Futurity3 min read
Natural Compound Could Pave Way For New HIV Treatments
Researchers have successfully modified a naturally occurring chemical compound in the lab, resulting in advanced lead compounds with anti-HIV activity. Their results in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry offer a new path forward in the development of
Futurity3 min read
Worm Mating Sheds Light On The Evolution Of Attraction
The mating rituals of roundworms closely related to Caenorhabditis elegans may hold the key to understanding the genetic mechanisms of attraction. Sparks fly when a female nematode meets her mate in a Petri dish. Tracking him by smell, she beelines o
Futurity3 min read
New 3D-printed Skin More Accurately Mimics The Real Thing
A new bioengineered skin model could improve testing of skincare products and lead to better ways to heal damaged skin. University of Oregon researchers teamed up with scientists with the French personal care company L’Oréal to develop the multilayer
Futurity3 min read
High Schoolers Who Use Cannabis & Tobacco Get Lower Grades
High school students who use both tobacco and cannabis products miss more school and have lower grades compared to students who don’t use either product or who use the products individually but don’t combine them, according to a new study. More and m
Futurity4 min read
Folic Acid In Table Salt Prevents Birth Defects
Researchers have proven, for the first time in a field study, that using folic acid-fortified iodized table salt can prevent multiple severe birth defects. The importance of women having enough folic acid in their bodies before and during pregnancy t
Futurity2 min read
What Do Americans Think About Human Rights For AI?
A new study suggests that, on average, US adults have gained confidence in the capabilities of AI but grown increasingly opposed to extending human rights to advanced AI systems. In 2021, two Stony Brook University researchers—Jason Jones, associate
Futurity4 min readPolitical Ideologies
Political Attacks On Social Media Tied To Rising Cynicism
Political anger and cynicism are rising in the United States and in many democracies worldwide, and both are associated with exposure to political attacks on social media, a new study shows. Americans use social media to find information and news abo
Futurity3 min read
People Stay In Disadvantaged Neighborhoods For 2 Reasons
Policymakers may be thinking about economically disadvantaged neighborhoods too narrowly, a new study indicates. Using the same data analyzed in earlier studies, Amy Spring, an associate professor in the sociology department at Georgia State Universi
Futurity2 min readIntelligence (AI) & Semantics
ANYmal Robot Has A New Skill: Parkour
ANYmal, a four-legged robot, is proving rather adept at parkour, a sport based on using athletic maneuvers to smoothly negotiate obstacles in an urban environment. ANYmal has, for some time, had no problem coping with the stony terrain of Swiss hikin
Futurity3 min read
Team Identifies Protein That Lets Us Feel Cold
Researchers have identified the protein that enables mammals to sense cold, filling a long-standing knowledge gap in the field of sensory biology. The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, could help unravel how we sense and suffer from cold te
Futurity3 min read
Your Morning Mood Is Probably The Worst Of The Day
New research digs into the science of waking up on the wrong side of the bed. The study, which uses the Fitbit data of more than 2,500 training physicians (interns) across two years, found that the interns’ self-reported mood cycles hit their lowest
Futurity2 min read
The Pandemic Changed People’s Personality Traits
Major life changes can affect personality, and the COVID-19 pandemic was the rare big life event that all humans shared together. “This was a really unique opportunity to see how a life event that’s happening at the global stage to the entire populat
Futurity3 min readChemistry
Fish Scale Waste Could Remove Dye Pollution From Water
Researchers have discovered how heat-treated fish scales can be upcycled for pollution control and encryption. The food and aquaculture sectors generate a huge amount of fish scale waste from processes such as preparation, canning, filleting, salting
Futurity3 min read
Heart Infections Pose Risks Even Before Inflammation
Researchers have revealed a new understanding of sometimes fatal viral infections that affect the heart. Traditionally, the focus has been on heart inflammation known as myocarditis, which is often triggered by the body’s immune response to a viral i
Futurity2 min read
4th Traffic Light Would Benefit Pedestrians And Drivers
Adding a fourth light to traffic signals—in addition to red, green, and yellow—would shorten wait times at street corners for pedestrians, a new study shows. It would also improve traffic flow for both autonomous vehicles and human drivers. And the m
