Science & Technology
Patient’s own immune cells effective as living medicine for melanoma
A patient’s own immune cells, multiplied into an army of billions of immune cells in a lab, can be used as a living medicine against metastatic melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer, as the TIL trial has shown. The TIL trial is the world’s first …
Virtual reality helps reduce patient anxiety and need for sedatives during hand surgery
Recent research shows patients using virtual reality technology during elective hand surgery required less anesthesia for anxiety during surgery.
Working in extreme heat puts strain on fetus
The fetuses of women working in the fields in extreme heat can show signs of strain before their mothers are affected, new research has shown.
Ancient stone tools from China provide earliest evidence of rice harvesting
A new study analyzing stone tools from southern China provides the earliest evidence of rice harvesting, dating to as early as 10,000 years ago. The researchers identified two methods of harvesting rice, which helped initiate rice domestication.
‘Sandwich generation’ study shows challenges of caring for both kids and aging parents
Their older parents need care. Their kids are still under 18. And they probably have a job, too. They’re the ‘sandwich generation’ — a longtime nickname for the mostly female, mostly middle-aged group of Americans who serve as caregivers for both olde…
Using light to manipulate neuron excitability
Researchers have devised a way to achieve long-term changes in neuron activity. With their new strategy, they can use light exposure to change the electrical capacitance of the neurons’ membranes, which alters their excitability (how strongly or weakly…
Soft robot detects damage, heals itself
Engineers have created a soft robot capable of detecting when and where it was damaged — and then healing itself on the spot.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs linked to lower risk of bleeding stroke
People who take cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins may have a lower risk of having a type of stroke called an intracerebral hemorrhage, according to a new study. An intracerebral hemorrhage is caused by bleeding in the brain.
Reading the room: Humans struggle to identify aggression in dogs, other humans
Researchers showed participants videos of human, dog, and macaque pairs to determine how well humans assess social interactions.
A wearable dataset for predicting in-class exam performance
Researchers performed an experiment, in which a set of students’ physiological data was gathered over the course of three exams. They used a smartwatch-like wearable device and collected multimodal physiological data. The use of the smartwatch-like wea…
New biomarkers for coffee consumption
In search of new biomarkers for nutrition and health studies, a research team has identified and structurally characterized three metabolites that could be considered as specific markers for individual coffee consumption. These are degradation products…
How do worms develop their gut?
How do nematodes distantly related to the best-studied one, Caenorhabditis elegans, make their gut, given that the genes responsible for specifying the gut in C. elegans are absent in other nematodes?
The secret to STEM diversity may lie in peer mentorship
A new paper shows that when first-year female STEM students are mentored by student peers, the positive ripple effect lasts throughout their undergraduate years and into their postgraduate lives, enhancing the mentee’s subjective experience as well as …
Germicidal UV lamps: A trade-off between disinfection and air quality, study finds
When winter chill strikes, people stay indoors more often, giving airborne pathogens — such as SARS-CoV-2 and influenza — prime opportunities to spread. Germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) lamps can help disinfect circulating air, but their UVC wavelengths …