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What a Decades-long Study of Arsenic Poisoning Can Tell Us About Human Health
Columbia researchers have spent over twenty-five years promoting access to clean water in Bangladesh — and investigating the impacts of contaminated aquifers.
KU researcher proposes strategies for political depolarization in, outside classroom
In two recent publications, a University of Kansas communication studies researcher prescribes constructive approaches to political polarization both in the classroom and in society more broadly.
Software from tech startup Leto helps caseworkers connect clients with community resources
Leto Tech PBC has launched software developed by Purdue researchers that helps social service agencies and other organizations more efficiently connect their clients with community resources.
Breaking a sweat isn’t easy: Mental health barriers to physical activity
Exercise has long been referenced as a way to clear the mind, take away stress or combat mental health disorders, according to postdoctoral scholar and research associate in the University of Wisconsin Wellbeing and Exercise Laboratory Madeleine Connolly. Practices such as yoga in India and tai chi in China have connected the mind and body through...
Embark on a science adventure at UW-Madison’s Science Expeditions
The community is invited to try hands-on activities at six Exploration Station hubs, tour research spaces, view Science Spectacular Shows, and attend lectures.
What Josh Elander means by wanting 'conviction' in Tennessee baseball
Tennessee baseball lost its third SEC series as coach Josh Elander searches for capable bullpen performances and consistent offense.
Meta salaries revealed: How much engineers, researchers made in 2025
See how much Meta paid in 2025, with software engineers earning as much as $450,000. Salary data shows pay ranges across over 5,000 roles.
Tongcang Li receives Bement Award for innovative quantum research
Tongcang Li has been chosen to receive the 2025 Arden L. Bement Jr. Award. The award recognizes Purdue University faculty for recent outstanding contributions in pure and applied science and engineering.
How a Diabetes Drug May Echo the Benefits of Exercise in Prostate Cancer Care
Researchers found that metformin raises an exercise‑linked metabolic molecule in prostate cancer patients, offering insight into cancer care.
What the peptide craze reveals about Americans’ relationship with risk
Why do RFK Jr. and other health influencers embrace unproven peptides while calling for more research into well-studied vaccines?
A global consensus establishes a basis for measuring and improving gut health
While “gut health” is becoming a popular term, mainly in media and marketing claims but also in the clinical context, researchers have not yet nailed down a definition. Now, a global group of 13 scientists and clinicians updates a consensus definition of gut health and implications from bench to bedside.
Dave & Buster's Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY) Rating Lowered to "Strong Sell" at Wall Street Zen
Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday.
On plant health and embracing new plant-breeding techniques in South Africa
The major challenge currently confronting South Africa’s agriculture is the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. For many farmers across the country, the most urgent tasks are both securing sufficient vaccines and rolling them out quickly in the coming months, particularly as the beef and dairy industries continue to suffer big losses. There is also pressure on sheep, goats, and other livestock to prevent the disease from spreading. As efforts to get the country through this monumental challenge continue, I believe it is important to sharpen our focus on the broader task at hand: strengthening biosecurity. This covers both animal and plant health. In recent years, we haven’t focused much on plant health, except a few times, such as when we had a goss’s wilt scare in the maize industry, a few cases of citrus black spot, or cases of sclerotinia in sunflower seeds. But the fact that South Africa managed to control the outbreaks of these particular diseases when they occurred a few years ago was due to organized agricultural and government scientific capabilities, and, most importantly, the availability of crop protection or agrochemicals necessary to address some of them. Therefore, as the animal health division in the Department of Agriculture focuses on the pressing challenge of the day, the foot-and-mouth disease, there is an opportunity for the plant health division to assess if they have all the requirements to tackle any outbreak that may occur on fruits, vegetables or crops in future. The challenge with crop diseases is that they can spread quickly and cause much more rapid damage in the field than we typically see with livestock. Therefore, speed is everything in ensuring the appropriate controls are available. I raise this as an important area, particularly given the drastic climate variation we observe across the country. The production conditions in some areas have changed noticeably over time, which may introduce new risks. The other essential part is ensuring that South Africa has access to the best crop protection technology available in the market. Many technology developers worldwide have operations in South Africa. Therefore, the Department of Agriculture, along with the Agricultural Research Council, must continuously interact with technology developers to assess the various crop protection technologies they are releasing globally and determine their suitability and need in South Africa. This will require a proactive approach from the government, unlike the current approach, in which technology developers typically approach regulators with new technologies. The government, recognising the food security risks, must take a proactive approach to ensure that South African farmers have access to the latest crop protection technologies, thereby safeguarding the country’s food security. Beyond crop protection, we must never forget that South Africa’s agriculture is key to ensuring that the country is the most food-secure country at the national level in sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa is also the only African country in the top-40 global agricultural exporters, having more than doubled since 1994 on the back of the adoption of high-yielding seed cultivars. South Africa has been the only African country to adopt a bold approach to embracing science and adopting genetically engineered seeds for grains and oilseeds in the early 2000s. Since then, we have seen crop yields improve noticeably, contributing to the gains we mentioned above. But ensuring that South Africa improves further is not a given. The key lies in South African regulators’ attitudes towards new technologies. We have to maintain a progressive approach and not give in to the politics of non-food and non-scientific voices that shout on the sidelines. Food security is national security, and the government must ensure we progress, leaning on science. Therefore, the registration of high-yielding new genomic techniques is required. South Africa cannot afford to fall behind the EU, the USA, South America, and many of its competitors in global agriculture. The Department of Agriculture’s crop science division must adopt a progress-and-science-embracing approach for the good of the country. Thanks for reading AgriView! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribe Share
AI That Forecasts Hurricanes Years Ahead: Inside BU Research
At Boston University, research is the driving force behind innovation that spans industries and shapes the future. BU empowers faculty and students to tackle complex global challenges, producing thousands of publications each year and fueling breakthroughs that extend far beyond campus. Learn more about the innovators whose work powers discoveries on and off campus. Boston […]
AI breakthrough cuts energy use by 100x while boosting accuracy
AI is consuming staggering amounts of energy—already over 10% of U.S. electricity—and the demand is only accelerating. Now, researchers have unveiled a radically more efficient approach that could slash AI energy use by up to 100× while actually improving accuracy. By combining neural networks with human-like symbolic reasoning, their system helps robots think more logically instead of relying on brute-force trial and error.
