A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) challenges long-held assumptions about human cooperation. Traditionally, behavioral scientists and economists have primarily studied cooperation in public good contexts through repeated interactions, where individuals can build trust and reciprocal relationships, adjusting their behavior based on the actions of others. However, many real-world, naturally occurring situations, such as volunteering or donating ...

Tsukuba, Japan—Maintaining soil health is crucial for sustainable agriculture. Recently, soil volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have emerged as promising indicators for assessing soil health. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of soil VOC profiles as indicators of soil health in soybean fields. Soil samples were collected from soybean fields in Fukushima Prefecture, which exhibited diverse soil conditions, over the past three years. These samples were analyzed for VOC content in conjunction with data on soil physical properties, soil metabolome, soil ionome, and soil microbiome as well as rhizosphere chemicals ...

Researchers at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, demonstrate how morphogens combined with cell adhesion can generate tissue domains with a sharp boundary in an in vitro model system. Recent advances that have enabled the growth of tissue cultures into organoids and embryoids have heightened interest as to how tissue growth is controlled during the natural processes of embryo development. It is known that the diffusion of signaling molecules called morphogens directs patterned tissue growth ...

October 8, 2024 (Chicago) — The JAMA Network today announces the launch of JAMA+ AI, an engaging, interactive channel that amplifies the best of the JAMA Network’s content exploring the science of artificial intelligence and digital medicine and its application in health and health care.   JAMA+ AI is a window into the premier scientific content, educational reviews, and commentary on AI and medicine published across JAMA, JAMA Network Open, and the 11 JAMA specialty journals.  JAMA+ AI builds on that content with new multimedia materials, including interviews ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – An international coalition led by Oregon State University scientists concludes in its annual report published today that the Earth’s worsening vital signs indicate a “critical and unpredictable new phase of the climate crisis” and that “decisive action is needed, and fast.” The collaboration directed by OSU’s William Ripple and former postdoctoral researcher Christopher Wolf outlines areas where policy change is needed – energy, pollutants, nature, food and economy – in “The 2024 State of the Climate Report: Perilous Times on Planet Earth,” published ...

A new report published in BioScience warns that the world is facing a climate emergency of unprecedented magnitude. The "2024 State of the Climate Report," by an international team of scientists led by Oregon State University's William Ripple and Christopher Wolf, presents alarming evidence that climate change is worsening at a dangerous pace. In the report, the authors update 35 annually reported "planetary vital signs," which provide ongoing timeseries of human climate-related activities ...

Measuring tiny magnetic fields, such as those generated by brain waves, enables many new novel opportunities for medical diagnostics and treatment. The research team led by Dr. Jan Jeske at Fraunhofer IAF is working on a globally innovative approach to precise magnetic field measurements: Laser Threshold Magnetometry. The researchers have now combined an NV diamond and a laser diode in a resonator, successfully demonstrating the sensor system with two active media for the first time. This outstanding paper has been published in Science Advances and represents a significant progress in the BMBF-funded research project NeuroQ. Quantum ...

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina — A growing reliance on industry-sponsored cancer clinical trials in the United States is a reason for concern, say researchers from the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. In a Journal of Clinical Oncology editorial, Yara Abdou, MD, and Norman E. Sharpless, MD, responded to a new study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle that found enrollment in industry-sponsored cancer clinical trials doubled between 2008 and 2022 while federally supported trial enrollment remained flat. From 2018 to 2022, cancer clinical trial enrollment was eight times greater in industry-sponsored studies compared to federal studies. Abdou and Sharpless called ...

Washington, D.C.  — A new national survey shows that, despite intense marketing, most Americans do not want the new weight-loss injectables, such as Wegovy and Ozempic. The survey was conducted by Morning Consult for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a non-profit organization with more than 17,000 physician members, on Sept. 5, 2024, and included 2,205 adults. Asked to respond to the statement, “If I wanted to lose weight, I would rather take an injectable weight-loss drug, rather than make a diet change,” only 23% agreed or strongly agreed, while 62% disagreed or strongly disagreed and another 14% said they were not ...

NEW ORLEANS – For the fourth year running, Ochsner Children’s Hospital upholds its position as the No. 1 hospital for kids in Louisiana according to the 2024-2025 Best Children’s Hospital rankings by U.S. News & World Report. Ochsner Children’s Hospital continues to shine nationally with Top 50 rankings in three specialties: pediatric cardiology and heart surgery, pediatric gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery and pediatric orthopedics. This prestigious recognition marks eight consecutive years on the ranking list, a unique achievement ...

HERSHEY, Pa. — Rates of babesiosis, a tick-borne parasitic disease, increased an average of 9% per year in the United States between 2015 and 2022 and four in 10 patients were found to be co-infected with another tick-borne illness such as Lyme disease, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine. “These findings suggest that clinicians should have a heightened vigilance of co-infection of other tick-borne illness among patients admitted with babesiosis,” said Paddy Ssentongo, infectious disease fellow, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and lead author of the study. ...

NEW YORK, NY – October 8, 2024 - The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation released findings from its latest healthcare access survey, revealing that more than 40% of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients have made significant financial trade-offs to afford their healthcare. The survey highlighted that among all respondents, 30% reported giving up vacations or major household purchases, 22% increased their credit card debt, and 21% cut back on essential items such as food, clothing, or basic household items.    The survey, published today in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, included responses ...

