news 2024

Teens who have disposable income, live in a lower-income home or are gender diverse are more likely to use e-cigarettes, according to a new study at the University of Waterloo. Researchers examined survey responses from more than 46,000 adolescents in 167 schools across Canada as part of the COMPASS research system at Waterloo's School of Public Health Sciences.

Newborn babies are born with a type of bacterium in their gut that could be used to develop new personalised infant therapeutic probiotics, finds a new study involving UCL researchers. In the largest study of UK baby microbiomes to date, published in Nature Microbiology , researchers from UCL, the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the University of Birmingham, used whole genome sequencing to analyse stool samples from 1,288 healthy infants, all'under one month old from the UK Baby Biome Study.

Interdisciplinary research team uses DNA microbeads to control the development of cultivated tissue A new molecular engineering technique can precisely influence the development of organoids. Microbeads made of specifically folded DNA are used to release growth factors or other signal molecules inside the tissue structures.

Researchers at ETH Zurich and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have developed a robotic leg with artificial muscles. Inspired by living creatures, it jumps across different terrains in an agile and energy-efficient manner. Inventors and researchers have been developing robots for almost 70 years.

Researchers at the MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit in Oxford's Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences have discovered a new neuronal mechanism in the hippocampus, that prevents new 'flexible' memories from being formed due to a past 'robust' memory. Memories inform our everyday actions and guide our behaviours.

A new cheap, easily-manufactured device could lead to improved satellite communication, high speed data transmission, and remote sensing, scientists say. A team of engineers led by researchers from the University of Glasgow have developed a ultrathin 2D surface which harnesses the unique properties of metamaterials to manipulate and convert radio waves across the frequences most commonly used by satellites.

Dangerous mixtures: pesticides in combination can have unexpected effects on the development of honeybees. This is shown by a new study from the Biocenter. Honeybees are social insects. Their colony only survives as a community, and healthy new generations are very important. It is therefore not surprising that honeybees invest significant care and resources into their offspring: nurse bees feed the young larvae with a food juice made from nectar and pollen which they produce in a gland in their head.

Since the 1990s, the European Union has worked intensively with non-EU countries to discourage irregular migration and promote the return of irregular migrants. Despite years of efforts, recent research shows that migrant deterrent campaigns have little effect, and that deportations of irregular migrants are not as easy to drive up as politicians may suggest.

Young people exposed to social media posts by celebrities and influencers who endorse nicotine products are more susceptible to smoking or vaping, University of Queensland research has found. Dr Carmen Lim from UQ's National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research led a study which assessed the survey responses of more than 5,600 young people who didn't smoke or vape, and who used social media in the previous month.

Using neutrons, TU/e scientists visualize the internal processes of a redox flow battery. At the beginning of the 20th century, the invention of X-ray imaging provided a leap of knowledge in medical science. Since then, we can see how our body's bones work, bringing numerous new treatments to light. Now, a similar approach using neutron imaging makes it possible to visualize the internal functioning of redox flow batteries - a type of battery mainly used for large-scale storage in solar and wind energy systems.

The language used in many healthcare settings to describe pregnancy loss exacerbates the grief and trauma experienced by some individuals and can be a critical factor in determining psychological well-being following the loss, according to a new report led by a UCL researcher. In the first study of its kind, social scientists from UCL, led by Dr Beth Malory (UCL English Language & Literature), gathered data from a total of 339 participants from across the UK - 290 people with lived experience of pregnancy loss and 49 healthcare professionals, including 42 focus group participants.

A team of scientists from the University of Manchester has achieved a significant breakthrough in understanding lithium-ion storage within the thinnest possible battery anode - composed of just two layers of carbon atoms. Their research, published in Nature Communications , shows an unexpected 'in-plane staging' process during lithium intercalation in bilayer graphene, which could pave the way for advancements in energy storage technologies.

Researchers create a one-dimensional gas out of light Researchers create a one-dimensional gas out of light Joint experiment by the University of Bonn and the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau Physicists at the University of Bonn and the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU) have created a one-dimensional gas out of light.

A drug known as a "gene silencer" has shown promise in reducing hospitalisation and deaths from a devastating condition known as transthyretin (ATTR) cardiac amyloidosis, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

Participating in a series of cognitive training sessions has helped Quebec seniors cope with memory loss - even five years later, an UdeM study finds. Can training your brain to remember things help you ward off the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease? A new Canadian study suggests that yes, it can - even five years after you got the training.

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, now reveal how a bacterial parasite infects and reproduces in the nuclei of deep-sea mussels from hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. A single bacterial cell invades the mussel's nucleus where it reproduces to over 80,000 cells, while ensuring that its host cell stays alive.

Numerous studies have shown that the older the father, the higher the risk of disease for the offspring. Human geneticists at the University of Würzburg have now taken a closer look at the processes responsible for this. SPIEGEL writes about "Old fathers being a risk factor", "Late fathers have more sick children" is the headline in WELT.

Bonn researchers get to the bottom of the social aspect of communication for mental activity Across all species, critical skills are passed on from parents to offspring through communication. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the Researchers at the University of Bonn showed that effective communication relies on how both the sender and receiver represent information.

Bonn researchers get to the bottom of the social aspect of communication for mental activity Across all species, important survival skills such as hunting prey are passed on from parents to offspring through communication. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn were able to show that effective language-like communication is a two-way process between sender and receiver.

Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime. The phenomenon can be compared to ripples on a sheet when a heavy ball is placed on it and spun around. In the universe, these "balls" are massive objects such as black holes and neutron stars, which vibrate spacetime as they orbit and eventually merge. These gravitational waves are emitted through space and, although very subtle, can be detected on Earth with the correct equipment.