Science X Newsletter Tue, Dec 19

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for December 19, 2023:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Testing the biological reasoning capabilities of large language models

The eBse model: A new perspective on dark energy and inflation

Massive drug search uncovers infinitesimal molecule that kills cancers while sparing immune cells

Newly discovered hedgehog species diverged from others more than a million years ago

Recent volcanism on Mars reveals a planet more active than previously thought

Anthropologist's mapping project shows how Peru transformed after colonization

Mapping the relations between Manhattan Project scientists using network science

GPT-4 driven robot takes selfies, 'eats' popcorn

Tanzanian children test the effectiveness of clinical decision support algorithms to lower antibiotic use

The feline frontier: NASA sends cat video from deep space

Researchers fear the British spoken 'r' is ready to roll away from the last bastion of rhoticity

Improving a robot's self-awareness by giving it proprioception

Discovery of drug candidate to potentially tackle ER-positive breast cancer

Colon cancer screenings are more effective than previously understood: Study

Scientists construct a synthetic yeast genome

Nanotechnology news

	'X-ray vision' for investigation of mRNA nanomedicines A new technology co-developed at EMBL Hamburg provides new insights into mRNA pharmaceuticals and other nanomedicines, which can be helpful for the development of new products
	A microfluidic magnetic detection system for tumor-derived exosome analysis In a study published on 7 November 2023 in the journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering, researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Shanghai Tech University, have developed an innovative microfluidic magnetic detection system (μFMS) for analyzing tumor-derived exosomes (TDEs), potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis. This groundbreaking system could greatly enhance the early detection and treatment of cancer.
	Viral enhancement of nanomaterial cancer sensor improves early detection Researchers from SUTD have developed an advanced system of breast cancer cell detection with improved speed and sensitivity, using a viral mechanism to enhance the tool's sensing accuracy.
	'Molecular jackhammers' can rupture melanoma cells' membrane, study shows The Beach Boys' iconic hit single "Good Vibrations" takes on a whole new layer of meaning thanks to a recent discovery by Rice University scientists and collaborators, who have uncovered a way to destroy cancer cells by using the ability of some molecules to vibrate strongly when stimulated by light.
	Nanoparticles with antibacterial action could shorten duration of tuberculosis treatment A low-cost technology involving nanoparticles loaded with antibiotics and other antimicrobial compounds that can be used in multiple attacks on infections by the bacterium responsible for most cases of tuberculosis has been developed by researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil.

Physics news

	Mapping the relations between Manhattan Project scientists using network science The Manhattan Project was a top-secret program that culminated in the development of the first atomic bombs during World War 2. This covert and controversial research endeavor involved many gifted and reputable scientists, including physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.
	Snowflake accelerations mysteriously follow a predictable pattern A winter wonderland calls to mind piles of fluffy, glistening snow. But to reach the ground, snowflakes are swept into the turbulent atmosphere, swirling through the air instead of plummeting directly to the ground.
	New strategy reveals 'full chemical complexity' of quantum decoherence In quantum mechanics, particles can exist in multiple states at the same time, defying the logic of everyday experiences. This property, known as quantum superposition, is the basis for emerging quantum technologies that promise to transform computing, communication, and sensing. But quantum superpositions face a significant challenge: quantum decoherence. During this process, the delicate superposition of quantum states breaks down when interacting with its surrounding environment.
	Research team develops optical technique for simultaneously producing and shaping gigahertz burst pulses The generation and manipulation of high-repetition pulses hold great promise across various applications, including high-speed photography, laser processing, and acoustic wave generation. Gigahertz (GHz) burst pulses, with intervals ranging from ~0.01 to ~10 nanoseconds, are particularly valued for visualizing ultrafast phenomena and improving laser processing efficiency.
	AI models predict decay modes and half-lives of superheavy nuclei with unprecedented accuracy In a study published in the journal of Nuclear Science and Techniques, researchers from Sun Yat-sen University have achieved a significant breakthrough in understanding the decay processes of superheavy nuclei. Their pioneering study, employing a random forest machine learning algorithm, offers novel insights into the decay modes and half-lives of elements beyond oganesson (element 118).

Earth news

	Study shows how vertebrates shape the North Sea seafloor The world's oceans are a vast habitat for countless creatures that settle, spawn, dig or feed on the seafloor. They also influence the shape of the ocean floor. How exactly this takes place has scarcely been investigated.
	Mollusks from polar expeditions reveal new details about the ocean In the early hours of 30 October 1961, a Russian bomber took off and flew north. The plane was headed for the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Russian part of the Arctic. When the pilot saw the islands far below, he released the cargo—a bomb the size of a double-decker bus.
	A volcano erupts in southwestern Iceland and spews magma in a spectacular show of Earth's power A volcano has erupted in southwestern Iceland, sending a flash of light into the evening sky and spewing semi-molten rock into the air in a spectacular show of the Earth's power in the land known for fire and ice.
	From laggard to leader? Why Australia must phase out fossil fuel exports, starting now For years large fossil fuel producers—including Australia—have expanded fossil fuel production while maintaining rhetorically that the world needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But global emissions are overwhelmingly caused by the extraction, transport and burning of fossil fuels. Unless fossil fuels are phased out, emissions will grow and the climate crisis will worsen.
	2023's extreme storms, heat and wildfires broke records—a scientist explains how global warming fuels climate disasters The year 2023 was marked by extraordinary heat, wildfires and weather disasters.
	Paratethys: The largest lake the Earth has ever seen For the first time ever, research led by one of Utrecht University's earth scientists—Dr. Dan Palcu—has earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. His fascinating research shows the immense proportions of the largest lake the Earth has ever seen: the Paratethys. Guinness World Records published a whole page about the "Largest lake ever' on their website, as well as a highlight in the print edition.
	Will the eruption of the volcano in Iceland affect flights and how serious is it? Scientists anticipated the eruption of a volcano in southwestern Iceland for weeks, so when it happened on Monday night, it was no surprise. The region had been active for more than two years and thousands of small earthquakes rattled the area in recent weeks.
	Iceland volcano eruption calms as lava flow eases An Icelandic volcano that erupted and spewed lava into the sky overnight near a power plant was less active Tuesday evening, after weeks of intense seismic activity southwest of Reykjavik.
	Florida Keys city to replace sewage wells following research findings The Marathon City Council says it will end the use of shallow sewage wells, a move that could drastically reduce the pervasive pharmaceutical contamination in local fish populations uncovered by FIU scientists.
	Researchers: Planting pine or native forest for carbon capture isn't the only choice—New Zealand can have best of both New Zealand's per-capita contribution to carbon emissions is very high by international comparison. But so too is its potential to mitigate climate change by planting forests to quickly sequester large amounts of carbon.
	World can't rely on tree planting to limit climate change, says report Little consideration has been given by the IPCC to the feasibility of schemes that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—despite many countries banking on it as part of their net zero plans.
	Rescue teams evacuate flood-ravaged Australian town Rescue teams on Tuesday evacuated a flood-ravaged town in northeastern Australia, racing to airlift hundreds of people to safety before they run out of food and water.
	Southern California coastal wetlands would benefit from proposed $60 million federal program Two local nonprofit leaders are praising Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, and others in Congress for introducing a bipartisan bill that would authorize $60 million annually to protect coastal wetlands.
	Grenfell should have been a wake-up call—but the UK still doesn't take fire safety seriously In March 2023, a fire in Tower Hamlets, east London, claimed the life of Mizanur Rahman, a 41-year-old father-of-two from Bangladesh. Five fire engines and 35 firefighters attended the call to the two-bedroom flat in Maddocks House, on the Tarling West housing estate, in the early hours of the morning.
	A new system can help global food systems adapt to climate change One critical outcome of COP28 was a declaration, signed by more than 150 heads of state, to support food systems in adapting to climate change. Until recently, the issue of sustainable food systems had never risen very high on the COP agenda, which had been largely focused on the energy sector.
	Chilean researchers call for transformative change to tackle climate action Addressing climate change has become a central issue in Chile's public policy. As part of that debate, Dr. Maisa Rojas, researcher in Atmospheric Physics, who currently serves as Chilean Minister for Environment and Marco Billi of the Center for Climate and Resilience Research, Universidad de Chile, propose a new model of governance at the country level to facilitate the changes needed.

