PULLMAN, Wash. -- Strawberries are delicate and hard to harvest—easily bruised and often hidden under a canopy of leaves. This creates headaches for scientists trying to design robotic harvesters. Now a Washington State University-led team has designed one that combines an artificial-intelligence vision system, soft silicone “fingers,” and a fan that gently move leaves out of the way to get at hidden fruit. Experiments in the lab and in outdoor fields showed that the harvester correctly detected strawberries 80% of the time, on average, and could classify whether the berries were hidden 93% of the time. The design, development ...

Tracking human behavioral patterns in cities can be used to determine urban delineations and urban land use, which has the potential to improve urban planning. Urban areas are human settlements, typically cities, characterized by high population densities and built infrastructure. Urban areas need to be carefully planned, to ensure they are safe and sanitary. They are not self-sustaining but are dependent on an influx of essential resources. Delineating urban areas is of great importance for planning and governance. Historically, this has been determined by establishing administrative boundaries and ...

WASHINGTON – Advanced systems for removing the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS from drinking water can deliver far greater health benefits than previously thought. They also slash levels of other harmful contaminants, a new peer-reviewed Environmental Working Group study finds. The research underscores the fact that PFAS water filtration systems can also help reduce levels of cancer-causing disinfection byproducts, or DBPs, agricultural nitrates and heavy metals like arsenic ...

As we enter the fifth funding cycle for Direct to Open (D2O)—our model for open access monographs—the MIT Press is thrilled to partner with Duke University Press and Goldsmiths Press to bring even more vital research to the communities that need it most. Starting in 2026, D2O will include offerings from all three presses, furthering our shared mission in building a more open and accessible future for academic publishing. Libraries and consortia can commit to support the growing Direct to Open program through November 30, 2025. Launched in 2021, D2O is the MIT Press’s bold, innovative framework for open access monographs that shifts publishing ...

A newly published clinical trial in Nutrients highlights pork’s role in military nutrition, showing that meals containing lean pork support better recovery, mood and anabolic status in cadets performing intense tactical fitness exercises compared to plant-based meals.  The randomized controlled trial, conducted by Texas A&M University and funded by the National Pork Board (NPB) and the U.S. Department of Defense, evaluated whether pork-based or plant-based military-style Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MREs) influenced recovery after the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) in cadets.  Pork Meals Reduce Catabolism, ...

The Mount Sinai Hospital has announced the completion of a major six-phase redesign project of its Emergency Department (ED) that provides more clinical space, a completely renovated observation unit, and a more private and comfortable experience for patients. This transformation features innovative, state-of-the-art advancements to enhance access to life-saving, high-quality care and improved experience for the 100,000 patients who visit the ED each year. Construction began in the summer of 2020. “This exciting work represents the culmination of five years of planning and effort,” says Benjamin S. Abella, ...

In an increasingly globalized world, English is no longer just a beneficial skill to have but a crucial tool for professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Researchers, engineers, and scientists alike must be able to communicate internationally, access the latest research findings, and publish their work in English. It is thus, vital to understand the various language learning strategies (LLSs) that people use to learn English as a second language. Despite the widely recognized importance of LLSs, educators have struggled to accurately and objectively analyze them in specific learning environments. The Strategy Inventory for Language Learning ...

The process of improving the synchronization between visual perception and motor skills is called visuomotor learning. It entails adaptation of movements based on visual information. This kind of training can help with skill development and rehabilitation by enhancing motor skills. However, the explicit strategies involved in visuomotor learning might not be universal. Society and culture often control our cognitive behavior, and this leads to unconscious, cultural, and cognitive biases. This might have an impact on ...

The composition of sweat makes it a valuable diagnostic fluid. While it is mostly water, the small fraction containing electrolytes, metabolic byproducts, and chemical traces can reveal important information about a person’s health. Today, commercial sweat-based sensors can already track dehydration, electrolyte loss, and more. One emerging application is the measurement of lactic acid in sweat. Lactic acid, or more precisely L-lactate, is a byproduct of metabolism produced mainly in muscle cells when glucose is broken down for energy under low-oxygen conditions, such as during intense physical activity. Athletes and trainers use lactate measurements ...

Two Assistant Professors at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have won European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants of 1.5 million euros each to pursue their potentially groundbreaking work in astrophysics and neuroscience. These prestigious grants empower scientists at the beginning of their careers to launch projects, form teams and explore their best ideas. Neuroscientist Amelia Douglass looks into how animals react to stress – both behavioral and physiological – to ensure their survival. Astrophysicist Ylva Götberg researches pairs of stars ...

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem proudly congratulates two of its outstanding researchers on receiving the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants for 2025. The grants valued between €1.5-1.7 million, supports promising early-career researchers in launching independent projects that push the frontiers of scientific knowledge. The new recipients join a long list of Hebrew University researchers who have received these prestigious grants in recent years. Link to pictures: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VmsHiSMf196vXz9Tda9-dOG5RhIHcQ6z?usp=sharing  The ...

As the European Research Council announced today, two further ERC Starting Grants have been awarded to Graz University of Technology (TU Graz). Theresa Rienmüller from the Institute of Biomechanics and Robert Winkler from the Institute of Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis were able to secure this highly endowed prize with their submitted projects. Theresa Rienmüller is researching the electrical stimulation of nerve cells as a therapy for traumatic brain injury, while Robert Winkler is developing ...

