News & Updates

Stay informed with the latest developments in global research and academia. Our News and Updates section provides timely articles on breakthrough studies, funding announcements, and significant achievements from our academic community. From cutting-edge discoveries to policy changes affecting research, we deliver insights that keep you ahead in your field.

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University of Toronto: U of T study asks AI to generate male and female body images - with predictable results

When prompted to create images of female and male bodies, artificial intelligence platforms overwhelmingly reproduce and amplify narrow western body ideals, a University of Toronto study has found. The study, published recently in the journal Psychology of Popular Media, involved prompting three different AI platforms – Midjourney, DALL-E and Stable Diffusion – to create images of female and male bodies, including those of athletes. The results came as little surprise. "In a

Nov 25

University of Waterloo: Microbial innovation and engineering design offer fresh solutions for plastic waste

Chemical engineering researchers at the University of Waterloo have joined forces to take on a pressing environmental problem by using synthetic biology to turn plastic waste into valuable resources. The multidisciplinary group is working together to review and identify strategies that leverage synthetic biology, microbial engineering and engineering design to degrade and upcycle plastic waste. "We're stepping out of our silos to advance sustainability," says Dr. Marc Aucoin,

Nov 24

University of British Columbia : The surprising reason bees replace their queens

What sounds like the storyline of a medieval palace drama often plays out in real-life honey bee colonies. A once-strong ruler weakens, her supporters turn against her, and a dramatic change in leadership follows. For bees, these events are not rare. These internal takeovers carry both risks and benefits for colonies and for the agricultural systems that rely on them. This replacement process, known as supersedure, begins when thousands of worker bees sense that their queen i

Nov 22

University of Alberta: 'A mini pot of gold': Researchers discover new tiny fungi species in Alberta

Several species of tiny fungi completely new to science — and all from Alberta — have been discovered through University of Alberta research. Three new evolutionary groups and 13 new species of "stubble fungi" — so named because they resemble beard whiskers — have been identified and described through a 13-year study, which also reported an additional 29 species found in the province for the first time, including nine in Edmonton. The findings bring the total number of what a

Nov 20

McMaster University: Revolutionary gene therapy shows promise for treating muscular dystrophy

McMaster University researchers have achieved a significant breakthrough in treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD ), the most common and severe form of muscular dystrophy affecting children. Their novel gene therapy approach has shown remarkable success in preclinical trials, offering new hope for patients and families affected by this devastating genetic disorder. The research team, led by Dr. Melissa Spencer at McMaster's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, develope

Nov 18

University of Montreal: AI breakthrough enables real-time translation of sign language

Researchers at the University of Montreal have developed a groundbreaking artificial intelligence system that can translate sign language into spoken language in real-time with 95% accuracy, representing a major advancement in accessibility technology for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. The system, called SignSpeak, uses advanced computer vision and machine learning algorithms to recognize and interpret hand movements, facial expressions, and body language that compri

Nov 15

Queen's University: 3D-printed capsule gives researchers a clearer look at glioblastoma

A global-first innovation, developed by a research team at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC ) and Queen's University, is changing the way scientists will be able to study glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Neurosurgeon scientists and assistant professors Dr. James Purzner and Dr. Teresa Purzner, along with Queen's Translational Medicine PhD candidate Kaytlin Andrews, have designed and patented a 3D-printed surgical biopsy capsule – a container used t

Nov 12

McGill University: The Surprising Brain Exercise That Reverses Aging

A clinical trial led by McGill University has become the first in humans to demonstrate that online brain training can strengthen the brain networks involved in learning and memory. In the study, older adults who used the game-like app BrainHQ for 10 weeks showed improved cholinergic function, a chemical system in the brain that tends to decline with age and plays a central role in attention, memory, and decision-making. "The training restored cholinergic health to levels typ

Nov 8

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: New nanoparticles stimulate the immune system to attack ovarian tumors

Cancer immunotherapy, which uses drugs that stimulate the body's immune cells to attack tumors, is a promising approach to treating many types of cancer. However, it doesn't work well for some tumors, including ovarian cancer. To elicit a better response, MIT researchers have designed new nanoparticles that can deliver an immune-stimulating molecule called IL-12 directly to ovarian tumors. When given along with immunotherapy drugs called checkpoint inhibitors, IL-12 helps the

