Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) and collaborators at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) have used quantum mechanical simulations to reveal how tiny imperfections in ice's crystal structure dramatically alter how ice absorbs and emits light. 

A patented RNA-based cocktail developed at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) has emerged as a promising active agent against tumors of the central nervous system, such as glioblastoma. The study, published today in the scientific journal Molecular Therapy – Nucleic Acids, demonstrates the effectiveness of a combination of 11 different non-coding RNAs, known as microRNAs (miRNAs), in slowing the growth of cancer cells and enhancing the activity of chemotherapeutic drugs. Tests were carried out on patient-derived cells and on preclinical models. Further validation steps will be required for medical use of the compound.

AI systems still make surprisingly simple mistakes that persist even after extensive training. They also lack the ability to think logically or to truly ‘understand’ nested input. For Michael Hahn, Professor of Computational Linguistics at Saarland University, the problem lies in the architecture itself. According to Hahn, the fundamental design of large language models needs to change.

By sampling and analyzing sewage in and around Burlington, NC, researchers traced "forever chemicals" to a local textile manufacturing plant, whose emissions had remained hidden for years because the facility was releasing solid nanoparticle PFAS “precursors” that degrade into the chemicals that current tests are designed to detect. The findings provide both a warning and playbook for others worried about the worldwide spread of these forever chemicals.

The countries participating in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), currently taking place in Brazil, must cancel fossil fuel concessions in order to keep the Paris Agreement alive. This is the main message of a paper published in the journal Nature and signed by experts Martí Orta, Gorka Muñoa and Marcel Llavero, from the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) of the University of Barcelona, and Guillem Rius, from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).

University of Texas at Dallas researchers have designed a unique interface that allows users to transform everyday objects into typing surfaces within an AR environment.

The patent-pending technology, called PropType, overlays an augmented keyboard surface onto a handheld object and can adapt to curved surfaces.