Trump’s 2027 budget proposes deep cuts to science programs
Domestic agencies would face $73 billion in cuts, including reduced funding for scientific research and health and environmental programs
Train transfer hub linked to reduced healthcare spending
Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University and Japan System Techniques Co., Ltd. evaluated the 2019 Osaka-Higashi Line station openings using a natural experiment and health insurance claims. While the overall rail-line effect was not significant, Shigino Station, a well-connected transfer hub, showed an estimated cumulative reduction of about JPY 62,500 per medically treated person over four years, highlighting that station connectivity and local context may determinewhether new stations deliver healthcare cost benefits.
How FIU and Baptist Health are Using AI and Sound to Detect Heart Disease Earlier
Florida International University researchers working with Baptist Health are combining a digital stethoscope with A.I. and advanced sound analysis to detect subtle signs of heart disease long before symptoms appear.
Study Reveals the Single Cause of Cognitive Decline—and a Cure
Researchers pinpoint a lone protein that speeds up the dysfunction of an aging brain. Eliminating it, they claim, can reverse the damage.
Inside High School Sports: April 5, 2026
In this week’s Whataburger’s Inside High School Sports, North Texas will have plenty of soccer teams searching for state titles next week. The state semifinals were this weekend. The Allen Eagles boys took on defending state champion Klein Cain in a 6A D1 semifinal in our Whataburger Game of the Week.
Bridging Political Divides: How faith can help find common ground
About 80% of American adults believe our political divides run so deep that we cannot even agree on basic facts, according to the Pew Research Center. But some Utah leaders say faith is helping them to find the common ground needed to bridge those political divides and find a new path forward.
🚨 Thuram, Soulé, Bastoni... confirmed XIs for Inter v Roma
Serie A Easter Sunday concludes with one of the two big matches of Matchday 31.Chivu’s Inter, in search of a win that has slipped away from them over the last 3 rounds to put their doubts behind the...
Kids, Competition & Pressure: Keeping sports fun
Research shows adults who played sports as kids report better mental health and higher levels of persistence and “grit” later in life.
SBCC Psychology Chair and Research Team's Study on Movement Disorders Published in the International Journal of Public Health
A study by an international team of researchers led by Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Psychology Department Chair Leida Tolentino was recently published in the International Journal of Public Health
The Vibe Coding Effect? Apple’s App Store Saw 84% Jump in New Apps in Quarter
For much of the last decade, the number of new apps launching in Apple’s App Store each year went into a tailspin, falling a whopping 48% between 2016 and 2024, according to data from research firm Sensor Tower. At least that was the case until last year. In 2025, the number of new apps that ...
Scientists find hidden brain cells helping deadly cancer grow
Scientists in Canada have uncovered a surprising weakness in glioblastoma, one of the deadliest brain cancers. They found that certain brain cells—once believed to only support healthy nerves—can actually help tumors grow by sending signals that strengthen cancer cells. When researchers blocked this communication, tumor growth slowed dramatically in lab models.
Study of 1,700 languages reveals surprising hidden patterns
A massive new analysis of over 1,700 languages shows that some long-debated “universal” grammar rules are actually real. By using cutting-edge evolutionary methods, researchers found that languages tend to evolve in predictable ways rather than randomly. Key patterns—like word order and grammatical structure—keep reappearing across the globe. The results suggest shared human thinking and communication pressures shape how all languages develop.
What Sea Creatures Reveal About How Fast People Age
By Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay ReporterSUNDAY, April 5, 2026 (HealthDay News) — This is no ordinary fish story. Researchers who videotaped every moment in the lives of 81 African turquoise killfish gleaned intriguing insights into the aging process that may also apply to humans. Though killfish ...
