Featured News – Science & research news

Revolutionizing the detection of cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis

May 24, 2018 // 0 Comments

Frontiers in Neurology: Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) - Revolutionizing the detection of cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis

An iPad-based system allows quick identification of cognitive impairment in MS patients in routine clinical practice, with minimal resource requirements or burden on staff time: Frontiers in Neurology [...]

Should ethics or human intuition drive the moral judgments of driverless cars?

May 23, 2018 // 2 Comments

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience: Human intuition is sometimes at odds with ethically acceptable behavior and political guidelines for autonomous self-driving cars

People may not be happy with ethical decisions made by their self-driving cars: Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience [...]

Comments on social networks reinforce socialization during adolescence

May 17, 2018 // 0 Comments

A study looking at online behavior and evaluative comments made by teenageers concludes that while cybergossiping can lead to risky behavior such as cyberbullying, it also serves a valuable socializing function: Frontiers in Psychology

While cybergossiping can lead to risky behavior like cyberbullying, it also serves a valuable socializing function for teenagers: Frontiers in Psychology [...]

Risk factors involved in the early onset and severity of childhood obesity

May 16, 2018 // 0 Comments

Childhood obesity is linked to a family history of obesity, high blood pressure and lipid levels, type 2 diabetes and heart disease: Frontiers in Endocrinology

Childhood obesity is linked to a family history of obesity, cardiovascular and metabolic disease: Frontiers in Endocrinology [...]

The macabre world of mind-controlling parasites

May 15, 2018 // 0 Comments

Frontiers in Psychology: interactions between parasites and insects (neuro-parasitology) could provide insights into the neurological basis for behavior and decision-making

The gruesome new field of neuro-parasitology could provide insights into the neurological basis for behavior and decision-making: Frontiers in Psychology [...]

Stem cells from adults function just as well as those from embryos

May 14, 2018 // 0 Comments

Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine: Stem cells from adults function just as well as embryonic stem cells

Stem cells from elderly donors can be used for personalized treatment of age-related chronic and degenerative diseases: Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine [...]

Maternal binge drinking linked to mood problems and alcohol abuse in offspring

May 9, 2018 // 0 Comments

Maternal binge drinking linked to mental health and alcohol abuse in offspring

Binge drinking during pregnancy and lactation may make offspring more vulnerable to mood disturbances and alcohol abuse as adolescents: Frontiers in Psychiatry [...]

Raw fruit and vegetables provide better mental health outcomes

May 7, 2018 // 0 Comments

Researchers find that raw fruit and vegetables are better than cooked, canned and processed - and names the top 10 raw foods: Frontiers in Psychology

Study finds raw fruit and vegetables are better than cooked, canned and processed - and names the top 10 raw foods: Frontiers in Psychology [...]

Researchers use ‘environmental DNA’ to identify killer whales

May 3, 2018 // 0 Comments

Frontiers in Marine Science: Groundbreaking non-invasive technique uses DNA to detect killer whales (orcas) in the ocean

A groundbreaking new non-invasive technique may help scientists locate rare whale species in the ocean: Frontiers in Marine Science [...]

Class clowns: Playful boys viewed more negatively than playful girls

May 2, 2018 // 0 Comments

Gender differences in how teachers perceive playful children can have damaging effects on playful boys: Frontiers in Psychology [...]

Asthma and hay fever linked to increased risk of psychiatric disorders

April 30, 2018 // 0 Comments

A new study is the first to find a significant link between common allergic diseases and a broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders: Frontiers in Psychiatry [...]

Artificial intelligence tricked by optical illusion, just like humans

April 26, 2018 // 0 Comments

Frontiers in Psychology: AI tricked by optical illusion, just like humans

A study using deep neural networks suggests that predictive coding theory is the basis of illusory motion: Frontiers in Psychology [...]

Children are as fit as endurance athletes

April 25, 2018 // 0 Comments

Study shows how young children can run around all day: their muscles resist fatigue and recover in the same way as elite endurance athletes: Frontiers in Physiology [...]

Making music from animal migrations

April 23, 2018 // 0 Comments

Frontiers in Marine Science: Making music from elephant seal migrations - Carlos Duarte, Daniel Costa, Paul Riker

What does elephant seal migration sound like? A study by prominent marine researchers is the first to find out: Frontiers in Marine Science [...]

