Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Diana Kwon

The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · Jul 25

A new dopamine sensor enables neuroscientists to simultaneously monitor the activity of two additional signaling chemicals in the brains of living mice and zebrafish.

By @dianakwon.bsky.social

#neuroskyence

www.thetransmitter.org/methods/new-...

New dopamine sensor powers three-color imaging in live animals

The tool leverages a previously unused segment of the color spectrum to track the neurotransmitter and can be used with two additional sensors to monitor other neurochemicals at different wavelengths.

www.thetransmitter.org

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Reposted by Diana Kwon

Knowable Magazine @knowablemag.bsky.social · Jul 3

Older cells that have outlived their purpose don’t necessarily die — in fact, these “zombie cells” can use more energy than their younger counterparts. Their revved-up metabolism may drive some of the wear and tear of aging, @dianakwon.bsky.social reports in @nature.com

How your brain controls ageing — and why zombie cells could be key

Research is revealing the cellular mechanisms that link mental well-being and longevity.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Diana Kwon

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · Jun 17

The brain's master conductor role in our aging process
New feature @nature.com by @dianakwon.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

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Reposted by Diana Kwon

BrainFacts @brainfacts.org · May 23

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down? <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:zzj6e3hixqv6xv45xa5i5wnc" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@knowablemag.bsky.social‬
vist.ly/3n535it

How Stress Shapes Cancer’s Course

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down?

www.brainfacts.org

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Reposted by Diana Kwon

Knowable Magazine @knowablemag.bsky.social · May 27

People with #cancer may experience a wide range of stressors, both related and unrelated to the disease. A growing body of evidence suggests that these may influence how a tumor grows and spreads.

Learn more in @dianakwon.bsky.social's recent report, republished by @brainfactsorg.bsky.social 👇

BrainFacts @brainfacts.org · May 23

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down? <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:zzj6e3hixqv6xv45xa5i5wnc" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@knowablemag.bsky.social‬
vist.ly/3n535it

How Stress Shapes Cancer’s Course

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down?

www.brainfacts.org

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Reposted by Diana Kwon

Jeffrey Perkel (he/him) @jperkel.bsky.social · May 23

AIs can classify illnesses, predict treatment outcomes & identify markers of disease. Chatbots can assist physicians and researchers seeking to decipher the data hidden in stained slices of tissue. New by @dianakwon.bsky.social @nature.com, the growing use of #AI in #digitalpathology 🧪

How artificial intelligence is transforming pathology

Some researchers say that deep-learning ‘foundation’ models will revolutionize the field — but others are not so sure.

www.nature.com

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Diana Kwon @dianakwon.bsky.social · May 19

What do scientists think about using AI to write papers? @richvn.bsky.social & I put together a survey to find out--and more than 5,000 researchers took part.

Our survey reveals a divided landscape: Researchers don't always agree on what they view as appropriate.

My latest for @nature.com

Is it OK for AI to write science papers? Nature survey shows researchers are split

Poll of 5,000 researchers finds contrasting views on when it’s acceptable to involve AI and what needs to be disclosed.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Diana Kwon

Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · Apr 24

Brilliant. The "Science Homecoming" project helps scientists place articles in local papers about how Trump & Musk's cuts to science harm their communities. 🧪 on @nature.com

How we’re battling Trump’s science cuts across small-town America

Neuroscientist Jessica Cantlon is urging scientists to use the power of local newspapers in the fight against US research-funding cuts.

www.nature.com

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Diana Kwon @dianakwon.bsky.social · Apr 10

The link between stress and cancer goes back more than 2,000 years--but the research has long been messy and full of contradictions. Recent studies are starting to reveal how, exactly, psychological factors can influence tumor biology.

Learn more in my latest for @knowablemag.bsky.social!

How stress shapes cancer’s course

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down?

knowablemagazine.org

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Reposted by Diana Kwon

Katie Fleeman @fleemanator.bsky.social · Apr 8

“I don’t think anyone appreciated the magnitude by which even mild stress, if it’s chronic, can have such a negative influence on cancer growth.”

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down?

📝 @dianakwon.bsky.social for @knowablemag.bsky.social

How stress shapes cancer’s course

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down?

knowablemagazine.org

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Reposted by Diana Kwon

em-underwood.bsky.social @em-underwood.bsky.social · Apr 8

The connection between stress and cancer is messy, the research difficult to do. But a clearer picture is emerging, which this @knowablemag.bsky.social story by @dianakwon.bsky.social. conveys with grace and restraint! I learned a lot, editing her story.

Knowable Magazine @knowablemag.bsky.social · Apr 8

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down?

✍️ Diana Kwon

How stress shapes cancer’s course

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down?

knowablemagazine.org

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Reposted by Diana Kwon

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · Mar 24

Predicting 3D structures for proteins with A.I. is a lot easier than for RNA
www.nature.com/articles/d41... @nature.com feature by @dianakwon.bsky.social

RNA function follows form – why is it so hard to predict?

