HOUSTON – (Oct. 14, 2025) – When doctors analyze a medical scan of an organ or area in the body, each part of the image has to be assigned an anatomical label. If the brain is under scrutiny for instance, its different parts have to be labeled as such, pixel by pixel: cerebral cortex, brain stem, cerebellum, etc. The process, called medical image segmentation, guides diagnosis, surgery planning and research. In the days before artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), clinicians performed this crucial yet painstaking and time-consuming task by hand, but over the past decade, U-nets ⎯ a type of ...

A new study in Biochar reveals that nitrogen-fortified nanobiochar could significantly improve soil fertility and rice yields while reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers. Researchers from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, India, found that combining a reduced nitrogen fertilizer dose with nanobiochar enhanced both soil properties and crop performance in nitrogen-deficient soils. Nanobiochar, biochar particles engineered at the nanoscale, has attracted attention for its porous ...

ITHACA, N.Y. –  Art infusion theory – the idea that displaying art in retail settings can positively impact consumer behavior – can be applied to the metaverse with similar results, a Cornell design researcher has shown. Employing algorithm-fueled generative art, So-Yeon Yoon, professor of human centered design at Cornell University, found that the installation in a virtual store enhanced perceptions of exclusivity and aesthetic pleasure for both mass-market and luxury retailers. “When we think about art, we think it’s more closely aligned with the luxury market,” ...

Darwin Quiroz is exploring new frontiers in miniature lasers with major biomedical applications. When Quiroz first started working with optics as an undergraduate, he was developing atomic magnetometers. That experience sparked a growing curiosity about how light interacts with matter, an interest that has now led him to a new technique in optical imaging. Quiroz, a PhD student in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, is co-first author of a new study that demonstrates how a fluid-based optical device known as an electrowetting prism can be used to steer lasers at high speeds for advanced imaging applications.  The ...

Trees are essential to cooling down cities. However, a study by Concordia researchers at the Next Generation Cities Institute and the Loyola Sustainability Research Centre shows how tree distribution influences how some residents benefit more from them than others. In a paper published Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, the authors studied the layout of Montreal’s vegetation — its trees, shrubs and grass — and compared it to daytime temperature readings on the ground, or land surface. Using ...

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a type of molecule and a key building block of the ribosome, the cell’s protein-making machinery. rRNA accounts for much of the RNA in a cell, and it’s crucial for life. “It’s essentially one of the most important molecules that we have,” says Thomas Jefferson University researcher Isidore Rigoutsos, PhD. “But for nearly seven decades, we thought rRNA was only relevant to the ribosome.” Now, a new study from Dr. Rigoutsos’ lab ...

TUCSON, Ariz. — University of Arizona Cancer Center researchers will study the potential effects of the loss of the Y chromosome in the development and progression of bladder cancer thanks to a grant of up to $6.5 million over seven years from the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Dan Theodorescu, the Nancy C. and Craig M. Berge Endowed Chair for the Director of the Cancer Center, was awarded the NCI Outstanding Investigator Award, which is given to allow “substantial time for funded investigators to take greater ...

Rice University’s Han Xiao has been awarded the David W. Robertson Award for Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry by the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Division of Medicinal Chemistry, recognizing Xiao’s pioneering contributions to therapeutic discovery. The biennial award honors scientists under 40 who have played a significant role in developing novel therapeutic agents or concepts. Xiao will receive a $6,000 honorarium, a commemorative plaque and travel support to attend the ACS award ceremony March 24, 2026, in Atlanta. “Receiving ...

A new study has uncovered how tiny differences in boron atoms can help scientists better predict the long-term behavior of glass used to store hazardous waste. The findings, published in Environmental and Biogeochemical Processes, could improve forecasts of how radioactive materials are released from storage over thousands of years. Glass is often used to immobilize contaminants such as radionuclides and heavy metals, locking them safely inside a stable structure. However, when groundwater seeps into disposal sites, the glass can gradually dissolve. Understanding this process is crucial for ensuring the safety of geological ...

Mediterranean vineyards face a growing threat from heavy rains and soil degradation that strip away fertile topsoil. New research led by scientists at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, shows that adding biochar, a carbon-rich material made from plant waste, can dramatically reduce erosion and improve the soil’s ability to store water. The study, published in Biochar, is among the first to test biochar’s impact on the “soil sponge function” under natural rainfall in sloping Mediterranean vineyards. Over 18 months, researchers used outdoor lysimeters filled with vineyard ...

Manufacturing better batteries, faster electronics, and more effective pharmaceuticals depends on the discovery of new materials and the verification of their quality. Artificial intelligence is helping with the former, with tools that comb through catalogs of materials to quickly tag promising candidates.  But once a material is made, verifying its quality still involves scanning it with specialized instruments to validate its performance — an expensive and time-consuming step that can hold up the development and distribution of new technologies.  Now, a new AI tool developed by MIT ...

Catonsville, MD, Oct. 10, 2025 — A new study has tested whether hiding authors’ identities in the peer review process makes academic evaluations more fair, reliable and valid. The answer: it’s complicated. The research was published in the INFORMS journal Management Science in an article entitled, “Blinded versus Unblinded Review: A Field Study on the Equity of Peer-Review Processes.” The study was conducted by Timothy Pleskac of Indiana University; Ellie Kyung of Babson College; Gretchen Chapman of Carnegie Mellon University; and Oleg Urminsky of the University ...

