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An international research team led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), has identified a promising way to help chronic wounds heal faster, including wounds infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria. Chronic wounds are a growing global health problem. Each year, about 18.6 million people worldwide develop diabetic foot ulcers.[1] Over…
A new study led by King’s College London, in partnership with the University of Westminster, has revealed important details about the E. coli bacteria linked to diabetic foot infections. The research focuses on how varied these bacterial strains are and what makes some infections especially severe. The study, published in…
Some galaxies host an active galactic nucleus, an intensely bright region powered by a supermassive black hole that is actively pulling in surrounding matter. As gas and dust spiral toward the black hole, enormous amounts of energy can be released. In certain cases, that energy powers narrow jets that shoot…
At 6:42 p.m. EST on Saturday, Jan. 17, NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft completed their move to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) took nearly 12 hours from start to finish. The trip…
Researchers from IPHES-CERCA have contributed to a new study led by the National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH) that challenges long-standing ideas about how early humans survived. Published in the journal Journal of Human Evolution, the research takes a sweeping look at carrion consumption from the earliest hominins to…
One of the defining breakthroughs in mammal evolution was the rise of highly sensitive hearing. Modern mammals rely on a middle ear that includes an eardrum and several tiny bones, a system that makes it possible to detect a wide range of sounds at different volumes. This ability likely gave…
Taking acetaminophen, commonly known by the brand name Tylenol, during pregnancy does not raise the risk of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disability in children. This conclusion comes from the most comprehensive review of the evidence so far, published on January 16 in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology &…
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine report that they have uncovered a promising drug target that could allow scientists to increase or decrease the activity of specific brain proteins. The discovery may lead to new treatments for psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and schizophrenia, as well as a neurological disorder that…
For nearly 100 years, dark matter has remained one of the biggest unanswered questions in cosmology. Although it cannot be seen directly, its gravitational influence shapes galaxies and the large-scale structure of the universe. At the Perimeter Institute, two physicists are investigating how a particular form of dark matter, known…
Global demand for electricity is rising fast. Energy-hungry data centers that support artificial intelligence, along with expanding manufacturing, are putting unprecedented pressure on power systems worldwide. Meeting that demand will require more than simply generating additional electricity. One promising solution is to use existing energy supplies far more efficiently and…
The chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), commonly called Bd, is widely recognized as a major factor behind the worldwide decline of amphibians. Scientists have identified multiple genetic variants of this disease causing fungus across different regions. Together, these strains have already contributed to population crashes in at least 500 species of…
Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University set out to understand how polymer-coated fertilizer (PCF) used on farmland eventually reaches beaches and ocean waters. By examining PCF debris collected from shorelines across Japan, they found that very little fertilizer plastic returns to land through rivers. Only about 0.2% of the PCFs applied…
A new study suggests that autistic and non-autistic people use their faces to show emotions in different ways. These differences may help explain why emotional expressions are sometimes misunderstood between the two groups. Researchers at the University of Birmingham carried out a large-scale project to map facial expressions linked to…
An updated Cochrane review reports that there is still no clear proof that cannabis-based medicines effectively relieve chronic neuropathic pain. Despite growing interest in these treatments, the latest evidence does not show reliable pain reduction compared with placebo. Chronic neuropathic pain develops when nerves are damaged, often leading to persistent…
“The brain is an exquisite sensor of what’s going on in your body,” says Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Assistant Professor Jeremy Borniger. “But it requires balance. Neurons need to be active or inactive at the right times. If that rhythm goes out of sync even a little bit, it can…
Using a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid one inside a battery could enable rechargeable lithium metal batteries that are safer, store much more energy, and recharge far faster than today’s lithium-ion batteries. This idea has attracted scientists and engineers for decades. However, progress has been limited by a critical…
Social media and news feeds are filled with unverified claims about a possible connection between acetaminophen and autism in children. But medical experts say the far more serious and well-documented concern is something else entirely: overdose from the widely used pain and fever medication. Acetaminophen poisoning is one of the…
Astronomers in Europe have identified an unexpected feature hidden inside the famous Ring Nebula. The discovery was made by a team led by researchers at UCL (University College London) and Cardiff University, who found a narrow, bar shaped cloud made of iron deep within the nebula. The iron cloud is…
In a new study, terrestrial bacteria-infecting viruses were still able to infect their E. coli hosts in near-weightless “microgravity” conditions aboard the International Space Station, but the dynamics of virus-bacteria interactions differed from those observed on Earth. Phil Huss of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S.A., and colleagues present these findings…
At a glance, the 400 acres of soybeans on the Preston family’s dairy farm in southern Michigan appear no different from any other field in the region. But this crop is far from ordinary. The soybeans are part of a research-driven collaboration with Michigan State University that is saving the…
A long-running Swedish study conducted at Karolinska Institutet has followed people for 47 years to examine how fitness, strength, and muscle endurance evolve during adulthood. The findings show that physical performance begins to decline around age 35. At the same time, the research makes it clear that starting to exercise…
Scientists are raising new concerns after a study found that microplastics are interfering with the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide, a process that plays a vital role in regulating Earth’s temperature. Microplastics are tiny plastic particles measuring less than five millimeters. Over time, they have spread across nearly every…
Engineers have taken a major step toward producing the smallest earthquakes ever created, shrinking seismic-style vibrations down to the scale of a microchip. The breakthrough centers on a device called a surface acoustic wave phonon laser. The technology could eventually enable more advanced chips for smartphones and other wireless electronics,…
Thyme extract is often described as a powerful natural remedy because of its wide range of health effects. This reputation comes from several biologically active compounds — thymol, carvacrol, rosmarinic acid, and caffeic acid — that are known to support immune function while also offering anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant benefits.…
For the first time, scientists have applied machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence (AI), to identify the factors most closely linked to cancer survival in nearly every country across the globe. The research, publishedin the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology, goes beyond broad comparisons to show which specific…
By closely tracking swarms of extremely small earthquakes, scientists are gaining new insight into a dangerous and complicated region off the Northern California coast. This area marks the meeting point of the San Andreas fault and the Cascadia subduction zone, a place capable of producing powerful and destructive earthquakes. The…
For a long time, endocrinologist Leigh Perreault, MD, felt uneasy about how weight management was handled in routine medical care. Too often, patients were sent home with the same advice to eat better and exercise more, even when it clearly was not enough. “There was a moment I put my…
The first-ever academic review focused on bamboo as a food has uncovered a wide range of possible health benefits. Researchers found evidence suggesting bamboo consumption may help regulate blood sugar, reduce inflammation, support digestive health, and provide antioxidant effects. Bamboo is known as the fastest growing plant on the planet,…
Spending more than 10 hours a week playing video games may begin to affect young people’s eating habits, sleep quality, and body weight, according to new research led by Curtin University and published in Nutrition. The study surveyed 317 students from five universities across Australia. Participants had a median age…
When people talk face to face, nearly half of their attention is drawn to the movement of the lips. Despite this, robots still have great difficulty moving their mouths in a convincing way. Even the most advanced humanoid machines often rely on stiff, exaggerated mouth motions that resemble a puppet,…
