It had been dormant for 800 years, but in March 2021, the Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland came to life. While the eruption was ongoing, large-scale field experiments were conducted to build defensive earthen barriers aimed at slowing down the molten lava flow. Building defensive barriers to slow down the lava flowing from craters and fissures in the Earth’s crust is something of a race against time. The excavator and bulldozer operators had to work around the clock, shovelling dirt and rocks to build dams and barriers as the glowing hot lava from the eruption crept ever closer. Delayed lava flow for 16 days The speed of lava flows is determined by the viscosity of the lava and ...

A research paper by scientists from Tianjin University proposed a noninvasive method for locating and decoding intracranial endogenous signals with high spatiotemporal resolution. The research paper, published on Apr. 9, 2025 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems. High spatiotemporal resolution of noninvasive electroencephalography (EEG) signals is an important prerequisite for fine brain–computer manipulation. However, conventional scalp EEG has a low spatial resolution due to the volume conductor effect, making it difficult ...

Sulfones, a class of sulfur-containing compounds, are chemically derived from the selective oxidation of sulfides. While these compounds form the core of the pharmaceuticals, solvents and polymer industries, their chemical synthesis is often hindered by high reaction temperatures and extreme reaction conditions. Additionally, these also require costly additives and harsh solvents for production. Against this backdrop, a team of researchers from Japan introduced a new catalyst design, capable of overcoming the limitations of conventional synthesis, offering higher selectivity and a better yield for sulfones. The research team, led by Professor ...

Controlling the topology and structure of entangled molecular strands is a key challenge in molecular engineering, particularly when attempting to create large nanostructures that mimic biological systems. Examples found in nature, such as virus capsids and cargo proteins, demonstrate the remarkable potential of such architectures. However, methods for constructing large hollow nanostructures with precise geometric control have remained elusive—until now. In a recent study, a research team led by Associate ...

Pregnant women with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) have an increased risk of giving birth prematurely and the risk increase cannot be explained by obesity, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal eClinicalMedicine. It is estimated that one in five people in Sweden has MASLD, previously called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and globally it may be as many as three out of ten. Common risk factors are metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity. The disease has become increasingly common, including among women of reproductive age. Researchers have now ...

The team led by Prof. Thomas F. Fässler from the Chair of Inorganic Chemistry with a Focus on Novel Materials partially replaced lithium in a lithium antimonide compound with the metal scandium. This creates specific gaps, so-called vacancies, in the crystal lattice of the conductor material. These gaps help the lithium ions to move more easily and faster, resulting in a new world record for ion conductivity. Since the measured conductivity far exceeded that of existing materials, the team collaborated with the Chair of Technical Electrochemistry under Prof. Hubert Gasteiger at TUM to confirm the result. Co-author Tobias Kutsch who conducted the validation tests, commented: “Because ...

What do a millennia-old human from the Black Sea region and modern HIV medicine have in common? Quite a lot, it turns out, according to new research from the University of Copenhagen. 18-25 percent of the Danish population carries a genetic mutation that can make them resistant or even immune to HIV. This knowledge is used to develop modern treatments for the virus. Until now, it was unknown where, when, or why the mutation occurred. But by using advanced DNA technology, researchers have now solved this genetic mystery. “It turns out that the variant arose in one ...

A research team led by Dr. Bon-Cheol Ku and Dr. Seo Gyun Kim of the Carbon Composite Materials Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and Professor Yuanzhe Piao of Seoul National University (SNU) has developed a high-performance supercapacitor that is expected to become the next generation of energy storage devices. The technology developed by the researchers overcomes the limitations of existing supercapacitors by utilizing an innovative fiber structure composed of single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the conductive ...

Researchers have developed two unique energy-efficient and cost-effective systems that use urea found in urine and wastewater to generate hydrogen. The unique systems reveal new pathways to economically generate ‘green’ hydrogen, a sustainable and renewable energy source, and the potential to remediate nitrogenous waste in aquatic environments. Typically, hydrogen is generated through the use of electrolysis to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. It is a promising technology to help address ...

High-resolution optical spectroscopy is an essential tool in quantum optics, chemical reaction analysis, and precision metrology, as it enables detailed investigation of quantum states, energy levels, spin states, and vibrational modes in atoms and molecules. However, conventional diffraction grating-based spectrometers are limited by their large and complex optical configurations and face fundamental challenges in achieving sub-MHz spectral resolution. As an alternative, direct frequency comb spectroscopy (DFCS) based on frequency combs has gained attention due to its potential for compact, high-resolution spectral ...

A single blood test, designed to pick up chemical signals indicative of the presence of many different types of cancer, could potentially thwart progression to advanced disease while the malignancy is still at an early stage and amenable to treatment in up to half of cases, suggests a modelling study published in the open access journal BMJ Open. Incorporating the test, formally known as a multi-cancer early detection test, or MCED for short, either yearly or biennially, could therefore improve outcomes for patients by intercepting disease progression, ...

Women’ are around 50% more likely than men to develop COPD, the umbrella term for chronic lung conditions, such as emphysema and bronchitis, even if they have never smoked or smoked much less than their male counterparts, suggests observational research, published in the open access journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research. The findings challenge the widely held belief that women’s increased vulnerability to cigarette smoke likely explains this disparity, conclude the researchers. Smoking is the principal cause of COPD. But despite significant falls in cigarette smoking over the past 50 years, it remains a leading cause of death in the USA, with the ...