Astronomy and Space news

	The eBse model: A new perspective on dark energy and inflation A new Scientific Reports study proposes an extension of the electron Born self-energy (eBse) model, unveiling a mechanism for cosmic inflation driven by a constant potential energy density, thereby challenging the conventional cosmological paradigm.
	Recent volcanism on Mars reveals a planet more active than previously thought A vast, flat, "featureless" plain on Mars surprised researchers by revealing a much more tumultuous geologic past than expected, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Arizona. Enormous amounts of lava have erupted from numerous fissures as recently as 1 million years ago, blanketing an area almost as large as Alaska and interacting with water in and under the surface, resulting in large flood events that carved out deep channels.
	The feline frontier: NASA sends cat video from deep space NASA on Monday announced it had used a state-of-the-art laser communication system on a spaceship 19 million miles (31 million kilometers) away from Earth—to send a high-definition cat video.
	Blue Origin returns to space after year-long hiatus Blue Origin launched its first rocket in more than a year on Tuesday, reviving the US company's fortunes with a successful return to space following an uncrewed crash in 2022.
	Astrophysicists publish Kepler Giant Planet Search, an aid to 'figure out where to find life' A team of astrophysicists led by Lauren Weiss, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Notre Dame, created the first-ever catalog of small, Earth-like planets with Jupiter-like siblings (planets that share the same star)—a critical component in the search for life elsewhere in our universe.
	New nuclear deflection simulations advance planetary defense against asteroid threats Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed a modeling tool for assessing the potential use of a nuclear device to defend the planet against catastrophic asteroid impacts.
	Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin sets new launch attempt for Tuesday Blue Origin said it would try again on Tuesday to launch a rocket and return to space for the first time in more than a year, after scrubbing a mission for last-minute technical reasons.
	Image: Ice flows on Mars On Aug. 18, 2023, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured ridged lines carved onto Mars' landscape by the gradual movement of ice. While surface ice deposits are mostly limited to Mars' polar caps, these patterns appear in many non-polar Martian regions.
	Shining a light on NASA's deep space demo NASA's Psyche mission launched on 13 October 2023 on a journey to explore what could be the exposed metallic core of an ancient planet.
	NASA's GUSTO prepares to map space between the stars On a vast ice sheet in Antarctica, scientists and engineers are preparing a NASA experiment called GUSTO to explore the universe on a balloon. GUSTO will launch from the Ross Ice Shelf, near the U.S. National Science Foundation's McMurdo Station research base, no earlier than Dec. 21.
	Astronomers scan hundreds of stars for 'anomalous transits' Telescopes have been collecting copious amounts of data on exoplanets in recent years. One of the most common datasets tracks what are known as transits, when an exoplanet crosses in front of its host star and dims the star's light slightly as it does so. The majority of exoplanets have been found this way, but other interesting details might be hidden in the data.
	Research suggests women lose more muscle than men in spaceflight New research published ahead of print in the Journal of Applied Physiology suggests women lose more muscle than men in a microgravity environment such as spaceflight. The study "represent[s] the longest bed rest study on a large cohort of women" and underscores the need for more sex-specific studies on physiological responses to microgravity, the research team wrote.
	Hera's solar wings are cleared for flight The solar wings that will power ESA's Hera asteroid mission for planetary defense as it ventures out to meet the Dimorphos asteroid have been cleared for flight. As part of its current test campaign at ESA's ESTEC Test Center in the Netherlands, the spacecraft commanded the deployment of the wings one at a time, as it will do in space directly after launch—known as a "hot deployment."
	Bolivia's hypergravity blood cell test for astronaut health The latest international group to employ ESA's hypergravity-generating Large Diameter Centrifuge is an all-female team from Bolivia, with access sponsored by the United Nations and ESA. The researchers are investigating whether the high gravity levels experienced during rocket launches might contribute to the anemia afflicting many astronauts in space.
	NGC 2264: Telescopes illuminate 'Christmas tree cluster' This new image of NGC 2264, also known as the "Christmas Tree Cluster," shows the shape of a cosmic tree with the glow of stellar lights. NGC 2264 is, in fact, a cluster of young stars—with ages between about one and five million years old—in our Milky Way about 2,500 light-years away from Earth. The stars in NGC 2264 are both smaller and larger than the sun, ranging from some with less than a tenth the mass of the sun to others containing about seven solar masses.
	The holographic secret of black holes As weird as it might sound, black holes appear to be holograms.

Technology news

	Testing the biological reasoning capabilities of large language models Large language models (LLMs) are advanced deep learning algorithms that can process written or spoken prompts and generate texts in response to these prompts. These models have recently become increasingly popular and are now helping many users to create summaries of long documents, gain inspiration for brand names, find quick answers to simple queries, and generate various other types of texts.
	GPT-4 driven robot takes selfies, 'eats' popcorn A team of researchers at the University of Tokyo has built a bridge between large language models and robots that promises more humanlike gestures while dispensing with traditional hardware-dependent controls.
	Improving a robot's self-awareness by giving it proprioception A pair of roboticists at the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI), Technical University of Munich, in Germany, has found that it is possible to give robots some degree of proprioception using machine-learning techniques. In their study reported in the journal Science Robotics, Fernando Díaz Ledezma and Sami Haddadin developed a new machine-learning approach to allow a robot to learn the specifics of its body.
	Researchers develop selective transfer printing technology for microLEDs A research team KAIST from led by Professor Keon Jae Lee has demonstrated the transfer printing of a large number of micro-sized inorganic semiconductor chips via the selective modulation of micro-vacuum force. The research, titled "Universal selective transfer printing via micro-vacuum force," is published in the journal Nature Communications.
	Google to pay $700 mn to US consumers, states in antitrust settlement Google parent Alphabet has agreed to pay $700 million as part of an antitrust settlement made public on Monday, with the funds going to US customers of its Android app store and state governments.
	Nuclear power stations could be decommissioned with the help of autonomous robots Nuclear power stations could be decommissioned in the future with the help of teams of autonomous robots known as the SMuRFs, scientists have suggested.
	Apple plans rescue for $17 billion watch business in face of ban Apple Inc., just days away from a U.S. ban of its smartwatches, is plotting a rescue mission for the $17 billion business that includes software fixes and other potential workarounds.
	A blueprint for equitable, ethical AI research Artificial intelligence (AI) has huge potential to advance the field of health and medicine, but the nation must be prepared to responsibly harness the power of AI and maximize its benefits, according to an editorial by Victor J. Dzau and colleagues.
	Australia's freight used to go by train, not truck. Here's how it can bring back rail, and cut emissions Until the 1960s, railways dominated freight across every distance bar the shortest. Much freight went by sea, and some by truck.
	An AI-driven influence operation is spreading pro-China propaganda across YouTube, investigation finds A recent investigation from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has revealed an extensive network of YouTube channels promoting pro-Chinese and anti-US public opinion in the English-speaking world.
	OpenAI releases guidelines to gauge 'catastrophic risks' of AI ChatGPT-maker OpenAI published Monday its newest guidelines for gauging "catastrophic risks" from artificial intelligence in models currently being developed.
	Meta charging European users to remove ads is a privacy red herring This November, Meta rolled out a new subscription model for Facebook and Instagram users in the European Union, where they could pay a fee in exchange for an ad-free browsing experience on Facebook and Instagram. Referred to by critics as a "Pay or Okay" model, and charging 9.99 to 12.99 euros monthly, the option is already an object of controversy.
	New supercomputer mimicking the human brain could help unlock secrets of the mind and advance AI A supercomputer scheduled to go online in April 2024 will rival the estimated rate of operations in the human brain, according to researchers in Australia. The machine, called DeepSouth, is capable of performing 228 trillion operations per second.
	How AI can help journalists find diverse and original sources What would news stories be without proper sources? To tell a compelling story, reporters need to find newsworthy narratives and trustworthy information. Such information typically comes from a wide pool of publications, official records and experts, all with their own biases, expertise, opinions and backgrounds. The pool of interview candidates is plentiful yet overwhelming to navigate.
	Algorithm takes on photographic motion blur One of the many problems faced by a wide range of photographers in wildlife, sports, celebrity and theatrical photography, and even industrial testing and medical photography is the issue of motion blur. This occurs when the subject is moving and the camera's shutter speed is too slow to "freeze" the action. There are approaches that anyone processing photographs can take to reduce the distortion known as motion blur and there is some software that can reduce the effect considerably. However, there is always room for improvement.
	Decarbonizing UK industries could add less than 1% to prices, according to study Decarbonizing U.K. industrial processes to reach Net Zero goals could be achieved with price increases of just 0.8%, academics from the University of Bath's Institute for Sustainability have found.
	Study explores how people perceive and declare their authorship of artificially generated texts Large language models (LLMs) radically speed up text production in a variety of use cases. When they are fed with samples of our individual writing style, they are even able to produce texts that sound as though we ourselves wrote them. In other words, they act as AI ghostwriters creating texts on our behalf.
	Q&A: Alexa, am I happy? How AI emotion recognition falls short Is the fear of public speaking the same as being chased by a bear? Does raising an eyebrow convey amusement or confusion? In 1995, Rosalind Picard, a scientist and inventor, introduced the idea of computers developing the ability to recognize emotions in her book, "Affective Computing."
	Video: A picking robot for the greenhouse Working in a greenhouse is both strenuous and time-consuming. The picking robot from ETH spin-off Floating Robotics takes on particularly repetitive tasks, thereby alleviating the strain on human pickers. It is currently undergoing testing at Beerstecher AG in Hinwil.
	New, super-smart hardware could provide drastic cuts in power consumption Greener data processing requires systems that work smarter, faster, and are more energy efficient. Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have developed a tiny piece of super-smart hardware that enables all of the above.
	A proton exchange membrane fuel cell inspired by the structure of a lung In a valuable contribution to ongoing research projects on development of innovative bipolar plate designs for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, scientists from the University of Seville and the Paul Scherrer Institute have published two papers, one in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energies, and one in Electrochimica Acta.
	New process enhances sustainability of pig iron production Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the SMS group have developed a new process to reduce CO2 emission of worldwide steel production by several hundred million tons per year. It is based on modernizing blast furnace technology with moderate investments and has already been demonstrated successfully in a pilot plant. The researchers report their results in Energy Advances.
	Tesla's recall of 2 million vehicles to fix its Autopilot system uses technology that may not work Tesla's recall of more than 2 million of its electric vehicles—an effort to have drivers who use its Autopilot system pay closer attention to the road—relies on technology that research shows may not work as intended.
	Organic solar module sets world record with 14.46% efficiency Solar energy is one of the great hopes when it comes to the energy transition. Research in this future-oriented field is accordingly extensive. One of the biggest challenges is finding the perfect material. In terms of efficiency, silicon is currently hard to beat. However, it has serious disadvantages: it is too rigid and heavy and difficult to recycle.
	Study uses new tech to observe how big events can disrupt public transit over an entire city New technology has allowed scientists to see how a major sporting event can disrupt public transportation in an entire city for hours before and after the event.
	Chairman of Taiwan chip giant TSMC to retire next year The chairman of Taiwan's semiconductor giant TSMC, Mark Liu, will retire from the company next year, the firm announced Tuesday.
	A free, easy-to-use platform for understanding and managing electric grids The Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and its partners at Hitachi America Energy Solutions Laboratory have released a new open-source software platform for simulating how all the parts of an electric grid work together, along with a graphic interface that makes it much easier for users to understand and apply the results.
	Spain takes 10% of Telefonica following Saudi stake Spain said Tuesday it will acquire 10 percent of local telecoms giant Telefonica, just months after Saudi Telecom took a significant stake in the operator.

