Say the words “Alzheimer’s disease” and the next word that most readily comes to mind is likely “memory.” Indeed, one of the most devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease is the toll that it takes on a person’s memory. Long before declines in memory capabilities, however, brain changes happen as early as midlife, in some cases […]

Caltech-based startup company Captura, which captures carbon dioxide (CO2) from ocean water to combat climate change, has been awarded $1 million from the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition. Captura was co-founded by Harry Atwater, the Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science; and Chengxiang “CX” Xiang, research professor of applied physics and materials science; and is based on technology […]

Changing dietary patterns in the U.S. are leading to lower emissions of food-related, climate-warming gases, according to a new research study, and half of the reduction can be attributed to eating less beef. Every choice we make as consumers has a climate impact, which is often measured in terms of its “carbon footprint” — that is, […]

Very few people in England ate large amounts of meat before the Vikings settled, and there is no evidence that elites ate more meat than other people, a major new bioarchaeological study reveals. But its sister study also suggests that peasants occasionally hosted lavish meat feasts for their rulers. Their findings overturn major assumptions about early medieval […]

Adapting remote and hybrid work policies to employees’ specific work-life situations can result in increased well-being and productivity, but many employees are stuck in an increasing number of low-quality meetings when working remotely, according to a new study. The shift to remote working for many office-based workers at the start of the pandemic initially led […]

We all know, or have heard about, someone who’s refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine. While some individuals have medical or religious reasons for avoiding vaccination, for some, other factors influence their decision. Despite the importance of vaccines for public health — and the serious risk associated with being unvaccinated — getting the shot may […]

Stanford University researchers have developed a key experimental device for future quantum physics-based technologies that borrows a page from current, everyday mechanical devices. Reliable, compact, durable, and efficient, acoustic devices harness mechanical motion to perform useful tasks. A prime example of such a device is the mechanical oscillator. When displaced by a force – like […]

The structure of bismuth subsalicylate – the active ingredient of the stomach relief drug Pepto-Bismol and one of the most commercially important bismuth compounds – has finally been uncovered. Although the substance has been used to treat gastrointestinal disorders for over 120 years, its chemical structure remained a mystery. ‘We felt it was important to […]

The UK has adopted the world’s first subscription payment model for two new antibiotics. The National Health Service will pay Pfizer and Shionogi up to £10 million a year for ten years for them, regardless of how many doses are administered to patients. The payment scheme aims to provide financial incentives for firms to develop […]

With e-commerce orders pouring in, a warehouse robot picks mugs off a shelf and places them into boxes for shipping. Everything is humming along, until the warehouse processes a change and the robot must now grasp taller, narrower mugs that are stored upside down. Reprogramming that robot involves hand-labeling thousands of images that show it […]