Connecting Science and Society

The brain’s ability to manage stress and guide behaviour, including making decisions or interacting with others, relies in part on an area called the medial prefrontal cortex. But exactly how this region controls the body’s internal responses has remained unclear. New research on mice led by Prof Hong-Wei Dong and his team at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) sheds light on a little-studied part of the brain that may play a key role.
The work reveals a complex network, unconvering a previously undefined “primary visceromotor cortex” in the mouse brain, that helps link thoughts, feelings, and physical state. This discovery could reshape our understanding of how the brain controls stress, emotion, and internal bodily functions, and offer new insights into human mental health disorders.

Modern life exposes us to a staggering array of synthetic substances—over 350,000 chemicals are registered for use worldwide, found in products as diverse as pesticides, plastics, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Ensuring the safety of all these compounds is a daunting task. Researchers led by Prof Jinhee Choi at University of Seoul are developing cutting-edge artificial intelligence models to predict the potential dangers toxicity of chemicals, with the aim of reducing the need for controversial animal experiments. By analysing vast toxicology databases and pioneering new AI techniques, Prof Choi’s team is working towards a future where the safety of everything from industrial compounds to household products can be assessed more quickly, cheaply, and humanely.

Scientists have a growing body of data that could bring them a step closer to being able to ‘instruct’ skin collagen to resist the effects of ageing, according to a review of the latest research undertaken by Dr Peter Kim, biochemist and founder of private tuition company Veribera.

New research led by Dr Nathaniel R. Johnson of UND and his mentors at NDSU, Drs Julie Garden-Robinson and Sherri Stastny, reveals a strong link between protein type and mental health in older adults. Analysing data from 637 North Dakotans aged 50+, the study found that self-reported average meal patterns that included lean proteins, like chicken, fish, eggs, and legumes, were associated with fewer days of depression and anxiety. In contrast, processed meats such as bacon and deli slices correlated with increased mental distress, especially in rural communities. These findings suggest that protein quality may significantly influence emotional well-being in later life, offering a simple, everyday strategy to support mental health, one nourishing meal at a time.

Do you find data analysis dense and impenetrable, like a quantitative jungle? You’re not alone. Many of the most useful statistical tools have steep-learning curves and often demand both sophisticated mathematical ability and advanced programming skills. But, in a world where data is constantly generated and recorded, it’s essential that data analysis tools are as accessible as possible. And there’s no reason they can’t be; with such powerful digital tools at our disposal, data visualisation can be made as straightforward as the click of a button.

That’s the goal behind Professor David Gerbing’s latest project – lessR. lessR is a free, open-source package for one of the most popular analysis programming languages, R, designed to make data visualisation as simple as possible. See Professor Gerbing’s written and video introduction to using the R language for data analysis at the website he provides for his students.

As technology advances, physical experiments are performed by bigger, more powerful, and more sophisticated machines. Research conducted using these large-scale facilities (LSF) typically involves collaboration between the operating staff, instrument scientists, and external research groups, who propose specific experiments to be performed. With many people involved and such large volumes of data generated by each experiment, it has become challenging to make sure that results are collected, catalogued, stored, and distributed efficiently.

The German consortium DAPHNE4NFDI has been working to integrate Electronic Laboratory Notebooks (ELNs) into the Photon and Neutron (PaN) research community. One of their main goals has been to develop the decision-making process behind how research facilities, universities, and researchers can evaluate the range of ELNs available and decide on which solution to integrate into their operations.

Crohn’s Disease (CD) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that is due to abnormalities of the gastrointestinal (GI) immune system that result in immunologic hyper-responsiveness to normal GI constituents. It causes severe and recurrent GI symptoms that can be managed but not cured, except in rare cases where histocompatible bone marrow transplantation can be applied to replace the errant immune system.

Dr Warren Strober from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA, specialises in the study of the GI immune system, both when it operates normally to maintain homeostasis, as well as when it operates abnormally causing health issues such as CD.

The nasal cavity serves as the primary entry point for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratoy viruses, making it a critical frontline for immune defence. Professor Antonio Bertoletti from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore has been investigating how our immune systems respond to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. His groundbreaking research reveals that individuals who experience breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections after vaccination develop a uniquely robust ‘hybrid immunity’ in their nasal passages. This work provides crucial insights into developing more effective vaccines and enhances our understanding of why some people may be better protected against future infections than others.
Developments in the mathematics of fractional calculus and special functions then helped to facilitate extensive studies of space and our solar system. Over the last 30 years, under the umbrella of the United Nations, space science has boomed, with 7 new centres set up across the globe and over 20 dedicated workshops arranged. A new generation is being trained to tackle the mysteries and challenges presented to us by outer space.

From a summer house just outside of Berlin, to the establishment of educational centres across the world —Professors Hans Haubold and Arak Mathai have overseen the remarkable development of space science over the last half-century. Their early research into the curious solar neutrino problem in the 1970s spawned several books and a large volume of academic literature exploring the inner workings of our Sun.

Developments in the mathematics of fractional calculus and special functions then helped to facilitate extensive studies of space and our solar system. Over the last 30 years, under the umbrella of the United Nations, space science has boomed, with 7 new centres set up across the globe and over 20 dedicated workshops arranged. A new generation is being trained to tackle the mysteries and challenges presented to us by outer space.

Navigating relationships can be challenging. From money issues, raising children, job pressures, and extramarital affairs, there are an array of issues couples present to therapists. In his 40+ years of experience as a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and couple therapist, Professor Arthur Nielsen has built a wealth of knowledge regarding how to support couples.
In addition to more than 40 research publications, he has published his insights in two textbooks: A Roadmap for Couple Therapy: Integrating Systemic, Psychodynamic, and Behavioral Approaches and Integrative Couple Therapy in Action: A Practical Guide for Handling Common Relationship Problems and Crises, both of which are valuable resources for therapists navigating couple therapy.