August 12, 2025 Personalized pricing can backfire on companies, says study Toronto - Personalized pricing, where merchants adjust prices according to the pile of data about a consumer’s willingness to pay, has been criticized for its potential to unfairly drive-up prices for certain customers. But new research shows that the practice can also hurt sellers' profits. Consumers commonly experience personalized pricing through digital coupons or other discount offers they receive either as ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Animals like bats, whales and insects have long used acoustic signals for communication and navigation. Now, an international team of scientists have taken a page from nature's playbook to model micro-sized robots that use sound waves to coordinate into large swarms that exhibit intelligent-like behavior. The robot groups could one day carry out complex tasks like exploring disaster zones, cleaning up pollution, or performing medical treatments from inside the body, according to team lead Igor Aronson, Huck Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering, ...

Researchers at the Optics and Photonics Research Center (CePOF) have succeeded in increasing the susceptibility of the fungus Candida albicans to drug treatment through light-activated therapy. The results of the study offer a promising alternative in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, a growing global problem that occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other parasites develop genetic mutations that render them resistant to drugs. In the study, published in the journal Photochemistry and Photobiology, the researchers evaluated photodynamic inactivation (PDI) combined with the antifungal ...

The underlying physics governing the center of our galaxy (the Galactic Center), due to its chaotic and complex nature, has been difficult to observe, model, and predict. Studying the region’s interactions and the environment where they occur helps to unravel the mystery and lead to a better understanding of the center of our, and even other, galaxies. The central region of the Milky Way, known as the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), is a vast reservoir of interstellar gas and dust orbiting the center of the galaxy and an ideal place to study astrophysics in extreme environments. One particular site within the CMZ named ...

OKLAHOMA CITY – University of Oklahoma researchers are conducting a first-of-its-kind study to determine whether cannabis use affects recovery from the wounds associated with head and neck cancer surgery. The outcomes may have implications for other types of surgery and conditions. Lurdes Queimado, M.D., Ph.D., and Mark Mims, M.D., have been funded by the Presbyterian Health Foundation in Oklahoma City to lead the research, which will include 220 adult patients undergoing surgery for head and neck cancer and reconstruction after the tumor removal. Many such surgeries compromise both appearance and physiological ...

With large eyes, razor sharp teeth and a compact body built for hunting, Janjucetus dullardi is nothing like the gentle giants we know today, but this newly discovered ancient whale is one of their earliest cousins. Scientists at Museums Victoria’s Research Institute have described a new species of ancient whale from a 26-million-year-old fossil found near Jan Juc, on Wadawurrung Country, along Victoria’s Surf Coast. The discovery offers remarkable insight into the early evolution of baleen whales – the filter-feeding giants that now cruise our oceans. Janjucetus dullardi was no ocean giant – it was a fast, sharp-toothed ...

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) and STEMCELL Technologies are proud to announce a new partnership to produce a free, on-demand course for researchers seeking to incorporate the ISSCR Standards for Human Stem Cell Use in Research in their work. This collaborative educational initiative will provide researchers, students, and technicians with practical guidance on how to apply the ISSCR Standards – launched in 2023 – to responsibly use human pluripotent and tissue stem cells. Through interactive modules and expert instruction, the ...

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 12, 2025 — According to research by the University of California, Irvine, women with Down syndrome have more advanced signs of Alzheimer’s disease than men do at the average age of diagnosis, which is the same for both sexes. The findings, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, can shape how we understand and approach treatments for Alzheimer’s in this population and beyond. The National Institutes of Health supported the study. “If women with ...

(Chicago, Ill Aug 12, 2025)  While the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be widely studied and debated, the financial toll of the COVID-19 pandemic for individual patients is less understood. To address this gap, Rush University Medical Center analyzed self-reported data from more than 3,600 participants in the INSPIRE (Innovative Support for Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infections Registry) to assess return-to-work, work productivity, and financial toxicity. The INSPIRE study found that individuals with long COVID-19 experienced worse financial and employment outcomes – lasting up to three years after their initial infection. Notably, vaccination against COVID-19 ...

NEW YORK, (August 11, 2025) – The American Cancer Society (ACS) has awarded The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai a $4.08 million grant to establish the Cancer Health Research Center at Mount Sinai, a new initiative dedicated to reducing cancer-related health inequities across New York City. The Center aims to become a leading model for community-driven research that addresses disparities across the cancer care continuum, from prevention to end-of-life support. The primary goal of the Center is to conduct research focused on community-engaged navigation to address multi-level social determinants of health. The center will collaborate ...

Tan To Conduct Investigation Of Ferroelectric Oxides As Heterogeneous Photocatalysts For Ethane Dehydrogenation Xiaoyan Tan, Assistant Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Science, is set to receive funding for the project: “Investigation of Ferroelectric Oxides as Heterogeneous Photocatalysts for Ethane Dehydrogenation.” Tan will receive $125,000 from American Chemical Society for this research. Funding will begin in Sept. 2025 and will end in late Aug. 2027.               ...

Kun Sun, Professor, Information Sciences and Technology, College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), is set to receive funding for the project: “Collaborative Research: CIRC: Planning-C: An Infrastructure and Dataset for Research in Software Vulnerability Detection and Remediation.”  Sun will plan an infrastructure featuring a continuous collection framework that captures scalable and multimodal data to facilitate high-impact software vulnerability research through a series of planning activities.  He and his collaborators will conduct surveys and interviews with the security, software engineering, and human-computer interaction communities to understand researchers’ ...

