Science X Newsletter Wed, Apr 17

Dear ,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for April 17, 2024:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Beyond equilibrium: Scientists investigate Floquet Fermi liquids

A rimless wheel robot that can reliably overcome steps

James Webb Space Telescope data pinpoint possible aurorae on a cold brown dwarf

Astronomers discover the most metal-poor extreme helium star

Study reveals the strong impact of layer 6b neurons on cortical activity

Study reveals how humanity could unite to address global challenges

Scientists discover how soil microbes survive in harsh desert environments

Silver-based micromotors that eliminate bacteria can move freely in aqueous media

AI speeds up drug design for Parkinson's by ten-fold

Study finds iron-rich enamel protects, but doesn't color, rodents' orange-brown incisors

Queen bumblebees surprise scientists by surviving underwater

Making crops colorful for easier weeding by robots

Amazon butterflies show how new species can evolve from hybridization

Investigators identify a group of cells involved in working memory

Marine plankton behavior could predict future marine extinctions, study finds

Nanotechnology news

	Silver-based micromotors that eliminate bacteria can move freely in aqueous media Researchers at ICIQ in Tarragona have developed a simple technique to produce microscopic crystals that activate in the presence of light, releasing silver ions with antimicrobial activity.
	Study finds iron-rich enamel protects, but doesn't color, rodents' orange-brown incisors Chattering squirrels, charming coypus, and tail-slapping beavers—along with some other rodents—have orange-brown front teeth. Researchers have published high-resolution images of rodent incisors in ACS Nano, providing an atomic-level view of the teeth's ingenious enamel and its coating. They discovered tiny pockets of iron-rich materials in the enamel that form a protective shield for the teeth but, importantly, don't contribute to the orange-brown hue—new insights that could improve human dentistry.
	Real-time detection of infectious disease viruses by searching for molecular fingerprinting A research team has engineered a "broadband nanogap gold spectroscopic sensor" using a flexible material capable of bending to create a controlled gap. With the developed technology, it is possible to rapidly test various types of materials, including infectious disease viruses, using only a single nano-spectroscopic sensor to find molecular fingerprints. The research findings have been published in Nano Letters.
	Two-dimensional nanomaterial sets expansion record It is a common hack to stretch a balloon out to make it easier to inflate. When the balloon stretches, the width crosswise shrinks to the size of a string. Noah Stocek, a Ph.D. student collaborating with Western physicist Giovanni Fanchini, has developed a new nanomaterial that demonstrates the opposite of this phenomenon.
	Atom-by-atom: Imaging structural transformations in 2D materials Silicon-based electronics are approaching their physical limitations and new materials are needed to keep up with current technological demands. Two-dimensional (2D) materials have a rich array of properties, including superconductivity and magnetism, and are promising candidates for use in electronic systems, such as transistors. However, precisely controlling the properties of these materials is extraordinarily difficult.
	Ocean environment safety of nanocellulose investigated in study of mussels Cellulose nanofibers represent a promising resource for multiple industrial sectors, but what is their impact on the marine environment? A study published in Environmental Science: Nano recently addressed this issue in a study on marine organisms considered sentinels of sea health: mussels.

Physics news

	Beyond equilibrium: Scientists investigate Floquet Fermi liquids Researchers from Germany and Singapore have studied a non-equilibrium state of Fermi liquids called the Floquet Fermi liquid (FFL), which is formed when Fermi liquids are subjected to a periodic driving force and kept in contact with a fermionic bath.
	Improved mid-infrared nanoscopy enables 30 times clearer view of the insides of bacteria A team at the University of Tokyo have constructed an improved mid-infrared microscope, enabling them to see the structures inside living bacteria at the nanometer scale. Mid-infrared microscopy is typically limited by its low resolution, especially when compared to other microscopy techniques. Their work has been published in Nature Photonics.
	Spintronics: A new path to room temperature swirling spin textures In some materials, spins form complex magnetic structures within the nanometer and micrometer scale in which the magnetization direction twists and curls along specific directions. Examples of such structures are magnetic bubbles, skyrmions, and magnetic vortices.
	Vibrations of granular materials: Theoretical physicists shed light on an everyday scientific mystery Coffee beans in a jar and piles of rice or sand are examples of granular matter: materials composed of large numbers of macroscopic—rather than atomic scale—particles. Although granular matter is extremely familiar in everyday life, it represents an unexpected frontier in fundamental physics: Very little is understood about it.
	Dual-beamline photoelectron momentum microscopy upgrade advances valence orbital analysis The world's first dual-beamline photoelectron momentum microscope has been developed at the UVSOR Synchrotron Facility, Japan. This innovative experimental station brings breakthroughs in studying the behavior of electrons in materials governing material properties, particularly in analyzing valence orbitals.
	A new spin on materials analysis: Benefits of probing electron spin states at much higher resolution and efficiency Electron spin states can now be probed at much higher resolution and more efficiently, opening new opportunities in materials analysis and data processing technologies.

Earth news

	Ice age climate analysis reduces worst-case warming expected from rising CO₂ As carbon dioxide accumulates in the atmosphere, the Earth will get hotter. But exactly how much warming will result from a certain increase in CO2 is under study. The relationship between CO2 and warming, known as climate sensitivity, determines what future we should expect as CO2 levels continue to climb.
	Scientists navigate the paradox of extreme cold events in a warming world According to Copernicus Climate Change Service, February 2024 was the warmest February ever recorded globally.
	Understanding climate warming impacts on carbon release from the tundra The warming climate shifts the dynamics of tundra environments and makes them release trapped carbon, according to a new study published in Nature. These changes could transform tundras from carbon sinks into carbon sources, exacerbating the effects of climate change.
	Study reveals substantial global cost of climate inaction Traditionally, estimates of how climate change will affect global economies have focused on the effects of annual temperature changes. However, the additional impacts of variability and extremes in rainfall and temperature have remained largely unexplored, until now.
	Global study reveals health impacts of airborne trace elements As anyone with seasonal allergies knows, unseen airborne particles can really wreck a person's day. Like the tree pollen that might be plaguing you this spring, small concentrations of trace elements in the air can have significant negative impacts on human health. However, unlike pollen counts and other allergy indices, which are carefully tracked and widely available, limited knowledge exists about the ambient concentrations of cancer-causing trace elements like lead and arsenic in urban areas of developing countries.
	Sink to source: Does what we put into our plumbing end up back in the water supply? When you see an advertisement for a detergent promising to brighten your clothes, something called a fluorescent whitening compound, or optical brightener, is probably involved. Such material absorbs UV light and emits visible blue light via fluorescence. The result? Brighter whites, vibrant colors. Yes, your clothes are glowing.
	Earth Day: How a senator's idea more than 50 years ago got people fighting for their planet Millions of people around the world will pause on Monday, at least for a moment, to mark Earth Day. It's an annual event founded by people who hoped to stir activism to clean up and preserve a planet that is now home to some 8 billion humans and assorted trillions of other organisms.
	Tijuana River among most endangered in America due to sewage crisis The Tijuana River, with frequent flows of sewage and chemical-tainted waters, is among America's top endangered rivers, according to a report that spotlights threats to clean water nationwide.
	Field-margin wetlands alone can't fix the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone, say researchers Each summer, a hypoxic dead zone forms in the Gulf of Mexico, making some marine habitats unlivable. The dead zone is caused by nutrients—primarily from agricultural fertilizers—flowing into the Gulf from the Mississippi River. Restoring wetlands at field margins has been proposed to intercept some of the runoff, as wetland plants and soils are capable of absorbing nutrients like a living sponge. But estimates of nutrient removal by restored wetlands have varied widely.
	Seychelles beach cleans demonstrate potential for citizen science to tackle marine litter Volunteer clean-ups have resulted in almost nine metric tons of marine litter being cleared from beaches across the Seychelles, in what researchers have described as a powerful demonstration of the potential of citizen science.
	The Aral Sea has made Central Asia significantly dustier, according to study The drying up of the Aral Sea has made Central Asia 7% dustier in the last 30 years. Between 1984 and 2015, dust emissions from the growing desert almost doubled from 14 to 27 million tons. This is the result of a study by the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) and the Free University of Berlin.
	Plugging the leak on laundry pollution Joaquim Goes, an ocean biochemist at Columbia Climate School's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, had to look twice when he first saw the tiny strands of fiber floating in a water sample from the Hudson River. An expert in microplastics detection, he has seen a lot of tiny particles in urban waterways before.
	Anthropocene activities dramatically alter deep underground fluid flux, researchers find Much of Earth's water is hidden hundreds of meters beneath our feet, among soil particles and deep within rock pores and fractures.
	New geological map reveals secrets of Greenland's icy interior A team of international scientists involving the Durham University Geography department has unveiled a new map of the geological provinces hidden beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet.
	Weather and climate extremes in 2023 impacting the globe with emerging features Globally, last year was the warmest for thousands of years, with a globally averaged temperature of at least 1.45°C greater than pre-industrial times. The year also saw an unprecedented string of extreme weather and climate events in many parts of the world, including heat waves, torrential rainfall, transitions from drought to floods, wildfires, and sandstorms.
	Research group runs simulations capable of describing South America's climate with unprecedented accuracy A consortium made up of researchers from more than ten countries, including Brazil, the United States and some European nations, is running simulations of the past and future climate in South America with unprecedented resolution. The aim is to create a computer visualization model that more accurately represents the hydroclimatic processes that occur in the region to help decision makers implement more effective measures to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
	Plumbing problem at Glen Canyon Dam brings new threat to Colorado River system Plumbing problems at the dam holding back the second-largest reservoir in the U.S. are spurring concerns about future water delivery issues to Southwestern states supplied by the Colorado River.
	Dubai reels from floods chaos after record rains Dubai's giant highways were clogged by flooding and airport passengers were urged to stay away on Wednesday as the glitzy financial center reeled from record rains.
	Lightning, downpours kill 65 in Pakistan, as April rain doubles historical average At least 65 people have died in storm-related incidents including lightning in Pakistan, officials said, with rain so far in April falling at nearly twice the historical average rate.
	Biden administration set to deny 200-mile Ambler mining road through Alaska wilderness The U.S. Department of the Interior is expected to issue an environmental report that recommends denying a permit needed to build a 200-mile access road to the Ambler mining district, according to national news reports on April 16.
	Volcano erupts in Indonesia, alert level raised to highest A volcano erupted several times in Indonesia's outermost region Wednesday, with authorities raising the alert level to its highest point after the dome spewed a column of smoke more than a mile into the sky and forced hundreds to evacuate.

