Science News

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Hertz Fellow Katelin Schutz thinks existing experimental data across many fields of physics and cosmology can be re-analyzed through a “dark matter lens.”

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Researchers flip the switch at the nanoscale by applying light to induce bonding for single-molecule device switching.

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22 grants fund a range of innovative research and initiatives

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When biologist Elizabeth Carlen in Arts & Sciences saw that squirrels were not being reported in north St. Louis, she wanted to know why. Her new paper in People & Nature illustrates how social and ecological factors can create bias in contributory science data.

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In this new video, Eysenbach shares the origins of the Journal of Medical Internet Research and the driving forces that led him to establish an open access digital health journal. His passion for publishing, coupled with a background in medicine and information and computer science, fueled his vision to leverage the internet's transformative power in making medical information accessible to both professionals and consumers.

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The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) have received a $4.9 million grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to build on previous advances in gene editing of tef for reduced height and lodging resistance in advanced, farmer preferred tef lines.

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Scientists have unveiled a groundbreaking sensor that can wirelessly detect chemical warfare agents, marking a significant leap in public safety technology. This innovative device, capable of identifying substances like dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), offers a new level of efficiency and reliability in monitoring and responding to chemical threats, without the need for direct power sources or physical connections.

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A new report – part of The State of Open Data series – provides real-world insights into how the research community is responding to the challenges of data sharing.

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Dr. Han Seong-Tae's team at KERI's Industry Applications Research Division has developed the core technology of 'electron guns', the heart of 'electron beam welders', which had been dependent on imports for more than 99%.

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The International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research is pleased to announce that Mosaic Biosciences™ has joined the organization as a sponsoring partner.

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Cronobacter sakazakii is a harmful germ that can be found in powdered baby formula. It can cause very serious health problems in infants, such as meningitis and septicemia. Right now, it takes a long time and is complicated to check if the germ is in the formula. However, a new study has created a special test that uses a computer program to find the germ in the formula. This new method makes it easier and faster to find the germ, which is known for causing serious illness in babies. It helps make sure that baby formula is safe to use.

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Scientists are using the imperfections in magnetic fields that confine a fusion reaction to improve and enhance the plasma in an approach outlined in a new paper in the journal Nature Communications. PPPL Physicist Seong-Moo Yang led the research team, which spans various institutions in the U.S. and South Korea. Yang says this is the first time any research team has validated a systematic approach to tailoring magnetic field imperfections to make the plasma suitable for use as a power source. These magnetic field imperfections are known as error fields.

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An international collaboration of scientists with the participation of an ecologist from RUDN University conducted the first global analysis of leaf type. In addition, the authors described the current state of forests and said what will happen to them by the end of the century due to climate change.

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An international collaboration of scientists with the participation of a RUDN ecologist has for the first time assessed the natural potential of the world's forests to retain carbon. The results can be called hopeful - those regions where forests can still be restored have great potential and will help reduce the amount of greenhouse gases.

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RUDN engineers found how internal combustion engine performance changes with rapeseed oil instead of regular diesel fuel. This data will help regulate engine operation and, in the future, switch to plant biofuel.

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A team of Iowa State University researchers developed protocols for growing organoids that mimic a turtle liver, the first organoids developed for a turtle and only the second for any reptile. The discovery will aid deeper study of turtle genetics, including the cause of traits with potential medical applications for humans such as the ability to survive weeks without oxygen.

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The ABRF DEI Award was created to honor, celebrate, and give due recognition to individuals, groups, or organizations whose work has contributed to a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable scientific community. Previous recipients include the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), 500 Women Scientists, and Dr. Tshaka Cunningham.

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Experimentalists and theorists have provided strong evidence for the creation of an exotic isotope, nitrogen-9, which has two neutrons and seven protons. This unbalanced ratio of protons to neutrons produces a nucleus that only survives for less than one-billionth of a nanosecond. The work also provides information on nitrogen-9’s mirror nucleus, helium-9, which has two protons to its seven neutrons.

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A recently published study that shows lactating mothers who get the COVID-19 booster pass along the antibodies to their children via their breast milk – and potentially protect babies too young to receive the vaccine.

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Researchers at the Beckman Institute developed an artificial intelligence model that can accurately identify tumors and diseases in medical images. The tool draws a map to explain each diagnosis, helping doctors follow its line of reasoning, check for accuracy, and explain the results to patients.

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Researchers have developed a new generation of high-performance DNA aptamers and highly accurate drug sensors for cocaine and other opioids. The sensors are drug specific and can detect trace amounts of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine – even when these drugs are mixed with other drugs or with cutting agents and adulterants such as caffeine, sugar, or procaine.

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Scientists at the University of Florida have pioneered a method for using semiconductor technology to manufacture processors that significantly enhance the efficiency of transmitting vast amounts of data across the globe.

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The National Science Foundation has granted $15 million to the Integrative Movement Sciences Institute at the University of California, Irvine. This six-year funding, part of the NSF’s Biology Integration Institutes program, will support groundbreaking research led by Monica Daley, professor of ecology & evolutionary biology at the UCI School of Biological Sciences.

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PNNL scientists have put forth a new approach to protect the electric grid, creating a tool that sorts and prioritizes cyber threats on the fly.

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Research groups from Argonne National Laboratory receive 2023 Secretary of Energy Honor Awards, considered the highest form of recognition by the U.S. Department of Energy.