How Investors May Respond To Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) Liquidity Jitters Amid Premium Macau Push
In recent weeks, Melco Resorts & Entertainment reported mixed fourth-quarter 2025 results, while major banks including BofA Securities, UBS, and Morgan Stanley updated their research views on the company amid concerns over liquidity, margins, and Macau market conditions. At the same time, Melco underscored its premium positioning by highlighting eight MICHELIN Stars across five Macau restaurants, reinforcing how high-end non-gaming offerings are becoming a central part of its hospitality and...
Edward Keegan: UIC’s new computer science building is willfully eccentric
UIC’s newest addition — the Computer Design, Research, and Learning Center — is the most hopeful architectural addition since the 1960s.
Microplastics have been found everywhere. That's a problem for research
Microplastics scientists are finding the tiny particles everywhere, even in their own research laboratories. So how do they know if what they're finding is in the sample or contamination from plastic fibers floating in the air?
Helium price spike: Products and industries that could get more expensive
Cell phones, MRIs, and space research are among the things that could get more expensive as helium prices spike.
Business leaders now have ‘permission to be the assholes they are’, says Brené Brown
Researcher warns political climate is ‘sinister’ and ‘anti-empathy’
Scientists found a protein that drives brain aging — and how to stop it
Scientists have uncovered a powerful new clue in the mystery of brain aging: a single protein called FTL1. In aging mice, higher levels of this protein weakened connections between brain cells and led to memory decline. But when researchers reduced FTL1, something remarkable happened — the brain began to recover, rebuilding lost connections and restoring memory performance.
Scientists trap light in a layer 1,000x thinner than hair
Researchers have created a nanoscale structure that traps infrared light in a layer just 40 nanometers thick—over 1,000 times thinner than a human hair. By using a unique material with exceptional light-bending properties, they can confine and intensify light far beyond previous limits. This setup also dramatically boosts light conversion effects, turning infrared into visible blue light. The advance could pave the way for smaller, faster photonic technologies.
Trump’s Victory Rhetoric Undercut by Downed US Jet in Iran War
The downing of a US aircraft and the dayslong search for a missing crew member has pierced the aura of invincibility that President Donald Trump has sought to project as he tries to stave off the increasing political risks of the Iran war he started five weeks ago alongside Israel.
New Purdue center looks to grow cognitive science across campus
Faculty speakers at Purdue’s Interdisciplinary Conference in Cognitive Science said the university’s new Cognition, Agency, and Intelligence Center aims to connect philosophy, artificial intelligence, and interdisciplinary research.
Braiding knowledge: how Indigenous expertise and western science are converging
Researchers are weaving Native practices with western methods to revive ecosystems and reclaim food sovereignty
Astros New Approach Is Sustainable
For the first couple of games, the Astros offense looked like it was trying to force everything. The swings came early, the contact was weak, and too many innings ended before the opposing starter ever felt uncomfortable. It had that familiar early-season look of a lineup still searching for rhythm. But the last few games […]
Does athletic tape really work? Here's what experts say
Kinesiology tape, worn by athletes like Serena Williams, Olympians and the rest of us, may have more of a placebo effect than a performance benefit, new research finds.
Trump Slashed Funding for Science. Now the U.S. Faces a Costly Brain Drain.
The White House’s attacks on academia and budget cuts for research have provided an opening for other countries to poach leading scientists.
Binge drinking just once a month may triple your risk of liver scarring
Many people think that occasional binge drinking is harmless if they otherwise drink in moderation, but new research suggests that assumption may be dangerously wrong. A large U.S. study found that people with metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), a condition affecting about one in three adults, face a much higher risk of serious liver scarring if they engage in heavy drinking even just once a month.
The Future of Brain Health Is Architecture
We’ve long recognized the importance of buildings in meeting a basic human need: shelter. Now, research shows how buildings can improve our overall brain health.
Weekend reads: Half of social science ‘doesn’t replicate’; ‘Scientific ghosts: Life after retraction’; multisensory learning paper retracted
If your week flew by — we know ours did — catch up here with what you might have missed. The week at Retraction Watch featured: A citation alert led researchers to a network of fake articles. But w…
Only About Half Of Social Science Results Can Be Replicated, Finds New Study
A multi-year study of the reliability of published social & behavioral science research has found that only about half of published results are replicated by new studies.
Young Adults With High Blood Pressure Face Higher Risk of Heart, Kidney Disease
Recent research suggests that adults ages 30 to 40 with high blood pressure may face a higher risk of cardiovascular and kidney disease later in life. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy blood pressure at a younger age.
LinkedIn Hidden Code Secretly Searches Your Browser for Installed Extensions
Every time you open LinkedIn in a Chrome-based browser, hidden JavaScript silently scans your computer for installed software without your knowledge, without your consent, and without a single word in LinkedIn's privacy policy.
These overlooked brain cells may control fear and PTSD
Astrocytes, once thought to be mere brain “support cells,” are now revealed to be key players in fear memory. Researchers found they actively help form, recall, and weaken fear responses by interacting with neurons in real time. Changing astrocyte activity directly altered how strong fear memories became. This breakthrough could lead to entirely new treatments for anxiety-related disorders.
