Little evidence to back widespread prescribing of mood-altering drugs to children for mental health issues

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain There’s limited evidence to back up the widespread and increasing rates of prescribing mood-altering drugs (psychotropics) as the mainstay of mental health treatment for children and…

Umbilical Cord Blood Test Could Predict Autism Risk

Summary: A recent study suggests that measuring specific fatty acid metabolites in newborn blood could predict autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk. Researchers found that higher levels of certain metabolites were…

Study Finds Faces Evolve to Match Names Over Time

Summary: A new study reveals that a person’s face tends to evolve to suit their name, demonstrating the profound impact of social expectations. The research showed that adults’ faces could…

Ever see a star explode? You’re about to get a chance very soon

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Every clear night for the last three weeks, Bob Stephens has pointed his home telescope at the same two stars in hopes of witnessing one of…

Self-powered ‘bugs’ can skim across water to detect environmental data

Binghamton University, State University of New York researchers have developed a self-powered “bug” that can skim across the water, and they hope it will revolutionize aquatic robotics. Credit: Professor Seokheun…

How summer’s extremes disrupt the power grid

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Every second of every day, utilities monitor the flow of power through the nation’s electric grid, monitoring whether power generated matches power demanded by homes, businesses,…

Getting drugs into the brain is hard. Maybe a parasite can do the job

A mind-bending parasite may one day deliver drugs to the brain. Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite that famously makes mice lose their fear of cats, but also can cause…

Psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis tied to higher risk of polyneuropathy

Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis may be associated with an increased risk of polyneuropathy, according to a study published online June 28 in Muscle & Nerve. Pietro E. Doneddu, M.D., from…

Phantom data could show copyright holders if their work is in AI training data

Credit: Google DeepMind from Pexels Inspired by the map makers of the 20th Century, Imperial researchers have demonstrated a new way to identify copyright holders’ work in LLMs. The technique…

Study Reveals Shared Values Among US Voters Despite Political Divide

Summary: New research reveals that most American voters, regardless of political affiliation, share similar values, but fail to recognize their common ground. This misperception exacerbates societal conflict and pessimism about…