Guardrails, education urged to protect adolescent AI users

The effects of artificial intelligence on adolescents are nuanced and complex, according to a report from the American Psychological Association that calls on developers to prioritize features that protect young people from exploitation, manipulation and the erosion of real-world relationships. “AI offers new efficiencies and opportunities, yet its deeper integration…

Molecular link between air pollution and pregnancy risks

A new study by Emory University researchers, published Thursday in Environmental Science & Technology, found that exposure to the tiny particles in air pollution during pregnancy can disrupt maternal metabolisms, altering key biological pathways. These changes were associated with increased risk of various negative birth outcomes, including premature birth. The…

Pancreatic cancer spreads to liver or lung thanks to this protein

A protein called PCSK9 determines how pancreatic cancer cells metastasize to different parts of the body. Scientists at UC San Francisco have discovered how pancreatic cancer cells thrive in the lungs or liver, environments that are as distinct to cells as the ocean and desert are to animals. The spread…

Epilepsy is more common in patients with frontotemporal dementia than expected

According to a recent study, in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), epileptic seizures are significantly more common than previously known. The discovery deepens understanding of the symptoms of this memory disorder and emphasises the importance of taking epileptic seizures into account in the treatment and monitoring of patients. Coordinated by…

Atmospheric chemistry keeps pollutants in the air

Nitrates in the atmosphere reduce air quality and play an important role in climate change. An international team led by Hokkaido University researchers has revealed how chemical processes in the atmosphere have led to persistently high nitrate levels despite a reduction in emissions over the past few decades. These findings,…

First direct observation of the trapped waves that shook the world in 2023

In September 2023, a bizarre global seismic signal was observed which appeared every 90 seconds over nine days — and was then repeated a month later. Almost a year later, two scientific studies proposed that the cause of these seismic anomalies were two mega tsunamis which were triggered in a…

New mRNA vaccine is more effective and less costly to develop

A new type of mRNA vaccine is more scalable and adaptable to continuously evolving viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and H5N1, according to a study by researchers at University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and the Pennsylvania State University. The study was published today in npj Vaccines. Though highly effective…

DNA floating in the air tracks wildlife, viruses — even drugs

Dublin is known as a city where you can enjoy a few pints of Guiness, get a warm welcome from the locals and hear lively traditional music drifting out of pubs and into the city air. But it’s not just music floating on the breeze. The air of Dublin also…

Two plant species invent the same chemically complex and medically interesting substance

The elucidation of the biosynthetic pathway of ipecacuanha alkaloids shows how two distantly related plant species could develop the same substance independently. Plants produce an enormous abundance of natural products. Many plant natural products are ancestry-specific and occur only in certain plant families, sometimes only in a single species. Interestingly,…

Clinical research on psychedelics gets a boost from new study

As psychedelics gain traction as potential treatments for mental health disorders, an international study led by researchers at McGill University, Imperial College London, and the University of Exeter stands to improve the rigour and reliability of clinical research. Up to now, psychedelic clinical trials have had what has been widely…

Baboons walk in line for friendship, not survival, new study finds

Researchers at Swansea University have discovered that baboons walk in lines, not for safety or strategy, but simply to stay close to their friends. Baboons often travel in structured line formations known as ‘progressions’ as they move through their home range. Previous studies offered conflicting explanations for this behavior. Some…

Black holes could act as natural supercolliders — and help uncover dark matter

As federal funding cuts impact decades of research, scientists could turn to black holes for cheaper, natural alternatives to expensive facilities searching for dark matter and similarly elusive particles that hold clues to the universe’s deepest secrets, a new Johns Hopkins study of supermassive black holes suggests. The findings could…

Large-scale immunity profiling grants insights into flu virus evolution

A new study has shown that person-to-person variation in antibody immunity plays a key role in shaping which influenza (flu) strains dominate in a population. The work, published today as a Reviewed Preprint in eLife, uses a high-throughput sequencing-based assay to quantify antibody immunity against circulating H3N2 flu strains in…

Particles energized by magnetic reconnection in the nascent solar wind

New research led by a Southwest Research Institute scientist identified a new source of energetic particles near the Sun. These definitive observations were made by instruments aboard NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, which detected the powerful phenomena as the spacecraft dipped in and out of the solar corona. These new results…

Early driver of prostate cancer aggressiveness

Researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center identified a gene that plays a key role in prostate cancer cells that have transitioned to a more aggressive, treatment-resistant form. The gene can be indirectly targeted with an existing class of drugs, suggesting a potential treatment strategy for patients with…

Record high: Study finds growing cannabis use among older adults

Marijuana use among older adults in the US has reached a new high, with 7 percent of adults aged 65 and over who report using it in the past month, according to an analysis led by researchers with the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research (CDUHR) at the NYU…

Researchers develop recyclable, healable electronics

Between upgrades and breakdowns to cellphones, tablets, laptops, and appliances, so many electronics are getting tossed in the trash that they’ve taken on a name of their own: e-waste. According to a 2024 report issued by the United Nations, the amount of e-waste worldwide has almost doubled in the past…

Preventing chronic inflammation from turning into cancer

Chronic inflammatory bowel disease is challenging to treat and carries a risk of complications, including the development of bowel cancer. Young people are particularly affected: when genetic predisposition and certain factors coincide, diseases such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease usually manifest between the ages of 15 and 29 —…

Geological time capsule highlights Great Barrier Reef’s resilience

New research led by the University of Sydney adds to our understanding of how rapidly rising sea levels due to climate change foreshadow the end of the Great Barrier Reef as we know it. The findings suggest the reef can withstand rising sea levels in isolation but is vulnerable to…

Ultra-thin lenses that make infrared light visible

Lenses are the most widely used optical devices. Camera lens or objectives, for example, produce a sharp photo or video by directing light at a focal point. The speed of evolution made in the field of optics in recent decades is exemplified by the transformation of conventional bulky cameras into…

Combination therapy can prolong life in severe heart disease

Aortic valve narrowing (aortic stenosis) with concomitant cardiac amyloidosis is a severe heart disease of old age that is associated with a high risk of death. Until now, treatment has consisted of valve replacement, while the deposits in the heart muscle, known as amyloidosis, often remain untreated. An international research…

The sweet spot: sugar-based sensors to revolutionize snake venom detection

Every five minutes, 50 people are bitten by a snake worldwide; four will be permanently disabled and one will die. In the time-critical situation following a bite, identifying the snake venom making its way through your system is vital to saving lives and providing the best treatment. Most approaches to…

Coastal flooding more frequent than previously thought

Flooding in coastal communities is happening far more often than previously thought, according to a new study from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The study also found major flaws with the widely used approach of using marine water level data to capture…

Webb reveals the origin of the ultra-hot exoplanet WASP-121b

Observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have provided new clues about how the exoplanet WASP-121b has formed and where it might have originated in the disc of gas and dust around its star. These insights stem from the detection of multiple key molecules: water vapour, carbon monoxide, silicon…

Brain training game offers new hope for drug-free pain management

A trial of an interactive game that trains people to alter their brain waves has shown promise as a treatment for nerve pain — offering hope for a new generation of drug-free treatments. The PainWaive technology, developed by UNSW Sydney researchers, teaches users how to regulate abnormal brain activity linked…