Comment

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 7 hours ago

Bigger, faster, but still outfoxed: How prey escape predators

Predators are typically larger, faster, and more powerful than the animals they hunt. Yet in nature, most attacks fail. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, by researchers asks: why do prey get away so often? The key, the researchers found, lies in something the original model overlooked: reaction times.
For decades, scientists have explained this using a simple idea: maneuverability. Because prey are smaller, they can often turn more sharply. A classic model, known as the turning gambit, proposes that a well-timed evasive turn allows prey to slip out of a predator's path, even if the predator is faster. The model even specifies exactly how much more maneuverable prey need to be for this to work. But in the half-century since this model was proposed, no one had tested whether its predictions hold across land, air, and water.
The new study compiled data on animal traits such as body mass, speed, and turning ability, to test the model's predictions. The results revealed a mismatch between theory and reality. Across all environments, prey are generally not maneuverable enough to compensate for their speed disadvantage. Paradoxically, aquatic environments, where the model predicted predators should hold a huge advantage, turned out to have the lowest capture success in nature. Predators caught prey in only around 1 in 10 attacks.

So if not maneuverability, what explains how prey get away so often? The key, the researchers found, lies in something the original model overlooked: reaction times. No predator can respond instantaneously to a prey's evasive turn. Seeing, processing, and reacting all take time. While these delays are short—just a small fraction of a second—they can make a huge difference.
It's this little head start, or benefit of starting to turn earlier, that gives prey enough space to evade. This exceptional maneuverability has a simple physical explanation: water is roughly 1,000 times denser than air, giving aquatic animals something far more substantial to push against to generate a sharp turn.
Prey escape predators not primarily through superior maneuverability, as previously thought, but due to reaction time delays in predators. These brief delays allow prey to initiate evasive maneuvers before predators can respond, significantly increasing escape success, especially in aquatic environments. Predator–prey dynamics are thus influenced by both biomechanical and neural factors.

Lars Koopmans et al, The allometry of vertebrate pursuit predation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2534397123

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 7 hours ago

How oak trees outwit their predators
Oak trees delay leaf emergence by about three days following heavy caterpillar infestation, reducing caterpillar survival and leaf damage by 55%. This adaptive timing, detected via satellite data, demonstrates that trees respond not only to weather but also to biological threats, challenging models that consider only abiotic factors. The delay is a reversible defense, maintaining resilience amid climate change and insect pressure.

Satellite data show trees delay budburst across landscapes to escape herbivores., Nature Ecology & Evolution (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-026-03071-9

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 7 hours ago

The paper identifies two specific groups of researchers most likely to use AI for their writing. These were research teams from non-native English-speaking institutions and new entrants to the field with little experience of submitting to journals. However, using AI was associated with higher rejection rates.

Even some top business schools were not immune to getting some AI help. In fact, academics from institutions under strong pressure to publish showed a greater increase in AI-assisted submissions.

But it wasn't just the authors turning to AI. More than 30% of expert reviews submitted to the journal also used language models, a sharp increase from before ChatGPT.

The task force noted that these types of reviews are often narrower and less insightful than those written by humans. This is putting editors under more pressure as they have to spend time filtering out low-quality work. "AI is placing the peer-review system under stress that shows no signs of decreasing."
To improve the system, the journal suggests an overhaul of how research is valued. The focus should not be on the number of papers published but on the quality of the ideas.

Claudine Gartenberg et al, More Versus Better: Artificial Intelligence, Incentives, and the Emerging Crisis in Peer Review, Organization Science (2026). DOI: 10.1287/orsc.2026.ed.v37.n3

Part 2

**

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 7 hours ago

A leading journal finds that AI is flooding academic publishing with lower quality work

Artificial intelligence can undoubtedly help scientists with their academic papers by summarizing research and helping to improve writing. However, one downside is that it has led to a wave of poorly written submissions and reviews, according to a new study published in Organization Science.

The authors didn't pull their punches about what they are seeing: "AI language models, combined with strong publish-or-perish incentives, are pushing our field to produce more rather than better research."

This leading journal in the social sciences receives papers from authors at major universities, non-native English-speaking institutions, and research teams worldwide. Concerned by the impact of AI on the quality of submissions, the journal's AI task force, which is composed of some of its editors, conducted a sweeping review of its content.

The team analyzed nearly 7,000 submissions and more than 10,000 reviews from 2021 to 2026. They started the study in 2021, two years before the launch of ChatGPT, so they could easily compare the writing quality before and after the arrival of AI.

To look for AI's hand, they used the Pangram Ai detection tool, which identifies characteristic traces in the writing. Each paper was assigned a score from 0 (entirely human) to 1 (entirely AI). As well as examining published papers, the study also considered every submitted draft and private review written by other scientists. The task force also measured the quality of the writing using standard tests that check for readability and style.

