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Astronomers listened for radio signals emanating from planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system, but found no evidence of any interplanetary communications

We are more likely to use an ineffective treatment after slight symptom improvement, even when the changes are coincidental.

The post Post Hoc Bias in Medicine first appeared on Science-Based Medicine.

Each year, about 2.2 million bone-grafting procedures are performed worldwide, the gold standard of care being autografting, which uses the patient's own bone for tooth implantation and to repair and reconstruct parts of the mouth, face and skull.

Using mathematical modeling, researchers found a way to maintain cooperation without relying on complex norms or institutions.

A 2020 microlensing event was caused by a planetary system with an Earth-like planet and brown dwarf. The star type was uncertain. The team has determined that the star is a white dwarf, a system resembling what our sun-Earth system will look like in 8 billion years. The good news: the planet survived its star's red giant phase, so maybe Earth will too. The bad news: it's still uninhabitable.

Researchers tested an advanced publicly available genAI model, GPT-4, to determine its ability to answer questions across five key areas of patient safety in the 50-question self-assessment for the Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) exam, a standardized multiple-choice certification exam for patient safety professionals. GPT-4 answered 88% of the questions correctly, demonstrating a high level of performance.

Researchers have studied how nanoplastic affects aquatic organisms in lakes and rivers. The results are surprising and the researchers are the first to show that some species are being wiped out, while others -- such as cyanobacteria that contribute to algal blooms -- are completely unaffected.

Astronomers have published a gigantic infrared map of the Milky Way containing more than 1.5 billion objects -- the most detailed one ever made. Using the European Southern Observatory's VISTA telescope, the team monitored the central regions of our Galaxy over more than 13 years. At 500 terabytes of data, this is the largest observational project ever carried out with an ESO telescope.

Squinting into the treetops won't reveal the tiny organisms up there. But these creatures leave clues, in the form of DNA, on the leaves and branches. Now, researchers report that they have developed a way to collect this genetic material: a drone with a specialized fabric probe. The team flew the drone above the rainforest and, based on DNA collected by the probe, identified the invertebrates in the canopy.

Scientists successfully tested a new way to produce sustainable jet fuel from lignin-based agricultural waste. The team's research demonstrated a continuous process that directly converts lignin polymers, one of the chief components of plant cells, into a form of jet fuel that could help improve performance of sustainably produced aviation fuels.

In a surprise finding, astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have discovered that the blowtorch-like jet from a supermassive black hole at the core of a huge galaxy seems to cause stars to erupt along its trajectory. The stars, called novae, are not caught inside the jet, but apparently in a dangerous neighborhood nearby.

Scientists have used pressure with a twisting shear to permanently deform silicon, an important material for electronics. The resulting changes in silicon's microstructure produce material phases that feature different and potentially useful properties.

Scientists have used pressure with a twisting shear to permanently deform silicon, an important material for electronics. The resulting changes in silicon's microstructure produce material phases that feature different and potentially useful properties.

The key insight with a new strategy for training protein engineering models, called EvoRank, is to harness the natural variations of millions of proteins generated by evolution over deep time and extract the underlying dynamics needed for workable solutions to biotech challenges.

A research team has developed a new fluorine-free binder and electrolyte designed to advance eco-friendly, high-performance battery technology.

A research team has developed a new fluorine-free binder and electrolyte designed to advance eco-friendly, high-performance battery technology.

Conventional robotic grippers struggle to adapt to complex shapes and sizes, such as those found in crops. This has created a demand for more adaptable robotic grippers that can be utilized in agriculture. In a new study, researchers introduced an innovative soft robotic gripper named ROtation-based Squeezing grippEr (ROSE) and optimized its unique wrinkling-based grasping mechanism using simulations. ROSE's soft yet secure grasp can make it a vital tool for agriculture.

Conventional robotic grippers struggle to adapt to complex shapes and sizes, such as those found in crops. This has created a demand for more adaptable robotic grippers that can be utilized in agriculture. In a new study, researchers introduced an innovative soft robotic gripper named ROtation-based Squeezing grippEr (ROSE) and optimized its unique wrinkling-based grasping mechanism using simulations. ROSE's soft yet secure grasp can make it a vital tool for agriculture.

