Researchers from Kyoto University have achieved a groundbreaking advancement in materials science by developing the world's first three-dimensional van der Waals open frameworks (WaaFs). This innovation challenges the conventional belief that van der Waals interactions are too weak for open framework materials, demonstrating their potential for stable and highly porous materials. Published in Nature Chemistry, the study presents a strategy using octahedral metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) as building blocks to construct WaaFs. These frameworks exhibit high thermal stability, exceptional porosity, and reversible assembly, opening new avenues for applications in gas storage, separation, ...

Global population datasets, crucial for decision-making by governments and institutions, may underestimate rural populations by as much as 53% to 84%, reveals an Aalto University study.  Governments, international bodies and researchers rely on global population data for resource allocation and infrastructure planning to disease epidemiology and disaster risk management. In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers from Aalto University in Finland show the profound and systematic extent to which these datasets underestimate ...

Modern humans descended from not one, but at least two ancestral populations that drifted apart and later reconnected, long before modern humans spread across the globe. Using advanced analysis based on full genome sequences, researchers from the University of Cambridge have found evidence that modern humans are the result of a genetic mixing event between two ancient populations that diverged around 1.5 million years ago. About 300,000 years ago, these groups came back together, with one group contributing 80% of the genetic makeup of modern humans and the other contributing 20%. For the last two decades, the prevailing view in human evolutionary genetics has been that Homo sapiens first ...

A first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence (AI)-based neural network can rapidly analyse and interpret millions of cells from a patient sample, predicting molecular changes in the tissue. It can potentially pinpoint where personalised treatments could be most effective for conditions such as cancer. NicheCompass leverages the power of generative AI to create a visual database combining spatial genomic data on cell types, where they are found, and how they communicate. Created by researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Institute of AI for Health ...

Although fungi of the genus Piloderma are common, scientists have now discovered five previously unknown species. One of these is one of the most widely distributed species in Northern Europe, while another is found only in old-growth forests. The discoveries, published in Fungal Biology, show that diversity in this genus is much greater than previously thought and that some of its species are at risk of disappearing as old-growth forest is logged.  Many of the fungi of the genus Piloderma are among the most common fungal species ...

A new paper in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that different nicotine pouches, which have become very popular in recent years, particularly among young people, may influence user preferences very differently. An investigation using rats finds some flavors lead to much more nicotine consumption than others. According to the World Health Organization, tobacco use remains a major global health threat, with 1.3 billion tobacco users, and 8 million tobacco-related deaths annually. ...

Small amounts of a common antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drug can curb symptoms where a misplaced immune reaction (e.g., autoimmunity) can cause permanent hair loss, a new study shows. This regimen may also come with fewer side effects than higher doses of the medication. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the study explored lymphocytic scarring alopecia, a rare skin condition in which the body’s immune cells damage hair follicles, leading to hair loss and scarring. Physicians typically treat this chronic disorder with relatively high doses of the antibiotic doxycycline, often ...

Friendships are critical parts of our lives. Staying in touch with friends online is crucially important, especially for teenagers. Fostering friendships online, however, takes time and might require near constant availability, which can cause digital stress that can arise when expectations on social media are not met. This in turn, can lead to conflicts among friends. New research published in Frontiers in Digital Health by scientists in Italy highlights how social media expectations within friend groups and digital stress shape adolescent friendships and conflicts over time. “We show that adolescents’ perceptions of social media norms and perceptions of unique features ...

XIAMEN, China, 18 March 2025 – A groundbreaking peer-reviewed Thought Leaders Invited Review article in Brain Medicine (Genomic Press, New York) explores how CD2-associated protein (CD2AP) contributes to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), one of the most devastating neurodegenerative disorders affecting millions worldwide. CD2AP, initially identified for its role in cellular transport and cytoskeletal architecture, has now emerged as a crucial factor in AD pathology​. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have established CD2AP as a major genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease ...

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, 18 March 2025 – A pioneering peer-reviewed research study published in Brain Medicine provides compelling evidence that maternal infections during pregnancy can have lasting effects on offspring brain function. Researchers from the Slovak Academy of Sciences investigated the impact of maternal immune activation (MIA) on hippocampal pyramidal neurons in newborn rat offspring and found that prenatal inflammation significantly impairs neuronal excitability. These changes in brain function may underlie the increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders associated with maternal infections​. “Maternal ...

Zürich/Lausanne, Switzerland – 18 March 2025 – inait today announced a collaboration with Microsoft to accelerate the development and commercialization of inait’s innovative AI technology, using its unique digital brain AI platform. The collaboration will focus on joint product development, go-to-market strategies, and co-selling initiatives, initially targeting the finance and robotics sectors. inait's AI technology, born from decades of neuroscience research offers a paradigm shift in artificial intelligence. Its “brain programming language” and ability to learn from experience and understand cause and effect delivers cognitive ...

LAUSANNE, March 18, 2025 – The Open Brain Institute (OBI) launches today as a groundbreaking non-profit organization, transforming neuroscience from the physical to the virtual world. Building on the pioneering achievements of the EPFL’s Blue Brain Project, OBI opens the era of simulation neuroscience—empowering researchers to build and simulate digital brains with unprecedented detail, scale, and speed. AI has been given access to the software recipe to build digital brains, providing natural language support to researchers to explore, build and ...

Helicobacter pylori bacteria is considered to be the main cause of gastric cancer, with the infection rate particularly high in the Asia-Pacific region. Approximately 90% of cases are linked to H. pylori bacterial infections, but preemptive eradication can reduce the incidence of gastric cancer by 30-40%. However, the increase in antimicrobial drug-resistant bacteria used in eradication therapy is a major issue. In addition, while secondary prevention through endoscopic examinations is also important for the early detection of gastric cancer, it is not clear to what extent Asia-Pacific practitioners recognize its importance. An international ...