Astronomy and Space news

	James Webb Space Telescope data pinpoint possible aurorae on a cold brown dwarf Using new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have discovered methane emission on a brown dwarf, an unexpected finding for such a cold and isolated world. Published in the journal Nature, the findings suggest that this brown dwarf might generate aurorae similar to those seen on our own planet as well as on Jupiter and Saturn.
	Astronomers discover the most metal-poor extreme helium star Using the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), astronomers have performed high-resolution observations of a recently detected extreme helium star designated EC 19529–4430. It turned out that EC 19529–4430 is the most metal deficient among the population of known extreme helium stars. The finding was reported in a research paper published April 5 on the pre-print server arXiv.
	NASA observations find what helps heat roots of 'moss' on sun Did you know the sun has moss? Due to its resemblance to the earthly plants, scientists have named a small-scale, bright, patchy structure made of plasma in the solar atmosphere "moss." This moss, which was first identified in 1999 by NASA's TRACE mission, blossoms around the center of a sunspot group, where magnetic conditions are strong. It straddles two atmospheric layers known as the chromosphere and corona and hides below the long feathery ropes of plasma known as coronal loops.
	Researchers propose new formation model for massive hot subdwarfs In a new study published in the The Astrophysical Journal, Dr. Li Zhenwei and his collaborators from Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Dr. Zhang Yangyang from the Zhoukou Normal University, proposed a new formation model for massive hot subdwarfs, offering explanations for a subset of helium-rich hot subdwarfs observed in the cosmos.
	NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter team says goodbye—for now The final downlink shift by the Ingenuity team was a time to reflect on a highly successful mission—and to prepare the first aircraft on another world for its new role.
	Researchers unveil unique tidal disruption event with pronounced early optical bump A research team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) presented a detailed analysis of a tidal disruption event (TDE) with unique characteristics, providing new insights into the behavior of TDEs and their multiwavelength emissions. The study was published online in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
	'Tube map' around planets and moons made possible by knot theory Just as sat-nav did away with the need to argue over the best route home, scientists from the University of Surrey have developed a new method to find the optimal routes for future space missions without the need to waste fuel. The paper is published in the journal Astrodynamics.
	Peptides on interstellar ice: Study finds presence of water molecules not a major obstacle for formation A research team led by Dr. Serge Krasnokutski from the Astrophysics Laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy at the University of Jena had already demonstrated that simple peptides can form on cosmic dust particles. However, it was previously assumed that this would not be possible if molecular ice, which covers the dust particle, contains water—which is usually the case.
	Next up is launch, as Boeing's Starliner takes trek to Cape Canaveral Boeing's CST-100 Starliner, set to take its first humans on board during the Crew Flight Test mission next month, was transported from Boeing's Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a 10-mile trip to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
	The rising flood of space junk is a risk to us on Earth—and governments are on the hook A piece of space junk recently crashed through the roof and floor of a man's home in Florida. Nasa later confirmed that the object had come from unwanted hardware released from the international space station.
	Saturn's ocean moon Enceladus could support life—researchers are working out how to detect extraterrestrial cells there Saturn has 146 confirmed moons—more than any other planet in the solar system—but one called Enceladus stands out. It appears to have the ingredients for life.
	A clinical decision support system for Earth-independent medical operations Deep space exploration requires a paradigm shift in astronaut medical support toward Earth-independent medical operations. Currently, astronauts rely on real-time communication with ground-based medical providers. However, as the distance from Earth increases, so do communication delays and disruptions. Deep space exploration crews will need to autonomously detect, diagnose, treat, and prevent medical conditions.
	Studying spaceflight atrophy with machine learning Even intense exercise by astronauts cannot compensate for muscle atrophy caused by microgravity. Atrophy occurs, in part, by way of an underlying mechanism that regulates calcium uptake. Recent research has shown exposure to spaceflight alters the uptake of calcium in muscles. However, the molecular mechanisms that drive these changes are not well studied.
	NASA Goddard to build quake detector for Artemis III moon landing NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will build a moonquake detector for astronauts to deploy on the moon in 2026 during the Artemis III mission, which will return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years.
	On-demand nutrient production system for long-duration space missions When astronauts embark on long space missions, they'll need to grow their own food because pre-packaged meals from Earth lose their nutritional value over time. The BioNutrients project at Ames Research Center's Space Biosciences Division has solved this problem by using genetic engineering to create microbially-based food that can produce nutrients and compounds, such as medicines, with minimal resources.
	NASA's near space network enables PACE climate mission to 'phone home' The PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission has delivered its first operational data back to researchers, a feat made possible in part by innovative, data-storing technology from NASA's Near Space Network, which introduced two key enhancements for PACE and other upcoming science missions.
	NASA's Dragonfly rotorcraft mission to Saturn's moon Titan confirmed NASA has confirmed its Dragonfly rotorcraft mission to Saturn's organic-rich moon Titan. The decision allows the mission to progress to the completion of the final design, followed by the construction and testing of the entire spacecraft and science instruments.
	NASA's Roman space telescope's 'eyes' pass first vision test Engineers at L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York, have combined all 10 mirrors for NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Preliminary tests show the newly aligned optics, collectively called the IOA (Imaging Optics Assembly), will direct light into Roman's science instruments extremely precisely. This will yield crisp images of space once the observatory launches.
	NASA to hoist its sail: Solar sail mission gets ready for launch A NASA mission testing a new way of navigating our solar system is ready to hoist its sail into space—not to catch the wind, but the propulsive power of sunlight. The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System is targeting launch on Tuesday, April 23 (Wednesday, April 24 in New Zealand) aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from the company's Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand.
	Astronauts to patch up NASA's NICER telescope NASA is planning to repair NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station, during a spacewalk later this year. It will be the fourth science observatory in orbit serviced by astronauts.

