There is no significant difference in the effectiveness of how autistic and non-autistic people communicate, according to a new study, challenging the stereotype that autistic people struggle to connect with others.    The findings suggest that social difficulties often faced by autistic people are more about differences in how autistic and non-autistic people communicate, rather than a lack of social ability in autistic individuals, experts say.  Researchers hope the results of the study will help reduce the stigma surrounding autism, and lead to more effective ...

Paul Wilcox, a geologist at the University of Innsbruck, has discovered the first land-based evidence of meltwater pulses from the Cordilleran Ice Sheet during the last ice age about 20,000 years ago. The age of the cave sediments was constrained via optical dating techniques, which is crucial to help piece together the sequence of climate events leading to a warming planet. The results were published in the journal Nature Geoscience. Around 20,000 years ago, the Cordilleran Ice Sheet in western North America reached its maximum extent. This was followed by warming climate conditions, causing the ice-sheet to melt. While it is generally accepted ...

A new study in the European Heart Journal shows that people who develop type 1 diabetes in adulthood have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death, and that those diagnosed later in life do not have a better prognosis than those diagnosed earlier. The study, conducted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, points to smoking, poor glucose control and obesity as the main risk factors. Type 1 diabetes used to be called childhood diabetes but can start at any time during life. However, research on adult-onset type 1 diabetes is limited. The researchers behind the current study wanted to investigate the ...

1. Background and purpose of the study Aircraft emit nanoparticles (<50 nm Note 1 in diameter) into the atmosphere, from the ground to the upper troposphere. Studies in Europe, the U.S., and Japan have reported high concentrations of particles in and around airports Ref 1, and there is worldwide concern regarding the effects on human health. The atmospheric heating effects by contrails generated from aircraft exhaust particles are also known, and research is being conducted to assess their potential impacts on climate. Particle ...

Scientists studying chimpanzees in Budongo Forest, Uganda, have observed that these primates don’t just treat their own injuries, but care for others, too — information which could shed light on how our ancestors first began treating wounds and using medicines. Although chimpanzees elsewhere have been observed helping other community members with medical problems, the persistent presence of this behavior in Budongo could suggest that medical care among chimpanzees is much more widespread than we realized, and not confined ...

Nylon-based products such as clothing and fishing nets are notoriously slow to degrade, especially in marine environments, contributing significantly to global ocean pollution. A Korean research team has now developed an innovative material that can be produced using existing manufacturing infrastructure and effectively addresses this problem. A joint research team led by Dr. Hyun-Yeol Jeon and Dr. Hyo-Jeong Kim at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Senior Researcher Sung-Bae Park, Professor Dong-Yeop Oh at Inha University, and Professor Je-Young ...

Palaeontologists at the Manitoba Museum and Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) have discovered a remarkable new 506-million-year-old predator from the Burgess Shale of Canada. The results are announced in a paper in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Mosura fentoni was about the size of your index finger and had three eyes, spiny jointed claws, a circular mouth lined with teeth and a body with swimming flaps along its sides. These traits show it to be part of an extinct group known as the radiodonts, which also included the famous Anomalocaris canadensis, a meter-long predator that shared ...

A new study of wild Sumatran orangutans by researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB) has found that mothers consistently differ in their maternal behaviors toward their infants, even after controlling for biological, social, and environmental factors. Mothers also consistently vary from one another in how flexibly they adjust their parenting as their infants grow. For this study, the researchers analysed data on six maternal behaviors collected over 15 years. “Our study shows that Sumatran orangutan mothers are not all the same when it comes to parenting behaviors,” said Revathe Thillaikumar, a postdoctoral researcher at MPI-AB and ...

Scientists have found that X-Ray scanning reveals secrets of fossil formation without disturbing the decay of buried carcasses   A new study published in Palaeontology has confirmed that X-ray computed tomography (XCT scanning) can be used to monitor decomposing organisms without altering the natural decay process – a vital step for understanding how fossils form.   A research team from the University of Birmingham entombed dead zebrafish within sediment to test whether repeatedly zapping decaying specimens with X-rays would change how they decompose. Their findings suggest this non-invasive imaging technique allows scientists to watch decay happen in real-time without disturbing ...

Physical activity in early childhood, especially taking part in organised sports,may ward off several mental health disorders in later childhood and adolescence, suggests research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. But there seem to be clear sex differences in the observed protective effects, depending on the condition, the findings indicate. The prevalence of mental ill health among children and teens has risen sharply worldwide, with a heightened vulnerability to stress thought to partially explain the increase, note the researchers. Physical activity ...

Long working hours may alter the structure of the brain, particularly the areas associated with emotional regulation and executive function, such as working memory and problem solving, suggest the findings of preliminary research, published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine. Ultimately, overwork may induce neuroadaptive changes that might affect cognitive and emotional health, say the researchers. Long working hours have been linked to heightened risks of cardiovascular disease, ...

University of Bath Press Release Lower taxes on Heated Tobacco Products are subsidising tobacco industry – new research Governments missing out tax revenues, hampering health policy   Governments which impose lower taxes on heated tobacco products in the hope of encouraging smokers away from conventional cigarettes are effectively subsidising the tobacco industry, missing out on much-needed tax revenues and hampering their own public health initiatives, new research from the University of Bath shows. Researchers examined ...

