Science & Technology

Engineers have come up with a new way to teach robots to know when they don’t know. The technique involves quantifying the fuzziness of human language and using that measurement to tell robots when to ask for further directions. Telling a robot to pick…

Our ability to pay attention to tasks—a key component of our everyday lives—is heavily influenced by factors like motivation, arousal and alertness. Maintaining focus can be especially challenging when the task is boring or repetitive.

A new study found that alcohol consumption may have counteractive effects on CVD risk, depending on the biological presence of certain circulating metabolites — molecules that are produced during or after a substance is metabolized and studied as biom…

Optimal windows exist for action and perception during the 0.8 seconds of a heartbeat, according to new research. The sequence of contraction and relaxation is linked to changes in the motor system and its ability to respond to stimulation, and this co…

A new study found that unfiltered air from rush-hour traffic significantly increased passengers’ blood pressure, both while in the car and up to 24 hours later.

A research team has successfully developed a novel pneumococcal vaccine by combining the team’s proprietary mucosal vaccine technology with pneumococcal surface proteins that can cover a wide range of serotypes. Experiments were conducted using mice an…

Researchers have solved a mystery about the most important driver of cancer development – a mutant protein found in half of all cancers – and how it contributes to tumor growth.

A research team has identified VCAM1, a cell surface protein found on immune cells of the brain, as a therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), paving the way for developing novel therapeutics to combat this debilitating condition.

Scientists have unraveled the evolutionary journey of a unique type of photosynthesis that allows some bacteria to harness far-red light, a region beyond the visible spectrum. This discovery could pave the way for engineering plants with enhanced light…

Researchers could find no simple solution to limiting non-CO2 emissions from aircraft.

Damage to the body’s peripheral nerves can cause pain and movement disorders. Researchers have recently investigated how damaged nerves can regenerate better. They found that fat tissue strongly supports the Schwann cells needed for repair during the h…

Scientists have revealed how lattice vibrations and spins talk to each other in a hybrid excitation known as an electromagnon. To achieve this, they used a unique combination of experiments on an X-ray free electron laser. Understanding this fundamenta…

Life expectancy and healthy ageing in mice can be determined by a protein present in some cells of the immune system, according to a new study. When this protein — known as the CD300f immune receptor — is absent, animal models have a shorter life exp…

Asteroid Phaethon, which is five kilometers in diameter, has been puzzling researchers for a long time. A comet-like tail is visible for a few days when the asteroid passes closest to the Sun during its orbit. However, the tails of comets are usually f…

Researchers have developed a way of joining up the head and tail of a protein, making it more stable and easier to get into cells.

Experiments find that impure ice is less sticky than ice made with pure water.

Researchers have provided new insights into how ancestral elephants developed their dextrous trunks.  A study of the evolution of longirostrine gomphotheres, an ancestor of the modern day elephant, suggests moving into open-land grazing helped develop …

Researchers have identified how three novel genes cause neurodevelopmental disorders. Researchers now have a better sense of the genes’ roles in human brain development and function and their ability to serve as potential therapeutic targets in the fut…