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Feature Stories

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 30-Apr-2025 19:08 ET (30-Apr-2025 23:08 GMT/UTC)

Fossil of a new mammal species from the age of dinosaurs discovered in Mongolia’s Gobi desert

Okayama University of Science

A newly discovered fossil from Mongolia’s Gobi Desert reveals a previously unknown genus and species of Cretaceous mammal. Named Ravjaa ishiii, the tiny animal was identified from a partial lower jaw found by a joint team from Okayama University of Science and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. The find marks the first record of a zhelestid mammal in Mongolia and suggests early mammals may have adapted to eating seeds and fruits from emerging flowering plants. Full findings are published in Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.

Journal: Acta Palaeontologica Polonica

Mayo Clinic surgeon: Living kidney donation, medical advances help patients avoid dialysis

The traditional way to treat people with advanced kidney disease has been to use dialysis to remove waste from the blood while patients wait several years for kidneys from deceased organ donors. At Mayo Clinic, transplant surgeon Dr. Mikel Prieto and colleagues advocate for a different approach called preemptive transplantation: Kidneys from living donors are allowing many people with advanced kidney disease to receive transplants before their kidneys deteriorate so much that they need dialysis.

USC at ICLR 2025

University of Southern California

Researchers from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering are presenting 24 papers at the 2025 International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), Apr. 24-28, one of the premier global conferences advancing representation learning—commonly known as deep learning. This year’s work includes contributions from faculty and students across the School of Advanced Computing, a unit within Viterbi, notably the Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science and the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Diagnose to cure: Developing RNA-based TB testing

Weill Cornell Medicine

(New York, April 25, 2025) – In 2023, tuberculosis (TB) killed about 1.25 million people worldwide, more than any other infectious disease on Earth — even though it is curable. Months- or even years-long regimens of potent antibiotics can eradicate the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. And in about 88% of cases globally, treatment is successful in curing the disease. But for the remainder of patients, at least those for whom data is available, the disease re-emerges.

Virtual reality interface design affects users both physically and mentally

Texas A&M University

Study finds larger, more distant virtual reality interface elements increase physical effort and mental demand, even in simple tasks.

Journal: Ergonomics
Funder: Office Ergonomics Research Committee

UTA supports neurodivergent students at every stage

University of Texas at Arlington

As National Autism Acceptance Month and World Autism Month conclude, and interest remains high in understanding autism, UT Arlington remains a leader in providing essential support for neurodivergent children, UT Arlington students and their families.

Book explores experimental filmmaking in Latin America and Spain, from Super 8 to cell phones

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Spanish professor Eduardo Ledesma examined how experimental filmmakers in Latin America and Spain use alternative film formats in his new book “Expanding Cinemas.”

Eonix sponsors ISD project with new, non-flammable e-bike battery

University of Tennessee at Knoxville

E-bike battery fires in New York City caused 147 injuries and six deaths in 2023. Eonix, a company specializing in nonflammable lithium-ion batteries, moved to Tennessee and partnered with the University of Tennessee to develop safer battery technology. Their project involves UT students designing a new battery management system for e-bikes.

Do you have hypothyroidism? Expert explains diagnosis, what it means

You've been feeling fatigued and have gained some weight. It could be just a sign that you're getting older, but there might be a chance these general symptoms are caused by hypothyroidism. Victor Bernet, M.D., an endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic, explains risk factors and how the condition is diagnosed and treated.

Using a pea-sized node in the brain to potentially treat drug addiction

Rockefeller University

Ines Ibañez-Tallon is revealing how an understudied region of the brain plays an outsized role in opioid and nicotine dependence.

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