Science & Technology

Infants outperform artificial intelligence in detecting what motivates other people’s actions, finds a new study by a team of psychology and data science researchers. Its results point to shortcomings in today’s technologies and where improvements are …

During the fetal stage, a number of so-called cell programs run that are vital to the development of the fetus. Researchers demonstrate that one of these fetal programs appears to protect against acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

The trawling of thousands of satellite measurements using artificial intelligence has shown researchers that meltwater in tunnels beneath Greenland’s ice sheet causes it to change speed, and in some places, accelerate greatly towards the ocean. This ca…

A new study brings this vision closer to reality. The researchers unveil a computational method for designing thousands of different active enzymes with unprecedented efficiency by assembling them from engineered modular building blocks.

Fewer people are dying from cardiovascular disease in the U.S., according to new research. But rural counties and those with a higher percentage of Black residents consistently experienced higher rates of cardiovascular disease than urban and more pred…

Researcher see the interconnections between the systems in nature and how each component impacts the others. In Connecticut, rich in forests and farmland, experts see the potential that could position the state at the forefront of a climate-smart agric…

New textiles change shape when they heat up, giving designers a wide range of new options. In addition to offering adjustable aesthetics, responsive smart fabrics could also help monitor people’s health, improve thermal insulation, and provide new tool…

If you watched the most recent Super Bowl, you know the importance of a referee’s call on the outcome of a game. Slow-motion replays and close-watching eyes help, but a new sensor technology could someday serve as an even more reliable tool for officia…

A vibrating capsule designed to stir the colon to action appears to double the ability for adults struggling with debilitating chronic constipation to defecate more normally and without drugs, researchers report.

Carrots come in a rainbow of bright colors — red, orange, yellow and purplish black — because of compounds called carotenoids. They help support eye health by reacting with potentially harmful UV light. Interestingly, the molecular structures of caro…

A new analysis shows how convalescent plasma can be used to prevent hospitalizations and ultimately save lives, both for COVID-19 and for the next viral pandemic that inevitably arrives.

Climate change is aggravating the impact of droughts — one of the factors that only affect plant physiology — on all plant ecosystems worldwide. Although new tools have been developed to detect and assess drought stress in plants — transcriptomic or…

In a bid to understand why mosquitoes may be more attracted to one human than another, researchers say they have mapped specialized receptors on the insects’ nerve cells that are able to fine-tune their ability to detect particularly ‘welcoming’ odors …

Scientists have published the first record of a noble false widow spider feeding on a pygmy shrew, a species of tiny mammal protected in Ireland. The pygmy shrew — a protected mammal — was captured on spider’s web on a bedroom window, then paralyzed …

An effective, stable solid-state electrochemical transistor has been developed, heralding a new era in thermal management technology.

A new study explores ‘balancing selection’ by analyzing thousands of modern human genomes alongside ancient hominin groups, such as Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes. The research has ‘implications for understanding human diversity, the origin of disea…

Researchers have generated the first induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from bats, gaining valuable insights into the close relationship between bats and viruses.

Scientists fabricate sensitive nanostructured silver surfaces to detect arsenic, even at very low concentrations. The sensors make use of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: As a molecule containing arsenic adheres to the surface, it’s hit with a lase…