One of the first randomized controlled trials assessing the effectiveness of a large language model (LLM) chatbot ‘Amanda’ for relationship support shows that a single session of  chatbot therapy can be as beneficial as a evidence-based journaling in assisting with relationship conflict resolution, according to a study published September 24, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS Mental Health by Dr Laura Vowels from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and the University of Roehampton, United Kingdom, and colleagues. Recent ...

Racial/ethnic discrimination is associated with an increased risk of psychosis, a mental state where someone loses touch with reality, experiencing symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, confused thinking, and disorganized behavior, according to a new study published September 24, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS Mental Health by India Francis-Crossley from University College London, U.K., and colleagues.  Psychosis is a severe mental health condition that has detrimental impacts on people’s lives, and longstanding ethnic disparities in psychosis risk are well-documented. ...

Nearly a quarter of the global GDP per capita could be lost by 2100 compared to a “no further warming” baseline, if climate change continues to escalate unchecked, according to a study published September 24 in the open-access journal PLOS Climate by Kamiar Mohaddes and Mehdi Raissi from the University of Cambridge climaTRACES Lab. Abiding by the Paris Agreement goals may generate a 0.25% global benefit compared to a scenario in which temperatures keep rising according to their historical trends. Climate change has been broadly linked to decreased economic activity. However, ...

Scientists from the Nencki Institute and the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience have revealed a key mechanism in how our brains change when we learn new information or form memories. A new study published in Science Advances reveals a molecular mechanism that allows brain cells to precisely strengthen specific connections – a process essential for learning, memory, and overall brain health. Discovery of a precise molecular process: Researchers identified how two proteins, BDNF and MMP-9, work together to strengthen brain connections, a process essential for learning. Real-time visualization: Using advanced ...

Physicists in Australia and Britain have reshaped quantum uncertainty to sidestep the restriction imposed by the famous Heisenberg uncertainty principle – a result that could underpin future ultra-precise sensor technology used in navigation, medicine and astronomy.  The Heisenberg uncertainty principle, introduced in 1927, says that you can’t know certain pairs of properties – such as a particle’s position and momentum – with unlimited precision at the same time. In other words, there is always a trade-off in uncertainty: the ...

Being racially or ethnically discriminated against may increase the risk of later developing psychotic symptoms, finds a major review of international evidence led by UCL (University College London) researchers. The authors of the new umbrella review, published in PLOS Mental Health, found consistent evidence from numerous studies that racial and ethnic discrimination appears to contribute to the development of psychosis. The findings help to explain previously reported elevated rates of psychotic disorders among ethnic minority groups. The researchers, based at UCL and King’s College London, reviewed evidence from seven published systematic reviews and meta-analyses ...

SEATTLE, WASH.—September 24, 2025—Scientists have discovered that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) doesn’t start when the pain begins. It silently starts years earlier. RA is a debilitating autoimmune disease that causes painful joint inflammation and damage. The new research reveals that people at risk for RA experience dramatic immune system changes long before they feel symptoms. During this early phase, their bodies fight an autoimmune battle invisibly.   Researchers at the Allen Institute, in collaboration with the CU Anschutz, University of ...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Research led by a physicist at the University of California, Riverside, shows how viruses form protective shells, or capsids, around their genomes — a process that, while messy and complex, consistently results in highly symmetrical icosahedral structures.  A genome is the complete set of genetic material in an organism. For most organisms, this is DNA, while in some viruses, it is RNA.  The genome provides the instructions needed for growth, function, and reproduction. In geometry, an icosahedron ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. — When it comes to brain proteins, small changes can make a dramatic difference. Researchers studying NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors, which are essential for learning, memory and moment-by-moment consciousness, know that even slight changes in their activity level can mean the difference between normal function and serious neurological disorders. Now, University at Buffalo researchers in a long-term collaboration with scientists at the Vollum Institute have captured for the first time and in exquisite detail pictures of receptors in a fully open ...

EMBARGOED UNTIL: 24.09.25 02:00 ET / 07:00 London   AI-generated voices now indistinguishable from real human voices  New study reveals that the average listener can no longer distinguish between deepfake voices and those of real human beings  Many people still think of AI-generated speech as sounding “fake” or unconvincing and easily told apart from human voices. But new research from Queen Mary University of London shows that AI voice technology has now reached a stage where it can create “voice clones” ...

There is no question that the moon has a significant influence on Earth. Its gravitational pull affects the planet and moves water masses in the daily rhythm of ebb and flow (tides) – this point is undisputed. More difficult to answer is the question of whether the same gravitational force also affects life on Earth, especially the human organism. And the discussion becomes even more complicated when it comes to how the fluctuating brightness of the Earth's satellite between full and new moon affects humans. A research team ...

TORONTO, CANADA – A new Canadian study is offering a powerful message to older adults and those who care for them: it’s never too late to bounce back. Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that nearly one in four older adults age 60 or older who reported poor well-being at the beginning of a national study —due to pain, health issues, low mood, or isolation—had regained optimal well-being within just three years. “This isn’t just a story of resilience—it’s a roadmap for how ...

HOUSTON – (Sept. 24, 2025) – Rice University researchers used a focused electron beam to pattern device functions with submicron precision directly into an ultrathin crystal. The approach produced traces narrower than the width of a DNA helix that glow with bright blue light and conduct electricity, showing it could be used to manufacture compact on-chip wiring and built-in light sources. “The electron beam essentially works as a nanoscale pencil,” said Hae Yeon Lee, an ...

