Research by an interdisciplinary team from McGill University and Université Laval provides new insights into the links between social factors and cognitive health among aging adults. While previous research had found positive correlations between specific measures of social connectedness and a variety of health outcomes, this study appears to have been the first to create profiles aggregating multiple social factors and to see how those correlated with cognitive health in older adults, the researchers said. The team derived three social environment ...

With the development of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, the application of electroencephalography (EEG) signals in motion decoding has been expanding. Traditional BCI decoding is primarily based on Cartesian coordinates, which are suitable for representing linear movements but less efficient for decoding rotational or circular movements. In contrast, polar coordinates provide a more natural and compact representation for circular movements by directly encoding angular information, making it more efficient for decoding rotational ...

(Toronto, January 27, 2026) JMIR Publications is seeking expert voices to contribute to our News and Perspectives section. We bridge the gap between academic rigor and scientific journalism, providing grounded, well-researched analysis that goes deeper than the headlines. We invite journalists, scientific writers, researchers, clinicians, and digital health experts to pitch original content that informs, inspires, and empowers the health-tech community. Our aim is to build a digital health news service with global relevance, featuring voices, perspectives, ...

Lipstick vines get their name from their bright red, tube-shaped flowers. But one member of this group of plants has lost its lipstick-like appearance— its flowers are shorter, wider, and yellowish green in color. It also attracts shorter-beaked birds than its crimson cousins do, and it’s found in different places. Scientists wanted to know how this plant evolved from its lipstick-like relatives. After observing birds visiting hundreds of plants and examining the plants’ DNA, the researchers found that the story of the green ...

More than a century after the Titanic sank, engineers still have hopes of someday creating “unsinkable” ships. In a step toward reaching that lofty goal, researchers at the University of Rochester’s Institute of Optics have developed a new process that turns ordinary metal tubes unsinkable—meaning they will stay afloat no matter how long they are forced into water or how heavily they are damaged. Chunlei Guo, a professor of optics and of physics and a senior scientist at URochester’s Laboratory ...

Now is a great time for anyone who's shopping for a used car to consider an electric vehicle, according to new research from the University of Michigan. In assessing the lifetime ownership costs of used vehicles with different body styles and powertrains, the researchers found that completely electrified candidates offered the greatest savings.  For example, compared with a new midsized SUV with an internal combustion engine, a 3-year-old used EV version offered a lifetime savings of $13,000, according to the new study published in ...

A new scientific review summarizes the growing body of research on wild blueberries and cardiometabolic health, which includes factors like blood vessel function, blood pressure, blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) and blood sugar (glucose).  The review was published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition and developed from an expert symposium hosted by the Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA) in Bar Harbor, Maine.1 Twelve experts participated in the symposium from the fields ...

University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies has published a new white paper, “Rebuilding the Social Contract,” by TaMika Fuller, DBA, an affiliate of the Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR), and Victoria Lender, DBA; both authors are College alumna. The paper examines how burnout, limited career development, and perceptions of low autonomy can erode trust at work—and what leaders can do to rebuild confidence, commitment and retention in an era shaped by accelerating technology and artificial intelligence.   Drawing on findings from the ...

What does it take to spur individuals to act as a group with a shared purpose on climate change? According to a new Stanford-led study, the key is to show them how collective actions on climate have made a difference and often generate good vibes for participants.  A decade after nearly 200 world leaders agreed in Paris to limit climate change, solar power has become the fastest-growing source of new electricity and dozens of countries have cut emissions while growing their economies. Globally, emissions from burning fossil fuels – the largest contributor to human-caused climate change – ...

Derry, NH, January 27, 2026 — Healing Hearts, Changing Minds (HHCM) today announced the seven awardees of Walking Each Other Home: A Fund to Promote Psychedelic Compassion for End-of-Life Care, a $566,260 philanthropic initiative supporting innovation, compassion, and dignity for people at life’s end. Anxiety when facing serious, life-threatening illnesses is a significant issue for society. In fact, it is often so painful that it prevents patients from living fully. Research has shown that psychedelic therapy ...

Piezoelectric actuators are widely used in precision positioning, micro/nano fabrication, and microrobotics due to their high precision, fast response, and compactness, yet their inherently limited stroke (typically ~1/1000 of their length) constrains broader applications. To extend travel, stepping actuation approaches—such as inchworm, ultrasonic, and stick-slip mechanisms—have been explored, with stick-slip attractive for its relatively simple structure and control. However, many stick-slip designs still struggle with bidirectional motion consistency and motion smoothness/linearity: particularly, parasitic-motion-based ...

Background and Aims The prognostic nutritional index (PNI), calculated from serum albumin and lymphocyte count, reflects a patient’s immune-nutritional status and has been proposed as a prognostic marker in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its role in advanced HCC patients treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Ate/Bev) remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of PNI in patients receiving first-line Ate/Bev therapy. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 362 patients with unresectable HCC who received Ate/Bev between November 2020 ...

PULLMAN, Wash. — A new tool developed by Washington State University researchers could someday provide daily or weekly forecasts of water availability in the mountains similar to a weather forecast that agencies could use for important water management decisions. The researchers recently presented their forecast tool for snow-water equivalent, which predicts potential water availability, at the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence Conference on Artificial Intelligence in ...

