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Science News Archive September 2026 - Page 36


Page 36 of 54

University of Minnesota awarded up to $6 million to develop new treatments for suicidality and severe mental illness

A University of Minnesota Medical School research team has been awarded $6 million to develop new treatments for people with severe mental health issues, including thoughts of suicide. The research focuses on cognitive flexibility, which can help individuals adjust to changing situations and improve their mood and overall wellbeing.

A new Stowers Institute brain atlas shows neurons don’t inherit their identity — they build it in their first hours of life

A new brain atlas reveals that neurons build their identity in the first hours of life, rather than inheriting it from their parent cells. The atlas, which mapped nearly 250,000 fly brain cells, shows that neuronal identity is established through a flexible, modular system involving different DNA switches and regulatory proteins.

SourceStowers Institute for Medical Research·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateSep 10, 2026

How the brain responds to positive emotions is key to resilience after trauma, world trade center responder research shows

Research among 9/11 responders reveals that brain's reward processing plays a key role in building resilience after trauma, with highly resilient individuals showing distinct neural responses to positive emotions. This finding supports the potential use of positive emotion-based interventions to prevent or treat PTSD in trauma-exposed ...

SourceElsevier·JournalBiological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging·TypeImaging analysis·DateSep 10, 2026

Cleveland research team identifies biological mechanism that may explain obesity relapse

Researchers at Harrington Discovery Institute have identified a biological mechanism that may explain why obesity relapse occurs and how it is passed down through generations. They found that obesity creates a lasting biological change in fat cells that keeps the hunger hormone asprosin elevated, even after weight loss, and that this s...

Fossil feathers preserved inside dinosaur poop could help explain why some birds survived the dinosaur mass extinction

A University of Washington-led research team discovered well-preserved fossil feathers in a dinosaur coprolite, which could provide insight into why some birds survived the mass extinction. The feathers have features similar to modern birds' feathers, including a sponge-like center, and may have played a role in the extinction event.

SourceUniversity of Washington·JournalCurrent Biology·DateSep 10, 2026

New hereditary retinal disease discovered

Researchers identified a previously unrecognized form of inherited retinal degeneration caused by a specific EFEMP1 gene variant, primarily affecting peripheral retina and rod photoreceptors. The disease can begin before visible retinal damage and may go undetected for a considerable period due to relatively preserved central vision.

SourceUniversitatsklinikum Bonn·JournalJAMA Ophthalmology·DateSep 10, 2026

Johns Hopkins researchers break neuroimaging time barrier to reveal new clues about brain disease

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have developed a new approach to brain imaging that enables continuous monitoring of brain activity and disease progression for over 24 hours in freely moving mouse models. The cloud-based miniaturized microscope, CloudScope, allows scientists to access live imaging data remotely, providing a more ...

SourceJohns Hopkins Medicine·JournalNature Methods·DateSep 10, 2026

New insight into the cellular and molecular players contributing to pediatric obstructive sleep apnea

Researchers identified cellular and molecular differences in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (POSA) mice, including abnormalities in neural connections and reduced oligodendrocytes, which may contribute to fine movement impairments. The study provides insights into the condition and potential future treatments for children with POSA.

SourceBaylor College of Medicine·JournalExperimental Neurology·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 10, 2026

Rare Coombs-negative hemolytic anemia reported following pembrolizumab treatment

A new case report describes a 68-year-old woman with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma who developed severe hemolysis after receiving pembrolizumab, despite a negative Coombs test. The patient's hemoglobin declined from 11-12 g/dL to 6.4 g/dL, and laboratory markers of hemolysis improved with corticosteroid treatment. The case highlights th...

SourceImpact Journals LLC·JournalOncoscience·TypeCase study·DateSep 10, 2026

Scientists uncover how cells surrounding primary liver tumors may help fuel cancer

Scientists have identified a pathway in liver cells that may explain how statins could help prevent or slow the development of liver cancer associated with fatty liver disease. Statins reduced levels of GGPP, a molecule that helps activate Rho GTPases, proteins involved in regulating a cell's internal structure and signaling.

SourceUniversity of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences·JournalHepatology Communications·DateSep 10, 2026

Oxygen delivery on display

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a new technique to visualize the coupling between neuronal activity and oxygen delivery at the cellular scale. This breakthrough could have profound implications for studying neurodegenerative disease, stroke, and other conditions connected to neurovascular coupling.

SourceWashington University in St. Louis·JournalNature Communications·DateSep 10, 2026

Aging blocks the retina's ability to regrow lost neurons, a first-of-its-kind Upstate study finds

A new study found that aging significantly limits the ability of support cells in the retina to be reprogrammed into new neurons, a discovery that has important implications for the future of regenerative medicine. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also found that inflammation and decreased ce...