MXene breakthrough boosts conductivity 160x with perfect atomic order
A new breakthrough is transforming MXenes—ultra-thin, high-tech materials—into something far more powerful and precise. Researchers have developed a cleaner, more controlled way to build these materials using molten salts and iodine, eliminating the messy chemical processes that once left their surfaces disordered. The result is a perfectly arranged atomic structure that lets electrons flow with remarkable ease, boosting conductivity by up to 160 times.
Meteor impacts may have sparked life on Earth, scientists say
Asteroid impacts may have helped kick-start life on Earth by creating hot, chemical-rich environments ideal for early biology. These impact-generated hydrothermal systems could have lasted thousands of years—long enough for life’s building blocks to form. Scientists now think these environments may have been common on early Earth, making them a strong candidate for where life began. The idea could also guide the search for life on other worlds.
Scientists Have Made French Fry Breakthrough
Researchers have developed a method of making french fries that results in a healthier bite without sacrificing crispiness.
Nashua health officials search for homeless man with tuberculosis
A New Hampshire judge is ordering a homeless man with active tuberculosis to isolate or be arrested.
Animal Sciences Faculty Wendie Cohick Among Eight Rutgers Researchers Named 2026 AAAS Fellows
Wendie Cohick, Vice Provost and Vice Chancellor for Research, Rutgers-New Brunswick and faculty in the Department of Animal Sciences, is one of eight Rutgers faculty named to the 2026 class of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellows. Cohick and her Rutgers colleagues were among the 500 scientists, engineers and innovators spanning 24 scientific […]
What's next for North Carolina coaching search after Tommy Lloyd inks new deal with Arizona?
Here are the top names to know for the Tar Heels after Tommy Lloyd's decision.
New research suggests the microplastics health risk may not be as bad as we thought
However, that's definitely not to say microplastics aren't still a big problem, study authors warn.
Latest peek into pika science written by CMU student during senior year
Karli Weatherill was a Colorado Mesa University sophomore when she showed up at the office of Johanna Varner and voiced an interest in doing scientific research in the mountains.
Gemma 4 and what makes an open model succeed
Having written a lot of model release blog posts, there’s something much harder about reviewing open models when they drop relative to closed models, especially in 2026. In recent years, there were so few open models, so when Llama 3 was released most people were still doing research on Llama 2 and super happy to get an update. When Qwen 3 was released, the Llama 4 fiasco had just gone down, and a whole research community was emerging to study RL on Qwen 2.5 — it was a no brainer to upgrade. Today, when an open model releases, it’s competing with Qwen 3.5, Kimi K2.5, GLM 5, MiniMax M2.5, GPT-OSS, Arcee Large, Nemotron 3, Olmo 3, and others. The space is populated, but still feels full of hidden opportunity. The potential of open models feels like a dark matter, a potential we know is huge, but few clear recipes and examples for how to unlock it are out there. Agentic AI, OpenClaw, and everything brewing in that space is going to spur mass experimentation in open models to complement the likes of Claude and Codex, not replace them. Especially with open models, the benchmarks at release are an extremely incomplete story. In some ways this is exciting, as new open models have a much higher variance and ability to surprise, but it also points at some structural reasons that make building businesses and great AI experiences around open models harder than the closed alternatives. When a new Claude Opus or GPT drops, spending a few hours with them in my agentic workflows is genuinely a good vibe test. For open models, putting them through this test is a category error. Something else to be said about open models in the era of agents is that they get out of the debate of integration, harnesses, and tools and let us see close to the ground on what exactly is the ability of just a model. Of course, we can’t test some things like search abilities without some tool, but being able to measure exactly the pace of progress of the model alone is a welcome simplification to a systematically opaque AI space. Share The list of factors I’d use to assess a new open-weight model I’m considering investing in includes: Model performance (and size) — how this model performs on benchmarks I care about and how it compares to other models of a similar size. Country of origin — some businesses care deeply about provenance, and if a model was built in China or not. Model license — if a model needs legal approval for use, uptake will be slower at mid-sized and large companies. Tooling at release — many models release with half-broken, or at least substantially slower, implementations in popular software like vLLM, Transformers, SGLANG, etc due to pushing the envelope of architectures or tools. Model fine-tunability — how easy or hard it is to modify the given model to your use-case when you actually try and use it. The core problem is that some of these are immediately available at release, e.g. general performance, license, origin, etc. but others such as tooling take day(s) to week(s) to stabilize, and others are open research questions — with no group systematically monitoring fine-tunability. In the early era of open models, the days of Llama 2 or 3 and Qwen pre v3.5, the architectures were fairly simple and the models tended to work out of the box. Some of this was due to the extremely hard work of the Llama, Qwen, Mistral, etc. developer teams. Some is due to the new models being genuinely harder to work with. When it comes to something like Qwen 3.5 or Nemotron 3, with hybrid models (either gated delta net or mamba layers), the tooling is very rough at release. Things you would expect to “just work” often don’t. I’ve been following this area closely since we