News on the grants and awards that fuel scientific work. Covers federal grants, foundation awards, gene-editing and disease programs, and shifts in funding policy.
A $2.7 million NSF grant will study an active flat slab in Colombia, investigating its effects on the continental crust and volcanism. The research will compare two parts of the flat slab, allowing scientists to understand the initial migration and cessation of volcanism, as well as the formation of ore deposits.
An observational study in France found electronic cigarette use associated with reduced cigarette smoking among current smokers. However, it also showed an increased risk of relapse among former smokers who used e-cigarettes.
Michigan State University has received a $38 million USAID grant to implement a new Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research, Capacity and Influence. The lab will partner with local agricultural policy research organizations to strengthen their ability to carry out rigorous research on food security policy.
Salt intake in China has been consistently high over the past four decades, with adults consuming on average above 10g of salt a day. Potassium intake is also low, contradicting efforts to reduce salt consumption. Urgent action is needed to speed up salt reduction and increase potassium intake.
Research from University of Pennsylvania demographers finds that non-Hispanic white life expectancy has slowed or reversed since 2010, especially among 25- to 44-year-olds and women. The trend is particularly stark in rural areas, where mortality has risen despite progress seen in urban centers.
Researchers have developed a new nanomaterial tape that can function over a wide temperature range, from -321 F to 1,832 F. The tape adheres to various materials and surfaces, with no noticeable residues, making it suitable for electronic components and extreme environments.
Brazilian and Italian scientists developed a method to pattern polythiophene, an electrically conductive polymer, to improve its optical and electronic properties. The resulting device is highly selective in emitting and absorbing light, making it suitable for optoelectronic applications.
Dr. Tallie Z. Baram's team will investigate how unpredictable parental and environmental signals influence infant vulnerability to cognitive and emotional problems. They aim to identify novel factors contributing to mental illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder, and devise precise interventions.
The Moving Matters review reveals that community organisations and decision makers should consider diverse factors shaping people's habits, and promoting incidental activity is key to sustained benefits. Effective interventions include improving public transport, enhancing green spaces, and changing school and workplace routines.
Social prescribing can be an effective means of integrating people into work, but cultural and practical barriers must be addressed. Additional funding and expertise are needed to fill a gap in capacity and provide training for social prescribing practitioners to develop the relevant expertise.
During their first year of university, males experience greater unhealthy weight gain due to poor diets, while females fare better. Sex-specific interventions are crucial to improve dietary habits and mitigate negative health consequences.
Quantum sensors achieve extremely accurate results, surpassing conventional physics limits, enabling precision measurements of molecules and improving gravitational wave detectors. The new approach reduces measurement time by half while maintaining or doubling resolution.
Researchers at UC San Diego are creating the world's first high-intensity twisted laser beams, also known as corkscrew light pulses. This achievement has potential applications in nuclear physics, astrophysics, and non-invasive tumor therapies.
A team of researchers has identified the atomic interactions that stabilize the liquid, yet condensed phase of FUS, a protein associated with ALS and frontotemporal dementia. Understanding these molecular interactions could lead to the development of therapeutics to prevent disease-associated aggregation.
Tanu Malik's project aims to establish reproducibility of real-world computational and data science. Her system, Sciunit container, makes it easier to reproduce and compare scientific experiments by aligning data, programs, and environments.
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has received a $500,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to conduct research related to the nation's changing demographics through its Mellon Humanities Pathways Program. The program aims to diversify higher education institutions and prepare students for careers in academia.
Researchers developed a new method to create OER catalysts with rich defects, enhancing their intrinsic activity and promoting mass transfer. This breakthrough provides a new direction for large-scale preparation and application of efficient OER catalysts.
The site, occupied between 71,000 and 54,000 years ago, reveals repeated use of an open-air settlement, challenging previous assumptions about short-lived settlements. Researchers found evidence of general activities, including tool-making, resource provisioning, and on-site consumption, indicating a stable settlement system.
A study by Bertram Skibinski and colleagues compared seven water treatment strategies to reduce disinfection byproducts in pool water. They found that coagulation and sand filtration combined with granular activated carbon filtration was the most effective approach, but new strategies are needed to completely remove DBPs.
A long-running study on premature infants found that stress from birth can lead to cognitive limitations, social struggles, and increased risk of health issues. Researchers will continue the 30-year study to understand how to limit NICU stress and mitigate its impact throughout life.
