Cambridge scientists have created a stem cell-derived model of the human embryo in the lab by reprogramming human stem cells. The breakthrough could help research into genetic disorders and in understanding why and how pregnancies fail. Published today in the journal Nature, this embryo model is an organised three-dimensional structure derived from pluripotent stem cells that replicate some developmental processes that occur in early human embryos. Use of such models allows experimental modelling ...

(WASHINGTON, June 27, 2023) – Ask the average American what their blood type is, and you will likely receive a blank look. For most people, blood type only becomes an issue if they need a blood transfusion. Beginning in the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, results from previous work published in Blood Advances suggested that people with blood group A (about a third of the US population) seemed to be more vulnerable to infection with the novel coronavirus, while those with blood group O (about 38% of the population) seemed to be somewhat less susceptible. Until now, however, ...

OAK BROOK, Ill. – Assistance from an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm with high diagnostic accuracy improved radiologist performance in detecting lung cancers on chest X-rays and increased human acceptance of AI suggestions, according to a study published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). While AI-based image diagnosis has advanced rapidly in the medical field, the factors affecting radiologists’ diagnostic determinations in AI-assisted image reading remain underexplored. Researchers at Seoul National University looked at how these factors might influence the detection of malignant lung nodules during ...

Orangutans can make two separate sounds simultaneously, much like songbirds or human beatboxers, according to a study led by the University of Warwick. Academics say the findings provide clues around the evolution of human speech, as well as human beatboxing. Scientists observed two populations of vocalising orangutans in Borneo and Sumatra across a total of 3800 hours and found primates within both groups used the same vocal phenomenon. Dr Adriano Lameira, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Warwick said: “Humans use the lips, tongue, and jaw to make the unvoiced sounds ...

Orangutans can make two separate sounds simultaneously, much like songbirds or human beatboxers, according to a study. Adriano Lameira and Madeleine Hardus observed vocalizing orangutans in the wild. Humans use the lips, tongue, and jaw to make the unvoiced sounds of consonants, while activating the vocal folds in the larynx with exhaled air to make the voiced, open sounds of vowels. Orangutans are capable of producing both types of sounds—and both at once. For example, large male orangutans in Borneo will produce noises known as “chomps” in combination with “grumbles” in combative situations. Females in Sumatra produce “kiss squeaks” atop ...

In a time of income inequality and ruthless politics, people with outsized power or an unrelenting willingness to browbeat others often seem to come out ahead. New research from Dartmouth, however, shows that being uncooperative can help people on the weaker side of the power dynamic achieve a more equal outcome—and even inflict some loss on their abusive counterpart. The findings provide a tool based in game theory—the field of mathematics focused on optimizing competitive strategies—that could be applied to help equalize the balance of power in labor negotiations or international ...

INDIANAPOLIS – Colorectal cancer incidence and deaths are declining for individuals age 50 and older, but are increasing for those under 50. A new study, led by researcher-clinician Thomas Imperiale, M.D., of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine, identifies seven risk factors for early onset colorectal cancer in males. The risk evaluation model the researchers developed may help 45- to 49-year-olds accept and adhere to new national screening recommendations and may also identify younger men for whom earlier screening should be considered. “This study is important because ...

Diminished anthropogenic pollutant emissions during 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns reduced snowmelt in the Himalayas, according to a study. Liqiang Zhang and colleagues used multiple satellite data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), as well as a coupled atmosphere-chemistry-snow model (GEOS-Chem-SNICAR) to explore how the sudden, dramatic reduction in particulate pollution in the region affected snow and ice melt. Snow and ice on the Tibetan plateau act as a water source for over 20% of the global population. However, ice and snow in the Himalayas have been melting at an accelerating rate in recent decades. ...

Iron is the most abundant element by mass on Earth. Despite being so common and well-studied, iron still manages to puzzle scientists by exhibiting electric and magnetic behaviors that are not fully comprehensible. In particular, the physical properties of liquid iron—which makes up most of the Earth’s core—have been the subject of much debate among physicists and geoscientists. The problem is that certain predictions about liquid iron’s properties are difficult to experimentally verify due to the extreme conditions required to ascertain them. For example, liquid iron’s resistivity, which is the inverse of electrical conductivity, has ...

Supramolecular polymers are a new class of polymers that are currently being evaluated for material applications. These interesting compounds also play an important role in cellular activities in the body. "Supra," as the name suggests, is attributed to some unique properties that go beyond those of conventional polymers. Unlike traditional polymers, which are held together by strong, irreversible covalent bonds, supramolecular polymers are held together by weaker, reversible hydrogen bonds. They can reversibly assemble and disassemble, are highly versatile, and can be used for developing targeted drug delivery therapies, sensors to detect pollutants, diagnostic ...

WASHINGTON—People who have just one or two drinks per day are not protected against endocrine conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Alcohol consumption is a significant public health concern because it is related to many medical conditions such as diabetes, obesity, liver conditions and heart disease. While it is widely accepted that excessive alcohol consumption causes a wide range of health issues, whether modest alcohol consumption has beneficial health effects remains controversial. “Some research ...

Join us at NUTRITION 2023 for an exciting lineup of scientific symposia, educational sessions, hot-topic discussions, and award lectures covering the latest developments in nutrition science. NUTRITION 2023, the annual flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN), will be held July 22-25 at the Sheraton Boston. Explore the meeting schedule and register for a press pass to attend. The meeting will feature distinguished leaders in the field and important discussions that are helping to move nutrition science forward. Highlights include: Ultra-processed foods – Observational studies ...

