A groundbreaking study conducted across 30 field sites in the southwest UK has revealed the importance of incorporating varied habitats into the landscape at large. The research, published today in Nature and led by ecologists at the University of Bristol, addresses critical questions in conservation and land management, shedding new light on species interactions and how food chains operate across multiple habitats. The study found significant differences in food web structures among landscapes with one, two, or three habitats, including a more evenly distributed abundance of species. Multi-habitat landscapes host a higher number ...

Physicists from the STAR Collaboration have observed a new antimatter hypernucleus, antihyperhydrogen-4, for the first time. This is the heaviest antimatter hypernucleus discovered in experiments to date. This study, led by researchers from the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was published in Nature on Aug. 21. Current physics assumes that the properties of matter and antimatter are symmetrical and that equal amounts of matter and antimatter existed at the birth of the universe. However, some mysterious physical mechanism caused the annihilation of most matter and antimatter, with only about one in ten billion matter particles ...

Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGIDs), also known as disorders of gut-brain interaction, encompass a wide range of conditions that cannot be attributed to structural, biochemical, or organic abnormalities. These disorders vary significantly from infancy to adulthood, with distinct manifestations in neonates/toddlers and children/adolescents. The ROME criteria, updated periodically, currently in use is ROME IV, which facilitates early and accurate diagnosis of FGIDs. Despite their prevalence, pediatric FGIDs pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to children's inability to articulate symptoms and the influence ...

The interaction between humans and their environment, mediated by nutrition, plays a crucial role in regulating inflammatory responses. Chronic inflammatory diseases have been on the rise, and the scientific community has been actively exploring pro-inflammatory nutrients as potential therapeutic targets. Gluten, a major component of wheat, barley, and rye, has been implicated in numerous health issues, particularly celiac disease (CD). This review essay summarizes the key findings of a recent study published in the Journal of Translational Gastroenterology, focusing on the proinflammatory effects of gluten and its implications in autoimmunity. Gluten and ...

While animals in drylands hone their natural senses to find vegetation, humans have developed “external eyes” to track these vital resources.   Scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have created an advanced method that integrates high-frequency near-surface camera data with broader satellite imagery to better monitor and assess dryland ecosystems. Their approach could aid in taking timely action to prevent land degradation, contributing to improved environmental management and conservation strategies.   Their results were published in the Journal of Remote Sensing on July 8.   Drylands, including ...

Data published today in the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst reported that MedPearl, a Providence-developed clinician-built clinical decision platform, improves primary care clinician productivity, decreases time waste on administrative tasks and improves the quality of referrals sent to specialists. The paper details operational outcomes from MedPearl’s use among more than 4,000 active monthly clinician users and shows statistically significant improvement in total productivity, after-hours time spent in the EMR and incremental margin per referral ...

East Hanover, NJ – August 21, 2024 – Kessler Foundation researchers have published a new clinical study investigating the effects of robotic postural stand training combined with spinal cord epidural stimulation (Stand-scES) on trunk control in individuals with high-level spinal cord injury (SCI). The open access article, “Effects of Robotic Postural Stand Training with Epidural Stimulation on Sitting Postural Control in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study” (doi.org/10.3390/jcm13154309) was published in the Journal of Clinical ...

PITTSBURGH - Carnegie Mellon University will be a core partner in a new multi-institutional collaboration that has received $26 million from the National Science Foundation to launch an Engineering Research Center (ERC) dedicated to revolutionizing the ability of robots to amplify human labor. Nine Carnegie Mellon University faculty members, with expertise ranging from Softbotics, engineering, and computer science to psychology, and diversity and inclusion, will help to develop highly dexterous robotic hands, user-friendly interfaces, ...

Epigenetics, the modification of chromosomes without altering DNA sequences, serves as a crucial regulatory mechanism for gene expression. Among the various epigenetic marks, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications on RNA have gained significant attention in recent years for their role in various biological processes, including cancer development and progression. This article reviews the latest advances in understanding the role of m6A modifications in leukemia, a heterogeneous group of hematological malignancies. Role of m6A Modification in Leukemia m6A Writers and Erasers m6A modifications ...

In an era where technology increasingly merges with healthcare to enhance patient outcomes, a groundbreaking study conducted by Fuyang Yu and his colleagues introduces an innovative approach to lower limb rehabilitation. Their research, published in Cyborg Bionic Systems, outlines the development of a lower limb rehabilitation robot designed to significantly improve the safety and effectiveness of gait training through a novel method based on human-robot interaction force measurement. Rehabilitation robots are ...

There may be a way to slow the growth of endometrial cancer through targeted cancer cell therapy, according to new research from the University of Missouri School of Medicine. This year, around 65,000 women are expected to be diagnosed with endometrial cancer, the most common cancer of the female reproductive organs. An increased risk in development for multiple human cancers is associated with mutations in the PTEN protein, which normally regulates cell division and growth. The mutation allows cells to multiply uncontrollably.  Using mice models, Krystina Dunston, research lab manager and NextGen Precision Health researchers Tae Hoon Kim and Jae-Wook Jeong, studied the ...

Québec City, August 21, 2024 – A research team from Université Laval has shown the benefits of camu-camu on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which affects over seven million people in Canada. This exotic fruit reduces liver fat levels.   Over 12 weeks, thirty participants took either camu-camu extract or a placebo at different times in this randomized clinical trial. Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine fat levels in the liver. Scientists observed a 7.43% reduction in liver lipids when study participants took camu-camu extract. With the ...