Eyes may be the window to the soul, but a person’s biological age could be reflected in their facial characteristics. Investigators from Mass General Brigham developed a deep learning algorithm called FaceAge that uses a photo of a person’s face to predict biological age and survival outcomes for patients with cancer. They found that patients with cancer, on average, had a higher FaceAge than those without and appeared about five years older than their chronological age. Older FaceAge predictions were ...

The North Korean government engages in unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade, which includes species protected under its own laws and poses a threat to biodiversity recovery in the region, finds a groundbreaking new study by UCL researchers. The report, published in Biological Conservation, found that although North Korea has a regulatory system of protected areas and protected species, these are regularly breached by people hunting and trapping wild animals for personal consumption or black market trade, either domestically or for sale to buyers in China. Additionally, the North Korean state itself is implicated in, and actively profiting from, harvesting and trade of endangered ...

A study including researchers from the University of Arizona Health Sciences and published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology found that firefighters had higher concentrations of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and health care workers had moderate elevations of PFAS in their blood with significantly higher odds of two specific PFAS when compared with other essential workers. “Our study reinforces previous research showing ...

Every time a screen flickers to life, or sunlight powers a home, energy is being transferred from light into something useful. Yet for all of its ubiquity, scientists do not fully understand the process by which light transfers energy through materials. A grant from the U.S. Department of Defense will allow UC Riverside scientists to address that mystery. The research aims to deepen scientific understanding of one of physics’ most complex interactions.  The four-year, $1 million grant funds a collaborative effort between UCR theoretical chemist Bryan Wong and experimental ...

Brain metastases often occur as a result of advanced cancer and, despite medical innovations, are still associated with a poor prognosis. Now, an international expert committee led by the Medical University of Vienna and the Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital (LMU) in Munich has taken an important step towards improving diagnostics and therapy monitoring. A special imaging procedure, amino acid PET, can not only improve patient care, but also advance research into the development of new treatment ...

Children born to mothers with cardiometabolic health issues before or during pregnancy may face a higher risk of elevated blood pressure in childhood and adolescence, according to a new study funded by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  High blood pressure in childhood often continues into adulthood and is linked to a greater risk of heart problems later in life. This ECHO research offers insights into how a mother’s heart and metabolic health before and during pregnancy may contribute to her child’s long-term cardiovascular well-being.  The study analyzed data from 12,480 mother-child ...

Mercury is released by environmental and human-driven processes. And some forms, specifically methylmercury, are toxic to humans. Therefore, policies and regulations to limit mercury emissions have been implemented across the globe. And, according to research published in ACS ES&T Air, those efforts may be working. Researchers found that atmospheric mercury levels have decreased by almost 70% in the last 20 years, mainly because human-caused emissions have been reduced. “By tracking mercury pollution over four decades at the top of the world, we show that global efforts to reduce pollution ...

A research team from AMOLF in Amsterdam created a soft robot that walks, hops, and swims — all without a brain, electronics, or AI. Just soft tubes, air, and some clever physics.  The study published this week in Science describes one of the fastest soft robots yet, and one of the simplest. It has no computer, no software, and no sensors. And still, it moves with surprising coordination and autonomy, simply because of its body and how it interacts with the world.  So, what’s really driving it? Underneath the movement is a principle you’ve probably seen, though maybe overlooked. Think of those wobbly, ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Researchers from MIT and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered that a class of peptides expressed in pancreatic cancer cells could be a promising target for T-cell therapies and other approaches that attack pancreatic tumors. Known as cryptic peptides, these molecules are produced from sequences in the genome that were not thought to encode proteins. Such peptides can also be found in some healthy cells, but in this study, the researchers identified about 500 that appear to be found only in pancreatic ...

Some plants lure pollinators not with sweet fragrances, but with the rank stench of decay. In a new study, researchers show how plants pull this off. In Asarum flowers, a gene typically used for detoxifying smelly compounds has instead evolved to produce unpleasant odors, the researchers report. The findings shed light on how plants co-opt widely conserved metabolic pathways for ecological advantage. A key feature of foul-smelling flowers is the release of malodorous volatile compounds, particularly oligosulfides like dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS). These compounds mimic the chemical signals given off by decaying material. ...

Simple and inexpensive interventions aimed at making changes in how Bangladesh’s informal brink kilns operate could dramatically cut emissions and boost profits for producers, according to a new study. The findings may offer a scalable model for tackling pollution in hard-to-regulate informal industries, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In many LMICs, weak regulatory systems limit the effectiveness of pollution control, especially in informal industries that tend to operate outside formal governance and ...

A new ultrasound-guided 3D printing technique could make it possible to fabricate medical implants in vivo and deliver tailored therapies to tissues deep inside the body – all without invasive surgery, researchers report. 3D bioprinting technologies offer significant promise to modern medicine by enabling the creation of customized implants, intricate medical devices, and engineered tissues tailored to individual patients. However, most current approaches require invasive surgical implantation. Although in vivo bioprinting – “3D printing” tissue directly within the body – offers ...

Using only airflow and simple physical design – resulting in a structure that looks like a roadside “inflatable tube dancer” – researchers have developed soft robots that achieve coordinated, autonomous movement without relying on complex electronic controllers. In nature, animals often move with remarkable efficiency. They do this by seamlessly integrating the nervous system, body mechanics, and environmental interactions. This decentralized coordination allows animals to move efficiently without relying on constant direction from the brain. In contrast, most robots depend ...