Research

• Especialistas estimam que a ‘contabilidade dos danos causados’ por 200 anos de escravidão de bens móveis totalizaria US$ 2 trilhões em danos • A Grã-Bretanha roubou 25 milhões de anos de vida e trabalho por meio da escravidão em Barbados, de acordo com uma nova pesquisa de uma equipe de especialistas internacionais • O relatório conclui que a população de ascendência africana de Barbados sofreu danos estimados em até US$ 2 trilhões (£ 1,5 trilhão) decorrentes de 200 anos de escravidão de bens móveis. Continue lendo...

Ferramenta de dados pode ajudar o NHS a priorizar quem terá acesso a medicamentos limitados para perda de peso, dizem cientistas Uma nova ferramenta que pode esclarecer quem está em maior risco de doenças relacionadas à obesidade pode ajudar a identificar as pessoas que mais se beneficiariam de medicamentos para perda de peso, disseram pesquisadores. Dados recentes sugerem que cerca de dois terços dos adultos na Inglaterra estão com sobrepeso ou obesos – uma situação que tem causado preocupação entre especialistas em saúde. Continue lendo...

• O Department of Justice anunciou na semana passada que flexibilizou as restrições legais sobre a maconha medicinal, visando expandir as opções de pesquisa e tratamento em todo o US. • Espera-se que esta mudança de política facilite mais estudos clínicos e o acesso de pacientes em estados com programas medicinais. • A mudança aborda barreiras de longa data à pesquisa de maconha aprovada federalmente, potencialmente acelerando desenvolvimentos terapêuticos.

2026 estimates for wolves on island highest since late 1970s but moose population declining dramaticallyWolves on a remote island in Lake Superior appear to be thriving, but they’re making deep dents in the moose population that they rely on as a leading food source, according to a report released Monday.Isle Royale is a 134,000-acre (54,200-hectare) national park in far western Lake Superior between Grand Marais, Minnesota, and Thunder Bay, Canada. The island is a natural laboratory, offering scientists a rare opportunity to observe wolves and moose largely free from human influence. Continue reading...

Study of 1,300 campaigners finds arrests, fines and jail terms increase determination of activists to take direct actionThe criminalisation of direct action climate protests in the UK is counterproductive and increases the determination of activists to undertake disruptive demonstrations, according to a study of 1,300 campaigners.New findings suggest arrests, fines and lengthy prison sentences given to nonviolent climate protesters who have blocked roads or damaged buildings may actually radicalise them. The repression of protest could even be one driver of recent covert actions such as the cutting of internet cables, they said. Continue reading...

• MarketBeat's stock screener identified five key financial stocks to research: Robinhood Markets, Visa, Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. II, Coinbase Global, and Intuit. • These equities represent diverse segments within the financial services sector, including fintech, payment processing, and software solutions. • The stocks merit investor attention for fundamental and technical analysis.

Partner of soldier accused of war crimes says the couple discussed possibility of moving overseas to ‘create some normalcy in our lives’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBen Roberts-Smith was planning to leave Australia to live overseas and had a business class flight out of the country booked in four days’ time when he was arrested at Sydney airport this month, court documents allege, with investigators telling a court “his willingness to return to Australia to face prosecution cannot be judged”.Roberts-Smith was ultimately granted bail last week under strict conditions, a move opposed by prosecutors who said there was potential concern he was a flight risk and might try to avoid ever having to face trial for a series of alleged murders he committed in Afghanistan. Continue reading...

• MIT scientists unveiled a new quantum computing design achieving stable operation of 1,024 qubits simultaneously, surpassing previous records and demonstrating significant error correction capabilities reported on April 21. • The innovation uses a novel topological qubit design with error rates of 0.1% per operation, enabling computations previously impossible due to quantum decoherence, according to research published in Physical Review Letters. • The breakthrough could accelerate commercial quantum computing applications in drug discovery, materials science, and optimization problems within 2-3 years, researchers said.

• Researchers at CERN's Large Hadron Collider detected rare Higgs boson decay patterns that deviate from Standard Model predictions, suggesting potential physics beyond current theoretical frameworks. • The analysis examined 150 billion particle collisions collected over two years, revealing a 3.2 sigma deviation in the boson's decay pathways, announced on April 20 by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations. • The findings could indicate undiscovered particles or fundamental forces and represent significant progress toward understanding the universe's most elusive particles.

