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NASA explores use of VR, scents to minimize effects of long-term spaceflight

A NASA study has pioneered the use of virtual reality (VR) and scents to aid in the behavioral changes that can occur during long space missions, such as the moon or Mars.

UT at Austin researchers in Patagonia find first record of dinosaur group

A new study led by the University of Texas at Austin has uncovered the first record of theropod, a group of dinosaurs whose descendants are modern birds and their non-bird relatives — from Patagonia in Chile, according to a news release.

Physical Education Policies in Schools Have Not Curbed Childhood Obesity

Laws that require physical education (PE) in elementary schools are not curbing the obesity epidemic, according to a new study from public policy researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Iowa.

Fitness Levels Accurately Predicted Using Wearable Devices – No Exercise Required

Cambridge researchers have developed a method for measuring overall fitness accurately on wearable devices – and more robustly than current consumer smartwatches and fitness monitors – without the wearer needing to exercise.

Pedestrians Choose Healthy Obstacles Over Boring Pavements, Study Finds

Up to 78% of walkers would take a more challenging route featuring obstacles such as balancing beams, stepping stones and high steps, research has found. The findings suggest that providing ‘Active Landscape’ routes in urban areas could help tackle an 'inactivity pandemic' and improve health outcomes.

Invasive Grass in Texas Uses Chemical Warfare to Crowd Out Native Species

An invasive grass causing havoc in Texas and contributing to wildfires packs a one-two wallop against native plants.

One-Time Tax Items Aren’t Earnings Misconduct

Nonrecurring income taxes reflect mostly economic causes, not management manipulation.

Prostate Cancer Risk Prediction Algorithm Could Help Target Testing At Men At Greatest Risk

Cambridge scientists have created a comprehensive tool for predicting an individual’s risk of developing prostate cancer, which they say could help ensure that those men at greatest risk will receive the appropriate testing while reducing unnecessary – and potentially invasive – testing for those at very low risk.

Algorithms That Adjust for Worker Race, Gender Still Show Biases

Even after algorithms are adjusted for overt hiring discrimination, they may show a subtler kind: preferring workers who mirror dominant groups, according to a new study from researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.

‘Cocktail’ Vaccines Could Offer Increased Protection Against Future COVID-19 Variants Of Concern

COVID-19 vaccinations that combine two or more distinct variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus could offer protection against both current and future ‘variants of concern’, say scientists at the University of Cambridge and Medical University of Innsbruck.

Don’t Complain to These Co-Workers

Before speaking up at work, employees should consider whether they’re talking to the right person.

Technique For Tracking Resistant Cancer Cells Could Lead To New Treatments For Relapsing Breast Cancer Patients

Cambridge scientists have managed to identify and kill those breast cancer cells that evade standard treatments in a study in mice. The approach is a step towards the development of new treatments to prevent relapse in patients.

Females Perform Better Than Males On A ‘Theory Of Mind’ Test Across 57 Countries

Females, on average, are better than males at putting themselves in others’ shoes and imagining what the other person is thinking or feeling, suggests a new study of over 300,000 people in 57 countries.

Artificial Pancreas Successfully Trialled For Use By Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Cambridge scientists have successfully trialled an artificial pancreas for use by patients living with type 2 diabetes. The device – powered by an algorithm developed at the University of Cambridge – doubled the amount of time patients were in the target range for glucose compared to standard treatment and halved the time spent experiencing high glucose levels.

Gone Fishing: Highly Accurate Test For Common Respiratory Viruses Uses DNA As ‘Bait’

A new test that ‘fishes’ for multiple respiratory viruses at once using single strands of DNA as ‘bait’, and gives highly accurate results in under an hour, has been developed by Cambridge researchers.

Vaccination Gets a Boost When People Know Their Neighbors Are Doing it

One of the largest international surveys ever conducted shows people are more willing to get a COVID-19 vaccination when they are told about how many other people in their community plan to get one.

Scientists Explain Emotional ‘Blunting’ Caused By Common Antidepressants

Scientists have worked out why common anti-depressants cause around a half of users to feel emotionally ‘blunted’. In a study published today, they show that the drugs affect reinforcement learning, an important behavioural process that allows us to learn from our environment.

DNA Sequencing Method Lifts ‘Veil’ From Genome Black Box

Many life-saving drugs directly interact with DNA to treat diseases such as cancer, but scientists have struggled to detect how and why they work – until now.

‘Smart Plastic’ Material is Step Forward Toward Soft, Flexible Robotics and Electronics

Inspired by living things from trees to shellfish, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin set out to create a plastic much like many life forms that are hard and rigid in some places and soft and stretchy in others­.

The mystery of de novo proteins revealed by Czech and German researchers

Proteins do not usually form from junk DNA – but if they do and they take hold, they become part of the cell’s protein make-up. They are called de novo proteins because they are practically created out of nothing, anew, and not much is known about them. In a new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, researchers from BIOCEV and their German colleagues described a large set of these proteins, helping unravel the otherwise hard-to-decipher properties of the mystery proteins.