A case study in Laos explores the application of climate services for agriculture, demonstrating improved agricultural planning and decision-making through ICT-based platforms like LaCSA. The project successfully co-created agromet services with local stakeholders, increasing capacities and promoting resilience to climate risks.
Beetles of the genus Lagria have evolved specialized 'back pockets' to store symbiotic bacteria, which are then relocated to reproductive organs during metamorphosis. The mechanism behind this process is not yet fully understood.
A new study from Lund University reveals that the most common analytical method in population genetics is deeply flawed, leading to incorrect results and misconceptions about ethnicity and genetic relationships. The method has been used in hundreds of thousands of studies, including medical genetics and commercial ancestry tests.
A new study finds that nearly 40% of businesses are willing to hire workers with criminal backgrounds. Offering employers crime and safety insurance or performance reviews increases demand by up to 68%. The researchers conclude that cost-effective policies can expand labor supply without deterring employers.
A significant increase in help-seeking consultations for domestic violence occurred in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. This rise may be attributed to worsening economic conditions, heightened exposure to exploitative relationships, and diminished social support infrastructure.
Researchers at Brain Chemistry Labs have developed a new blood test for ALS using microRNA sequences, which accurately discriminated between patients and healthy individuals. The test works even with varying environmental conditions, offering hope for rapid diagnosis and improved patient outcomes.
Research shows that exiled rulers can destabilize politics in their home states through direct and indirect mechanisms, increasing the risk of violence and political instability. The study argues that granting a safe haven to exiled leaders can be a short-term solution but a longer-term problem.
A new study found that regions with high past temperature variability tend to be less sensitive to current and future climate changes, offering hope for forests' ability to adapt. The research highlights the importance of considering legacy effects of past climate conditions in forest management and climate policy.
Researchers identified a group of Ashkenazi Jews who fell victim to antisemitic violence during the 12th century, shedding new light on Jewish medical history in Europe. The study suggests that a bottleneck event shaped the modern-day Ashkenazi Jewish population prior to the 12th century, earlier than previously believed.
A study at the University of Helsinki found that brains synchronize in similar ways during cooperative online gaming, leading to better performance and increased empathy. The study used brainwave synchronization measurements to investigate the connection between inter-brain synchronization and game performance.
Researchers have identified a sex-adapted color-change gene in locusts that signals between males to reduce mating mistakes in swarming conditions. The discovery reveals a previously unknown sexual dimension to desert locusts' phase polyphenism, providing insights into the evolution of phenotypic plasticity.
A new project led by University of Illinois researchers aims to empower librarians with a toolkit for creating data-driven stories. The initiative, backed by an $99,330 grant, will provide easy-to-use templates for visualizing and structuring data narratives.
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital have developed a highly efficient method to generate human kidney cells, including principal and intercalated cell lines. This breakthrough could lead to new therapies for treating congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract, such as polycystic kidney disease.
A study found melamine and cyanuric acid in nearly all pregnant participants' samples, with higher levels in women of color and those with greater tobacco exposure. Regulatory action is needed to limit exposure to these carcinogenic chemicals.
The Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia team developed GRACE actuators, 3D-printed structures that mimic muscle tissue in nature. The actuators can be manufactured using various materials and sizes, providing a range of movement options for robots.
Numerical forecasts tend to overestimate precipitation frequency and underestimate intensity, especially in mountainous areas. High-resolution mesoscale models improve forecasting of afternoon intense rainfall but struggle with nighttime events.
Researchers developed a strain-promoted alkyne-azide cycloaddition strategy to engineer circular bivalent aptamers, improving their stability, recognition, and binding abilities. This method enables the design of new aptamer-based targeted drug delivery strategies and cell behavior regulation techniques.
Researchers found that patients with longer progression-free survival after BCMA-targeted CAR T-cell therapy had more diverse baseline T-cell repertoires, fewer markers of immune exhaustion, and distinct changes to immune cell populations. These factors were associated with improved responses to the treatment.
Researchers used novel 3D imaging technology to study a human brainstem nucleus and found intriguing complexity and previously undescribed cellular forms of tau pathology. The study reveals dendritic atrophy as an early sign of tau-bearing neuron degeneration, potentially contributing to symptoms like sleep disturbances and anxiety.
The authors propose a metacoupling framework to uncover complexities in the real world, providing an integrated way to analyze human-nature interactions globally. This approach recognizes that global catastrophes have broader, faster impacts than traditional lenses can capture.
