Feature Stories
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-Aug-2025 15:10 ET (20-Aug-2025 19:10 GMT/UTC)
6-Aug-2025
UNM scientists test experimental psychedelic drug to alleviate the emotional toll of a life-threatening diagnosis
University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
University of New Mexico researchers are joining a multi-site clinical trial of RE104, an experimental psychedelic drug intended to alleviate the mental suffering many patients experience when they receive a life-altering disease diagnosis.
6-Aug-2025
Toward multitasking drug carriers that do more than just deliver
Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Drug delivery systems (DDSs) like nanoparticles, hydrogels, micelles, or liposomes improve drug availability while minimizing off-target distribution and side effects. Nanoparticle-based DDSs further enhance functionality owing to their larger surface area, leading to better stability, targeted delivery, and controlled drug release. But their low drug-loading capacity hinders desired therapeutic effect. Now, however, Professor Motoichi Kurisawa from Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology addresses this challenge with a green tea nanoparticle-based DDSs.
6-Aug-2025
Bridging the emotional gap in human-AI communication
Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Professor Shogo Okada leads the Social Signal and Multimodal Interaction Laboratory at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST). His lab focuses on developing computational models of multimodal social signals – speech, voice tone, body language – to understand their impact on social skills. His lab develops emotionally sensitive AI systems by combining multimodal sensing technology, AI, and cognitive science. Prof. Okada aims to build a harmonious future where technological advances and humane abilities go hand-in-hand.
6-Aug-2025
Unfolding patterns: The computer science behind origami, puzzles, and games
Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Origami, or the art of paper folding, finds its roots in Japanese tradition, where it is widely practiced even today. Drawing inspiration from this traditional art form, an emerging field of theoretical computer science, known as Computational Origami, has taken shape. Building on this idea, Professor Ryuhei Uehara from Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Japan, is working towards building algorithms for finding effective solutions to complex puzzles and patterns.
6-Aug-2025
Accelerating materials design with high-throughput experiments and data science
Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
At Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), Professor Toshiaki Taniike’s lab – Laboratory of Materials Informatics, is pioneering a new era of materials discovery by combining automation, custom-built instruments, and data-driven methods. Their cutting-edge approach is accelerating the search for entirely new reactions, paving the way for carbon-neutral technologies, energy innovation, and a more sustainable future. His efforts are focused on developing a smarter, faster, and more sustainable approach to materials design.
6-Aug-2025
Ph.D. researcher harnesses AI to transform skin cancer diagnosis in remote areas
Heriot-Watt University
A researcher at Heriot-Watt University is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to give patients living in remote parts access to timely and potentially lifesaving medical diagnosis.
- Funder
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
6-Aug-2025
Powering down to survive viral attack
UF Health
Viruses infect cells with a goal of taking control to churn out new copies. Cells have learned a sneaky way to fight back.
- Journal
- Genes & Development
- Funder
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences
6-Aug-2025
University of Tennessee chemist researches micro- and nanoplastics to reduce future harm to health and environment
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, are studying microplastics and nanoplastics to determine how they form in the environment—and how to reduce or even prevent their formation.
- Journal
- Nature Communications
5-Aug-2025
Can 100-year-old research lead to the discovery of novel mechanisms of inheritance?
Tel-Aviv UniversityIn 1902, three prominent Jewish biologists established the Biologische Versuchsanstalt (BVA) in then Austro-Hungarian Vienna. Now, an international team led by Tel Aviv University’s Prof. Oded Rechavi has been awarded a $1.2 million grant by the prestigious Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) to follow in their footsteps. HFSP is known for its highly competitive selection process, approving only 4% of proposals submitted each year, and indeed the team’s project is truly exceptional, both scientifically and historically.