Futurity3 min read
Car Brakes Spit Out Potentially Harmful Particles
New research finds that vehicle brakes produce charged particles that may harm public health. Scientists know relatively little about particles released into the air when a vehicle driver brakes, though evidence suggests those particles may be more h
Futurity3 min read
Why People Blame The Victim
New research examines why people blame the victims of misfortune. In an age of GoFundMe campaigns, it’s easier than ever to help family, friends, and even strangers in times of need. It’s also easy to look the other way. “Most people see themselves a
Futurity3 min read
The Longer A Task Takes, The More Your Mind Wanders
New research shows that a person’s ability to sustain their attention while performing a task decreases over time. The longer a person spends on a task, the more their mind starts to wander—regardless of whether the activity is difficult or easy. In
Futurity3 min read
‘Black Girl Magic Crew’ Program Uplifts Black Teen Girls
An after-school program called Black Girl Magic Crew can help Black girls feel encouraged and supported, a new study shows. As they try to find their place in school and society, Black girls can face additional challenges including behavioral double
Futurity3 min read
Anti-racist Interventions Don’t Stress Teens Out
A study of how high school students respond to a program designed to increase the frequency and quality of conversations about race finds that the anti-racist intervention doesn’t cause stress or feelings of alienation. The finding rebuts concerns th
Futurity2 min read
Mysterious Sound Waves Came From A Truck, Not A Meteor
Sound waves thought to be from a 2014 meteor fireball north of Papua New Guinea were almost certainly vibrations from a truck rumbling along a nearby road, new research shows. The findings raise doubts that the materials pulled last year from the oce
Futurity1 min read
How To Set Your Child Up For Reading Success
There are things parents can do to set their children up for reading success, according to Laurie Gauger. With the right support and interventions, she says, young children can become skilled and confident readers. Gauger is an assistant clinical pro
Futurity5 min read
Check Out Thousands Of 3D Scans Of Vertebrate Critters For Free
Natural history museums have entered a new stage of scientific discovery and accessibility with the completion of a project to create 3D reconstructions of vertebrate specimens and make them freely available online. Natural history museums got their
Futurity3 min read
How Your Brain Filters Out Distractions To Focus
A new study illustrates how parts of the brain need to work together to focus on important information while filtering out distractions. Imagine a busy restaurant: dishes clattering, music playing, people talking loudly over one another. It’s a wonde
Futurity4 min read
After School Activities May Do Teens More Harm Than Good
The time high school teens spend on so-called enrichment activities, including tutoring, sports, school clubs, and even homework, is negatively affecting their mental health, according to new research. The study also found that any additional enrichm
Futurity3 min readGender Studies
Male Psych Researchers Forget Women In Their Field
When asked to name experts in their field, male psychology researchers are more likely to think of other men—no matter that most psychologists in and out of the academy are women. This difference in memory accessibility could be a significant contrib
Futurity3 min read
How Insects Can Tell Different Sugars Apart
New research uncovers how insects can tell different sugars apart. Whereas humans have one receptor on their tongues that can detect all sorts of sweet things, from real sugar to artificial sweeteners like aspartame, insects have many receptors that
Futurity1 min read
Are More Mosquitoes A Fix For The World’s Mosquito Problem?
On this episode of the Big Brains podcast, Scott O’Neill explains why breeding millions of mosquitoes could help save lives. Mosquito-borne diseases are one of the greatest global health threats, infecting around 700 million people every year with Zi
Futurity4 min read
Can Virtual Reality And Brain Stimulation Treat PTSD?
Virtual reality exposure plus electric brain stimulation offers a promising treatment for PTSD, researchers report. Combining two treatments could be a promising option for people, especially military veterans, whose lives are negatively affected by
Futurity3 min read
March Madness Basketball Involves Less Luck Than You Might Think
It doesn’t take as much luck to come out on top in March Madness basketball as you might think, a sociologist says. The annual March Madness tournament is the culmination of the college basketball season, when 68 teams vie to become national champion
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