Scientists studying endangered southern resident killer whales have observed a strong increase in the prevalence of skin disease in this population.  In a study published today, June 29, in PLOS ONE, researchers document a steady increase in the occurrence of highly correlated gray patches and gray targets on the whales’ skin from 2004 to 2016. Despite not knowing the underlying cause, the study’s authors are concerned.  After ruling out potential environmental factors, such as changes ...

An international team of researchers has developed a new method to deliver drugs into the inner ear.  The discovery was possible by harnessing the natural flow of fluids in the brain and employing a little understood backdoor into the cochlea. When combined to deliver a gene therapy that repairs inner ear hair cells, the researchers were able to restore hearing in deaf mice.  “These findings demonstrate that cerebrospinal fluid transport comprises an accessible route for gene delivery to the adult inner ear and may represent an important step towards using gene therapy to restore hearing in humans,” ...

Benzodiazepine use and discontinuation is associated with nervous system injury and negative life effects that continue after discontinuation, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The study was published today in the journal PLOS One. “Despite the fact that benzodiazepines have been widely prescribed for decades, this survey presents significant new evidence that a subset of patients experience long-term neurological complications,” said Alexis Ritvo, M.D, M.P.H., an assistant professor in psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and  medical director of the nonprofit ...

PHILADELPHIA – An experimental antibody treatment largely prevented a bone marrow transplant complication called graft versus host disease (GVHD) in the intestines, without causing broad immune suppression, in a preclinical study led by researchers from Penn Medicine and Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and published today in Science Translational Medicine. Even when a bone marrow transplant cures leukemia or lymphoma, GVHD—in which T cells in the donor graft attack the recipient’s own tissues—can still be fatal. The condition ...

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Zurich delved into the capabilities of AI models, specifically focusing on OpenAI’s GPT-3, to determine their potential risks and benefits in generating and disseminating (dis)information. Led by postdoctoral researchers Giovanni Spitale and Federico Germani, alongside Nikola Biller-Andorno, director of the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine (IBME), University of Zurich, the study involving 697 participants sought to evaluate whether individuals could differentiate between disinformation and accurate ...

Vehicle Color Recognition (VCR) is vital in intelligent traffic management and criminal investigation assistance. However, the existing vehicle color datasets only cover 13 classes, which can not meet the current actual demand. Besides, although lots of efforts are devoted to VCR, they suffer from the problem of class imbalance in datasets. To solve the problems, a research team led by Mingdi HU published their new research in Frontiers of Computer Science co-published by Higher Education Press and Springer·Nature. The team propose a novel VCR method ...

The Science Partner Journal (SPJ) program is pleased to announce the inclusion of five SPJs in the 2023 Journal Citation Reports (JCR) from Clarivate. Research, launched in 2018, received its second Journal Impact Factor (JIF) this year, 11.0, ranking it #9 among 73 journals in the Multidisciplinary category in Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE).   Plant Phenomics also launched in 2018 and received its second JIF this year, 6.5, ranking it #5 among 88 journals in the Agronomy, #21 among ...

Scientists identify the first genetic marker for MS severity, opening the door to preventing long-term disability. A study of more than 22,000 people with multiple sclerosis has discovered the first genetic variant associated with faster disease progression that can rob patients of their mobility and independence over time. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the result of the immune system mistakenly attacking the brain and the spinal cord, resulting in symptom flares known as relapses as well as longer-term degeneration known as progression. Despite the development of effective treatments for relapses, ...

ITHACA, N.Y. -- When it comes to e-cigarette warning labels, respondents in focus groups organized by Cornell researchers were clear: Give it to me straight. But approximately 20 years after they hit the market, electronic cigarettes’ precise health risks remain unclear. And for adults trying to quit smoking conventional cigarettes, ambiguity in messaging can skew perceptions of the health benefits of using these products as an alternative to combustible cigarettes. A multidisciplinary team led by Jeff ...

An ingredient in many toothpastes is sodium fluoride, a compound of fluorine. It is added to protect teeth against decay. But compounds containing fluorine have other practical uses that might surprise you. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have discovered a fluoride electrolyte that could protect a next generation battery against performance decline.   “An exciting new generation of battery types for electric vehicles beyond lithium ion is on the horizon,” said Zhengcheng (John) Zhang, a group leader in Argonne’s Chemical Sciences and Engineering division.   The ...

Male birds that are able to repeat song notes precisely stand the best chance of attracting a female mate, according to a new study published in Nature Communications.   However, the males need to ensure they have a selection of different songs in their repertoire if they are to hold a female’s attention and prevent her from getting bored.   The findings from the study, by scientists from Lancaster University and Manchester Metropolitan University, sheds new light on the evolution of bird song.   Over ...

A savvy hacker can obtain secret information, such as a password, by observing a computer program’s behavior, like how much time that program spends accessing the computer’s memory.  Security approaches that completely block these “side-channel attacks” are so computationally expensive that they aren’t feasible for many real-world systems. Instead, engineers often apply what are known as obfuscation schemes that seek to limit, but not eliminate, an attacker’s ability to learn secret information.      To ...

A researcher at the Advanced Manufacturing Institute and the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston (TCSUH) has found a way to reduce superconductor failures, enabled by a Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) tool. The popular thin film deposition instrument will be purchased with an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research.   At extremely low temperatures (as low as cryogenic temperatures), superconductors allow electric current to flow without resistance and produce strong magnetic fields. That’s the principle behind Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) ...

