The more we rely on digital navigational tools, the more important it is that technology actually points us in the right direction. "In challenging terrain, the margins that separate safe trails from dangerous detours are very small. If the digital track is 50 metres wrong, it can have major consequences," says Ole Edward Wattne, a researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Design. How we orient ourselves Wattne and his colleague Frode Volden have investigated how people find their way when they are in the outdoors, and whether ...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – February 20, 2026 – Insilico Medicine (“Insilico”, 3696.HK) The convergence of generative AI, multimodal foundation models, and automated laboratory  systems is accelerating a fundamental transformation in drug discovery. Despite major technological progress, most pharmaceutical R&D remains fragmented across computational tools and manual experimentation.    To address this challenge, researchers from Insilico Medicine and Lilly published a landmark perspective in ACS Central Science describing a comprehensive framework for fully autonomous, AI-orchestrated drug discovery. The article, “From Prompt to Drug: Toward ...

Munich, Germany – 20 February 2026: An increase in the number of percutaneous coronary interventions does not appear to have resulted in reduced mortality rates, according to results presented today at the EAPCI Summit 2026.1 The summit is a new event organised by the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI), an association of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a life-saving procedure used to restore blood flow as soon as possible after the onset of a heart attack (myocardial ...

Tall structures like radio towers experience high wind loads that generate uplift forces at their foundations, a challenge that is increasing burden, as natural occurrences like typhoons and tornadoes become more frequent and severe. Transmission towers, telecommunication masts, and solar power installations are especially susceptible because uplift forces, rather than compressive forces, influence the foundational stability. On the other hand, the construction industry faces obstacles managing surplus excavated soil, a part of ...

Origami, the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, has received considerable attention in engineering. By applying paper-folding principles, researchers have created compact structures that are flexible, lightweight, and reconfigurable across aerospace, medicine, and robotics. Moreover, origami-inspired designs have been explored at many scales, from microscopic structures such as DNA origami to large deployable systems for space applications. More recently, integrating electronics into origami structures has enabled the development of smart sensors that combine mechanical strength, ...

Umbilical cord blood transplantation has transformed the treatment options for patients with blood cancers and other life-threatening hematological disorders, particularly when matched donors are unavailable. While cord blood is known for its ability to tolerate genetic mismatches better than other donor sources, severe immune complications remain a major barrier to long-term survival. Now, scientists from Fujita Health University have identified a specific genetic mismatch that dramatically increases the risk of the most dangerous form of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), a complication in which donor ...

Monitoring and treating heart failure (HF) is a challenging condition at any age. Several models, such as Atrial fibrillation, Hemoglobin, Elderly, Abnormal renal parameters, Diabetes mellitus (AHEAD), and BIOlogy Study to TAilored Treatment in Chronic Heart Failure (BIOSTAT) compact, have been developed to predict the likelihood of a patient’s survival based on clinical factors such as arrhythmia, anemia, age, diabetes, and ejection fraction. However, previous studies have shown that these tools, which were developed for European and North American populations, consistently underestimate the risk among older East Asian patients. ...

In our cells, our DNA carries chemical or ‘epigenetic’ marks that decide how genes will be used in different tissues. Yet in the group of specialised cells, known as ‘germ cells’, which will later form sperm and eggs, these inherited chemical instructions must be erased or reshuffled so development can begin again with a fresh blueprint in future generations.  This process, known as ‘epigenetic reprogramming’, involves wiping ...

More cases of colorectal cancer are detected at an early stage with screening. This is according to new research based on data from over 278,000 60-year-olds, who were randomly selected to undergo one of two interventions or no screening at all (usual care). The study, which is a collaboration between Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet, has been published in Nature Medicine. Cancer of the colon and rectum, known as colorectal cancer, is one of the most common cancers. Prevention and early detection are crucial to reducing the risk that the patient will die from the disease. In ...

Munich, Germany – 20 February 2026: New insights into spontaneous coronary artery dissection – a devastating cause of heart attacks in young, healthy patients – were presented today at the EAPCI Summit 2026.1 The summit is a new event organised by the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI), an association of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an emergency condition in which an inner layer of a coronary artery tears away from the outer layer. Blood collects ...

When 200 natural accessions of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana grown in a nitrate-enriched medium were compared, one observation stood out: some accessions formed significantly longer lateral roots than others. Genetic analysis revealed a difference in a gene called MEKK14. “A single amino acid in the MEKK14 protein determines how strongly a plant develops its lateral roots in the presence of nitrate,” explains Xiaofei Zhang, the study’s first author. Plants expressing the more active protein variant grow better in nitrate-rich environments. The gene encodes ...

The climate crisis is warming Antarctica fast, with potentially disastrous consequences. Now scientists have modelled the best- and worst-case scenarios for climate change in Antarctica, demonstrating just how high the stakes are — but also how much harm can still be prevented. “The Antarctic Peninsula is a special place,” said Prof Bethan Davies of Newcastle University, lead author of the article in Frontiers in Environmental Science and UK national nominee for the 2026 Frontiers Planet Prize. “Its future depends on the choices that we make today. Under a low emissions future, we can avoid the most important and detrimental impacts. ...

Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan have discovered a previously undiscovered behavior in cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus). When presented with a mirror, the tiny fish not only recognized themselves, but experimented with the mirror themselves, interacting with it using a scrap of food. The results suggest that these social fish can perform a higher level of intelligence known as ‘contingency testing,’ typically seen in intelligent marine mammals like dolphins. The group led by Specially Appointed Researcher Shumpei Sogawa and Specially Appointed Professor Masanori Kohda at the Graduate School ...