Scientists using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to study the protoplanetary disk around a young star have discovered the most compelling chemical evidence to date of the formation of protoplanets. The discovery will provide astronomers with an alternate method for detecting and characterizing protoplanets when direct observations or imaging are not possible. The results will be published in an upcoming edition of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.  HD 169142 is a young star located in the constellation ...

FINDINGS A new study shows that an artificial intelligence (AI) model co-developed by researchers in the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and department of Urology at UCLA can help doctors determine the extent of cancer within the prostate.   In a series of tests, the AI model was found to be more accurate at predicting tumor margins than magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), potentially improving the effectiveness of focal therapy, standardizing treatment margin definition, and reducing the chance of cancer recurrence. BACKGROUND Focal therapy, a minimally invasive treatment approach used for localized tumors, is an alternative ...

The 17 SDGs are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including climate change, environmental degradation, and inequality. The achievement of the SDGs depends on the ability to accurately measure progress towards meeting the associated targets based on timely, relevant, and reliable data. Citizen science offers an innovative approach to complement and enhance official statistics. Additionally, citizen science can help raise awareness, mobilize action, and therefore achieve transformative change. The collection ...

LAS VEGAS – June 27, 2023 – Bariatric surgery, also called weight-loss or metabolic surgery, was associated with a 42% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including heart failure, heart attack, stroke, and atrial fibrillation in patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a new study from Cleveland Clinic and presented here today at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting. Researchers also report metabolic surgery ...

LAS VEGAS – June 27, 2023 – Patients with diabetes and a history of metabolic surgery had significantly fewer heart attacks, strokes, hospitalizations and death compared to matched patients who did not have the surgery, according to a new study* presented here today at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting. Patients reduced their chances of winding up in a hospital with a heart attack by more than 35%, a stroke by more than 25% and congestive heart failure by nearly ...

LAS VEGAS – June, 27, 2023 – Patient eligibility for bariatric surgery, also called weight-loss or metabolic surgery, has expanded over the last decade and its safety and effectiveness even further established in clinical studies and professional guidelines, but relatively few patients with a body mass index (BMI) below 35 actually get the surgery in any given year, according to new studies presented here at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting. In one study*, University of Southern California (USC) researchers found only 3.5% of the more than one million bariatric ...

LAS VEGAS – June 27, 2023 – More than half of patients with diabetes and a history of metabolic surgery  (51%) experienced remission of their diabetes even if they did not achieve significant weight loss after surgery, according to a new study* presented here today at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting. Researchers from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, University of California San Francisco in Fresno, and Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York performed a multicenter retrospective study of patients with diabetes who underwent gastric ...

Copenhagen, Denmark: More women are having just one embryo transferred per cycle of fertility treatment to get pregnant, according to research presented at the 39th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) [1]. Preliminary data from the ESHRE European IVF-monitoring Consortium (EIM) [2] shows that nearly three in five (57.6%) out of all in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedures in 2020 in Europe involved the transfer ...

Copenhagen, Denmark: A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool can identify sperm in severely infertile men in seconds compared to the hours it takes scientists, according to results presented today (Tuesday) at the 39th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) [1].   The study authors say the algorithm they have developed brings hope to men who want a biological child but have no sperm in their semen.   Currently, these patients must undergo a procedure where a portion of their testes is removed to help them become fathers. Embryologists extract sperm manually from this biopsy sample to fertilise the partner’s eggs ...

Recurrent bouts of systemic lupus erythematosus, marked by the body’s immune system attack of its own tissues, closely tracked with measureable upticks in growth in the gut of a certain species of bacteria. New research from NYU Grossman School of Medicine shows that bacterial blooms of the gut bacterium Ruminococcus blautia gnavus occurred at the same time as disease flare-ups in five of 16 women with lupus of diverse racial backgrounds studied over a four-year period. Systemic lupus erythematosus involves damaging inflammation, especially in the kidneys, but also in joints, skin, and blood vessels. ...

EL PASO, Texas (June 27, 2023) ­– Step aside self-driving cars, self-driving boats are here — and they can do more than take you on a cruise.  Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have constructed a fully autonomous boat that can carry out bathymetric surveys — surveys of the depth and terrain of bodies of water like oceans, rivers and lakes. The team hopes the robotic boat can help simplify the survey process, which usually takes a crew of individuals to complete, as well as assist ...

Researchers led by Katsunori Tanaka at the RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research (CPR) in Japan and Hiromitsu Haba at the RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science (RNC) have developed a new technique that has the potential to generically treat several kinds of cancer, with fewer negative side effects than currently available methods. Published on June 27 in Chemical Science, the proof-of-concept study showed that tumors in mice grew almost three times less and survival was 100% after just one injection of a compound that is designed to emit small amounts of alpha radiation from the inside of cancer cells, thus killing them but sparing ...

In October, the excavation work for the superlative construction project began. What some consider an ideal ecological city, others call a promotional gimmick. Researchers from the Complexity Science Hub now show why The Line should not be a showcase for future cities.    "It's the embodiment of the dream to start from scratch and completely rethink a city," says  Rafael Prieto-Curiel, who researches cities at the Complexity Science Hub. The Line is planned to be a city built from nothing in the desert. It is to consist of two gigantic, unbroken rows of skyscrapers, with living space in between. 170 kilometers long. 200 meters wide. 500 meters high, higher ...