Between 10% and 15% of cancer cases have a hereditary component; the rest are due to environmental factors.

Specialists in family cancer search family trees for relatives who may have inherited mutations that increase the risk of cancer. The aim is to improve prevention

The Familial Cancer Unit at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) studies more than 600 cases a year. 30% are healthy people with a family member with cancer in which a hereditary mutation has been identified.

“A person carrying a mutation that increases the risk of cancer can make decisions that help to prevent it”, according to the CNIO researcher, María Currás.

Smart robots could one day reshape support for people with motor coordination conditions like dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder), thanks to a new research project by the University of Surrey. Engineers are developing mathematical models that help assistive robots detect and predict a person’s intent, effort and fatigue – allowing them to adapt in real time to offer more personalised, responsive assistance. 

Scientists at ORNL have developed a first-ever method of detecting ribonucleic acid, or RNA, inside plant cells using a technique that results in a visible fluorescent signal. The technology can help researchers detect and track changes in RNA and gene expression in real time, providing a powerful tool for the development of hardier bioenergy and food crops and for detection of unwanted plant modifications, pathogens and pests.  

A research team from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in collaboration with North Carolina State University, has developed a simulation capable of predicting how tens of thousands of electrons move in materials in real time, or natural time rather than compute time.

A team of Rice engineering students has designed and built a safer, low-cost propulsion module for small satellites.

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS, President Lee Ho Seong) and the Korea Gas Safety Corporation (KGS, President & CEO Bahk Gyurng-Goog) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on April 22 at the KRISS in Daejeon.

Major European cities like London, Paris, and Berlin need groundwater resources to provide its inhabitants with drinking water. However, Berlin stands out with a unique drinking water system that relies entirely on groundwater. This complete dependence makes Berlin particularly vulnerable to threats such as climate change and Germany’s upcoming coal phase-out. German researchers are using computer simulations to predict climate trends and find solutions to safeguard Berlin’s crucial water resources. 

Major European cities like London, Paris, and Berlin need groundwater resources to provide its inhabitants with drinking water. However, Berlin stands out with a unique drinking water system that relies entirely on groundwater. This complete dependence makes Berlin particularly vulnerable to threats such as climate change and Germany’s upcoming coal phase-out. German researchers are using computer simulations to predict climate trends and find solutions to safeguard Berlin’s crucial water resources. 

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University of Tennessee Assistant Professor Mahshid Ahmadi and Assistant Professor Jonghee Yang contributed to two significant research projects on perovskites, published in Nature journals. These breakthroughs, involving international collaboration, advance the potential of perovskites for technologies like solar panels and LEDs. Ahmadi’s lab integrates traditional methods with machine learning for high-throughput material creation and characterization.

This spring, 75 students from Lone Star College, San Jacinto Community College and Houston Community College met with Rice University faculty, staff and graduate students five times over three months to explore how data science can be used to solve real-world sustainability challenges. Students worked on problems related to the environment, human health and the energy transition in a program funded by Google and led by the Department of Computer Science, the Rice Sustainability Institute and the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies.

As water becomes more scarce and demand rises, researchers are pioneering a new management approach that can help avert disastrous drought impacts. By collaborating with experts in Chile, the team aims to provide policymakers with the tools needed to integrate long-term environmental and social changes into water governance and ensure resilience in a warming world.