Physicists in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have created a compact laser that emits extremely bright, short pulses of light in a useful but difficult-to-achieve wavelength range, packing the performance of larger photonic devices onto a single chip. Published in Nature, the research is the first demonstration of an on-chip, picosecond, mid-infrared laser pulse generator that requires no external components to operate. The device can make what’s called an optical frequency comb, a spectrum of light consisting of equally spaced frequency lines (like a comb), used today in precision measurements. ...

About The Study: This analysis found that past-month binge drinking among young adult females in 2021-2023 was higher than males, reversing 2017-2019 patterns, whereas males in other age groups continued to binge and heavy drink at higher rates. These findings may be due to more rapid decreases in binge drinking over time among young adult males relative to females, or to plateauing or increases in binge drinking among females. Further investigation using other nationally representative surveys is needed to elucidate these explanations. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Bryant Shuey, MD, MPH, email bryant.shuey@pitt.edu. To ...

Beneath Yellowstone lies a magma reservoir, pulsing with molten and superheated rock and exsolved gases. Scientists have long known about the chamber’s existence, but have yet to precisely locate its uppermost boundary and characterize the contents of the chamber closest to the surface—information crucial for understanding the potential perils this volcanic feature poses. That changed this week with new research by seismologists from the University of Utah and the University of New Mexico (UNM) who used hundreds of portable seismometers and a mechanical vibration source to render 2D seismic reflection images of the ground beneath Yellowstone’s caldera. Using ...

A team of scientists led by Prof. LIU Zhaoping at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Chicago and other institutions, has developed zero thermal expansion (ZTE) materials. This innovation has achieved nearly 100% voltage recovery in aging lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), as detailed in a study published in Nature. LIBs have become increasingly essential in the markets for electric vehicles and aircraft. Lithium-rich layered oxide cathode materials can deliver record capacities exceeding 300 mAh/g, thanks to revolutionary oxygen-redox (OR) ...

New research from Barcelona and Dresden: Glycolysis — the process of converting sugar into energy — plays a key role in early development. More than fuel: Glycolysis doesn’t just power cells — it helps steer them toward specific tissue types at critical moments in development. Better embryo models: Stem-cell–based embryo models that rely on glycolysis form structures more similar to natural embryos. Predict and control development in a dish: These findings improve our ability to predict and control how stem-cell-based embryo models will develop, ...

About The Study: Across multinational cohorts, a noise-adapted artificial intelligence (AI)-electrocardiogram (ECG) model estimated heart failure risk using lead I ECGs, suggesting a potential heart failure risk-stratification strategy requiring prospective study using wearable and portable ECG devices. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Rohan Khera, MD, MS, email rohan.khera@yale.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2025.0492) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In this randomized clinical trial, 2 hours of mother-neonate skin-to-skin contact (SSC) in the delivery room did not enhance neurodevelopmental outcomes at 2 to 3 years of age. However, the SSC group demonstrated improved breastfeeding practices up to 12 months compared with standard care, suggesting that the feasible and low-cost SSC intervention should be encouraged in clinical practice. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Laila Kristoffersen, RN, PhD, email laila.kristoffersen@ntnu.no. To ...

Scientists have designed a ‘cosmic radio’ detector which could discover dark matter in 15 years.  Published today in Nature, scientists at King’s College London, Harvard University, UC Berkley and others have shared the foundation of what they believe will be the most accurate dark matter detector to date.  Dark matter is the unobservable form of matter could make up as much as 85% of mass in the Universe, but scientists are not sure exactly what it is.  Axions are one of the leading ...

As we age, blood stem cells, the essential source of new blood cells in the body, can accumulate genetic mutations. These mutations can give the cells a growth advantage, laying the foundation for developing serious health conditions. Now, scientists at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) have not only discovered the mechanism that fuels their unchecked growth but have also found a way to stop it. Led by Jennifer Trowbridge, professor and The Dattels Family Chair at JAX, the study reported today in the April 16 issue of Nature Communications reveals that a common aging-associated mutation in the gene Dnmt3a boosts the power-generating function of mitochondria ...

One reason why our livers excel at clearing waste from our blood system is that the organ functions according to three key “zones” that perform specific major tasks. So, if scientists hope to create self-growing patches of liver organoid tissue that could help repair damaged organs, it’s important that the lab-grown tissue faithfully reproduce such zones. In a groundbreaking paper published April 16, 2025, in the prestigious journal Nature, a team of organoid medicine experts at Cincinnati Children’s reports achieving just such a milestone – made from human stem cells. When these humanized organoids were transplanted into rodents whose own liver-bile duct system ...

Replicating the liver’s complexity While organoids aim to mimic human organs, the liver’s repertoire of complex functions – and thus the energy it needs to operate – have made it challenging for researchers to grow organoids that proliferate and fully function, says Sato. When prioritizing growth and survival in laboratory settings, hepatocytes, the liver’s main cells, eventually transformed into cells resembling cholangiocytes, which line the bile duct. Hepatocyte functions only lasted 1-2 weeks at most.  The study team, led by Ryo Igarashi and Mayumi Oda at the Keio University School of Medicine, ...

A team of Lehigh University researchers has successfully predicted abnormal grain growth in simulated polycrystalline materials for the first time—a development that could lead to the creation of stronger, more reliable materials for high-stress environments, such as combustion engines. A paper describing their novel machine learning method was recently published in Nature Computational Materials.  “Using simulations, we were not only able to predict abnormal grain growth, but we were able to predict it far in advance of ...