Nairobi, Kenya, 20 February 2026: Africa’s rich livestock genetic resources hold untapped potential to drive productivity, climate resilience, and sustainable development, according to a new open-access reference, African Livestock Genetic Resources and Sustainable Breeding Strategies: Unlocking a Treasure Trove and Guide for Improved Productivity. The book, officially launched today by the African Animal Breeding Network (AABNet) in partnership with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH), and the African Union’s Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), ...

Green hydrogen production technology, which utilizes renewable energy to produce eco-friendly hydrogen without carbon emissions, is gaining attention as a core technology for addressing global warming. Green hydrogen is produced through electrolysis, a process that separates hydrogen and oxygen by applying electrical energy to water, requiring low-cost, high-efficiency, high-performance catalysts. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Oh Sang-rok) announced that a research team led by Dr. Na Jongbeom and Dr. Kim Jong Min from the Center for Extreme Materials Research has developed next-generation water electrolysis catalyst ...

Getting enough sleep may be more important for heart health than many busy professionals realize. A new multicenter study conducted by researchers from Kumamoto University and the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, has found that insufficient sleep is linked to a higher risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) among working-age adults. AF is the most common type of heart rhythm disorder and is associated with serious complications such as stroke and heart failure. Although previous studies suggested a connection between sleep and AF, most relied on self-reported sleep data. ...

A collaborative research team comprised of Xin Li from Nankai University, Wei Zhang from Sichuan University, and Hanliang Zheng from Zhejiang Normal University developed a green and efficient photo-redox/hydrogen atom transfer (HAT)/chiral phosphoric acid (CPA) synergistic catalytic strategy to achieve the deracemization of α-aryl cyclic ketones, successfully synthesizing a series of chiral α-aryl cyclic ketones (Figure 1). The reaction generates a sulfur radical via a proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) process between an excited-state photosensitizer and a thiophenol, followed by hydrogen atom transfer and single-electron ...

Investigation of 30 top AI agents finds just four have published formal safety and evaluation documents relating to the actual bots.  The new wave of AI web browser agents, many designed to mimic human browsing, have the highest rates of missing safety information.   Many of us now use AI chatbots to plan meals and write emails, AI-enhanced web browsers to book travel and buy tickets, and workplace AI to generate invoices and performance reports.   However, a new study of the “AI agent ecosystem” suggests that as these ...

Human beings are social animals; they need places to relax, connect with others, and feel a sense of belonging beyond the demands of home and work. Traditionally, these ‘third places’ are thought to be limited to cafes, clubs, gardens, and other neighborhood community spots. However, with an increase in digitally shaped life schedules, a new question arises: Do online spaces offer the same social values as offline ones? “Video games and social media are often considered to be isolating or overly ...

The University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine continues to boost its standing in the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR) rankings, moving to No. 8 among public medical schools in the nation and to No. 21 among all medical schools, with half of its 18 clinical Departments landing in the top 15. Annual Blue Ridge rankings are determined by total funding granted from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to researchers at U.S. medical schools and their departments. This year, BRIMR ranked the Department of Pediatrics No. 1 with more than $63 million in funding from the NIH, the Department ...

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — Mayo Clinic is opening a representative office in the Cayman Islands to help patients, their families, health insurers and others interested in connecting with Mayo Clinic. The office on Grand Cayman Island is Mayo's first in the Caymans and third in the Caribbean.    The Mayo Clinic Representative Office staff will help patients in the Cayman Islands and surrounding area make appointments at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; ...

Acoustic frequency combs organize sound or mechanical vibrations into a series of evenly spaced frequencies, much like the teeth on a comb. They are the acoustic counterparts of optical frequency combs, which consist of equally spaced spectral lines and act as extraordinarily precise rulers for measuring light. While optical frequency combs have revolutionized fields such as precision metrology, spectroscopy, and astronomy, acoustic frequency combs utilize sound waves, which interact with materials in fundamentally different ways ...

When “quiet” isn’t quiet enough: how shallow sleep in infants may relate to autism  Peer reviewed – experimental study - humans Babies with an increased likelihood of autism may struggle to settle into deep, restorative sleep, according to a new study from the University of East Anglia. Researchers studied the link between sleep and sensory sensitivity, which is common in neurodivergent infants. They found that when babies with this trait napped in a noisy environment, their deep sleep was considerably disrupted. But even ...

(IDAHO FALLS, Idaho) — The National Reactor Innovation Center’s Molten Salt Thermophysical Examination Capability is set to begin operation in March, marking a pivotal step toward advancing reactor and fuel cycle technologies. MSTEC, located at the Idaho National Laboratory, is a state-of-the-art, shielded argon glove box for irradiated and nonirradiated actinide materials, specifically high-temperature liquids such as fuel salts. This is one of NRIC’s multiple testing capabilities advancing nuclear energy in the United States. NRIC officially unveiled the capability today during a small ceremony. It was attended ...

The International Progressive MS Alliance has awarded €6.9 million to three global studies aimed at finding solutions for the most common symptoms experienced by people living with progressive MS, including fatigue, cognitive impairment, pain and mobility. The Well-Being Phase II Efficacy Awards are part of the Alliance’s overall Well-being Research Pipeline, a large, multi-stage initiative to design, test and implement innovative approaches to solve some of the most difficult aspects of living with progressive MS. The three projects include: Comparison of Self-Guided, Coached and Therapist-Delivered Pain Self-Management ...