Being appreciated by colleagues can help employees cope with negative experiences at work, according to a new study involving the University of East Anglia (UEA). Researchers found that employees experience ‘embitterment’ - an emotional response to perceived workplace injustice - on days when they are assigned more unreasonable tasks than usual. This negative emotion not only affects their work but also spills over into their personal lives, leading to an increase in rumination, the repetitive dwelling on negative feelings and their causes. ...

A first-in-human study of an investigational once-daily oral treatment for obesity (SYNT-101) demonstrated positive preliminary data for the safe and effective redirection of nutrient absorption into the lower intestine, the weight loss and metabolic management mechanism behind gastric bypass surgery. In the study, being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Malaga, Spain (11-14 May), participants were surveyed for adverse events, tolerability markers, as well as modulation of satiety hormones ...

New research being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Malaga, Spain (11-14 May), reveals that 3- to 4- year olds in rural areas are more likely to be living with overweight and abdominal obesity (excess fat around waist), and spend more time on screens than their urban counterparts.  “Our findings reveal distinct patterns of how physical activity, screen time, and sleep relate to overweight and abdominal obesity in urban and rural settings, indicating that one-size-fits-all strategies to tackle ...

A new analysis being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Malaga, Spain (11-14 May), finds that around half of the 100 top TikTok videos about food noise reference the use of medications—mainly the popular anti-obesity drugs glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs)—to manage constant and persistent thoughts about food and eating.  “TikTok can be an incredible tool for raising awareness, but it also has a downside,” said lead author Daisuke Hayashi from the Pennsylvania State University, USA. “The ...

A survey of adults living with obesity and their physicians across seven countries reveals a high disconnect between their perceptions about the causes of obesity and treatment goals. The findings being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Malaga, Spain (11-14 May), highlight biased misconceptions about obesity which may impact patients’ access to treatment and support. “Although the causes of weight gain and obesity are diverse and complex—and often beyond an ...

New animal research being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Malaga, Spain (11-14 May), reveals distinct metabolic adjustments to tirzepatide and semaglutide treatment, with tirzepatide temporarily increasing energy expenditure and semaglutide initially reducing energy expenditure. Importantly, the biggest metabolic changes happen directly after treatment and disappear quickly after treatment is stopped. Anti-obesity drugs like tirzepatide and semaglutide have shown substantial promise in promoting weight loss and improving metabolic ...

New York, NY (May 13, 2025) – Mount Sinai Health System announced today that it will recognize Dennis S. Charney, MD, the outgoing Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, for 18 years of leadership and service at its 40th annual Crystal Party, Tuesday, May 20, at Pier Sixty, 60 Chelsea Piers. Dr. Charney is one of the longest-serving deans of any medical school nationwide and will step down as Dean on Monday, June 30. He will remain on the faculty at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount ...

How are we able to recall a word we want to say? This basic ability, called word retrieval, is often compromised in patients with brain damage. Interestingly, many patients who can name words they see, like identifying a pet in the room as a “cat”, struggle with retrieving words in everyday discourse. Scientists have long sought to understand how the brain retrieves words during speech. A new study by researchers at New York University sheds light on this mystery, revealing a left-lateralized network in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex that plays a crucial role in naming. The findings, published in Cell Reports, provide new insights into ...

EDMOND, Okla. – May 13, 2025 -- Watkins-Conti Products, Inc. ("Watkins-Conti"), a company that develops innovative solutions for women's pelvic health, today announced the peer-reviewed publication of clinical trial results evaluating Yōni.Fit® Bladder Support ("Yōni.Fit®"). Designed and manufactured in the United States, Yōni.Fit® obtained 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2024 for the temporary management of urine ...

When summarizing scientific studies, large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and DeepSeek produce inaccurate conclusions in up to 73% of cases, according to a new study by Uwe Peters (Utrecht University) and Benjamin Chin-Yee (Western University, Canada/University of Cambridge, UK). The researchers tested the most prominent LLMs and analyzed thousands of chatbot-generated science summaries, revealing that most models consistently produced broader conclusions than those in the summarized texts. Surprisingly, prompts ...

This new Kids First data creates a fuller understanding of how genetics contributes to childhood cancers and congenital disorders, opening additional doors for prevention and treatment.  WHO: The Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program (Kids First), an initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Kids First data, tools, and resources are available via the Kids First Data Resource Center (DRC). WHAT: The 2025 releases represent the first batch of long read sequencing data ...

Scientists have developed a dual-laser Brillouin optical correlation-domain reflectometry (BOCDR) system that uses two frequency-modulated lasers. By scanning the relative modulation phase between the pump and reference lasers, the setup measures strain and temperature all along an optical fiber. In a proof-of-concept test on a 13-meter silica fiber, the team recorded Brillouin gain spectra (BGS) at only about 200 MHz—over 50 times lower than the usual 11 GHz band. Their research was published in Journal of Physics: Photonics on April 25, 2025. “The dual-laser approach makes BOCDR equipment simpler, more cost-effective, ...

SAN FRANCISCO—Zhaoqi Yan, PhD, a scientist at Gladstone Institutes, has been named a 2025 Warren Alpert Distinguished Scholar. The fellowship award is given annually to five postdoctoral researchers in the United States who demonstrate exceptional creativity in the field of neuroscience. Yan studies how blood proteins that leak into the brain through damaged blood vessels can drive brain inflammation and neurodegeneration. Molecular mechanisms behind this dysfunction in the blood-brain barrier remain unclear, and effective therapeutic strategies are lacking—something Yan hopes to change. With the support from the Warren Alpert Foundation, he will use cutting-edge techniques to ...