Chemistry news

	Machine learning sifts through vast data from X-ray diffraction techniques to find new materials Scientists from the University of Rochester say deep learning can supercharge a technique that is already the gold standard for characterizing new materials. In an npj Computational Materials paper, the interdisciplinary team describes models they developed to better leverage the massive amounts of data that X-ray diffraction experiments produce.
	Scientists discover how to degrade and reform thermoset polymers without loss of function A team of UK scientists has got a step closer to making several different types of plastic much easier to recycle using a method that could be applied to a whole range of difficult-to-recycle polymers, including rubbers, gels, and adhesives.
	Filming the microscopic flow of hydrogen atoms in a metal A group of researchers has created a simple and inexpensive means to visualize the atomic state of hydrogen. Details of their breakthrough are published in the journal Acta Materialia.
	3D material found to break down antidepressant that contaminates water bodies worldwide An study published in the Chemical Engineering Journal describes a strategy to produce a material based on zinc oxide (ZnO) capable of degrading sertraline, an antidepressant that has been detected, like other drugs, in groundwater worldwide and is considered an emerging pollutant. This kind of substance has certain physicochemical properties that hinder removal by conventional wastewater treatment methods.
	Enhanced antioxidant activities unveiled in diverse water-soluble lignin-carbohydrate complexes A recent study delves into unlocking enhanced antioxidant potential within water-soluble lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCCs), marked by their rich polysaccharide content. This study underscores the imperative need for advancements in the antioxidant activity of water-soluble LCCs while shedding light on the enigmatic relationship between their structure and antioxidant potential.
	How active are the microorganisms in your yogurt? Chemists create a new tool to study probiotic activity Humans have been fermenting food and drinks—everything from kimchi and yogurt to beer and kombucha—for more than 13,000 years.
	Electrocatalytic CO₂ conversion advancing toward large-scale deployment Global CO2 emissions continue to grow, reaching 36.1 Gt in 2022, stimulating the implementation of carbon taxes and impacting energy use. The electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) to produce high value-added chemicals and liquid fuels contributes to the construction of green chemical engineering and carbon neutrality.
	New study explores amino acid that turns into gel in water Hydrogels, ubiquitous materials in our daily lives, are the focus of scientific research published in Chemistry—A European Journal. Conducted by the SupraBioNanoLab at the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering Giulio Natta at Politecnico di Milano, the work demonstrated how the combination of supramolecular chemistry and crystallography can be used to design hydrogels with specific characteristics.
	Combining atomistic simulations and machine learning to predict grain boundary segregation in magnesium alloys Magnesium alloys hold promise as a lightweight material to reduce weight in automobiles and transportation systems, offering potential to enhance fuel economy and reduce emissions, but low formability and strength prevent widespread adoption.

