Numerous potential treatments for neurological conditions, including autism spectrum disorders, have worked well in lab mice but then disappointed in humans. What would help is a non-invasive, objective readout of treatment efficacy that is shared in both species. In a new study in Nature Communications, a team of MIT researchers backed by collaborators across the United States and in the United Kingdom identifies such a biomarker in fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited autism form.  Led by postdoc Sara Kornfeld-Sylla and Picower Professor Mark Bear, the team measured the brainwaves of human boys and men, with or without fragile ...

Penn Engineers have developed a system that lets robots see around corners using radio waves processed by AI, a capability that could improve the safety and performance of driverless cars as well as robots operating in cluttered indoor settings like warehouses and factories.  The system, called HoloRadar, enables robots to reconstruct three-dimensional scenes outside their direct line of sight, such as pedestrians rounding a corner. Unlike previous approaches to non-line-of-sight (NLOS) perception that rely on visible light, HoloRadar works reliably in darkness and under variable lighting conditions. “Robots ...

Bone repair is a tightly coordinated biological process that relies on stem and progenitor cells to rebuild damaged bone tissue. In younger individuals, these cells rapidly differentiate into osteoblasts—the bone-forming cells that generate new mineralized tissue. With aging, however, this process slows dramatically. Clinicians have long observed that fractures in older adults heal more slowly and are often associated with impaired recovery; however, the molecular signals driving this decline have remained unclear. Understanding why bone regeneration falters with age is critical amid global population aging and rising fracture-related disability. Against this backdrop, ...

A molecule that helps regulate gene activity has also been shown to drive skin cancer growth and tumors’ ability to evade attack by the body’s immune system, a new study shows. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center, the study showed that a key protein — the transcription factor HOXD13 — is essential to the blood vessel growth needed to fuel melanoma tumor cells with oxygen and nutrients. Transcription factors control the rate at which genetic instructions encoded in DNA build the proteins that make up bodily ...

New research, led by experts at the University of Nottingham, has found that smoking prevalence among 12 to 30-year-olds in England could drop below 5% decades earlier than expected, if the government progressively raises the age of tobacco sale. With less than a year to go until the planned introduction of the “smokefree generation” law, researchers at the University have modelled the policy’s potential impact on smoking rates and health inequalities. The findings are published in the BMJ-owned journal Tobacco Control. The proposed legislation, part of the Government’s Tobacco and Vapes ...

Research Highlights: South Asian adults begin developing risk factors for heart disease earlier—by their mid-40s—according to an analysis of data from two long-running health studies in the United States. Despite healthier lifestyle/behaviors, such as higher diet quality, lower alcohol use and comparable exercise levels, South Asian adults were more likely to have high blood pressure and/or prediabetes or type 2 diabetes compared to white, Chinese and Hispanics adults of the same age. At ...

Northwestern University scientists have developed the most advanced organoid model for human spinal cord injury to date. In a new study, the research team used lab-grown human spinal cord organoids — miniature organs derived from stem cells — to model different types of spinal cord injuries and test a promising new regenerative therapy. For the first time, the scientists demonstrated that human spinal cord organoids can accurately mimic the key effects of spinal cord injury, including ...

By age 45, nearly one in three South Asian men had prediabetes; one in four had hypertension South Asians were twice as likely to develop diabetes by age 55 compared to white adults Their risk was elevated despite reporting healthier diets, lower alcohol use and comparable exercise habits Study highlights need for earlier screening and culturally tailored care for South Asian adults CHICAGO --- South Asian adults in the U.S. report doing many of the right things for heart health, yet they show significantly higher rates of prediabetes, diabetes and hypertension than white and Chinese adults, and higher than or roughly similar ...

Australian scientists have discovered that DNA barcoding can be used to track cancer cells in solid and liquid biopsies, empowering future research into more reliable breast cancer diagnosis and treatment strategies. Tumours are composed of different cancer cells that vary in their aggressiveness and sensitivity to treatments, and further research is needed to understand how solid biopsies (from the tumour), or liquid biopsies (from the blood), can capture this diversity. DNA barcoding technology is a powerful tool to study cancer heterogeneity using lentiviruses to label individual cancer cells with DNA ...

The tide has turned on the conservation success story of the southern right whale. Once considered a global conservation success story, the species is now emerging as a warning signal of how climate change is impacting threatened marine life, according to new research led by scientists from Flinders University and Curtin University with international collaborators in the US and South Africa. Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis), a sentinel species for climate change, provide critical insight into ecosystem changes occurring in the Southern Ocean, warn the marine mammal experts. In ...

A prior abortion or miscarriage was not linked with an increased risk of developing pre- or postmenopausal breast cancer in a study published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. In the nationwide Finnish registry-based study, investigators analyzed data on 31,687 women with breast cancer diagnosed in 1972–2021 and 158,433 women without breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer was the similar among women with a history of induced abortion and women with no history of abortion, both before and after 50 years of age. Risks were also similar among women with ...

Because many different types of cancer cells overexpress programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), this cell surface protein is a major target of cancer immunotherapy. Unfortunately, drugs that target it do not trigger especially strong anti-cancer immune responses. New research published in Advanced Science reveals a promising strategy that harnesses pre-existing antiviral immunity to boost anti-tumor responses. Researchers engineered what they call a PD-L1-binding antigen presenter (PBAP) that functions as a molecular bridge between tumor cells and immune cells. The construct fuses a protein segment ...

