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Medicine

Text-based system speeds up hospital discharges to long-term care

ITHACA, N.Y. – Every day, millions of people are discharged after extended hospital stays, but matching these patients with appropriate care facilities can be arduous, often reliant on months-old, inaccurate data. Now, a text message-based, hybrid computer-human system that regularly updates both patients’ and care facilities’ availability statuses, developed by a Cornell doctoral student, is smoothing that time-consuming process. The system was tested at a hospital in Hawaii for 14 months, beginning in early 2022, and helped place nearly 50 patients in care facilities. In fact, the system worked so well, the hospital ...

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Social Science

California schools are losing tree canopy

About 85% of elementary schools studied in California experienced some loss of trees between 2018 and 2022, according to a paper from the University of California, Davis, published this month in the journal Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. Members of the UC Davis Urban Science Lab found that while the average decline was less than 2%, some districts in the Central Valley — including schools with few trees to lose – lost up to a quarter of their tree cover. The most severe losses were concentrated in Tulare ...

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Technology

How people learn computer programming

The ever-growing use of technology in society makes it clear that computer programming may be a valuable skill. But how do our brains learn to code? Cultural skills, like reading and math, typically emerge by repurposing brain networks that function for more innate purposes. Yun-Fei Liu and Marina Bedny, from Johns Hopkins University, tested whether this may be the case when people learn computer programming in their JNeurosci paper. The researchers recorded brain activity in study volunteers with no programming experience before and after they learned how to code using Python. A neural network in the left ...

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Medicine

Exploring a mechanism of psychedelics

Using psychedelics to treat psychiatric diseases has become less controversial as scientists continue to reveal their underlying mechanisms. In a new eNeuro paper, researchers led by Pavel Ortinski, from the University of Kentucky, used male rats to assess how psychedelic drugs target the claustrum, a brain region with many receptors that psychedelics interact with. The researchers found that activating claustrum neurons targeting a cognitive area implicated in psychiatric diseases (the anterior cingulate cortex) under psychedelic drug exposure strengthened projections onto these claustrum ...

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Science

Scientists can now explore mechanisms behind attachment issues

Children can sometimes develop health, behavioral, and attachment issues that persist when their needs are not met by their caregiver. New from eNeuro, Arie Kaffman and colleagues at Yale University School of Medicine explored whether mouse pups also experience these issues from early life adversity. Their discoveries provide an opportunity for researchers to explore the mechanisms of health and behavioral deficits from early life adversity. When the researchers limited bedding for making nests, this impaired maternal care and increased stress hormone signaling ...

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Medicine

Researchers watched students’ brains as they learned to program

Computer programming powers modern society and enabled the AI revolution but little is known about how our brains learn this essential skill. To help answer that question, Johns Hopkins University researchers studied the brain activity of university students before and after they learned how to code. After the students took a programming course, parts of their brain activated as they read code. Inside these areas, groups of neurons represented the meaning of code. Surprisingly, before the students took the class or knew anything about programming, the same groups of neurons also fired when the students read the programs described in plain English. The federally-funded ...

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Medicine

An AI-powered lifestyle intervention vs human coaching in the diabetes prevention program

About The Study: Among adults with prediabetes and overweight or obesity, referral to a fully automated AI-led Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) was noninferior to referral to a human-led DPP in achieving a composite outcome based on weight reduction, physical activity, and HbA1c. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Nestoras Mathioudakis, MD, MHS, email nmathio1@jh.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2025.19563) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, ...

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Medicine

AI-powered diabetes prevention program shows similar benefits to those led by people

Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health report that an AI-powered lifestyle intervention app for prediabetes reduced the risk of diabetes similarly to traditional, human-led programs in adults. Funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in JAMA Oct. 27, the study is believed to be the first phase III randomized controlled clinical trial to demonstrate that an AI-powered diabetes prevention program (DPP) app helps patients meet diabetes risk-reduction benchmarks established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at rates comparable to those in human-led programs. An estimated 97.6 ...

