Connecting Research and Experts with Journalists

• share
• favorite_border

Dr. Jae-Woo Choi and his team at the Center for Water Cycle Research at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) recently announced the development of a fiber-based recovery material that can recover rare earth metals such as neodymium (Nd) and dysprosium (Dy) with high efficiency. The new material is expected to contribute to solving rare earth supply and industrial stability issues by recovering and recycling rare earth metals (neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B)) that are mainly used in third-generation permanent magnets, which are essential components in the electric vehicle, hybrid vehicle drive motors, wind power, robotics, and aerospace industries.

• share
• favorite_border

Entrepreneurs often lack resources and funding needed to launch a venture and reach out to family and friends for initial support. But is it always good for a startup when individuals close to the founder are asked if they want to “be on the ground floor of something good?” New research from three Indiana University Kelley School of Business professors finds that such close ties to investors can lead founders to make more conservative venture growth decisions and make them more hesitant to take risks.

• share
• favorite_border

In a new study of current and former U.S. soldiers, researchers at the University of California, Irvine and Queen’s University found that those deployed to Afghanistan in mixed-gender units were more likely to view gender integration positively than all-male units.

• share
• favorite_border

The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) is pleased Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield reversed its recently announced anesthesia reimbursement policy that could have endangered patients.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at the NCI-Designated Cancer Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys describe two enzymes newly identified for their roles in regulating macropinocytosis, a process cancer cells use to snatch extra nutrients from the jelly-like substance between cells. This allows tumors to fuel their growth even when they consume more energy and other resources than they can acquire from nearby blood vessels.

• share
• favorite_border

A new method of analyzing mammograms — developed by researchers at WashU Medicine — identified individuals at high risk of developing breast cancer more accurately than the standard, questionnaire-based method did. The new method, powered by artificial intelligence, could help diagnose cancer earlier and guide recommendations for earlier screening, additional imaging or risk-reducing medications.

• share
• favorite_border

Stem cell transplantation is used to treat several types of blood cancers, but carries the risk of a life-threatening side effect called graft-versus-host disease. Results from a clinical trial conducted by researchers at WashU Medicine showed adding the investigational drug itacitinib to standard care for "half-matched" stem cell transplantation may reduce rates of the disease, in which the donor’s stem cells attack the patient’s healthy tissues.

• share
• favorite_border

Rutgers School of Public Health research found that New Jersey’s expansion of the Family Leave Insurance program in 2019 and 2020 was associated with a sharp increase in the use of family leave benefits among state residents.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists have discovered that the hummingbird bill is surprisingly flexible. While drinking, a hummingbird rapidly opens and shuts different parts of its bill simultaneously, engaging in an intricate and highly coordinated dance with its tongue to draw up nectar at lightning speeds.

• share
• favorite_border

Astronomers have used Hubble to see closer than ever into an energetic monster black hole powering 3C 273, the first quasar ever discovered. The new image details a lot of weird things: filaments, lobes, and a mysterious L-shaped structure, all within 16,000 light-years of the black hole.