Biology news

	Newly discovered hedgehog species diverged from others more than a million years ago Researchers at Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, China, have announced the discovery of a new species within the hedgehog genus Mesechinus. The eastern China hedgehog species was found to be distinct from other regional hedgehogs across morphological and phylogenetic characteristics.
	Scientists construct a synthetic yeast genome Chromosomes are long DNA molecules that collectively form a genome, containing all the genetic material of an organism. Advances in technology have allowed scientists to redesign and construct different chromosomal sequences, facilitating the study of the link between gene variations and traits.
	Study uncovers major hidden human-driven bird extinctions Humans have wiped out around 1,400 bird species—twice as many as previously thought—with major implications for the ongoing biodiversity crisis, a new study has found.
	Vervet monkeys follow different social 'norms' and respond to 'peer pressure,' new long-term study shows People living in different communities follow different social customs or norms. In some places, for instance, it might be standard practice to greet each person you see on the street, while in others that simply isn't done. In some cases, such differences may even vary from one neighborhood to the next.
	Single-celled protists in the guts of animals thrive without mitochondria, study finds Almost all eukaryotic organisms, from plants and animals to fungi, can't survive without mitochondria, which generate chemical energy using oxygen. However, a new study by Lukáš Novák and Vladimír Hampl of Charles University, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, finds that multiple members of the oxymonads, a group of single-celled protists that live inside the guts of termites and other animals, have evolved to live quite happily without them.
	Research suggests climate change will disrupt many age-old partnerships between aspen trees and fungi Standing in an aspen grove, surrounded by slender white trunks and a canopy of leaves that rustle in the slightest breeze, it's easy to think only of the trees.
	A new inactive form of p38α protein discovered p38α protein, a key enzyme in the regulation of various cellular functions, plays a crucial role in some diseases, including cancer, chronic inflammation, and neurodegenerative conditions. Since the discovery of p38α, various pharmaceutical companies and numerous research groups have dedicated considerable efforts to develop inhibitors of this protein. However, the results have not met the expectations foreseen to be able to design drugs.
	Antarctic krill head south: Scientists fear the movement will have a negative impact on predators Some populations of Antarctic krill are shifting south, closer to Antarctica, as ocean warming and sea-ice changes alter their habitat. Scientists fear the movement of krill will have a negative impact on predators like whales, seals and penguins, and alter broader ocean ecosystem functions.
	A bacterial toolkit for colonizing plants Using a novel experimental approach, Max Planck researchers have discovered a core set of genes required by commensal bacteria to colonize their plant hosts. The findings published in Nature Communications may have broad relevance for understanding how bacteria establish successful host–commensal relationships.
	Better fossil dating could help to clear up human evolution Timing is crucial when it comes to understanding the origins of humanity. Developing better dating techniques to discover the ages of key fossils will help scientists to discover how Homo sapiens and our relatives evolved.
	Scientists discover novel way to attack the trypanosome parasite through its ribosome Trypanosome is a single-celled parasite that takes an extensive human and economic toll due to its involvement in causing sleeping sickness in humans and a similar disease in cattle. The parasite, found mainly in rural areas of Africa, is transmitted to humans or cattle by the tsetse fly. There is no vaccine for the disease, and current treatments are difficult and ineffective due to the resistance of the parasites to existing drugs.
	Mysterious fruit found to be the oldest known fossils of the Frankincense and Myrrh family Early in the 1970s, a paleontologist working on the outskirts of an Indian village found small, bead-like fossils embedded in the gray chert dotting the surrounding fields. The site was notorious for turning up plant fossils that were difficult to identify, including the fruit of an extinct species resignedly given the name "Enigmocarpon."
	Can we decode the language of our primate cousins? A UNIGE team shows that the human brain is capable of identifying the vocalizations of certain primate species, if they are close to us and if the frequencies used are also close to our own.
	Fresh research for fresh air: Harnessing microbes for removing indoor pollutants Researchers in Chile have designed an indoor air purification prototype which uses microorganisms to capture and degrade pollutants, with efficiencies above 90%. In the study, published in the Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, the scientists demonstrated that the system could operate for eight months without any loss in efficiency.
	High mitochondrial temperature is maintained in cells subjected to metabolic stress, study shows Mitochondria in human and mammalian cells are maintained at around 52 ºC, significantly warmer than the cell's external environment. A new study shows that even under external metabolic stresses, mitochondrial metabolism is remodeled to maintain this high temperature. The findings have implications for understanding disease processes.
	Researchers discover crucial step in creating blood stem cells A microbial sensor that helps identify and fight bacterial infections also plays a key role in the development of blood stem cells, providing a valuable new insight in the effort to create patient-derived blood stem cells that could eliminate the need for bone marrow transplants.
	Toxic chemicals found in oil spills and wildfire smoke detected in killer whales Toxic chemicals produced from oil emissions and wildfire smoke have been found in muscle and liver samples from Southern Resident killer whales and Bigg's killer whales.
	Study finds pandas are more socially active than previously thought Pandas, long portrayed as solitary beasts, do hang with family and friends—and they're big users of social media. Scent-marking trees serve as a panda version of Facebook.
	New research models critical climate collapse conditions in ecological and biological systems As humans continue to drive environmental damage through climate change, predicting points of no return becomes more crucial than ever. Worldwide, humanity and nature alike contend with increases in temperature, drought, wildfires, hurricanes, rising sea levels and more.
	Genetics of host plants determine what microorganisms they attract, finds study Plants often develop communities with microorganisms in their roots, which influences plant health and development. Although the recruitment of these microbes is dictated by several factors, it is unclear whether the genetic variation in the host plants plays a role. In a new study, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explored this question and their work can help improve agriculture productivity.
	Researchers map North American wild grape pangenome Wild North American grapes are now less of a mystery after an international team of researchers led by the University of California, Davis, decoded and cataloged the genetic diversity of nine species of this valuable wine crop.
	Protein allows poison dart frogs to accumulate toxins safely, shows study Scientists have identified the protein that helps poison dart frogs safely accumulate their namesake toxins, according to a study published today in eLife. The findings solve a long-standing scientific mystery and may suggest potential therapeutic strategies for treating humans poisoned with similar molecules.
	Mapping bedbugs: S Korean blockchain engineer fights infestation with data When news broke about a bedbug outbreak in his native South Korea, 29-year-old blockchain engineer and self-professed insectophobe Kang Jae-gu got straight to work—on the data.
	Microwaves heat the soil to eliminate pests and help farmers manage soil diseases A research team led by Dr. Sunshin Jung at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) has developed a breakthrough technology that effectively eliminates pests without the use of pesticides and protects farms from soil diseases by using microwave heating, the core mechanism of microwave ovens.
	Deep-sea octopus squid give up their secrets to a healthy, varied diet Flinders University researchers have taken a look at why the large Dana octopus squid, which can weigh up to 160kg and measure 2.3 meters long, is so popular on sperm whales' menu.
	Wild 'super pigs' from Canada could become a new front in the war on feral hogs They go by many names—pigs, hogs, swine, razorbacks—but whatever you call them, wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are one of the most damaging invasive species in North America. They cause millions of dollars in crop damage yearly and harbor dozens of pathogens that threaten humans and pets, as well as meat production systems.
	Do dog 'talking buttons' actually work? Does my dog understand me? Here's what the science says Is your dog bothered by something but you can't work out what? Do you wish they could tell you?
	Uncovering the 150-year history of Japanese beer barley breeding Barley is a staple crop with several applications, acting as a source of food, livestock feed, and an ingredient for malt brewing. Originally disseminated from China and the Korean Peninsula about 2,000 years ago, all Japanese barley cultivars were six-row for human food until the 1880s.
	Researchers identify protein with DYRK1A-inhibiting effect that may have implications for Down syndrome Down syndrome, a congenital disorder stemming from abnormal cell division and differentiation, is most common in newborns fated to neurodevelopmental delays and other health complications.
	Two recent studies expand understanding of how early social housing helps dairy calves thrive Dairy industry professionals continuously work to ensure the highest possible welfare for dairy calves, including fine-tuning their housing to improve overall health, well-being, and performance. Two new studies in JDS Communications are illuminating our understanding of paired housing in the critical newborn and pre-weaned stages of dairy lives by showing that housing designed to facilitate early socialization can build behavior skills, shape calf personalities, and ultimately, set up animals for success in the herd.
	Meet Ecuador's two newest tarantula species, just discovered and already facing imminent threats In the depths of Ecuador's wilderness, scientists have unveiled the presence of two new tarantula species. Researchers of Universidad San Francisco de Quito found them on trees on the slopes of the Andes in the western part of the country.
	Shipwreck ecology: Sunken vessels are a scientific treasure In a newly published article in BioScience, scientists from NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), joined by an international team of ecologists and archaeologists, describe how shipwrecks provide a unique opportunity to study complex ecological processes.
	Conservation detection dogs sniff out rare curlew nests Once an iconic native bird ubiquitous to the Irish landscape, Europe's largest wading bird, the curlew, is now threatened with extinction and disappearing from the Irish countryside. Over the last 40 years, the number of breeding curlew has decreased by 97% in Ireland and 82% in Northern Ireland.
	Fish display distinct individual behaviors when swimming to find food, finds study Fish from the same species can evolve their sense of smell and display individual foraging 'personalities' to successfully find food in different habitats, according to new research.
	Release of five wolves in the Colorado mountains begins first-of-its kind state reintroduction effort Five wolves dashed out of crates and into the Colorado landscape on Monday, culminating three years of work to implement a first-of-its-kind reintroduction of the controversial predator to the state.
	Washington sets aside 2,000 acres of forest for conservation, cancels timber sale near Elwha River Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz has announced a proposal to conserve some 2,000 acres of state forest land.
	Canada's agricultural policies need to better serve local farmers and communities, says researcher Canada's current agricultural production model is unsustainable and in desperate need of reform. A range of issues plague the current system, including corporate consolidation, farmland concentration in the hands of non-farmers and foreign buyers, pollution and animal welfare issues, as well as soil erosion and the poor treatment of migrant workers.
	As climate warms, that perfect Christmas tree may depend on growers' ability to adapt Christmas tree breeder Jim Rockis knows what it looks like when one dies long before it can reach a buyer.

