An ‘introspective’ AI finds diversity improves performance

An artificial intelligence with the ability to look inward and fine tune its own neural network performs better when it chooses diversity over lack of diversity, a new study finds. The resulting diverse neural networks were particularly effective at solving complex tasks. “We created a test system with a non-human…

Antioxidants stimulate blood flow in tumors

Vitamin C and other antioxidants stimulate the formation of new blood vessels in lung cancer tumours, a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation shows. The discovery corroborates the idea that dietary supplements containing antioxidants can accelerate tumour growth and metastasis. “We’ve found that antioxidants…

Radiologists must monitor novel Alzheimer’s treatment side effect

A new article published in RadioGraphics, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), examines the use of monoclonal antibody therapies for treating Alzheimer disease and alerts physicians to be on the lookout for a potential side effect: amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA). Alzheimer disease is a progressive, irreversible…

Nearly half of dog owners are hesitant to vaccinate their pets

A new study has found that US dog owners who harbor mistrust in the safety and efficacy of childhood and adult vaccines are also more likely to hold negative views about vaccinating their four-legged friends. Public confidence in adult and child vaccines has declined during the pandemic, largely spurred by…

Electrical noise stimulation applied to the brain could be key to boosting math learning

Exciting a brain region using electrical noise stimulation can help improve mathematical learning in those who struggle with the subject, according to a new study from the Universities of Surrey and Oxford, Loughborough University, and Radboud University in The Netherlands. During this unique study, researchers investigated the impact of neurostimulation…

New blood test gives very high accuracy to screen for Alzheimer’s disease

A new blood test called p-tau217 shows promise as an Alzheimer’s disease biomarker, and when used in a two-step workflow very high accuracy to either identify or exclude brain amyloidosis, the most important and earliest pathology. That is an innovation now presented by researchers at the University of Gothenburg, together…

New AI technology gives robot recognition skills a big lift

A robot moves a toy package of butter around a table in the Intelligent Robotics and Vision Lab at The University of Texas at Dallas. With every push, the robot is learning to recognize the object through a new system developed by a team of UT Dallas computer scientists. The…

Unraveling the long history of breast cancer formation

From the early stages of cell mutations starting in puberty to their manifestations as breast cancer in later years, the entire process has remained shrouded in mystery. Now, a team of researchers at Kyoto University has revealed the mechanism by which breast cancer is formed in the cells of the…

AI helps ID cancer risk factors

A novel study from the University of South Australia has identified a range of metabolic biomarkers that could help predict the risk of cancer. Deploying machine learning to examine data from 459,169 participants in the UK Biobank, the study identified 84 features that could signal increased cancer risk. Several markers…

Scientists detect and validate the longest-period exoplanet found with TESS

Scientists from The University of New Mexico (UNM), and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have detected and validated two of the longest-period exoplanets found by TESS to date. These long period large exoplanets orbit a K dwarf star and belong to a class of planets known as warm Jupiters, which…

Acting fast when an epidemic hits

A team of researchers at the University of Waterloo and Dalhousie University have developed a method for forecasting the short-term progression of an epidemic using extremely limited amounts of data. Their model, the Sparsity and Delay Embedding-based Forecasting model, or SPADE4, uses machine learning to predict the progression of an…

Growing triple-decker hybrid crystals for lasers

By controlling the arrangement of multiple inorganic and organic layers within crystals using a novel technique, researchers at Duke University and Purdue University have shown they can control the energy levels of electrons and holes (positive charge carriers) within a class of materials called perovskites. This tuning influences the materials’…

Newly discovered fungus helps destroy a harmful food toxin

Patulin is a harmful mycotoxin produced by fungi typically found in damaged fruits, including apples, pears, and grapes. In a recent breakthrough, researchers from Japan identified a new filamentous fungal strain that can degrade patulin by transforming it into less toxic substances. Their findings provide important insights into the degradation…

Two out of three volcanoes are little-known. How to predict their eruptions?

What is the risk of a volcano erupting? To answer this question, scientists need information about its underlying internal structure. However, gathering this data can take several years of fieldwork, analyses and monitoring, which explains why only 30% of active volcanoes are currently well documented. A team from the University…

Watching a bimetallic catalytic surface in action

A team of researchers from the Department of Interface Science at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society addressed the question: what happens to a Ga-promoted Cu surface under reaction conditions required for the synthesis of methanol? They found complex structural transformations of this bimetallic catalyst that might…

New giant planet evidence of possible planetary collisions

A Neptune-sized planet denser than steel has been discovered by an international team of astronomers, who believe its composition could be the result of a giant planetary clash. TOI-1853b’s mass is almost twice that of any other similar-sized planet known and its density is incredibly high, meaning that it is…

Is digital media use a risk factor for psychosis in young adults?

On average, young adults in Canada spend several hours on their smartphones every day. Many jump from TikTok to Netflix to Instagram, putting their phone down only to pick up a video game controller. A growing body of research is looking into the potential dangers of digital media overuse, as…

A global observatory to monitor Earth’s biodiversity

At a time of unparalleled rates of biodiversity loss, a new interconnected system to monitor biodiversity around the world is needed to guide action quickly enough to target conservation efforts to where they are most needed. “The lethal combination of habitat loss, the exploitation of natural populations, and climate change…

The search for the super potato

As climate change continues to pose severe challenges to ensuring sustainable food supplies around the world, scientists from McGill University are looking for ways to improve the resilience and nutritional quality of potatoes. Professor Martina Strömvik and her team have created a potato super pangenome to identify genetic traits that…

Sepsis — as common as cancer, as deadly as a heart attack

In 2016, the research team conducted an initial study in southern Sweden (Skåne) where they revealed that sepsis is much more common than previously believed. The incidence turned out to be 750 adults per 100,000 individuals. In the latest study in the same region, the results showed that more than…

Breathe! The shape-shifting ball that supports mental health

A soft ball that ‘personifies’ breath, expanding and contracting in synchronicity with a person’s inhalations and exhalations, has been invented by a PhD student at the University of Bath in the UK. The ball is designed to support mental health, giving users a tangible representation of their breath to keep…

Unprecedented gamma-ray burst explained by long-lived jet

Last year, Northwestern University researchers reported new observational evidence that long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) can result from the merger of a neutron star with another compact object (either another neutron star or black hole) — a finding that was previously believed to be impossible. Now, another Northwestern team offers a…