New research finds that lifelong singles have lower life satisfaction scores compared to those in relationships.

A researcher has found that the rapid detection of snakes by monkeys is because of the presence of snake scales as a visual cue. His findings highlight an evolutionary adaptation of primates to identify snakes based on specific visual features. Understanding these mechanisms provides insight into the evolution of visual processing related to threat detection.

A research group has analyzed the digital ecosystem of 11- to 12-year-old children across the Basque Autonomous Community, and concluded that two out of three own a smartphone. They use smartphones mainly to talk to family and friends. The researchers also point out that, at that age, access to social media mainly focuses on watching videos and not on generating content.

A drug recently approved to prevent migraine may start working right away, according to a new study. The study looked at the drug atogepant, which is a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist taken by mouth.

Even highly realistic androids can cause unease when their facial expressions lack emotional consistency. Traditionally, a 'patchwork method' has been used for facial movements, but it comes with practical limitations. A team developed a new technology using 'waveform movements' to create real-time, complex expressions without unnatural transitions. This system reflects internal states, enhancing emotional communication between robots and humans, potentially making androids feel more humanlike.

Researchers have developed nanodiamond sensors with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers, offering exceptional brightness and spin properties for quantum sensing and bioimaging. These nanodiamonds outperform commercial options, requiring 20 times less energy and maintaining quantum states 11 times longer. Enhanced sensitivity to magnetic fields and temperature enables precise applications, including disease detection, battery analysis, and thermal management of electronics, marking a significant advancement in nanotechnology-driven quantum sensing for biological and industrial innovations.

Farm Foundation, an accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture, has announced its 2025 Agricultural Scholars recipients. This annual program is sponsored in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS). Five graduate students were selected to join the program for inspiration and training in agricultural policy, commodity market analysis, agricultural finance, and other applied fields. This is the 6th cohort since the program began in 2020.

The program includes events and projects conducted throughout the year, including a mentorship with an ERS senior analyst, a research project, and participation in ag-focused forums and meetings, such as the USDA Ag Outlook Forum, AAEA’s Annual Meeting, and Farm Foundation Round Table meetings.

“This is just an incredible group of students,” says Program Manager Jenna Wicks. “Thanks to ERS’ continued generous partnership we are able to create a year of landmark opportunities for these program participants which will set them on rare footing as they enter their careers.”

The 2025 Agricultural Scholars are:
Isaac Albores, Virginia Tech
Isaac is currently a graduate research assistant at Virginia Tech, pursuing an M.S. in Agricultural and Applied Economics with a research focus on commodity market analysis. His current research examines agricultural commodities’ price dynamics and market volatility under varying market conditions and shocks.

Ivy Mackereth, West Virginia University
Ivy is a third-year student in the Natural Resource Economics Ph.D. Program at West Virginia University (WVU). Ivy’s research focuses on applications of big data in addressing economic issues in agriculture, food, and natural resources that affect local communities.

Caroline Roeder Helle, Montana State University
Caroline is a second-year Applied Economics M.S. student in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics at Montana State University. Her research focuses on maximizing the economic and ecological sustainability of working lands (lands managed for ecosystem services and agriculture).

Josh Strine, Purdue University
Josh is a second-year Ph.D. student in Agricultural Economics at Purdue University. Josh’s research focuses on agricultural finance and farm management. Since starting his Ph.D. program, he has researched the agricultural job market, agricultural lending, and crop prices.
Kelsey Vourazeris, Arizona State University
Kelsey is a Ph.D. student in Business Administration (Agribusiness) at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business. She is dedicated to advancing knowledge and innovation in the field of Agricultural Economics, with a specialized focus on food supply chain resilience.

For more about each of the 2025 Agricultural Scholars and to learn more about the program at https://www.farmfoundation.org/programs-overview/agricultural-scholars/

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A research team accelerates stretchable technology commercialization with world's first visualization of serpentine structures.

A new method of scanning lungs is able to show in real time how air moves in and out of the lungs as people take a breath in patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and patients who have received a lung transplant. It enables experts to see the functioning of transplanted lungs and could enable medics to identify sooner any decline in lung function.

In a discovery that could redefine how we understand cellular resilience and adaptability, scientists have unlocked the secret interactions between a primordial inorganic polymer of phosphate known as polyphosphate (polyP), and two basic building blocks of life: DNA and the element magnesium. These components formed clusters of tiny liquid droplets -- also known as condensates -- with flexible and adaptable structures.

Many flies are plagued by parasitic wasps, which lay their eggs in fly larvae, turning them into surrogate wombs for wasp larvae. One common fly has successfully fought off its wasp predator by stealing a gene from bacteria that originated in bacteriophage. Biologists inserted that gene into other flies, making these flies resistance to wasps. This discovery shows that horizontal gene transfer may be more common in animals that people thought.

Scientists have developed an innovative therapeutic platform by mimicking the intricate structures of viruses using artificial intelligence (AI).

A research team develops manganese-based cathodes with longer lifespan by suppressing oxygen release.

Climate change impacts not only life on land but also the largely unexplored deep-sea ecosystem, home to unique and largely unexplored fauna. Deep-sea animals, which have adapted to stable and extreme environments, are particularly vulnerable to changes in temperature and food availability. This raises a crucial question: What environmental factors are most important for deep-sea ecosystems, and how might they be disrupted?

A new gene editing tool that helps cellular machinery skip parts of genes responsible for diseases has been applied to reduce the formation of amyloid-beta plaque precursors in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, researchers report.

At the Berlin synchrotron radiation source BESSY II, the largest magnetic anisotropy of a single molecule ever measured experimentally has been determined. The larger this anisotropy is, the better a molecule is suited as a molecular nanomagnet. Such nanomagnets have a wide range of potential applications, for example, in energy-efficient data storage.

The standard medication levodopa does not always work against tremors in Parkinson's disease, especially in stressful situations. Propranolol, however, does work during stress, providing insight into the role of the stress system in tremors. MRI scans reveal that propranolol directly inhibits activity in the brain circuit that controls tremors. Doctors may consider this medication when levodopa is ineffective.

A year after becoming available, vaccines to protect against RSV in newborns and older adults are being more widely accepted by the American public, according to a new health survey.

A research team has developed a groundbreaking technology that can treat colon cancer by converting cancer cells into a state resembling normal colon cells without killing them, thus avoiding side effects.

In the first large-scale paired camera trap and autonomous recording survey for large African carnivores, researchers were able to identify individual leopards by their vocalizations with 93% accuracy.