Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) limits jaw function and is so painful that it lessens the quality of life. Botulinum toxin—also known as botox—is emerging as an effective treatment option, but there are concerns about side effects, like muscle dysfunction. Eungyung Kim and Yu Shin Kim, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, led a study using a mouse model of TMD to explore the possibility of using botox as a treatment.  In their JNeurosci paper, the researchers discovered that injecting botox directly into the male mouse temporomandibular joint (TMJ) instead of surrounding muscle tissue reduced TMD-related ...

When faced with difficult tasks, sometimes people hit a mental wall and make the decision to “sleep on it.” Returning to the task after sleeping, they often perform better. Why? Rhythmic brain activity during sleep transforms task-related information into stronger, longer-term memory. A new JNeurosci paper on research led by Dara Manoach, from Harvard Medical School, advances understanding of where in the brain this rhythmic activity appears to improve motor learning.  In the study, 25 participants learned a typing sequence while the researchers recorded their brain activity. After training, brain recordings continued as study participants napped. During sleep, ...

Peking University, August 4, 2025: Why do young children often miss the emotions behind adult expressions? A pioneering study led by researcher Xie Wanze from Peking University’s School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, in collaboration with professor Seth Pollak from the University of Wisconsin, reveals that the answer lies in a cognitive shift. Published in Nature Communications, their research shows how children aged 5-10 transition from merely “seeing” facial expressions to deeply understanding emotions, relying less on instinct and more on learned insight. Background: The Importance ...

Peking University, June 18, 2025: A collaborative research team led by Professor Pan Feng from the School of New Materials at Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School has developed a topology-based variational autoencoder framework (PGH-VAEs) to enable the interpretable inverse design of catalytic active sites. Their study, titled “Inverse design of catalytic active sites via interpretable topology-based deep generative models” and published in npj Computational Materials, introduces a novel integration of graph-theoretic structural chemistry, algebraic topology, and deep generative models, enabling ...

Peking University, July 30, 2025: In a landmark advancement for next-generation electronics, researchers from the International Center for Quantum Materials at Peking University in collaboration with Renmin University of China have successfully fabricated wafer-scale two-dimensional indium selenide (InSe) semiconductors. Led by Professor Liu Kaihui, the team developed a novel “solid–liquid–solid” growth strategy that overcomes long-standing barriers in 2D semiconductor manufacturing. Published in Science under ...

WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug 4, 2025 — The latest issues of three American Psychiatric Association journals (The American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Services, and Focus) are now available online. The August issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry brings together research on psychiatric genetics and telehealth prescribing of controlled substances. Highlights of the issue include: Psychiatric Genetics in Clinical Practice: Essential Knowledge for Mental Health Professionals. (AJP Deputy Editor Daniel Pine, ...

Decoding cosmic evolution depends on accurately predicting the complex chemical reactions in the harsh environment of space. Traditional methods for such predictions rely heavily on costly laboratory experiments or expert knowledge, both of which are resource-intensive and limited in scope. Recently, a research team developed an innovative AI tool that predicts astrochemical reactions with high accuracy and efficiency, demonstrating that deep learning techniques can successfully address data limitations in astrochemistry. Titled “A Two-Stage End-to-End Deep Learning Approach for Predicting Astrochemical Reactions,” this research was published ...

A new analysis of the bite strength of 18 species of carnivorous dinosaurs shows that while the Tyrannasaurus rex skull was optimized for quick, strong bites like a crocodile, other giant, predatory dinosaurs that walked on two legs—including spinosaurs and allosaurs—had much weaker bites and instead specialized in slashing and ripping flesh. Reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on August 4, these findings demonstrate that meat-eating dinosaurs followed different evolutionary paths in terms of skull design and feeding style despite their similarly gigantic sizes.   “Carnivorous dinosaurs took very different paths as they ...

In the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, a group of researchers reveals the culprit behind sea star wasting disease, a marine epidemic that has decimated sea star populations along the west coast of North America. Understanding the cause is essential for the recovery of sea stars and their kelp forest ecosystems.   AUGUST 4, 2025 - Today in Nature Ecology & Evolution, a group of researchers reveals the cause of sea star wasting disease (SSWD). This discovery comes more than a decade after the start of the marine epidemic that has killed billions of sea stars—representing over 20 different species from Alaska to Mexico. SSWD is considered the largest marine ...

When given nutritionally matched diets, participants lost twice as much weight eating minimally processed foods compared to ultra-processed foods, suggesting that cutting down on processing could help to sustain a healthy weight long term, finds a new clinical trial led by researchers at UCL and UCLH. The study, published in Nature Medicine, is the first interventional study comparing ultra-processed food (UPF) and minimally processed food (MPF) diets in ‘real world’ conditions, as well as being ...

About The Studies: This issue of JAMA includes three studies on colorectal cancer incidence and screening among younger U.S. adults. Colorectal Cancer Incidence in US Adults After Recommendations for Earlier Screening After a stable 15-year trend, local-stage colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence increased steeply in adults ages 45 to 49 during 2019-2022, including a 50% relative increase between 2021 and 2022. This trend contrasts with consistent increases of distant-stage diagnoses in this age group and likely reflects diagnosis of prevalent asymptomatic cancer through first-time screening due to recommendations for adults to begin ...

Researchers from University of California San Diego have found that a novel treatment called regulation of cues combined with behavioral weight loss (ROC+BWL) was more effective than standard cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in reducing binge eating among veterans with overweight or obesity. The benefits of the new treatment were sustained even six months after treatment ended, particularly for veterans with Binge Eating Disorder (BED). The results were published in JAMA Network Open. “The study showed that our treatment could reduce binge eating more than standard therapy even after the six-month follow up,” said Kerri Boutelle, ...

