Science & Technology

The activity of Snhg11, a gene found in the ‘dark matter’ of the genome, is critical for the function and formation of neurons in the hippocampus, specifically in an area critical for learning and memory. Researchers have discovered the gene is less ac…

New technologies aim to produce high-purity synthetic crystals that become excellent semiconductors when doped with impurities as electron donors or acceptors of other elements. Researchers have now determined the magnitude of the spin-orbit interactio…

The tone and tuning of musical instruments has the power to manipulate our appreciation of harmony, new research shows. The findings challenge centuries of Western music theory and encourage greater experimentation with instruments from different cultu…

Intelligent tutoring systems for math problems helped pupils remain or even increase their performance during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed data from five million exercises done by around 2,700 pupils in Germa…

Exposure to more ready-to-eat food outlets linked to a higher risk of heart failure, in a new study.

The simplest possible molecule H2+ was one of the very first molecules to form in the cosmos. This makes it significant for astrophysics, but also an important object of research for fundamental physics. It is difficult to study in experiments. However…

Researchers have developed a simulator that enables artificial visual observations for research into the visual prosthesis. This open source tool is available to researchers and offers those who are interested insight into the future application.

When people lack visual imagination, this is known as aphantasia. Researchers investigated how the lack of mental imagery affects long-term memory. They were able to show that changes in two important brain regions, the hippocampus and the occipital lo…

Researchers discovered that sea cucumbers — sediment-eating organisms that function like autonomous vacuum cleaners of the ocean floor — play an enormous role in protecting coral from disease.

The mechanisms by which antidepressants and other emotion-focused medications work could be reconsidered due to an important new breakthrough in the understanding of how the gut communicates with the brain. New research has uncovered major developments…

A report from the world’s leading scientific and medical experts on hormone-related health conditions raises new concerns about the profound threats to human health from endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that are ubiquitous in our surroundings and …

The first stem cell culture method that produces a full model of the early stages of the human central nervous system has been developed by a team of engineers and biologists.

Scientists have designed the first synthetic protein-based motor which harnesses biological reactions to fuel and propel itself. ‘Imagine if a Roomba could be powered only by the dirt it picks up,’ says one of the authors of the study. The motor uses t…

Niobium has long been considered an underperformer in superconducting qubits. Scientists have now engineered a high-quality niobium-based qubit, taking advantage of niobium’s superior qualities.

A long-term analysis reveals that antibody responses induced by COVID-19 vaccines are long-lasting. The study results challenge the idea that mRNA-based vaccine immunity wanes quickly.

Studies on climate and infectious disease typically focus on temperature’s role on disease transmission. However, an international team found that both temperature and humidity contribute to future trends in the transmission of parasitic worm infections.

Nuclear physicists have shattered a nearly 30-year-old record for precision in electron beam polarimetry. The groundbreaking result sets the stage for high-profile experiments that could open the door to new physics discoveries.

Black carbon is up to 25 times more hazardous to human health than other airborne particles of a similar size. Standard sensors are expensive and burdensome, resulting in sparse coverage in regions infamous for poor air quality, such as the greater Sal…

Inspired by the design of space shuttles, researchers have invented a new way to synthesize a key component of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the revolutionary delivery vehicle for mRNA treatments including the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine…

Experts published a detailed position paper on the field of biomedical engineering which lays the foundation for a concerted worldwide effort to achieve technological and medical breakthroughs.