A tiny worm that leaps high into the air — up to 25 times its body length — to attach to flying insects uses static electricity to perform this astounding feat, scientists have found. The journal PNAS published the work on the nematode Steinernema carpocapsae, a parasitic roundworm, led by researchers at Emory University and the University of California, Berkeley. “We’ve identified the electrostatic mechanism this worm uses to hit its target, and we’ve shown the importance of this mechanism for the worm’s survival,” says co-author Justin Burton, an Emory professor of physics whose lab led the mathematical analyses of laboratory experiments. “Higher ...

A research team led by Rice University physicist Frank Geurts has successfully measured the temperature of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) at various stages of its evolution, providing critical insights into a state of matter believed to have existed just microseconds after the big bang, a scientific theory describing the origin and evolution of the universe. The findings were published in Nature Communications Oct. 14. The study addresses the long-standing challenge of measuring the temperature of matter under extreme conditions where direct access is impossible. By using thermal ...

When we form a memory, brain cells need to deliver supplies to strengthen specific neural connections. A new study from MPFI and Weill Cornell Medicine has revealed how two cellular switches, Rab4 and Rab10, direct supplies to where they are needed.   Key Findings New tools track cellular supply routes: Scientists created biosensors to measure Rab proteins, cellular switches that direct the delivery of supplies inside cells. Beyond the findings in this paper, these sensors allow observation of the activity along complex supply routes, critical for many cellular functions. Rab4 provides a boost in the first minutes: During the strengthening of neuronal connections, ...

An innovative biotech startup founded by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has been acquired by Lunit, a leading company in developing AI-based technologies for cancer prevention and early detection. The WashU startup, Prognosia, was created to develop software that harnesses AI to analyze mammograms and more accurately predict a woman’s five-year risk of developing breast cancer. The startup’s first software package, Prognosia Breast, received Breakthrough Device Designation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this year, ...

Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have developed a new type of brain implant that can deliver drugs to multiple regions of the brain with high precision, offering fresh possibilities for the treatment of neurological disorders. The device, called SPIRAL (Strategic Precision Infusion for Regional Administration of Liquid), is a thin, flexible tube designed to release medication at several points inside the brain. This approach allows doctors and scientists to reach larger and more complex areas of brain tissue than current tools, while still keeping the implant small and minimally invasive. ...

Combining non-invasive brain stimulation and robotic rehabilitation improves motor recovery in mouse stroke model In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper in PLOS Biology: https://plos.io/4gUkAy5    Article title: Combining gamma neuromodulation and robotic rehabilitation after a stroke restores parvalbumin interneuron dynamics and improves motor recovery in mice Author countries: Italy, Switzerland Funding: The study was funded by: Regione Toscana, PERSONA project, bando Salute 2018, https://www.regione.toscana.it/-/bando-ricerca-salute-2018, ...

The largest-ever study on neophobia, or fear of novelty, has discovered the key reasons why some bird species are more fearful of new things than others. Published in the journal PLOS Biology, the global multi-species study was led by Dr Rachael Miller while at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and the University of Cambridge – with ARU funding the publication of the research – alongside a core leadership team from the ManyBirds Project. Neophobia plays a crucial role in how animals balance risk and opportunity. While caution can protect individuals from potential threats, it can also limit their ability to adapt to new nesting sites, foods ...

October 14, 2025, Indianapolis, Indiana—Gene Brown, MD, RPh, became the President of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and its Foundation (AAO-HNS/F) on October 14. He was elected by members of the AAO-HNS and will serve a one-year term leading the Academy's nearly 13,000 members who specialize in the treatment of the ears, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. "Healthcare is changing rapidly and I'm honored to use this platform to keep our specialty’s focus on what matters most—supporting our members in their practices every day to ...

Irvine, Calif., Oct. 14, 2025 – Children living near the Salton Sea, in Southern California’s desert region of Imperial County, are experiencing poorer lung function than children exposed to less wind-blown dust, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Irvine’s Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health. They found that higher dust exposure – measured in hours per year – was linked to lower lung function, with the negative effects most pronounced among children living closest to the lake. The work, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, marks one of the ...

About 100,000 of the estimated million people in the United States with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a progressive form of the disease, with symptoms that worsen continuously or after periods of remission. “Progressive MS is profoundly challenging because it is relentless and treatment options are limited,” said Francisco P. Gomez, a neurologist who specializes in MS and neuroimmunology. MS is believed to occur when the immune system attacks the myelin sheath — the protective coating of the nerve fibers that transmit ...

Indianapolis, Indiana – October 14, 2025 – The American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) 2025 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO concluded its Scientific Oral Presentation program on Tuesday with 85 studies that establish new clinical correlations and provide evidence to optimize patient care across the full spectrum of otolaryngology practice. The final day's research program underscored the specialty's dedication to answering complex clinical questions ...

About The Study: This cohort study shows that high social adversity is associated with a high incidence of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) among Black women. As subtype is intrinsic to tumor development, these findings suggest an early and critical source of downstream breast cancer survival disparities. The findings of this study suggest potential social (epi)genomic and gene-environment interactions between social adversity and TNBC development in Black women. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Neha Goel, M.D., M.P.H., email goeln1@mskcc.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/  (doi: ...

About The Study: In this multicenter randomized clinical trial, rapid induction had higher retention than standard induction overall and in patients who tested positive for fentanyl through extended-release buprenorphine injection 2. Administration of injection 2 after 1 week was well tolerated and minimized time below target therapeutic levels of 2 ng/mL or greater compared with injection after 1 month. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Robert L. Dobbins, M.D., Ph.D., email robert.dobbins@indivior.com. To ...