Science & Technology
AI enhances physician-patient communication
A study shows that AI enhances physician-patient communication.
Hidden threat: Global underground infrastructure vulnerable to sea-level rise
As sea levels rise, coastal groundwater is lifted closer to the ground surface while also becoming saltier and more corrosive. A recent study compiled research from experts worldwide showing that in cities where there are complex networks of buried and…
How Pluto got its heart
The mystery of how Pluto got a giant heart-shaped feature on its surface has finally been solved by an international team of astrophysicists. The team is the first to successfully reproduce the unusual shape with numerical simulations, attributing it t…
Unlocking the ‘chain of worms’
An international team of scientists has published a single-cell atlas for Pristina leidyi (Pristina), the water nymph worm, a segmented annelid with extraordinary regenerative abilities that has fascinated biologists for more than a century.
Millions of gamers advance biomedical research
4.5 million gamers around the world have advanced medical science by helping to reconstruct microbial evolutionary histories using a minigame included inside the critically and commercially successful video game, Borderlands 3. Their playing has led to…
Microplastics make their way from the gut to other organs
Researchers have found that microplastics — are having a significant impact on our digestive pathways, making their way from the gut and into the tissues of the kidney, liver and brain.
GeoAI technologies for sustainable urban development
From heatwaves to pandemic diseases, the urban environments of the world face numerous challenges. Researchers are harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) and informatics to address emerging concerns related to environmental changes and urban growth.
Epilepsy drug prevents brain tumors in mice with NF1
Researchers have discovered that an FDA-approved epilepsy drug can prevent or slow the growth of NF1-linked optic gliomas in mice, laying the groundwork for a clinical trial.
Digging up new species of Australia and New Guinea’s giant fossil kangaroos
Palaeontologists have described three unusual new species of giant fossil kangaroo from Australia and New Guinea, finding them more diverse in shape, range and hopping method than previously thought. The three new species are of the extinct genus Prote…
Physical activity reduces stress-related brain activity to lower cardiovascular disease risk
Over a ten-year period, biobank participants who met recommended levels of physical activity had a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and the protective effects were even more pronounced in individuals with depression.
Evolution’s recipe book: How ‘copy paste’ errors cooked up the animal kingdom
A series of whole genome and gene duplication events that go back hundreds of millions of years have laid the foundations for tissue-specific gene expression, according to a new study. The ‘copy-paste’ errors allowed animals to keep one copy of their g…
Switch to green wastewater infrastructure could reduce emissions and provide huge savings according to new research
Researchers have shown that a transition to green wastewater-treatment approaches in the U.S. that leverages the potential of carbon-financing could save a staggering $15.6 billion and just under 30 million tons of CO2-equivalent emissions over 40 years.
Specific nasal cells protect against COVID-19 in children
Important differences in how the nasal cells of young and elderly people respond to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, could explain why children typically experience milder COVID-19 symptoms, a new study finds.
Tropical forests can’t recover naturally without fruit-eating birds
Natural forest regeneration is hailed as a cost-effective way to restore biodiversity and sequester carbon. However, the fragmentation of tropical forests has restricted the movement of large birds limiting their capacity to disperse seeds and restore …