About The Study: In this cohort study, oseltamivir treatment during influenza episodes was associated with a reduced risk of serious neuropsychiatric events among children and adolescents. These findings support oseltamivir use for prevention of these influenza-related complications. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, James W. Antoon, MD, PhD, MPH, email james.antoon@vumc.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2025.1995) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In this randomized clinical trial, among East Asian adults with overweight or obesity, with or without type 2 diabetes, oral semaglutide, 50 mg, led to a superior and clinically meaningful reduction in body weight compared with placebo, with a safety profile consistent with the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist class.  Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Takashi Kadowaki, MD, PhD, (t-kadowaki@toranomon.kkr.or.jp) and Kyoung-Kon Kim, MD, PhD, (zaduplum@gilhospital.com). To access the embargoed ...

About The Study: This study found that nearly 17 million adolescents and young adults were eligible for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) therapy. One in 5 young adults eligible for GLP-1RAs were uninsured and one-third denied having a routine place for health care—a barrier to identifying, treating, and preventing cardio-kidney-metabolic diseases.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Ashwin K. Chetty, BS, email ashwin.chetty@yale.edu. To ...

A new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus finds that older adults become more socially active after moving into long-term care communities like nursing homes or assisted living facilities but we might not all benefit equally. The study was published today in JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers analyzed data from more than 600 Americans aged 65 and older who moved into a nursing home or assisted living facility between 2011 and 2019 through the National Health and Aging Trends Study. The average participant was 85-years-old when they moved. “Long-term care communities can be an important source of help ...

A team of Chinese researchers led by Prof. GAO Caixia from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed two new genome editing technologies, known collectively as Programmable Chromosome Engineering (PCE) systems. The study, published online in Cell on August 4, achieves multiple types of precise DNA manipulations ranging from kilobase to megabase scale in higher organisms, especially plants. Extensive research has demonstrated the immense potential of the site-specific recombinase Cre-Lox ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A new $16.5 million award from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) will enable Brown University’s Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM) to continue its mission of supporting groundbreaking research at the intersection of computation and mathematics for the next five years. “Progress is made in mathematics when people come together to share ideas,” said ICERM Director Brendan Hassett, a professor of mathematics at Brown. “For 15 years, ICERM has sponsored programs that not only spur progress in math, but also make important connections with computer ...

McGill University researchers have developed and are licensing a digital tool to help safely reduce patients’ use of medications that may be unnecessary or even harmful to them. When clinicians review a patient’s file, MedSafer flags potentially inappropriate medications. In a new clinical trial, the software helped deprescribe such medications in 36 per cent of long-term care residents, nearly triple as many as when reviews were done without the tool. “Sometimes we blame aging for memory loss or mobility issues when the real culprit is the ...

Lehigh University materials science and engineering (MSE) professor Christopher J. Kiely has been named the 2025 recipient of the Microanalysis Society (MAS) Presidential Science Award, which honors a senior scientist for “outstanding technical contributions to the field of microanalysis over a sustained period of time.” Kiely, the Harold B. Chambers Senior Professor of Materials Science and Engineering in Lehigh’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, is recognized internationally for his pioneering work in transmission electron microscopy ...

A team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has developed a low-cost, non-invasive method to estimate total leaf area in dwarf tomato plants using 3D reconstruction from standard video footage. The study applies structure-from-motion techniques and machine learning to predict plant growth with remarkable accuracy. This innovative approach eliminates the need for expensive sensors or destructive sampling, making precision agriculture more accessible. The method holds promise for scaling crop monitoring across greenhouses and open fields alike. [Hebrew University ...

Due to rapid advancement of aerospace industry, severe aerodynamic heating phenomenon results in the service temperature of thermal insulation component above 2000°C. However, common oxide thermal insulation materials cannot survive in elevated ultrahigh temperature due to their relatively low melting points. Hence, it is urgent and necessary to develop new ultrahigh-temperature insulation materials with low density, high strength, extremely low thermal conductivity, and outstanding thermal stability. As is well known, ultrahigh-temperature ceramic (UHTC) is a series of promising ultrahigh-temperature thermal ...

Over the past decade, the number of picture books that parents can read to young children about personal boundaries and saying “no” to inappropriate touching has ballooned, as attention to preventing sexual abuse grows. But many of the books contain “key gaps” in teaching concepts experts recommend to help children begin to understand consent, according to a study by a pair of Washington State University researchers. They analyzed more than 100 picture books for children ages 3-8, comparing them against key tenets of consent education and child abuse prevention identified in past research. Most of the books conveyed messages aligned with some of those tenets, such as ...

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (08/04/2024) — In a major step toward next-generation electronics, researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have discovered a way to manipulate the direction of charge flow in ultrathin metallic films at room temperature using light. This discovery opens the door to more energy-efficient optical sensors, detectors, and quantum information devices.  The research is published in Science Advances, a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary, high-impact scientific journal. The team showed that ultra-thin layers of ruthenium dioxide (RuO2), grown on titanium dioxide ...

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (08/04/2025) — Large surface waves produced by powerboats are a mainstay for recreational watersports. A new study from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities shows that beneath the surface, factors such as propeller thrust and other types of waves can impact delicate lakebed ecosystems. Researchers at the University of Minnesota's St. Anthony Falls Laboratory built on previous research to study the effects of powerboats on lake ecosystems over the 2022 and 2023 field seasons. The team placed acoustic-based sensors that measured pressure and velocities through the water column ...