Dr. Nobuyuki Kawai from Nagoya University in Japan has found that the rapid detection of snakes by monkeys is because of the presence of snake scales as a visual cue. His findings highlight an evolutionary adaptation of primates to identify snakes based on specific visual characteristics. Understanding these mechanisms provides insight into the evolution of visual processing related to threat detection. The findings were published in Scientific Reports. Rapid detection of dangers and threats is important for personal ...

The research team led by Dr. Hojeong Jeon and Dr. Hyung-Seop Han of the Biomaterials Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Oh Sang-Rok), along with Dr. Indong Jun from KIST Europe, has developed a novel stent surface treatment technology using laser patterning. This technology promotes endothelial cell growth while inhibiting smooth muscle cell dedifferentiation in blood vessels. By controlling cellular responses to nanostructured patterns, the technique holds promise for enhancing ...

Can we examine the teeth of living fish and other vertebrates in detail, repeatedly over time, without harming them?  Previously, small animals often had to be euthanized to obtain precise information, but now scientists have found a new way to humanely study detailed dental characteristics of vertebrates. This customizable method can be used for both living animals and museum specimens and has been published in the Journal of Morphology.  Customizable trays for precise impressions  Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and their collaborators applied human dental impression techniques to study fish teeth in a species called Polypterus ...

Theme "Emerging Transportation Solutions for Building Efficient, Sustainable, Reliable, and Inclusive Transport Systems" We are pleased to announce the call for papers for the 14th Asia-Pacific Conference on Transportation and the Environment (APTE 2025), hosted by the School of Vehicle and Mobility, Tsinghua University, co-organized by Communications in Transportation Research, Journal of Intelligent and Connected Vehicles, and ETS-Data. The conference will be held from 9 to 11 August 2025, in Hangzhou, China.   Objective The APTE 2025 conference provides a platform for scholars, professionals, and practitioners to share cutting-edge research, foster international ...

Powered descent guidance (PDG) is a key technology for reusable rockets to accomplish high-precision landing on Earth. Different from the well-established PDG for lunar landing and planetary landing, endoatmospheric powered descent guidance is required to accommodate nonlinear dynamics and more disturbing flight conditions, including engine thrust fluctuation, aerodynamic uncertainty, and winds. For example, the winds can produce a persistent aerodynamic force disturbance on the rocket, resulting in ...

A new method of scanning lungs is able to show the effects of treatment on lung function in real time and enable experts to see the functioning of transplanted lungs. This could enable medics to identify sooner any decline in lung function. The scan method has enabled the team, led by researchers at Newcastle University, UK, to see how air moves in and out of the lungs as people take a breath in patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and patients who have received a lung transplant. Publishing two complementary papers in Radiology and JHLT Open, the team explain how they ...

Iceland has a long and rich literary tradition. With its 380,000 inhabitants, Iceland has produced many great writers, and it is said that one in two Icelanders writes books. The literary tradition stretches all the way back to the Middle Ages. “Previously, the theory was that Iceland was so dark and barren that the Icelanders had to fill their lives with storytelling and poetry to compensate for this. But Icelanders were certainly part of Europe and had a lot of contact with Britain, Germany, Denmark and ...

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, USA, 17 December 2024 - In a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview, researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and Hirosaki University have uncovered critical new insights into the developmental trajectory of social behaviors in fragile X syndrome, the leading genetic cause of autism spectrum disorder. The study, published in Genomic Psychiatry, demonstrates that treating pregnant mice with bumetanide - a drug that regulates chloride levels ...

REGENSBURG, Bavaria, Germany, 24 December 2024 – In a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview, Professor Inga Neumann, Chair of the Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology at the University of Regensburg, reveals groundbreaking insights into how oxytocin shapes social behavior and emotional responses in the brain. The interview, published in Brain Medicine (DOI: 10.61373/bm024k.0139), showcases Professor Neumann's pioneering research on neuropeptides, particularly oxytocin, which has evolved far beyond its popular characterization ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2024 MINNEAPOLIS – Improving your brain health in the new year can start with a simple step, talking with your neurologist or primary care physician about 12 factors to protect your brain. The factors are outlined in an Emerging Issues in Neurology article developed by the American Academy of Neurology and published in the December 16, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Neurologists are the experts in brain health, with the training and insight needed to help you ...

RICHLAND, Wash.—Microelectronics run the modern world. Staying ahead of the development curve requires an investment that doesn’t just keep pace but sets new standards for the next generation of technological advances. Today, the Department of Energy announced the creation of three Microelectronics Science Research Centers to address the nation’s specific needs for microelectronics designed to operate in extreme environments such as high radiation, extreme cold, and high magnetic field—situations where robust and reliable operating environments are crucial. The new MSRCs not only focus on the next generation ...

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 23 December 2024     @Annalsofim          Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also ...

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2024 MINNEAPOLIS – A drug recently approved to prevent migraine may start working right away, according to a study published in the December 23, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study looked at the drug atogepant, which is a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist taken by mouth. “With many current drugs to prevent migraine, it takes time to find the right dosage for the individual ...