released Olmo Hybrid with a similar architecture, and Qwen 3.5 is just starting to work well in the various open-source tools that need to all play nice together for RL research. That’s 1.5 months after the release date! This is just to start really investing more into understanding the behavior of the models. Of course, others started working on these models sooner by investing more engineering resources or relying on partially closed software. The fully open and distributed ecosystem takes a long time to get going on some new models. All of this is lead-in for the most important question for open models — how easy is it to adapt to specific use-cases? This is a different problem for different model sizes. Large MoE open-weight models may be used by entities like Cursor who need complex capabilities in their domain, e.g. Composer 2 trained on Kimi K2.5. Other applications can be built on much smaller models, such as Chroma’s Context-1 model for agentic search, built on GPT-OSS 20B. The question of “which models are fine-tunable” is largely background knowledge known by engineers across the industry. There should be a thriving research area here to support the open ecosystem model. The first step is to understand characteristics of different base and post-trained models to understand what they look like. The second step is to tune pretraining recipes for open models so they’re more flexible. Interconnects AI is a reader-supported publication. Consider becoming a subscriber. Subscribe For The ATOM Project and other Interconnects endeavors, we’ve put in substantial effort to measuring adoption trends in the open ecosystem. Everything takes a long time to unfold after a model is first publicly available — and adaptability is why. What we know for sure now, when Qwen has been going from strength to strength with its releases, is that technical staff across the industry has gotten comfortable working with Qwen models. Countless research methods and datasets were made to work with Qwen. It’ll take patience for any other model family to get to this point — a patience I’m not sure many open model builders have. This takes us to Gemma 4, Google’s latest open models. Gemma 3 was released more than a year ago, in March of 2025, and is a bit underrated. Gemma 4 comes in 4 sizes for now, with a bigger, MoE model of over 100B total parameters rumored but not released yet. The models we have today come in sizes of ~5B dense, 8B dense, 26B total 4B active MoE, and 31B dense. I’m most excited that they’re finally adopting a standard Apache 2.0 open source license. This’ll massively boost adoption. The standard of better licenses for strong open-weight LLMs was set by mostly Chinese open model labs in the last 1-2 years, and now U.S. companies are following suit. I will personally be so happy if the horrible Llama licenses and Gemma terms of service were an ~18-month transient dynamic of the industry being nervous about releasing strong open models. The Gemma 4 scores look very solid, the small models have incredible benchmark scores (especially in general domains like LMArena) and the 31B model rivals the recent Qwen 3.5 27B, which is the leading member of that class. The ~30B size range is an important one, as it’s accessible both to researchers and to enterprises looking to deploy the model in real use-cases. Where the 7B model scale is the default for tinkering and research, a 30B model is the default for seeing if an open model can unlock substantial value in your specific workflow — a good mix of intelligence, low price, tractability for downstream training, etc. This takes us back to the above adoption criteria I mentioned for open models and the bigger question — do I think Gemma 4 will be an overwhelming success? Previous Gemma models have been plagued by tooling issues and poorer performance when being finetuned. Gemma 4’s success is going to be entirely determined by ease of use, to a point where a 5-10% swing on benchmarks wouldn’t matter at all. It’s strong enough, small enough, with the right license, and from the U.S., so many companies are going to slot it in. I’m cautiously optimistic that Gemma 4 is going to work better here. Winds are shifting for open models built in America. We saw GPT-OSS go through a bumpy launch to become an overwhelming success. There’s a collective energy around the likes of Reflection, Arcee, Nemotron, Gemma, Olmo, and peers that show substantial demand for building new stacks around open models. There’s capital to be spent on AI stacks across the economy by those who want more ownership of everything, including the model. After launching The ATOM Project 240 days ago, the conversation is shifting into the next stage. Summer of 2025 was a crisis moment where the U.S. AI scene realized it can’t wait and figure out open models after building AGI. The two markets will capture different areas and proceed in parallel. Now that more companies in the U.S. are releasing strong models, we need to improve the ecosystem so that these models are easy to use, understand, and build value around. It’s the hard work to build another inflection point in these adoption plots I’ve been updating consistently, but that’s the work to be done. Join me in it. More data coming soon! Here’s a sneak peek:
UWM primate researcher honored as fellow for national science organization
Trudy Turner, distinguished professor emerita of anthropology at UW-Milwaukee, has been elected to the 2025 class of fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Trump budget calls for another sharp cut to NIH
It shows how biomedical research remains a lightning rod for criticism from the right.
Young people ‘more likely to leave for health reasons when in low-paid, insecure jobs’
Research for TUC analyses link between job quality and economic inactivity, as UK youth unemployment rises
Artemis science team recruits Stony Brook planetary geologist to help analyze moon's structure
Timothy Glotch is one of 10 scientists who will shape the research plan for upcoming Artemis moon exploration missions, including the one that will put U.S. astronauts on the moon for the first time since Apollo 17, in 1972.