Some good news about free speech for the University of Chicago. This morning all of us got this message from the University President:

Dear Members of the University Community,

Today, I am thrilled to announce that an anonymous donor has committed $100 million in support of free inquiry and expression at the University of Chicago. Last year, the University launched the Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, and it will mark its first anniversary next week. With this extraordinary gift, the Chicago Forum will thrive and endure for years to come.

Successfully upholding free inquiry and expression in a university requires a long-term commitment to building a culture that supports it, that flourishes from it, that even demands it. This is fundamental to a university that is truth seeking. Each generation of UChicago’s community has contributed new layers to the institution in protection of free inquiry and expression, from founding president William Rainey Harper’s vocal defense of academic freedom to the adoption of the Kalven Report and on to the Chicago Principles.

The Chicago Forum is the newest layer–an environment set aside for us and others to grapple with important issues related to the preservation of academic freedom and the practice of free expression. The historic framing documents and the Chicago Principles summarize our institution’s best thinking on our philosophy and policies over time. But the actual practice of free expression takes place every day–in classrooms in every department and school, in dormitories and dining halls, and on the quads. This living culture and the norms we create by it involves engagement from each of us in our varied roles: tradeoffs and decisions and the cultivation of habits of mind and attitudes. In my view, the collective culture we build is so important that it deserves to have a place where it can be continuously discussed across the University and with partners from other universities and sectors of society.

The magnitude of this gift mirrors the conviction of its donor. It was not made in furtherance of any ideology or political agenda. Rather, it is in the belief that this university has a calling to be principled and effective. The donor’s generosity represents a strong endorsement of the potential for the Chicago Forum to serve as the next step in our living commitment to upholding free inquiry and expression. It is to be the venue for the whole of the University community to come together and undertake the study and practice of all aspects of free inquiry and expression, and to do so in partnership with others beyond the University.

Already in its first year, the Chicago Forum has made a strong case for itself during this highly contested period for higher education. On many occasions student groups sought the support of the Chicago Forum as they were reflecting on the practice of the Chicago Principles as issues they cared about deeply were unfolding. It also sponsored more than a dozen events on challenging topics ranging from the conflict in Israel and Gaza to significant Supreme Court rulings, as well as one with the University’s faculty about my decision to end the encampment last spring. Through the Academic Freedom Institute it formed, the Chicago Forum convened leaders from more than 20 colleges and universities to participate in workshops and explore how to strengthen academic freedom at their institutions. We live in an era marked by intense polarization, and having a place where rigorous inquiry and reason are exercised through the mechanisms of dialogue is important. With this gift, the University will expand the depth and reach of such vital work.

In the near term, the gift will enable the Chicago Forum to launch a variety of initiatives, including those that will allow it to expand its work on orientation programming, to offer support for faculty to explore free expression through a diversity of academic lenses, to establish a fellowship program for junior scholars, and to provide resources that will allow the University to bring prominent figures, including leading public intellectuals, to campus to engage in dialogue with the broader community. You can learn more about the gift and its impact at UChicago News.

I want to extend my deepest gratitude for the visionary support of the gift’s benefactor, which will ensure that the University remains at the forefront of defending and promoting the principles of free inquiry and expression. As we continue to navigate a world that increasingly demands thoughtful, courageous engagement with important issues, this gift will not only help empower our community to meet the moment with integrity and intellectual rigor, but also inspire others by our example.

Sincerely,
Paul

—

Paul Alivisatos
President

$100 million bucks! And all for free speech! It’s amazing. The Chicago Forum, a new initiative, is poised to ensure that the University community knows about (and follows) the Chicago Principles of Free Speech and the Kalven Principle of institutional neutrality.  Look at the link above to see what it does.

Now nobody knows the donor, but he or she must have been loaded to give us all that dosh.  Right now I’m fighting to get one particular unit of the University to obey Kalven, and the University has been sitting on its hands about my report for three months. Maybe I can use this grant as leverage to get our school to take action, or at least set up a process to report violations of institutional neutrality. Right now, the unit responsible for reporting those violations happens to be ME.

But still: $100,000,000!!!

Northern sea robins are formidable marine hunters, and they owe their success to modified fin rays that let them find prey buried in the seabed