Technology news

	A rimless wheel robot that can reliably overcome steps Robots with wheels could potentially navigate a variety of indoor and outdoor environments, traveling for longer distances and with fewer risks of losing balance. While some wheeled robots have achieved very promising results in recent years, most of them are unable to reliably overcome steps (i.e., surfaces that are raised above ground level).
	Researchers develop energy-efficient probabilistic computer by combining CMOS with stochastic nanomagnet Researchers at Tohoku University and the University of California, Santa Barbara, have unveiled a probabilistic computer prototype. Manufacturable with a near-future technology, the prototype combines a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuit with a limited number of stochastic nanomagnets, creating a heterogeneous probabilistic computer.
	New material for hydrogen storage confines this clean yet troublesome fuel Skoltech scientists and their colleagues from Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography of RAS and research centers in China, Japan, and Italy have discovered a material for chemical storage of hydrogen that can "soak up" four times as much of this hard-to-contain gas as the current top contenders.
	Retro-reflectors could help future cities keep their cool Engineers at Princeton University have quantified the cooling benefits of a simple solution for beating urban heat: reflecting solar radiation back from whence it came.
	Researchers use machine learning to create a fabric-based touch sensor A new study from NC State University combines three-dimensional embroidery techniques with machine learning to create a fabric-based sensor that can control electronic devices through touch. The paper is published in the journal Device.
	Clearing the air: Wind farms more land efficient than previously thought Wind power is a source of energy that is both affordable and renewable. However, decision-makers have been reluctant to invest in wind energy due to a perception that wind farms require a lot of land compared to electric power plants driven by fossil fuels. Research led by McGill University and based on the assessment of the land use of close to 320 wind farms in the U.S. (the largest study of its kind) paints a very different picture.
	How 3D printers can give robots a soft touch Soft skin coverings and touch sensors have emerged as a promising feature for robots that are both safer and more intuitive for human interaction, but they are expensive and difficult to make. A recent study demonstrates that soft skin pads doubling as sensors made from thermoplastic urethane can be efficiently manufactured using 3D printers.
	Student engineering team successfully builds and runs hydrogen-powered engine A team of engineering students at the University of Bath have achieved a world first by becoming the first undergraduates to build and successfully run a hydrogen-fueled engine.
	ASML shares dive on lower profits, orders Shares in Dutch tech giant ASML, which supplies chip-making machines to the semiconductor industry, slumped Wednesday after the firm reported a drop in net profits and orders amid a high-tech trade spat between China and the West.
	'GTA' video game publisher Take-Two cuts workforce Take-Two Interactive on Tuesday told US regulators it is trimming its workforce by five percent and eliminating some video games in production to cut costs.
	Tech venture capital titan Andreessen Horowitz raises $7.2 bn Silicon Valley venture capital star Andreessen Horowitz said Tuesday it had raised $7.2 billion to invest in startups behind games, apps, artificial intelligence and more.
	Novel method proposed to design high-efficiency guest components for ternary organic solar cells A research group led by Prof. Ge Ziyi at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has proposed a key strategy for optimizing guest components to minimize non-radiative voltage losses and thus achieve high-efficiency ternary organic solar cells (OSCs).
	AI is making smart devices easier to hack—here's how to stay safe From asking our smart speakers for the weather to receiving personalized advice from smartwatches, devices powered by artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly streamlining our routines and decision making. The technology is seeping into our lives in subtle ways.
	Websites deceive users by deliberately hiding the extent of data collection and sharing Websites sometimes hide how widely they share our personal information, and can go to great lengths to pull the wool over our eyes. This deception is intended to prevent full disclosure to consumers, thus preventing informed choice and affecting privacy rights.
	Q&A: Legal implications of generative artificial intelligence Maura R. Grossman, JD, Ph.D., is a Research Professor at the Cheriton School of Computer Science, cross-appointed to the School of Public Health Sciences at Waterloo, an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, and an affiliate faculty member of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence. She is also a Principal at Maura Grossman Law, an eDiscovery law and consulting firm in Buffalo, New York.
	National roaming can increase resilience of Dutch mobile networks Within the Netherlands, your mobile phone only uses the masts of your own provider. Other providers' masts can only be used to reach emergency services. As soon as you cross the border, you can switch on roaming to use other masts. This way, roaming enables you to call and text or use the internet while abroad.
	Amazon removed Just Walk Out from many of its own stores but wants to sell the system to others Amazon wants the public and—especially other businesses—to know it's not giving up on its Just Walk Out technology.
	Meta shouldn't force users to pay for data protection: EU watchdog Facebook owner Meta and other online platforms must not force users to pay for the right to data protection enshrined in EU law when offering ad-free subscriptions, the European data regulator said Wednesday.
	Q&A: Enhancing last-mile logistics with machine learning Across the country, hundreds of thousands of drivers deliver packages and parcels to customers and companies each day, with many click-to-door times averaging only a few days. Coordinating a supply chain feat of this magnitude in a predictable and timely way is a longstanding problem of operations research, where researchers have been working to optimize the last leg of delivery routes.
	New framework may solve mode collapse in generative adversarial network Generative adversarial networks (GANs) are widely used to synthesize intricate and realistic data by learning the distribution of authentic real samples. However, a significant challenge that GANs face is mode collapse, where the diversity of generated samples is notably lower than that of real samples. The complexity of GANs and their training process has made it difficult to reveal the underlying mechanism of mode collapse.
	Canada to start taxing tech giants in 2024 despite US complaints Canada will start applying a proposed tax on the world's biggest technology companies this year, despite threats from American lawmakers to carry out trade reprisals against a levy that will primarily hit U.S. firms.
	A magneto-pneumatic hybrid-driven soft actuator with bidirectional torsion The ability of the human wrist to rotate around the forearm axis in 2 directions is crucial for many daily activities. This rotation, limited to a range of approximately [-90°, 90°], restricts the wrist's capacity to execute complex operational tasks. For example, when we open or lock a door with a key, our wrist performs a large rotational movement. When we screw, the wrist needs to twist 180° several times.
	Apple CEO meets Indonesia leader to talk investments Apple chief executive Tim Cook met Indonesia's president on Wednesday, as the tech giant explores ways to invest in Southeast Asia's biggest economy and diversify supply chains away from China.
	Tennessee VW workers hold key unionization vote Volkswagen employees in Tennessee will begin casting ballots Wednesday in a vote that could make theirs the first foreign carmaker to unionize in the American South, expanding gains made by organized labor in the auto heartland of Detroit.
	Boeing safety in spotlight at US Senate hearing Boeing is expected to face a bruising once-over Wednesday as company critics testify at a US Senate hearing, including an employee who has characterized the top-selling 787 as prone to disaster.
	Tesla wants shareholders to reinstate $56 billion Musk pay package tossed by a Delaware judge Tesla will ask shareholders to reinstate a $56 billion compensation package for CEO Elon Musk that was rejected by a judge in Delaware this year, and to move the electric car maker's corporate home from Delaware to Texas.
	EU questions TikTok over new Lite app in France, Spain The EU gave TikTok 24 hours to provide a risk assessment on its new Lite app launched in France and Spain over concerns of its potential impact on children and users' mental health, the European Commission said on Wednesday.
	Dozens of Google employees protest use of company's tech for war in Gaza A group of disappointed and angry Google employees protested outside a company building on April 16 after it was reported that the search giant had deepened a contract with the Israeli government.
	How ideology is darkening the future of renewables in Alberta Those advocating for a green transition have, in recent years, had to contend with not just economic or political resistance, but ideological push back as well—specifically, from those adhering to the "ideology of fossil fuels."
	What the 'Fallout' show gets right about the post-apocalyptic video game series With superhero movies losing pop culture steam, the next big thing emerging on the horizon is video game flicks. Over the past few years, films and TV shows based on interactive entertainment have steadily gained traction, with the likes of "Sonic the Hedgehog," "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" and "The Last of Us."
	Tech layoffs jolt Bay Area economy with hundreds of new job cuts A high-profile aerospace and defense contractor and a semiconductor company are among the latest tech firms to chop jobs in the Bay Area, cutbacks that will erase more than 200 positions.
	Research proposes virtual-dimension increase of EMG signals for prosthetic hands gesture recognition The electromyographic (EMG) signal is the bioelectrical current generated during muscle contraction. It can be transmitted as an input signal to an intelligent bionic prosthetic hand to control hand movements. By increasing the number of signal acquisition channels, richer information about the intention of the action can be captured, thus improving the success rate of the recognition of the intention of the action. However, it is not better to have more acquisition channels.
	Going 'backwards'? Whistleblowers slam Boeing safety culture Witnesses at a US Senate hearing on Boeing drew a disturbing picture Wednesday of an aviation giant that blows off safety questions and sidelines critics as it chases faster production and bigger profits.
	Control of temperature dependent viscosity for manufacturing of Bi-doped active fiber A novel temperature-dependent viscosity-mediated strategy proposed by researchers at the South China University of Technology was able to suppress the deactivation of Bi dopants during the fiber drawing process.
	Environment recognition technologies for off-road self-driving with improved real-time processing performance Off-road environment recognition technologies for detecting extraneous substances such as dust, mud, snow, or rain during off-road autonomous driving of construction machinery, agricultural machines, and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and removing the sensor signals of these substances on a real-time basis, have been developed for the first time in Korea.

Chemistry news

	From defects to order: Spontaneously emerging crystal arrangements in perovskite halides Perovskites are among the most extensively studied materials in modern materials science. Their often unique and exotic properties, which stem from perovskite's peculiar crystal structure, could find revolutionary applications in various cutting-edge fields. One intriguing way of realizing such properties is through the precise ordering of a perovskite's defects, such as vacancies or substitutions.
	Cold Coulomb crystals, cosmic clues: Unraveling the mysteries of space chemistry While it may not look like it, the interstellar space between stars is far from empty. Atoms, ions, molecules, and more reside in this ethereal environment known as the Interstellar Medium (ISM). The ISM has fascinated scientists for decades, as at least 200 unique molecules form in its cold, low-pressure environment. It's a subject that ties together the fields of chemistry, physics, and astronomy, as scientists from each field work to determine what types of chemical reactions happen there.
	Advanced nuclear magnetic resonance technique reveals precise structural, dynamical details in zeolites Zeolites are widely used in many industries, yet their intrinsic catalytic nature is not completely understood, due to the complexity of the hydroxyl-aluminum moieties.
	New plastic coating discovery gives greater functionality to 3D printing Scientists and engineers have developed a new coating for plastic particles that are used in 3D printing, which significantly increases their functionality and opens up new possibilities for commercial application.
	Coffee grinder, old tires spur creation of sulfur-free oil Using a coffee grinder, a freezer and a furnace, researchers have discovered a chemical synergy between scrap tires and polystyrene can be harnessed to create sulfur-free, light oil.
	Highly efficient and stable near-infrared phosphor for night vision and bio-imaging Near-infrared (NIR) light source, characterized by non-destructive and rapid detection, has a wide range of applications in diverse fields including food testing, safety, sensing, agricultural production and biomedicine. The availability of a compact, highly efficient and low-cost NIR phosphor is a key factor in achieving its wide application.