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Medicine

New study may transform diagnosis of Britain’s number one cancer

A major new study, which has recently begun recruiting, is hoped to lead to earlier detection of lung cancers. People living in Leeds, Bath, Hull and Stoke-on-Trent will be among those approached to take part. The study is funded by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). At the moment, chest X-ray is the test GPs are advised to use in almost for almost all symptoms to rule out or confirm a cancer. Symptoms can include a cough that persists for several weeks. Worryingly, however, chest X-rays are not always conclusive. ...

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Science

Stillbirths in the United States

About The Study: This study characterizes stillbirth rates between 2016 and 2022 across clinical risk factors and geographic-based measures of access, income, and race in a large U.S. commercially insured population. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Jessica L. Cohen, PhD, email cohenj@hsph.harvard.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2025.17392) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest ...

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Science

How animals get their spots, and why they are beautifully imperfect

From tiger stripes to leopard spots, the animal world is full of distinctive and intricate patterns. In a new study, CU Boulder scientists refined their previous theory of how animal patterns form and successfully recreated imperfections in natural designs, like irregular spots on a leopard. The new mechanism, described October 27 in Matter, could lead to materials that can respond to their environment, such as fabrics that change color on demand for camouflage. “Imperfections are everywhere in nature,” said Ankur Gupta, the study’s lead researcher in the ...

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Medicine

Stillbirths in the U.S. higher than previously reported, often occur with no clinical risk factors

Embargoed for release: Monday, October 27, 2025, 11:00 AM ET Key points: Stillbirth burden in the U.S. is higher than previously reported, with over 1 in 150 births ending in stillbirth. The rate is even higher—1 in 112—in low-income areas. Over 70% of stillbirths occurred in pregnancies with at least one identified clinical risk factor (e.g. chronic hypertension), but a substantial share—especially those occurring at 40+ weeks gestation—had none. According to the researchers, the findings point to a need to improve ...

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Medicine

Durability of 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines against JN.1 subvariants

About The Study: The updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines provided effective protection, particularly against severe disease, although their effectiveness waned over time. Effectiveness against different subvariants was similar. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Dan-Yu Lin, PhD, email lin@bios.unc.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.5465) Editor’s Note: Please ...

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Technology

Online unsupervised Tai Chi intervention for knee pain and function in people with knee osteoarthritis

About The Study: This randomized clinical trial found that this unsupervised multimodal online tai chi intervention improved knee pain and function compared with the control at 12 weeks. This free-to-access web-based intervention offers an effective, safe, accessible, and scalable option for guideline-recommended osteoarthritis exercise. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Kim L. Bennell, PhD, email k.bennell@unimelb.edu.au. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.5723) Editor’s ...

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Medicine

A nose for microbes: how hunger tunes the brain

New research from the Champalimaud Foundation (CF) reveals how missing just one essential amino acid can change gene expression and the brain’s sensory systems, prompting animals to seek out protein-rich yeast and gut bacteria that help them restore nutritional balance and survive in times of need. Fermented clues Cheese and chocolate might not tempt a fruit fly’s palate, but to a hungry fly short on nutrients, their smell carries a hidden signal. When deprived of certain amino acids – the building blocks of protein – these tiny insects develop a surprisingly refined ...

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Medicine

TRF1 protein loss reduces body fat and improves metabolic health in mice without shortening telomeres

“These findings uncover a previously unknown role of TRF1 in regulating metabolism.” BUFFALO, NY — October 27, 2025 — A new research paper was published in Volume 17, Issue 9 of Aging-US on September 17, 2025, titled “Depletion of the TRF1 telomere-binding protein leads to leaner mice with altered metabolic profiles.” In this study led by first author Jessica Louzame Ruano and corresponding author Maria A. Blasco from the Spanish National Cancer Centre (CNIO), researchers ...

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Medicine

JMIR Medical Education invites submissions on bias, diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence in medical education

(Toronto, October 27, 2025) JMIR Publications invites submissions to a new theme issue in its premier open access journal JMIR Medical Education titled "Bias, Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural Competence in Medical Education." The open access journal is indexed in MEDLINE, PubMed, PubMed Central, Scopus, DOAJ, and the Emerging Sources Citation Index (Clarivate) and received a Journal Impact Factor of 12.5 according to the latest release of the Journal Citation Reports from Clarivate, 2025. Biases, both conscious and unconscious, significantly impact judgment, decision-making, and ultimately patient care. This call for papers seeks ...