Medicine and Health news

	Massive drug search uncovers infinitesimal molecule that kills cancers while sparing immune cells Scientists have found an experimental small molecule that induces a form of cell death to kill a variety of cancers while enhancing the power of the immune system and leaving healthy cells totally unscathed.
	Tanzanian children test the effectiveness of clinical decision support algorithms to lower antibiotic use Researchers led by the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, have tested the impact of a digital clinical decision support algorithm (CDSA) called ePOCT+ on managing acutely ill children under 15 in Tanzanian primary care facilities. The goal was to compare the effects of using ePOCT+ versus usual care in reducing antibiotic prescriptions and assessing clinical outcomes.
	Discovery of drug candidate to potentially tackle ER-positive breast cancer An international team of researchers, led by Pfizer in collaboration with Monash University and the Australian-based Cancer Therapeutics Cooperative Research Center, have discovered a pre-clinical drug candidate demonstrating anti-tumor activity in Estrogen Receptor (ER) positive breast cancer models.
	Colon cancer screenings are more effective than previously understood: Study Screening for colon cancer reduces cancer rates by substantially more than previous analyses of randomized trials suggest, according to a study co-authored by an MIT economist that takes a new look at data from five trials.
	Three potentially unique acoustic features of healing music that transcend genre identified There are three potentially unique acoustic features of healing music that transcend musical genres, suggests research published in the open access journal General Psychiatry.
	Study finds clinicians could be fooled by biased AI, despite explanations AI models in health care are a double-edged sword, with models improving diagnostic decisions for some demographics, but worsening decisions for others when the model has absorbed biased medical data.
	New neuromuscular model promises to revolutionize high-throughput drug screening studies In neuromuscular diseases, neurons and muscle cells stop communicating properly. Researchers led by Mina Gouti can now model this in 2D in a culture dish. Writing about their findings in Nature Communications, they say the new model promises to revolutionize high-throughput drug screening studies.
	Air pollutants commonly found indoors could have an impact on creativity, scientists find Air quality in the office may affect our level of creativity at work, scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have found.
	Health data, faster: Wearable stretchy sensor can process, predict health data Wearable medical sensors have opened doors for remote health monitoring and treatment evaluation. But making diagnoses and treatment plans based on many datapoints—such as muscle movements, heart rate, breathing or speaking and swallowing—can be difficult for health care providers to do quickly.
	Exploring how poxviruses dismantle antiviral responses Northwestern Medicine investigators led by Derek Walsh, Ph.D., professor of Microbiology-Immunology, have discovered how poxviruses disarm and evade mitochondrial-driven antiviral responses for their replication in host cells, according to findings published in Nature Communications.
	New web app for COVID-19 immune antibody helps guide vaccine timing With SARS-COV-2 infection rates rising again, you may be wondering if you should get a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot. Yale physicians have built a tool to help answer these questions.
	Timing is everything: How circadian rhythms influence our brains Why are we mentally sharper at certain times of day? A study led by Jonathan Lipton MD, Ph.D., at Boston Children's Hospital spells out the relationship between circadian rhythms—the body's natural day/night cycles—and the brain connections known as synapses.
	Hip-focused physical therapy reduces chronic low back pain for older adults, finds clinical trial When the University of Delaware's Gregory Hicks started his research career two decades ago, he was one of only a few people in the United States studying chronic low back pain in people over 60 years old.
	Psilocybin found to reduce chronic pain in rats A team of anesthesiologists at the University of Michigan, working with a pair of colleagues from Tryp Therapeutics, has found, via experimentation, that rats can experience a reduction in chronic pain when given injections of psilocybin. In the study, reported in the open-access journal Current Biology, the group induced chronic pain in lab rats and treated some of them with injections of psilocybin.
	Effectiveness of the new omicron booster confirmed The pandemic is over, but many people in Germany are still infected with the coronavirus. The current omicron variants in particular are highly contagious. The new booster vaccines from BioNTech and Moderna are specially adapted to the omicron subline XBB.1.5. However, the effectiveness of the new boosters has not yet been proven.
	Research reveals how a malfunctioning mechanism can lead to Parkinson's disease Researchers have identified a mechanism that promotes the breakdown of harmful protein deposits. If it malfunctions, it can lead to Parkinson's disease.
	Linking genes and brain circuitry in anxiety disorders Anxiety disorders (ADs) affect more than 280 million people worldwide, making them one of the most common mental health conditions. ADs have a genetic basis, as seen from inheritance in families, and people with one subtype of AD tend to have another subtype, suggesting a shared genetic basis.
	Genome-editing technique shows promise as treatment for common hereditary nerve disease In a study published in Communications Medicine, researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) have unveiled a groundbreaking genome-editing technique. This innovation holds promise for treating Charcot–Marie–Tooth (CMT), a relatively common hereditary nerve disease that affects the nerves and currently has no clinical treatments.
	Enlarged spaces in infant brains linked to higher risk of autism, sleep problems Throughout the day and night, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pulses through small fluid-filled channels surrounding blood vessels in the brain, called perivascular spaces, to flush out neuroinflammation and other neurological waste. A disruption to this vital process can lead to neurological dysfunction, cognitive decline, or developmental delays.
	Do you hear what I see? How blindness changes how you process the sound of movement Almost nothing in the world is still. Toddlers dash across the living room. Cars zip across the street. Motion is one of the most important features in the environment; the ability to predict the movement of objects in the world is often directly related to survival—whether it's a gazelle detecting the slow creep of a lion or a driver merging across four lanes of traffic.
	New way to prompt blood vessel growth shows promise for rescuing limbs at risk Across the United States, about 2 million people are living with an amputation and another 185,000 amputations occur every year, according to the Amputee Coalition, a Washington DC-based support group. About 54% of these lost limbs were caused by vascular disease, including diabetes and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
	Researchers report detailed analysis of heart injury caused by yellow fever virus To fill gaps in knowledge of yellow fever (YF), a group of researchers in Brazil affiliated with the Department of Pathology at the University of São Paulo's Medical School (FM-USP), Hospital das Clínicas (HC, the hospital complex run by FM-USP), the Heart Institute (InCor, linked to HC) and Emílio Ribas Institute of Infectious Diseases (IIER) have studied the pathogenesis of YF-associated heart injury.
	Human organ chip research shows a malaria drug treatment could save babies' lives Wars, drought, displacement, and instability are causing a dramatic increase in the number of pregnant and breastfeeding women around the world who suffer from malnutrition. Without access to sufficient nutrients in the womb, babies born to these women are more likely to die due to complications like pre-term birth, low birth weight, and susceptibility to diseases like malaria.
	Engineered human heart tissue shows researchers the mechanics of tachycardia Heart rates are easier to monitor today than ever before. Thanks to smartwatches that can sense a pulse, all it takes is a quick flip of the wrist to check your heart. But monitoring the cells responsible for heart rate is much more challenging—and it's encouraged researchers to invent new ways to analyze them.
	Predicting prenatal care to improve pregnancy outcomes Socioeconomic factors, like education and location, can affect access to life-saving prenatal care services. Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital are taking steps towards implementing strategies that improve access to prenatal care: estimating how many pregnant people attend the recommended number of visits and identifying pregnant people who are at high risk of failing to attend. This could help policymakers allocate resources to populations not getting enough prenatal care and could, in turn, improve health outcomes for mothers and babies.
	Scientists spread festive cheer as research reveals Christmas dinner can be healthy In less than a week's time, families around the country will be sitting down to tuck into their traditional Christmas dinner. While the festive season is often a time of overindulgence, could parts of a festive banquet actually help improve our health?
	Childhood trauma increases risk of chronic pain in adulthood, according to new research Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, or neglect, either alone or combined with other types of childhood trauma, increases the risk of chronic pain and related disability in adulthood, according to new research.
	New study challenges belief that opioids are effective at treating cancer pain The world's largest review on opioid medicines for cancer pain has found it is unclear whether some commonly used opioid medicines are better than a placebo and suggests that non-opioid medicines, including aspirin, may be as effective as opioids.
	Air conditioning has reduced mortality due to high temperatures in Spain by one-third, finds study Air conditioning and heating systems have contributed considerably to reducing mortality linked to extreme temperatures in Spain, according to a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).
	2014 to 2021 saw increase in HIV testing, PrEP in transgender persons From 2014 to 2021, there was an increase in the number of transgender persons with an HIV test and who received preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP), according to a study published online Dec. 19 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	Cost cutting may be behind high levels of lead in recalled applesauce products The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently investigating whether or not the cinnamon used in applesauce pouches that have been tied to high lead levels in children may have been deliberately tainted with the toxic element. The FDA suspects the deliberate adulteration of cinnamon included in the applesauce products was "economically motivated," according to a source at the agency.