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High in the sky over an Alaskan tundra, a small aircraft ran the same pattern over and over again. It swooped through clouds and flew down close to the ground. But there were no people experiencing the flight from inside the plane – it was an unmanned aerial system (UAS). UASs are aircraft that people can operate remotely from the ground. Building on years of testing, researchers working with the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Department of Energy Office of Science user facility are now gaining access to these helpful tools.

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Scientists develop a method for examining what happens when nanoelectronic materials switch between conducting and nonconducting phases. This may accelerate the development of neural-like circuits for use in nanoelectronic devices.

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When broiler chickens are busy fighting the parasitic infection coccidiosis, they can’t absorb nutrients efficiently or put energy toward growth. With consumer sentiment pitted against antimicrobials and other drugs, producers still have some options to ensure optimal growth during inevitable outbreaks. New research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggests diet changes might help.

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What if bacteria—which love to grow deep inside tumors—could guide cancer therapies directly to their target? A team of NIH-funded researchers has engineered a bacterial strain to “light up” tumors so that reprogrammed T cells, drawn like a moth to a flame, can find and destroy them. Their preclinical treatment could potentially be effective against any solid tumor type.

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Stimulated Raman scattering is a powerful spectroscopic technique that unveils molecular vibrational and rotational information, providing invaluable insights into the composition and dynamics of diverse materials. A novel approach for stimulated Raman scattering spectroscopy has been introduced, utilizing offset-phase controlled femtosecond-pulse bursts. This innovative technique not only achieves very high spectral resolution but also enables high-speed spectral acquisition. By broadening the applications of stimulated Raman scattering, it represents a noteworthy advancement in spectroscopic capabilities.

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Delivering on its promise to transform our understanding of the early universe, the James Webb Space Telescope is probing galaxies near the dawn of time. One of these is the exceptionally luminous galaxy GN-z11, which existed when the universe was just a tiny fraction of its current age. One of the youngest and most distant galaxies ever observed, it is also one of the most enigmatic. Why is it so bright? Webb appears to have found the answer.

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Fluids moving through fractures in subsurface rock react with chemicals in the rock to alter the fractures and the rock’s permeability. The processes involved operate much more slowly in the field than in laboratory tests, making them hard to predict. This study used simulations of mineral dissolution to discover a link between the structure of fractures in rock and how that rock reacts with fluid moving through it.

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Digital Science is delighted to announce the launch of AI-driven summarization in Dimensions, a new feature to support the user in their discovery process for publications, grants, patents and clinical trials.

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Web3, symbolizing the internet's next evolution, embodies a decentralized and user-empowered framework built upon blockchain technology. Researchers has offered an extensive overview of Web3 technology, encompassing its infrastructure, applications, and popularity. This exploration into the decentralized web underscores significant insights into the categorization of Web3 projects and their reception in the digital domain.

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Unlike existing work, which relies on training data from social media examples, a new benchmark, named ToxicChat, is based on examples gathered from real-world interactions between users and an AI-powered chatbot. ToxicChat is able to weed out queries that use seemingly harmless language but are actually harmful, which would pass muster with most current models.

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New analysis shows that the global freshwater cycle has shifted far beyond pre-industrial conditions

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Fengqui "Frank" Li is a computational developer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory who uses his background as an architect to expand the landscape of design for his research into building energy modeling and beyond.

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SEATTLE — March 1, 2024 — Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center announced 12 recipients of the 2024 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award, which recognizes exceptional achievement in graduate studies in the biological sciences. This year’s recipients come from U.S. and international research institutions with thesis topics that include brain signals related to learning and emotion, bacterial pathogens and health, AI algorithms in rare disease diagnosis and treatment, and immune cells involved in brain tumors.

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Atomic force microscopy, or AFM, is a widely used technique that can quantitatively map material surfaces in three dimensions, but its accuracy is limited by the size of the microscope’s probe. A new AI technique overcomes this limitation and allows microscopes to resolve material features smaller than the probe’s tip.

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A new study co-authored by University of Miami professor uncovers how agriculture companies have downplayed their role in climate change.

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Cameras similar to those already on newer model cars, combined with facial recognition tools, could read the "tells" of impairment in the face and upper body of a driver, University of Michigan engineers have shown.

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The environmental cost of Hollywood

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Argonne’s enhanced NERDE data explorer provides community leaders with insights into local economic distress, employment and gross domestic product, local industry clusters, climate risk, and innovation to inform economic resilience planning.

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Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have pioneered a new methodology of fabricating carbon-based quantum materials at the atomic scale by integrating scanning probe microscopy techniques and deep neural networks. This breakthrough highlights the potential of implementing artificial intelligence at the sub-angstrom scale for enhanced control over atomic manufacturing, benefiting both fundamental research and future applications.

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Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has received a multi-year $6 million award from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to develop innovative stem cell approaches to treat children and adolescents with recurrent solid tumors. The Cancer and Blood Disease Institute (CBDI) is a recognized leader in pediatric cancer care and research.

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Since 2019, a team of NASA scientists and their partners have been using NASA’s FUN3D software on supercomputers located at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, or OLCF, to conduct computational fluid dynamics, or CFD, simulations of a human-scale Mars lander. The team’s ongoing research project is a first step in determining how to safely land a vehicle with humans onboard onto the surface of Mars.

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The agreement provides children ages 7 to 18 academic support, physical activity, music, drama and arts instruction, and social-emotional support.