Inside the next generation of fusion vessels known as spherical tokamaks, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) envisioned a hot region with flowing liquid metal that is reminiscent of a subterranean cave. Researchers say evaporating liquid metal could protect the inside of the tokamak from the intense heat of the plasma. It’s an idea that dates back several decades and is tied to one of the Lab’s strengths: working with liquid metals. “PPPL’s expertise in using liquid metals, ...

A new study on songbirds sheds light on the power of social interaction to facilitate learning, insights that potentially apply to human development. McGill University researchers discovered that zebra finches deprived of early social experiences could still form strong bonds with a partner later in life. Once placed into cohabitation with a male, females that had never heard a mating song before could quickly develop a preference for his melody. The findings, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society ...

First, lunar ISPP is analyzed from aspects of lunar resources, near-term lunar processes, carbothermal process, polar ice, and reduction of iron oxides. There are basically 4 potential lunar resources: (1) Silicates in regolith containing typically >40% oxygen. (2) Regolith containing FeO for hydrogen reduction. FeO content may vary from 5% to 14%, leading to recoverable oxygen content in the 1 to 3% range. (3) Imbedded atoms in regolith from solar wind (typically parts per million). (4) Water ice in regolith pores in permanently shadowed craters near the poles (unknown percentage but ...

First, the payload requirements and problems faced by traditional multi-beam antenna are described. The user beam of the VHTS payload system mainly uses Ka-band multi-beam antenna for a large range of area coverage, and the number of beams in the coverage area is not less than 500, usually using 7-color frequency reuse scheme（Fig. 2）. At present, the spaceborne multi-beam antenna technology applied to high-throughput communication satellites is usually divided into  multi-aperture multi-beam antenna and passive multi-feed ...

Contact NEJM Group Media Relations (mediarelations@nejm.org) if you’d like to receive full-text articles and author contact information for the articles listed below. Embargoed Until 9 AM ET on Wednesday, August 21 The African American Transplant Access Program: Mitigating Disparities in Solid Organ Transplantation D. Simpson The Journey to an Incentive-Based Health Equity Quality Index (Embargo lifted August 14) E. Cheng A Physician-Created Platform to Speed Clinical Decision-Making and Referral Workflow E. Cunningham How a Robust Community ...

WASHINGTON—The Endocrine Society today announced it has chosen 14 leading endocrinologists as winners of its prestigious 2025 Laureate Awards, the top honors in the field. Endocrinologists are scientists and medical doctors who specialize in unraveling the mysteries of hormone disorders to care for patients and cure diseases. These professionals have achieved breakthroughs in scientific discoveries and clinical care benefiting people with hundreds of conditions, including diabetes, thyroid disorders, ...

The United States National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation have announced a $1.3 million collaborative grant to the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Florida Atlantic University, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, and Old Dominion University, for a project designed to cost-effectively identify and track wildlife using artificial intelligence. Xingquan “Hill” Zhu, Ph.D., principal investigator and a professor in the FAU Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, is spearheading the project in collaboration with FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and Charles ...

Individuals with diabetes and obesity may have nutritional deficiencies that go undiagnosed and untreated, which can impact overall health Providing health care professionals with nutrition tools is key to supporting patient care Abbott’s grant to the American Diabetes Association will fund evidence generation on the nutritional needs and impact of nutrition formulas on people with diabetes and those living with obesity   ARLINGTON, Va. and ABBOTT, Ill., August 20, 2024 — The American Diabetes Association® (ADA) and Abbott recently announced a collaboration to better understand the nutritional needs of people ...

The idea of electrically stimulating a brain region called the central thalamus has gained traction among researchers and clinicians because it can help arouse subjects from unconscious states induced by traumatic brain injury or anesthesia, and can boost cognition and performance in awake animals. But the method, called CT-DBS, can have a side effect: seizures. A new study by researchers at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) who were testing the method in awake mice, quantifies the probability of seizures at different stimulation currents and cautions that they sometimes occurred even at low ...

The integration of machine learning (ML) and automation in laboratory medicine marks a significant advancement, revolutionizing diagnostic accuracy and operational efficiency. This review examines the impact of these technologies, highlighting both their potential benefits and the challenges they pose. The advent of automation combined with ML has introduced new capabilities in pattern detection, predictive analytics, and sophisticated data handling, which are crucial for navigating the complexities of biomedical data. However, these advancements also bring concerns regarding data privacy, the need for stringent validation procedures, and the integration of new technologies into existing ...

Evolution has enabled plants to survive under adverse conditions. The winter bud of a plant is a crucial structure that establishes adaptability. Depending on environmental and intrinsic conditions, buds can transition between growth and dormancy. The three dormancy phases are determined by signals triggering each phase: ecodormancy, influenced by environmental factors; paradormancy, promoted by other plant organs; and endodormancy, maintained by internal signals within the bud. Paradormant buds enter endodormancy in response to changes in day length and/or low temperature in autumn, while endo-and eco-dormant phases occur ...

Scientists on the team of Dr Lenka Maletínská have developed a promising new compound derived from one of the peptides naturally occurring in the brain. Its application may contribute to the addressing of two major health challenges of the modern days: obesity and Alzheimer's disease. The neuropeptide CART is primarily associated with the regulation of food intake. Its modified version, created at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, shows better stability and is more effective. It suppresses appetite and protects the brain by reducing the pathogenicity of the tau protein, which is associated with ...

The innovative strength of a society depends on the level of academic freedom. An international team involving the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now proven this relationship for the first time. The researchers analyzed patent applications and patent citations in a sample from around 160 countries over the 1900–2015 period in relation to indicators used in the Academic Freedom Index. In view of the global decline in academic freedom over the past 10 years, the researchers predict a loss ...