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Science

SwRI receives $9.9 million contract to assess reliability of F-16 landing gear components

SAN ANTONIO — October 27, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has received a seven-year, $9.9 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to predict the life of landing gear components for the F-16 Fighting Falcon fleet. SwRI will leverage its aging aircraft expertise to predict when parts need replacement, determine the root causes of failure and recommend improvements to maintenance practices. The contract falls under the Comprehensive Landing Gear Integrity Program, a 20-year, $300 million Indefinite Delivery ...

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Technology

Computer scientists build AI tool to spot risky and unenforceable contract terms

Contracts written by employers and landlords often result in second parties—employees and tenants—facing unfair terms because these documents contain unreasonable or ambiguous clauses, leaving the second parties vulnerable to unjust expenses or constraints. For example, “Tenant must provide written notice of intent to vacate at a reasonable time”—commonly used phrasing in leases—is ambiguous because “reasonable” is undefined. Also, “Employee agrees not to work for any business in the United States for two years following termination,” often included in employee contracts, is unenforceable because many ...

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Science

Self-affirmations can boost well-being, study finds

Self-affirmations – brief exercises in which people reflect on their core values, identity and positive traits – can increase people’s general well-being and make them happier in small but significant ways, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. “Even brief, low-cost self-affirmation exercises can yield significant psychological benefits in terms of enhancing personal and social well-being,” said study author Minhong (Maggie) Wang, PhD, of The University of Hong Kong. “More importantly, these benefits are both immediate and long-lasting.” The ...

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Medicine

New certification helps clinicians advance digital cardiac care

DALLAS, October 27, 2025 — The rapidly expanding availability of remote telehealth cardiac health care poses a growing challenge for health care providers to learn how to use new digital tools and resources safely and effectively to treat people living with chronic health conditions. The American Heart Association (Association), a global force changing the future of health for all, just launched its latest professional certification program to help bridge the gap between traditional practice and remote patient monitoring and care, while promoting privacy and compatibility with ...

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Earth Science

Why earthquakes sometimes still occur in tectonically silent regions

Earthquakes in the American state of Utah, the Soultz-sous-Forêts region of France or in the Dutch province of Groningen should not be able to occur even if the subsurface has been exploited for decades. This is because the shallow subsurface behaves in such a way that faults there become stronger as soon as they start moving. At least that is what geology textbooks teach us. And so, in theory, it should not be possible for earthquakes to occur. So why do they still occur in such nominally stable subsurfaces? ...

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Medicine

Music therapy during surgery reduces anesthetic use and stress responses

ATLANTA, Oct. 28, 2025 — A groundbreaking study published in the peer-reviewed journal Music and Medicine demonstrates that intraoperative music therapy significantly reduces the amount of propofol and fentanyl required during laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed under general anesthesia. Patients exposed to therapeutic music also experienced smoother awakenings and lower physiological stress, as measured by decreased perioperative cortisol levels. “These findings show that this is more than just simple background music, rather an integration of a novel intervention into anesthetic ...

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Medicine

High levels of short-chain PFAS found in Wilmington residents’ blood

In a new study, researchers found high levels of ultrashort-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in blood samples taken from Wilmington, N.C. residents between 2010-2016. Two ultrashort-chain PFAS – perfluoromethoxyacetic acid (PFMOAA) and trifluoracetic acid (TFA) – were detected at high levels in almost every sample. In contrast, GenX – the chemical that jumpstarted public concern about PFAS in the Cape Fear River Basin – was detected in 20% of the samples. The work adds to the body of evidence that short-chain PFAS can accumulate in the ...

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Medicine

A ‘bird’s eye view’ of how human brains operate

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study provides the best evidence to date that the connection patterns between various parts of the human brain can tell scientists the specialized functions of each region. Previous research has shown the relationship between connectivity and brain function for just one or a few functions, such as perception or social interactions. But this study goes further by providing a “bird’s eye view” of the whole brain and its many functions, said Kelly Hiersche, lead author of the study ...

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