CAMBRIDGE, MA -- When babies first begin to talk, their vocabulary is very limited. Often one of the first sounds they generate is “da,” which may refer to dad, a dog, a dot, or nothing at all. How does an adult listener make sense of this limited verbal repertoire? A new study from MIT and Harvard University researchers has found that adults’ understanding of conversational context and knowledge of mispronunciations that children commonly make are critical to the ability to understand children’s early linguistic efforts.  Using ...

Nanoturbines: the heart of advancements Flow-driven turbines lie at the heart of many revolutionary machines that have shaped our societies, from windmills to airplanes. Even life itself depends critically on turbines for fundamental processes, such as the FoF1-ATP synthase that produces fuels for biological cells and the bacterial flagella motor that propels bacteria. “Our nanoturbine has a 25-nanometer diameter rotor made from DNA material with blades configured in a right-handed or left-handed sense to control the direction of rotation. To operate, this structure is ...

The National Science Foundation has awarded $3.7 million to the University of Chicago for the first year of a grant that may provide up to $21.4 million for the final designs for a next-generation set of telescopes to map the light from the earliest moments of the universe—the Cosmic Microwave Background. Led by the University of Chicago and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the collaboration seeks to build telescopes and infrastructure in both Antarctica and Chile to search for what are known as “primordial” gravitational waves—the vibrations from the Big Bang itself. It would also map the microwave light ...

The discovery of a malaria protein that helps the parasite grow inside red blood cells and plays a key regulatory role in the parasite’s immune evasion tactics could pave the way for new vaccines or therapeutics to combat the deadly infection. The protein, known as PfAP2-P, was previously identified in a KAUST-led study that explored malarial genes and proteins displaying rhythmic 24-hour expression patterns — an adaptation that allows the parasite to synchronize its activities with those of the host during the human blood stage of its developmental cycle[1]. The expression levels of PfAP2-P seem to peak first around ...

Psoriasis — a chronic skin condition — is not caused or spread by spontaneous genetic mutations in the skin, new research suggests. The team, from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and collaborators, sequenced skin samples from 111 people with psoriasis. They didn’t find any mutated genes in the psoriatic patches that weren’t also mutated in the individual’s unaffected skin tissue. The study, published today (26 October) in Nature Genetics, suggests that unlike other inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease or chronic liver disease, somatic mutations were not responsible for the start or spread of psoriasis. Confirming that psoriasis ...

An international team has developed the first comprehensive framework for designing networks of marine protected areas that can help vulnerable species survive as climate change drives habitat loss. In a paper published Oct. 26 in One Earth, the researchers outlined guidelines for governments to provide long-distance larval drifters, like urchins and lobsters, as well as migratory species, like turtles and sharks, with protected stopovers along coastal corridors. Led by Stanford marine conservation scientist Nur Arafeh-Dalmau, the team included 50 scientists and practitioners ...

University of Queensland researchers have shown that endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) share genetic risk factors, explaining why patients with one condition may also have the other. Professor Grant Montgomery and Dr Sally Mortlock at UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience found a significant relationship between the risks for endometriosis and common gastrointestinal disorders such as IBS, peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). “This genetic finding supports the clinical observation of an increased incidence of gastrointestinal disorders in women with endometriosis,” ...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Two Regenstrief Institute and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs researchers are key leaders of a national journal’s special supplement designed to help address the plethora of issues that can accompany a healthcare system’s transition to a new electronic health record (EHR) system. Regenstrief Institute’s David Haggstrom, M.D., MAS, and Michael Weiner, M.D., MPH, are among four guest editors who have spent the last two years leading content development for a Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) special supplement ...

LOS ANGELES and PHOENIX — City of Hope®, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, and TGen are leading an international group that has been awarded $4.5 million to validate a liquid biopsy for the early detection of pancreatic cancer. The blood-based diagnostic developed by the National Cancer Institute’s Pancreatic Cancer Detection Consortium (PCDC) leverages exosomal microRNAs that serve as a biomarker or unique RNA fingerprint for the early detection of disease or recurrence.  Enrollment of patients with early-stage pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a ...

(New York, NY – October 26, 2023) – The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has received a $4.6 million gift from The Pershing Square Foundation to support women’s health research and advance careers for female scientists. Part of an original nearly $21 million gift that expanded a COVID-19 testing program for New York City schools and other organizations, this boost in women-focused initiatives connects The Pershing Square Foundation’s interest in supporting women in science to Mount Sinai’s leading researchers and key initiatives in gender-based science and health. “We ...

SOMERVILLE, Mass., Oct. 26, 2023 – The American Dental Association (ADA) and the Forsyth Institute today announced the formation of the ADA Forsyth Institute, which brings together unparalleled talent, visionary research opportunities and dynamic innovation prospects, dedicated to advancing oral health through scientific innovation and research. “The new ADA Forsyth Institute will continue to advance oral and overall health through ground-breaking research and innovation,” said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey. “The Forsyth ...

The industrial whaling of the 19th and 20th centuries almost wiped out several species. However, even though whaling took place on a much smaller scale before this period, it was enough for at least two species to disappear completely from European waters. These two species used to be among the most common, but now one of these species is on the verge of extinction. “Whaling was widespread from a very early time. This had major consequences for species in Europe,” says Youri van den Hurk, a ...

