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Friends play an essential role in everyone's life, offering companionship and a safe space to share personal thoughts and feelings. A recent University of Michigan study reveals important information about the patterns and supportive functions of friendships among African Americans. One intriguing aspect is that separated, divorced, widowed and never-married individuals interacted with friends more frequently than married ones.

Researchers find design flaws and oversight issues in certain health apps, offer solutions for more effective tools AI-powered apps offering medical diagnoses at the click of a button are often limited by biased data and a lack of regulation, leading to inaccurate and unsafe health advice, a new study found.

Researchers show that even the best-performing large language models don't form a true model of the world and its rules, and can thus fail unexpectedly on similar tasks. Large language models can do impressive things, like write poetry or generate viable computer programs, even though these models are trained to predict words that come next in a piece of text.

Charlotte Nawijn, PhD candidate at the University of Twente, has developed a new technique to improve ultrasound images of blood flow. Using a smart ultrasound pulse train, she reduced noise in contrast ultrasound images. Nawijn obtained her PhD on this subject on 24 October with the defence of her dissertation 'Bubbles and Waves for Ultrasound Imaging and Therapy' .

As climate change accelerates sea-level rise and intensifies storms, marsh-fronted seawalls can provide an economical coastal defense, MIT engineers report. Images of coastal houses being carried off into the sea due to eroding coastlines and powerful storm surges are becoming more commonplace as climate change brings a rising sea level coupled with more powerful storms.

In collaboration with Isala Zwolle , researchers from the TechMed Centre of the University of Twente developed a smart system to schedule patients with chronic kidney damage more efficiently. This system assesses in advance whether an appointment with the nephrologist is necessary, which leads to 18% fewer repeat appointments.

New findings published in The Lancet Global Health expose substantial global and regional disparities in the cumulative burden of life-threatening maternal morbidity across the female reproductive life span. The study, co-authored by researchers at the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, is the first to calculate the lifetime risk of maternal near miss for 40 countries spanning Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America from 2010 onwards.

A new study by University of Waterloo researchers found that international students who study in Canada don't see their skills underutilized once they join the Canadian labour market, a sign that signals the potential of the country's International Student Strategy to help boost economic growth. The study's findings provide a clearer view of how successful international students are once they complete their studies across Canadian post-secondary schools, notably in technologyand engineering-focused programs where they enjoy an earnings advantage over their peers.

Researchers at the University of Twente have developed a new method that allows them to precisely control chemical reactions using metal ions. This marks an important step towards computers that function like the human brain. They recently published their findings in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

Within teams, organizations, markets and online communities, ideas from a larger group can help to solve complex problems. Large language models (LLMs) are emerging as powerful tools to unlock even greater potential. Picture an online forum where thousands of voices contribute to a solution, and an LLM synthesizes these diverse insights into a cohesive, actionable plan.

A team from the University of Geneva has discovered the genetic programmes that allow motor neurons to retract from the spinal cord. This discovery opens up prospects for combating neurodegeneration. The motor cortex is made up of neurons responsible for muscle contraction. These neurons have cellular extensions called axons, which project from the cortex into the spinal cord.

New study shows that women overcontribute to scientific publications in the field of ecology Women working in the field of ecology contribute overproportionately to research output, as shown by a recent study that reveals facets of gender bias in the context of scientific publications that have received little attention until now.

Scientists at the University of Geneva, Bern Inselpital and UNIBE have discovered that hidden mutations in non-coding DNA are responsible for the ageing of certain tissues, such as those in the liver. The accumulation of mutations in DNA is often mentioned as an explanation for the ageing process, but it remains just one hypothesis among many.

A team from the University of Geneva and ETH Zurich has shown how the locus coeruleus, a small region of the brain, manages the transition from intense focus to heightened global awareness. What enables our brain to go from intense concentration to a heightened state of alertness? A study carried out by neuroscientists at the University of Geneva , in collaboration with ETH Zurich, shows that a brain region called locus coeruleus (LC) and the neurotransmitter noradrenaline act as conductors, reorganising brain functions according to the mental demands of the moment.

Economists from the University of Bath believe that end-of week-absenteeism could be linked to beating bank holiday traffic. Economists from the University of Bath have found a significantly lower school attendance rates on Fridays across England, with a 20% higher absence rate compared to other weekdays.

The COVID-19 pandemic made remote consultations necessary for good heart failure care, now it appears to work even better than the traditional care pathway. Research from five Dutch hospitals and researchers of the TechMed Centre of the University of Twente found that using digital consultations improved care while maintaining patient satisfaction.

The universe is a dynamic place where galaxies are dancing, merging and shifting appearance. Unfortunately, because these changes take millions or billions of years, telescopes can only provide snapshots, squeezed into a human lifetime. Luckily, galaxies leave behind clues to their histories and origins.

New research finds outsourcing care homes in England disproportionately disadvantages poorer areas Outsourcing care homes has compromised the accessibility and quality of care for the most vulnerable, particularly in areas of greatest deprivation, according to new research led by the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at Oxford University and funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

Even though social media is free to use, research found many US university students would pay to quit it - if only they could beat their fear of missing out. Peter Martin Crawford School of Public Policy Social media is a problem for economists. They don't know how to value it. It has long been argued that it ought to be  in the national accounts  as part of gross domestic product.

UCalgary Nursing professor Shane Sinclair says results show compassion cannot be considered 'optional' The news is rife these days about the quality of health care in Alberta. This includes increased wait times in emergency departments (ED), with some physicians referring to these and other quality-care issues as a capacity crisis.