Individuals with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease show altered blood levels indicating damaged neuronal contacts as early as 11 years before the expected onset of dementia symptoms. This is evident in the levels of the protein “beta-synuclein”. An international team, including researchers from DZNE, Ulm University Hospital and University Medicine Halle report these findings in the journal “Alzheimer’s & Dementia”. The biomarker studied here could potentially help to detect neurodegeneration at an early stage and thus ...

Researchers evaluating a nature-based programme of activities for patients with mild to moderate mental health conditions have shown that improvements in mood and anxiety levels can be seen in as little as 12 weeks.  As part of the UK government’s commitment to transform mental health services, seven ‘test and learn’ green social prescribing sites were identified across England, which included a programme in Humber and North Yorkshire - the first of the seven sites to publish results from the national programme.  Green social prescribing is a practice whereby a healthcare professional refers a patient to community-based nature activities ...

A University of Virginia School of Medicine scientist and collaborators have developed a much-needed new tool to increase the efficiency of genomic research and accelerate the development of new ways to improve human health. UVA researcher Nathan Sheffield, PhD, has spent four years developing a new data standard to ensure that scientists are comparing apples to apples when doing genomic analysis. This type of analysis helps researchers understand the operating instructions for our cells and see how those instructions are carried out. The resulting insights help us understand the workings of both healthy cells and unhealthy ones, pointing us to new ways to treat and prevent disease. Genomics ...

“We find that epigenetic clocks based on the entropy of methylation states predict chronological age with similar accuracy as common approaches that are based on methylation levels of individual cytosines.” BUFFALO, NY — April 16, 2025 — A new research paper was published in Aging (Aging-US) Volume 17, Issue 3, on March 12, 2025, titled “DNA methylation entropy is a biomarker for aging.” Researchers Jonathan Chan, Liudmilla Rubbi, and Matteo Pellegrini from the University of California, Los Angeles, led a study that discovered a new way to measure changes in DNA that can help predict a person’s ...

The Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital’s cardiology faculty practice has received the 2024 Human Experience Pinnacle of Excellence Award® from Press Ganey, one of the nation’s leading patient experience organizations.   The faculty practice is located at The Mount Sinai Hospital and has several physicians with top expertise in cardiovascular care. It is one of 10 heart centers across the country, and the only one in New York, to receive this prestigious award placing it on the leading ...

Affectionate mothering in childhood may have a lasting impact on important personality traits, potentially influencing life outcomes such as educational achievement, economic success, and health and well-being, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. The findings suggest that positive maternal parenting could foster important traits such as openness, conscientiousness and agreeableness. “Personality traits are strong predictors of important life outcomes, from academic and career success to health and well-being,” ...

When two materials come into contact, charged entities on their surfaces get a little nudge. This is how rubbing a balloon on the skin creates static electricity. Likewise, water flowing over some surfaces can gain or lose charge. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have harnessed the phenomenon to generate electricity from rain-like droplets moving through a tube. They demonstrate a new kind of flow that makes enough power to light 12 LEDs. “Water that falls through a vertical tube generates a substantial amount of electricity by using a specific pattern of water flow: plug flow,” says Siowling Soh, the study’s corresponding ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study offers clarity on one of the most common questions asked of financial professionals: Is term or permanent life insurance right for me?   Researchers at The Ohio State University conducted a study of how different life insurance product types were related to whether households had adequate financial resources if an income earner died.   They didn’t compare permanent and term life insurance directly, but they calculated how likely households with different life ...

Opaque materials can transmit light when excited by a high-intensity laser beam. This process, known as optical bleaching, induces a nonlinear effect that temporarily alters the properties of a material. Remarkably, when the laser is switched on and off at ultrahigh speeds, the effect can be dynamically controlled, opening new possibilities for advanced optical technologies. Multicolored optical switching is an important phenomenon with potential applications in fields such as telecommunications and optical computing. However, most materials typically exhibit single-color optical nonlinearity under intense laser illumination, ...

Our brain’s remarkable ability to form and store memories has long fascinated scientists, yet most of the microscopic mechanisms behind memory and learning processes remain a mystery. Recent research points to the importance of biochemical reactions occurring at postsynaptic densities—specialized areas where neurons connect and communicate. These tiny junctions between brain cells are now thought to be crucial sites where proteins need to organize in specific ways to facilitate learning and memory formation. More specifically, a 2021 study revealed that memory-related proteins can bind together to form droplet-like structures ...

Plants store carbon in two primary forms: starch and triacylglycerols (TAGs). Starch is mainly stored in chloroplasts in leaves, where it serves as a readily available energy source, while TAGs are stored in seeds for long-term energy storage. Past studies have shown that a carbon trade-off exists between these two storage forms, implying that an increase in the levels of one form often reduces the levels of the other. Interestingly, attempts to increase TAG in leaves have led to a decrease in the levels of starch, suggesting ...

An international team led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has discovered the most distant spiral galaxy candidate known to date. This ultra-massive system existed just one billion years after the Big Bang and already shows a remarkably mature structure, with a central old bulge, a large star-forming disk, and well-defined spiral arms. The discovery was made using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and offers important insights into how galaxies can form and evolve so rapidly in the early Universe. The ...

A multidisciplinary clinical team led by Professor Bernat Soria from the Institute of Bioengineering at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH, Spain) has developed a new method to deliver cell therapies in patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a life support system used in cases of severe lung failure. The advance has been published in Stem Cell Research & Therapy (Springer Nature Group). The team has opted not to patent the technique in order to encourage its use in public health systems ...