UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In the race to lighter, safer and more efficient electronics — from electric vehicles to transcontinental energy grids — one component literally holds the power: the polymer capacitor. Seen in such applications as medical defibrillators, polymer capacitors are responsible for quick bursts of energy and stabilizing power rather than holding large amounts of energy, as opposed to the slower, steadier energy of a battery. However, current state-of-the-art polymer capacitors cannot survive beyond 212 degrees Fahrenheit (F), which the air around a typical car engine can hit during summer months ...

The brain’s ability to do everything from forming memories to coordinating movement relies on its cells producing the right proteins at the right time. But directly measuring this protein production, known as translation, across different types of brain cells has been a challenge. Now, scientists at University of California School of Medicine, Scripps Research and their colleagues have developed a technology that reveals which proteins are generated by individual brain cells. The team used their method — called Ribo-STAMP — to create the first maps of protein production across ...

The tiny shell protecting the HIV virus resembles a slightly rounded ice cream cone, but there is nothing sweet about it.  More than 40 million people worldwide live with AIDS because of this virus, and treatments must continually evolve as HIV mutates. During the acute stage of infection, a single human cell can produce as many as 10,000 new HIV particles.  At the University of Delaware, Professor Juan R. Perilla and his research team in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have spent over a decade probing the structure and function of HIV’s protective shell, or capsid, ...

Researchers at the Complexity Science Hub (CSH) have developed a monitor that tracks how quickly companies are switching to climate-neutral energy – and have applied it in one country. Many firms are making progress; just as many are falling behind. And those firmly entrenched in fossil fuel structures face a particularly steep climb to change course. IN SHORT:  Europe aims to be climate-neutral by 2050, yet actual progress in the economy has so far been barely measurable. The CSH Monitor is the first objective method for measuring the state of the energy transition at the company level. Example – Hungary: The researchers ...

Pioneering research from the University of Leicester and NIHR challenges the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to heart attack care, adding critical nuance to the debate on sex disparities. A groundbreaking new study involving more than 900,000 patients has revealed a "sex-frailty paradox" in heart attack outcomes, challenging the prevailing narrative that high clinical risk is predominantly a female issue.  While considerable focus has rightly been placed on addressing the fact that women are often undertreated compared to men after a heart attack, this new research, published in The Lancet Regional ...

A first-of-its-kind analysis has revealed significant differences in stroke outcomes and stroke care for patients on government-run traditional Medicare plans versus those on Medicare Advantage, offered by private insurers.   UVA Health researchers found that patients on traditional, or “fee-for-service,” Medicare Part A, B and D plans operated by the government were less likely to have access to certain stroke-preventing care. They were more likely, however, to receive intensive post-stroke care and rehabilitation than those enrolled in Medicare Advantage, where private insurance plans are incentivized to limit more expensive medical care.   Both ...

“Our work highlights the need to study polyploidy and senescence in concert to understand their roles in aging, cancer, and therapeutic resistance.” BUFFALO, NY — February 18, 2026 — A new editorial was published in Volume 18 of Aging-US on February 8, 2026, titled “Polyploidy-induced senescence: Linking development, differentiation, repair, and (possibly) cancer?” In this editorial, Iman M. Al-Naggar of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, UConn Health, and the University of Connecticut Center on Aging, with George A. Kuchel of the University ...

Healthcare professionals report that treating patients with lifestyle medicine helps to reduce burnout by increasing professional satisfaction, meaning, and a sense of effectiveness at work, according to a new study published in BMC Health Services Research. “Using Lifestyle Medicine to Treat Patients Can Reduce Practitioner Burnout: A Descriptive Model Derived from Healthcare Staff Interviews,” is based on in-depth interviews with 41 healthcare professionals and administrators across five U.S. health systems that have implemented lifestyle medicine programs. Participants who were interviewed described higher job satisfaction after lifestyle ...

Tsukuba, Japan—Airborne ultrasonic phased arrays focus ultrasonic waves at prescribed locations in space and dynamically steer them, enabling applications such as noncontact tactile feedback, odor transport, and the levitation of small objects. Despite the nonnegligible influence of acoustic streaming—steady airflow induced by high-intensity sound fields—on tactile perception and the stability of levitated objects, reliable prediction and modeling of this phenomenon have remained challenging. In this study, the research team visualized acoustic streaming using ...

Tsukuba, Japan—Some plants, such as legumes, develop specialized root organs called nodules, within which they establish a symbiotic association with nitrogen‑fixing bacteria. Through this process, called rhizobial symbiosis, plants obtain nitrogen from the bacteria, which receive photosynthetically derived carbon compounds from plants. Clarifying the molecular basis of this interaction is of fundamental importance for plant biology and has significant implications for sustainable agriculture. The transcription factor ...

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, have discovered that immune cells known as macrophages remain poised to fight repeat infections due to the persistent presence of signaling molecules left behind during previous infections. The study, to be published February 18 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), provides surprising new details about how the body’s innate immune system retains memories of previous immune threats, and suggests new ways to reduce the activity of misprogrammed macrophages that contribute to ...

(WASHINGTON – Feb. 18, 2026) – Extreme endurance running damages red blood cells in ways that may affect their ability to function properly, according to a study published in the American Society of Hematology’s journal Blood Red Cells & Iron. Although the duration and long-term implications of the damage are unclear, the study adds to a growing body of evidence that extreme forms of exercise may harm, rather than support, overall health. While previous studies have shown that ultramarathon runners experience breakdown of normal red blood cells during races – ...

