Research Highlights: New research suggests that participating in at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity in just two days had similar health benefits as distributing the activity throughout the week. People who followed the “weekend warrior” approach, condensing physical activity into one or two days each week, had a significantly lower risk of death from all causes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, similar to those who engaged in activity throughout the week. The study ...

CNIO researchers discover that, in mice that eat a lot of fat, cancer cells travelling through the blood surround themselves with platelets, which act as an armor-like protection as they spread. In addition, in animals with a fatty diet it is easier for tumor cells to 'nest' in other organs and give rise to metastasis of the primary tumor.  “These results anticipate a future in which dietary changes, together with the control of platelet activity, will complement antitumor treatments,” says Héctor Peinado, of the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO). The study is published ...

Applied physicists at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have created a photon router that could plug into quantum networks to create robust optical interfaces for noise-sensitive microwave quantum computers. The breakthrough is a crucial step toward someday realizing modular, distributed quantum computing networks that leverage existing telecommunications infrastructure. Comprising millions of miles of optical fiber, today’s fiber-optic networks send information between computing clusters as pulses ...

NEW YORK, NY (April 2, 2025)-- April 2, 2025—An AI tool that analyzes nurses’ data and notes detected when patients in the hospital were deteriorating nearly two days earlier than traditional methods and reduced the risk of death by over 35%, found a year-long clinical trial of more than 60,000 patients led by researchers at Columbia University. The new AI tool, CONCERN Early Warning System, uses machine learning to analyze nursing documentation patterns to predict when a hospitalized patient is deteriorating before the change is reflected in vital signs, allowing for timely, life-saving ...

An AI model trained on large amounts of genetic data can predict whether bacteria will become antibiotic-resistant. The new study shows that antibiotic resistance is more easily transmitted between genetically similar bacteria and mainly occurs in wastewater treatment plants and inside the human body. "By understanding how resistance in bacteria arises, we can better combat its spread. This is crucial to protect public health and the healthcare system's ability to treat infections," says Erik Kristiansson, Professor at the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. Antibiotic ...

EMBARGOED UNTIL 09:00 BST WEDNESDAY 2 APRIL Tinker Tots: A Citizen Science Project to Explore Ethical Dilemmas in Embryo Selection   Researchers at the University of Oxford, University of Exeter, and the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine present a new, interactive study.   Oxford, 2 April 2025: When choosing an embryo for implantation during in vitro fertilization (IVF), would you consider its chances of developing a health condition? What about traits like creativity, intelligence, ...

Beekeepers in the United States lost more than 55 percent of managed colonies last year—the highest loss rate since the Apiary Inspectors of America began determining them in 2011. A new study from University of Vermont scientists and international collaborators supports a novel method for testing hygienic behavior in honey bees that could promote breeding more disease resistant colonies in the future. “Beekeepers are losing bees at a rate that they say is unsustainable,” says Samantha Alger, director of the Vermont Bee Lab at the UVM and lead author of the study. “In the ‘80s, beekeepers lost colonies ...

Building multifamily housing in California is more than twice as expensive as it is in Texas, with much of the difference driven by state and local policies that contribute to long permitting and construction timelines, and higher local development fees, according to a new RAND report based on cost information from more than 100 completed apartment projects.    The high cost of housing and its associated effect on homelessness is a defining policy issue in California.  The cost of building multifamily housing is 2.3 times higher in California than Texas and 1.5 times higher than in Colorado, ...

PISCATAWAY, NJ – A prevention program that teaches college students about the links between risky drinking and sexual assault—and how to protect themselves and their friends—has shown early promise, according to a new report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. It’s well known that alcohol and sex can sometimes be a dangerous mix for young adults. Alcohol intoxication raises the odds of having unprotected sex and, possibly, contracting a sexually transmitted disease or having an unplanned pregnancy. Drinking can also increase the risk of falling victim to sexual assault or becoming the perpetrator. Yet college prevention programs have traditionally ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 2, 2025 – The inability to pay for healthcare in the U.S. has reached a new high, with more than one-third of Americans (35%), or an estimated 91 million people, reporting that they could not access quality healthcare if they needed it today, according to the latest West Health-Gallup Healthcare Affordability Index. The Index has been tracking healthcare affordability and access in the U.S. since 2021. Rates were higher among Black and Hispanic Americans, with 46% and 52%, respectively, reporting ...

Scientists should experiment with creative ways of communicating their work to inspire action to protect the natural world, researchers say.   Scientists primarily publish their work in academic journals, where writing is expected to be technical, objective and dispassionate – making it unlikely to appeal to, or be easily understood by non-experts. The researchers – from the University of Exeter – argue for science “translated into stories”, with benefits both for science and wider society. They suggest ways that scientists can tell powerful, passionate stories without compromising the objectivity of science. “As ...

Vision is one of the most crucial human senses, yet over 300 million people worldwide are at risk of vision loss due to various retinal diseases. While recent advancements in retinal disease treatments have successfully slowed disease progression, no effective therapy has been developed to restore already lost vision—until now. KAIST researchers have successfully developed a novel drug to restore vision.       < Photo 1. (From left) Ph.D. candidate Museong Kim, Professor ...