Frontiers in Blockchain: first peer-reviewed journal dedicated to blockchain from a scientific publisher

April 19, 2018 // 0 Comments

The journal will be led by blockchain experts Prof. Olinga Ta'eed, Centre for Citizenship, Enterprise and Governance and Dr Christopher Clack, University College London. [...]

Music lessons improve children’s cognitive skills and academic performance

April 19, 2018 // 0 Comments

Structured music lessons significantly enhance children's cognitive abilities which lead to improved academic performance: Frontiers in Neuroscience [...]

High levels of hazardous chemicals found in plastics collected from Lake Geneva

April 18, 2018 // 0 Comments

The first analysis of plastic from the lake's beaches finds cadmium, mercury and lead, sometimes at levels exceeding those permitted under EU law: Frontiers in Environmental Science [...]

Frontiers in Big Data: A new open-access journal to lead the big data revolution

April 17, 2018 // 1 Comment

Frontiers in Big Data is a new peer-reviewed journal publishing cutting-edge research on big data and data-driven science.

The journal welcomes research on data mining, cybersecurity, machine learning, AI, big data networks, and data-driven climate science, health and medicine [...]

Analyzing past failures may boost future performance by reducing stress

April 16, 2018 // 0 Comments

Duke, Rutgers & University of Pennsylvania researchers show for first time how writing about past failures helps boost future performance: Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience [...]

New low-cost, sustainable material for reducing air and water pollution

April 13, 2018 // 0 Comments

A new 'green' material made from solid wastes and natural polymers promises better results than activated carbon in adsorbing pollution: Frontiers in Chemistry [...]

Long-term caffeine worsens symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease

April 12, 2018 // 5 Comments

Low caffeine doses worsened neophobia, anxiety-related behaviors and emotional and cognitive flexibility: Frontiers in Pharmacology [...]

Childhood aggression linked to deficits in executive function

April 4, 2018 // 0 Comments

Primary school kids with lower planning and self-restraint skills are more likely to show increased aggression in middle childhood, report University of Potsdam researchers in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience [...]

Chronic fatigue syndrome possibly explained by lower levels of key thyroid hormones

April 3, 2018 // 0 Comments

The discovery raises hopes for treating this common yet debilitating disease: Frontiers in Endocrinology [...]

Dogs with noise sensitivity should be routinely assessed for pain by vets

March 29, 2018 // 1 Comment

Animal behavioral scientists report that dogs with associated musculoskeletal pain formed a greater sensitivity to noise: Frontiers In Veterinary Science [...]

Early numeracy of young kids linked to specific math activities at home

March 28, 2018 // 0 Comments

Early numeracy of young kids linked to specific mathematics activities at home

The more parents engage in math activities with their children, the higher their early numeracy performance: Frontiers in Psychology [...]

Caloric restriction in combination with low-fat diet helps protect aging brains

March 27, 2018 // 0 Comments

Exercise was significantly less effective than caloric restriction in preventing aging-induced inflammatory activation of microglia in mice: Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience [...]

High numbers of elderly Japanese women will soon live in poverty

March 22, 2018 // 0 Comments

Behavior changes and an unfavorable pension system will disproportionately impoverish elderly Japanese women: Frontiers in Physics [...]

Black hole jets are clearer now

March 21, 2018 // 0 Comments

Researchers have developed a model that explores supermassive black holes that lie at the centers of galaxies: Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences [...]

Moving toward a future free of drug-induced hearing loss

March 19, 2018 // 0 Comments

Research Topic compiles the latest research into hearing loss caused by drugs and solvents - how it occurs, how to treat it, and how to prevent it. [...]

Commercial pesticides: Not as safe as they seem

March 15, 2018 // 2 Comments

Lack of testing on adjuvants in commercial pesticide formulations ignores the potential risk of these on people and the environment: Frontiers in Public Health [...]

We’re not addicted to smartphones, we’re addicted to social interaction

March 14, 2018 // 2 Comments

smartphone technology addiction social interactions

New research suggests mobile-device habits stem from a healthy human need to socialize, rooted in evolution: Frontiers in Psychology [...]