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2024 MINNEAPOLIS – For people with multiple sclerosis (MS), having a COVID-19 infection is not associated with worsening MS symptoms or disability, according to a study published in the December 23, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Infections may be associated with more disability among people with MS,” said study author Amber Salter, PhD, of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $179 million in funding for three Microelectronics Science Research Centers (MSRCs). These three MSRCs will perform basic research in microelectronics materials, device and system design, and manufacturing science to transform future microelectronics technologies. The MSRCs were authorized by the Micro Act, passed in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, and complement the activities appropriated under the CHIPS and Science Act at the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, and other agencies. For decades, DOE has been at ...

The pace at which anthropogenic climate change has altered the terrestrial carbon stores is making our current climate-change mitigation efforts seem fruitless, unless behaviors are quickly changed. Climate change induced by human behaviors, or anthropogenic climate change, has been a hot topic for decades and is not going away. As with any problem, reviewing datasets from the past to analyze trends and garner information is one of the first steps towards a solution. Gross primary productivity, or GPP, is a key indicator of the overall health of an ecosystem and is the amount of CO2 fixed by plants per unit of time and area. Researchers ...

PHILADELPHIA – A year after becoming available, vaccines to protect against RSV in newborns and older adults are being more widely accepted by the American public, according to a new Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) health survey conducted in November 2024. Over half of U.S. adults (52%) think the vaccine given to pregnant individuals to protect their infants from RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) is effective, up from 42% in October 2023, soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the vaccine. And 61% say the RSV vaccine for adults age 60 and older is effective, up from 54% ...

A choice was made to include each word in this sentence. Every message, even the most mundane, is crafted with a specific frame in mind that impacts how the message is perceived.   The study of framing effects is a multidisciplinary line of research that investigates when, how, and why language influences those who receive a message and how it impacts their response.   This multifaceted science is in the spotlight in the latest issue of Psychological Science in the Public Interest. Stephen Flusberg of Vassar College and his team provide a comprehensive review of ...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new gene editing tool that helps cellular machinery skip parts of genes responsible for diseases has been applied to reduce the formation of amyloid-beta plaque precursors in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign report.  The application in live mice shows the improved efficiency of the tool, called SPLICER, over the current standard in gene editing technology, as well as the potential for application in other diseases, the researchers said. Led by Pablo Perez-Pinera, a professor of bioengineering at ...

Early treatment of pediatric Crohn’s disease with anti-tumor necrosis factor medications can substantially reduce the risk of perianal fistulas, a particularly debilitating complication of Crohn’s disease. Michigan Medicine researchers confirmed this finding using prospective data. The resulting paper, “Early tumour necrosis factor antagonist treatment prevents perianal fistula development in children with Crohn’s disease: Post-hoc analysis of the RISK study,” appeared in Gut. A previous retrospective study from the same team had established a link between early treatment and reduced likelihood of perianal fistulas. That research, however, ...

ANN ARBOR—Bright, twisted light can be produced with technology similar to an Edison light bulb, researchers at the University of Michigan have shown. The finding adds nuance to fundamental physics while offering a new avenue for robotic vision systems and other applications for light that traces out a helix in space. "It's hard to generate enough brightness when producing twisted light with traditional ways like electron or photon luminescence," said Jun Lu, an adjunct research investigator in chemical engineering at U-M and first author of the study on the cover of this week's Science.  "We ...

ITHACA, N.Y. -- A cell protein previously believed only to provide a scaffolding for DNA has also been shown to directly influence DNA transcription into RNA – the first step of the process by which an organism’s genetic code expresses itself. The fundamental breakthrough was discovered in apple cells but is relevant to all living organisms made of nucleus-containing cells, including humans. The finding, published Dec. 20 in Plant Cell, was co-authored by Cornell researchers and colleagues from the University of California, Davis, and Shandong Agricultural University in Shandong, China. Every cell in an organism ...

Understanding the boundary between classical and quantum physics has long been a central question in science. While thermal light fields have traditionally been viewed as classical, the team fragmented these fields into smaller multiphoton subsystems. Surprisingly, they uncovered quantum coherence—features such as particle interference previously thought unique to quantum systems—within a classical light source.   By using a sophisticated technique involving photon-number-resolving detection and orbital angular momentum (OAM) measurements, the researchers projected a classical pseudothermal light field into isolated multiphoton ...

(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – December 23, 2024) Signals relayed to motor neurons from the brain enable muscle movement, but these signals typically pass through spinal interneurons before they reach their destination. How the brain and this highly diverse group of “switchboard operator” cells are connected is poorly understood. To address this, scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital created a whole-brain atlas visualizing regions of the brain that send direct inputs to V1 interneurons, a group of cells necessary for movement. The resulting atlas and accompanying three-dimensional interactive website provide a framework to further understand ...

2021’s Marshall Fire became the most destructive fire in Colorado history, burning nearly 1,000 homes and forcing more than 37,000 residents of Boulder County to evacuate.  New research by scientists at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder found compromised indoor air quality in homes near the burnt area for weeks after the fire, similar to pollution levels recorded in urban Los Angeles in the 1990s. According to the researchers, the findings can help individuals weigh their options when returning ...