At the center of most large galaxies lives a supermassive black hole (SMBH). The Milky Way has Sagittarius A*, a mostly dormant SMBH whose mass is around 4.3 million times that of the sun. But if you look deeper into the universe, there are vastly larger SMBHs with masses that can reach up to tens of billions of times the mass of our sun. Black holes grow in mass by gravitationally consuming objects in their near vicinity, including stars. It’s a catastrophic and destructive end for stars unlucky enough to be swallowed by SMBHs, but fortunate for scientists who now have an opportunity to probe otherwise-dormant centers of galaxies. TDEs Light the Way As the name ...

A new study sheds light on how autophagy, the body’s process for removing damaged cell parts, when impaired, can play a role in causing heart failure. The research team led by Dr. E. Dale Abel, chair of the Department of Medicine at UCLA and Dr. Quanjiang Zhang, adjunct assistant professor of medicine at UCLA, identified a signaling pathway that links autophagy to the control of cellular levels of a key coenzyme known as NAD+, which is found in all living cells and is central to how our metabolism works. Researchers say these findings may have implications ...

Phytoplankton or microalgae found in the ocean are often known to produce a sulfur-containing chemical called dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP). This organic molecule breaks down to release a strong but sweet-smelling gas called dimethyl sulfide (DMS), which plays a major role in the formation of cloud condensation nuclei and is also associated with the smell of the sea. More importantly, DMSP acts as an osmolyte and thus protects the phytoplankton against the osmotic pressure created by saline water.   Scientists have, however, ...

A team of astronomers including those from the University of Tokyo created the first-ever map of magnetic field structures within a spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy. Previous studies on galactic magnetic fields only gave a very general picture, but the new study reveals that magnetic fields in the spiral arms of our galaxy break away from this general picture significantly and are tilted away from the galactic average by a high degree. The findings suggest magnetic fields strongly impact star-forming regions which means they played a part in the creation of our own solar system. It might come as a surprise to ...

Researchers have identified a 3D fragment of fossilized skin that is at least 21 million years than previously described skin fossils. The skin, which belonged to an early species of Paleozoic reptile, has a pebbled surface and most closely resembles crocodile skin. It’s the oldest example of preserved epidermis, the outermost layer of skin in terrestrial reptiles, birds, and mammals, which was an important evolutionary adaptation in the transition to life on land. The fossil is described on January 11 in the journal Current Biology along with several other specimens that were collected from the Richards Spur ...

The Organoid group at the Hubrecht Institute produced the first organoid model of the human conjunctiva. These organoids mimic the function of the actual human conjunctiva, a tissue involved in tear production. Using their new model, the researchers discovered a new cell type in this tissue: tuft cells. The tuft cells become more abundant under allergy-like conditions and are therefore likely to play a role in allergies. The organoid model can now be used to test drugs for several diseases affecting the conjunctiva. The study will be published in Cell Stem Cell on 11 January 2024. Our eyes produce tears to protect themselves from injuries and ...

A new species of tyrannosaur from southern North America that may the closest known relative of Tyrannosaurus rex is described in a study published in Scientific Reports. Sebastian Dalman and colleagues identified the new species — which they have named Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis — by examining a fossilised partial skull, which was previously discovered in the Hall Lake Formation, New Mexico, USA. Although these remains were initially assigned to T. rex and are comparable in size to those of T. rex (which was up to 12 metres long), the authors propose that they belong to a new species due ...

MIAMI, FLORIDA (EMBARGOED UNTIL JAN. 11, 2024, at 11 AM EST) – Certain cancers are more difficult to treat because they contain cells that are highly skilled at evading drugs or our immune systems by disguising themselves as healthy cells. Glioblastoma, for example, an incurable brain cancer, is characterized by cells that can mimic human neurons, even growing axons and making active connections with healthy brain neurons. This cancer is usually deadly – average survival time is just over one year from diagnosis ...

A new study led by researchers from the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center shows that using high doses of radiation while integrating an ablative radiotherapy technique called stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) concurrently with chemotherapy is safe and effective in treating people with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer that is not suitable for surgery. Based on mid-treatment response, researchers found the combination treatment, which involves a second radiation plan to personalize a boost for the last third of radiation treatments, is a viable and promising option that helps reduce the risk of toxic side effects and having the cancer ...

Whether picking up a small object like a pen or coordinating different body parts, the cerebellum in the brain performs essential functions for controlling our movement. Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) investigated how a crucial set of synapses between neurons within it functions and develops. Their findings have now been published in the journal Neuron. Even if you do not think about it, every day you are using the intricate circuits of neurons in your brain to perform astonishingly delicate movements with your body. One essential unit in this is the cerebellum playing a key role in fine motor control, coordination, and timing. “Every ...

UPTON, NY—Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and Columbia University have developed a way to convert carbon dioxide (CO2), a potent greenhouse gas, into carbon nanofibers, materials with a wide range of unique properties and many potential long-term uses. Their strategy uses tandem electrochemical and thermochemical reactions run at relatively low temperatures and ambient pressure. As the scientists describe in the journal Nature Catalysis, this approach could successfully lock carbon away in a useful solid form to offset or even achieve negative carbon emissions. “You can put the carbon nanofibers ...

About The Study: The findings of this study of 6,101 adult cancer survivors suggest that substance use disorder (SUD) prevalence is higher among survivors of certain types of cancer; this information could be used to identify cancer survivors who may benefit from integrated cancer and SUD care. Future efforts to understand and address the needs of adult cancer survivors with comorbid SUD should prioritize cancer populations in which SUD prevalence is high.  Authors: Devon K. Check, Ph.D., of the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, is the corresponding author.  To access the ...

