Add BrightSurf on Google Email

Science News Archive June 2026 - Page 20


Page 20 of 52

Chinese scientists propose "First principle of drug design" and introduce "Pulsatile activation" concept for drug design

Researchers designed Linafexor, a non-bile-acid FXR agonist with pulsatile activation, to mimic the body's natural rhythms. In preclinical models, Linafexor significantly improved markers of liver injury and inflammation, while achieving intended pulsatile exposure synchronized with bile-acid rhythms.

Fully implanted miniature radio controller boosts cyborg insect mobility in challenging terrains

A wireless controller was implanted into cockroaches, boosting their mobility and success rates in navigating through obstacles. The implant allowed the insects to use their full behavioral repertoire, including rolling and side-stepping, while backpacked insects struggled with reduced success rates.

SourceBeijing Institute of Technology Press Co., Ltd·JournalCyborg and Bionic Systems·DateJun 17, 2026

Cal Poly biological sciences professor receives Botanical Society of America’s Charles Edwin Bessey Teaching Award

Nishi Rajakaruna, a Cal Poly biological sciences professor, has received the Charles Edwin Bessey Teaching Award for his innovative teaching methods that combine fieldwork, food, culture, and rigorous science. The award recognizes his dedication to improving botanical education at a regional, national, or international level.

Could seeing themselves in a mirror help babies copy others?

A recent study found that exposure to their own reflection in 4-month-old infants enhanced neural processing of others' facial actions but did not increase facial mimicry. The results suggest that simple experiences like seeing one's own reflection can shape the social brain from an early age.

SourceBIAL Foundation·JournalDevelopmental Science·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 17, 2026

Radiation therapy enhances immune environment in brain metastases, improving treatment response

Researchers found that radiation therapy not only targets tumor cells but also activates immune pathways to make tumors more receptive to immunotherapy. The study suggests that radiation-immunotherapy combination strategies could improve patient outcomes by reshaping the surrounding immune landscape and recruiting T cells.

SourceUniversity of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center·JournalClinical Cancer Research·DateJun 17, 2026

Microbes frozen in ancient rubbish heaps help reconstruct ancient Greenlanders’ farms, seal hunts, and toilets

Researchers found well-preserved bacterial communities in ancient middens, including species from human feces and animal hosts. The study suggests that these communities provide a unique glimpse into the daily life of Paleo-Inuit and old Norse, including their farming, seal hunts, and toilets.

SourceFrontiers·JournalFrontiers in Microbiology·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 17, 2026

Largest trial to date shows a psychological therapy to address the consequences of trauma is safe and effective for people with co-occurring psychosis and PTSD

The STAR study found that an integrated Trauma-Focused-CBTp was safe and highly effective for people with co-occurring diagnoses of psychosis and PTSD. Participants showed significant improvements in various outcomes, including PTSD symptom severity, psychosis symptoms, mood disorders, and emotional well-being.

SourceKing's College London·JournalThe Lancet Psychiatry·TypeRandomized controlled/clinical trial·DateJun 17, 2026

CHOP scientists engineer personalized cartilage graft for infants with life-threatening airway narrowing

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia developed a novel method using decellularized cartilage with patient-specific cells to enlarge pediatric airways narrowed by severe subglottic stenosis. The new technique is faster, more effective, and better tolerated than current standard grafts.

SourceChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 17, 2026

Individual lipid transporters under the microscope

A new method has precisely measured how quickly individual protein transporters transport lipids through cell membranes, revealing previously unknown variability in their behavior. This platform can be applied to various proteins involved in biological processes and allows for selective analysis of factors influencing transport activity.

SourceRuhr-University Bochum·JournalNature Structural & Molecular Biology·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 17, 2026

KAIST develops next-generation self-powered wearable sensor resilient to 668% elongation

Researchers at KAIST have developed a highly stretchable piezoelectric fiber sensor that operates stably even under repeated deformation. The sensor can be stretched up to 668%, generating consistent electrical signals under various movements, and is expected to enable long-term monitoring of biosignals in wearable medical devices.

