An analysis of a 30,000-year-old fossil vulture from Central Italy has revealed for the first time that volcanic rock can preserve microscopic details in feathers - the first ever record of such a preservation. An international team, led by Dr Valentina Rossi (University College Cork, Ireland), discovered a new mode of preservation of soft tissues that can occur when animals are buried in ash-rich volcanic sediments. The new research, published in the scientific journal Geology, reveals that the feathers ...

In a recent study, scientists have developed a revolutionary chromosome identification system for alfalfa, one of the world's most economically vital forage crops. Leveraging an advanced Oligo-fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) barcode technique, researchers successfully mapped and identified all chromosomes in alfalfa, uncovering unexpected chromosomal anomalies, including aneuploidy and large segment deletions. This breakthrough not only enhances molecular cytogenetics but also sheds light on the genetic stability ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Moving from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources like wind and solar will require better ways to store energy for use when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing. A new study by researchers at Penn State found that taking advantage of natural geothermal heat in depleted oil and gas wells can improve the efficiency of one proposed energy storage solution: compressed-air energy storage (CAES). The researchers recently published their findings in the Journal of Energy Storage. CAES plants compress air and store it underground when energy demand is low and then extract the air to create electricity when demand ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Insect predators found in the United States could help keep spotted lanternfly populations in check while potentially reducing reliance on chemical control methods, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Penn State. Led by entomologists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and published in Arthropod-Plant Interactions, the study evaluated the effectiveness of various insects in potentially controlling spotted lanternfly populations. The invasive pest, first detected in the United States in 2014, has spread across at least 18 states, causing significant damage to vineyards, orchards ...

In the microscopic world of bacteria, gene transfer is a powerful mechanism that can alter cellular function, drive antibiotic resistance and even shape entire ecosystems. Now an interdisciplinary group of researchers at Rice University has developed an innovative RNA “barcoding” method to track these genetic exchanges in microbial communities, providing new insights into how genes move across species. The findings were recently published in Nature Biotechnology. “We’ve long known that bacteria swap genes in ways that impact human health, biotechnology and environmental stability,” said James Chappell, associate professor of biosciences ...

A new discovery has unveiled a genetic module, CsTIE1-CsAGL16, that simultaneously regulates lateral branch development and drought tolerance in cucumbers. This dual-function genetic pathway offers a promising new approach to breeding cucumber varieties that are both resilient to water scarcity and tailored to market preferences. By deciphering how these genes coordinate water conservation and branch growth, researchers have opened new doors for improving crop adaptability and productivity in the face of climate change. Drought stress poses a major challenge to ...

New research by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) collaboration has produced the clearest images yet of the universe’s infancy – the earliest cosmic time yet accessible to humans. Measuring light that traveled for more than 13 billion years to reach a telescope high in the Chilean Andes, the new images reveal the universe when it was about 380,000 years old – the equivalent of hours-old baby pictures of a now middle-aged cosmos.  “We are seeing the first steps towards making the earliest stars and galaxies,” says Suzanne Staggs, director of ACT and Henry ...

Keren Zhou, Assistant Professor, Computer Science, College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), received funding for: “GPU Modeling Research of Smart Modeling and Simulation for HPC (SMASH).” Zhou and his collaborators will complete research and development tasks.  Zhou received $65,648 from Brookhaven National Laboratory on a subaward from the U.S. Department of Energy for this research. Funding began in Feb. 2025 and will end in late Sept. 2025.                     ...

Between 1999-2021, U.S. adolescents steadily desisted from risky behaviors such as substance use and violence, and from reporting a combination of both risky behaviors and mental health symptoms. Yet a comparatively small but growing proportion of youth demonstrated elevated symptoms of depression, according to a report to be published in the April 2025 issue of Pediatrics. The study, published online on March 18, and titled “Trends in Mental and Behavioral Health Risks in Adolescents: 1999-2021,” analyzed data from the national biennial Youth Risk Behavior Surveys distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A ...

A study conducted by researchers from São Paulo State University (UNESP), in Brazil, and collaborators shows that lemon leafcutter ants (Atta sexdens) exhibit behaviors that go beyond so-called social immunity, i.e. the ability to detect pathogens and try to get rid of them for the benefit of the colony. In an article published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, scientists report that these insects are able to recognize a pathogenic fungus they have already been exposed ...

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Terrorists time their attacks during periods of security or financial crisis, according to new research from political scientists at Binghamton University, State University of New York. To a bystander, a terrorist attack may seem an indiscriminate act of violence, timed solely to inflict maximum damage on its victims. But the timing of such attacks is strategic, involving a series of tradeoffs to strike vulnerable targets while preserving the group’s reputation, according to research by Binghamton University Professor of Political Science Seden ...

LAWRENCE — We have all avoided having conversations if the topic is controversial or may lead to an argument. Farmers, who are on the front lines of climate change, avoid talking about it with their neighbors, community members, elected officials and even their own families because of potential conflict and harm to their livelihood, new research from the University of Kansas has found. Researchers conducted interviews with more than 20 farmers in Kansas and Missouri to understand their communication about climate change. Results showed respondents had a range of views on climate ...

Snap a photo of your meal, and artificial intelligence instantly tells you its calorie count, fat content, and nutritional value — no more food diaries or guesswork. This futuristic scenario is now much closer to reality, thanks to an AI system developed by NYU Tandon School of Engineering researchers that promises a new tool for the millions of people who want to manage their weight, diabetes and other diet-related health conditions. The technology, detailed in a paper presented at the 6th ...