In the delivery room, circumstances can turn dire on a dime if the patient starts losing excessive amounts of blood. One minute she seems fine, and the next, vital signs plummet, the patient crashes, and the care team may need to scramble for a blood transfusion or perform surgery. All too often, that alert may arrive too late. Postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. Patients themselves may not notice, and there are few ways to easily measure the blood pouring out (or pooling in the uterus) during delivery. Even the most eagle-eyed doctor or nurse cannot ...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, or CCHFV, is a biosafety level 4 pathogen and a Category A bioterrorism agent, causing severe viral hemorrhagic fever with mortality rates reaching up to 40%. Already endemic in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and much of Asia, the virus has recently expanded to Western Europe, carried by ticks on migratory birds. There is currently no approved vaccine or specific antiviral therapy for CCHFV. Scott Pegan, a professor of biomedical sciences at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, has now been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health ...

CAR T cells are patient-derived, genetically engineered immune cells. They are “living drugs” and constitute a milestone in modern medicine. Equipping T cells, a key cell type of the immune system, with a “chimeric antigen receptor” (CAR) enables them to specifically recognize and attack cancer cells. CAR T cell therapy has demonstrated its potential by curing patients with otherwise untreatable blood cancers. But it still fails for most patients, often due to T cell intrinsic dysfunction. ...

Quantum computers will need large numbers of qubits to tackle challenging problems in physics, chemistry, and beyond. Unlike classical bits, qubits can exist in two states at once—a phenomenon called superposition. This quirk of quantum physics gives quantum computers the potential to perform certain complex calculations better than their classical counterparts, but it also means the qubits are fragile. To compensate, researchers are building quantum computers with extra, redundant qubits to correct any errors. That is why robust quantum computers will require hundreds of thousands of qubits.   Now, ...

Hoboken, N.J., September 24, 2025 — A new study published in the Journal of Management Studies uncovers how top executives rise to celebrity status on social media — and why it matters for business and beyond.  Drawing on more than a decade of data from 320 CEOs of S&P 1500 companies with personal accounts on X (formerly Twitter), researchers analyzed over 250,000 CEO posts and 1.6 million user mentions of those CEOs. They found that CEOs who post more often, use a positive tone, and discuss a variety of topics are significantly more likely to receive high levels of both ...

The rapid growth of AI is driving great interest in building large, power-hungry data centers across the state. The University of Texas at Austin has launched a new research consortium to help inform industry partners on options for more sustainable growth of this new industry. The consortium – called Collaborative Optimization & Management of Power Allocation, Surface & Subsurface strategies (COMPASS) – was announced last week at a data center workshop for industry leaders and policy makers led by the UT Bureau of Economic Geology, which is part of the Jackson School of Geosciences. “Our goal is to bring all the players to the table,” said ...

A recent study links exposure to radiation from medical imaging to a small-but-significant risk of blood cancers among children and adolescents.  But do not panic. The study concludes the benefits of medical imaging outweigh the minimal risks.  Funded by the National Cancer Institute, the study will help medical personnel make informed decisions about using imaging on children. The study concluded that while ionizing radiation is a carcinogen, the benefit-to-risk ratio favors CT imaging of children when imaging is justified and the technique minimizes adverse ...

The Telfer School of Management has signed a new strategic partnership with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) to provide cutting-edge professional development to public sector and critical infrastructure leaders across the country. Telfer Executive Programs, part of the Telfer School of Management, designed and delivered the immersive Leadership Crisis Simulation at the uOttawa-IBM Cyber Range. This initiative led to the establishment of a partnership between Telfer and the Cyber Centre to expand the offerings available at the uOttawa-Cyber Range, including new crisis ...

SAN ANTONIO — September. 24, 2025 — The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has selected Southwest Research Institute’s Dr. Christopher Glein to present the Carl Sagan Lecture at its Fall meeting. He will present “Seafaring in Space: A Personal Voyage to Enceladus,” discussing the Saturn moon with a deep ocean beneath its frozen surface, offering some of the most compelling evidence of habitability in our solar system. AGU, the world’s largest Earth and space science association, ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — More than 4 million people worldwide have end-stage kidney disease that requires hemodialysis, a treatment in which a machine filters waste from the blood. Hemodialysis is a precursor to kidney transplant. To prepare for it, patients typically undergo surgery to connect an artery and a vein in the arm, creating an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) that allows blood to flow through the vein for treatment. However, AVF fails about 60 percent of the time due to vein narrowing. This is a major barrier to effective treatment. Mayo Clinic researchers found that transplanting patients' own stem cells from fat cells into the ...

As a graduate student living in New Haven, Connecticut, Elizabeth Roberto said she couldn’t stop wondering why certain neighborhoods seemed connected while others were quietly walled off. “There were these places where the roads just stopped,” Roberto recalled. “Like they were meant to go somewhere — but didn’t.” It was the kind of everyday thing the average person might drive past without a second thought. But for Roberto, it sparked a question that would stay with her for years: What happens when barriers separate people — not ...

About The Study: In this binational study of older adults with diabetes, nearly 6 in 10 U.S. adults and 3 in 10 Japanese adults discontinued glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) within 12 months of initiating injectable semaglutide. Patients with established cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease had higher discontinuation rates in both countries, which is troublesome given the substantial clinical benefit these high-risk individuals would be expected to derive from GLP-1RA therapy. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Dhruv S. Kazi, MD, MSc, MS, email dkazi@bidmc.harvard.edu. To ...