panel of leading women’s mental health experts – including UVA Health’s Jennifer Payne, MD – is calling to reclassify postpartum psychosis as its own category of mental illness to improve the care new mothers receive.  Postpartum psychosis is a severe psychiatric illness that is estimated to strike up to 2.6 out of every 1,000 women after they give birth. Symptoms can include mania, depression with psychotic features, impaired thinking, agitation and irritability. Left untreated, ...

SINGAPORE, 03 NOVEMBER 2025—Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and their collaborators have created one of the most comprehensive single cell maps of the developing human brain. The atlas captures nearly every cell type, their genetic fingerprints, and how they grow and interact. It also benchmarks best-in-class laboratory methods for producing high-quality neurons, marking a major step towards new therapies for Parkinson’s disease and other brain disorders. Parkinson’s disease is Singapore’s second most common neurodegenerative disorder, affecting about three in every 1,000 people aged 50 and above[1]. The condition damages midbrain dopaminergic neurons—cells ...

Media Contact: John Dudley (814) 490-3290 (cell) jjdudley@usf.edu Click here for images and a PDF of the journal article Key takeaways Phishing “gotcha” tests may backfire: New USF-led research finds that on-the-spot phishing training can trigger defensiveness and limit learning — making employees less likely to absorb lessons that prevent future attacks. Broader feedback builds stronger defenses: Training everyone after a phishing simulation — not just those who clicked — helped participants stay alert and resist scams for months. Rethinking a cybersecurity ‘best practice’: The study challenges ...

Key Points: Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global threat to public health, and finding alternatives to antibiotics can help combat increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). A new study found that antimicrobial peptides can combat Salmonella infections in chickens, a major cause of foodborne disease in the U.S. This discovery could help improve food safety and protect public health without relying on antibiotic use. Washington, D.C.—Antimicrobial peptides can control Salmonella infections in chickens and thus have the potential to improve food safety and public health, according to a new study. The study was published in Microbiology Spectrum, a journal of the American Society ...

Skipping breakfast or practicing intermittent fasting is unlikely to cloud most adults’ thinking in the short term, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. Fasting, which can involve abstaining from food for several hours to days, has become one of the more popular contemporary eating regimens, often promoted for potential health benefits such as improved insulin sensitivity, cellular repair and weight management. “While fasting has become trendy over the years, there is widespread concern, often reflected in common sayings like, ‘You’re not ...

National Center for Supercomputing Applications Director Bill Gropp was selected as the next chair of the Computing Research Association’s Computing Community Consortium (CCC). Gropp will formally begin his term following approval from the U.S. National Science Foundation, serving in the role through June 30, 2028. Gropp joined the CCC in 2020 and has been a member of its executive committee since 2021, helping guide the group’s strategy through a challenging environment for computing research while remaining committed to the values he’s displayed ...

A breakthrough study published in Chinese Journal of Catalysis presents a powerful new tool in the fight against water pollution: an S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst that efficiently degrades antibiotic contaminants. This innovative material, composed of Mn0.5Cd0.5S/In2S3 (MCS/IS), not only cleans water effectively but also significantly reduces the toxicity of the breakdown products, addressing a critical challenge in environmental remediation. The widespread use and improper disposal of antibiotics like tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) have led to their accumulation in water sources, posing severe threats to ecosystem health and contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant ...

Hydrogen is already an important source of energy. The $250 billion industry supports fertilizer production, steel manufacturing, oil refining, and dozens of other vital activities. While nearly all hydrogen produced today is created using carbon-intensive methods, researchers are racing to develop cheaper ways of producing hydrogen with a lower carbon footprint. One of the most promising approaches is water electrolysis, a process that uses electricity to power a reactor — called an electrolyzer — to split water (H2O) molecules into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2).  Electrolyzers ...

A new study from Tulane University found that, over the past decade, more states have moved to make it easier for people with opioid use disorder to get potentially life-saving medication. The study published in Health Affairs found that, as of 2023, 22 states have passed laws prohibiting private insurance plans from requiring prior authorization, a process that requires doctors to get insurer approval before prescribing certain medications for opioid use disorder. That’s an increase from only two states in 2015. “This signals a positive trend that states ...

