For The Better

An artificial intelligence-powered virtual teammate with a female voice boosts participation and productivity among women on teams dominated by men, according to new research.

Inspired by the material that makes up oyster and abalone shells, engineers have created a new cement composite that is 17 times more crack-resistant than standard cement and 19 times more able to stretch and deform without breaking. The findings could…

Researchers have demonstrated miniature soft hydraulic actuators that can be used to control the deformation and motion of soft robots that are less than a millimeter thick. The researchers have also demonstrated that this technique works with shape me…

Researchers have examined viewer responses to images of distressing and neutrally decorated masks and whether personal life history, particularly past experiences of trauma and difficulty, affected how the person perceived the imagery.

Using tools of modern genetics, plant biochemists have produced a new high-yielding oilseed crop variety — a yellow-seeded variety of Camelina sativa, a close relative of canola, that accumulates 21.4% more oil than ordinary camelina.

Following decades of decline, even fewer birds will darken North American skies by the end of the century, according to a new analysis. The study examines the long-term effects of climate change on the abundance and diversity of bird groups across the …

As space travel becomes more frequent, a new biomarker tool was developed by an international team of researchers to help improve the growing field of aerospace medicine and the health of astronauts.

Haiku poems have reflected humans’ experiences in nature for hundreds of years, including observations of bugs and other wildlife. Recently, researchers analyzed which insects were mentioned the most in haiku — with butterflies, fireflies and singing …

Virtual reality technology can do more than teach weaponry skills in law enforcement and military personnel, a new study suggests: It can accurately record shooting performance and reliably track individuals’ progress over time.

Sepsis — the leading cause of mortality in children around the world — can present with a wide range of signs and symptoms, making a one-size-fits-all treatment strategy ineffective. Pursuing a precision medicine approach for pediatric sepsis, resear…

Scientists are peering into the past and uncovering new clues about the early universe. Since light takes a long time to travel through space, they are now able to see how galaxies looked billions of years ago. The astronomers have discovered that spir…

Researchers tracked how plant matter moves through bacteria’s metabolism. Microbes respire three times as much carbon dioxide (CO2) from non-sugar carbons from lignin compared to sugar from cellulose. Although microbes consume both types of plant matte…

The exhaust heat generated by a fusing plasma in a commercial-scale reactor may not be as damaging to the vessel’s innards as once thought, according to new research about escaping plasma particles.

By using AI to assist with cancer contouring, the researchers found predicting the cancer size was 45 times more accurate and consistent than when physicians used only conventional clinical imaging and blood tests to predict the cancer extent.

Scientists studied both male and female rats over eight weeks of endurance exercise and found thousands of molecular alterations. These findings have implications for human health, such as in liver disease, bowel disease, cardiovascular health, and tis…

The need to transition away from fossil fuels to more sustainable energy production is critical. That’s why a team of researchers is looking at a potential power source that not only produces no carbon emissions but removes carbon as it works: algae.

When college athletes are evaluated for a possible concussion, the diagnosis is based on an athletic trainer or team physician’s assessment of three things: the player’s symptoms, physical balance and cognitive skills. Research published today suggests…

Researching the immune system in space could have payoffs for human aging on earth. Scientists have revealed how the lack of gravity affects the cells of the immune system at single cell resolution.

To help probe the mystery of how brains control movement, scientists have created a virtual rat with an artificial brain that can move around just like a real rodent. The researchers found that activations in the virtual control network accurately pred…

The structure and function of the kidneys is altered by space flight, with galactic radiation causing permanent damage that would jeopardise any mission to Mars, according to a new study led by researchers from UCL.