A new study reveals that globally recognized surgical guidelines led to a significant reduction in post-operative deaths at the English National Health Service (NHS) between 1998 and 2014. The greatest reductions were seen in oesophagogastric and breast surgery, with a consistent downward trend over the 16-year period.
Researchers developed a technology to transform game design according to latency levels, predicting player success rates and maintaining gaming performance. The team modified the Flappy Bird game's pillar heights to achieve similar success rates with added latency.
A novel, low-cost device successfully propogsates coral on high-value sections of the GBR, with government funding increased to take the project further. The device enables rapid coral out-planting and 'reef gardening', a global practice to aid local reef management.
A study published in the American Journal of Sexuality Education found that even when parents aim to avoid heteronormative stereotypes, external factors like mass media and religion can still reinforce them. Parents' mindful awareness of their conversations with other children and their influence on what they hear from friends and see ...
Ice lithography offers advantages in efficient 3D nanofabrication, including processing non-flat surfaces and observing nanostructures under the ice resist. The technology has great potential for further research and development.
Researchers at Texas A&M AgriLife Research have developed novel coatings with nanotechnology-based surface textures and chemistry to prevent microorganism attachment on various food products. The goal is to reduce the risk of biofilm formation and cross-contamination, ensuring safer produce for consumers.
Nick Fang is analyzing regional drainage and proposing recommendations to prevent future flooding in nine southeast Texas counties. His research has the potential to change not only an area but the entire state, saving property and improving flood warning systems.
A new scaffold derived from a pig's meniscus has shown promise in repairing torn meniscus tissue. In lab tests, repairs aided by the scaffold resulted in stronger meniscus repairs after four weeks compared to natural healing.
Patients managing their health via electronic patient portals had fewer emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Access to the portal was associated with more outpatient office visits, fewer emergency department visits, and fewer preventable hospital stays in patients with multiple complex chronic conditions.
Researchers at City University of Hong Kong have been awarded a $100,000 grant to develop a bioreactor that can cultivate multiple strains of probiotic bacteria simultaneously. The goal is to produce low-cost gut microbial biotherapeutics with a target cost of $0.1 per dose.
Three UA professors, Li Jia, Shi-Qing Wang, and Mesfin Tsige, have received NSF grants for research projects on bio-renewable polymers, mechanical performance of glassy and semicrystalline polymers, and multiscale modeling of mechanically-interlocked macromolecules. The total award value is over $1.1 million.
The study identifies Bulbostylis paradoxa as a plant that rapidly regrows and flowers in the Brazilian savanna after a fire. This rapid response is a significant advantage for the plant, enabling it to flower, fructify, and disperse seeds before competitors arrive.
Researchers at Rice University developed a method to increase the efficiency of solar-powered desalination systems by concentrating sunlight into 'hot spots' using inexpensive plastic lenses. This approach boosts output by more than 50% and increases purified water production, addressing global water scarcity issues.
Carnegie Mellon University has been awarded a $2 million research initiative to develop technologies for robots to explore pits on the moon, which could provide access to shelter and resources. The project aims to mature the technologies necessary for a lunar mission by 2023.
Climate change connected and disconnected Andean sky islands over the past million years, according to a new mathematical model. The páramo habitat, with stunted shrubs and alpine plants adapted to high winds and cold temperatures, exists between the upper forest line and snowline.
The US Department of Energy is investing $32 million to accelerate material design through supercomputers. Seven projects will develop open-source software for designing functional materials with various applications.
Researchers will develop an integrated database of socioeconomic and financial data to create an index identifying a community's ability to pay for loans. The framework aims to prioritize drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects and provide policy options to support economically stressed communities.
A team of scientists at Duke University Medical Center has discovered a previously unidentified route for antibodies to be transferred from the mother to the fetus, which could lead to safer and more effective vaccines. This finding provides a potential way to control when and how certain antibodies are shared.
Researchers have discovered a previously unreported strategy employed by the virus responsible for chickenpox and shingles to powerfully inhibit natural killer cell function. This impairment enables the virus to paralyze natural killer cells, rendering them unable to respond to target cells, thereby evading the immune response.
