AI-powered toys that “talk” with young children should be more tightly regulated and carry new safety kitemarks, according to a report that warns they are not always developed with children’s psychological safety in mind. The recommendation appears in the initial report from AI in the Early Years: a University of Cambridge project and the first systematic study of how Generative AI (GenAI) toys capable of human-like conversation may influence development in the critical years up ...

Using virtual reality (VR) to explain what to expect ahead of a medical procedure could help patients better understand their treatment and reduce anxiety, a new study suggests. The research is presented today [Friday 13 March 2026] at the European Association of Urology Congress in London (EAU26). Patients often receive a leaflet of key information before consenting to undergo treatment. This includes what will happen, risks and benefits, which they can then discuss further with their clinician. However, information leaflets often contain jargon and are ...

An imaging test could safely halve the number of people who need a biopsy for suspected prostate cancer following inconclusive or reassuring results from an MRI scan, new research has found. Findings from the PRIMARY2 trial are presented today [Friday 13 March 2026] at the European Association of Urology Congress in London (EAU26). The PSMA PET/CT scan identifies more aggressive prostate cancer cells, which are potentially harmful and may need treatment. It does this with a molecule that binds to prostate cancer ...

Researchers have developed a new eco friendly method to transform biochar into a highly hydrophobic material that can repel water and absorb large amounts of oil. The innovation could help advance sustainable materials for environmental cleanup and green coatings. The study, published in the journal Biochar, introduces a solvent free mechanochemical process that functionalizes biochar using octadecylamine. The resulting material can be applied as a coating on natural hemp fibers, giving them strong water repellent properties while allowing them to absorb oil efficiently. Biochar ...

Biochar is widely studied as a low cost material that can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Scientists have long believed that only the smallest pores in biochar play the main role in capturing carbon dioxide molecules. A new study now challenges this assumption by showing that larger pores may contribute more actively to carbon capture than previously thought. The research, published in the journal Biochar, examines how different pore structures in biochar affect its ability to capture carbon dioxide. The study combines theoretical modeling with experimental measurements to analyze the behavior ...

Specialist resource centres (a form of ‘Inclusion Base’) within mainstream secondary schools may be linked to stronger academic progress, improved attendance, and a greater sense of belonging for autistic pupils, according to a new three-year study from the University of Surrey.  However, the research suggests that placement alone does not determine wellbeing. Instead, pupils’ perceptions of teacher and peer support were the strongest and most consistent predictors of positive ...

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University and Marshall Health Network, in collaboration with Intermed Labs (IL), has launched a new medical technology development initiative focused on improving the precision and safety of deep brain stimulation (DBS) procedures. The project, currently operating under the working name DBS Lead Lock, is in prototype development and represents a joint investment in clinician-driven innovation. The concept for the device was developed by Heather Pinckard-Dover, M.D., a neurosurgeon at Marshall Health Network ...

PHILADELPHIA – A topical cream activated the skin’s immune defenses and suppressed tumor growth in two preclinical models of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), one of the most common cancers in the world, according to a study published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Developed by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the cream works by blocking LSD1, an enzyme that suppresses immune‑activating pathways in the skin. “What’s ...

The Stanley Family Foundation has renewed its commitment to psychiatric research at the Broad Institute, bringing its total investment to more than $1 billion. This funding, including their newest commitment of $280 million to the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, is opening up new paths to urgently needed therapies for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  For decades, scientists have struggled to understand the biological causes of psychiatric disorders as patients continue to face both stigma ...

Thursday, March 12, 2026, CLEVELAND: As the use of injectable GLP-1 drugs continues to rise, questions persist about what happens after patients stop taking them in real-world settings. A new Cleveland Clinic analysis of nearly 8,000 patients suggests that discontinuing semaglutide and tirzepatide, on average, does not lead to significant weight regain in clinical practice, as many patients later restart the original medication or try an alternative obesity treatment. In one of the largest real-world studies to date ...

The American Meteorological Society, the United States professional society for weather, water, and climate, has submitted an official response to the National Science Foundation’s Dear Colleague Letter requesting information and feedback about restructuring science and observing facilities associated with the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which the Trump Administration has proposed to “dismantle.” The comment deadline is 13 March. The response outlines numerous ways that NCAR plays a central role in atmospheric and related sciences across the U.S. ...

Thanks to upstream diversions and climate change, Utah’s Great Salt Lake has shrunk by 70% since 1989, exposing about 800 square miles of playa and mudflats—along with numerous curiosities. While a potential environmental catastrophe, the lake’s dewatering presents numerous research opportunities for University of Utah geoscientists, including several who are looking to characterize the extent, characteristics, chemistry and flow of a mysterious, mostly freshwater aquifer under the playa. In a pair of studies coming out this year, a team led by geophysicist Mike Thorne deployed electrical resistivity tomography, or ERT, lines in 30 locations ...

Falls are one of the leading causes of injury and hospitalization among older adults, placing significant strain on individuals, families and the health-care system. And new research by UBC Okanagan’s Dr. Jennifer Davis shows that money spent to prevent additional falls and avoid significant injuries among older adults at high risk of future falls yields a strong return on the dollar. Dr. Davis is a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Applied Health Economics and an associate professor in UBCO’s Faculty of ...

