EurekAlert! National Science Foundation - NSF Funded Research News

NSF Funded Research News

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 7-Oct-2025 18:11 ET (7-Oct-2025 22:11 GMT/UTC)

4-Aug-2025

Metabolism may unlock the secret to a deeper understanding of neurodegeneration

University of Michigan
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Findings could create new opportunities to treat and study neurodegenerative diseases

Journal: Molecular Metabolism
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, Rita Allen Foundation, Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund, NIH/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

4-Aug-2025

Biodiversity matters in every forest, but even more in wetter ones

University of Michigan
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study led by U-M shows that biodiversity in wetter forests has a more pronounced impact than in drier ones, revealing important insights for people working to protect and restore these ecosystems.

Journal: Nature Ecology & Evolution
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation

4-Aug-2025

Organized scientific fraud is growing at an alarming rate

Northwestern University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Using data analysis and case studies, researchers investigated scientific fraud. They found publication of fraudulent science is likely outpacing the growth rate of legitimate science. Researchers pay for papers, authorships and citations to build reputations. “This study is probably the most depressing project I’ve been involved with in my entire life," says the study's corresponding author.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, NIH/National Institutes of Health

4-Aug-2025

Midwestern butterfly count: Big data yields bad news and clues

Michigan State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists analyzed more than 4.3 million observations in the U.S. Midwest from 1992-2023 to characterize changes in butterfly biodiversity. Findings: No populations are increasing and many are failing. In PNAS.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. Geological Survey

4-Aug-2025

Ancient arthropods on the move: Unraveling the secret steps of the burgess shale trilobites

Harvard University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a new study published in the BMC Biology, researchers in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, analyzed 156 limbs from 28 O. serratus fossil specimens to reconstruct the precise movement and function of these mysterious ancient arthropod appendages—shedding light on one of the planet’s earliest and most successful animals.

Journal: BMC Biology
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, Human Frontier Science Program

4-Aug-2025

National Science Foundation renews Brown’s national mathematics institute with $16.5 million

Brown University
Grant and Award Announcement

The grant will fund the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics through 2030, offering opportunities to explore mathematical concepts that underpin everything from AI to industrial design.

Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation

4-Aug-2025

Ancient arthropods on the move: Unraveling the secret steps of the burgess shale trilobites

Harvard University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Journal: BMC Biology
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, Human Frontier Science Program

4-Aug-2025

New method to steer electricity in atom-thin metals may revolutionize devices

University of Minnesota
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a major step toward next-generation electronics, researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have discovered a way to manipulate the direction of charge flow in ultrathin metallic films at room temperature using light.

Journal: Science Advances
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, DOE/US Department of Energy, DOE/US Department of Energy, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Air Force Office of Scientific Research

1-Aug-2025

‘Shore Wars:’ New research aims to resolve coastal conflict between oysters and mangroves, aiding restoration efforts

University of Central Florida
Peer-Reviewed Publication

To protect Florida’s coastlines, the researchers hope their new findings can initiate efforts to strike a balance within coastal ecosystems so both oysters and mangroves can flourish without harming each other. Otherwise, the mangroves could eventually dominate oyster reefs.

Journal: Marine Ecology Progress Series
Funder: Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, U.S. National Science Foundation, Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society Grants-in-Aid of Research, the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program

1-Aug-2025

New AI tool learns to read medical images with far less data

University of California - San Diego
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new AI tool could make it much easier—and cheaper—for doctors and researchers to train medical imaging software, even when only a small number of patient scans are available. It could lead to faster, more affordable diagnostic tools, especially in hospitals and clinics with limited resources.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, NIH/National Institutes of Health