LOS ANGELES, California, May 27 -- The University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering posted the following news: * * * A Robot Hand That Taught Itself to Play Piano Could Change the Future of Machines * In a neuro-robotics lab at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, a small mechanical hand heard a melody and played it back. No weeks of training. No massive datasets. Just two minutes of random doodling on the keys-like any child would. The hand got so good at playing that it "auditioned" before two musical judges who l more PR

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, May 26 -- The University of the Witwatersrand posted the following news: * * * AI model sheds light on language evolution * AI model of Early Child Development explains how language evolves. New research from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, has significant implications for understanding both human language development and the behaviour of large-scale artificial intelligence language models. Culture is key, as well as an understanding of "iterated learning", which posits that language evolve more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 -- The U.S. Department of Energy Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following news: * * * AI Speeds Selective and High-Yield Recovery of Critical Minerals from Industrial Waste * RICHLAND, Wash.-A research team at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has deployed AI agents with the potential to accelerate the recovery of critical minerals from real-world industrial waste in days instead of the months or years required for manual experimentation. The team, led by PNNL materials s more PR

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, May 28 (TNSjou) -- The American Academy of Neurology issued the following news release: * * * Study: Smartwatch app detects seizures with low rate of false alarms Highlights: * In people with epilepsy, a smartwatch app accurately detected tonic-clonic seizures with a low rate of false alarms. * Tonic-clonic seizures involve major convulsions. Following such a seizure, people briefly lose muscle tone and can have airway obstructions that increase the risk for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). * For the st more PR

ATLANTA, Georgia, May 27 [Category: Medical] -- The American Cancer Society posted the following news release: * * * American Cancer Society Updates Colorectal Cancer Screening Guideline: Major Changes Emphasize Blood-Based and At-Home Stool Testing * The American Cancer Society (ACS) released updated guidelines for colorectal cancer screening. The new recommendations reaffirm that average-risk adults should begin colorectal cancer screening at age 45 and continue through age 75 for those with a life expectancy greater than 10 years. Howe more PR

SAN LUIS OBISPO, California, May 27 -- California Polytechnic State University issued the following news: * * * Cal Poly Researchers Help Install Third Rattlesnake Research Cam in Pennsylvania * A new platform has arrived to observe timber rattlesnakes in nature from the comfort of home thanks to a partnership between Cal Poly and Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. Project RattleCam recently launched its third livestream installation at an undisclosed, remote location in Pennsylvania on May 18. The new channel, now live through early fall, more PR

DALLAS, Texas, May 27 [Category: Health Care] -- The American Heart Association posted the following news release: * * * Did heart health impact the risk of severe COVID-19 infection during the pandemic? * Research Highlights: * The risk of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19 infection was lower among adults with better heart health scores. * Adults without cardiovascular disease and with the best levels of heart health, as indexed by the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 heart health metric, were nearly half as li more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RS20348) entitled "Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview" by Congress and legislative process specialist James V. Saturno. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The Antideficiency Act (31 U.S.C. Sec.Sec.1341-1342, 1511-1519) generally bars the obligation of funds in the absence of appropriations. Exceptions are made under the act, including for activities involving "the safety of human life or the protection of property." The interval during the  more PR

MIAMI, Florida, May 28 -- Florida International University, a component of the public university system in Florida, issued the following news: * * * Alumna blazing trail in nuclear waste remediation research By Adrienne Sylver Armed with a doctorate in materials science engineering from FIU, Mellissa Komninakis is focusing her career on confronting a problem that predates her by decades. Radioactive waste and contamination, like that created during the Manhattan Project's launch of the world's first nuclear weapons program in 1942, is scat more PR

OXFORD, Ohio, May 27 -- Miami University posted the following news: * * * Melissa Thomasson steps into interim VP and dean role of Miami Regionals * After serving as associate vice president for strategic initiatives for the past year, longtime Farmer School of Business professor and economist Melissa Thomasson has been named interim vice president of Miami University Regionals and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Applied Science (CLAAS). Thomasson will work closely with Moira Casey, current interim dean of the Regionals' CLAAS, to more PR

BOZEMAN, Montana, May 27 -- Montana State University issued the following news: * * * Montana State study reveals detailed demographic information for world's cities The world's urban population increased by 785 million people between 2000 and 2020, but that tells only part of the story. In a first-of-its-kind study, a team led by geographers at Montana State University examined the demographics of individual cities to obtain insights into their populations that can't be discerned by numbers alone. "Two cities can have the same number of p more PR

ST. PAUL, Minnesota, May 27 -- The National Council on Family Relations issued the following news on May 26, 2026: * * * NCFR Journals Publish More New Research Read 15 New Articles Published May 17-23 - Keep up with the latest research from NCFR's three scholarly journals -- Journal of Marriage and Family (JMF), Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Science (FR), and Journal of Family Theory & Review (JFTR). Most Recent Journal Issues: JMF June 2026 issue (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17413737/2026/88/3):  more PR