As autism diagnoses continue to grow and remain a topic of nationwide debate, new research reveals that autistic individuals are facing mental health challenges at a major turning point in their lives – when they go to college. According to a new study led by researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York, autistic college students face dramatically higher rates of anxiety and depression compared to their non-autistic peers.  Psychologists at Binghamton University examined data from the National Survey ...

Researchers at the Gray Fossil Site and Museum have discovered something surprisingly familiar among the site’s exotic ancient tapirs and rhinos: the first fossil deer, representing one of the earliest records of the deer family in North America.    The newly described fossils of Eocoileus gentryorum, detailed in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica, offers a fascinating glimpse into the deep roots of America’s most recognizable wildlife.     These 5-million-year-old fossils reveal the ...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is improved by incorporating CT lung imaging and respiratory symptoms. This fresh, multidimensional approach better identifies patients who are at risk of poor respiratory outcomes, while ruling out those who have airflow obstruction without respiratory symptoms or structural lung disease, Surya Bhatt, M.D., and colleagues report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “This new COPD diagnostic schema, which includes ...

Richard Gordon, the W.M. Keck Foundation Professor of Geophysics, Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Rice University, has been named the 2025 recipient of the George P. Woollard Award from the Geological Society of America (GSA). The award recognizes a career of outstanding contributions to geology through the application of geophysical principles and techniques. Gordon’s work has transformed our understanding of global plate motions and plate boundary deformation. “This is a special honor for me,” Gordon said. “Some of the past recipients have been mentors, close colleagues ...

August 12, 2025 — A new study published in JAMA Network Open reveals that the legacy of redlining—a discriminatory housing policy from the 1930s—is associated with inequities in rapid access to emergency medical services (EMS) today. These disparities in prehospital care can have serious consequences for patients experiencing life-threatening conditions such as major trauma, stroke, cardiac arrest, or septic shock. The nationwide study found that communities once labeled as “hazardous” (Grade D) on historical Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) maps are significantly ...

PHILADELPHIA—The Pew Charitable Trusts today announced the 22 researchers joining the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. These early-career scientists will receive four years of funding to uncover fundamental insights about human health and disease. “For 40 years, Pew has supported young, talented researchers as they take creative approaches to solving big scientific questions,” said Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Pew’s senior vice president for Philadelphia and scientific advancement. ...

PHILADEPHIA—The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust announced today the 2025 class of the Pew-Stewart Scholars Program for Cancer Research. The five early-career scientists will each receive four-year grants to conduct innovative research projects spanning cancer development, diagnosis, and treatment. This is the 12th year the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust has partnered with Pew to support promising cancer researchers. “Cancer continues to have a profound impact on the lives of so many, but scientific advancements hold hope for improving how we ...

PHILADELPHIA—The Pew Charitable Trusts today announced the 2025 class of the Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences. The 10 postdoctoral fellows from five Latin American countries—Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico—will receive two years of funding to conduct research in laboratories throughout the United States. They will work under the mentorship of prominent biomedical scientists, including alumni from the Latin American fellows program and the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. “Scientific ...

Vaginal health is tightly linked to the balance of bacteria in the microbiome, especially certain species of Lactobacillus. When this balance is disturbed—a condition known as dysbiosis—it can lead to increased risk of infections, complications during pregnancy, and other long-term health concerns. Despite this risk, existing diagnostic methods often fall short, especially in detecting Lactobacillus iners, an important vaginal bacterium, which doesn't always show up under a microscope or in lab cultures. Researchers at Vanderbilt University are ...

Advances in technology have led to the miniaturization of many mechanical, electronic, chemical and biomedical products, and with that, an evolution in the way these tiny components and parts are transported is necessary to follow. Transport systems, such as those based on conveyor belts, suffer from the challenge of friction, which drastically slows the speed and precision of small transport. Researchers from YOKOHAMA National University addressed this issue by developing an untethered levitation device capable of moving in all directions. The frictionless design ...

In a recently published study, researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center revealed for the first time that cancer cells can evade anti-cancer drugs by entering and surviving within bone marrow fibroblasts, a phenomenon they describe as “cell-in-cell.” The results of this five-year study, led by Y. Lynn Wang, MD, PhD, FCAP, a Professor and physician-scientist in the Department of Pathology and the Cell Signaling and Microenvironment Research Program at Fox Chase, could mark a major change in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia ...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2025 – Medical imaging methods such as ultrasound and MRI are often affected by background noise, which can introduce blurring and obscure fine anatomical details in the images. For clinicians who depend on medical images, background noise is a fundamental problem in making accurate diagnoses. Methods for denoising have been developed with some success, but they struggle with the complexity of noise patterns in medical images and require manual tuning of parameters, adding complexity to the denoising process. To solve the denoising problem, some researchers have drawn inspiration from quantum mechanics, which describes how matter and energy behave at the ...

What is Long COVID?   Despite hundreds of published studies and millions affected worldwide, the medical field still lacks a clear answer.   New research from UCLA finds that the definition of Long COVID varies so widely across published studies that the percentage of people identified as having the condition can differ dramatically, making it harder to treat patients and advance research.   The study, published August 12 in JAMA Network Open, highlights just how much the lack of a standard definition is clouding our understanding of Long COVID.  “The findings highlight the need for ...