You may scarcely notice it, but much of what you do every day requires your brain to engage in perceptual learning. To safely cross an intersection or quickly retrieve something from your bag, you depend upon your brain to first assign meaning to sensory input from your eyes or fingertips. Usually, it’s effortless. Research from The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology shows a gene called Syngap1 enables touch-based perception, while certain mutations can lead to mixed signals. The research was made possible through grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute ...

Teeth recovered from a beloved zoo elephant that died in 2008 are helping University of Utah geologists develop a method for tracking the movements of large herbivores across landscapes, even for animals now extinct, such as mastodons and mammoths. Outlined in recently published findings, the technique analyzes isotope ratios of the element strontium (Sr), which accumulates in tooth enamel. For large plant-eating land mammals, the relative abundance of two strontium isotopes in teeth and tusks ...

For cancers of organs like the liver, the long-term impact of our diet has been well studied — so much so that we have guidance about red meat, wine and other delicacies. A new study from researchers at University of Florida Health looks at another kind of organ whose cancer risk may be affected by poor diet: the lungs. The study was funded by several National Institutes of Health grants and a collaboration between the University of Kentucky's Markey Cancer Center and the UF Health Cancer Center. “Lung ...

The early mammals that lived alongside the dinosaurs upwards of 150 million years ago (mya) were likely covered in dark and dusky greyish-brown fur, according to a quantitative reconstruction of Mesozoic mammal coloration, hinting at their shrouded and nocturnal nature. The findings, drawn from a comparative analysis of fossilized melanosomes, provide insights into the ecology and evolutionary history of early mammals. From communication to camouflage, animal coloration plays an important role in numerous behavioral ecological ...

The deliberate destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian war unleashed a hidden environmental crisis, destroying ecosystems and releasing polluted sediments into downstream water systems, according to a new study. The findings provide critical new insights into the prolonged ecological risks of strategic dam destruction during warfare and the effects that may persist for years beyond war. “Our work highlights the far-reaching environmental consequences of the [Kakhovka Dam] destruction and raises concerns not only about the use of water as a weapon, but also about ...

The U.S. National Institutes of Health’s recent decision to impose a 15% cap on facilities and administrative (F&A) cost reimbursements threatens to undermine the quality and sustainability of university research by slashing indirect funding by $4 billion. In a Policy Forum, Jeongwon Choi and colleagues argue that this policy is fundamentally flawed, as it disregards the essential role of indirect costs, such as infrastructure, utilities, and administrative support, in enabling scientific research. The current system, governed by rigorous federal oversight and audits, ensures that F&A reimbursements are fair and necessary, varying across institutions based on actual costs. NIH’s ...

As the planet warms, Antarctica’s ice sheet is melting and contributing to sea-level rise around the globe. Antarctica holds enough frozen water to raise global sea levels by 190 feet, so precisely predicting how it will move and melt now and in the future is vital for protecting coastal areas. But most climate models struggle to accurately simulate the movement of Antarctic ice due to sparse data and the complexity of interactions between the ocean, atmosphere, and frozen surface.  In a paper published March 13 in Science, researchers at Stanford University used machine learning to analyze high-resolution ...

WEHI researchers have made a huge leap forward in the fight against Parkinson’s disease, solving a decades-long mystery that paves the way for development of new drugs to treat the condition.  First discovered over 20 years ago, PINK1 is a protein directly linked to Parkinson’s disease – the fastest growing neurodegenerative condition in the world. Until now, no one had seen what human PINK1 looks like, how PINK1 attaches to the surface of damaged mitochondria, or how it is switched on.    In ...

Researchers have advanced a decades-old challenge in the field of organic semiconductors, opening new possibilities for the future of electronics. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge and the Eindhoven University of Technology, have created an organic semiconductor that forces electrons to move in a spiral pattern, which could improve the efficiency of OLED displays in television and smartphone screens, or power next-generation computing technologies such as spintronics and quantum computing. The semiconductor they developed emits circularly polarised ...

Geological resources such as critical metals and minerals, essential for the diffusion of technologies such as renewable energy and energy storage towards a decarbonized society, are indispensable for supporting modern life in the form of various products and services. Their demand is expected to increase in the coming years owing to global population as well as economic growth. Thus far, scientists and policymakers have primarily discussed geological resource availability from the viewpoint of reserves and resources in the ecosphere and technosphere. However, resources such as ...

When we observe distant celestial objects, there is a possible catch: Is that star I am observing really as reddish as it appears? Or does the star merely look reddish, since its light has had to travel through a cloud of cosmic dust to reach our telescope? For accurate observations, astronomers need to know the amount of dust between them and their distant targets. Not only does dust make objects appear reddish (“reddening”), it also makes them appear fainter than they really are (“extinction”). It’s like we are looking out into space through a dirty ...

A 40-year study by Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) researchers has found that active young adults who underwent total knee replacement were unlikely to require knee replacement revision in their lifetime, according to a new study shared today in a podium presentation at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2025 Annual Meeting.1 “As an increasing number of younger adults in their 40s and 50s consider total knee replacement, many wonder how long knee implants last before requiring a revision procedure,” ...

ROCHESTER, Minnesota — Mayo Clinic researchers have found a new way to more precisely detect and monitor brain cell activity during deep brain stimulation, a common treatment for movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease and tremor. This precision may help doctors adjust electrode placement and stimulation in real time, providing better, more personalized care for patients receiving the surgical procedure. The study is published in the Journal of Neurophysiology.  Deep brain stimulation (DBS) involves implanting electrodes in the brain that emit electrical pulses to alleviate symptoms. The electrodes remain inside the brain connected to a battery implanted near ...