In 2016, Poland introduced a nationwide policy eliminating all out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs prescribed by healthcare professionals to individuals aged 75 and older. A new study published in Health Economics finds that the policy reduced average out-of-pocket medication spending by 23% and cut catastrophic drug expenses by 62%, indicating substantial financial protection during major health shocks. The financial gains, however, were not evenly distributed. The evidence suggests that higher-income and urban households benefited more, pointing to the ...

Studies have reported on survival probabilities of people born with open spina bifida, a condition where the spinal cord and nerves are exposed through an opening in the back. Research published in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology now provides life expectancies, with results reported by age, sex, and different levels of impairment. In the study of 1,659 patients with open spina bifida who received support from the California Department of Developmental Services in 1986–2019, survival varied significantly by walking and feeding ability and by bowel/bladder continence. As an example, at age 5, the life expectancy was 27 additional years for males in ...

Embargoed until 10:15 AM PST, February 11, 2026   Las Vegas, NV – Prescribing daily aspirin at the first prenatal visit to all pregnant patients was associated with an overall reduction in the development of severe preeclampsia, according to new research presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) 2026 Pregnancy Meeting™.    Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy complication that includes persistently high blood pressure and signs of organ damage such as protein ...

Raise your hand if you dreaded chemistry lessons at school. Apart from a few exceptional cases, this discipline is often perceived as difficult, abstract and removed from real life. This affects students’ motivation and choices, discouraging them from pursuing academic and professional careers in this important and, in fact, fascinating field. In a new article published in JCOM, a team of Brazilian researchers — Ariane Carolina da Rocha, Ana Carolina Steola and Ana Cláudia Kasseboehmer, all from the Instituto de Química ...

Unchecked use of technology and pandemic isolation have ‘reshaped’ how teenagers develop – but it’s not too late to intervene. This is the stark warning of educator Amber Chandler, who suggests teens are struggling with unprecedented levels of anxiety in this ‘scared new world’, which presents a major challenge for parents and schools. However, the teacher says children can learn to flourish and thrive if given the right support. No phones at bedtime, ‘no-tech’ ...

An alarming 71 percent of grocery store baby food products in the United States are classified as ultra-processed foods (UPFs), according to new research published today in the scientific journal Nutrients.1 Researchers at The George Institute for Global Health analyzed data on 651 products from the Institute’s FoodSwitch database, which includes infant and toddler food products sold in the top ten US grocery store chains. The products were assessed using the well-established NOVA classification system. UPFs are defined as industrially made products created from highly processed ingredients and additives.2 Such products tend ...

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Feb 11, 2026)—Hormone declines during menopause can cause genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), a cluster of vulvovaginal and urinary symptoms that can significantly impair a woman’s quality of life. Local estrogen therapy is effective in relieving genitourinary symptoms, but a new study suggests nonablative capacitive-resistive monopolar radiofrequency (CRMRF) may also be effective in restoring vaginal and sexual health. Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society. Genitourinary syndrome of menopause is estimated to affect at least half of postmenopausal women. Common symptoms include ...

As the global demand for clean hydrogen continues to grow, the limitations of conventional steady-state water electrolysis in terms of energy efficiency, mass transfer, and system stability become more pronounced. Now, researchers from the School of Energy Science and Engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology, led by Professor Wei Zhou and Professor Jihui Gao, have presented a comprehensive review on pulsed dynamic electrolysis (PDE) and its potential applications in enhancing water electrolysis performance. This work offers valuable insights into the development of next-generation hydrogen production technologies that can ...

As the rapid development of Bluetooth technology and 5G communication continues to accelerate, electromagnetic interference issues in the ISM band (2.4–2.48 GHz) for Bluetooth devices, as well as the n77 (3.3–4.2 GHz), n78 (3.3–3.8 GHz), and n79 (4.4–5.0 GHz) bands for 5G communications, have become increasingly severe. Now, researchers from Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang University, Jiangxi Agricultural University, and Fudan University, led by Professor Chongbo Liu, Professor Yuhui Peng, Professor Guangsheng Luo, and Professor Xuliang Nie, ...

As the global demand for clean and renewable energy continues to rise, harvesting low-grade energy sources such as salinity gradients has attracted increasing attention. However, achieving both high ion selectivity and high ionic conductivity in ion-exchange membranes remains a major challenge, limiting practical power output. Now, researchers from Qingdao University, Beihang University, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led by Professor Xin Sui, Professor Lilong Gao, Professor Longcheng Gao, and Professor Kunyan Sui, report a breakthrough strategy based on high-density ...

Advancing Thermal-Hydraulic Analysis for High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors High temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) are regarded as a key component of next-generation nuclear energy systems due to their inherent safety characteristics and high outlet temperatures. Accurate thermal-hydraulic analysis plays a central role in both reactor design and safety assessment. However, conventional thermal-hydraulic codes for HTGR typically rely on two-dimensional models and traditional numerical algorithms, which fail to meet the requirements for detailed three-dimensional ...

At present global energy transition is characterized by the development trend of “centering on renewable energy power, emphasizing both security and resilience, and pursuing multi-pathway coordination”. In China, the energy revolution has also entered a critical stage of system reconstruction. Notably, relying solely on large-scale expansion of single type of energy is no longer feasible to address the systemic challenges posed by high proportions of renewable energy consumption, energy distribution across time and space, and diversified energy needs. Against ...

The induction of respiratory mucosal immunity, characterized by secretory IgA (sIgA) and lung-resident memory T (TRM) cells, is essential for establishing robust first-line defence against viruses. While it is regarded as a critical target for next-generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development, current intramuscular vaccines often fail to elicit potent mucosal responses, and subunit antigens usually exhibit poor immunogenicity and limited protection against emerging variants when administered alone. To that, an approach based on the modular "plug-and-display" assembly ...