Kelli Lehto, Associate Professor of Neuropsychiatric Genomics at the University of Tartu, is leading a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grant project that brings together genetics, psychology, and data science to investigate the causes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and enhance diagnostic methods. ADHD is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental condition, which has been primarily diagnosed in children and is characterised by impulsivity, hyperactivity and attention problems. Recently, an increasing number of adults are being diagnosed with ADHD. According to data from ...

A new study by researchers at the University of Oxford, University of Leeds, and University College London has identified a new constraint on the chemistry of Earth’s core, by showing how it was able to crystallise millions of years ago. The study has been published today (4 September) in Nature Communications. The researchers showed that the core would need to be made of 3.8% carbon for it to have begun crystallising. This result indicates that carbon may be more abundant in Earth’s core than previously thought, and that this element could have played a key role in how it froze, offering a rare glimpse into ...

Barcelona, 4 September 2025 – Is it possible to treat obesity without reducing food intake? A new study co-led by Dr. Antonio Zorzano and Dr. Manuela Sánchez-Feutrie at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) suggests that this might be a possibility, at least in animal models. Published in Nature Communications, the research identifies a key role for Neuritin 1, a protein previously linked to the nervous system, which is also produced in brown adipose tissue, where it acts as a powerful driver of energy expenditure ...

Published in Frontiers in Science, this is the new ambition of the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP)—a global network of scientists sequencing the genomes of Earth’s eukaryotes. Its goal? To create a digital library of DNA sequences that will help us preserve and protect life on Earth and tackle rapid environmental change.  With a growing network of more than 2,200 scientists in 88 countries—including flourishing local and Indigenous research communities in the Global South—EBP is making discoveries that could help assure food security, advance medicine and agriculture, and drive a deeper global understanding of biodiversity to support ...

Bethesda, MD (Sept. 2, 2025) — Two new papers from Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Gastroenterology shed light on how gut-brain interactions, influenced by both biology and life circumstances, shape eating behaviors. Together, they highlight the importance of multidisciplinary, personalized approaches to digestive health and nutrition.  Social determinants of health and the gut-brain-microbiome axis in obesity  Researchers found that stress from life circumstances can disrupt the brain-gut-microbiome ...

As we age, what and how much we eat tends to change. However, how meal timing relates to our health remains less understood. Researchers at Mass General Brigham and their collaborators studied changes to meal timing in older adults and discovered people experience gradual shifts in when they eat meals as they age. They also found characteristics that may contribute to meal timing shifts and revealed specific trajectories linked to an earlier death. The results are published in Communications Medicine. “Our research suggests that changes in when older adults eat, especially ...

A new study, led by the University of Cambridge in collaboration with Bournemouth University, shows that autistic people identify loneliness, hopelessness and feelings of worthlessness and failure as key factors underpinning their suicidal feelings. Individuals who highlighted being unable to access the support they needed were more likely to have attempted suicide. Autistic women and gender minorities were disproportionately over-represented among those who struggled to access support. The study, published in the journal Autism ...

The PET-alternative PDCA is biodegradable and has superior physical properties. A Kobe University team of bioengineers engineered E. coli bacteria to produce the compound from glucose at unprecedented levels and without byproducts — and opened up a realm of possibilities for the future of bioengineering. The durability of plastics is both the reason why they have become so wide-spread and why they pose environmental problems. In addition, they are mainly sourced from petroleum, making them non-renewable and contingent on geopolitics. Research groups worldwide work on both biodegradable ...

  Materials scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have invented the world’s first pollen-based sunscreen derived from Camellia flowers. In experiments, the pollen-based sunscreen absorbed and blocked harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays as effectively as commercially available sunscreens, which commonly use minerals like titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and zinc oxide (ZnO). In laboratory tests on corals, commercial sunscreen induced coral bleaching in just two days, leading ...

 A team from China University of Petroleum (Beijing), led by Professors Guangjin Chen and Chun Deng, has developed a novel slurry-based absorption–adsorption–desorption process for natural gas separation, combining gas–liquid equilibrium experiments with mathematical modeling. “What excites us is that our model predictions closely matched the experimental data, with an average relative error of only about 3%,” said Prof. Deng. “This gives us confidence to apply the process in practical gas separation.” By embedding the model into a multi-objective optimization framework ...

A new study shows that piloting a light aircraft remains an inherently risky business, accounting for over 90% of aviation-related fatalities*. Private air travel – termed ‘general aviation’ as opposed to commercial flights or freight operations – has a poor safety record, with significantly higher accident rates compared to commercial aviation. In a review of 46 studies exploring fixed-wing general aviation accidents, aviation researchers from the University of South Australia (UniSA) have shed new light on persistent safety ...

In the ongoing debate about the impact of trade openness on environmental sustainability, a new study titled "Trade Openness and Carbon Emissions Using Threshold Approach: Evidence from Selected Asian Countries" offers fresh insights. This research explores the nuanced relationship between trade openness and carbon emissions, providing valuable evidence from a selection of Asian countries. By employing a threshold approach, the study aims to uncover the conditions under which trade openness can either exacerbate or mitigate carbon emissions.   The impact of trade openness ...

Call for Papers: Agricultural Ecology and Environment We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Agricultural Ecology and Environment (AEE) journal. As a multidisciplinary forum, AEE bridges agronomy, ecology, environmental science, soil science, and sustainability to address pressing global challenges. Why Submit to AEE? Broad, Impactful Scope, including: ▶ Soil health, degradation & biodiversity ▶ Water quality, irrigation & pollution control ▶ Sustainable resource management ▶ Pollution ecology & remediation ▶ Livestock environmental impacts ▶ Climate resilience, ...