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, England, May 27 (TNSjou) -- Newcastle University issued the following news: * * * Daily glass of 100% fruit juice could help support mental wellbeing People who drink a glass of 100% fruit juice or a smoothie each day as part of the UK's 5-a-day healthy eating guidance see improvements in their mental wellbeing, according to new research. In a new randomised controlled trial, adults with low intakes of fruit and vegetables were given support to increase their daily fruit and vegetable intake, with or without a glass of  more PR

KINGSTON, Rhode Island, May 27 -- The University of Rhode Island posted the following news: * * * Of feathers and flu: Identifying data gaps in bird flu host dynamics to help conserve vulnerable species * KINGSTON, R.I. - May 27, 2026 - Johanna Harvey, an assistant professor of wildlife disease wildlife ecology at the University of Rhode Island, has described bird flu in public presentations as a quiet virus with loud consequences. Now she's published a new paper in Wildlife Monographs, describing how circulating avian influenza viruses ( more PR

ROLLA, Missouri, May 27 -- Missouri University of Science and Technology posted the following news: * * * S&T researcher awarded $2 million to develop AI for concrete supply chain security * A Missouri S&T researcher has been awarded $2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation to develop artificial intelligence tools aimed at strengthening the nation's construction materials supply chains by expanding the use of alternative materials in concrete production. The project, led by Dr. Hong more PR

ROCKVILLE, Maryland, May 27 [Category: Health Care] -- The American Society of Addiction Medicine posted the following news release: * * * The ASAM Weekly for May 26, 2026 * ASAM Weekly -May 26 This Week in the ASAM Weekly It's interesting how an article about artificial intelligence can deepen our understanding of addiction (and vice versa). Addiction often starts not with harm but with relief, and it can be harmful not only because of what it does but also because of what it displaces ( STAT ). Cannabis use provides a good example o more PR

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, May 27 -- The University of Pennsylvania posted the following news: * * * The grass beneath the American dream: Exploring the many facets of lawns * They evoke images of cornhole and cookouts, fertilizer and fences, and hedges and homeowners' associations. They consume an estimated 9 billion gallons of water per day and more than 80 million pounds of pesticides annually. And they raise multidisciplinary questions about biodiversity, soil chemistry, property rights, labor and leisure, gender roles, suburbia, and w more PR

CINCINNATI, Ohio, May 28 (TNSjou) -- The University of Cincinnati posted the following news: * * * Multidrug treatment using nanofibers shows promise for glioblastoma UC's NanoLab partners with Johns Hopkins University on novel drug delivery system By Michael Miller, 513-556-6757, michael.miller3@uc.edu Researchers with the University of Cincinnati and Johns Hopkins Medicine developed a potential treatment for brain cancer that uses nanofibers embedded with a combination of drugs that work in concert to target tumors. The drugs proved mor more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 28 (TNSjou) -- The University of Michigan issued the following news: * * * Lake Erie produces 'forbidden soup' of rotating potential toxins Municipalities and federal agencies monitor U.S. waters for microcystins, a toxin produced by harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie, but a University of Michigan study shows that the blooms produce a greater range of potentially toxic compounds than previously known. The researchers found that these compounds, called bioactive cyanopeptides, may overlap and interact with each other  more PR

NOTRE DAME, Indiana, May 27 -- The University of Notre Dame Keough School of Global Affairs issued the following news release: * * * Global Democracy Conference convenes experts to confront public support for anti-democratic leaders Why do global citizens support autocratic leaders, and what can be done to mobilize support for democracy and its proponents? These questions guided the 250 scholars and practitioners from nearly 40 countries who gathered at the University of Notre Dame for the 2026 Global Democracy Conference on May 19-20. Conv more PR

DUNEDIN, New Zealand, May 27 (TNSjou) -- The University of Otago issued the following news release: * * * Studies expose hidden toll of trauma recovery in NZ Researchers from the University of Otago - Faculty of Medicine - Christchurch Otautahi are calling for improved long-term psychological support for survivors of major trauma after landmark studies reveal many patients in Aotearoa New Zealand are struggling to access appropriate follow-up care. The three studies, published in both the Injury and Australia and New Zealand Journal of Surg more PR

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, May 28 (TNSjou) -- Yale University issued the following news: * * * Monkey see, monkey do: Study sheds light on cooperative decision-making In a new study, Yale researchers found that marmoset monkeys rely on visual clues and evidence accumulation to synchronize their behavior during cooperative tasks. By Karen Guzman The old "monkey see, monkey do" adage may rest on some neuroscientific evidence, a new Yale study finds. To examine how the primate brain facilitates cooperative behavior among individuals during s more PR