University of Virginia Brain Institute and School of Medicine researchers have received an initial $9.3 million award from the National Institutes of Health for a $30 million clinical trial to determine if the powerful anesthetic ketamine can save patients from prolonged, life-threatening grand mal seizures that won’t respond to other treatments. “Status epilepticus,” as the seizures are known, are seizures that last more than five minutes or that strike repeatedly without the ...

Digital@INSEAD is hosting a free TECH TALK X webinar, “The Future of Agentic AI & Autonomous Organizations” on Thursday, 27 February 2025 at 9.00 am ET  / 3.00 pm CET (60 min). AI is evolving beyond tools and assistants – it is becoming autonomous. But what is holding enterprises back from fully leveraging Agentic AI? Join in the free webinar for a deep dive with Rotem Alaluf, CEO of Wand – a pioneering platform for enterprise-grade AI systems – and Peter Zemsky, ...

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is a vital cash-crop for four to six million small-holder farmers across the tropics, and supports a global chocolate industry valued at over USD 100 billion annually. The combination of millions of farmers relying on cocoa for their livelihoods, and increasing global demand for the crop, has driven cocoa plantation expansion and intensification of farming practices, often at the expense of biodiversity and long-term sustainability. A new research study led by the University ...

A recent study reveals that age plays a significant role in the outcomes of intermittent fasting. Researchers from Technical University of Munich (TUM), LMU Hospital Munich, and Helmholtz Munich discovered that chronic intermittent fasting disrupted the development of insulin-producing beta cells in young mice. The findings raise concerns about potential risks for humans, especially teenagers. “Intermittent fasting is known to have benefits, including boosting metabolism and helping with ...

Astrophysicists have unearthed a surprising diversity in the ways in which white dwarf stars explode in deep space after assessing almost 4,000 such events captured in detail by a next-gen astronomical sky survey. Their findings may help us more accurately measure distances in the Universe and further our knowledge of “dark energy”.  The dramatic explosions of white dwarf stars at the ends of their lives have for decades played a pivotal role in the study of dark energy – the mysterious force responsible for the accelerating expansion of the Universe. They also provide the origin of many elements in our ...

Pangolins are unique as they are the only mammal to be covered in scales. Even though they are scaly, photos of them are typically met with “awwws” from the viewers who find them adorable. Importantly, though, pangolins play an essential role in maintaining their ecosystem. Their other “unique trait” is that they are the most trafficked wild animal in the world, with more than 900,000 poached in the past two decades. Much of this is due to their high value for use in traditional medicine that ...

We hope to be cured when we stay in hospital. But too often, we acquire new infections there. Such ‘healthcare-associated infections’ (HAI) are a growing problem worldwide, taking up an estimated 6% of global hospital budgets. In the EU alone, HAIs add up to more than 3.5 million cases per year, resulting in 2.5 million disability-adjusted life years, a cost of up to €24 billion, and 90,000 deaths. They are likewise the sixth leading cause of death in the US. Patients with lowered immune defenses, and in some hospitals, ...

RICHLAND, Wash.—Sometimes, in order to go big, you first have to go small. That’s what researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have done with their latest innovation in energy storage.  With a goal to speed the time to discovery of new grid energy storage technology, the team designed a compact, high-efficiency flow battery test system that requires an order of magnitude less starting material while delivering results equal to the standard lab-scale ...

Collaboration efforts between the Texas A&M University Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering and the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) have led to innovative research on how petroleum coke is processed. This almost $3 million three-year research project will convert petroleum coke to graphite for energy storage. The newer process uses a lower temperature and shorter time to produce graphite from petroleum coke.  This new catalytic graphitization technology will ...

UCL Press Release Under embargo until Friday 14 February 2025, 00:01 UK time / 19:01 Thursday 13 February US Eastern time   Ancient Egyptian mummified bodies smell ‘woody,’ ‘spicy’ and ‘sweet’, finds a new study led by researchers from UCL and the University of Ljubljana, revealing new details about mumification practices. The research, published in Journal of the American Chemical Society, is the first time that the smells of mummified bodies have been systematically studied combining a mix of instrumental and sensory techniques, including an electronic ‘nose’ ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA – An electrospray engine applies an electric field to a conductive liquid, generating a high-speed jet of tiny droplets that can propel a spacecraft. These miniature engines are ideal for small satellites called CubeSats that are often used in academic research. Since electrospray engines utilize propellant more efficiently than the powerful, chemical rockets used on the launchpad, they are better suited for precise, in-orbit maneuvers. The thrust generated by an electrospray emitter is tiny, so electrospray engines typically use an array of emitters that are uniformly ...

Genital human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States and is thought to be responsible for more than 99% of cervical cancers. HPV screening usually entails a speculum-based exam, which is an uncomfortable experience for most patients, especially those who have physical disabilities. In two studies, published in Preventive Medicine Reports and JAMA Network Open, University of Michigan researchers are the first to demonstrate in the U.S. that self-sampling is just as effective as speculum-based testing for HPV detection. Most people who have HPV are usually unaware that they have it.  By ...