A new study reveals that Arctic lakes have shrunk or dried completely over the past 20 years, threatening local Indigenous communities and industries. The research found that permafrost thaw is accelerating lake drainage, releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere and exacerbating climate change.
Researchers developed a mathematical model to describe cavitation bubbles in soft porous materials. The model breaks down classic scaling relations and provides new insights into bubble behavior. Potential applications include targeted drug delivery and understanding traumatic brain injuries.
New study reveals that subarctic cave bacterial communities are more diverse and complex than surface soil ones, but climate change poses a significant threat to these unique ecosystems. The scarcity of nutrients in caves drives bacteria to cooperate with each other, which may be affected by global warming.
Researchers used convection-permitting ensemble forecast systems to investigate the predictability of a record-breaking extreme rainfall event in Henan province. They found low accuracy at city scale but improved skill with neighborhood probability of precipitation methods.
Researchers at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have successfully applied boron powder to tungsten components in tokamaks, improving plasma confinement and reducing the risk of edge-localized modes. The innovative approach uses a PPPL-developed powder dropper to deposit boron coatings while minimizing disruptions to the magnetic field.
The Graphene Flagship is showcasing the potential of graphene-enabled alternatives to traditional semiconductors, with recent advancements in integrating 2D materials into silicon wafers. The project's European Chip Act aims to mobilize €43 billion in investments to alleviate the global chip shortage.
Scientists discovered that the galaxy stopped forming stars because most of its gas fuel was thrown out of the system as it merged with another galaxy. The result is a first for ALMA scientists and challenges long-held theories about galaxy mergers and deaths.
Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have identified a protein called HnRNPK that controls tumor growth by binding to messenger RNA, potentially enabling the development of new cancer drugs with fewer side effects.
Researchers used data from over 66,000 deliveries to create a prediction model that analyzes patterns of changes in women in labor. The algorithm aims to reduce cesarean delivery rates and maternal/neonatal complications by providing real-time risk predictions.
A new mid-infrared sensor chip can accurately monitor liquid concentrations in real-time, enabling precise monitoring of chemical reactions. The sensor combines customized infrared technology and chemical robustness to deliver data within fractions of a second.
A study by Taiwanese researchers found that patients with atherosclerosis are at higher risk for life-threatening vascular infections from non-typhoidal Salmonella bacteremia. The study suggests the use of a scoring system to predict infection risk and identifies interleukin-1 beta as a potential biomarker.
A study of 641 participants found that midlife and older Hispanic/Latinx adults were more likely to experience prolonged loneliness, with 16% persistently lonely. The researchers suggest that culturally important familism was disrupted by social distancing, and reduced access to transportation and community activities may contribute to...
Researchers have developed a novel hydrogel-glass design that enhances indoor illumination while reducing cooling consumption, demonstrating potential for widespread energy savings in buildings. The study published in Frontiers of Optoelectronics shows significant reductions in energy use ranging from 2.37 to 10.45 MJ·m−2 ·year−1.
A quality improvement project at a hospital found that asking patients about food insecurity is feasible and effective. The process, which included two simple questions, identified 6% of patients as needing assistance with food resources, resulting in reduced healthcare costs and improved patient health outcomes.
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that ketamine's antidepressant response in mice is influenced by male administrators. The team discovered a specific brain region, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), responsible for this effect, suggesting new ways to improve antidepressant therapy.
Researchers at Indian Institute of Science create a novel virus-like particle (VLP) to safely study SARS-CoV-2 mutations and trigger an immune response. The VLP is stable, can attach to host cells, and elicit antibodies that neutralize the live virus.
A Brazilian research team has developed a novel method to sort specialty and standard coffee beans using multispectral imaging and machine learning. The technique, which does not require roasting or human intervention, uses images of the beans at different wavelengths to distinguish between quality levels.
Researchers discuss dicarboxylation reactions with CO2 to generate valuable dicarboxylic acids, overcoming limitations of activated substrates. They propose novel strategies, including using CO2 radical anions and low-concentration CO2, to facilitate transformation of inert substrates.
Researchers have demonstrated a prominent superconducting diode effect in a single two-dimensional superconductor using graphene. This breakthrough has significant implications for the study of complex physical behavior in twisted tri-layer graphene and could form the basis for ultra-efficient lossless quantum electronic devices.
Researchers at Tohoku University have created a scaffold that supports the growth of new bone in large jaw defects in mice, bringing them closer to addressing the issue of aging jaw bone loss in humans. The technique uses a polylactic acid scaffold and has shown promise for treating large bone defects.