Oct 31

University of Chicago: New model shows how treating diabetes early makes a difference

Could slightly elevated blood sugar levels lead to serious health problems in the future? A single patient's question sparked nearly a decade of research leading to the development of a landmark model that could shape how clinicians and researchers understand and manage diabetes across the US. When she was a fellow in clinic, Neda Laiteerapong, MD, MS, Professor of Medicine and Chief of General Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago, had a patient—an experienced nurse

Oct 30

University of California Los Angeles: How bacteria sense surfaces to form films

The bacterium known as Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an unwelcome visitor in the human body. Serious infections can result when a bunch of these bugs settle together on a surface to form a biofilm — a community of microbes like the slime on spoiled food, but in this case residing inside a person. The grouped-up bacteria attack the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis and conditions that require the use of ventilators, such as severe COVID-19. Worse still, the World Health Organ

Oct 28

Johns Hopkins University: AI-Powered Diabetes Prevention Program Shows Similar Benefits to Those Led by People

Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health report that an AI-powered lifestyle intervention app for prediabetes reduced the risk of diabetes similarly to traditional, human-led programs in adults. Funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in JAMA Oct. 27, the study is believed to be the first phase III randomized controlled clinical trial to demonstrate that an AI-powered diabetes prevention program (DPP ) a

Oct 27

University of Pennsylvania: Tumor-on-a-chip offers insight into cancer-fighting cells in immunotherapy

Penn engineers and collaborators have developed a transparent, micro-engineered device that houses a living, vascularized model of human lung cancer—a "tumor on a chip"—and show that the diabetes drug vildagliptin helps more CAR T cells break through the tumor's defenses and attack it effectively. For a little over two decades, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR ) T cell therapy has emerged as a powerful new way to treat cancer. By extracting patients' T cells, re-engineering th

Oct 22

University of California Berkeley: New Data Release from CUORE Features a "Noise-Canceling" Algorithm

With the largest dataset of its kind, the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events has put new limits on neutrinoless double beta decay – an extremely rare and sought-after process tied to one of the biggest mysteries in physics. The coldest cubic meter in the universe is the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events, or CUORE. This chilly nuclear physics experiment looks for tiny fluctuations in temperature from a never-before-seen process called "neutrinole

Oct 15

Yale University: Bridging Biology and AI: Yale and Google's Collaborative Breakthrough in Single-Cell RNA Analysis

Google and Yale researchers have developed a more "advanced and capable" AI model for analyzing single-cell RNA data using large language models that is expected to "lead to new insights and potential biological discoveries." "This announcement marks a milestone for AI in science," Google announced. On social media and in comments, scientists and developers applauded the model—which Google released Oct. 15—as the much-needed bridge to make single-cell data accessible, or inte

Oct 14

Harvard University: Harvard Researchers Develop First Ever Continuously Operating Quantum Computer

A team of Harvard physicists built the first-ever quantum computing machine that can operate continuously without restarting, achieving a major breakthrough in a field that could revolutionize everything from medical research to finance. For years, most quantum computers could only run for milliseconds, and even advanced machines that could run longer would operate for just around 13 seconds. But the Harvard team was able to run their system for more than two hours last month

Oct 1

Princeton University: Princeton's AI reveals what fusion sensors can't see

A powerful new AI tool called Diag2Diag is revolutionizing fusion research by filling in missing plasma data with synthetic yet highly detailed information. Developed by Princeton scientists and international collaborators, this system uses sensor input to predict readings other diagnostics can't capture, especially in the crucial plasma edge region where stability determines performance. By reducing reliance on bulky hardware, it promises to make future fusion reactors more

Sep 30

Purdue University: Purdue researchers achieve breakthrough in quantum sensing with 2D material

A team of researchers at Purdue University has made a major breakthrough that could lead to incredibly small and precise sensors - ones...

Jul 27

UC Davis: UC Davis Health receives $3.6 million grant from NIH to improve eye gene therapy

The UC Davis Department of Ophthalmology has received a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Eye Institute to explore a new...

Jul 21

Rice University: Goodbye plastic? Scientists create new supermaterial that outperforms metals and glass

Scientists at Rice University and University of Houston have developed an innovative, scalable approach to engineer bacterial cellulose...

Jul 21