For The Better

The Greenland ice sheet lies thousands of miles from North America yet holds clues to the distant continent’s environmental history. Nearly two miles thick in places, the ice sheet grows as snow drifts from the sky and builds up over time. But snow isn…

A novel PET imaging technique can noninvasively detect active inflammation in the body before clinical symptoms arise, according to new research. Using a PET tracer that binds to proteins present on activated immune cells, the technique produces images…

A new fusion of materials, each with special electrical properties, has all the components required for a unique type of superconductivity that could provide the basis for more robust quantum computing.

Researchers have developed a spiral-shaped lens that maintains clear focus at different distances in varying light conditions. The new lens works much like progressive lenses used for vision correction but without the distortions typically seen with th…

Biologists have demonstrated a new way to boost the oil content of plant leaves and seeds. As described in the journal New Phytologist, the scientists identified and successfully altered key portions of a protein that protects newly synthesized oil dro…

ETH Zurich researchers have developed a new method of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the early detection and better monitoring of multiple sclerosis (MS). The method maps the myelin sheaths in the brain more precisely than was previously possible…

An advanced human heart organoid system can be used to model embryonic heart development under pregestational diabetes-like conditions, researchers report. The organoids recapitulate hallmarks of pregestational diabetes-induced congenital heart disease…

Scientists have found a new treatment target for CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD), one of the most common types of genetic epilepsy.

Cutting-edge research converted waste carbon dioxide into a potential precursor for chemicals and carbon-free fuel.

A team of scientists has developed an artificial ‘worm gut’ to break down plastics, offering hope for a nature-inspired method to tackle the global plastic pollution problem.

Researchers have uncovered the first direct evidence that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet shrunk suddenly and dramatically at the end of the Last Ice Age, around eight thousand years ago. The evidence, contained within an ice core, shows that in one locat…

A new scanning study of 390 babies has shown distinct patterns between term and pre-term babies in the moment-to-moment activity and connectivity of brain networks.

Based solely on driving behavior and head/gaze motion, the newly developed tool recognizes low blood sugar levels.

A new study has demonstrated the impact resistance exercise training can have in the treatment of anxiety and depressive symptoms.

A new pharmacological inhibitor can intervene in a central cell death mechanism that is responsible for the death of motor neurons and hence important for the progression of the motor neuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Neurobiologists …

Heterostructures of two-dimensional materials have unique properties. Among them, lateral heterostructures, which can be used to make electronic devices, are challenging to synthesize. To address this, researchers used a new transmetallation technique …

Using an old anesthesia drug to pull people out of the depths of severe depression has gone from fringe idea to widespread use in just a few years. But major questions remain about who ketamine can help, why some people get relief while others don’t, a…

Following the arrival of the first farmers in Scandinavia 5,900 years ago, the hunter-gatherer population was wiped out within a few generations, according to a new study. The results, which are contrary to prevailing opinion, are based on DNA analysis…

Contrary to popular belief, the benefits of physical activity do not outweigh the risks of cardiovascular disease associated with drinking sugar-sweetened beverages, according to a new study.

For some leukemia patients, their only treatment option carries a risk of heart failure.