A new study using multidecade satellite imagery and face-to-face human interviews tracked the environmental and societal impacts of gravel mining in the Lubha River, Northeast Bangladesh. The researchers found that the river had recovered its natural shape within just four years after gravel mining stopped. However, the local economy did not bounce back nearly as quickly.

Purdue University researchers have developed patent-pending AI tools for editing and sharing profile photos, ID images and personal pictures without exposing users' private identities to external platforms. The system is utilized before and after photos are uploaded to an AI editing platform. The system allows users to mask sensitive regions on their photo, like the face, from an AI editing service. Those regions are masked locally on the user’s device using a detailed outline of the region.

In areas where freshwater is scarce, farmers often turn to treated wastewater to irrigate crops despite concerns from some regulators and consumers about exposing food to compounds routinely found in wastewater, including many psychoactive medications that treat mental disorders. But new research from Johns Hopkins University has found that certain crops—tomatoes, carrots, and lettuce—store those chemicals in their leaves. This may be good news for tomato and carrot lovers who eat the fruit and roots of those vegetables, respectively. 

According to a study by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) involving more than 1600 passengers, autonomous minibuses can improve local public transport in Baden Württemberg and reduce the number of trips by car. The researchers investigated the reliability of autonomous shuttles in everyday service, the public’s reaction to them, and the technical and organizational requirements to be met for their widespread use. In particular, residents of rural areas with limited bus service will benefit. Now KIT researchers have published the study’s final report.

Immunotherapy given during and after chemoradiation did not improve survival for study participants with limited-stage, small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) according to the results of an international clinical trial, NRG-LU005, led by NRG Oncology in collaboration with the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. The results are published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The trial did not meet its primary endpoint as the addition of the immunotherapy agent atezolizumab to chemotherapy and radiation did not significantly improve survival for those with limited-stage SCLC. However, twice-daily radiation therapy was associated with improved survival in this population.

Researchers have developed a capsule-based method that makes it possible to analyse the same cell through multiple experimental steps. The technology overcomes a long-standing limitation in cell research and could open new ways to study disease mechanisms at the single-cell level.