Imagine waiting in line for a shot when someone who just got one tells you it was really painful. Could hearing that make the shot hurt more? According to a new Dartmouth study, what others say about an experience can shape how it actually feels. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that social information can influence how people experience negative events from physical pain to watching others in pain and performing mentally demanding tasks. "Our results suggest that ...

A team of researchers at the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has identified important differences in how early Alzheimer’s disease-related brain changes appear across racial and ethnic groups, underscoring the need for more inclusive approaches to studying and diagnosing the disease. Their findings are now available in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. In a large, ...

A deep genetic mystery has baffled plant scientists for decades. Although leaves, stems, and flowers develop in strikingly similar ways across many plant species, scientists have struggled to identify the shared DNA instructions that guide their formation. A new study now uncovers this hidden regulatory code and shows that its core has been conserved for 300 million years of plant evolution. Remarkably, these ancient DNA sequences were hidden in plain sight but were obscured by the constant reshuffling and duplication of plant genomes. By uncovering this deep-time blueprint, the research reshapes our understanding of plant evolution, showing how core regulatory logic ...

With more than 100 million neurons in the digestive tract, the gut is commonly known as the “second brain” in numerous cultures, including ancient Greece, Japan, China and India, linking digestion with physical and mental well-being. Now, a new study from Emory University explains the gut-brain connection, indicating that live bacteria from the gut can directly enter the brain, with potential implications for neurological health. Published in PLOS Biology in March, this study, performed using mouse models, establishes that ...

HERSHEY, Pa. — Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting 12%–13% of adolescents in the United States, according to some studies. The pattern of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity can interfere with daily life, raising problems at home, work or school. At the same time, individuals diagnosed with ADHD are at a higher risk of developing substance use disorder. But treating the combination of these two conditions can be complicated. A team, led by researchers from Penn State College of Medicine, identified a treatment gap among adolescents and young adults diagnosed with both ADHD and substance use disorder. In ...

Stark black against an open sky, common ravens are often spotted soaring above wolves in Yellowstone National Park. Researchers assumed that the notorious scavengers were following the wolves to get their scraps, but new research reveals a twist: Ravens don’t follow wolves, they remember common hunting grounds and regularly check back for fresh meat. When food is easy to find, animals save energy by memorizing the path to retrieving it. Because scavengers rely on other animals to eat, their meals are less predictable. Some scavengers contend with this insecurity by tailing predators, ...

New findings challenge the long-held idea that scavengers seeking food routinely follow predators to find it. Studying common raven, gray wolf, and cougar in Yellowstone National Park, researchers found that ravens rarely trail predators over long distances; instead, they rely on spatial memory to return to places where kills have occurred before. Scavenger species that rely on the kills of predators face the challenge of finding food that is patchily distributed, unpredictable, and often ephemeral because many animals compete for it. A widely accepted hypothesis suggests that scavengers solve this problem by adjusting their movements to follow large carnivores to their kills. Although scavengers ...

By tracking nearly every movement of a tiny fish’s life from adolescence to death, a new study reveals a hidden behavioral blueprint of aging – one that can predict a fish’s age or how long an individual will live. This is possible based on behavioral patterns visible early in life, researchers report. Aging in vertebrates unfolds over long and complex timescales and is influenced by a myriad of factors. Behavior provides a powerful window into an animal’s internal state and has been shown to reflect the aging process in several species, including humans. However, the ability to continuously ...

Contrary to previous assumptions, a new study finds that the needle-like lithium dendrites that grow in lithium (Li)-metal batteries are surprisingly strong and brittle, quite unlike soft bulk Li. According to the authors, understanding this brittle fracture behavior provides insights for suppressing dead Li formation and electrolyte cracking, enabling safer and more reliable Li-metal batteries. Li-metal anodes offer the highest specific capacity and the lowest electrochemical potential among all known anode materials, making them highly attractive for use in next-generation battery technologies. However, the use of Li-metal anodes poses significant safety challenges. During ...

By mapping the brains of seals and sea lions, researchers have uncovered specialized neural circuits that have evolved to support the control of complex vocal behavior and learning in the species. Humans are vocal learners, but they are not unique; some birds, bats and some marine mammals have demonstrated the ability to modify or acquire new vocalizations that fall outside of their inherited repertoire through experience or by mimicking novel sounds. Among marine mammals, pinnipeds, a group of mammals that includes seals (phocids) and sea lions (otariids), show clear behavioral evidence of different components of vocal flexibility, ranging from highly ...

By midlife, an animal’s everyday behaviors can signal how long it is likely to live.   That is the striking conclusion of a new study supported by the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience at Stanford’s Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, in which researchers put scores of short-lived fish under continuous, lifelong surveillance to explore how behavior and aging are linked. Individual fish aged in markedly different ways, despite having similar genetics and living in a carefully controlled ...

ITHACA, N.Y. – A potted scarlet monkeyflower would die within a few days without water. But multiple natural populations of the species survived an extreme, four-year drought in California, and researchers now know why: The flowers were rescued by their own rapid evolution. In the study, under embargo until 2pm ET on March 12, 2026 in Science, researchers tracked scarlet monkeyflower populations in Oregon and California for more than a decade and found that the populations rapidly evolved in ...