How just one set of animal tracks can provide a wealth of information

Rock faces in Namibia are decorated with hundreds of stone-age images not only of animals and human footprints, but also of animal tracks. These have been largely neglected to date as researchers lacked the knowledge required to interpret them. Archaeologists from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and the University of Cologne have…

Evolution wired human brains to act like supercomputers

Scientists have confirmed that human brains are naturally wired to perform advanced calculations, much like a high-powered computer, to make sense of the world through a process known as Bayesian inference. In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers from the University of Sydney, University of Queensland and…

Lack of maternal care affects development, microbiome and health of wild bees

Most wild bees are solitary, but one tiny species of carpenter bees fastidiously cares for and raises their offspring, an act that translates into huge benefits to the developing bee’s microbiome, development and health, found York University researchers. Not unlike the positive affect human mothers can have on their offspring,…

Researchers make strides in harnessing low-grade heat for efficient energy conversion

A team of researchers, jointly led by Professor Hyun-Wook Lee and Professor Dong-Hwa Seo from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), in collaboration with Professor Seok Woo Lee from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, has achieved significant breakthroughs in…

Russia’s war in Ukraine: live updates

Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un attend a meeting at the Vostochny Сosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, on September 13. KCNA/Reuters Vladimir Putin has said Russia is considering and discussing some military cooperation with North Korea, following a summit at which that country’s leader Kim Jong Un appeared to endorse Moscow’s war on…

Breakthrough: Highly efficient electrocatalyst for clean energy

An international team led by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has announced a groundbreaking step forward that has added significantly to the technical know-how required to clean up the planet. The discovery, published in the journal Nature, centres on developing a highly efficient electrocatalyst that can enhance hydrogen generation…

Malnutrition early in life sets stage for poor growth and early death

In a trio of papers appearing in Nature on Sept. 13, 2023, the researchers offer the most comprehensive look yet at how malnutrition affects growth in the first two years of life, underscoring a devastating reality for millions of children in the Global South, particularly Asia. In 2022, more than…

From hagfish to membrane: Modeling age-related macular degeneration

Researchers at Utah State University have successfully demonstrated that hagfish slime proteins can accurately replicate membranes in the human eye. Professor Elizabeth Vargis and her team study a condition called age-related macular degeneration that causes damage to the retina, making it difficult to see. They study in vitro models, or…

Battery-free robots use origami to change shape in mid-air

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed small robotic devices that can change how they move through the air by “snapping” into a folded position during their descent. When these “microfliers” are dropped from a drone, they use a Miura-ori origami fold to switch from tumbling and dispersing outward…

Researchers use AI to predict recovery after serious brain injury

Two graduate students from Western University have developed a ground-breaking method for predicting which intensive care unit (ICU) patients will survive a severe brain injury. Matthew Kolisnyk and Karnig Kazazian combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with state-of-the art machine learning techniques to tackle one of the most complex issues…

Electrifying vehicles in Chicago would save lives, reduce pollution inequities

If the Chicago region replaced 30% of all on-road combustion-engine vehicles — including motorcycles, passenger cars and trucks, buses, refuse trucks and short- and long-haul trucks — with electric versions, it would annually save more than 1,000 lives and over $10 billion, according to a new Northwestern University study. The…

AI foundation model for eye care to supercharge global efforts to prevent blindness

Researchers at Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system that has the potential to not only identify sight-threatening eye diseases but also predict general health, including heart attacks, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. RETFound, one of the first AI foundation models in healthcare,…

Mysterious family of microbial proteins hijack crops’ cellular plumbing

Many of the bacteria that ravage crops and threaten our food supply use a common strategy to cause disease: they inject a cocktail of harmful proteins directly into the plant’s cells. For 25 years, biologist Sheng-Yang He and his senior research associate Kinya Nomura have been puzzling over this set…

Potential new approach to PTSD treatment

An LSU Health New Orleans research study led by Siqiong June Liu, PhD, Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy, has found that cerebellar inhibitory interneurons are essential for fear memory, a type of emotional memory formation. Inhibitory interneurons within the cerebellar circuitry act as gatekeepers and control the output of…

Natural compound found in plants inhibits deadly fungi

A new study finds that a natural compound found in many plants inhibits the growth of drug-resistant Candida fungi — including its most virulent species, Candida auris, an emerging global health threat. The journal ACS Infectious Diseases published the discovery led by scientists at Emory University. Laboratory-dish experiments showed that…

Shipboard cannon found off the Swedish coast may be the oldest in Europe

An international research team led by maritime archaeologist Staffan von Arbin of the University of Gothenburg has studied what might be Europe’s oldest shipboard cannon. The cannon was found in the sea off Marstrand on the Swedish west coast and dates back to the 14th century. The findings from the…

A protein on cancer cells supports the immune response against tumors

Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) identify a new and surprising function of a membrane protein on the surface of cancer cells: It supports and stabilizes an important “co-stimulatory” factor that enhances the activation of T cells, thus improving the immune response against the tumor. The study was…

Socioeconomic status may be an uneven predictor of heart health

Improvements in socioeconomic status (education, income, employment status and health insurance) on ideal cardiovascular health may not benefit people from all racial or ethnic groups equally, as white adults were more likely to benefit than Black, Hispanic and Asian adults in the U.S., according to new research published today in…

No increase in cancer risk for most patients with reflux disease

Reflux disease manifests as acid regurgitation and heartburn and is a known risk factor for oesophageal cancer. However, a new study published in The BMJ by researchers at Karolinska Institutet now reports that the majority of patients do not have a higher risk of cancer. A large-scale study from three…

Protected nature reserves alone are insufficient for reversing biodiversity loss

Protected nature areas are considered fundamental for maintaining biodiversity and countering its loss. But how effectively do established protected areas work and prevent negative trends? Research at the University of Helsinki shows mixed effects of protected areas on various species. Biodiversity is dwindling at a rapid pace across the globe.…

Bacteria resistant to antibiotics in hospital wastewater system

A unique new study led by researchers at University of Limerick in Ireland has found that bacteria that may lead to hospital acquired infection is present in a hospital’s wastewater system. In a partnership with University Hospital Limerick and Queen’s University Belfast, the UL School of Medicine has completed an…