IMDEA Networks researchers have developed a novel communications architecture for future ultrafast wireless networks that promises to achieve data rates previously only possible with optical fiber. The architecture uses angle information to rapidly align directional millimeter-wave antennas and integrates a location system, enabling hi...
Researchers found that tilting one's head downward systematically changes the way the face is perceived, making a neutral face appear more dominant. The effect is caused by the artificial appearance of lowered and V-shaped eyebrows, which elicit perceptions of aggression and dominance.
The Genes for Good project has engaged over 80,000 Facebook users, collected 27,000 DNA samples and amassed a trove of health survey data on a more diverse group than previously possible. Researchers say their app could work as a model for studies on an even larger scale.
Researchers found that early-season hurricanes result in a 70% increase in disease cases due to stagnant water and disrupted health infrastructure. Mosquito populations boom after heavy rainfall events, putting people at risk of infection.
The Supergen ORE Hub has received an additional £4 million in EPSRC funding to expand its support for researchers across the UK. This investment will enable the creation of a collaborative approach to address technical, environmental and interdisciplinary challenges in the offshore renewable energy sector.
A Brazilian-US research team has sequenced the mitochondrial genome of the tube anemone Isarachnanthus nocturnus, revealing a massive 80,923 base pairs. The discovery challenges current classifications and sheds light on the evolution of cnidarians.
Computer scientists at the University of Washington have developed an algorithm, Photo Wake-Up, that can animate people from 2D photos. The system uses a combination of 3D template matching and texture pasting to create realistic animations in three dimensions using augmented reality tools.
Researchers studied hawks' flight trajectories against an erratically-manoeuvring target, discovering a mixed guidance law that reduces the risk of overshoot. This finding has implications for designing drones capable of safely pursuing and capturing rogue drones in urban airspace.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's Rare As One Project aims to accelerate research and drive progress in the fight against rare diseases by providing funding, technology, and mentorship to patient-led organizations. The project will support up to $4.5 million in initial funding for capacity-building services and research networks.
Researchers are using chemical processes and 'magic' microbes to break down insensitive high explosives, including DNAN and NTO, into environmentally benign compounds. The goal is to make the removal process simpler and more effective for groundwater remediation.
The employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased to 30.7% in May 2019, while the labor force participation rate also rose. Despite positive changes, challenges remain to widespread adoption of competitive integrated employment.
CHAMPS, a global health network at Emory University, has been awarded a $180 million grant to collect and analyze data on child mortality worldwide. The grant will help identify causes of high child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
A study by Dr. Lorenzo Casavecchia found that funds with greater active management concentration outperformed those with less active focus, achieving a 70 basis points per year advantage before fees. This excess return is economically significant and risk-adjusted.
Researchers found that koalas regularly use water stations during hot and dry conditions, supporting thermoregulation. The study suggests installing drinking stations could help conserve this threatened species by reducing heat stress and providing alternative hydration strategies.
Researchers found Mona Lisa's smile was non-genuine due to its asymmetry, indicating a lack of happiness on the right side. The study suggests that Leonardo da Vinci may have deliberately included an asymmetric smile to convey hidden messages or emotions.
Archaeologists discovered unusual ring-shaped objects made from barley and wheat dough in a Late Bronze Age hillfort site. The finds suggest that these cereal rings were not intended for eating and may have been created for ritual purposes, expanding our understanding of ancient food diversity.
Researchers at Binghamton University developed a micro biobattery that can power disposable sensors for short durations. The biobattery is low-cost, disposable, and environmentally-friendly, addressing current limitations of the Internet of Disposable Things.
A new alliance of six German research institutions is investigating the nanostructure and microstructure of polymer gels to understand their capabilities. The group aims to create polymer networks with controllable structures to control the selective transport of active substances.
The Enabling FAIR Data project calls on all scientific disciplines to adopt a set of principles ensuring data is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. This shift in research culture could increase opportunities for new research outcomes, enabling scientists to spend more time on research.
A €17 million fund has backed 170 innovative projects aiming to revolutionize medical diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and manufacturing processes. Breakthrough concepts include single-photon visible light image sensors, spectroscopy-based cancer detection, and smart devices for climate change mitigation.
Professor Archan Misra's new project 'C2SEA' aims to create battery-less wearable and IoT devices for sensing and in-situ computing, reducing energy consumption by 100-fold or greater.