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina—Researchers conducting a clinical trial of immunotherapy drugs for people with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) found that patients responded better to a combination of two immunotherapies than patients who received just one immunotherapy drug. The scientists also analyzed immune cells in each person’s tumor after one month of immunotherapy to see which type of immune cells were activated to fight their cancer, suggesting that some of the cells and targets they identified could help individualize treatment benefit. The findings appeared March 13, 2025 in Cancer Cell. HNSCCs occur in the oral cavity, pharynx, hypopharynx, larynx, nasal ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Converting one type of cell to another — for example, a skin cell to a neuron — can be done through a process that requires the skin cell to be induced into a “pluripotent” stem cell, then differentiated into a neuron. Researchers at MIT have now devised a simplified process that bypasses the stem cell stage, converting a skin cell directly into a neuron. Working with mouse cells, the researchers developed a conversion method that is highly efficient and can produce more than 10 neurons from a single skin cell. If replicated in human ...

About The Study: High sugar-sweetened beverage intake was associated with a significantly increased risk of oral cavity cancer in women, regardless of smoking or drinking habits, yet with low baseline risk in this study. Additional studies are needed in larger cohorts, including males, to validate the impact of these findings. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Brittany Barber, MD, MSc, email bbarber1@uw.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2024.5252) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of area deprivation, vaccination access, and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination status in Osaka City, Japan, higher socioeconomic status and higher medical facility access were associated with higher cumulative HPV vaccination uptake. These findings suggest that further strategies, including a socioecologic approach, are needed to increase HPV vaccination and reduce disparities in uptake. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding ...

After surgical removal of the prostate to treat prostate cancer, clinicians monitor Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels. Persistently elevated PSA levels indicate residual cancer and are linked to worse outcomes. But in a paper published in JAMA Oncology, Mass General Brigham researchers found that the current standard monitoring time of one-and-a-half to two months following surgery is too short to accurately identify recurrence and inform treatment decisions. Rather, PSA levels should be measured for at least three months to avoid overtreatment. “Checking ...

Cancer continues to be a leading cause of mortality worldwide, highlighting the urgent need to develop more advanced, efficient, and early detection methods. Addressing this critical need, City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) is leading a groundbreaking research project aimed at developing an innovative technology platform for early detection of cancer and personalised treatment. The project aims specifically to enhance the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), paving the way for significant advancements in cancer diagnosis and care. This is one of the first batch of projects that has secured funding by the RAISe+ Scheme. The RAISe+ Scheme (the Research, ...

On March 11, 2025, at the China Collective Stand of the London Book Fair, Tsinghua University Press (TUP) and the University of Toronto Press (UTP) sign a licensing agreement for the English version of Harnessing Data for Improved Productivity: Managing the Full Life Cycle of Data. This collaboration is a big step forward in putting China’s data management innovations on the global map, showcasing the nation’s cutting-edge achievements through leading ...

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have discovered how severe COVID-19 can destroy immune cells’ ability to repair the lungs, helping explain the lingering effects of long COVID. The findings suggest a new treatment approach for long COVID as well as other conditions, both short-term and chronic, caused by respiratory infections such as the flu. Led by UVA’s Jie Sun, PhD, the researchers found that severe viral infections including COVID-19 and the flu can gravely damage a key organelle inside immune cells called macrophages. Macrophages direct lung repair after tissue damage, but their ability to do so is crippled ...

(Toronto, March 13, 2025) A new study published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance by a team from Stanford Medicine investigates the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize citizen science and advance health equity. The study, titled “The Promise and Perils of Artificial Intelligence in Advancing Participatory Science and Health Equity in Public Health,” explores how AI technologies can empower communities to actively participate in scientific research and addresses critical ethical considerations. This research, published by JMIR Publications, examines the potential of AI to significantly enhance citizen science by enabling more inclusive ...

As urbanization surges and climate change intensifies, cities worldwide are facing an increasing number of coupled risks. A recent paper published in Engineering offers fresh insights into understanding and managing these risks. The complexity of coupled risks in cities, which result from the compounded effects of interacting uncertainties across multiple interdependent objectives, is a major concern. A disruption in one urban subsystem can trigger a chain reaction, affecting other subsystems and leading to unforeseen consequences. For example, the extreme rainfall not only damaged infrastructure ...

Researchers have demonstrated an integrated optical link on a silicon wafer that exhibits high-speed data transmission with very low power consumption. The advance, which was possible because of new low-energy membrane photonic devices made from indium phosphide, could help improve the power efficiency of integrated photonic circuit boards and chip packages without compromising speed. Tatsurou Hiraki from NTT Corporation in Japan will present this research at OFC, the premier global event for optical communications and networking, which will take place 30 March – 03 April 2025 at the Moscone Center ...

OAK BROOK, Ill. – Denoised ultra-low dose CT can effectively diagnose pneumonia in immunocompromised patients using only 2% of the radiation dose of standard CT, according to a study published today in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). “For patients with weakened immune systems, lung infections can be life threatening,” said lead study author Maximiliano Klug, M.D., a radiologist in the division of diagnostic imaging at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel. “CT scans are the gold standard for detecting pneumonia, but repeated ...