For someone who has heart surgery or experiences a major cardiovascular event, cardiac rehabilitation can significantly improve their short and long term recovery. People who participate in this comprehensive exercise, lifestyle and education program are less likely to be readmitted to the hospital and have a lower risk of future heart attack. Despite a slew of benefits linked to cardiac rehabilitation, attendance remains poor — with even fewer women utilizing the program. “Even when women do participate, the research tells us that ...

Research Highlights Higher levels of exposure to artificial light at night were linked to increased stress-related activity in the brain, inflamed arteries and a higher risk of heart disease, according to a small study of adults in Boston. Nighttime light pollution appeared to affect heart health, making it an environmental factor that could be changed to help reduce heart disease in communities with higher levels of nighttime light, researchers said. Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented ...

Research Highlights: Optimal cardiovascular health, based on the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 metrics, may decrease the risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia for adults with Type 2 diabetes. Among adults with both Type 2 diabetes and a high genetic risk for dementia, researchers found that having moderate or high cardiovascular health, compared to having low cardiovascular health, greatly lowered the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment and dementia over 13 years. Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented at American Heart Association’s ...

Research Highlights: Initiating CPR within the first five minutes after cardiac arrest can nearly double the chances of survival for children, according to preliminary research analyzing data for more than 10,000 children from a U.S. registry of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. The time window to initiate successful CPR in children may be half that of the window for adults — 5 minutes vs. 10 minutes, respectively. The study’s findings highlight the importance of bystanders (lay rescuers) initiating CPR quickly after cardiac arrest, ...

Research Highlights: An artificial intelligence (AI) tool detected structural heart problems using a single-lead ECG captured by the electrical heart sensor on the back and digital crown of a smartwatch. The AI algorithm was tested on single-lead ECGs taken on a smartwatch in a group of 600 adults. The algorithm accurately identified structural heart diseases such as weakened pumping ability, damaged valves or thickened heart muscle. Smartwatches with single-lead ECG sensors paired with an AI tool such as the one developed for this study could help make screening for structural heart disease easier and more accessible ...

Research Highlights: People with a condition in which protein build up stiffens heart walls – called transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy – were more likely to have a stroke if they also had a mechanical malfunction in the atrial chamber of their heart. A noninvasive risk assessment tool may help identify people with the condition who are at high stroke risk and might benefit from preventive measures, according to researchers. Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented at American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, ...

Research Highlights: Adults with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and at moderate or high risk of cardiovascular disease who took low-dose aspirin were less likely to experience a serious cardiovascular event, including a heart attack, stroke or death, than peers who did not take aspirin. Any low-dose aspirin use was associated with significantly lower risk of having a heart attack or stroke compared to no low-dose aspirin use, with greater benefit observed among those individuals who took it the most often. Low-dose aspirin use was associated with similarly lower risks of a cardiovascular event ...

Research Highlights: A review of 5 years of health records for more than 130,000 adults with insomnia who had used melatonin for at least a year found they were more likely to be diagnosed with heart failure, require hospitalization for the condition or die from any cause. The association between melatonin and increased risk of heart failure or death found in this study, which cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship, raises safety concerns about the use of melatonin, which is widely available, and may warrant more research on melatonin to assess its cardiovascular safety, researchers said. Note: The study featured in ...

Research Highlights: For people with Type 2 diabetes, following at least six healthy lifestyle habits when taking GLP-1 RA medications can lower their risk of heart attack, stroke, hospital visits due to cardiovascular disease and death, more than medication alone or healthy lifestyle changes alone. A study of more than 63,000 military veterans with Type 2 diabetes who took GLP-1 RA medications found that those with at least six healthy lifestyle habits had a 50% lower risk of serious cardiovascular events when compared to veterans with a lower adherence to a healthy lifestyle who were receiving standard diabetes care but not taking GLP-1 RA medication. Note: The study featured ...

Human astroviruses are a leading viral cause of the stomach bug—think vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. It often impacts young children and older adults, leading to vicious cycles of sickness and malnutrition, particularly for those in low and middle income countries. It’s very commonly found in wastewater studies, meaning it’s frequently circulating in communities. As of now, there are no vaccines for this virus.  New research from the lab of Rebecca DuBois, a professor of biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz, reveals the strategy that the human astrovirus uses to enter the body. A study detailing these results was published in the journal ...