	Treatment initiation with thiazide diuretics increases hyponatremia risk, researchers find The excess risk for hyponatremia is increased with treatment initiation with thiazide diuretics, according to a study published online Dec. 19 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	Research IDs, factors linked to internal medicine resident flourishing Individual- and program-level factors are associated with internal medicine resident flourishing, according to a research letter published online Dec. 19 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	Disparities in asthma prevalence, attacks, ED use examined during pandemic Black adults and children have the highest prevalence of asthma, although the disparities between Blacks and whites narrowed from 2019 to 2022, according to a research letter published online Dec. 19 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	Long-term air pollution exposure tied to higher depression, anxiety risk Long-term exposure to multiple air pollutants is associated with an increased risk for depression and anxiety, according to a study published online Feb. 1 in JAMA Psychiatry.
	LA County invests big in free virtual mental health therapy for K-12 students Los Angeles County public schools are rolling out an ambitious effort to offer free mental health services to their 1.3 million K-12 students, a key test of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's sweeping, $4.7 billion program to address a youth mental health crisis.
	Study provides new insight into low social determinants of health screening rates A new study provides the latest data on the low rates for screening and documenting Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) in health care settings.
	Scientists develop marmoset eggs and embryos from xenotransplanted ovary tissues Marmosets are now used in medical and pharmacological research as a model animal of non-human primates. Recently, genetically modified marmosets are also used in research to elucidate human pathology, higher brain functions, etc. However, generation of genetically modified marmosets requires a large number of eggs, and the method of harvesting eggs from female marmosets raises issues of animal welfare and costs.
	Study finds that nearly 30% of caregivers for severe stroke survivors experience psychological distress Stroke is an abrupt, devastating disease that instantly changes a person's life and has the potentially to cause lasting disability or death. However, the condition also has profound effects on the patient's loved ones—who are often called to make difficult decisions quickly.
	Diabetes drug may significantly lower women's risk of substantial weight gain after giving up smoking The diabetes drug dulaglutide (Trulicity) may significantly lower a woman's risk of substantial weight gain after she has given up smoking, finds a secondary analysis of clinical trial data, published in the open access journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health.
	Fighting brain tumors with the help of viruses and molecules By harnessing unusual allies, pioneering cancer treatments could reduce the need for invasive surgery and save lives.
	Blind and low-vision people have powerful technology but still face barriers to the digital world Imagine that you have low vision and you're completing an online job application using screen reader software.
	Does exercise improve kids' math skills? Yes, but it won't help with reading or spelling, new research finds Researchers have long linked physical fitness to higher academic performance.
	Researcher: Advertising toys to children is an environmental nightmare—here's how parents can deal with it As Christmas approaches, many children experience the "gimme-gimmes" and write a list of toys that they hope Santa will bring. This is to be expected. Toys give children a chance to learn and be curious, engage their imaginations in play and become socialized with others.
	Five ways to avoid weight gain and save money on food this Christmas As Christmas approaches, so does the challenge of healthy eating and maintaining weight-related goals. The season's many social gatherings can easily tempt us to indulge in calorie-rich food and celebratory drinks. It's why we typically gain weight over Christmas and then struggle to take it off for the remainder of the year.
	School counselors report prevalence of vaping, gaming issues among adolescents Addictive behaviors often develop during adolescence and can lead to issues with mental and physical health. Despite these consequences, most high school counselors, who are positioned to address these issues, report a lack of formalized training in two addictive behaviors—vaping and internet gaming, according to a new study by the University of Georgia, published in the International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling.
	mRNA COVID vaccines make 'unintended proteins'—researchers discover how to fix this problem mRNA, a type of genetic material that provides the instructions your cells need in order to make proteins, used to be a term mainly used by scientists. But since COVID arrived, many of us are now familiar with it thanks to the mRNA-based vaccines.
	Hypochondriacs die earlier than those who worry less about their health—what might explain this paradox? People who worry excessively about their health tend to die earlier than those who don't, a recent study from Sweden has found. It seems strange that hypochondriacs who, by definition, worry yet have nothing wrong with them, should enjoy shorter lifespans than the rest of us. Let's find out more.
	Women want to see the same health provider during pregnancy, birth and beyond: Study In theory, pregnant women in Australia can choose the type of health provider they see during pregnancy, labor and after they give birth. But this is often dependent on where you live and how much you can afford in out-of-pocket costs.
	COVID likely paralyzed a teen's vocal cords, doctors say COVID-19 appears to have paralyzed a teen girl's vocal cords, blocking her breathing to the point that surgery was required, a new case report says.
	Heart failure causally linked to chronic kidney disease Heart failure is causally associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study published online Dec. 11 in PLOS ONE.
	Pandemic stress not over for asylum seekers and refugees, say study An ACU study of asylum seekers and refugees in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic found that their experiences intensified domestic partner violence and financial stress.
	Why don't more patients receive quality standard of care for hip fractures? Hip fractures are a common and painful occurrence in Canada, with data showing roughly 30,000 patients present with hip fractures a year, and more than 30% of those patients are over the age of 85. Opioids are effective at relieving acute pain, but older patients often have increased sensitivity to their side effects.
	Portion size and variety increase food intake at single- and multi-course meals Previous research has determined that both portion size and variety increase food consumption independently, but researchers from Penn State's Department of Nutritional Sciences have found that these properties also work together to increase consumption for both single- and multi-course meals.
	Study reveals disparities in mental health care access across different housing environments A new study by CUNY SPH researchers suggests that residents of low-income housing in Harlem faced twice as many barriers to mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic as their neighbors who live in market-rate housing.
	Probiotics reduce COVID symptoms and delay disease among unvaccinated Probiotics, specifically lactobacillus, demonstrated significant ability to delay a COVID infection and reduce symptoms among a group of unvaccinated people who had been in contact with someone in their household diagnosed with COVID.
	For PANS parents, life can be a nightmare. New research hopes to provide pathways to relief For parents whose child has a rare condition that causes dramatic onset of symptoms like obsessions and compulsions, extreme irritability, or sensory issues, life can be a nightmare. The symptoms, typically triggered by an infection, can come on quickly, sometimes overnight, and last for weeks, months or even longer.
	Maintaining optimal immune function while getting fit in the new year A common new year's resolution for many is to improve health and fitness for the year ahead. Achieving optimal immune health while working on your fitness can be tough following the festive period in the peak cold and flu season.
	A new weapon against the super-tough C diff bacteria tested in phase-one human trial In a phase-one human clinical trial, a University of Houston pharmacist researcher has demonstrated that a newer generation tetracycline antibiotic, called Omadacycline, may be a promising tool in combating the resilient bacteria Clostridioides difficile (C diff), which causes an infection often picked up in hospitals. C diff brings on diarrhea and colitis, an inflammation of the colon, and is responsible for nearly 500,000 infections annually in the United States.
	Hardships during youth may alter brain development Experiencing adversity before the age of 18 is unfortunately quite common. Nearly two thirds of young people experience at least one instance of adversity, be it abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction. Adverse childhood experiences largely weaken communication between brain structures, which can also be stated as a reduction of brain connectivity. This increases the likelihood of mental health issues in adulthood.
	Narrow-band imaging at low magnification can detect lesions overlooked by white-light imaging Helicobacter pylori infection is recognized as a significant risk factor for gastric cancer. Hence regular screening for early detection is particularly crucial in regions with a high prevalence. While advancements in endoscopy facilitate the removal of substantial neoplasms, preference is given to identifying smaller lesions. However, at the same time, the detection of faint epithelial neoplasms remains challenging.
	Patients' creative ideas can inform a health care organization's learning and innovation, finds study Routinely collected patient experience surveys provide an opportunity for patients to share their creative ideas for improvement, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Researchers in Health Policy and Management developed and assessed a methodological strategy that validates questions designed to elicit creative ideas from patients.
	New app found to be an effective aid in the treatment of obesity Onnikka is based on the Persuasive Systems Design method developed at the University of Oulu under the leadership of Professor Harri Oinas-Kukkonen, with a focus on guiding behavior change. Onnikka has now been developed into a mobile application, and according to the results of a recent trial, it is an effective tool for self-management of obesity.
	'They will come at me': Study investigates fear of retaliation in America's nursing homes While highly prevalent and pervasive, the fear of retaliation has largely been overlooked in policy and research. A new study seeks to improve understanding of this phenomenon.