The study found that since the arrival of ChatGPT, the volume of submissions had risen by 42%, and most of this appears to be a direct result of AI. By early 2026, a majority of manuscripts used AI to some degree. However, writing quality, which was measured by Flesch Reading Ease, had dropped, and papers were becoming harder to read.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 10 hours ago

'Universal statistical laws governing culinary design', arXiv:2604....
Researchers analyzed over 100,000 recipes from around the world and found something quite surprising: cooking follows hidden statistical laws, much like language. Just as a few words dominate how we speak, a small set of ingredients appears again and again across cuisines. And as new recipes are created, they mostly reuse familiar ingredients rather than constantly introducing new ones. Even the structure of recipes shows a consistent pattern--longer recipes tend to use simpler ingredients. What this tells us is that cooking is not just a creative expression; it is a complex system shaped by universal principles. In a sense, every recipe is part of a shared ‘language of food’ that connects cultures across the world.”

Here is a plain-language explanation of the work: https://gist.science/paper/2604.28021?na=1 

and

https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.28021

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Why feeling sick may be important for surviving infection
Sickness behaviors such as fatigue, loss of appetite, and social withdrawal may represent an adaptive, integrated immune response coordinated by brain–immune communication, rather than mere byproducts of infection. Disruption of this brain–immune axis is implicated in chronic conditions like long COVID and neuropsychiatric disorders. Understanding these mechanisms could inform more precise treatment strategies by distinguishing when symptom suppression is beneficial or detrimental to recovery.

https://www.cell.com/trends/immunology/fulltext/S1471-4906(26)00076-1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

When promising cures collapse before they reach patients
Effective drug development and delivery depend on strong alignment between biotech innovators and pharmaceutical partners, particularly in experience, decision-making, and operational processes. Mismatched partnerships can cause delays or failures in bringing promising therapies to patients, while well-matched collaborations, as seen with Pfizer and BioNTech, facilitate rapid and successful drug deployment.

Stephan M Wagner et al, Experiences, Experience Gaps, and the Moderating Role of Technology Co-Development in Biotech–Pharma Partnerships, Production and Operations Management (2026). DOI: 10.1177/10591478261419268

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

The fascinating regional differences in birdsong
Birdsong exhibits both individual and regional variation, with many species displaying distinct dialects or "accents" based on geography and local learning. Song differences arise from learning processes, environmental factors such as urban noise and artificial light, and, in some cases, historical population changes. Urban birds often sing at higher pitches, with altered timing and structure compared to rural counterparts.

original article.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Report links biodiversity collapse to risks for financial systems and food security
Biodiversity loss, climate shocks, and geopolitical conflicts are destabilizing food systems, increasing food prices, and threatening long-term food security and financial stability. Chronic pressures such as soil degradation, water scarcity, and pollinator decline reduce crop yields, while acute shocks like trade disruptions and extreme weather exacerbate volatility. Urgent integration of nature-related risks into financial and policy decisions is recommended to prevent systemic crises.

Planetary Solvency: Tipping into the wild unknown. actuaries.org.uk/planetary-sol … nto-the-wild-unknown

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Diabetes flips immune cells from repair to inflammation in peripheral artery disease, study finds

Type 2 diabetes can turn immune cells that help with tissue repair and anti-inflammatory responses into triggers of chronic inflammation. A recent study investigated why people with type 2 diabetes are at a higher risk of severe complications from peripheral artery disease (PAD).

PAD is a common circulatory condition in which plaque buildup narrows the arteries, reducing blood flow, usually in the legs. This can lead to lower extremity infections and the formation of non-healing ulcers in people with diabetes.

Using RNA-sequencing and gene mapping, researchers discovered that diabetes causes certain immune cells called macrophages that express the protein TREM2 to reprogram their behaviour from helping cells repair to causing harmful inflammation and preventing blood vessels from healing.

In this study, the researchers decided to intercept cell-to-cell communication within the blood vessels to make sense of how diabetes changes it, particularly the interactions between endothelial cells (ECs) and macrophages (MPs).

To do so, they studied human arteries from donors with and without type 2 diabetes. They used single-cell RNA sequencing to zoom in on individual cell types and identify which genes were switched on or off in each. To pinpoint exactly where this activity occurred, they turned to spatial transcriptomics, which helped them create a map of genetic activity within cells of the arterial structure.

In arteries from donors with type2 diabetes, MPs and ECs exhibit elevated expression of the TREM2 receptor. The genetic testing revealed a two-way signalling loop between ECs and MPs, in which both cell types continuously activate one another. This sustained cross-talk promoted the transition of TREM2+ macrophages, a subpopulation of the immune cells, from a protective, anti-inflammatory state to proinflammatory foam-like cells, thereby increasing inflammation.

As these MPs shifted, they began to influence ECs, changing their behaviour and prompting them to release chemicals that make blood vessel walls more sticky, which not only draws inflammatory cells into the vessels but also hinders healing.

Naseeb Kaur Malhi et al, Diabetes-induced TREM2–endothelial cell signaling impairs ischemic vascular repair, Science Translational Medicine (2026). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adu3761

Michael D. Chang et al, Programming peripheral artery disease in diabetes, Science Translational Medicine (2026). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aef8756

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• …
• 1225
• Next ›
• Page