Researchers at McMaster University in Canada have discovered a new antibiotic molecule that targets a broad range of disease-causing bacteria, including strains resistant to commercial drugs. The molecule, found in soil samples, targets the ribosome, a protein-making factory in bacteria, making it a promising candidate to combat the growing antibiotic resistance crisis. The discovery is…
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Columbia University faculty members have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging the cancellation of $400 million in research grants and contracts. The move follows the university’s decision to alter campus policies in response to the administration’s demands, sparking concerns about academic freedom and critical research. Forecast for 6 months: The Trump administration will…
A recent study published in the journal Scientometrics has found that there is no reputational penalty for shared first authorships, even for the person named second. This discovery could lead to a shift in the way academic publications are credited, potentially reducing conflicts and increasing collaboration among researchers. Forecast for 6 months: Within the next…
The US immigration crackdown is causing widespread anxiety among foreign researchers, with high-profile detentions and deportations of academics stoking fears of travel to the United States. The situation is particularly concerning for researchers who feel targeted by the Trump administration’s opposition to certain subjects of research, such as climate change and misinformation. Forecast for 6…
The US Department of Defense has cut funding for 91 social science research grants, including those focused on emerging threats to national security. The Minerva Research Initiative, which supported basic social science research, has been terminated, leaving researchers without funding and potentially hindering the understanding of global dynamics such as violence, instability, and human displacement….
The US universities are facing a severe funding crisis due to the Trump administration’s cost-cutting campaign. The administration has choked off multiple revenue streams to universities, including research grants and indirect expenses. As a result, universities are imposing hiring freezes, travel restrictions, and moratoria on pay raises. The crisis has led to concerns about the…
A groundbreaking study published in Science has revealed that babies as young as one year old can form memories, challenging the long-held notion of infantile amnesia. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers found that the hippocampus, a key brain region in storing memories, is active in infants, suggesting that memories are not lost, but…
Physicists at Zhejiang University in China have made a groundbreaking discovery by creating the world’s smallest light-emitting diode (LED) displays. The team, led by Baodan Zhao, has successfully developed a monochromatic display with pixels less than 100 micrometres across, and even smaller LED pixels measuring 90 nanometres wide, comparable to the size of a typical…
A recent analysis by METR, a non-profit organization, suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) systems are improving at a rapid pace and could close the gap with humans sooner than anticipated. The study found that the time horizon of leading AI models has doubled roughly every seven months since 2019, with the latest models doubling their…
Despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, a group of scientists from Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, and European countries have come together to study the potential of barn owls to reduce pesticide use in agriculture. This unlikely cross-border collaboration has endured for 15 months, with researchers meeting online to discuss how to expand…