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Our brains use basic 'building blocks' of information to keep track of how people interact, enabling us to navigate complex social interactions, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. For the study, published in Nature , the researchers scanned the brains of participants who were playing a simple game involving a teammate and two opponents, to see how their brains were able to keep track of information about the group of players.

Tiny, individual, flexible ribbons of crystalline phosphorus discovered by UCL researchers in 2019 exhibit magnetic and semiconducting properties at room temperature, opening new possibilities for next-generation electronics, finds a new study involving members of the same team. The findings, published in the journal Nature , confirm the one-atom-thick ribbons, known as phosphorene nanoribbons, as a unique class of material that could enable more energy-efficient computing and unlock new quantum technologies.

A lung function test used to help diagnose asthma works better in the morning, becoming less reliable throughout the day, Cambridge researchers have found. Throughout the day, the levels of different hormones in our bodies go up and down and our immune systems perform differently. Any of these factors might affect how people respond to the lung function test Akhilesh Jha Using real world data from 1,600 patients, available through a database created for speeding up research and innovation, the team also found that its reliability differs significantly in winter compared to autumn.

Researchers at the University of Twente, in collaboration with the City University of Hong Kong, have designed a cutting-edge programmable photonic chip in a thin-film lithium niobate platform, an important material in photonics. Published in Nature Communications, this work paves the way for next-generation high-performance radar and communication applications.

A new study has found that targeted psychological interventions can significantly enhance long-term resistance to misinformation. Dubbed "psychological booster shots," these interventions improve memory retention and help individuals recognize and resist misleading information more effectively over time.

Researchers at UZH have studied the impact of pandemics on the birth rate in Switzerland for the first time. While the number of births unexpectedly rose initially during COVID-19, it fell significantly during previous pandemics in history. Birth rates are currently declining in Switzerland, just like they are in other European countries.

New antibody therapies could offer alternative to current treatments. Researchers led by Imperial have unveiled primary trial results that show encouraging advances in HIV treatment driven by immune-based therapies. The RIO trial assessed the impact of two long-acting immune therapies known as broadly neutralising antibodies, or bNAbs, compared with placebo, among 68 people living with HIV who stopped taking their antiretroviral medicines.

Researchers are working on artificial muscles that can keep up with the real thing. They have now developed a method of producing the soft and elastic, yet powerful structures using 3D printing. One day, these could be used in medicine or robotics - and anywhere else where things need to move at the touch of a button.

VU biological psychologists have made a significant discovery about brain aging. Their research shows that aging processes in the brain are linked to aging in the blood. Moreover, environmental factors play a major role in this process. This opens up new possibilities for the prevention and early detection of age-related brain disorders.

For people with a certain sleep disorder, a simple blood test could help predict the development of dementia years before symptoms appear, a new study indicates. Idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) causes people to physically act out their dreams while sleeping. The disorder is also associated with a very high risk of Parkinson's disease and a related condition called Dementia with Lewy Bodies.

Women with foreign accents, particularly Russian speakers, are perceived as less employable, according to a new study from The Australian National University (ANU). The research found men aren't impacted in the same way. To better understand language discrimination in the Australian context, ANU researchers ran an experiment in which 153 listeners rated speakers' employability.

Research offering unprecedented insights into global vaccine distribution patterns has found significant disparities in COVID-19 vaccination accessibility - identifying 'vaccine deserts' in both high and low income countries. Findings have been shared from a survey of 54 countries/regions, undertaken by experts at the University of Glasgow, University of Hong Kong, University College London and Kyung Hee University.

International research team tests effects of social media posts on valuation of chocolate   Does triggering certain emotions increase willingness to pay for sustainably produced food? In social media, emotional messages are often used to influence users' consumer behaviour. An international research team including the University of Göttingen investigated the shortand medium-term effects of such content on consumers' willingness to pay for bars of chocolate.

A new way to measure male fertility has been discovered by researchers at the University of Waterloo, opening the door to the development of simple, inexpensive tests for clinical and at-home use. The research team combined expertise in sperm cell behaviour and interface science to determine that the movement of healthy sperm within semen reduces the force with which droplets stick to a water-repellent surface.

A team of researchers from Würzburg has for the first time experimentally demonstrated a quantum tornado. Electrons form vortices in the momentum space of the quantum semi-metal tantalum arsenide. Scientists have long known that electrons can form vortices in quantum materials. What's new is the proof that these tiny particles create tornado-like structures in momentum space - a finding that has now been confirmed experimentally.

Manuele Landini from the University of Innsbruck was part of an international team led by researchers at CNR Nanotec in Lecce, Italy, that has demonstrated the emergence of a supersolid phase of matter in a photonic crystal polariton condensate. This pioneering work, published in Nature , introduces a new platform for exploring supersolidity beyond traditional ultracold atomic systems.

There is evidence that media reports of individuals who talk about successfully overcoming a suicidal crisis can have a preventive effect on other people in a similar situation. Researchers at the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna have now been able to show that this effect, also known as "Papageno effect", also applies to posts on Instagram and other social media platforms.

Online tests of women's reaction times offer insights into cognitive function and could help fill data gaps on early cognitive problems, potentially shedding light on dementia development later in life, finds a new study led by researchers at UCL and other universities. The new paper, published in BMJ Open , finds that online tests can be an easy and effective way for women in their 40s and older to volunteer for dementia prevention research from their homes instead of visiting clinics.

The prevalence of the four main types of this virus is less than 1% in young Quebecers aged 16 to 20 who have not received the vaccine. Less than 20 years after its introduction in Quebec, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program is so effective that even unvaccinated young people are benefiting from a form of immunity.

McGill team discovers a surprising electrical effect that remains stable despite dramatic changes in temperature Electronic devices rely on materials whose electrical properties change with temperature, making them less stable in extreme conditions. A discovery by McGill researchers that challenges conventional wisdom in physics suggests that bismuth, a metal, could serve as the foundation for highly stable electronic components.