Biology news

	Scientists discover how soil microbes survive in harsh desert environments Prolonged droughts followed by sudden bursts of rainfall—how do desert soil bacteria manage to survive such harsh conditions? This long-debated question has now been answered by an ERC project led by microbiologist Dagmar Woebken from the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna.
	Queen bumblebees surprise scientists by surviving underwater Bumblebees can surprisingly withstand days underwater, according to a study published Wednesday, suggesting they could withstand increased floods brought on by climate change that threaten their winter hibernation burrows.
	Making crops colorful for easier weeding by robots To make weeding easier, scientists suggest bioengineering crops to be colorful or to have differently shaped leaves so that they can be more easily distinguished from their wild and weedy counterparts. This could involve altering the crops' genomes so that they express pigments that are already produced by many plants, for example, anthocyanins, which make blueberries blue, or carotenoids, which make carrots orange. Then, they say, weeding robots could be trained to remove only the weeds using machine learning.
	Amazon butterflies show how new species can evolve from hybridization If evolution was originally depicted as a tree, with different species branching off as new blooms, then new research shows how the branches may actually be more entangled. In "Hybrid speciation driven by multilocus introgression of ecological traits," published in Nature, Harvard researchers show that hybrids between species of butterflies can produce new species that are genetically distinct from both parent species and their earlier forebears.
	Marine plankton behavior could predict future marine extinctions, study finds Marine communities migrated to Antarctica during the Earth's warmest period in 66 million years long before a mass-extinction event.
	Birds of a feather flocking together: Research shows storks prefer to fly with conspecifics during migration With long legs and large wings, the white stork is a prominent star of the pageant that is animal migration. Flying from Europe towards Africa in autumn, and then back again in spring, birds can be seen taking to the sky in conspicuous flocks that herald the changing of the seasons.
	Discovery of bacterial proteins that induce asexual reproduction in insects From microbes in the human gut to symbiotic algae in coral reefs, research in recent decades has increasingly revealed the pivotal roles that microorganisms (or microbial species) play in shaping the biology of host organisms and of broader ecosystems. For example, some endosymbionts—microbes that live within the cells of a host organism—are known to manipulate the physiology of their hosts to promote their own persistence from generation to generation.
	Plant sensors could act as an early warning system for farmers Using a pair of sensors made from carbon nanotubes, researchers from MIT and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) have discovered signals that reveal when plans are experiencing stresses such as heat, light, or attack from insects or bacteria.
	A nematode gel to protect crops in Africa and Asia The fall armyworm is a destructive corn pest that recently arrived in Africa and Asia from the Americas and began causing major yield losses and increased use of insecticides, which pose environmental and human health risks.
	Paleontologists unearth what may be the largest known marine reptile The fossilized remains of a second gigantic jawbone measuring more than two meters long has been found on a beach in Somerset, UK. Experts have identified the bones as belonging to the jaws of a new species of enormous ichthyosaur, a type of prehistoric marine reptile. Estimates suggest the oceanic titan would have been more than 25 meters long.
	Computer model suggests frozen cells could be used to save northern white rhino from extinction A team of geneticists and computer scientists from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Cornell University and the University of California, Santa Cruz, has created a computer model that shows it should be possible to save the northern white rhino from extinction by using frozen cells of 12 individuals. Their paper is published in the journal Evolutionary Applications.
	Fairy-wrens are more likely to help a mate in the harsh of winter, ornithologists find Monash University ornithologists have shed light on the intricate relationship between social structure, environmental conditions, and cooperative behavior in superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus).
	How a cyanobacterium manages iron scarcity makes it the most successful photosynthetic organism on Earth The sea is the world's largest ecosystem, and it harbors two photosynthetic organisms that produce approximately half of the oxygen on Earth. The cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is the most abundant photosynthetic organism in the oceans and fixes approximately 4 gigatons of carbon each year, comparable to the net global primary production of the world's agriculture industry.
	Study investigates coronavirus dynamics in bats: Lower biodiversity means more pathogens The loss of biodiversity poses a challenge for nature and humans alike. A study led by Ulm University shows that a decline in biodiversity promotes the spread of potentially zoonotic pathogens.
	Disease-resistant strains of carp provide advancements in aquaculture, enhance gefilte fish quality A new study led by Prof. Lior David from the Faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University investigated the infectivity of disease-resistant and susceptible fish by examining their roles as shedders (infecting) and cohabitants (infected) in various combinations. The study focused on common carp; a species that's commonly cultivated in aquaculture.
	New study calls into question prior study results that found tumor transmission slowing in Tasmanian devils A trio of biologists and veterinarians with CRG Barcelona, the University of Cambridge and The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, respectively, has found evidence contradicting results found by a prior team of researchers who claimed that they had found that tumor transmission in Tasmanian devils was slowing.
	Researchers uncover human DNA repair by nuclear metamorphosis Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered a DNA repair mechanism that advances understanding of how human cells stay healthy, and which could lead to new treatments for cancer and premature aging.
	Researchers find babbling by zebra finch chicks is important step to memorizing songs When babies learn to talk or birds learn to sing, the same principle applies: listen and then imitate. This is how the first babble becomes the first word or vocalization. Male zebra finch chicks initially memorize the song of an adult bird. Later, they refine their own vocalization until they resemble the learned song.
	How interspecies competition led to a 'bizarre' pattern in our own evolutionary tree Competition between species played a major role in the rise and fall of hominins—and produced a "bizarre" evolutionary pattern for the Homo lineage—according to a new University of Cambridge study that revises the start and end dates for many of our early ancestors.
	Neuronal gateway to essential molecules in learning and memory discovered on atomic scale Learning from an experience, remembering an anecdote or changing an attitude are examples that reveal how all our behavior is the result of the exchange of chemical compounds—neurotransmitters—between neurons. Unraveling what exactly happens at the molecular level when neurons "talk" to each other at synapses is crucial for understanding the human brain in general and, in particular, for helping to solve mental health problems.
	Molecular code stimulates pioneer cells to build blood vessels in the body Cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and myocardial infarction, are the world's leading causes of mortality, accounting for more than 18 million deaths a year. A team of KIT researchers has now identified a new cell type in blood vessels responsible for vascular growth.
	Unique field study shows how climate change affects fire-impacted forests During the unusually dry year of 2018, Sweden was hit by numerous forest fires. A research team led from Lund University in Sweden has investigated how climate change affects recently burned boreal forests and their ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
	A powerful technique for tracking a protein's fleeting shape changes Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have developed a powerful, new technique to generate "movies" of changing protein structures and speeds of up to 50 frames per second.
	New class of antimicrobials discovered in soil bacteria Researchers have discovered toxic protein particles, shaped like umbrellas, that soil bacteria known as Streptomyces secrete to squelch competitors, especially others of their own species.
	Mountain chickadees have remarkable memories. A new study explains why Lost your keys? Can't remember where you parked the car? If only you had the memory of a mountain chickadee.
	East coast mussel shells are becoming more porous in warming waters Researchers at the American Museum of Natural History have found that over the last 120 years, the porosity—or small-scale holes—in mussel shells along the East Coast of the United States has increased, potentially due to warming waters. The study, which analyzed modern mussel shells in comparison to specimens in the Museum's historic collection, was published in the journal PLoS ONE.
	How a calcium-sensing protein multitasks The calcium-sensing receptor is critical for maintaining healthy calcium levels, but CaSR is also well-known for its side hustles. The receptor is increasingly recognized for its ability to detect other ions and proteins and for its role in breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other conditions, making it an important drug target for multiple diseases.
	Honey bees experience multiple health stressors out in the field It's not a single pesticide or virus stressing honey bees, and affecting their health, but exposure to a complex web of multiple interacting stressors encountered while at work pollinating crops, new research from York University has found.
	New model finds previous cell division calculations ignore drivers at the molecular scale When a single bacterial cell divides into two during periods of rapid growth, it doesn't split in half once it reaches a predetermined size. Instead, data has shown, a cell will divide once it has added a certain amount of mass.
	Researchers identify genetic variant that helped shape human skull base evolution Humans, Homo sapiens, have unique features compared with other closely related hominin species and primates, including the shape of the base of the skull. The evolutionary changes underlying these features were significant in allowing the evolution of our increased brain size.
	Soil bacteria link their life strategies to soil conditions: Study Soil bacteria help regulate the cycling of carbon and nutrients on Earth. Over time, these bacteria have evolved strategies that determine where they live, what they do, and how they deal with a changing environment. However, microbiologists do not fully understand how bacteria's genes relate to their life strategies.
	Coral reef microbes point to new way to assess ecosystem health A new study shows that ocean acidification is changing the mix of microbes in coral reef systems, which can be used to assess ecosystem health.
	Multi-drug resistant bacteria found on International Space Station mutate to become functionally distinct Principal Investigator Dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory led a team that studied 13 strains of the bacterial species Enterobacter bugandensis that were isolated from the International Space Station (ISS). E. bugandensis is a bacterium notorious for being multi-drug resistant.
	Why a Connecticut river is named one of 'most endangered' in US The Farmington River, "the top priority watershed in the state," according to the state's environmental agency, has been named one of America's Most Endangered Rivers by the organization American Rivers.
	Surrogate otter mom at aquarium is rehabilitating pup 'better than any human ever can' Millie, a fatigued mother of an infant, was ready for a nap. So she grabbed her baby, flipped it around, threw it on her belly and started grooming its tail—a soothing behavior.
	Global coral bleaching caused by climate change demands a global response The fourth global coral bleaching event, announced this week, is an urgent wake-up call to the world.
	Light pollution affects coastal ecosystems, too—this underwater 'canary' is warning of the impacts In the early 20th century, canaries were used as early warning systems in coal mines to alert miners to rising levels of carbon monoxide.
	Migratory birds are on the move and nature-friendly farms can help them on their way Every spring, hundreds of thousands of birds leave their winter habitat on Poyang, the largest freshwater lake in China, and fly north over the most densely populated region on Earth to reach their breeding grounds in Siberia. As with any long-distance journey you might take, these birds need to make stops where they can find a good meal and a chance to refuel.
	Type of plastic film on high tunnels can filter sunlight, influence plant growth High-tunnel growing systems, sometimes called hoop houses, have gained popularity for their ability to enhance growth conditions and extend the growing season of horticultural crops. Now, a team led by Penn State researchers has demonstrated that growers can select various plastic film coverings on the structures—depending on their desired light-filtering properties—to protect plants and enhance their health.
	Climate change is wiping out rare bacteria in a 'greening' Antarctica Plenty is known about the existential threat of climate change to plants and animals. But by comparison, we know very little about how microorganisms will be affected by climate change.
	Dog attacks on mountain tapirs highlight a growing threat to endangered wildlife Researchers who captured footage of dog attacks on endangered mountain tapirs in Colombia are calling for action to protect threatened wildlife.
	Study provides evidence for sexual plasticity in female fruit flies Female fruit flies use male pheromones to assess their social context and shorten the amount of time they store sperm after mating, allowing them to re-mate sooner, according to a new study.
	Electronic tongue can detect white wine spoilage before humans can While the electronic tongue bears little physical resemblance to its namesake, the strand-like sensory probes of the "e-tongue" still outperformed human senses when detecting contaminated wine in a recent study.
	Maize cultivation 300 years ago resulted in karst rock desertification, suggest researchers Understanding regional vegetation dynamics and historical changes in rocky desertification is crucial for assessing the sustainability and potential of afforestation in karst regions.
	Study shows copper beads in pig feed reshape swine gut microbiome Copper is a natural antimicrobial material that, when added to pig feed, may promote the growth and health of the animals. Since pigs can tolerate high levels of the metal, researchers at Texas Tech University in Amarillo recently investigated whether copper might be used to promote their gut health and reduce the shedding of microbes to the environment.
	Arboviruses, mosquitoes and potential hosts tracked in real time in São Paulo city The technology used to sequence SARS-CoV-2 at record speed early in the COVID-19 pandemic has been successfully tested as a technique to monitor arboviruses and diseases transmitted mainly by mosquitoes.
	Rewilding amphibians: Protecting endangered species to restore ecosystems In a recent paper published in Biological Conservation, iDiv researchers suggest that given amphibians' ability to act as "canaries in the coal mine" for aquatic environments, they should be reintroduced or rewilded. Rewilding would not only help protect these endangered species but simultaneously promote ecological stability.
	Probiotic feed additive, in place of antibiotics, found to boost growth and health in poultry Antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly serious threat for public health, and the use of antimicrobials in livestock feed has been a major contributing factor in the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance to many drugs, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The poultry industry is evolving toward antibiotic-free production to meet market demands and decelerate the spread, and Penn State researchers are helping to identify and better understand alternative approaches.
	Wine growers 'on tip of Africa' race to adapt to climate change At a South African wine farm, dry, uprooted grapevines are stacked at the bottom of a hilly stretch of brown fallow land.

