science wire

At noon Eastern time on Jan. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will release their assessment of temperature and climate trends for 2024.

Some carbon-based solar cells already show no drop in performance after three years' worth of radiation, and the cause of degradation in others could be preventable Study: Radiation hardness of organic photovoltaics (DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.

EXPERTS ADVISORY Multiple wildfires are burning across the Los Angeles area, taking lives, destroying property, affecting air quality and displacing thousands of people.

Filaments curling at the micro and nanoscale produce light waves that twirl as they travel Study: Bright, circularly-polarized black-body radiation from twisted nanocarbon Filaments ( adq4068) Bright

Study: Wellness Influencer Responses to COVID-19 Vaccines on Social Media: A Longitudinal Observational Study Wellness influencers showed higher rates of vaccine opposition on social media compared to other users' accounts, according to a new University of Michigan study.

Adolescent drug use continued to drop in 2024, building on and extending the historically large decreases that occurred during the pandemic onset in 2020.

Study: Protecting the health of children with universal child cash benefits (DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)02366-3) Looking at programs from more than 140 countries, a University of Michigan-led

A single conversation with a close family member may not change a young woman's views on policies protecting their rights, but it can strongly influence young men's attitudes.

Study: How do US firms grow? New evidence from a growth decomposition (DOI: 10.1002/smj.

Narratives behind numbers point to need for better coordination, support by employers, communities, public health leaders in future crises, especially mental health Study: Psychosocial and pandemic-related circumstances of suicide deaths in 2020: Evidence from the National Violent Death Reporting System In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, University of Michigan researchers dug deeper into the numbers-only data of COVID-19-era suicides and evaluated the narratives contained in reports from coroners, medical examiners, police and vital statistics.

Study: Training all-mechanical neural networks for task learning through in situ backpropagation (DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-54849-z) It's easy to think that machine learning is a completely digital phenomenon, made possible by computers and algorithms that can mimic brain-like behaviors. But the first machines were analog and now, a small but growing body of research is showing that mechanical systems are capable of learning, too.

Layering an organic material on top of 2D materials achieves stable, fast phosphorescent light emission without using expensive and hazardous heavy metals Study: Microsecond triplet emission from organic chromophore-transition metal dichalcogenide hybrids via through-space spin orbit proximity effect (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51501-8) Screens for TVs, smartphones or other displays could be made with a new kind of organic LED material developed by an international team, co-led by University of Michigan engineers.

The material transports oxygen ions rather than electrons, creating heat-resistant voltages for both digital memory and in-memory computing Study: Nonvolatile electrochemical memory at 600 ºC enabled by composition phase separation (DOI: 10.1016/j.device.

New research finds hard carbon in rice hull ash, providing a cheap, domestic source of the material that can replace graphite in lithium-ion or sodium-ion battery anodes Study: An unexpected source of hard carbon, rice hull ash, provides unexpected Li+ storage capacities (DOI: 10.1002/adsu.

Study: The development of attitudes toward science and technology: a longitudinal analysis of Generation X (DOI: 10.1093/scipol/scae051) Science fascinates us as children and challenges us as adults, a 33-year study by University of Michigan researchers reveals.

The pilot of a Michigan program created to help improve health outcomes for pregnant parents and their children shows positive impacts on families, including food and financial security and housing stability, according to a new report from the University of Michigan's Youth Policy Lab.

EXPERT Q&A Leadership is an identity as much as it is a set of skills. Despite having many of the skills to reach leadership positions, studies have shown women view themselves as leaders less often than men.

EXPERT Q&A Gun violence claimed 46,728 lives in the United States last year-the third-highest number of firearm-related deaths ever recorded-including a record-high 27,300 suicides by using a gun. The data marks a significant escalation over the past decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sparking an urgent examination of contributing factors, including the role of media.

Study abstract: The ecology of relatedness: How living around family (or not) matters Many of us will soak in the merriment and drama that family gatherings bring during Thanksgiving.

University of Michigan study documents patients' situations, points to broadening intervention efforts at time of emergency care Study: Firearm violence and associated factors among young adults presenting to emergency departments in three cities: Baseline results from 1016/j.ypmed.

Study abstract: Census tract and neighborhood racial change and the locational decisions of financial services in Metro Detroit (DOI: 10.

University of Michigan study also explores role of U.S.-manufactured, traded firearms Study: Firearm-related threats before migrating to the USA from Latin America and the Caribbean (DOI: 10.1136/ip-2024-045369) Almost half of the migrants crossing into the United States from Latin America and the Caribbean report previously experiencing firearm-related threats or violence in their home country, according to a University of Michigan study.

Nicotine vapes are sometimes marketed as aids for cigarette smoking cessation. However, teens do not typically turn to electronic nicotine vapes to curb smoking habits, according to University of Michigan research. The study, "Reasons for Vaping Among U.S. Adolescents,- published in Pediatrics (online Nov.

Less loneliness, better mental health seen in those who visit, care for grandchildren often As many Americans prepare to gather with their families for the holidays, a new University of Michigan poll shows the importance of grandchildren in grandparents' lives.

Study: Hedging by Hiring: Executive Composition and Compensation Responses to Trade Shocks Chinese firms hit by the U.S.-China trade war are increasingly hiring executives with international experien

Study: Policy brief: sustainable agriculture impacts in urban settings make the case for federal investments (DOI: 10.5304/jafscd.

Smarter use of processor speeds saves energy without compromising training speed and performance Study: Reducing energy bloat in large model training (DOI: 10.