AUSTIN, Texas -- While nonprofit organizations are growing, their donations are shrinking. The number of nonprofits registered with the Internal Revenue Service grew 25% from 2013 to 2023. But during the past year, both money raised and donor counts have dropped 3%. Their main challenge is low response rates for fundraising solicitations, says Vijay Mahajan, professor of marketing at Texas McCombs. In turn, a major reason is lack of quality data on donors, which makes it harder to successfully target their appeals. Nonprofits tend to keep data on active donors, such as how much ...

Everyone ages, but, sometimes, people outlive all predictions. Previous research has uncovered an unlikely factor related to longevity: intelligence (Bäckman & MacDonald, 2006; Bosworth & Siegler, 2002).   However, intelligence isn’t a simple characteristic. There are many traits that contribute to it that can be tested—from memory to mathematical logic. In a 2024 Clinical Psychological Science study, Paolo Ghisletta of the University of Geneva linked longevity specifically to one of those traits: verbal fluency, the measure of one’s vocabulary and ability to use ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Brook trout may have a genetic trick up their scales when it comes to adapting, with limitations, to heatwaves that threaten their existence. Scientists have known for years that brook trout — an iconic coldwater fish species native to streams and lakes in the eastern United States and Canada — are extremely vulnerable to warming temperatures, with more than half of their habitats characterized as highly sensitive and highly vulnerable to such changes by U.S. Forest Service researchers in 2010. Now, a novel study led by researchers ...

ITHACA, N.Y. – A Cornell University-led research team has developed an artificial intelligence-powered ring equipped with micro-sonar technology that can continuously and in real time track fingerspelling in American Sign Language (ASL). In its current form, SpellRing could be used to enter text into computers or smartphones via fingerspelling, which is used in ASL to spell out words without corresponding signs, such as proper nouns, names and technical terms. With further development, the device – believed to be the first of its kind – could revolutionize ASL translation by continuously tracking entire signed words and sentences. “Many other technologies that recognize ...

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2025 — In a fun experiment, Max Koch, a researcher at the University of Göttingen in Germany — who also happens to be passionate about homebrewing — decided to use a high-speed camera to capture what occurs while opening a swing-top bottle of homebrew. When Robert Mettin, who leads the Ultrasound and Cavitation group at the university’s Third Institute of Physics, Biophysics, suggested that Koch should submit the findings to the special “kitchen flows” issue of Physics of Fluids, from AIP Publishing, Koch and his colleagues chose to ...

About The Study: In this multicenter cohort study of adults undergoing lung cancer screening, screening adherence was associated with increased overall and early-stage lung cancer detection rates; however, adherence decreased annually after baseline screening, suggesting that it is an important lung cancer screening quality metric. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Roger Y. Kim, M.D., M.S.C.E., email roger.kim@pennmedicine.upenn.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi: ...

About The Study: In this cohort study, geographic access to cancer care was associated with guideline-recommended treatment for early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and outcomes, particularly in socially marginalized patients, underscoring the importance of ensuring appropriate geographic allocations of cancer care resources and addressing travel barriers to health care to improve NSCLC treatment, prognosis, and equity. Corresponding authors: To contact the corresponding ...

When someone is traumatically injured, giving them blood products before they arrive at the hospital – such as at the scene or during emergency transport – can improve their likelihood of survival and recovery. But patients with certain traumatic injuries have better outcomes when administered specific blood components. University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC scientist-surgeons announced today in Cell Reports Medicine that giving plasma that has been separated from other parts of donated blood improves outcomes in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or shock, whereas giving unseparated or “whole” ...

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have created a computational tool to accelerate the development of new disease treatments. The tool goes beyond current artificial intelligence (AI) approaches by identifying not just which patient populations may benefit but also how the drugs work inside cells.  The researchers have demonstrated the tool’s potential by identifying a promising candidate to prevent heart failure, a leading cause of death in the United States and around the world. The new AI tool called LogiRx, can predict how drugs will affect biological processes in the body, helping scientists understand the effects the drugs will have ...

Canada’s research infrastructure is essential to the future of science and innovation, economic prosperity, and well-being throughout the country. At the request of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada, the CCA has formed an expert panel to support the federal government in optimizing Canada’s research infrastructure—from its national-scale scientific facilities to its digital platforms and collaborative networks—through evidence synthesis and strategic insights. Janet King, Chair of Polar Knowledge Canada’s Board of Directors and Vice-Chair of the Canadian Light Source’s Board of Directors, will serve ...

Celebrating fresh thinking in plasma physics is essential to the continued growth of the field, and this year’s Physics of Plasmas Early Career Collection highlights some of the most promising new voices pushing the boundaries of discovery.  The prestigious collection highlights top papers from all areas of plasma physics research authored by individuals who defended their dissertations within the past five years.​ This year, three researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) are featured in the Early Career Collection: Staff Research ...

Highlights: Mycobacterium abscessus can cause dangerous lung infections. Treatment usually requires a combination of antibiotics for more than a year. Researchers in China report that curcumin, found in turmeric, can enhance treatment with bedaquiline, an antimycobacterial. Animal studies showed that treatment with the combination led to a faster clearance of the infection. Washington, D.C.—Mycobacterium abscessus is a fast-growing, pathogenic mycobacteria that can cause lung infections, and people who have respiratory conditions or are immunocompromised ...