An analysis of more than 4 million Facebook posts created by news outlets and political parties in 2024 highlights global social media engagement trends and political polarization during a year which included elections for many countries. Giulio Pecile and colleagues at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on February 5, 2025.

An international survey study involving more than 23,000 higher education students reveals trends in how they use and experience ChatGPT, highlighting both positive perceptions and awareness of the AI chatbot’s limitations. Dejan Ravšelj of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on February 5, 2025.

University of Texas at Arlington President Jennifer Cowley received a national award for civic and community engagement on Wednesday from Campus Compact, a coalition of colleges and universities focused on higher education and strong communities. Campus Compact recognized Cowley with its Richard Guarasci Award for Presidential Leadership, an honor reserved for presidents of four-year institutions who demonstrate deep and sustained commitments to civic and community engagement throughout their careers. The organization selected Cowley for her focus on UTA’s dedication to student accessibility and its role in contributing to the health and strength of local communities.

A recent study led by researchers from Peking University and published in Health Data Science highlights a significant increase in the burden of early-onset type 2 diabetes (T2D) among adolescents and young adults in China from 1990 to 2021. The findings reveal that the age-standardized incidence rate nearly doubled, while disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) increased significantly, with an average annual percentage change (AAPC) of 2.67% and 2.75%, respectively. Despite a slight decline in mortality rates, the disease burden continues to rise, particularly among young males and the 15–19 age group, which showed the fastest increase in incidence.

 

The study identifies high body mass index (BMI) as the leading risk factor, contributing to nearly 60% of DALYs in 2021, followed by ambient particulate matter pollution and diets high in red meat. Researchers emphasize the urgent need for targeted interventions focusing on obesity prevention, environmental health improvements, and dietary modifications. Future strategies should prioritize younger populations and males, combining public health campaigns, policy support, and community-based health programs to reduce the growing burden of early-onset T2D in China.

Genoa Instruments, the deep-tech startup in super-resolution optical microscopy and a spin-off from the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology), has successfully closed a €1 million investment round led by Deep Ocean Capital SGR SpA through Deep Blue Ventures (DBV)*, the Deep Tech Venture Capital fund established to support startups, spin-offs, and innovation initiatives in aerospace, healthcare, and sustainability, with a focus on Key Enabling Technologies.