• Stanford University neuroscientists discovered a blood-based biomarker (phosphorylated tau-217) that reliably predicts Alzheimer's disease development one to two decades before cognitive decline appears, according to research published April 20. • The biomarker was identified through analysis of blood samples from 2,500 cognitively healthy individuals followed for 15 years, with positive predictive value exceeding 92% in early-stage detection. • The finding could enable preventative therapies targeting amyloid and tau proteins before neurodegeneration becomes irreversible, potentially transforming Alzheimer's treatment approaches.

• President Trump has moved to fast-track psychedelic research as part of his administration's policy agenda, marking a significant shift in federal drug policy priorities. • Former Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema has publicly applauded the initiative as a "bold step forward" in medical research on Fox & Friends Weekend. • The accelerated psychedelic research program represents an innovative approach to mental health treatment and scientific advancement under the Trump administration.

• President Trump signed an executive order directing federal regulators to fast-track FDA review of psychedelic drugs including psilocybin and ibogaine for treating depression, anxiety, and PTSD. • The order allocates $50 million in federal funds to states implementing or developing psychedelic treatment programs as part of a federal-state partnership initiative. • Trump highlighted that over 14 million American adults have serious mental illness, with approximately 8 million on prescription medication, framing psychedelics as addressing a national mental health crisis including suicide prevention.

The school’s $100m project to examine its slave ownership in Antigua is mired with controversy as academics allege obstructionChristopher Newman remembers seeing campus police officers as he walked into a human resources office at Harvard University, but he didn’t imagine that they were there for him.It was July 2024, and Newman had just turned in the results of a two-month-long internship with the Harvard University Archives: an annotated bibliography for the landmark 2022 Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery Initiative report, which detailed the university’s ties to slavery across three centuries. He completed his project on Friday, 26 July, and on Monday, he said he received an email that HR wanted to meet with him. Continue reading...

Elisabeth Zetland, a senior researcher at MyHeritage, found that the actual Luigi has immigrated to US from ItalyThe Washington state businessman who inspired Nintendo to give the name Mario to its mustachioed, superhero plumber did not have a brother named Luigi like the fictional video game star famously does.But it has only just been determined that Nintendo may have unknowingly named its mascot’s brother after another of the real-life Mario’s close relatives: his father, Luigi, whose biography evokes that of millions of 20th-century US immigrants from Italy. Continue reading...

• NTT Research unveiled SaltGrain, a new data security suite designed to break the traditional all-or-nothing file-access model and enhance privacy protection. • The platform addresses existing cybersecurity gaps by enabling granular access control through advanced attribute-based encryption technology. • SaltGrain represents a significant advancement in data protection capabilities, offering enterprises more sophisticated control over sensitive information access and sharing.

• NTT Research in Sunnyvale, California, launched Scale Academy on April 15, 2026, an incubator led by SVP Bennett Indart to commercialize lab technologies from NTT divisions. • The first product, SaltGrain, is a zero-trust data security suite using attribute-based encryption (ABE) developed by NTT's Cryptography lab director Dr. Amit Sahai and Dr. Brent Waters. • Scale Academy aims to accelerate breakthrough products for market, focusing on quantum-safe security amid rising threats.

Participants reported enjoying the human connection regardless of whether they thought the topic was dullThe human aversion to dull experiences was nailed by the author Paulo Coelho when he declared: “I can stand defeats, pain, anger. But I can’t stand boredom.”But the natural desire to avoid boring conversations comes at a cost, according to researchers, who found that people enjoyed chatting about tedious topics far more than they expected. Continue reading...

Exclusive: MPs say profit-making levels in England are ‘scandalous’ and call for cap on amount private companies can make from NHSPrivate firms providing services to the NHS including healthcare and consultancy have made £1.6bn in profits over the last two years, research reveals.The findings – on the basis of contracts worth £12bn – have prompted claims of “scandalous” profiteering, concern that the health service is being “taken for a ride” and calls for ministers to impose a cap on maximum profit levels.£2bn of the £12bn of contracts went to firms with owners based outside the UK.£533m of that £2bn went to companies owned by people living in tax havens such as Jersey and the Cayman Islands.Firms, especially those owned by private equity outfits, used £353m of their £12bn NHS income to pay interest on debts. Continue reading...