Training the Next Generation of Translational Virologists: Reflections from the 2025 Global Virus Network Short Course Tampa, FL, USA – January 27, 2026 – The Global Virus Network’s (GVN) 2025 Short Course in Translational Virology brought together a remarkable international cohort in December 2025 for eight days of scientific immersion, mentorship, and hands-on learning at the intersection of virology, medicine, and global health. Representing more than 90 Centers of Excellence and Affiliates across 40+ countries, GVN brings together leading human and animal virologists to advance research collaboration ...

Last year, when The New York Times reported that Amazon’s robotics team’s ultimate goal was to automate 75% of the company’s operations, replacing more than half a million human jobs in an attempt to pass cost savings onto customers, it was a stark reminder of robots’ ever-expanding role in reshaping the American workplace. Meanwhile, at Hyundai’s auto plant in Georgia, more than 1,000 robots work alongside almost 1,500 human employees. But as ...

The paper “Prioritizing Sustainable Development of Ecologically Sensitive Regions” was published recently in Ecosystem Health and Sustainability – A Science Partner Journal. The innovative research calls for merging AI with indigenous knowledge and targeting “tipping point” ecosystems to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. A groundbreaking new study urges a global priority shift toward sustainable development in four types of ecologically sensitive regions, warning they are at imminent risk of catastrophic “tipping points” due to climate change and human pressure. The research, ...

The risks of climate change to human wellbeing are serious. Appropriate mitigation and adaptation require structural changes that are only likely to occur as a result of collective climate action. Danielle Goldwert, Madalina Vlasceanu, and colleagues explored what causes people to take collective climate action in a megastudy capable of directly comparing 17 behavioral interventions. The 17 interventions were derived from an open call to behavioral scientists and advocacy experts and included various ...

BOSTON, Mass. and PORTLAND, Maine, January 27, 2026// Boston University (BU) today announced it has been awarded a $2 million research grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). The funding will support a clinical study evaluating motor and cognitive factors associated with changes in walking for people with Parkinson’s disease who use MedRhythms’ MOVIVE (MR-005), a safe, use-at-home medical device that delivers rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) to support gait rehabilitation and motor function. This study was funded through The Michael ...

The advisor-advisee relationship is central to most doctoral education models. Yet not all students trust their advisors. Danfei Hu, Jonathan E. Cook, and colleagues sought to examine the importance of this relationship to success and wellbeing in graduate school. The authors focused on the first year of graduate school, a time in which PhD students adapt to their role as scholars and in which large numbers of students drop out. In a prospective longitudinal study of 558 incoming PhD students, primarily in STEM fields, at three US research universities, the authors found that PhD ...

Engineering can create weapons systems or systems for defense and wellbeing. But can engineering create peace? In a Perspective, Guru Madhavan and colleagues propose an expansive mode of engineering practice that seeks to reduce conflict. In a world where the technical choices about pumping stations for transboundary water conveyance projects can become tense diplomatic questions, engineering for peace requires the competence to build systems that work as intended, the capability to foresee how such systems might be used or misused, ...

Jan 27, 2026 -- Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage biotechnology company powered by generative AI, and Qilu Pharmaceutical Group, a major comprehensive modern pharmaceutical enterprise in China, as well as its subsidiary Shanghai Qilu Pharmaceutical Research Center, today announced a strategic partnership on innovative drug development, leveraging Insilico’s proprietary Pharma.AI platform to jointly develop small molecule inhibitors, focusing on specific targets for cardiometabolic disease management. According to the agreement, Insilico Medicine will utilize its proprietary Pharma.AI platform to focus on the design and optimization ...

Across the physical world, many intricate structures form via symmetry breaking. When a system with inherent symmetry transitions into an ordered state, it can form stable imperfections known as topological defects. Such defects are found everywhere, from the large-scale structure of the universe to everyday materials, making them a powerful way to study how order emerges in complex systems. We have a tool to study these defects: nematic liquid crystals. In these materials, molecules can rotate freely while remaining roughly aligned, providing a clear and controllable ...

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a major mental disorder, affecting 1% of the global population. Patients suffering from BD frequently experience manic and depressive episodes, which disrupt interpersonal relationships and social confidence. While conventional therapies can mitigate the symptoms for some patients, they are also associated with adverse effects and treatment resistance in many, highlighting the urgent need for pathology-driven diagnosis and therapeutic intervention. The thalamus, especially the paraventricular ...

The field of nanomaterials is witnessing a transformative shift at the intersection of organic chemistry and molecular engineering. Among the most promising molecular structures are carbon nanohoops, of which [n]cycloparaphenylenes ([n]CPPs) are a representative example. These ring-shaped structures represent the smallest possible slices of carbon nanotubes, which themselves are a widely renowned material of the 21st century. Given that their structures can, in principle, be precisely tuned at the atomic level, nanohoops hold great potential as molecular components for next-generation optoelectronic ...

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness among people who are unable to monitor and manage their intraocular pressure (IOP) daily. The current tools for IOP measurement are not portable, convenient, easily accessible, or capable of continuous (24/7) monitoring. These limitations in existing IOP devices are a major contributor to inadequate ocular health management in glaucoma patients. This mismanagement could result in severe and irreparable problems for patients. This problem is particularly concerning, considering that one of the factors behind increased IOP is age. As the global population ...