The liver’s job of clearing harmful substances from the body is so essential that the organ may have implications for addressing unexpected diseases, including Alzheimer’s and heart disease. A promising example comes from new Keck School of Medicine of USC research published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The study, conducted in aged rats, shows that an experimental drug called cinaciguat reverses effects of aging in the liver. This, in turn, may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and clogged arteries...

A research team led by professor Minhae Kwon of the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering has developed two core next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that enable AI systems to handle complex, long-horizon tasks more effectively while reducing computational costs and improving safety. The findings address key challenges that have hindered the commercialization of costly AI assistant services as well as the deployment of AI in safety-critical areas such as robotics and autonomous driving. The findings are published on the arXiv preprint server.

AI assistants that receive user instructions and autonomously plan and execute tasks, such as ChatGPT-based agents, are becoming increasingly widespread...

Astronomers have found a vast reservoir of hydrogen with something conspicuously missing: detectable starlight. The object, called AGC 322753, contains roughly 2 billion times the sun’s mass in neutral hydrogen, a potential supply of material for making stars...

Inspired by the ability of sea cucumbers to change the stiffness of their bodies, University of Waterloo researchers have developed a gel that could one day help repair damaged tendons and other soft tissues without leaving permanent material behind.

A paper on the study, “Bioinspired Hydrogels with Broadly Programmable Mechanics for Soft-Tissue Interfaces,” was recently published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

The water-rich material, known as a hydrogel, acts as a temporary support structure that allows new tissue to grow as the material gradually breaks down...