Washington, D.C. —  Many fungus strains have been used and selected by the food industry for their capacities to ferment, produce flavors or produce heterologous molecules. According to a new study, 2 fungi used to produce food products have potential probiotic effects on gut inflammation. The study, published in mSystems, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology, demonstrates a possible new way to develop new probiotics.  “There is much to learn by studying the role of the ...

Fukuoka, Japan—In the continued effort to move humanity away from fossil fuels and towards more environmentally friendly energy sources, researchers in Japan have developed a new material capable storing hydrogen energy in a more efficient and cheaper manner. The new hydrogen energy carrier can even store said energy for up to three months at room temperature. Moreover, since the material is nickel based, its cost is relatively cheap. The results were reported in Chemistry—A European Journal. As humanity combats the ongoing climate crisis, ...

A sweeping new guide to menopause by a UVA Health expert and collaborators highlights the profound and sometimes surprising effects the “change of life” can have on women’s lives, health, workplaces and even finances. The paper represents a holistic review of what we know about menopause and what we still need to learn. While it is directed primarily at doctors and scientists, it offers fascinating insights into how menopause affects American women and women worldwide. According to article co-author JoAnn V. Pinkerton, MD, UVA Health's director of midlife health, such insights represent ...

Mount Sinai Health System announced today that “Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital” is the new name for its top-ranked heart service, formerly known as Mount Sinai Heart. The renaming honors Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital and President of the Fuster Heart Hospital, for the immeasurable impact that he has made and will continue to make on the field of cardiology and his leadership at Mount Sinai. Over the last 25 years, Dr. Fuster has transformed Mount Sinai’s heart service into a world-leading center for cardiovascular disease, providing exceptional and compassionate care for cardiac patients, new and innovative ...

(New York, NY – October 26, 2023) – The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has received a $4.6 million gift from the Pershing Square Foundation to support women’s health research and advance careers for female scientists. Part of an original nearly $21 million gift that expanded a COVID-19 testing program for New York City schools and other organizations, this boost in women-focused initiatives connects the Pershing Square Foundation’s interest in supporting women in science to Mount Sinai’s leading researchers and key initiatives ...

CLEVELAND—A researcher from the Case Western Reserve University Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing has been awarded a $3.5 million federal grant for research to improve sleep health and glucose management in young adults with type 1 diabetes. Positive findings could lead to adding the intervention in current care protocols. The ultimate goal is to improve outcomes for a population that struggles to maintain blood-sugar (glycemic) targets, compared to other age groups. “Young adults with type 1 diabetes are a high-risk group, and I am committed to improving their ...

AMHERST, Mass. — Last year, trucks moved 73%—11.5 billion tons—of the freight in the U.S., making trucks—and truckers—crucial to the U.S. economy. With automation in trucking projected to grow 22% over the next 10 years, a team of University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers has received a grant to explore how automation will affect the role of American long-haul truckers.  An interdisciplinary group of researchers led by Shannon Roberts, associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, has been awarded nearly $2 million over four years by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Future of Work Program.   “We know ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The discovery of a physical interaction between two proteins in brain cells that can be traced in mice to control of movement, anxiety and memory could one day open the door to development of new schizophrenia treatment strategies, researchers say. The research group is the first to determine that the two proteins, both among the dozens of proteins related to risk for the development of schizophrenia, bind to each other under normal conditions in multiple regions of the brain, ...

Thirty-seven research groups will receive €395 million in total to address some of the world’s most formidable research problems spanning a range of scientific disciplines. The funding helps groups of outstanding researchers to pool different skills, knowledge and resources to push the frontiers of our knowledge. The ERC Synergy Grant scheme is part of the EU's research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe.  Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “Some scientific questions are too complex to be addressed by researchers working on their own. Challenges such as climate change or ...

An international team of researchers, led by IMDEA Networks and Northeastern University in collaboration with NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, IMDEA Software, University of Calgary, and the International Computer Science Institute, has unveiled groundbreaking findings on the security and privacy challenges posed by the ever-growing prevalence of opaque and technically complex Internet of Things (IoT) devices in smart homes. Smart Homes: Trusted and Secure Environments? Smart homes are becoming increasingly interconnected, ...

PULLMAN, Wash. -- A new tool to rapidly grow cancer-killing white blood cells could advance the availability of immunotherapy, a promising therapy which harnesses the power of the body’s immune response to target cancer cells. Washington State University researchers have developed a minifridge-sized bioreactor that is able to manufacture the cells, called T cells, at 95% of the maximum growth rate – about 30% faster than current technologies. The researchers report on their work in the journal Biotechnology Progress. They developed it using T cells from cattle, developed by co-author Bill Davis of WSU’s ...

The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) receives its second generous ERC Synergy Grant. ISTA Professor Gašper Tkačik is one of three awarded researchers to join forces on unraveling the secrets of gene regulation during mammalian development. Three research groups from Austria and France team up to crack open the black box of early mammalian development. Now endowed with a prestigious Synergy Grant from the European Research Council (ERC), Gašper Tkačik (ISTA), Thomas Gregor (Institut Pasteur), ...

Osaka, Japan – A rapid, accurate way of testing for COVID-19 infection would be a big step in overcoming the virus’ hold over our society. Now, in an article published in Lab on a Chip, Japanese researchers have developed a promising solution: a novel platform that couples nanopore technology with artificial intelligence. What is a nanopore? A nanopore is a miniscule hole in a thin substrate, often a silicon wafer. A nanopore might range from several nanometers to several hundred nanometers in diameter — a scale small enough to work with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes ...