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Children With Autism, ADHD, And Anorexia Share a Common Microbe Imbalance

The ratio of two dominant groups of microbes in the human gut was higher across all three disorder groups than was typically seen in the control group.

A new, small study suggests children with autism, ADHD, and anorexia share similarly disrupted gut microbiomes, which, by some measures, have more in common with each other than with their healthy, neurotypical peers.

Led by researchers from Comenius University in Slovakia, the study used stool samples to assess the gut microbiomes of 117 children.

The exploratory study included 30 boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 21 girls with anorexia nervosa, and 14 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The remaining samples were from age-and sex-matched healthy and neurotypical children, providing a control group.

The Role of Tregs in the Tumor Microenvironment

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a unique ecosystem that surrounds tumor tissues. The TME is composed of extracellular matrix, immune cells, blood vessels, stromal cells, and fibroblasts. These environments enhance cancer development, progression, and metastasis. Recent success in immune checkpoint blockade also supports the importance of the TME and immune cells residing in the tumor niche. Although the TME can be identified in almost all cancer types, the role of the TME may not be similar among different cancer types. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a pivotal role in immune homeostasis and are frequently found in the TME. Owing to their suppressive function, Tregs are often considered unfavorable factors that allow the immune escape of cancer cells.

90% of Gamers Have Played a Remake or Remaster, Finds New Report

According to MTM, many respondents said that they find remakes and remasters “help them reconnect with positive, comforting feelings and memories that they had when they first played the game.”

However, the firm noted that others raised concerns about studios “taking an easy, repetitive route to market” and that these remakes come at the cost of “sacrificing innovative, new experiences that could redefine the industry.”

“Our report shows that there is a strong appeal for remakes and remasters, but it’s a tight balancing act for studios to get right,” said Martin Bradley, head of gaming at MTM.” Many of these games are far out-selling their original release.

Ancient bog growth reveals shifting Southern Hemisphere winds 15,000 years ago

Scientists have revealed that ancient bogs in the Southern Hemisphere hold clues to a major shift in Earth’s climate thousands of years ago.

Researchers looking at peatlands have discovered that sudden shifts in the Southern Westerly Winds 15,000 years ago triggered a massive growth of the swamps.

Geo-experts have never fully understood what caused the bogs to form across the Southern Hemisphere after the last Ice Age.

Scientist captures tiny particles for clues on what sparks lightning

Using lasers as tweezers to understand cloud electrification might sound like science fiction, but at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) it is a reality. By trapping and charging micron-sized particles with lasers, researchers can now observe their charging and discharging dynamics over time.

This method, published in Physical Review Letters, could provide key insights into what sparks lightning.

Aerosols are liquid or that float in the air. They are all around us. Some are large and visible, such as pollen in spring, while others, such as viruses that spread during flu season, cannot be detected by the naked eye. Some we can even taste, like the airborne salt crystals we breathe in at the seaside.

NASA releases detailed images of rare interstellar comet passing through solar system

NASA unveiled close-up pictures on Wednesday of the interstellar comet that’s making a quick one-and-done tour of the solar system.

Discovered over the summer, the comet known as 3I/Atlas is only the third confirmed object to visit our corner of the cosmos from another star. It zipped harmlessly past Mars last month.

Several NASA spacecraft at and near the red planet zoomed in on the comet as it passed just 18 million miles (29 million kilometers) away. The European Space Agency’s two satellites around Mars also made observations.

Key driver of extreme winds on Venus identified

Imagine the catastrophic winds of a category 5 hurricane. Now, imagine even faster winds of more than 100 meters per second, encircling the planet and whipping clouds across the sky, with no end in sight. This scenario would be astonishing on Earth, but it’s business as usual on Venus, where the atmosphere at cloud level rotates about 60 times faster than the planet itself—a phenomenon known as superrotation. In contrast, Earth’s cloud-level atmosphere rotates at about the same speed as the planet’s surface.

Prior research has explored the mechanisms driving atmospheric superrotation on Venus, but the details remain murky. New evidence from Lai and team suggests that a once-daily atmospheric tidal cycle, fueled by heat from the sun, contributes much more to the planet’s extreme winds than previously thought. The study is published in the journal AGU Advances.

Rapid atmospheric rotation often occurs on rocky planets that, like Venus, are located relatively close to their stars and rotate very slowly. On Venus, one full rotation takes 243 Earth days. Meanwhile, the races around the planet in a mere 4 Earth days.

Microrobots overcome navigational limitations with the help of ‘artificial spacetimes’

Microrobots—tiny robots less than a millimeter in size—are useful in a variety of applications that require tasks to be completed at scales far too small for other tools, such as targeted drug-delivery or micro-manufacturing. However, the researchers and engineers designing these robots have run into some limitations when it comes to navigation. A new study, published in Nature, details a novel solution to these limitations—and the results are promising.

The biggest problem when dealing with microrobots is the lack of space. Their tiny size limits the use of components needed for onboard computation, sensing and actuation, making traditional control methods hard to implement. As a result, microrobots can’t be as “smart” as their larger cousins.

Researchers have tried to cover this limitation already. In particular, two methods have been studied. One method of control uses external feedback from an auxiliary system, usually with something like optical tweezers or . This has yielded precise and adaptable control of small numbers of microrobots, beneficial for complex, multi-step tasks or those requiring high accuracy, but scaling the method for controlling large numbers of independent microrobots has been less successful.

Taking prenatal supplements associated with 30% lower risk of autism

Researchers from Curtin University in Australia and multiple universities in Ethiopia report that prenatal folic acid and multivitamin supplementation is associated with a roughly 30% lower risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children, based on an umbrella review of existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Global estimates in the reviewed material place ASD prevalence at up to 1% of children. ASD affects reciprocal social interaction, nonverbal communication, and understanding of social relationships. Co-occurring conditions frequently include epilepsy, depression, anxiety, , sleep disturbance, and self-injury.

Previous studies found that both genetic mutations and environmental influences contribute to ASD risk, with prenatal maternal nutrition identified as one modifiable environmental factor. Within that broader category of prenatal maternal nutrition, and supplements are among the most accessible interventions offered to women before and during pregnancy.

Coaxing bilayer graphene into a single diamond-like layer for industrial applications

Graphene’s enduring appeal lies in its remarkable combination of lightness, flexibility, and strength. Now, researchers have shown that under pressure, it can briefly take on the traits of one of its more glamorous carbon cousins.

By introducing nitrogen atoms and applying pressure, a team of scientists has coaxed bilayer grown through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) into a diamond-like phase—without the need for extreme heat. The finding, reported in Advanced Materials Technologies, shows a scalable way to create ultrathin coatings that combine the toughness of diamond with the processability of graphene.

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