	Q&A: DoxyPEP, a 'morning-after pill' for STIs There has been an alarming increase in sexually transmitted infections in the U.S. over the past decade: In 2021 alone, 2.53 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were recorded, a 7% increase from 2017—and the numbers continue to climb.
	Common drug for cardiac failure may interfere with debated blood test for Alzheimer's disease Researchers from the University of Gothenburg, in collaboration with colleagues from University of Glasgow, present data that the drug Entresto (sacubitril/valsartan) which is commonly used for the treatment of cardiac failure leads to a marked reduction in plasma Aβ ratio, a candidate blood test for Alzheimer's disease (AD). This interaction may have clinical consequences with risk of misdiagnosis and puts this debated test into further question.
	Q&A: How to jump-start new psychiatric and neurological drug development Psychiatric and neurological disorders are widespread, yet the pace of drug development for these conditions lags far behind that of heart disease, cancer, and other conditions. Brain disorders are difficult to study and many drug candidates have failed in clinical trials, causing pharmaceutical companies to reduce their investments or even exit the field entirely.
	How to determine medication dosages for premature babies Premature babies almost always require treatment with medication. Doctors usually determine the dosages based on data from children who were not born prematurely, while preterm infants often develop differently. Medication researcher Aline Engbers investigated three commonly used drugs, focusing on what to consider in preventing over- or under-dosing in these tiniest patients. Engbers will defend her thesis on 19 December.
	Computer simulations reveal best placement areas for bleeding control kits in public spaces Where should bleeding control equipment be located to save as many lives as possible? Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden, in collaboration with U.S. researchers, have found the answer to this through computer simulations of a bomb exploding in a shopping center. One of the most important conclusions: Bleeding control kits should not be located at entrances.
	Night sweats reveal the severity of sleep apnea In Greek, apnea (ἄπνοια) denotes the "absence of breathing." Hence, obstructive sleep apnea is a disease defined by interruptions in breathing, which recurs while the person suffering from it is asleep. A feeling of breathlessness, fatigue and drowsiness are symptoms that patients suffer. This disease is also related to the incidence of cardiovascular disorders, so to deal with these related problems, adequate diagnosis of the severity of the disease is necessary.
	AI in medical research: Promise and challenges In an editorial published in PNAS Nexus, Monica M. Bertagnolli assesses the promise of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to study and improve health. The editorial was written by Dr. Bertagnolli in her capacity as director of the National Cancer Institute. AI/ML offers powerful new tools to analyze highly complex datasets, and researchers across biomedicine are taking advantage.
	Flavonoid supplement shown to reduce swelling after total knee arthroplasty For patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA), treatment with diosmin—a flavonoid supplement derived from citrus fruits—reduced swelling of the knee and leg and some measures of associated pain can be achieved, reports a clinical trial in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
	Bendamustine prior to CAR T-cell therapy in patients with refractory large B-cell lymphoma: Poorer treatment outcomes Treatment with bendamustine prior to CAR T-cell therapy in patients with refractory large B-cell lymphoma associates with poorer treatment outcomes, finds a recent study.
	New bioengineered scaffold may help large deep burn wounds heal faster A team of UC Davis researchers led by bioengineer Aijun Wang has designed and tested a supportive structure, called a scaffold, that can help large deep burn wounds heal faster. The promising new treatment was found to promote the formation of new blood vessels and reduce complications linked to open burn wounds. It may also reduce the need for skin grafting in patients with significant burns over their body.
	Study helps explain post-COVID exercise intolerance Exercise intolerance, or the inability to perform physical activity at the expected or desired level, is one of the many symptoms associated with long COVID. In a study, Yale researchers help explain what is explicitly driving this symptom, offering much-needed information for patients and generating new directions for future research.
	New tool assesses role of 'embeddedness' in learning health systems Learning health systems (LHS) is a multidisciplinary research field that seeks to improve clinical decision-making, promote personalized medicine, and identify best practices to optimize patient outcomes. By creating a feedback loop between real-time research and practitioners in the field, LHS aims to improve information access for scholars and accelerate the translation of knowledge into tangible improvements in patient care.
	Clinical trial investigates new oral treatment for COVID-19 An exploratory clinical trial (SIGMA4COVID) through a collaboration between Catalonia and Galicia, the results of which are published in the Journal of Infection, suggests the usefulness of a drug, E-52862, for the treatment of patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms. If these findings are confirmed, it will be one of the few useful treatments in these cases, with the addition that it could be administered on an outpatient basis through primary care centers.
	New study explores how young people with early-onset psychosis view substance use and interventions A new study led by SMU medical and psychological anthropologist Neely Myers indicates that while young people diagnosed with early psychosis understand the importance of discontinuing the use of substances like cannabis, many are ambivalent about stopping.
	Treating opioid disorder without meds is more harmful than no treatment at all, finds study In cases of opioid use disorder, short-term medically managed withdrawal (commonly known as detox) and long-term rehabilitation treatments that don't incorporate continued use of buprenorphine or methadone are no more effective at preventing overdose deaths than no treatment at all, a new Yale-led study reveals.
	Research finds animated short videos are effective in sharing environmental health information Air pollution is a major health risk that is only getting worse due to climate change. However, many health professionals feel they are not equipped to sufficiently address these impacts.
	Evaluating brain tumors with artificial intelligence An international team of researchers from TU Darmstadt, the University of Cambridge, the science and technology company Merck, and the Klinikum rechts der Isar of TU Munich, participated in an international and interdisciplinary collaboration that studied how software systems collect, process, and evaluate task-specific relevant information, thereby supporting the work of humans, in this case, radiologists.
	Sirtuin 6 activation rescues the age-related decline in DNA damage repair in chondrocytes: Study A new research paper titled "Sirtuin 6 activation rescues the age-related decline in DNA damage repair in primary human chondrocytes" has been published in Aging.
	Alzheimer's discovery reveals dire effect of toxic tau protein Alzheimer's disease researchers at the University of Virginia have discovered how harmful tau proteins damage the essential operating instructions for our brain cells, a finding that could lead to new treatments.
	New guidelines released for practitioners treating anaphylaxis and atopic dermatitis Two new practice parameters from the Joint Task Force for Practice Parameters (JTFPP) offer evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and management of anaphylaxis and atopic dermatitis (AD) in pediatric and adult patients. The Joint Task Force is a partnership between the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
	Self-care steps can keep your heart healthy during the holidays Heart attacks, along with heart problems in general, are more common around the holidays. Various factors can play into this, including stress, travel, disrupted schedules, changes in diet and even environmental factors. Fortunately, many self-care steps can help you keep your heart healthy.
	Preventive strategies for a healthy holiday season As the holiday season begins, it's also the season of flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. The southern parts of the U.S. are currently observing higher rates of RSV and influenza.
	The role of p53 as a target for novel cancer therapies The p53 tumor suppressor protein is encoded by TP53, the most frequently mutated gene in cancer. A review article published in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology by Professor Klas G Wiman and colleagues at the Department of Oncology–Pathology describes how p53 could be used as a target for new cancer therapies.
	Zambia's double health battle: cholera and anthrax Zambia on Tuesday reported more cholera deaths as it battles the bacterial disease as well as its worst outbreak of anthrax in more than a decade.
	Sexually transmissible infections on the rise, syphilis triples in a decade: Report Over the past 10 years, Australian diagnoses of gonorrhea have doubled, while diagnoses of syphilis have tripled, according to a new report released today by the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney.
	Can decongestants spike your blood pressure? What to know about hypertension and cold medicine It's the season for respiratory viruses and the cough, congestion and sore throats they bring. There are many options for over-the-counter (OTC) remedies and relief, but if you have high blood pressure, you may want to take a closer look at the label. Some may contain warnings that advise against taking if you have high blood pressure. Others contain high levels of sodium, which can also increase blood pressure.
	First comprehensive medical guideline on management of pouchitis released The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has released the first comprehensive evidence-based guideline on the management of pouchitis, the most common complication people with ulcerative colitis experience following surgery to remove their colon. The guideline has been published in the journal Gastroenterology.
	Technological advances in out-of-hospital care: Digital solutions, Asia Pacific experiences, and inherent challenges The health care systems in the Asia-Pacific region are under the threat of an aging population and the growing demands for medical services. In response to these challenges, out-of-hospital care bolstered by digital medical technologies has been identified as a feasible solution.
	Waking up to your phone alarm could be putting you at risk Your morning alarm clock might not just be annoying. It could be raising your blood pressure, putting you at greater risk for adverse cardiovascular events, such as stroke and heart attack, according to new research from the University of Virginia's School of Nursing.
	Q&A: Are over-the-counter eye drops safe? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recalled dozens of over-the-counter lubricating eye drops and artificial tears in 2023 due to contamination and unsafe manufacturing practices.