A traditional Chinese mind-body practice that combines slow, structured movement, deep breathing and meditative focus lowered blood pressure as effectively as brisk walking in a large randomized clinical trial published in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology. Blood pressure reductions were seen after three months and sustained for one year. High blood pressure is one of the leading preventable risk factors for heart disease. Clinical guidelines recommend regular physical activity, yet long-term adherence to exercise programs is challenging for many ...

SAN ANTONIO — February 18, 2026 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is creating a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system that stores and organizes decades of scattered records and data. The U.S. Air Force Academy project aims to improve aircraft efficiency and safety through prognostic engineering, which involves using data, modeling and analytics to perform repairs and maintenance before problems occur. For decades, SwRI has worked with the U.S. military to sustain fleets of aging aircraft with monitoring, new technology and inspection methods while addressing problems associated with information security ...

The common view of natural selection is based solely on the individual: A trait allows an organism to out-compete its rivals and is thus passed down to its offspring. To suggest otherwise can provoke the ire of certain segments of the scientific community, acknowledged Binghamton University Associate Professor Emerita of Biological Sciences Anne Clark. But a bibliometric review of 280 scientific studies shows that natural selection can occur on multiple levels of biological organization simultaneously, and not just in social species. Clark is a co-author of the article “Abundant empirical evidence of multilevel selection revealed by a bibliometric review,” which recently ...

A national research program strategy on the use of liquid metals in fusion systems was discussed on Jan. 22 at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). The meeting, which was the first of its kind, also provided valuable insights into liquid metal infrastructure needs, along with current technology and science gaps, outlined in the DOE’s Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap published in October 2025. Research suggests that liquid metals could protect the components that directly face the intense heat of plasma and improve fusion system performance. Partly due ...

New York, NY (February 19, 2026) — Researchers at the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Heart Center led a multicenter effort to develop and validate an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can analyze a standard electrocardiogram (ECG) to identify patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot who may be at risk for harmful heart changes typically detected by cardiac MRI. The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, was published in the European Heart Journal: Digital Health. Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart ...

Gainesville, Fla — Global unprovoked shark bites returned to near-average levels in 2025, following a sharp reduction the year prior. There was a total of 65 unprovoked shark bites worldwide in 2025, slightly less than the most recent 10-year average of 72. Nine of last year’s bites resulted in fatalities, compared to the ten-year average of six. “The International Shark Attack Files provide baseline data about shark attacks on people that are rigorously and scientifically investigated, evaluated and summarized on an annual basis. While a significant fraction of incidents likely go unreported, the temporal trends, and local and global patterns of incidents ...

Highlights: Heart health and heart disease risk go beyond the heart. Diabetes and kidney disease are major risk factors for heart disease, yet many cases are undiagnosed. Regular screening of connected health factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose (sugar), waist circumference and kidney function, and appropriate treatment when needed can help prevent heart disease. DALLAS, Feb. 18, 2026 — Diabetes and kidney disease are major risk factors for heart disease, yet many cases are undiagnosed. In addition, a consumer survey done ...

For five Januarys starting in 2016, researchers and students from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) travelled to a small valley outside of Svalbard’s main city with big jugs of liquid water and an unusual goal: To encase selected plant plots in a thick cover of ice. Their focus was a plant community dominated by the polar willow, a critical year-round food for Svalbard’s reindeer population. They wanted to see what happens to these plant communities during winter weather extremes, where prolonged rain instead of snow can freeze the ground solid and encase ...

Los Angeles, CA – February 18, 2026 - Dr. Vadim Jucaud’s lab at the Terasaki Institute has developed a vascularized liver tissueoid-on-a-chip (LToC) platform that recapitulates key structural, functional, and immunological features of human liver tissue, enabling the study of liver regeneration and immune-mediated allograft rejection in a physiologically relevant human system. Liver transplantation remains the primary therapeutic option for patients with end-stage liver disease, yet progress in understanding transplant rejection and tissue regeneration has been limited by the lack of experimental models that accurately reflect human liver architecture and immune interactions. ...

EVERETT, Wash. – Restaurants looking for new ways to engage and inform customers may benefit from incorporating augmented reality (AR) technology into their menus, according to new research from Washington State University. The study, published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management, finds that AR menus can significantly increase customers’ interest in visiting a restaurant and may result in more positive word-of-mouth marketing, when compared to printed or QR-code menus. Led by Soobin Seo, professor of hospitality business ...

Why do some systems collapse suddenly after what seems like a minor disturbance? A single transmission line failure can cascade into widespread blackouts. A delayed shipment can ripple through a global supply chain, emptying store shelves far from the original disruption. A rumor spreading in a small online network can spark nationwide panic. In nature, a slight environmental shift can throw an ecosystem into chaos, and a local disease outbreak can quickly escalate into an epidemic. New research suggests that in many of these cases, ...

Background and objectives Thalassemia is a group of anemias that result from inherited defects in the production of the beta chain of hemoglobin. It is stabilized by gamma globin, which combines to form fetal hemoglobin. One therapeutic approach is to target histone deacetylase (HDAC), which plays an important role in controlling beta thalassemia. This study sought to identify a natural inducer for treating this disease. Methods Twenty-five Andrographis paniculata compounds were screened using Schrödinger Suite 2020 (Maestro 12.3) for ligand preparation, grid generation, glide extra precision docking and molecular mechanics/generalized ...

In an international study, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have identified a gene variant that controls the body’s capability to form new blood vessels in muscles – a mechanism that affects physical performance, health and recovery. The favourable gene variant is considerably more common among top athletes in endurance sports, compared with both top athletes in explosive sports and non-athletes. Key facts • Discovery: The gene RAB3GAP2 regulates the number of blood vessels in muscles. • Significance: Affects muscle function, endurance and metabolism. • Sports: The favourable variant ...