Exercise and protein program may aid recovery in frail seniors after hospitalization

A pilot study suggests that a simple exercise and protein supplementation program can help older adults with frailty recover more successfully after hospitalization. The program showed promising results, with 80% of participants discharged from skilled nursing facilities back to the community rather than long-term care or the hospital.

SourceHebrew SeniorLife Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research·JournalJournal of the American Geriatrics Society·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 17, 2026

The nose knows: Electric schnoz can smell when your food’s gone bad

A new proof-of-concept device created by UC Berkeley researchers can sniff out gases emitted by harmful bacteria, allergens and other food safety hazards. The device uses machine learning to recognize sensor response profiles associated with different foods and can detect the presence of common food allergens such as walnuts and peanuts.

SourceUniversity of California - Berkeley·JournalScience Advances·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 17, 2026

How 170,000 Pakistani genomes could transform medicine

A comprehensive analysis of 173,303 Pakistani genomes reveals the presence of 34,000 people with complete loss of function of at least one gene, known as 'human knockouts'. This study provides valuable information needed to develop new treatments for human diseases and sheds light on why drugs developed in mice often fail in humans.

SourceColumbia University Irving Medical Center·JournalNature·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJun 17, 2026

Shanghai and China's coastal waters might be especially vulnerable to this century's predicted sea level rise, especially in the context of local land subsidence, river water discharge, and marine currents, per new analysis

New analysis reveals Shanghai and China's coastal waters are highly susceptible to sea level rise, exacerbated by local land subsidence, river water discharge, and shifting marine currents. The study's findings highlight the urgent need for adaptive measures to mitigate these impacts.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS One·DateJun 17, 2026

New benchmark evaluates AI for everyday patient care

Researchers developed BRIDGE, a multilingual benchmark that assesses large language models' understanding of clinical patient-care text. The benchmark reveals significant gaps in LLM performance on real-world clinical tasks, particularly in nuanced clinical language.

SourceMass General Brigham·JournalNature Biomedical Engineering·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJun 17, 2026

Wa'ed ventures backs KAUST spinout terraxy to scale desert greening technology

Terraxy, a KAUST spinout, has secured $3 million in funding to scale its desert greening technology, which can deliver up to 70% improvement in plant growth and yield. The investment will support the establishment of a commercial facility in Al Zulfi and enable the deployment of its proprietary soil enhancer, Carbosoil.

Robot-assisted osteotomy and reconstruction with AR guidance in maxillofacial reconstructive surgery

The research presents a novel system, RAMRS, that combines robot-assisted osteotomy and augmented reality-guided reconstruction to improve accuracy and efficiency in complex maxillofacial surgeries. The system achieves significant reductions in errors compared to traditional methods, making it a major step forward for the field.

SourceBeijing Institute of Technology Press Co., Ltd·JournalCyborg and Bionic Systems·DateJun 17, 2026

New scenarios for photonic computing: a new era of photonic AI for medical diagnosis

Researchers developed a black phosphorus-based all-fiber photonic artificial intelligence diagnostic platform, achieving 246-fold energy efficiency gains. The system achieved 95.0% accuracy in retinal detachment detection and 97.6% specificity in hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis.

SourceEditorial Office of Opto-Electronic Journals Group·JournalOpto-Electronic Advances·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 17, 2026

Machine-learning how to overcome antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea

A new study uses AI to identify promising chemical compounds that could develop into effective antibiotics against multi-drug resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The approach has the potential to address the growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance in this fast-evolving pathogen.

SourceWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard·JournalScience Translational Medicine·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJun 17, 2026

Filtering out the negative: people are less likely to notice negative words new study finds

Researchers at Hebrew University of Jerusalem discovered a surprising bias in non-conscious processing: negative spoken words are less likely to reach conscious awareness than neutral ones. This challenges traditional assumptions about how emotional information gains access to conscious awareness.

SourceThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem·JournalPsychological Science·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 17, 2026