University of Texas at Arlington research projects contributed $59 million to the national economy in 2024—an increase of 39% from 2023, according to a new report from the Institute for Research on Innovation and Science (IRIS). UTA has invested heavily in research infrastructure, purchasing cutting-edge scientific equipment and technology, such as North Texas’ most advanced gene sequencer and a super-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging machine for the Clinical Imaging Research Center. The funds also support collaboration with other research organizations. UTA worked through 1,144 unique ...

(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – February 19, 2025) Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder set in motion before birth. Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital led the first in uterotreatment of SMA with the orally administered drug risdiplam. More than two years after the child was born, no identifiable features of SMA have been observed. This study demonstrates the feasibility of treating SMA prenatally and supports further investigation into the approach. The findings were published ...

How on Earth? It has puzzled scientists for years whether and how bacteria, that live from dissolved organic matter in marine waters, can carry out N2 fixation. It was assumed that the high levels of oxygen combined with the low amount of dissolved organic matter in the marine water column would prevent the anaerobic and energy consuming N2 fixation. Already in the 1980s it was suggested that aggregates, so-called “marine snow particles”, could possibly be suitable sites for N2fixation, ...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved vimseltinib (RomvimzaTM) for adult patients with a rare condition called tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT). TGCT is a tumor of the tissue that lines the joints.  Sarcoma oncologist William Tap, MD, Chief of the Sarcoma Medical Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), led the international phase 3 MOTION trial that resulted in the drug’s approval. Vimseltinib is a type of targeted therapy called a kinase inhibitor and is taken as a pill.  “This approval is an exciting advance for ...

The Columbia Climate School has announced the first master’s degree program in the United States for climate finance. In close collaboration with the Columbia Business School, this interdisciplinary degree will drive impactful solutions to the climate crisis through advanced financial tools and scientific knowledge. This is the third master’s program announced by the Climate School, in addition to an M.A. in Climate and Society and an M.S. in Climate degree. “The world needs problem-solvers to address the global climate crisis,” said Alexis Abramson, dean of the Columbia Climate School. “Everyone ...

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today was awarded nearly $23 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) in support of 20 cancer research projects to advance new breakthroughs in discovery, translational, clinical and prevention science. In addition, CPRIT awarded $2 million for the recruitment of one first-time, tenure-track faculty member. “We sincerely appreciate CPRIT’s continued funding of impactful cancer research that will help us achieve our mission to end cancer,” said ...

Electrons oscillate around the nucleus of an atom on extremely short timescales, typically completing a cycle in just a few hundred attoseconds (one attosecond is a quintillionth of a second). Because of their ultrafast motions, directly observing electron behavior in molecules has been challenging. Now researchers from UC San Diego’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have suggested a new method to make visualizing electron motion a reality. This new method describes an experimental concept called ultrafast vortex electron diffraction, which allows ...

New London, Conn. — A new study by Connecticut College provides strong evidence that palm trees once thrived in subarctic Canada, reshaping scientific understanding of past Arctic climates. Conn Professor Peter Siver’s research, published in the journal Annals of Botany, confirms that during the late early Eocene—approximately 48 million years ago—this region maintained warm temperatures year-round, even during months of winter darkness. The work was done in collaboration with colleagues from Canada and Poland. Siver’s team identified fossilized phytoliths—microscopic ...

MINNEAPOLIS — Smoking, particularly heavy smoking, is linked to some unexplained strokes in younger adults, mainly in male individuals and in people ages 45 to 49, according to a study published in the February 19, 2025, online issue of Neurology® Open Access, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology. A stroke with no known cause, called a cryptogenic stroke, is a type of ischemic stroke caused by a blockage of blood flow, but it is unclear what has caused the blockage. Symptoms include weakness, trouble speaking and vision problems. Strokes can be fatal. Most strokes occur after age 65. “While smoking has long been linked to ischemic stroke, ...

For decades, scientists have sought ways to counter our dependence on lithium-ion batteries. These traditional, rechargeable batteries energize today’s most ubiquitous consumer electronics – from laptops to cell phones to electric cars. But raw lithium is expensive and is often sourced through fragile geopolitical networks. This month, Princeton University’s Dincă Group announces an exciting alternative that relies on an organic, high-energy cathode material to make sodium-ion batteries, advancing the likelihood that this technology will find commercialization with safe, cheaper, more sustainable components. While scientists ...

DENVER -  A new research study highlights the significant health risks associated with dust storms, revealing an increase in emergency department (ED) visits for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, as well as motor vehicle accidents, in three Southwestern U.S. states. The study, which was led at National Jewish Health was published this month in JAMA Network Open. Researchers at National Jewish Health, Emory University and the University of Colorado analyzed over 33,500 ED visits across Arizona, California and Utah from 2005 to 2018. The findings ...

LA JOLLA, CA—Current asthma treatments don't work in all patients, and they don't provide long-term relief from potentially deadly asthma attacks. Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) are advancing a new kind of therapy. According to a recent study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, their approach holds promise for providing long-lasting relief for people with asthma—and it may be useful for dampening immune inflammation in general. The researchers have developed two therapeutic ...

Treatment plants use a combination of tools to keep toxins and contaminants out of drinking water. Researchers with the University of Cincinnati examined two such tools in addressing a toxin produced by harmful algae blooms, which are becoming increasingly common in waters around the world. Blue green algae can reproduce en masse in waters laden with nitrogen, phosphorus or other excess nutrients. These algae “blooms” also can form when water levels drop during droughts or when bottom sediments heavy with nutrients get churned up in a storm, said Minghao Kong, a doctoral graduate of UC’s ...

