Acting in the right place at the right time is the key to effective medical treatment with minimal side effects. However, this feat remains difficult to achieve. Biologists and chemists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have succeeded in developing a tool that controls the location at which a molecule is activated by a simple pulse of light lasting only a few seconds. Tested on a protein essential for cell division, this system could be applied to other molecules. The potential applications are vast, both in basic research and in improving ...

New research from the University of Southampton has found that trust in representative institutions, such as parliaments, governments and political parties, has been declining in democratic countries around the world. The study, published in The British Journal of Political Science, presents the largest and most comprehensive analysis of trends in political trust worldwide to date. It brings together results from 3,377 surveys covering 143 countries between 1958 and 2019, representing over five million survey respondents. Whereas trust in representative institutions is generally in decline, trust in non-representative institutions ...

19 February 2025 – London –  The Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences today announced the Finalists for the eighth Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the United Kingdom. The Awards recognise scientific advances by UK researchers across Life Sciences, Chemical Sciences, and Physical Sciences & Engineering. On Wednesday, 4 March, Professor Shitij Kapur, FMedSci, Vice-Chancellor & President, King’s College London, will announce the three 2025 Laureates at a gala dinner and awards ceremony. The three Laureates will each receive an unrestricted award of £100,000 (US$126,000). ...

Conventional drones use visual sensors for navigation. However, environmental conditions like dampness, low light, and dust can hinder their effectiveness, limiting their use in disaster-stricken areas. Researchers from Japan have developed a novel bio-hybrid drone by combining robotic elements with odor-sensing antennae from silkworm moths. Their innovation, which integrates the agility and precision of robots with biological sensory mechanisms, can enhance the applicability of drones in navigation, gas sensing, and disaster response. Technological advances have led to the development of drones with diverse applications, ...

Seizures in newborns are one of the most frequent acute neurological conditions among infants admitted to neonatal care units. A study published in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology indicates that newborns experiencing such neonatal seizures face an elevated risk of developing epilepsy. For the study, investigators analyzed data on all children born in Denmark between 1997 and 2018, with the goal of comparing the risk of epilepsy in children with and without neonatal seizures. Among 1,294,377 children, the researchers identified 1,998 who experienced neonatal seizures. The cumulative risk of epilepsy was 20.4% among children with neonatal seizures compared with 1.15% among children ...

Although a woman’s ovaries produce the most estrogen, various types of estrogen are also synthesized throughout different tissues in the body, including the brain’s neurons. New research in The FEBS Journal indicates that such neuroestrogens help suppress appetite. Knowing that the enzyme aromatase is important for the production of estrogens, investigators depleted or knocked out the gene encoding aromatase in mice, so that the animals were unable to synthesize estrogens in a systemic or body-wide manner. These mice demonstrated increased food intake and body weight compared with their aromatase-expressing counterparts. Restoring aromatase expression specifically ...

New research published in Health Economics indicates that a national prohibition of menthol cigarettes in the United States could increase the number of people who attempt to quit smoking but also support an illegal menthol cigarette market. For the research, 639 adult menthol smokers made hypothetical choices between menthol and non-menthol cigarettes, menthol and non-menthol e-cigarettes, and attempting to quit. Participants were presented with situations where menthol cigarettes and menthol e-cigarettes were described as either legal, prohibited but available under-the-counter and online from retailers who continue ...

Results from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) have supported lower blood pressure targets among community-dwelling older adults with hypertension to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and early death, but intensive blood pressure lowering can also increase risks of developing acute kidney injury and experiencing dangerously low blood pressure. A recent analysis in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society looked closely at the benefits and harms of intensive blood pressure lowering in patients with different characteristics. The analysis found that nearly all older adults in SPRINT had a positive ...

Research published in New Phytologist provides insights into why the invasive plant Japanese knotweed is so successful at outcompeting native plants. Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), which is native to eastern Asia and is a highly invasive plant species across Europe and North America, is known to damage infrastructure and ecosystems. By comparing growth and reproduction traits of introduced plants with native plants, investigators discovered that introduced plants had gained the ability to reproduce faster by clonal propagation, a method ...

The Chinese government is phasing in reforms for many technical standards that shape the products and services used by consumers around the world. While China has primarily depended on unilateral government authority for developing its standard system, the reforms would also incorporate market economies. New research published in Contemporary Economic Policy examined the impact of these reforms on corporate labor employment. The study’s findings indicate that comprehensive standardization reform facilitates an increase in corporate labor employment by reducing transaction costs, enhancing operational efficiency, and improving the financing environment. The most profound impacts ...

Staffing reductions across U.S. federal health agencies—including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)—pose a significant threat to public health, according to the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). The dismissal of thousands of staff is a massive loss of expertise and interruption ...

As global energy consumption continues to rise, buildings account for approximately 40% of total energy use, with nearly half of that dedicated to indoor thermal regulation (heating and cooling). Windows, being the primary pathway for energy exchange between the interior and exterior of buildings, contribute to 20-40% of energy loss. Developing energy-efficient smart windows that reduce energy consumption while maintaining natural lighting and aesthetic appeal has become a key strategy in sustainable building development. Researchers from Nanjing University of ...