Other Sciences news

	Anthropologist's mapping project shows how Peru transformed after colonization Parker VanValkenburgh has dedicated more than a decade of research to understanding how colonialism impacted Peru's Indigenous people in the 16th century. That time marked a turning point in the region: Spanish forces conquered the Inca Empire, initiating a period of social violence and upheaval that included the forced resettlement of more than 2 million Indigenous people into a series of planned towns.
	Researchers fear the British spoken 'r' is ready to roll away from the last bastion of rhoticity How do you pronounce your "r"s towards the ends of words like Shearer, purr, nerd and pore? And what about those in car, bird and her?
	Analysis of ancient Scythian leather samples shows two were made from human skin A multi-institutional team of anthropologists has discovered that two pieces of ancient Scythian leather excavated at sites in Ukraine were made from human skin. In their project, reported on the open-access site PLOS ONE, the group tested an account by the Greek historian Herodotus regarding certain behaviors of ancient Scythian warriors.
	Europe's earliest cities relied on fertilizer and plant protein, isotope analysis shows Nutrition in Trypillia mega-sites is currently the focus of the Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1266 at Kiel University (CAU). In the forest steppe northwest of the Black Sea—today the territory of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine—mega-sites of the Trypillia societies emerged about 6,000 years ago on areas of up to 320 hectares in size. With around 15,000 inhabitants, they were the largest settlements in the world at that time.
	Disadvantaged children's struggles at school have 'little to do' with character, attitude or a lack of 'growth mindset' The relative underperformance of disadvantaged students at school has little do with them lacking the "character," attitude, or mindset of their wealthier peers, despite widespread claims to the contrary, new research indicates.
	Trust or distrust? There is an alternative mindset for confronting disinformation, argues researcher In the face of rampant disinformation, Professor Ruth Mayo from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem delivers a fresh perspective on the cognitive mindsets influencing our susceptibility to false information. Her comprehensive review challenges the prevailing belief that trust or distrust alone is the answer in combating disinformation.
	How government payments to the vulnerable can multiply to create economic growth for everyone The economic fallout of COVID-19 left people around the world facing a significant threat to their livelihood. As governments scrambled to mitigate the pandemic's impact on their populations, many decided to use direct payments to support vulnerable citizens.
	Why do some men commit domestic violence? Trauma and social isolation may play a role Support for survivors of domestic violence is important, but to end domestic violence once and for all, society needs to understand the people who perpetrate it and how to intervene successfully.
	How writing 'made us human'—an 'emotional history' from ancient Iraq to the present day Evidence suggests that writing was invented in southern Iraq sometime before 3000BC. But what happened next? Anyone interested in this question will find How Writing Made Us Human by Walter Stephens both an enjoyable and stimulating read. It offers what it calls an "emotional history" of writing, chiefly referencing academics and writers in the Western tradition.
	Will gutted safeguards doom social media—and the election—in 2024? Sometimes it seems like one year in the world of social media is the equivalent of five years everywhere else. Conversations, information, and controversies all move faster, and the state of play is constantly changing.
	Victorian Britain had its own anti-vaxxers—and they helped bring down a government As the 1906 UK general election results rolled in, it became clear that the Conservative party, after 11 years in power, had suffered one of the most disastrous defeats in its history. Of 402 Conservative MPs, 251 lost their seats, including their candidate for prime minister, defeated on a 22.5% swing against him in the constituency he had held for two decades.
	Is it OK to let my kids watch the same show over and over again? "Are you sure you want Frozen again? You've already seen it 20 times!"
	Online shoppers more likely to click ads with curvy designs and spend more money, says study As you shop online, you may be drawn to digital ads with curvy designs without even realizing it. According to a new study from the University of South Florida, consumers click on curvy call-to-action buttons, such as "Shop Now" or "Add to Cart," at a significantly higher rate than those with sharp angles.
	After seeing the struggle of Palestinians in Gaza, TikTok users are learning about Islam The ongoing conflict in Gaza between Hamas and Israel is playing out on screens like never before. Through social media, millions are witnessing the violence that has killed thousands since Oct. 7.
	Selling time, function rather than a product may not always be sustainable In the current business-to-business (B2B) landscape, servicizing products—a leasing model that often includes remanufacturing—rather than selling them, marks a shift toward a new model of consumption that focuses on sustainability. However, a Penn State Smeal College of Business research team reports there may be significant trade-offs in this seemingly beneficial model that could negatively affect a company's bottom line.
	Study finds fires of war overtook climate-controlled fires along the eastern Silk Road Human activities such as intentional burning, agriculture, pastoralism, and metallurgy can affect the frequency of fire in an ecosystem. Guanghui Dong, Aifeng Zhou and colleagues investigated whether another typical human activity has influenced fire history in the areas along the Silk Road: war.
	Fact checkers tend to agree on validity of news claims, researchers say The use of fact-checking services spikes during major news events. Fortunately, the fact checkers have generally agreed in their assessments of whether news claims are true or false, according to researchers from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST).
	Low economic growth can help keep climate change within the 1.5°C threshold, says study A new study shows that economic growth rates make a big difference when it comes to prospects for limiting global warming to 1.5°C, as per the Paris Agreement. A recent study by the Institute for Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) shows that pursuing higher economic growth may jeopardize the Paris goals and leave no viable pathways for humanity to stabilize the climate. On the contrary, slower growth rates make it more feasible to achieve the Paris goals.
	Scanner data can help New York state farmers boost market sales Julie and Steve Rockcastle, founders of Green Heron Growers in New York's Cattaraugus County, are always trying to figure out what works and what doesn't when it comes to selling their grass-fed beef at farmers markets. So after a Cornell study showed them that customers spent less per transaction when the booth was busiest, and more when using credit cards, they decided to make some changes.
	New study explores gender gaps in career paths A recent study out of Michigan State University found significant variations in career interests between men and women. Surprisingly, even with these interest differences, gender gaps in career opportunities are more substantial than anticipated.
	How do financial incentives for CEOs affect business outcomes? Bonuses have minimal effect, stock options have none Financial incentives for chief executive officers (CEOs) are thought to motivate them to lead their company toward achieving important business objectives. In the first systematic review of all research on CEO incentives, researchers assessed the predictive effects of CEO financial incentives on certain business outcomes. Their analysis found a small effect of CEO bonuses and no effect of stock options on firms' return on assets the following year.
	Research argues that Occam's razor is an 'essential factor that distinguishes science from superstition' Occam's razor—the principle that when faced with competing explanations, we should choose the simplest that fits the facts—is not just a tool of science. Occam's razor is science, insists a renowned molecular geneticist from the University of Surrey.
	Q&A: Meaningful social interactions are the only 'cure' for loneliness 'Tis the season for friends and family, which could be crucial for combating loneliness, but one Western researcher says we should strive to maintain social connections at all times of the year.

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