Cat owners in the Denmark countryside are increasingly managing their cats in the same way as urban cat owners, resulting in fewer unwanted kittens being born, according to a study published February 19, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Peter Sandøe from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues. Populations of unowned domestic cats – whether unsocialized feral cats that have never lived with humans, or socialized cats that have strayed or been abandoned – are regarded as problematic in many countries. It is argued that they are a nuisance, that they transmit disease to humans, owned cats and ...

Young people who use multiple muscle-building supplements are more likely to report symptoms of muscle dysmorphia, per Canadian study of more than 2,500 adolescents and young adults.  #### Article URL: https://plos.io/3EyuhD6 Article Title: Muscle-building supplement use is associated with muscle dysmorphia symptomatology among Canadian adolescents and young adults Author Countries: Canada, France, U.S. Funding: This study was funded by the Connaught New Researcher Award (#512586; KTG) at the University of Toronto. The funders had no role in study design, ...

Swimming robots play a crucial role in mapping pollution, studying aquatic ecosystems, and monitoring water quality in sensitive areas such as coral reefs or lake shores. However, many devices rely on noisy propellers, which can disturb or harm wildlife. The natural clutter in these environments – including plants, animals, and debris – also poses a challenge to robotic swimmers. Now, researchers in the Soft Transducers Lab and the Unsteady flow diagnostics laboratory in EPFL’s School of Engineering, and at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, have developed ...

The successful development of sustainable georesources for the energy transition is a key challenge for humankind in the 21st century. Hydrogen gas (H2) has great potential to replace current fossil fuels while simultaneously eliminating the associated emission of CO2 and other pollutants. However, a major obstacle is that H2 must be produced first. Current synthetic hydrogen production is at best based on renewable energies but it can also be polluting if fossil energy is used. The solution may be found ...

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center scientists have discovered a novel subset of cancer-fighting immune cells that reside outside of their normal neighborhood – known as the tertiary lymphoid structure – where they become frustratingly dysfunctional when in close contact with tumors. Described today in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the finding gives oncologists a new target for developing immunotherapies: double negative memory B cells, so-called because they are negative for two markers found on the surface of their more common brethren. They may also be a useful diagnostic ...

Groundbreaking research published today in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology has unveiled a landmark discovery – fossils of the world’s oldest known megaraptorid and the first evidence of carcharodontosaurs in Australia. These finds rewrite the evolutionary history of theropod dinosaurs, uncovering a predator hierarchy unique to Cretaceous Australia. The research, led by Museums Victoria Research Institute and Monash University PhD student Jake Kotevski, describes five theropod fossils discovered along Victoria’s coastline. The fossils were unearthed in the upper Strzelecki Group (Bunurong/Boonwurrung ...

Study Title: Window of opportunity trial reveals mechanisms of response and resistance to navtemadlin in patients with recurrent glioblastoma Publication: Science Translational Medicine Dana-Farber Cancer Institute authors: Veronica Rendo, PhD, Eudocia Q. Lee, MD, MPH, Veronica Rendo, PhD Patrick Y. Wen, MD, Keith L. Ligon, MD, PhD, Rameen Beroukhim, MD, PhD Summary: Clinical research by Dana-Farber scientists suggests that combining a novel agent called navtemadlin with DNA-damaging chemotherapy for the treatment of glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, could increase efficacy. Navtemadlin ...

Boston - Kimberly Stegmaier, MD, was named Chair of Pediatric Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Associate Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Boston Children’s Hospital, in an announcement made today. Her appointment is effective April 1, 2025. Stegmaier, a Dana-Farber, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School faculty member since 2002, Stegmaier is currently Vice Chair for Pediatric Oncology Research at Dana-Farber, Co-Director of the Pediatric Hematologic Malignancy Program at Dana-Farber and Boston Children’s Hospital, Co-Leader for the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Leukemia Program, and a Professor ...

NEW YORK – The Human Immunome Project (HIP) and Michelson Medical Research Foundation (MMRF) have awarded Dr. Omar Abudayyeh (Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Harvard Medical School), Dr. Caleb Lareau (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center), and Dr. Yuzhong Liu (Scripps Research) the 2024 Michelson Prizes: Next Generation Grants.    The $150,000 research grants are awarded annually to support early-career scientists advancing human immunology, vaccine discovery, and immunotherapy research for major global diseases.  “Investing in bold, early-career scientists fuels the high-risk, high-reward ideas ...

After a year of weather extremes that brought everything from deadly floods to bitter cold, experts at East Tennessee State University have released a detailed analysis of the region’s 2024 weather patterns.   Their findings highlight both record-breaking temperatures and catastrophic storms – underscoring the growing need for preparedness as communities face unpredictable conditions.  The report, published by Tennessee’s Climate Office housed at ETSU, details how Southern Appalachia endured scorching heat and devastating floods, including the tragic September storm linked to ...

Humans have appreciated the beauty of flowers for centuries. Yet, flowers aren’t just aesthetically pleasing. They also play a crucial role in plant reproduction. In all plants, a well-studied gene with a curious name, Unusual Floral Organs (UFO), orchestrates the flowering process. UFO expression hinges on another complex process called cis-regulation. And this one has remained a “black box” of plant biology research for years. Now, using CRISPR gene editing, Cold ...

PHILADELPHIA – Cancer patients spend a lot of time on their care. Meeting with doctors and other members of their health care team, getting labs and other tests, picking up prescriptions, and undergoing treatment all takes time. So does getting to and from each appointment, sitting in the waiting room between each appointment, and so on. In recent years, cancer researchers have worked to quantify the level of “time toxicity” or time spent commuting to, waiting for, and receiving cancer treatment. Now, for the first time, a pilot study has shown it’s possible to use digital technology to safely ...