Medicine and Health news

	Study reveals the strong impact of layer 6b neurons on cortical activity Layer 6b, the deepest layer of the mammalian brain's cortex, has recently been the focus of numerous neuroscience studies. Despite the interesting findings gathered in recent years, the role of this deep cortical layer remains poorly understood.
	AI speeds up drug design for Parkinson's by ten-fold Researchers have used artificial intelligence techniques to massively accelerate the search for Parkinson's disease treatments.
	Investigators identify a group of cells involved in working memory Cedars-Sinai investigators have discovered how brain cells responsible for working memory—the type required to remember a phone number long enough to dial it—coordinate intentional focus and short-term storage of information. The study detailing their discovery was published in Nature.
	Understanding the brain mechanisms behind emotion processing bias in treatment-resistant depression One potential underlying cause of symptoms in individuals with depression is an emotion-processing bias which causes them to have a stronger response to negative information more so than positive. While prior research has sought to further understand and treat the neural mechanisms behind these biases, many questions remain in the fight against treatment-resistant depression (TRD).
	How data provided by fitness trackers and smartphones can help people with multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an insidious disease. Patients suffer because their immune system is attacking their own nerve fibers, which inhibits the transmission of nerve signals. People with MS experience mild to severe impairment of their motor function and sensory perception in a variety of ways. These impairments disrupt their daily activities and reduce their overall quality of life.
	Mouse study shows how a father's diet can shape the health of his offspring A study of mice suggests a father's diet may shape the anxiety of his sons and the metabolic health of his daughters before they are even conceived.
	Researchers probe immune microenvironment to prevent pediatric liver transplant rejection Children with liver transplants must take immunosuppressant medications for life. To maintain tolerance of the transplanted liver, doctors treat transplant rejection and conduct ongoing maintenance immunosuppression by increasing dosages of medication enough to counteract rejection.
	AI beats doctors in accurately assessing eye problems The clinical knowledge and reasoning skills of GPT-4 are approaching the level of specialist eye doctors, a study led by the University of Cambridge has found.
	Researchers find glucose levels of nondiabetic people vary more than thought A medical researcher at Tel Aviv University, working with a group of computer scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science, both in Israel, has found that fasting glucose levels in nondiabetic people vary more than previously thought. In their study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, the group studied fasting glucose levels for thousands of nondiabetic volunteers who wore continuous glucose monitoring devices.
	Harnessing B cells could fight cancer or autoimmune diseases by targeting mitochondrial metabolism White cells called regulatory B cells could be harnessed to fight cancers and to treat autoimmune diseases by either increasing or decreasing their function, as indicated by a new research.
	Genetic variants found in two types of strabismus, sparking hope for future treatment of eye condition Determining how genetics contribute to common forms of strabismus has been a challenge for researchers. Small discoveries are considered meaningful progress.
	How Alzheimer's disease progresses faster in people with Down syndrome Nearly all adults with Down syndrome will develop evidence of Alzheimer's disease by late middle age. A new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that the disease both starts earlier and moves faster in people with Down syndrome, a finding that may have important implications for the treatment and care of this vulnerable group of patients.
	New brain target key to easing tough-to-treat epilepsy Some people with tough-to-treat epilepsy might benefit if doctors target a brain region newly linked to the disorder, a new study suggests.
	Researchers present new findings on the development of the human forebrain A group of researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine led an investigation that offers new insight into the development of the human forebrain.
	Which treatments for malnutrition's long-term effects could help reduce mortality and health outcomes for children A comparison of treatments for malnutrition enteropathy, caused by severe acute malnutrition (SAM), has found evidence supporting the use of treatments to enhance the healing of mucosal membranes and reduce inflammation in the gut to improve the outcomes of children affected by long-term health consequences of a period of malnutrition.
	New study uncovers why boys born to mothers with HIV are at greater risk of health problems and death in infancy Researchers have found that children of women with HIV infection have an increased risk of immune abnormalities following exposure to maternal HIV viremia, immune dysfunction, and co-infections during pregnancy. The research is published in Nature Communications.
	Study shows heart failure, not stroke is the most common complication of atrial fibrillation The lifetime risk of atrial fibrillation (a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate) has increased from one in four to one in three over the past two decades, finds a study from Denmark in The BMJ today.
	Electronic health records unlock genetics of tobacco use disorder By analyzing electronic health records, researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have identified hundreds of new genes associated with tobacco use disorder. They also identified hundreds of potential drug candidates that could help treat the disease. The study was published in Nature Human Behavior.
	Shape-shifting cancer cell discovery reveals potential skin cancer drug targets Cancer cells can change shape to travel around the body and spread (metastasize), but how they know when to do this has remained elusive.
	Researchers discover how gut muscle can be vital for growth, repair and treatments By discovering how a type of smooth muscle—which is essential for mechanical aspects of absorbing fats from food—forms in the gut, Cornell scientists have opened doors to making artificial muscle, repairing muscle following gut surgeries, and treating inflammatory bowel disease and obesity.
	Dialogue between brain regions: How memories guide us to rewards Picture this: You want to take a walk to your favorite ice cream parlor for the first time after winter. You can probably remember how to get there. How does our brain guide us to such rewarding places? In a study recently published in Nature Communications, researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Neurobiology (LIN) in Magdeburg used state-of-the-art methods to answer this question. They discovered that our brain uses a special code to guide us to places that promise rewards.
	Study links lack of diversity in Alzheimer's disease clinical trials to differences in amyloid levels It's long been recognized that some of the groups most likely to get dementia, including African Americans and Hispanics, are greatly underrepresented in clinical trials. Now a new USC study shows that people from certain racial and ethnic groups may be ineligible for Alzheimer's disease clinical trials because they have lower levels of amyloid protein at early stages of the disease. The study also suggests that Alzheimer's may progress differently in different populations.
	Accelerated aging biology in the placenta found to contribute to a rare form of pregnancy-related heart failure A form of heart failure that occurs during late pregnancy or early postpartum, peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a major cause of maternal death.
	Study identifies new metric for diagnosing autism Autism spectrum disorder has yet to be linked to a single cause, due to the wide range of its symptoms and severity. However, a study by University of Virginia researchers suggests a promising new approach to finding answers, one that could lead to advances in the study of other neurological diseases and disorders.
	Protecting brain cells with cannabinol: Research suggests CBN shows promise for treating neurological disorders One in every 10 individuals above the age of 65 develops an age-related neurological disorder like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, yet treatment options remain sparse for this population. Scientists have begun exploring whether cannabinoids—compounds derived from the cannabis plant, like well-known THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol)—may offer a solution. A third, lesser-known cannabinoid called CBN (cannabinol) has recently piqued the interest of researchers, who have begun exploring the clinical potential of the milder, less psychoactive substance.
	Researchers find ethnic minorities are underrepresented in studies into multiple long-term health conditions New research shows that ethnic minorities are underrepresented in studies into multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs), despite being more likely to be affected.
	Healthy diet lowers heart disease risk in breast cancer survivors, study finds A new paper in JNCI Cancer Spectrum finds that following a healthy diet lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease in breast cancer survivors.
	Most female athletes support categorization by biological sex, research finds The majority of female athletes (58%) support categorization by biological sex, rather than gender identity, but views differ according to sporting context, a new study shows.
	Adults with congenital heart disease face higher risk of abnormal heart rhythms Almost 1 in 5 adults with congenital heart disease living in Israel had or developed an abnormal heart rhythm/arrhythmia during a five-year study, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
	New research shows urgency to act on Nigeria's trans fat elimination policy Significantly reducing trans fat levels in the Nigerian food supply could prevent approximately 10,000 heart disease deaths and save $90 million US (12 billion Naira, ₦) in health care costs over a decade. The new findings by The George Institute for Global Health on the health and economic benefits of enacting the country's trans fat elimination policy appear in BMJ Global Health.
	New nets 'prevent' 13 mn malaria cases in Africa: Project A new kind of mosquito net delivered across sub-Saharan Africa averted an estimated 13 million malaria cases and nearly 25,000 deaths over three years, the project's backers said Wednesday.
	International sample of adolescents shows many experience weight-related bullying online, especially social media users From a survey of about 12,000 adolescents from Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, the US, and the UK, about 17% of respondents reported experiencing weight-related bullying online, especially users of Twitter and Twitch, according to a study published April 17, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Kyle Ganson from University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues.
	New data identifies trends in accidental opioid overdoses in children The US saw a 22% decline in rates of prescription-opioid overdose related emergency department (ED) visits in children 17 and younger between 2008 and 2019, but an uptick in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Henry Xiang of Nationwide Children's Hospital, US, and colleagues. The authors also note that rates of pediatric opioid overdoses remain high in many populations.
	FDA adds Fasenra indication for severe asthma in children The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an additional indication for AstraZeneca's Fasenra (benralizumab) as an add-on maintenance treatment for patients aged 6 to 11 years with severe asthma and an eosinophilic phenotype.
	Surgeon explains the myths surrounding organ donation Over 100,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for an organ transplant. Unfortunately, many may never get the call saying that a suitable donor organ—and a second chance at life—has been found. It's estimated that more than 15 people die every day in the U.S. because of the lack of donor organs.
	'Tech neck' is a pain in more than just the neck The typical average adult head weighs approximately 10–12 pounds. But did you know that bending it forward at a 45-degree angle to look at a cellphone or tablet can dramatically increase your chances to have "tech neck?"
	False offers of cash subsidies used to 'capture' health insurance customers, lawsuit alleges A health insurance operation based in Broward County, Florida, used internet ads that falsely promised cash subsidies to sign up clients across the country and replace their agents, a lawsuit contends.
	As bans spread, fluoride in drinking water divides communities across the US Regina Barrett, a 69-year-old retiree who lives in this small North Carolina city southeast of Charlotte, has not been happy with her tap water for a while.
	Arkansas led the nation in measuring obesity in kids: Did it help? Sixth-grade boys were lining up to be measured in the Mann Arts and Science Magnet Middle School library. As they took off their shoes and emptied their pockets, they joked about being the tallest.
	Weight-loss drug Zepbound eases sleep apnea in company trials Zepbound, one of the wildly popular weight-loss drugs that millions of Americans now take, eased sleep apnea in obese adults in two company trials, drug maker Eli Lilly announced Wednesday.
	Researchers find evidence a natural juice can help gut health A team of researchers at the University of Missouri is uncovering how the juice from red cabbage, long used in traditional medicine, can alleviate inflammation-associated digestive health conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in mice, offering hope to the estimated 3 million Americans who suffer from IBD, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
	Health improvements occurred worldwide since 2010 despite COVID-19 pandemic, but progress was uneven: Study Rates of early death and poor health caused by HIV/AIDS and diarrhea have been cut in half since 2010, and the rate of disease burden caused by injuries has dropped by a quarter in the same time period, after accounting for differences in age and population size across countries, based on a new study published in The Lancet.
	Antipsychotics for dementia linked to more harms than previously acknowledged Antipsychotic use in people with dementia is associated with elevated risks of a wide range of serious adverse outcomes including stroke, blood clots, heart attack, heart failure, fracture, pneumonia, and acute kidney injury, compared with non-use, finds a study published by The BMJ today.
	Most homeless Americans are battling mental illness Two-thirds of homeless people are experiencing some form of mental health disorder, a large, new review of data on the subject.
	Hoarding can start in childhood—here's why early intervention is so crucial for all age groups A lot of people think of hoarding as something extreme—a home crammed to the ceiling with possessions. But it tends to start gradually, and research has found it can begin in adolescence or even childhood.
	Fermented foods sustain both microbiomes and cultural heritage Many people around the world make and eat fermented foods. Millions in Korea alone make kimchi. The cultural heritage of these picklers shape not only what they eat every time they crack open a jar but also something much, much smaller: their microbiomes.
	Could lack of sleep increase your risk of type 2 diabetes? Not getting enough sleep is a common affliction in the modern age. If you don't always get as many hours of shut-eye as you'd like, perhaps you were concerned by news of a recent study that found people who sleep less than six hours a night are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
	Does using your brain more at work help ward off thinking, memory problems? The harder your brain works at your job, the less likely you may be to have memory and thinking problems later in life, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology. This study does not prove that stimulating work prevents mild cognitive impairment. It only shows an association.
	New trial shows immunotherapy post-surgery improves overall survival for kidney cancer For the first time in fifty years, results from a Phase 3 randomized, placebo-controlled trial have shown an overall survival benefit from an adjuvant therapy in patients with kidney cancer.
	Private COVID jabs lead to concerns about creeping privatization in the NHS COVID boosters are now available to purchase from high-street pharmacies and private health care providers in England. This means that millions of people who don't qualify for a free COVID vaccine on the NHS will be able to access one.
	Why doesn't my digital music feel like 'mine'? Three ways digital possessions reduce our sense of ownership Our possessions—the things we view as "mine"—play an important role in our lives. Beyond their functionality, they can serve as poignant reminders of cherished memories. They can symbolize not only who we are, but also who we used to be, and who we aspire to become.
	Conformity to masculine gender norms linked to muscle dysmorphia among young people A new research study out of the University of Toronto sheds light on the intricate relationship between conformity to masculine gender norms and muscle dysmorphia symptomatology among a diverse sample of Canadian adolescents and young adults. The study titled "Masculinity and muscle dysmorphia in mixed gender Canadian youth" was published in the journal Sex Roles.
	Wearable headcams provide insight into complex teen emotions As part of a joint study between King's College London and Manchester Met, wearable headcams worn in real interactions and face decoding technology were used to read teens' facial expressions, potentially uncovering hidden feelings and insights into relationships.
	Targeted therapies outperform hundreds of other drugs in 'priming' lung cancer cells for destruction Through millions of years of evolutionary refinement, the human body has developed a sophisticated surveillance mechanism—the immune system. This intricate network is constantly scanning the body for invaders such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Scientists have long been captivated by its prowess, and, in recent years, they've turned their attention toward leveraging its capabilities to fight cancer.
	First study of its kind finds voucher scheme helps new moms to stay smoke-free A high street voucher scheme has been shown to be helpful in supporting new mothers, who stopped smoking during their pregnancy, to maintain abstinence from smoking in their first year postpartum.
	Adding chemotherapy to hormone therapy helps control locally advanced prostate cancer, finds study For patients with locally advanced prostate cancer, combined treatment with chemotherapy and hormonal therapy offers extended control of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, compared to hormonal therapy alone, according to a study in the April issue of the Journal of Urology.
	Older adults with diabetes experienced functional decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, research finds Researchers found that approximately one in five older Canadian adults with diabetes and no pre-pandemic functional limitations developed functional limitations for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Functional limitations refer to difficulties with basic mobility-related tasks, such as walking two to three blocks, standing up from a chair, or climbing stairs. In comparison, only one in eight of their peers without diabetes developed functional limitations during the pandemic. The study was published in the Canadian Journal of Diabetes.
	Bariatric surgery-induced upregulation of apoA-IV is beneficial for insulin secretion and energy expenditure: Study Bariatric surgery has emerged as an effective means of reducing weight in morbidly obese individuals, while also significantly improving diabetes. Currently, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) are two of the most commonly performed bariatric surgeries. Both LSG and RYGB can result in weight loss as well as improvements in glycemic control and metabolic levels in individuals with obesity and type 2 diabetes, but the exact mechanism is unclear.
	New study seeks to improve nutritional guidance for cognitive health The interplay between the food we eat and our overall cognitive performance is a topic of increasing interest to people throughout the world. And while some studies have reported benefits of healthy diet patterns on cognitive performance, the results of these individual studies remain inconsistent.
	Homemade nut-based dairy analogs raise questions about bacterial risks Many consumers know the food safety risks of dairy products, eggs and raw meat. But they are less likely to understand the risks associated with dry goods, including tree nuts such as almonds, cashews, walnuts and pistachios, said Yaohua "Betty" Feng, associate professor of food science at Purdue University.
	Extreme risk protection order: What to know if needed The University of Michigan has published a web-based toolkit designed to support the use and implementation of Michigan's new extreme risk protection order (ERPO) law.
	Students with disabilities match with physician residency programs at lower rates Medical students who report having a disability are less likely to match into a residency program, according to a new Yale study involving residency programs across the United States.
	Rapid transitions seen from neutral to negative emotional states in PTSD Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) undergo rapid transitions between neutral and negative emotional states, which are intensified by emotional numbing symptom severity, according to a study published online April 16 in JAMA Network Open.
	Study identifies risk factors for extraintestinal manifestations of IBD Certain demographic, clinical, and genetic factors heighten the risk for extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a study published online March 13 in Gastroenterology.
	Deeper sedation may help find difficult-to-detect polyps during colonoscopy In patients undergoing colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer, deeper sedation using the anesthetic drug propofol may improve detection of "serrated" polyps—a type of precancerous lesion that can be difficult to detect, reports a study in the online first edition of Anesthesiology.
	Study finds punitive anti-drug workplace policies could backfire A new study from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health uses national data on drug use and mental health to explore how workplace drug policies correlate with opioid use and misuse and psychological distress in American workers. The findings are published in the NEW SOLUTIONS: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy.
	Nursing resources affect hospital patient experience ratings, report finds The nursing work environment, nurse education, and staffing levels are independent factors affecting hospital scores on a key measure of patient-centered care—with significant implications for reimbursements, reports a study in Medical Care.
	Erenumab effective, safe for rosacea-linked erythema, flushing The anticalcitonin gene-related peptide-receptor monoclonal antibody erenumab is effective and safe for treatment of rosacea-associated erythema and flushing, according to a study published in JAMA Dermatology.
	Heritability for autism spectrum disorder varies for males and females, finds study Heritability for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) varies for males and females, with higher heritability seen for males than females, according to a study published online April 17 in JAMA Psychiatry.
	Exposure to air pollution during the first two years of life is associated with worse attention capacity in children A growing body of research shows that exposure to air pollution, especially during pregnancy and childhood, may have a negative impact on brain development. Now a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has found that exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) during the first two years of life is associated with poorer attention capacity in children aged 4 to 8, especially in boys. NO2 is a pollutant that comes mainly from traffic emissions.
	Benefits of quitting cigarettes during pregnancy exceed dangers of weight gain, shows study Quitting cigarettes during pregnancy may increase obesity-related complications for both parent and baby, but Rutgers Health researchers found that reductions in stillbirths and premature deliveries outweigh these dangers and speculated that nutrition counseling could increase the benefits.
	Flexibility can support healthy eating behaviors among women A recent study at the Hebrew University aimed to improve attitudes toward food in women with restrained eating habits who monitor their diet by training them to respond more flexibly to food cues. The results indicated that only participants in the flexible response group showed increased positivity toward food.
	Shorten the blanking period after atrial fibrillation ablation, experts say New evidence-based research calls into question the conventional three-month blanking period immediately after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation when early occurrences of AF are thought not to predict long-term AF recurrence. Two articles and an accompanying editorial in Heart Rhythm address the controversy and recommend shortening the blanking period.
	Study finds lower relapse risk in triple-negative breast cancer with high immune cell levels Women with triple-negative breast cancer, and high levels of immune cells in the tumors, have a lower relapse risk after surgery, even without chemotherapy, according to a recent study published in JAMA.
	New insights into the mechanisms of bacterial brain invasion during meningitis Bacterial meningitis is a devastating infectious disease because, even when cured, most survivors live with permanent neurological disabilities such as motor impairment, cognitive delay, hearing and vision loss, seizures, and psychiatric disorders, due to neuronal damage caused by the infection. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now revealed new insights into the mechanisms of bacterial brain invasion and neuronal damage during bacterial meningitis.
	To understand cognition and its dysfunction, neuroscientists must learn its rhythms It could be very informative to observe the pixels on your phone under a microscope, but not if your goal is to understand what a whole video on the screen shows. Cognition is much the same kind of emergent property in the brain. It can only be understood by observing how millions of cells act in coordination, argues a trio of MIT neuroscientists. In a new article, they lay out a framework for understanding how thought arises from the coordination of neural activity driven by oscillating electric fields—also known as brain "waves" or "rhythms."
	Emotional radio ads may ease listeners' qualms, boosting support for organ donation Radio ads with an emotional appeal—featuring personal stories of either a happy organ transplant recipient or a sad patient languishing on the waiting list—increase non-donor listeners' support for organ donation and may be effective at overcoming some of the qualms that deter them from joining the donor registry, a new study suggests.
	FDA recalls heart failure devices linked to injuries and deaths Two implanted heart devices used by patients in end-stage heart failure are now under a strict U.S. Food and Drug Administration recall, after being tied to 273 known injuries and 14 deaths, the agency said Tuesday.
	Ketamine produces wide variety of responses in the brain, researchers find Since Yale researchers first observed the ability of the anesthetic ketamine to dramatically improve symptoms in many patients with treatment-resistant depression more than two decades ago, the drug has provided a powerful new therapeutic option for mental health professionals.
	Novel robotic training program reduces physician errors placing central lines More than five million central lines are placed in patients who need prolonged drug delivery, such as those undergoing cancer treatments, in the United States every year, yet the common procedure can lead to a bevy of complications in almost a million of those cases.
	Meningococcal vaccine found to be cost-effective at protecting men against gonorrhea Protecting men who have sex with men against gonorrhea with the 4CMenB meningococcal B vaccine is cost-effective; Imperial College London study finds
	Effective malaria prevention in pregnant women despite drug resistance Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) retains parasitological activity and remains effective for preventing P. falciparum infection in pregnant women and low birth weight in babies, even in areas with a high prevalence of mutations associated with SP resistance. This is the main conclusion of a study conducted in southern Mozambique and led by the Manhiça Health Research Institute (CISM) and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).
	Guidance on energy and macronutrients across the lifespan In the long history of recommendations for nutritional intake, current research is trending toward the concept of "food as medicine"—a philosophy in which food and nutrition are positioned within interventions to support health and wellness. In the paper "Guidance on Energy and Macronutrients Across the Lifespan," Pennington Biomedical Research Center's Dr. Steven Heymsfield shares the latest clarity and recommendations in the rich and storied history of energy and macronutrient intake.
	Calorie restriction study reveals complexities in how diet impacts aging Penn State researchers may have uncovered another layer of complexity in the mystery of how diet impacts aging. A new study led by researchers in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development examined how a person's telomeres—sections of genetic bases that function like protective caps at the ends of chromosomes—were affected by caloric restriction.
	Lawsuit alleges Obamacare plan-switching scheme targeted low-income consumers A wide-ranging lawsuit filed April 12 outlines a moneymaking scheme by which large insurance sales agency call centers enrolled people into Affordable Care Act plans or switched their coverage, all without their permission.
	Families including someone with mental illness can experience deep despair—they need support In the aftermath of the tragic Bondi knife attack, Joel Cauchi's parents have spoken about their son's long history of mental illness, having been diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 17. They said they were "devastated and horrified" by their son's actions. "To you he's a monster," said his father. "But to me he was a very sick boy."
	Seven tips for targeting inflammaging and promoting a longer healthier life By 2050, it is predicted that one in four people in the UK will be aged 65 years or over. We have seen increases in lifespan over the last number of decades; however, this is not necessarily complemented by increases in health, which is increasing strain on health and social care services.
	The vital role of phlebotomists in blood collection Phlebotomy technicians collect blood from patients and prepare the samples for testing. Most work in hospitals and clinics, but some collect blood for donation purposes. In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Fiona Craig, who oversees the Laboratory Medicine and Pathology Department at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, discusses the vital role phlebotomists play in blood collection.
	Are probiotics all they're cracked up to be? Probiotics have been touted as a treatment for everything from diarrhea to mental health disorders, with sales of probiotic supplements expected to exceed $65 billion globally in 2024.
	Searching ICTRP: Dispensable for drug assessments, but essential for assessments of non-drug interventions Searching for evidence for health technology assessments (HTAs) is time-consuming because the evidence identified must be a reliable basis for robust assessment results: The scientific knowledge about the benefits and harms for patients must be completely available. This is why IQWiG's information specialists regularly review the effectiveness and efficiency of information retrieval conducted for the Institute's HTAs.
	Video-assisted hand therapy is effective after thumb arthritis surgery For patients undergoing carpometacarpal (CMC) joint surgery for treatment of thumb osteoarthritis, the use of online video instruction for postoperative hand therapy is associated with outcomes similar to in-person therapy visits—while substantially reducing travel time and distance, reports a clinical trial in in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
	Slimmer draft pandemic agreement released ahead of fresh talks The new draft of the global pandemic agreement has been released to countries ahead of Thursday's deadline, with a more streamlined take on how the world should handle future pandemics.
	Plasma metabolite biomarker could help identify who is at risk of a heart attack Myocardial infarction, more commonly known as a heart attack, is a leading cause of death worldwide. Biomarkers called plasma metabolites may play a key role in the physiological pathways involved in myocardial infarctions. Recently published research used a methodological approach called bidirectional Mendelian randomization to understand more about these biomarkers and what they can tell doctors about heart attack risk.
	The impact of ketogenic diets on cognitive behavior, motor function, and blood lipids A new research paper titled "The impact of continuous and intermittent ketogenic diets on cognitive behavior, motor function, and blood lipids in TgF344-AD rats" has been published in Aging.
	Study shows gaps in new nursing graduates' work readiness About 60 percent of nurses with less than two years' work experience are uncomfortable with performing procedures of higher complexity—such as responding to a critical clinical emergency, performing tracheostomy (a surgically created hole in the windpipe) care and suctioning, and chest tube care independently. This requires a lengthened duration of supervision for such procedures in order to ensure the quality of care is never compromised.