A PeerJ Life and Environment study has revealed a significant departure of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) from the central portion of the Gulf of California, linked to the collapse of the jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) population, their primary prey. The study, led by researchers Msc. Héctor Pérez-Puig and Dr. Alejandro Arias Del Razo, offers insight into the relationship between apex marine predators and their environment, highlighting sperm whales as key indicators of oceanic health. The research, conducted over a 9-year period in the eastern Midriff Islands Region of the Gulf of California, utilized extensive survey ...

Two new apps will enable blind people to navigate indoor buildings with spoken directions from a smartphone app, providing a safe method of wayfinding where GPS doesn’t work.  UC Santa Cruz professor of Computer Science and Engineering Roberto Manduchi  has devoted much of his research career to creating accessible technology for the blind and visually impaired. Throughout years of working with these communities, he has learned that there is a particular need for tools to help with indoor navigation of new spaces. “Moving about independently in a place that you don't know is particularly ...

Researchers from IOCB Prague are furthering the understanding of how medicines work and what it takes to develop their most effective variants. In one current study, they have focused on the disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis, especially because of the recent appearance of strains that are resistant to conventional treatment. In an effort to find a new weak spot of this parasite, the research group led by Dr. Evžen Bouřa has succeeded in preparing a key enzyme complex – the proteasome. This has made it possible to gain knowledge that is indispensable for the development of new effective ...

Lewy bodies are a hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other related neurological conditions. Understanding why and how they develop is critical to developing better treatments. A study from The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of McGill University, in collaboration with its Early Drug Discovery Unit, has recreated the growth of Lewy bodies in human neurons and followed their formation to gain important insight into why and how they form. Critically, they find that immune challenge is important for this process, identifying a previously unknown link between the immune system and neurological disease.    Lewy ...

MIT engineers have built a new desalination system that runs with the rhythms of the sun.  The solar-powered system removes salt from water at a pace that closely follows changes in solar energy. As sunlight increases through the day, the system ramps up its desalting process and automatically adjusts to any sudden variation in sunlight, for example by dialing down in response to a passing cloud or revving up as the skies clear.  Because the system can quickly react to subtle changes in sunlight, it maximizes the utility of solar energy, producing large quantities of clean water despite ...

Generative AI still needs to find the right balance between too little and too much care before it can help doctors make decisions in the Emergency Department.  If ChatGPT were cut loose in the Emergency Department, it might suggest unneeded x-rays and antibiotics for some patients and admit others who didn’t require hospital treatment, a new study from UC San Francisco has found.   The researchers said that, while the model could be prompted in ways that make its responses more accurate, it’s still no match for the clinical judgment of a human doctor.  “This ...

7 October 2024. Doha, Qatar – The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) has today released the first details of speakers confirmed for its upcoming global conference, to be held on 13 and 14 November 2024. Among those featured at the summit will be WISH executive chair Lord Ara Darzi of Denham and Médecins Sans Frontières’ international president Christos Christou. Lord Darzi, who recently led an independent investigation on the state of the National Health Service in England, will ...

A cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) app has been found to significantly prevent increases in depression in young people who are at high risk - and could be implemented as a cost effective public mental health measure. Globally, concern is growing about the high and steadily increasing rates of anxiety and depression in young people. Effective and scalable ways of preventing poor mental health in this group are needed, and digital tools such as mobile apps have been proposed as part of the solution. Whilst there is emerging evidence ...

Most dog owners didn’t know that flea and tick treatments are dangerous to aquatic life, suggesting more awareness could ease the problem. A study on Hampstead Heath shows that ponds where dogs are allowed to swim contain levels of two pesticides harmful to invertebrate life. These pesticides, imidacloprid and fipronil, are used as parasite treatments for flea and tick infestations in cats and dogs, using ‘spot-on’ formulas and flea collars. This is despite these chemicals being banned for agricultural use in 2018 due to their toxicity to bees and other ...

Growing pains are common in maturing children, but sometimes this growth can be irregular and cause injury. Discoid lateral meniscus (DLM), a misshapen knee cartilage, is one such occurrence that can degenerate into osteochondritis dissecans, a joint disorder where the bone and joint begin to separate from the rest of the bones. It has been reported that osteochondritis dissecans of the femoral condyle occurs in approximately 14.5% of cases of DLM, but there has been little analysis of its treatment to date. Dr. Ken Iida and Specially ...

Although access to nature is a basic human right, people’s actual use of green spaces is subject to inequalities. A Kobe University-led research team analyzed what conditions make it more likely that people are exposed to nature across generations: the availability of green spaces around where they live, work and shop, as well as nature relatedness and past natural experiences. Their findings may inform policies for urban planning and education for the improvement of human health. Visiting green spaces is good for people’s health, both psychologically and physiologically. ...

Researchers from Tohoku University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have unveiled a new AI tool for high-quality optical spectra with the same accuracy as quantum simulations, but working a million times faster, potentially accelerating the development of photovoltaic and quantum materials. Understanding the optical properties of materials is essential for developing optoelectronic devices, such as LEDs, solar cells, photodetectors, and photonic integrated circuits. These devices are pivotal in the semiconductor industry's current resurgence. Traditional means of calculation using the basic laws of physics involve complex ...

Successful reduction of the chemical manufacturing industry’s environmental impact relies on finding a greener way to make the chemical building blocks for common and massively consumed compounds. It’s no secret manufacturing processes have some of the most impactful and intense effects on the environment, with the chemical manufacturing industry topping the charts for both energy consumption and emissions output. While this makes sense thanks to the grand scale in which manufactured chemicals are involved in daily life, it still leaves a lot to be desired for sustainability’s sake. By focusing on renewable energy sources and alternative methods for creating the ...