About The Study: In this study of patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer from 2017 to 2020 in the U.S., the incidence of localized head and neck cancer declined during the first year of the pandemic. A subsequent increase in advanced-stage diagnoses may be observed in later years.  Authors: Nosayaba (Nosa) Osazuwa-Peters, B.D.S., Ph.D., M.P.H., C.H.E.S., of the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, is the corresponding author.  To access the embargoed study: Visit ...

A new, systematic analysis of cancer cells identifies 370 candidate priority drug targets across 27 cancer types, including breast, lung and ovarian cancers. By looking at multiple layers of functional and genomic information, researchers were able to create an unbiased, panoramic view of what enables cancer cells to grow and survive. They identify new opportunities for cancer therapies in a significant leap towards a new generation of smarter, more effective cancer treatments. In the most comprehensive study of its kind, researchers ...

AI language models are booming. The current frontrunner is ChatGPT, which can do everything from taking a bar exam, to creating an HR policy, to writing a movie script. But it and other models still can’t reason like a human. In this Q&A, Dr. Vered Shwartz (she/her), assistant professor in the UBC department of computer science, and masters student Mehar Bhatia (she/her) explain why reasoning could be the next step in AI—and why it’s important to train these models using diverse ...

For the first time, scientists have succeeded in the stabilisation and direct imaging of small clusters of noble gas atoms at room temperature. This achievement opens up exciting possibilities for fundamental research in condensed matter physics and applications in quantum information technology. The key to this breakthrough, achieved by scientists at the University of Vienna in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Helsinki, was the confinement of noble gas atoms between two layers of graphene. This method overcomes the difficulty that noble gases do not form stable structures under experimental conditions ...

Osaka, Japan – Much like ripples on the water can betray powerful currents below the surface, small changes in our bodies can sometimes be an indicator of a serious condition. Now, researchers from Japan say that cells in the blood may provide telltale signs of important immune dysfunction. In a study recently published in Cell Genomics, researchers from Osaka University have revealed that subtle changes in specific immune cell populations may signal the presence of an autoimmune disease. In autoimmune conditions, which affect up to 5% of the population, the body’s immune cells attack the body ...

Tokyo, Japan – If you’ve ever taken a car trip through a rural area, you might already know that livestock, including cows and sheep, can be individually tracked using decidedly old-fashioned methods, such as ear tags or even branding marks. By contrast, many tech-savvy pet owners have opted to have their dog or cat “chipped” by having a radio frequency identification (RFID) permanently implanted under the skin. However, all these identification solutions leave something to be desired, as ear tags can become damaged or lost, while RFID chips require an invasive procedure to insert and specialized equipment to read. In a study recently published in Scientific ...

JMIR Publications is pleased to announce that JMIR AI has passed the Scientific Quality Review by the US National Library of Medicine (NLM) for PubMed Central (PMC). This decision reflects the scientific and editorial quality of the journal. All articles published from 2022 onward will be found on PMC and PubMed after their technical evaluation. Launched in 2022, JMIR AI is a new journal that focuses on the applications of artificial intelligence in health settings. This includes contemporary developments as well as historical ...

WASHINGTON — Researchers have developed a new technology that uses meta-optical devices to perform thermal imaging. The approach provides richer information about imaged objects, which could broaden the use of thermal imaging in fields such as autonomous navigation, security, thermography, medical imaging and remote sensing. “Our method overcomes the challenges of traditional spectral thermal imagers, which are often bulky and delicate due to their reliance on large filter wheels or interferometers,” said research team leader Zubin Jacob from ...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2024 – The Heineman Foundation, American Institute of Physics, and American Astronomical Society are pleased to announce John E. Carlstrom as the winner of the 2024 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics. Carlstrom was selected “for pioneering work on microwave interferometry and his leading role in the development of the South Pole Telescope, leading to the observations of clusters of galaxies through the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect, B-Mode polarization in the cosmic microwave background and strong evidence for a flat universe, all of which changed the field for generations to come.” “AIP congratulates ...

PHILADELPHIA— Advancements in the study of two rare heart conditions—peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)—contributed by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania may serve as critical guides in future work toward developing therapies for the conditions. The lab of Zoltan Arany, MD, PhD, the Samuel Bellet Professor of Cardiology and a professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, published their findings this month in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), adding to separate research they recently published in the Journal of Clinical ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE A Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study of children and youth with diabetes concludes that so-called autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) diabetic eye exams significantly increase completion rates of screenings designed to prevent potentially blinding diabetes eye diseases (DED). During the exam, pictures are taken of the backs of the eyes without the need to dilate them, and AI is used to provide an immediate result.  The study noted that the AI-driven technology used in the exams may close “care gaps” among racial and ethnic minority youth with diabetes, populations with historically higher rates of DED and less access to or adherence ...

WASHINGTON—Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in plastics pose a serious threat to public health and cost the U.S. an estimated $250 billion in increased health care costs in 2018, according to new research published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. Plastics contain many hazardous, endocrine-disrupting chemicals that leach and contaminate humans and the environment. These chemicals disturb the body’s hormone systems and can cause cancer, diabetes, reproductive disorders, neurological impairments of developing fetuses and children, and death. Potential options under discussion as part of a Global ...

Scientists have long known that some viruses and bacteria begin infections by latching first onto sugar molecules on the surfaces of cells lining the sinuses and throat of mammals, including humans. Viral particles, for instance, can attach to these molecules, called sialic acids, or SAs, like keys fitting into locks. Now, a new study in infant mice shows that keeping virus particles from attaching to SAs limits more than just the entry of influenza A viral infections, but also hinders their exit (shedding) and transmission from mouse to mouse. Such infections are the main cause of the seasonal flu that kills more than 36,000 Americans annually. While vaccines to guard ...