Other Sciences news

	Study reveals how humanity could unite to address global challenges New research led by the University of Oxford has found that perceptions of globally shared life experiences and globally shared biology can strengthen psychological bonding with humanity at large, which can motivate prosocial action on a global scale and help to tackle global problems. The findings have been published today in Royal Society Open Science.
	Study finds world economy already committed to income reduction of 19% due to climate change Even if CO2 emissions were to be drastically cut down starting today, the world economy is already committed to an income reduction of 19% until 2050 due to climate change, a study published in Nature finds. These damages are six times larger than the mitigation costs needed to limit global warming to two degrees.
	First evidence of human occupation in lava tube cave in Saudi Arabia Recent strides in interdisciplinary archaeological research in Arabia have unveiled new insights into the evolution and historical development of regional human populations, as well as the dynamic patterns of cultural change, migration, and adaptation to environmental fluctuations.
	Researchers find lower grades given to students with surnames that come later in alphabetical order Knowing your ABCs is essential to academic success, but having a last name starting with A, B or C might also help make the grade.
	AI has the power to revolutionize lending, but at a cost to people with lower credit scores As artificial intelligence (AI) steadily increases its hold on the global economy, one of many areas ripe for disruption is consumer pricing. In situations where different consumers are offered the same product or service at different prices, it is now possible to take the discretion away from staff and use a computer to calculate the best price using a combination of historic pricing data, machine learning capabilities and algorithms.
	Generative AI model shows fake news has more impact when released at a steady pace without interruption It's not at all clear that disinformation has, to date, swung an election that would otherwise have gone another way. But there is a strong sense that it has had a significant impact, nonetheless.
	The beginnings of modern science shaped how philosophers saw alien life—and how we understand it today Speculation about extraterrestrials is not all that new. There was a vibrant debate in 17th-century Europe about the existence of life on other planets.
	Research explores the benefits and risks to pornography Consuming pornography can lead to improved sexual satisfaction—or it can be detrimental to it, as different content types are associated with different outcomes.
	Fluctuating coffee prices are putting mental pressure on Vietnamese farmers While your invigorating morning coffee may become cheaper when there are large fluctuations in the world market price, they are a major additional psychological burden for the farmers who grow the coffee.
	Gender stereotypes in schools impact on girls and boys with mental health difficulties, study finds Gender stereotypes mean that girls can be celebrated for their emotional openness and maturity in school, while boys are seen as likely to mask their emotional distress through silence or disruptive behaviors.
	UK study finds young adults taking longer to find work than preceding generation The proportion of U.K. graduates who found work straight out of university fell by nearly 30% between those born in the late 70s to those a decade younger, according to a new study involving a University of Liverpool researcher.
	Research highlights new ways to tackle outlaw motorcycle gangs Deakin University criminology research can provide clues for law enforcement about the relationship between outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG) clubs and how to combat gang crime.
	How groups and technology tackle complex problems together Picture a group of students tackling a complex project: some are brainstorming, others are researching, and some are planning the presentation. Each student plays a unique role, yet they all work together.
	In life cycle diagrams, small changes make a big difference Life cycle diagrams are ubiquitous in science textbooks, and they may be due for some updates. A new study finds simple design changes in these diagrams can have a dramatic impact on the ability of undergraduate students to understand key biology concepts.
	Researchers investigate culture-specific trauma responses in Switzerland The heavy impact of traumatic experiences can differ depending on culture and geography. According to a new study from the University of Zurich, the culture-specific sequelae of trauma found in Switzerland align with the norms of a competitive and individualistic society. Post-traumatic coping strategies in Switzerland tend to involve closer connections to nature.
	Study examines influence of social media on televised debate viewing Anyone who regularly watches news or sports has likely noticed the steady creep of content competing for screen space, whether it be stock market prices, social media posts, game scores or some other graphic display. Previous studies have indicated that high-intensity visuals that employ vibrant displays of information tend to hamper both long- and short-term memory.
	Fracking the future: How Congolese oil extraction has shaped its history and its fate In 1969, the recently independent Republic of Congo discovered an enormous oil field off its coast. The find represented both a rare opportunity for the burgeoning nation, and a potential threat—the revenue generated by oil extraction could either pave the way for a stable socialist society, or doom the country to exploitation much like that it had endured under French colonialism.
	Current police response to intimate partner violence calls for change, researchers say Policing of intimate partner violence (IPV) may result in adverse consequences for survivors, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. However, the evidence concerning the generalized consequences of IPV policing has not been comprehensively evaluated until now and the results call into question whether IPV policing benefits survivors.
	Buy Nothing meets GoFundMe: How a new website aims to 'revolutionize' philanthropy An Minnesota nonprofit leader hopes to "revolutionize" charitable giving with a new platform for people to trade household items they no longer need, resulting in a donation to a nonprofit.
	You could help minimize harm in a public attack. Here's what it means to be a 'zero responder' The tragic Westfield attack in Sydney highlights the vulnerability of crowded public spaces. Six people were killed and many were injured by a knife-wielding attacker in a short period of time.
	Indigenous businesses are worth billions but we don't know enough about them Indigenous businesses generate about A$16 billion a year in revenue and employ more than 116,000 people—almost as many as the massive Coles retail group.
	Higher density living is changing the way neighborhoods work in Canada There is growing concern about people's unwillingness to get to know their neighbors. This concern is significant enough to have spurred research into what has been termed the "emerging asocial society"—one of the challenge areas of an initiative called Imagining Canada's Future.
	Women kicking goals on the field but still tackling entrenched sexism New research shows that despite "Matildas soccer mania" gripping the nation during the 2023 World Cup, women footballers in general face an uphill battle gaining widespread acceptance in Australia and overcoming entrenched sexism.
	Report: England has more food banks inside schools than regular food banks nationwide Research shows schools have increasingly stepped in as a fourth emergency service and are now the biggest source of charitable food and household aid for families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
	Exploring why young women in Australia are reluctant to enter politics Despite growing momentum to increase female representation in Australia's national parliament, it continues to be a male dominated domain. New research from Monash University explores why young women still feel reluctant to become a member of the national parliament.

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