New Webinar Series Explores Relationship Between Microbiome and Health
The free virtual series is open to students, researchers, clinicians and anyone from the public with an interest in microbiome science.
Opinion: Science Communication Is Central to the Practice of Science
Explaining and defending knowledge is as essential to the scientific enterprise as publishing research.
Never had the flu? Scientists may know why
Scientists estimate somewhere between 5%-35% of people do not get sick from the flu despite being exposed to the virus that causes it. Now, researchers may have figured out why. The team looked at mouthwash samples from 19 healthcare workers who, despite frequent contact with infected patients, report never getting flu symptoms. Today on Short Wave, we talk about how what they found could help scientists develop treatments and strategies to protect people who do get the flu. If you liked this episode, check out our show on an effort to map the entire immune system.Interested in more health science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
UC San Diego School of Medicine Ranked No. 4 Nationally for NIH Funding Among Public Institutions
The University of California San Diego School of Medicine ranked No. 4 among public institutions and No. 14 overall nationwide for NIH funding in 2025 as reported by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR).
A gene mutation may trap the brain in the wrong reality in schizophrenia patients
A newly identified gene mutation may help explain why schizophrenia patients struggle to update their understanding of reality. The mutation disrupts a brain circuit involved in flexible decision-making, causing mice to stick with outdated choices even when conditions change. Researchers pinpointed the issue to a key thalamus–prefrontal cortex pathway. By reactivating this circuit, they were able to restore normal behavior—raising hope for future therapies.
Scientists Discover Why Flu and COVID Hit Older Adults So Hard
A new study reveals that aging lungs may play a major role in why flu and COVID can become so dangerous for older adults. Researchers found that certain lung cells can trigger an exaggerated immune response, creating clusters of inflammatory cells that end up damaging lung tissue instead of protecting it. In experiments, activating this aging-related signal in young mice caused their lungs to behave like older ones, leading to severe illness.
This tiny claw in a 500-million-year-old fossil just rewrote the origin of spiders
What started as routine fossil cleaning turned into a major scientific surprise when researchers uncovered a tiny claw in a 500-million-year-old specimen where no claw should exist. That detail revealed Megachelicerax cousteaui, the oldest known relative of spiders, pushing the origins of this group back by 20 million years. The fossil shows that key features of modern spiders and horseshoe crabs were already emerging during the Cambrian Explosion.
Deafness reversed: One injection restores hearing in just weeks
A new gene therapy is giving people born deaf the chance to hear, often within just weeks. In a small but groundbreaking study, researchers delivered a working copy of a key hearing gene directly into the inner ear using a single injection. All ten patients, ranging from young children to adults, experienced improved hearing, with some showing rapid gains in just one month.
Scientists say BMI gets it wrong for over one third of adults
A new study suggests that one of the most widely used health metrics, BMI, may be getting it wrong for a large portion of the population. By comparing BMI classifications with precise body fat measurements using advanced DXA scans, researchers found that more than one-third of adults were placed in incorrect weight categories. Many people labeled as overweight or obese did not actually have the corresponding body fat levels, while others were missed entirely.
Thieves take more than $100K worth of equipment at bizarre business break-in, HPD says
Houston police say they are searching for suspects after a group of thieves broke into a construction services company overnight and made off with multiple pieces of heavy equipment.
Building science: USACE delivers high-tech greenhouses for crop research capabilities
Interagency work between USDA Agriculture Research Service and USACE Seattle District are now complete at ARS’ National Clonal Germplasm in Corvallis, Ore.
Iterative Health, US Heart & Vascular Partner to Advance Community-Based Cardiovascular Research
April 2, 2026 — Iterative Health and US Heart & Vascular (USHV) have announced a strategic partnership to advance research through community-based innovation in cardiovascular care. "Clinical research is one of the most powerful ways we expand access, improve patient outcomes, and shape the future of cardiovascular care," said Robbie Allen, chief executive officer of US Heart & Vascular. "By partnering with Iterative Health, we are strengthening our ability to bring innovative therapies directly into the communities we serve. This collaboration ensures our physicians and patients have access to leading-edge trials while allowing US Heart & Vascular to remain focused on delivering exceptional, physician-led care." Under the agreement, USHV research sites will join Iterative Health’s global site network, which now spans over 100 sites across three continents. The companies share a commitment to advancing clinical research as a driver of care innovation, and this collaboration represents a major milestone for both organizations, strengthening USHV's leadership in community-based cardiovascular research and expanding Iterative Health's multispecialty focus beyond GI, hepatology, and obesity into cardiology. USHV clinical research sites will gain access to Iterative Health's centralized operational backbone, providing end-to-end support across clinical research operations, services, business development, technology innovation, and corporate functions. The strategic partnership reduces operational complexity and unlocks growth potential for USHV research sites while enabling all USHV physicians to expand access to cutting-edge therapies to the thousands of patients they serve annually. "Innovation in cardiovascular medicine shouldn't be limited to a few academic centers," said Thomas Waggoner, DO, MD, RPVI, FACC, FSCAI, FSVM, RPVI, Structural Cardiologist and Medical Director for Clinical Research at Pima Heart & Vascular, and USHV Physician Champion for Clinical Research. "By expanding community-based research across USHV, we're ensuring more patients have access to clinical trials and breakthrough therapies close to home, where trusted relationships with their physicians already exist." This alliance reinforces Iterative Health's standing as the definitive research partner across specialized therapeutic areas, now spanning GI, hepatology, obesity, and cardiovascular care. Trusted by many of the nation's leading provider organizations and biopharma sponsors, Iterative Health's global site network delivers industry-leading trial performance, accelerating life-changing therapies to market at scale. "Entering cardiology through our strategic partnership with US Heart & Vascular is a defining moment for Iterative Health and reflects the strength of our site-serving model," said Jonathan Ng, founder and CEO of Iterative Health. "Together, we are ensuring that thousands of patients have access to the newest available therapies, and that sponsors have a credible, high-performing partner to accelerate cardiovascular trial success." For more information, visit www.iterative.health and https://usheartandvascular.com/.
