Latest articles

Health & Medicine

High evidenceReview

New analysis links combined heart procedures to more rhythm recurrences

This human-focused meta-analysis compared catheter ablation alone with catheter ablation combined with left atrial appendage closure in 3,274 people with atrial fibrillation across 14 studies. The combined approach was associated with more recurrent abnormal heart rhythms and a slightly longer procedure time, while one serious fluid-related complication did not differ significantly between groups. Because the underlying studies were not described in full and randomized trials are still needed, the results are not conclusive.

5 days ago·38 views

AI & Computing

Phishing detectors can leak webpage details through shared data

A study finds that shared data from split-learning phishing detectors can reveal private webpage information. A new attack using large language models outperformed conventional reconstruction attacks in experiments on real-world phishing datasets.

5 days ago·37 views

Materials & Energy

A portable light-based device screens alcohol and water in commercial samples

A compact near-infrared device uses lead-free perovskite materials to screen alcohol and water content in commercial samples. Its circuit turns optical signals into five visual levels, covering alcohol concentrations of 30–60% and water contents of 45–100%.

5 days ago·33 views

Biology

Predicting which peptides T cells recognize remains difficult for AI

AI tools for predicting T-cell recognition often struggle when the peptide has not appeared in their training data. A study of structure-based classifiers found that extra training objectives can improve predictions for unfamiliar peptides, but the broader generalization problem remains.

5 days ago·15 views

Society & Economics

AI food images matched real food on health and calories — but not appeal

People judged AI-generated food images similarly to real food for healthiness and calorie content, but found them less realistic and were less willing to eat them. The results suggest AI images may be useful for controlled food-perception studies, but they are not interchangeable with images of real food.

5 days ago·11 views

Health & Medicine

High evidenceReview

Review examines FASD, harmful sexual behaviour and sexual offences

This systematic scoping review examined research on FASD and harmful sexual behaviours or sexual offences. Across 21 included articles, the literature reported links between FASD and these behaviours, but the review also found major gaps and does not establish that FASD causes them.

5 days ago·10 views

Biology

Clothianidin stunted onions and caused DNA damage in a toxicity study

In an onion-plant study, the insecticide clothianidin reduced germination, root growth, weight gain and photosynthetic pigments. It also increased oxidative stress, DNA and chromosome damage, and structural changes in plant tissues as exposure levels rose.

5 days ago·11 views

Materials & Energy

Tiny pores help organic frameworks turn otherwise lost energy into light

Nanopore confinement enabled delayed fluorescence in crystalline organic frameworks, allowing them to use energy that would otherwise be lost through non-emissive triplet states. The resulting materials formed high-efficiency light-emitting films and were used in solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes, although the abstract does not report detailed performance figures.

5 days ago·18 views

AI & Computing

Underwater AI detects marine life faster on power-limited vehicles

A lightweight AI system detected marine organisms in degraded underwater images with lower computing demands than YOLOv8m. Tests on a dataset and an embedded computer suggest it could support faster, more energy-efficient monitoring on autonomous underwater vehicles.

5 days ago·16 views

Biology

Manure and crop residues raised yields in long-term rice–wheat trials

Long-term trials in Bihar, India, found that manure and crop residues improved soil properties and raised rice and wheat yields. Reduced tillage mainly benefited physical soil conditions, but zero-tillage results varied by site and could lower yields when residues were not added.

5 days ago·9 views

Climate & Environment

Landfill-mining dust could breach air-quality limits, modelling suggests

A computer model suggests dust from landfill mining could exceed UK and EU PM10 air-quality limits, even though it generally stayed within the landfill boundary in one simulated operation. The findings point to potential health and environmental risks if dust controls are not used.

5 days ago·13 views

Climate & Environment

A Brazilian glyptodont skull is proposed as a new species

A reexamined glyptodont skull from Lagoa Santa, Brazil, has been proposed as a new species, Glyptotherium deuterophractum. The fossil had been assigned to other species for decades, but its combination of anatomical features distinguishes it from related glyptodonts.

6 days ago·41 views

AI & Computing

Preprint finds the same hidden instruction can steer AI agents differently

A preprint study found that the same hidden instruction could produce very different results in AI agents depending on whether it arrived as tool information or tool output, and what surrounded it. The findings have not been peer reviewed and may change.

6 days ago·37 views

Health & Medicine

Moderate evidenceReview

Review finds chemotherapy nausea research is concentrated in wealthier countries

This review examined 195 unique patient populations represented in studies cited by three chemotherapy anti-nausea guidelines. Most studies came from high-income countries, so the evidence may not fully reflect settings where recommended medicines or health-care resources are less available.

6 days ago·26 views

Climate & Environment

Lead exposure altered stress and depression-like behavior differently in male and female mice

In a mouse study, lead exposure from pregnancy through adulthood was linked to depression-like behavior, increased oxidative stress in the brain, and altered stress-hormone responses. Male and female mice showed different corticosterone patterns after stress.

6 days ago·54 views