All humans need clean water to live. However, purifying water can be energy-intensive, so there is great interest in improving this process. Researchers at Tohoku University have reported a strategy using data-driven predictions coupled with precise synthesis to accelerate the development of single-atom catalysts (SACs) for more robust and efficient water purification. SACs are one of the most crucial catalysts. They play a pivotal role in enhancing efficiency in diverse applications including chemical industries, energy conversion, and environmental processes. ...

New University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka research shows Aotearoa has been increasingly accepting new bird species from around the world since the start of the Ice Age, offering clues into future migration patterns. Since the Ice Age drastically changed the Aotearoa landscape from widely forested to grass and shrubland, researchers set out to determine which of our living and recently extinct birds are a result of existing lineages that adapted to their environment tens of millions of years ago and which are the descendants of comparatively recent invaders. Using mitogenome data from nearly all living and recently extinct New Zealand mainland bird species, researchers ...

For years, scientific divers at a research station in the Mediterranean Sea had a problem: at some point in every field season, local fish would follow them and steal food intended as experimental rewards. Intriguingly these wild fish appeared to recognize the specific diver who had previously carried food, choosing to follow only them while ignoring other divers. To find out if that was true, a team from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB) in Germany conducted a series of experiments while wearing a range of diving gear, finding ...

A new psychological therapy designed by a team of UCL-led researchers has been found to reduce rates of violence and aggression among male offenders with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), investigated whether aggression and antisocial behaviours could be improved by a modified form of mentalisation-based treatment (MBT). Mentalisation-based treatment is a type of therapy that helps people to understand their own thoughts and feelings, ...

The rise in human life expectancy has slowed down across Europe since 2011, according to research from the University of East Anglia and partners. A new study, published today in The Lancet Public Health, reveals that the food we eat, physical inactivity and obesity are largely to blame, as well as the Covid pandemic. Of all the countries studied, England experienced the biggest slowdown in life expectancy. It means that rather than looking forward to living longer than our parents or grandparents, ...

A new at-home telerehabilitation care service for stroke patients will be offered to residents of Cameron County in the Rio Grande Valley as part of a randomized clinical trial led by researchers from across UTHealth Houston. Investigators from UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Brownsville, UTHealth Houston Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, and McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston will create and test software delivered through a website to patients who have recently ...

A recent study published in the Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology explored genetic predictors of prostate cancer progression to help identify its clinical outcomes. Conducted by researchers from the D’Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), the University of São Paulo (USP), and the São Paulo Cancer Institute (ICESP), the study focused on the role of the androgen receptor (AR), its variant AR-V7, and the p160 gene family. Prostate cancer: a complex and deadly disease Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of death among ...

Obesity surgery (also known as bariatric and metabolic surgery) is one of the most common reasons for people to do so called ‘medical tourism’ – where they travel to another country to have the procedure carried out at usually a much lower price than in their home country. However, such procedures can sometimes be botched and lead to infections, temporary or permanent injuries and/or scarring, and in the worst cases, be fatal. Regarding Europe, there is currently no published data evaluating how to improve the safety of obesity surgery medical tourism. Seeking this type of obesity ...

A new study published in JAMA Network Open finds that low Medicaid telehealth reimbursement in New York State may be exacerbating a workforce crisis at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), particularly among mental health care practitioners. The challenge compounds existing financial instability at FQHCs and barriers to telehealth access among low-income New Yorkers who rely on safety-net care.  The study, led by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, highlights several possible solutions, including payment parity ...

AUSTIN, Texas -- McCombs’ faculty research leaped 10 spots to No. 10 worldwide in the Financial Times’ release of its Global MBA Rankings for 2025, a historic high for McCombs reaching back to 1999.  The top spot for research went to the University of Pennsylvania, with Columbia University and the University of Chicago tying for second place. Faculty Research is the third weightiest component (10%) of the 21 used in the MBA ranking, behind percentage of salary increase (16%) and salary three years post-graduation ...

    Images   A sponge-like implant in mice helped guide a treatment that slowed or stopped a degenerative condition similar to multiple sclerosis in humans. It also gave University of Michigan researchers a first look at how primary progressive multiple sclerosis, the fastest-progressing version of the disease, attacks the central nervous system early on.    If administered early, the nanoparticle-based treatment prevented mice from developing symptoms such as paralysis. If given after the first symptoms emerged, it reduced symptom scores by half compared to untreated ...

UNIVERSITY PARK , Pa. — Urban versus rural. Penn State versus Michigan. Star Wars versus Star Trek. As social beings, humans gravitate toward groups. But sometimes group living can spur an “us versus them” mentality that causes conflict, especially when two groups are competing for the same limited resources, like money or a championship trophy. In the following Q&A, Anne Pisor, assistant professor of anthropology at Penn State and Social Science Research Institute co-funded faculty member, discussed her recently published paper on the “us versus them” mindset as well as the causes and how to overcome it. Q: What does your research say about ...

Scientists are racing to develop new materials for quantum technologies in computing and sensing for ultraprecise measurements. For these future technologies to transition from the laboratory to real-world applications, a much deeper understanding is needed of the behavior near surfaces, especially those at interfaces between materials.  Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have unveiled a new technique that could help advance the development of quantum technology. Their innovation, surface-sensitive spintronic terahertz spectroscopy (SSTS), provides an unprecedented look at how quantum ...