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 00:01 AM UK TIME ON TUESDAY 18 MARCH 2025 Almost one in ten people (9.1%) in England think they could have Long Covid but aren’t sure, according to a new analysis of NHS England survey data by the University of Southampton. Researchers also found that 4.8% of people reported having Long Covid, with higher rates among people living in deprived areas, people with particular ethnic backgrounds, parents or carers, and those with another long-term condition. The findings are published today [18 March] ...

Researchers at Heriot-Watt University have made a ground-breaking discovery paving the way for a transformative era in photonic technology. For decades, scientists have theorised the possibility of manipulating the optical properties of light by adding a new dimension—time. This once-elusive concept has now become a reality thanks to nanophotonics experts from the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences in Edinburgh, Scotland. The team’s breakthrough emerged from experiments with nanomaterials known as transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) - a special ...

(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – March 17, 2025) As the H5N1 avian influenza outbreak continues, scientists are working to better understand the virus’s threat to human health. The virus has been found in dairy cows’ milk and has infected farm workers, prompting scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to study potential treatments. Results showed that in a preclinical model, two FDA–approved flu antivirals generally did not successfully treat severe H5N1 infections. Additionally, the researchers found that the route of infection, whether through ...

Thomas Jefferson University has initiated a phase 1 clinical trial for a Lassa virus (LASV) vaccine developed at Jefferson in collaboration with the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), at the Center of Vaccine Development and Global Health, UMB. Currently, there are no approved vaccines against the Lassa virus. The clinical study is a dose-ranging study that will assess the safety and immunogenicity of the candidate vaccine for both the rabies virus and LASV. The experimental vaccine is based on an attenuated and killed rabies virus vaccine similar to current rabies vaccines and has an additional ...

Outpatient primary care clinics at Hebrew SeniorLife’s Orchard Cove and NewBridge on the Charles communities have been recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) as Age-Friendly Health Systems — Committed to Care Excellence. “I want to express my gratitude to the team at Hebrew SeniorLife for your dedication to age-friendly care,” said Leslie Pelton, MPA, Vice President, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). “Age-Friendly Health Systems and IHI celebrate your recognition as an Age-Friendly ...

For decades, atomic clocks have been the pinnacle of precision timekeeping, enabling GPS navigation, cutting-edge physics research, and tests of fundamental theories. But researchers at JILA, led by JILA and NIST Fellow and University of Colorado Boulder physics professor Jun Ye, in collaboration with the Technical University of Vienna, are pushing beyond atomic transitions to something potentially even more stable: a nuclear clock. This clock could revolutionize timekeeping by using a uniquely low-energy transition within the nucleus of a thorium-229 atom. This transition is less sensitive to environmental disturbances than modern atomic clocks and has been proposed for tests of fundamental ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, March 17, 2025 Contact: Jillian McKoy, jpmckoy@bu.edu  Michael Saunders, msaunder@bu.edu  ##  As health complications and deaths from alcohol use disorder (AUD) increase in the United States, it is critical that people who could benefit from medications have access to the drugs that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved to treat AUD. Yet, for individuals who have alcohol use disorder and are covered by Medicaid, accessing these medications is difficult; past research indicates that only about 1 in 20 Medicaid enrollees with alcohol use disorder receive these ...

Mount Sinai Researchers Find Specific Therapy That Teaches Patients to Tolerate Stomach and Body Discomfort Improved Functional Brain Deficits Linked to Visceral Disgust That Can Cause Food Avoidance in Adolescent Females with Anorexia Nervosa and other Low-Weight Eating Disorders Corresponding Author:  Kurt P. Schulz, PhD, Associate Professor, Center of Excellence in Eating and Weight Disorders, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, and other co-authors Bottom Line: A trial of interoceptive exposure - a therapy that teaches patients how to tolerate stomach and body discomfort in order to reduce restrictive eating - improved functional deficits in a brain region ...

Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, threads, and Linkedin         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 on behalf ...

18th March 2025, Sydney: In an Australian first, a team of scientists led by Australian Museum and UNSW Sydney palaeontologist, Dr Matthew McCurry, have described a new species of 15-million-year-old fossilised freshwater fish, Ferruaspis brocksi, that shows preserved stomach contents as well as the pattern of colouration. The research is published today in The Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology (DOI - 10.1080/02724634.2024.2445684) Named after Professor Jochen J. Brocks from the Australian National University, who discovered several of the fossilised species at the Australian Museum’s, McGraths Flat fossil site near Gulgong, NSW, Ferruaspis brocksi is the first ...

  EMBARGOED UNTIL 3/17/2025, 3:00PM ET   March 17, 2025   Slow, Silent ‘Scream’ of Epithelial Cells Detected for First Time Team from UMass Amherst uncovers communication by “electric spiking” in cells once thought to be mute, which could enable bioelectric applications   AMHERST, Mass. — It has long been thought that only nerve and heart cells use electric impulses to communicate, while epithelial cells — which compose the linings of our skin, organs ...

Modern birds are the living relatives of dinosaurs. Take a look at the features of flightless birds like chickens and ostriches that walk upright on two hind legs, or predators like eagles and hawks with their sharp talons and keen eyesight, and the similarities to small theropod dinosaurs like the velociraptors of Jurassic Park fame are striking. Yet birds differ from their reptile ancestors in many important ways. A turning point in their evolution was the development of larger brains, which in turn led to changes in the size and shape of their skulls. New research from ...