School of Health Undergraduate Wins 2026 Goldwater Scholarship
Ishaan Sharma has been named a 2026 Goldwater Scholar, an undergraduate scholarship awarded to the next generation of scientists, researchers and engineers.
Research points to brain-based clues for mental health
In a split second, the brain determines whether an ambiguous situation is good or bad—and those snap judgments can reveal important information about a person. A new article by Husker psychologist Maital ...
Researchers discover AI can influence opinions on politics and it tends to lean left
Matthew Burtell, an AI expert at America First Policy Institute, warns AI can not only sway opinions but leave a lasting impact on what people believe about key policy issues.
A Forecast of What’s Next for Chemical Engineering and Materials Science - USC Viterbi
The 20th annual Student Symposium and Showcase at the USC Viterbi Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science highlights research in AI-driven materials discovery, energy transition and biomolecular engineering.
Students from Nome showcase homegrown research at Alaska Science and Engineering Fair
The Alaska Science and Engineering Fair took place in Anchorage on March 28, where students from all over the state gathered to present their research and inventions, including several young scientists from Nome's Anvil City Science Academy (ACSA). Before the statewide competition, ACSA students presented at the school's annual science…
Growing Smarter: PVAMU study explores science behind stronger plants
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Apr. 2, 2026) — From backyard gardens to large-scale farms, how plants grow can make all the difference. A Prairie View A&M University researcher is taking a closer look at that process and how it could help crops become more productive and resilient. Dr. Tesfamichael Kebrom, a research scientist in the College […]
Anthropic Says That Claude Contains Its Own Kind of Emotions
Researchers at the company found representations inside of Claude that perform functions similar to human feelings.
‘Healthy’ kava drinks linked to surge in poison center calls
UVA Health researchers say today’s stronger, unregulated products are causing serious reactions, including vomiting, rapid heartbeat and liver damage.
Family Conflict and Stress Disrupt Emotion Regulation in Youth
Research led by Karim Ibrahim, PsyD, an assistant professor at Yale Child Study Center, indicates that difficulties managing emotions in childhood are linked to
Potatoes on the moon? Oregon State University scientists show it could work
Researchers grew potatoes in soil that mimics the powdery sediment on the moon's service. With just a little added compost, the plants produced a decent haul of potatoes.
Sharing her passion for science
By Danielle Rush Communications Specialist, Indiana University Kokomo Hisako Masuda, Indiana University Kokomo professor of biochemistry, was honored by the Indiana Academy of Science (IAS) as its 2026 Distinguished Scholar. The award is given to an individual who is recognized by the IAS as having an exceptional record of scholarship. Recipients are selected from nominations submitted to its awards committee. “I was surprised,” said Masuda, who joined IU Kokomo’s faculty in 2013. “I feel there are many good scientists in the Academy, so I wasn’t expecting it at all.” Patrick Motl, dean of the School of Sciences, said the Academy recognizes up to one member per year, and that Masuda is the second or third IU Kokomo faculty member to receive the commendation. “Clearly this speaks to the strength of Dr. Masuda’s accomplishments in research and scholarship and that her work stands out amongst her peers in Indiana,” said Motl, who received the award in 2019. “Many of the institutions that participate in the IAS are undergraduate institutions or primarily undergraduate institutions, but even having that caveat, Dr. Masuda has built and maintains a very active research program in her lab, working exclusively with undergraduates. She is passionate about science and can share that passion with her students. To carry on a quality research program with so many students involved in so many projects is truly remarkable and I am glad that the IAS acknowledged that for Dr. Masuda.” The IAS specifically commended her for involving more than 50 undergraduates in her research in bacterial metabolism, genomics, and their phenotypic plasticity at IU Kokomo, and publishing 23 articles with many student co-authors. Masuda’s current work primarily focuses on biodegradation and chemical repurposing of nylon. Using soil bacteria, her lab studies bacterial biodegradation of nylon and other environmental pollutants. She applies principles of green chemistry while developing a method to convert nylon waste into other nontoxic polymers. In collaborative work with health scientists, her lab investigates gut microbiomes of Indiana native birds as well as human subjects in a clinical study. She became interested in converting plastic waste while earning her Ph.D. at Rutgers University, working on methods to remove environmental waste not using chemicals or other intrusive methods. She learned about Nylon 11, which is used in pipes for transferring oil, interior components for cars, catheters, and in other industrial hard plastics. Nylon 11 is nontoxic, she added, so it is safe to include students in the research. “Those are considered to be nonbiodegradable, and have to go to a landfill,” she said. “I thought if we could come up with a way to biodegrade it, that would make some kind of impact.” Eventually, she wants to develop a product that would convert nylon waste to something useful, and to reduce waste and microplastics in the environment. “That would be my goal at some point, that we can make that change, and also make people more aware of their use of plastics,” she said. “I hope students stop to think about what we can do as scientists to address issues currently impacting us.” She appreciates the IAS for its support of scientific research at Indiana institutions, and IU Kokomo and the School of Sciences for providing funding for students to attend the Academy’s annual meeting. She added that IU Kokomo has also supported her research with funding from the School of Sciences and Academic Affairs. “Without that, I couldn’t do my research,” she said. Masuda has also earned a Senior Research Grant from the IAS, IU Kokomo’s Distinguished Research Award, and the IU Kokomo Junior Faculty Annual Research Award. She is a Fellow of the Indiana Academy of Science. Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.