A new technique developed by UCLA geologists that uses artificial intelligence to better predict where and why landslides may occur could bolster efforts to protect lives and property in some of the world’s most disaster-prone areas. The new method, described in a paper published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, improves the accuracy and interpretability of AI-based machine-learning techniques, requires far less computing power and is more broadly applicable than traditional predictive models. The approach would be particularly valuable in places like California, the researchers say, where drought, ...

In June, the American Medical Association announced a new policy that encourages physicians not to focus solely on body mass index, or BMI, as a determinant of weight and health. As a ratio of an individual’s weight and height, BMI can provide an easy and inexpensive but often misleading measure of someone’s overall health.  While this new policy is not mandatory for physicians, it is part of a growing opinion that BMI is more useful for assessing population health rather than individual ...

As battlespace sensors proliferate and data increases, commanders can easily find themselves in an information paradox: drowning in data, but starving for knowledge. U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Pedro Ortiz, who graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) on June 16 with a Ph.D. in Computer Science, focused his dissertation on this challenge to help enable rapid, effective decision-making for commanders in an era of ever-increasing sensor data and uncertainty. “I am very interested in applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to solve warfighter problems,” ...

Volcanic disasters have been studied since Pompeii was buried in 79 A.D., leading the public to believe that scientists already know why, where, when and how long volcanoes will erupt. But Jonathan Fink, volcanologist and director of PSU’s Digital City Testbed Center, said these fundamental questions remain a mystery. Fink and Idowu "Jola" Ajibade, associate professor of Geography, recently published an article about how climate change will affect the societal impacts of eruptions. Their work is part of a novel 33-paper collection in the Bulletin of Volcanology, co-edited by Fink, which attempts to track how the entire field of volcanology has ...

An innovative new adhesive, derived from purified and refined industrial bio-waste, should enable 90 percent of engineered wood products, such as furniture and construction boards, to become fully recyclable and helping to develop a sustainable circular economy in this sector. Currently, formaldehyde adhesives used by manufacturers, are toxic petrochemicals that are carcinogenic in nature. This prevents recycling and incineration meaning most construction panels and furniture made from engineered wood ends up in landfill. The new adhesive, derived from extracted and purified waste is ...

Hamilton, ON (June 28, 2023) - Researchers led by McMaster University professor Gregory Steinberg and postdoctoral research fellow Dongdong Wang have uncovered a key mechanism for promoting weight loss and maintaining the burning of calories during dieting. The research team studied a hormone called GDF15 that they had previously shown to reduce appetite in response to the type 2 diabetes drug metformin. Their latest findings, published in Nature on June 28, showed that GDF15 also has the potential to help with weight loss. The research opens new possibilities to help people maintain weight loss ...

Cuttlefish, along with other cephalopods like octopus and squid, are masters of disguise, changing their skin color and texture to blend in with their underwater surroundings.  Now, in a study published 28 June in Nature, researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research have shown that the way cuttlefish generate their camouflage pattern is much more complex than previously believed.  Cuttlefish create their dazzling skin patterns by precisely controlling millions of tiny skin pigment cells, ...

About The Study: Hospital compliance with federal price transparency regulations is high and increasing. The results of this study suggest that financial penalties may be a useful policy enforcement mechanism in health care. These findings are relevant for the enforcement of other regulations designed to promote transparency in health care.  Authors: Yunan Ji, Ph.D., of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., is the corresponding author.   To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link ...

About The Study: In this study of adults without dementia, age-dependent brain structure volumes and volume change rates in various brain structures were characterized using serial magnetic resonance imaging scans. These findings clarified the normal distributions in the aging brain, which are essential for understanding the process of age-related neurodegenerative diseases.  Authors: Shohei Fujita, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Tokyo, is the corresponding author.   To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.18153) Editor’s Note: Please ...

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal form of brain tumor. Despite treatment, GBM recurrence is inevitable and tends to occur outside surgical margins or in locations remote to the primary tumor, highlighting the central role played by tumor infiltration in this malicious disease. Little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms driving GBM infiltration, but in a new study published in the journal Nature, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine working with animal models reveal a novel process by which neurons in locations remote to the primary tumor provoke expression of genes from gliomblastoma that subsequently ...

HOUSTON ― A new study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer, University of California, Irvine and Baylor College of Medicine has created the world’s largest and most comprehensive map of normal breast tissue, providing an unprecedented understanding of mammary biology that may help identify therapeutic targets for diseases such as breast cancer.  The Human Breast Cell Atlas, published today in Nature, used single-cell and spatial genomic methods to profile more than 714,000 cells from 126 women. The breast atlas highlights 12 major cell types ...

Scientists using one of the world’s most powerful quantum microscopes have made a discovery that could have significant consequences for the future of computing. Researchers at the Macroscopic Quantum Matter Group laboratory in University College Cork (UCC) have discovered a spatially modulating superconducting state in a new and unusual superconductor Uranium Ditelluride (UTe2). This new superconductor may provide a solution to one of quantum computing’s greatest challenges. Their finding has been published in the prestigious journal Nature. Lead author Joe Carroll, a PhD researcher working with UCC Prof. of Quantum Physics Séamus Davis, explains the subject of the paper. “Superconductors ...