A supplement widely promoted for athletic performance may interfere with some of the heart’s beneficial adaptations to exercise, according to new Dalhousie University research published in Scientific Reports.

While these supplements are often promoted to support exercise performance and cardiovascular function, researchers found the combination of sodium nitrate and running prevented several beneficial cardiac improvements normally associated with exercise in females.

Those benefits included changes linked to heart structure, ventricular function and calcium handling in heart cells, which helps regulate contraction and relaxation...

Computer scientists at UC Riverside have identified troubling flaws in a new generation of artificial intelligence (AI) agents designed to take over routine computer chores while users are away—sorting emails, organizing files, analyzing data, and handling other everyday digital tasks that might otherwise consume hours.

The researchers found that the automated agents can become dangerously fixated on completing assignments without recognizing when their actions are harmful, contradictory, or simply irrational.

The team compared these behaviors to those of Mr. Magoo, the famously near-sighted cartoon character popular in the 1960s, who stumbled through hazardous situations while insisting everything was under control.

“Like Mr...

On Thursday, NASA issued a Request for Proposal (RFP), seeking industry collaboration for the Mars Telecommunications Network.

Reliable, high bandwidth communications are necessary to relay science data, high-definition imagery, and critical information during Mars missions. The network will use high-performance Mars telecommunications orbiters at the red planet to support future surface, orbital, and human exploration.

This RFP builds on a draft released April 2, as well as insights gathered during the accompanying industry day at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where commercial partners provided feedback on agency objectives for the Mars Telecommunications Network.

The request seeks responses that address both current and future operational missio...

A research project led by the Institute for Research in Nutrition and Food Safety (INSA) and the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences at the University of Barcelona, together with the Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (IBMB) of the CSIC (which stands for Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), has successfully designed and tested a gluten-degrading molecule that is a promising ally in the management of celiac disease, an autoimmune disease whose symptoms are triggered by the consumption of gluten and other prolamins found in cereals.

At present, there is a complete lack of treatment options beyond a diet free from gluten, which is difficult to maintain in Western societies where diets rely h...