ScienceDaily

Scientists have generated human stem cell models which contain notochord — a tissue in the developing embryo that acts like a navigation system, directing cells where to build the spine and nervous system (the trunk).

Reinforcement Learning, an artificial intelligence approach, has the potential to guide physicians in designing sequential treatment strategies for better patient outcomes but requires significant improvements before it can be applied in clinical settings, finds a new study.

Could complex beliefs like paranoia have roots in something as basic as vision? A new study finds evidence that they might. When completing a visual perception task, in which participants had to identify whether one moving dot was chasing another moving dot, those with greater tendencies toward paranoid thinking (believing others intend them harm) and teleological thinking (ascribing excessive meaning and purpose to events) performed worse than their counterparts, the study found. Those individuals more often — and confidently — claimed one dot was chasing the other when it wasn’t. The findings suggest that, in the future, testing for illnesses like schizophrenia could be done with a simple eye test.

Microgravity is known to alter the muscles, bones, the immune system and cogni tion, but little is known about its specific impact on the brain. To discover how brain cells respond to microgravity, scientists sent tiny clumps of stem-cell derived brain cells called ‘organoids’ to the International Space Station.

The social cost of carbon — an important figure global policymakers use to analyze the benefits of climate and energy policies — is too low, finds a new study.

Researchers analyzed radioisotopes in layers of fossilized volcanic ash. Decay of uranium to lead within tiny crystals enabled scientists to precisely pinpoint dates for certain events. They determined this event occurred 119.5 million years ago — coincident with evidence for massive volcanic eruptions — and lasted for 1.1 million years. Study results help scientists better understand links between atmospheric CO2 levels, climate changes and conditions in the oceans.

String theory remains elusive as a ‘provable’ phenomenon. But a team of physicists has now taken a significant step forward in validating string theory by using an innovative mathematical method that points to its ‘inevitability.’

A new psychological study has shown that when people know they are under surveillance it generates an automatic response of heightened awareness of being watched, with implications for public mental health.

Researchers have developed microchips using field-effect transistors that can detect multiple diseases from a single air sample with high sensitivity. The technology enables rapid testing and could lead to portable diagnostic devices for home and medical use.

Despite the population being almost four times larger than it was in 1982, a new study published in the journal Ecology suggests the northern muriqui monkeys remain at risk, especially in the face of ongoing habitat disturbances.