SourceState University of New York Upstate Medical University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 10, 2026

Scoring system could help doctors identify patients at high risk of intramyocardial hemorrhage and guide treatment and monitoring

A new scoring system developed by researchers at Upstate Medical University can help identify patients at high risk of intramyocardial hemorrhage after a heart attack, guiding treatment and monitoring. The system uses explainable artificial intelligence to predict patient risk in real-time, allowing doctors to make informed decisions.

SourceState University of New York Upstate Medical University·JournalJournal of the American College of Cardiology·TypeRandomized controlled/clinical trial·DateSep 10, 2026

Study suggests AI-generated images could support conservation, but real-world data remains essential

Researchers found that AI-generated images can improve species identification and biodiversity monitoring when real images are limited. However, the synthetic images were less effective than real images overall, highlighting the importance of community science and real-world observations.

SourceNorth Carolina State University·JournalRemote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateSep 10, 2026

Inorganic-infiltrated polymer hybrid thin film resists for advanced lithography

Researchers at Stony Brook University propose a new method for preparing resist materials for advanced lithography using existing infrastructure and materials. Inorganic-infiltrated polymer hybrid thin films exhibit improved properties, including high optical absorption, etch resistance, and resolution. This development route is expect...

Why does the immune system sometimes help tumors grow?

Salk Institute researchers have discovered a novel pathway that links chronic interferon II exposure to mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to immunosuppression and enhanced tumor growth. By blocking prostaglandin E2, they found a viable target to restore immune system function and combat immunotherapy resistance.

SourceSalk Institute·JournalScience·DateSep 10, 2026

Strength training not linked to heart problems for people with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy

Researchers found no association between strength training and increased risks of ventricular arrhythmia for people with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. A retrospective review of 355 participants showed that endurance exercise was associated with a higher risk of ventricular arrhythmia compared to strength training.

SourceJohns Hopkins Medicine·JournalJACC Clinical Electrophysiology·TypeObservational study·DateSep 10, 2026

Heavy rainfall amplifies riverine microplastic transport worldwide, particularly in developing nations

Rivers worldwide deliver nearly 263,000 tons of microplastics to the ocean annually, with 96% coming from the Global South. Heavy rainfall events can increase microplastic transport, particularly in regions with high plastic use and poor waste management, posing a climate-sensitive pollution threat.

SNU professor Taesup Moon’s team reveals how generative AI is eroding the development pathway for software developers

Generative AI is changing the development pathway for software developers, reducing opportunities for hands-on experience and trial and error. The study found that senior developers are increasingly using AI to handle tasks previously assigned to junior developers, making it difficult for juniors to gain expertise.

Co-assembly of dipeptide and hydrophobic drug in hyaluronic acid through Schiff base reaction for the treatment of osteoarthritis

Researchers designed a dynamic covalent assembly strategy to co-deliver multiple hydrophobic drugs to inflamed joints. The system efficiently loads two complementary drugs and exhibits accelerated drug release under acidic pH, reducing serum levels of inflammatory markers and restoring cartilage architecture.

SourceHEP Data Cooperation Journals·JournalPharmaceutical Science Advances·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 10, 2026

Co-assembly of dipeptide and hydrophobic drug in hyaluronic acid through Schiff base reaction for the treatment of osteoarthritis

Researchers developed a dynamic covalent assembly strategy to overcome drug delivery hurdles in osteoarthritis. The system efficiently loads two complementary drugs into hyaluronic acid carriers, achieving high encapsulation efficiencies and accelerated drug release under acidic pH.

SourceHEP Data Cooperation Journals·JournalPharmaceutical Science Advances·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 10, 2026

Viologen-linked covalent organic frameworks: A charged and redox-active platform for functional materials

Viologen-linked covalent organic frameworks (Vio-COFs) exhibit permanent positive charges, reversible redox activity, and extended π-conjugated frameworks, enabling precise control over charge distribution and electron-transfer pathways. Their unique properties make them suitable for advanced functional materials applications in energy...

SourceMaterials Futures·JournalMaterials Futures·DateSep 10, 2026

Few-shot driven construction method of a large-scale light-trapped insect annotation data

A team of researchers developed an efficient, few-shot learning approach to construct a large-scale light-trapped insect dataset, achieving 79.6% average precision and 85.87% top-1 accuracy in classification. The proposed pipeline improved label quality and annotation efficiency by 80% compared to manual labeling.

SourceKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.·JournalJournal of Integrative Agriculture·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 10, 2026

Raindrop-inspired equation set reveals polymer coating makes iron corrode faster yet fracture later

Researchers developed a biodegradable metal-polymer composite stent that outperforms traditional stents in a 5-year clinical trial involving 1,108 patients. The stent's polymer coating reduces inhomogeneity of degradation but increases corrosion rate, leading to faster degradation and later device fracture.

SourceScience China Press·JournalScience China Materials·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 10, 2026