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the portion of the cell responsible for manufacturing and folding proteins. Proteins are essential for a wide range of cellular functions—as enzymes, transporters, hormones, antibodies, receptors, and more. They must be folded into the correct three-dimensional shape to function properly. If the ER is unable to manufacture or fold proteins correctly, the cell develops ER stress, which activates the unfolded protein response (UPR)—a protective mechanism aimed at restoring cellular function. While UPR begins ...

More mammals were living on the ground several million years before the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs, new research led by the University of Bristol has revealed. The study, published today in the journal Palaeontology, provides fresh evidence that many mammals were already shifting toward a more ground-based lifestyle leading up to the asteroid’s impact. By analysing small-fossilised bone fragments, specifically end of limb bones, from marsupial and placental mammals found in Western North America - the only place with a well-preserved terrestrial fossil record from this time – the team discovered signs that ...

People with low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in their blood have a lower risk of dementia, including lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease related dementia, shows a study published online today in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.  Use of statins conveyed an additional protective effect for people with low LDL-C, specifically those with blood levels less than 1.8 mmol/L (<70 mg/dL), reducing their risk of dementia even further. However, reducing LDL-C ...

Thickening of the macular layer of the eye’s retina is associated with a greater risk of postoperative delirium for older patients undergoing surgery under general anaesthetic, reveals a study published online in the open access journal General Psychiatry. Postoperative delirium is one of the most common complications for older patients after surgery and can have profound implications for long-term health and wellbeing.  Patients with postoperative delirium require longer hospital stays and are more likely to require support at home to help with daily tasks such as washing, dressing, and eating or be discharged ...

Almost one in ten people in Great Britain experienced healthcare-related harm due to care or treatment they received from the National Health Service (NHS) or difficulties accessing care in the last three years, show the findings of a large population survey published in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety. In more than eight out of ten cases, the harm had a moderate or severe impact on the respondent. Disadvantaged groups, including people with disabilities, long term conditions and those in lower socioeconomic groups, were ...

NEW YORK, April 1, 2025 — Researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) and at Florida International University report in the journal Science their insights on the emerging field of complex frequencies excitations, a recently introduced scheme to control light, sound and other wave phenomena beyond conventional limits. Based on this approach, they outline opportunities that advance fundamental understanding of wave-matter interactions and usher wave-based technologies into a new era. In conventional light wave- and sound wave- based systems such as wireless cell phone technologies, microscopes, speakers ...

A team of scientists from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) has identified a promising new drug target for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a deadly blood cancer with a five-year survival rate of just 30%, according to the National Cancer Institute. Their study, published in Cell Stem Cell  in February, highlights the crucial role of a protein called paraspeckle component 1 (PSPC1) in the progression of AML. An aggressive blood cancer, AML originates ...

The pathogens Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium are common causes of sometimes-fatal intestinal diseases in humans, other mammals and birds worldwide. Now, findings from researchers at Texas A&M University provide new, evidence-based insight into minimizing the risk of these diseases at canine facilities. “In adult, healthy humans and animals, these diseases usually cause diarrhea and occasionally other minor ailments, but for infants, puppies and the immunocompromised, infection could be deadly,” said Loni Taylor, PhD, DVM, an epidemiologist with the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, who led ...

More than 150 million metric tons of propylene are produced annually, making it one of the most widespread chemicals used in the chemical industry. Propylene is the basis for polypropylene, a polymer used in everything from medical devices to packaging to household goods. But most propylene is produced through steam cracking, a high-energy process that uses heat to break down crude oil into smaller hydrocarbons.  Now, Northwestern University chemists have found a way to create propylene using light. Their findings show that a nanoengineered photoactive ...

Mountain snowpacks accumulate snow throughout the winter, building up stores of water that will supply communities across the American West throughout the long dry season. Now, a new study shows that as storms carry snow to the Rocky Mountains, they are also bringing mercury and other contaminants from mines in the region. The research helps scientists understand how contaminants are spread by atmospheric circulation and has implications for snowpack preservation and illuminating the lasting environmental impact of mining activities.  The study, published in the May issue of the journal Environmental Pollution, examined contamination levels for ...

It can happen in an instant – a mother experiences a medical emergency during delivery that requires intensive care.  Meanwhile, her newborn infant is sent to the neonatal intensive care unit.  This early separation can greatly disrupt the establishment of adequate milk supply for those who want to breastfeed.  Recent research from the University of Michigan reveals that simple awareness on the part of the care team can help protect the breastfeeding relationship for patients in the ICU. The work was spearheaded by Kayla Kolbe, M.D., clinical assistant ...

Jennifer L. West, Dean of the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Saunders Family Professor of Engineering, has been awarded the 2025 Pierre Galletti Award, the highest honor from the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). West is recognized for her “innovative research in biomaterials and nanomedicine, her leadership in the field, and her dedication to mentoring the next generation of biomedical engineers.” The Galletti Award is named after AIMBE’s founding member and past president and recognizes a career-long commitment to advancing the field ...

Almost a decade ago, Harvard engineers unveiled the world’s first visible-spectrum metasurfaces – ultra-thin, flat devices patterned with nanoscale structures that could precisely control the behavior of light. A powerful alternative to traditional, bulky optical components, metasurfaces today enable compact, lightweight, multifunctional applications ranging from imaging systems and augmented reality to spectroscopy and communications. Now, researchers in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) are doubling down, literally, on metasurface technology ...