A new study suggests that timber cities could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using wood as a building material. The researchers found that housing in mid-rise buildings made of wood could avoid more than 100 billion tons of CO2 emissions by 2100, equivalent to 10% of the remaining carbon budget for the 2°C target.
Researchers have identified fascin as a key player in promoting cancer development, with the protein controlling cell movement and invasion. Forcing fascin into the nucleus of cancer cells could prevent their growth and movement.
A recent study found that background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) at surveillance breast MRI is independently associated with an increased risk of future second breast cancer. Women with dense breasts and minimal BPE may no longer need to undergo contrast-enhanced breast MRI every year if other risk factors are absent.
Researchers discovered a genetic mechanism that lowers cadmium accumulation in rice without affecting its quality and yield. The duplicated OsNramp5 gene increases the uptake of manganese, competing with cadmium for translocation to shoots, reducing its accumulation.
During the pandemic, UChicago Medicine's Feed1st pantry program doubled its distribution rates, providing over 42,000 pounds of food to patients and staff. This open-access model maximizes dignity and facilitates use, increasing the likelihood that individuals in need will access food resources.
A new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing reveals how clinical ethicists provided consultation and guidance during the pandemic. The study's findings shed light on the experiences of clinical ethicists during this time and their impact on hospital operations.
Researchers at UBC develop new process to produce T cells, the most essential human immune cells, in the lab with improved efficiency. The breakthrough could lead to cost-effective production of cancer-fighting cells for CAR T therapy, a treatment with an efficacy rate of close to 50%.
Researchers at Bar-Ilan University have produced nanodiamonds capable of delivering medicinal and cosmetic remedies through the skin, eliminating the need for biopsies. The nanodiamonds can be precisely monitored non-invasively using a laser-based optical method, enabling targeted drug delivery and cosmetics application.
Researchers at Nara Institute of Science and Technology developed a new model of obsessive-compulsive disorder based on principles of reinforcement learning. The model suggests that imbalanced learning between reinforcement and punishment can lead to disordered behavior in OCD. This work helps explain how OCD develops and may be used t...
Researchers analyzed 306-million-year-old fossilized animal feces and found biomolecular information about long-extinct diets. The study revealed that an unidentifiable extinct animal was a meat-eater or on a predominantly carnivorous diet, with high proportions of cholesterol-derived molecules and a lack of plant-derived biomarkers.
Moffitt researchers used computer modeling to demonstrate the impact of skin homeostasis on driver and passenger mutations. They found that larger subclones are likely due to persistence and older age, not selective sweeps.
A new study found that kidney transplant recipients experience immune insufficiency during acute COVID-19, despite reduced immunosuppression. This phenomenon is associated with increased expression of innate immune pathways and decreased activation of adaptive immune pathways.
Researchers develop a new strategy to activate methane under mild conditions by confining copper atoms in ultrathin two-dimensional Ru nanosheets. This approach enables highly selective and efficient room-temperature conversion of methane to liquid C1 oxygenates with an over 99% selectivity.
Researchers found that under the extreme conditions of the core-mantle boundary, carbon from the core reacts with iron alloy to form diamond. This process may have occurred for billions of years, supplying enough carbon to explain high amounts in the mantle.
A new study from Lund University reveals that PCA, a widely used statistical method in population genetics, is deeply flawed. The method can produce flexible and unreliable results, leading to misconceptions about ethnicity and genetic relationships.
A study by Massachusetts General Hospital researchers found that fentanyl stops breathing before noticeable changes occur, leading to a high risk of death when used illicitly. The discovery could enable safer opioid administration through EEG monitoring.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread disruptions in healthcare utilization, resulting in projected increases of 3.6% in child mortality and 1.5% in maternal mortality globally. In low- and lower-middle-income countries, the pandemic reversed years of progress in women's and children's health, causing thousands of preventable deaths.
A team of scientists from Poland, Germany, the USA, and the UK collaborated to measure the intensities of carbon monoxide overtone lines with high accuracy. Their results showed that different measurement methods and laboratories agreed on a promille level for the first time, paving the way for precise spectroscopic analysis in atmosph...
Researchers from Vanderbilt University and the University of Georgia identify ways scales can be misused in consumer research, emphasizing the importance of using validated measures. The study offers guidance on applying existing scales effectively, reducing the risk of distorted results and streamlining research.
A new wireless laser charging system uses infrared light to transfer high levels of power over distances of up to 30 meters, sufficient for charging sensors. The system automatically shifts to a safe low power delivery mode if an object or person blocks the line of sight, achieving hazard-free power delivery in free space.