The chemical compound sulforaphane found in broccoli sprouts can be linked to improved blood sugar levels in prediabetes, a precursor to type 2 diabetes. This has been shown in a study conducted at the University of Gothenburg. The broccoli compound had a more significant effect on blood sugar levels in certain people. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have previously identified sulforaphane as an antidiabetic agent in type 2 diabetes. A patient study conducted in 2017 demonstrated significantly lower blood sugar in people with diabetes after they took large ...

Aging is a privilege, but it also brings risks—including an increased likelihood of developing age-related diseases including cancer. Researchers at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) have created a landmark atlas of how healthy breast tissue ages, revealing key cellular, molecular, and genetic changes that may tip the balance toward breast cancer development. Their findings, published recently in Nature Aging, provide a valuable open-access resource for the scientific community to explore aging and its role in increased cancer risk.  Rewriting ...

The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) urges incoming Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to resume the federal advisory committees for key health-related priority issues as provided under the Federal Advisory Committees Act. Federal advisory committees are an important aspect of the deliberative process for reviewing important scientific information among federal agencies and members of the public as new evidence becomes available. The ability for members ...

Many clinicians do not consider neurologic complications of the flu when discussing vaccination or treatment of influenza with families.   A recent study that explored the neurologic impact of flu in children aims to change that.   “Serious Neurologic Events with Seasonal Influenza in Young Children,” published in Academic Pediatrics, the official journal of the Academic Pediatric Association, looked at the population-based incidence of underrecognized influenza-associated serious neurologic events in children less than 5 years of age.   While serious neurologic complications are uncommon in young children, the study showed a much higher incidence, ...

Pasteurization is the only widely recognized method of killing H5N1, the virus that causes bird flu, in milk. However, pasteurization can be expensive and fewer than 50% of large dairy farms pasteurize waste milk.  Waste milk includes colostrum, the first milk after calving; milk from cows treated with antibiotics or other drugs; or any other factor that can make milk unsuitable and unsellable for human consumption. On farms, raw waste milk poses a potential risk of spreading avian flu, which so far has been confirmed ...

The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and NTT Research, Inc., a division of NTT, announced the publication of research showing an application of machine-learning directed optimization (ML-DO) that efficiently searches for high-performance design configurations in the context of biohybrid robots. Applying a machine learning approach, the researchers created mini biohybrid rays made of cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) and rubber with a wingspan of about 10 mm that are approximately two times more efficient at swimming than those recently ...

Harvard researchers have mapped and catalogued more than 70,000 synaptic connections from about 2,000 rat neurons, using a silicon chip capable of recording small yet telltale synaptic signals from a large number of neurons. The research, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, is a major advance in neuronal recording and may help bring scientists a step closer to drawing a detailed synaptic connection map of the brain. Higher-order brain functions are believed to be derived from the ways brain ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Air pollution caused by auto emissions, wildfires and other sources is problematic for many people. It’s of particular concern for pregnant people due to the impact pollutants can have on the fetus, especially in the final month before birth. A new study from the University at Buffalo offers insight into air pollution’s effects during this vulnerable time by measuring neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions and satellite-based air pollution data. The researchers focused on common pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels in vehicles, industrial processes and power plants, and PM2.5, which ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA – In the future, autonomous drones could be used to shuttle inventory between large warehouses. A drone might fly into a semi-dark structure the size of several football fields, zipping along hundreds of identical aisles before docking at the precise spot where its shipment is needed. Most of today’s drones would likely struggle to complete this task, since drones typically navigate outdoors using GPS, which doesn’t work in indoor environments. For indoor navigation, some drones ...

Photos Michigan Engineering professors Elizabeth Holm and Nicholas Kotov are among the newest members of the National Academy of Engineering—one of the highest honors bestowed on engineers in the United States. "Elizabeth Holm and Nicholas Kotov have not only distinguished themselves as leaders in their fields, they have demonstrated the impact we can have as engineers, influencing how current and future generations of engineers solve problems and do their work," said Karen Thole, the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering at the University of Michigan College of Engineering.  "We applaud this significant honor, and look forward ...

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Your body is ground zero for a cellular arms race. Your mitochondria, red blood cells and immune system rely on iron to function; so do invading viruses and bacteria. As your body evolves safeguards for this most critical resource, these safeguards select for invaders that can overcome them. “Iron is physiologically useful in catalyzing reactions, such as binding oxygen, because it both donates and accepts electrons,” explained Binghamton University Associate Professor of Anthropology ...

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) announces the 2025 cohort of ESA Excellence in Ecology (EEE) Scholars. This prestigious scholarship program celebrates and supports outstanding early- to mid-career Ph.D. ecologists from groups traditionally underrepresented in the scientific community. This year’s EEE Scholars are: Elvira D'Bastiani, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles; Gabriela Garcia, Assistant Professor at Northeastern University; Camille Griffith, Assistant Professor at Oglala Lakota College; and Estelí Jiménez-Soto, Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida. “These exceptional scholars embody ...

Rivers and streams may look permanent, but their lengths can change dramatically with the seasons, according to a new study. It reports that stream networks in the United States expand up to five times their low-flow size during wet conditions. The findings offer the first large-scale insights into how water dynamically moves through landscapes and provide a framework for forecasting climate-driven changes in stream networks, particularly in response to increasing storminess. Traditionally regarded as ...