Panoramic Health and West Coast Kidney Institute Launch Concord Cardio-Renal Research Institute to Advance Clinical Trials in Cardio-Renal-Metabolic Disease
/PRNewswire/ -- Panoramic Science, the clinical research division of Panoramic Health, and West Coast Kidney Institute today announced the launch of the...
CTSI TSS Webinar: 'Designing Research for the Real World: Human-Centered Design in Translational Science'
Despite strong evidence and well-designed studies, many interventions fail to translate into real-world practice. This April 15 session introduces human-centered design (HCD) as a practical, complementary approach to translational research that helps bridge this gap.
Meet the new directors of GLAM, PULSE, and the Ginzton Lab
Three interdisciplinary research labs anchored in the physical sciences have new faculty directors – each a longtime member of the community they’ll now lead.
Why journals are put on hold in the Web of Science Core Collection – and how research integrity guides the process
Acceptance into Web of Science Core Collection does not guarantee permanent indexing. This blog explains why journals are placed on hold, how journal re‑evaluation and delisting decisions are made, and the role publishers can play in safeguarding research integrity.
Rethinking science diplomacy for a more equitable public health future
Rigorous public health research in the Global South, especially in conflict-affected contexts, depends on trust, reciprocity, local leadership
Scientists cured type 1 diabetes in mice by creating a blended immune system
By creating a hybrid immune system between the recipient and the donor, researchers were able to transplant insulin-producing cells that were not rejected.
The Rest Is Science: how evolution is shaping cancer research
In a special episode of The Rest Is Science, Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens discuss the story behind cancer’s rapid evolution and how it is helping scientists backed by Cancer Research UK to beat the disease at its own game
Three Mizzou researchers named AAAS Fellows for science impact
The American Association for the Advancement of Science honors three MU faculty for breakthroughs in genomics, microbiology and disease research.
Three Mizzou researchers named AAAS Fellows for science impact
The American Association for the Advancement of Science honors three MU faculty for breakthroughs in genomics, microbiology and disease research.
Why People With Chronic Illness Are Turning to AI Chatbots for Health Advice
Some women with complex chronic illnesses are using chatbots to search for diagnoses or relief from their symptoms.
New Research Reveals 2 Most Dangerous Cleaning Products to Have Around Kids
Household injuries send thousands of children to the emergency room every year. Researchers reveal which common cleaning products are the most dangerous.
How to restore engagement in politics, explained by political experts
When it comes to the federal government, 17 percent of Americans trust their elected leaders to do what is right, either all or “most of the time.” That figure, from a December Pew Research Center Survey, might make people, including Ohio State students, less likely to engage with, or participate in government. But Michael Neblo, […]
Faced with Trump's attacks on research, French scientists urge vigilance
On Thursday, March 26, the Stand Up for Science collective condemned the Trump administration's attacks on research and academic freedom. They also warned of the risks of these actions spreading to Europe and France.
Alien Messages May Have Reached Earth – Why Haven’t Scientists Found Them?
Detecting extraterrestrial signals may require searching farther and longer than previously expected.
MSU research links mental health, school climate to attendance
Two new MSU-led studies offer fresh insight into the factors shaping chronic absenteeism pre- and post-COVID-19. Together, the findings point to actionable areas where schools and districts can intervene to improve attendance and support student well‑being.
UC names Suzanne Judd, PhD, as inaugural director of new Center for Public Health
Following an extensive national search, the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine has appointed Suzanne E. Judd, PhD, as the inaugural director of its newly established Center for Public Health. Judd, a renowned epidemiologist and interdisciplinary scholar, will lead the center’s mission to transform community health through innovative research, education and strategic advocacy.