• Climate scientists have discovered that nitrous oxide, a key greenhouse gas, has a shorter atmospheric lifetime than previously modeled, decreasing more rapidly than expected. • This unexpected finding is significantly altering climate projections and forcing researchers to recalibrate their long-term climate models and predictions. • The discovery underscores the importance of continuous monitoring and reassessment of greenhouse gas behavior in the atmosphere, with implications for future climate policy and environmental planning.

• NIH awarded $500 million in grants on April 7, 2026, to 15 US institutions for CRISPR-based gene therapies addressing 100,000 Americans with sickle cell disease. • Phase 2 trials at Boston Children's show 94% pain crisis reduction; total funding supports 200 patients over five years. • Initiative responds to 17% US mortality drop goal by 2030; 'Breakthrough for underserved communities,' per NIH Director.

• American Medical Association research reveals that over 80% of physicians are integrating AI tools into their clinical practices, reflecting widespread adoption across the medical profession. • Doctors express both optimism about AI's potential benefits and concerns about implementation, emphasizing the importance of physician involvement in AI development and deployment. • The survey highlights the transformative role of artificial intelligence in modern medicine while underscoring the need for continued physician oversight and ethical governance.

Body that funds Alan Turing Institute says it should offer better strategy and more value for moneyThe UK’s leading AI research institute has been told to make “significant” changes by its main source of taxpayer funding.The warning comes after the Guardian revealed the board of the Alan Turing Institute was reminded of its legal duties last month by the charity watchdog after a whistleblower complaint. Continue reading...

• The MajesTEC-3 clinical trial led by UAB researchers demonstrates that a new two-drug immunotherapy regimen can lead to long-lasting remission for multiple myeloma patients. • Over 83 percent of patients enrolled in the trial remain alive and progression-free three years after therapy, supporting approval of this potentially curative treatment. • The findings represent a significant advance for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer with limited treatment options historically.

• Caltech scientists led by Manuel Endres unveiled a theoretical design for neutral-atom quantum computers that slashes required hardware by roughly 100 times, potentially making scalable machines feasible within years. • The breakthrough uses laser-trapped atoms movable across arrays, enabling long-distance connections unlike fixed-qubit systems; Endres noted, 'It’s actually very surprising how well this works,' calling it 'ultra-efficient error correction.' • Last year, the team assembled a record 6,100 atomic qubits, published in Nature, advancing beyond nearest-neighbor limitations in other platforms.

Policymakers should address financial barriers that hinder young people from starting families, says thinktank Politicians hoping to persuade young people in the UK to have more children should prioritise tackling housing affordability, according to research by the Resolution Foundation thinktank.There has been growing concern in recent years about Britain’s declining birthrate, given the long-term fiscal pressures of supporting an ageing population. Continue reading...

‘There is no doubt that the cells and tissues of the oral cavity, the mouth and the lungs are altered by inhalation from e-cigarettes,’ academic saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVaping is likely to cause lung and oral cancer, researchers have found, as they urged regulators to act now rather than wait decades for a definitive level of risk.Cancer researchers led by UNSW in Sydney analysed reviews of evidence from animal studies, human case reports and laboratory research published between 2017 and 2025, in one of the most detailed assessments to date of whether nicotine e-cigarettes could cause cancer. Continue reading...

Survey also found 65% of gen Z think ‘things are better if men do paid work and women do care work’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastYounger fathers are more likely to cling to outdated ideas that frame men as the money earners and women as caregivers, new research has found.The Australian State of the World’s Fathers report is based on a global survey of 8,000 parents, with 533 from Australia. Continue reading...

Protesters decried Trump administration healthcare policies and direction of HHS under leadership of RFK JrAs tens of thousands of people assembled across the US and around the world for No Kings protests, about a thousand people gathered outside the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, on Saturday morning to protest cuts to medical research and the Trump’s administration’s policies on health.The rally follows a tumultuous year for the research agency, with devastating cuts to multi-year funding and outright terminations of grants, especially to research related to gender and race. The White House is now poised to cut the NIH’s budget by 20%, according to reporting by Roll Call on Friday, nearly one year after mass layoffs at health agencies. Continue reading...