A bacterium that attacks burn victims will soon be unarmed

March 13, 2018 // 0 Comments

A study from UNIGE reveals the strategies adopted by a bacterium that proliferates in the wounds of burn victims and threatens them with sepsis. It opens the way to new therapies: Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology [...]

Challenges of food allergies connected to personality traits for first time

March 12, 2018 // 0 Comments

Openness, but not neuroticism, associated with more issues in managing food allergy: Frontiers in Psychology [...]

Thank you to the amazing women of Frontiers!

March 8, 2018 // 0 Comments

The 211 dedicated, creative, hard-working, innovative, passionate women at Frontiers are making high-quality science openly available to the world. Global gender [...]

Inspiring role models for women in science

March 8, 2018 // 0 Comments

On International Women's Day, a few of our Editors-in-Chief -- each a top researcher in her field -- talk about what, and who, inspired their careers. [...]

Ancient cave art may be origin of modern language

March 7, 2018 // 0 Comments

Did humans speak through cave art? New paper links ancient drawings and language's origins: Frontiers in Psychology [...]

Scientists move closer to treatment for Huntington’s disease

March 6, 2018 // 0 Comments

Improvements to gene-editing techniques hold promise for inactivating the defective gene responsible for Huntington's disease : Frontiers in Neuroscience [...]

Simple urine test could measure how much our body has aged

March 5, 2018 // 1 Comment

Research sheds light on a new marker of aging that could help predict the risk of developing age-related disease and death: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience [...]

Researchers find algorithm for large-scale brain simulations

March 2, 2018 // 1 Comment

Neuroscience brain simulation algorithm exascale

A decisive step towards simulating brain-scale networks on future supercomputers also significantly speeds up simulations on existing supercomputers: Frontiers in Neuroinformatics [...]

Moths in mud can uncover prehistoric secrets

March 2, 2018 // 0 Comments

Lepidoptera scales moths prehistoric secrets

Revolutionary new technique for studying lake sediments can reveal when prehistoric insect swarms occurred: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution [...]

Perceptions of old age change as we age

March 1, 2018 // 0 Comments

The largest-ever study of age perceptions finds skewed views of aging -- particularly among young adults: Frontiers in Psychology [...]

Phishing success linked to incentives and sticking to an effective strategy

February 28, 2018 // 0 Comments

Research on attacker motives -- a crucial aspect of phishing -- identifies effective strategies and the role of early and high rewards: Frontiers in Psychology [...]

Brain disease: do pathological behaviors stem from faulty beliefs?

February 23, 2018 // 1 Comment

Neuroscience brain function disease Bayesian model

A promising model for understanding neurological and psychiatric disorders could help provide personalized treatments for patients: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience [...]

Measles vaccine increases child survival beyond protecting against measles

February 21, 2018 // 1 Comment

New study shows all-cause mortality is significantly lower when a child's most recent immunization is a measles vaccine: Frontiers in Public Health [...]

High levels of microplastics found in Northwest Atlantic fish

February 21, 2018 // 0 Comments

Marine science: plastic pollution mesopelagic fish

Study finds microplastics in 73 percent of mesopelagic fish caught in the Northwest Atlantic - one of the highest levels globally: Frontiers in Marine Science [...]

10,000th microbiology article published today!

February 13, 2018 // 0 Comments

Frontiers in Microbiology David Hutchins article

The article, on vitamin B12 production by a marine microbe, comes from scientists at the University of California and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. [...]

Modern man vs. giant animals

February 12, 2018 // 0 Comments

Megafauna extinction mammoth woolly rhinoceros giant sloth

Extinct herbivorous megafauna -- like woolly rhinos, giant sloths and mammoths -- were displaced by humans who partly took their place in the ecosystem: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution [...]

Research in olive varieties steps up the fight against anthracnose

February 9, 2018 // 0 Comments

Research explores largest olive anthracnose epidemic recorded in decades and prompt more intensive research into this pathogen: Frontiers in Plant Science [...]

How expectations impact actual exam scores

February 7, 2018 // 0 Comments

Psychology academic achievement good exam results

Given similar academic results, students who expect higher scores actually attain them: Frontiers in Psychology [...]