AlphaFold’s highly accurate structural models transformed protein biology,but RNA lags behind.

www.nature.com

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Diana Kwon @dianakwon.bsky.social · Mar 19

“There is no schizophrenia. There are schizophrenias."

Researchers are discovering that schizophrenia, which can involve alterations in both the brain and the body—particularly in the immune system—doesn't look the same in everyone with the condition.

My latest feature for @sciam.bsky.social:

Schizophrenia Is More Complex Than We Thought, Which Means New Avenues for Treatment

As a complex picture of schizophrenia emerges, so do new ways to treat the disorder

www.scientificamerican.com

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Reposted by Diana Kwon

Richard Van Noorden @richvn.bsky.social · Mar 18

I'm just sending out a survey from Nature's news team asking about ethical ways to use generative AI tools to write or review research papers.
To reassure anyone who received this email and is finding this post: this is a genuine survey! Please message me if you have questions.

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Reposted by Diana Kwon

Richard Van Noorden @richvn.bsky.social · Dec 18

Reactions to eLife losing its impact factor, and then announcing it'll send Web of Science a partial feed of its papers — only those deemed ‘solid’ or above — so they'll be indexed. | by @dianakwon.bsky.social in Nature
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Pioneering journal eLife faces major test after loss of impact factor

The open-access title’s bold publishing model has bought long-bubbling conflicts to the fore.

www.nature.com

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Diana Kwon @dianakwon.bsky.social · Dec 18

eLife lost its impact factor last month, raising questions about whether authors are willing to dump conventional measures of quality & prestige for what many say is a long-needed change in research publishing.

My piece about the latest developments at eLife in @natureportfolio.bsky.social

Pioneering journal eLife faces major test after loss of impact factor

The open-access title’s bold publishing model has bought long-bubbling conflicts to the fore.

www.nature.com

Reposted by Diana Kwon

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · Dec 12

Over 30 prominent scientists call for a ban on the creation of a "mirror cell"--a microbe made of molecules that are mirror images of their natural forms. It could cause a mind-boggling global disaster. Here's my story [gift link] 🧪https://nyti.ms/3OUCXp6

A ‘Second Tree of Life’ Could Wreak Havoc, Scientists Warn (Gift Article)

Research on so-called mirror cells, which defy fundamental properties of living organisms, should be prohibited as too dangerous, biologists said.

nyti.ms

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Diana Kwon @dianakwon.bsky.social · Dec 10

A powerful read from my colleague, Miryam Naddaf, who recounts her own experience and explains what the fall of the Assad regime may mean for science in Syria:

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

What’s next for Syria’s science: a view from Nature’s reporter who was a refugee

Syria might now have an opportunity to rebuild its scientific community, says Miryam Naddaf who fled her country a decade ago.

www.nature.com

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Diana Kwon @dianakwon.bsky.social · Dec 10

Scholarly publishers are licensing their content to train LLMs.

For @natureportfolio.bsky.social, I wrote about a tracker that @rschon.bsky.social and team made to catalogue these deals—and some of the early trends they're observing.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Publishers are selling papers to train AIs — and making millions of dollars

Generative-AI models require massive amounts of data — scholarly publishers are licensing their content to train them.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Diana Kwon

Elisabeth Bik - Perpetrator 5, a fraudulent microbiologist @elisabethbik.bsky.social · Dec 10

This fearless science sleuth risked her career to expose publication fraud
Anna Abalkina @abalkina.bsky.social is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 2024.
Holly Else reports at Nature.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

This fearless science sleuth risked her career to expose publication fraud

Anna Abalkina is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 2024.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Diana Kwon

The Open Notebook @theopennotebook.bsky.social · Dec 6

“I support The Open Notebook because it is my go-to resource as a science journalist. As someone without formal journalism training, TON served as a crucial resource during my years as a novice reporter, and I continue to find helpful tips on TON today." — @dianakwon.bsky.social

Support The Open Notebook - Support Science Journalism

Please help support The Open Notebook, a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to foster a supportive, diverse, and inclusive global community that enables journalists who cover science to learn and...

www.theopennotebook.com

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Reposted by Diana Kwon

Richard Van Noorden @richvn.bsky.social · Nov 29

A growing problem --- fake papers polluting systematic reviews. And interesting point that the gold-standard protocols that Cochrane is developing to weed out untrustworthy studies, are too much of an effort for systematic-review authors looking at 100s of papers. www.science.org/content/arti...

‘Systematic reviews’ that aim to extract broad conclusions from many studies are in peril

Fake papers are “poisoning the well” for these gold-standard syntheses, researchers say

www.science.org

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Diana Kwon @dianakwon.bsky.social · Nov 24

As you can probably see, I love writing about the brain. I'm especially interested in the brain-body connection (and psychoneuroimmunology)--and am always on the lookout for new stories to cover! 🧠

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Diana Kwon @dianakwon.bsky.social · Nov 24

Last but not least, this @knowablemag.bsky.social article looked at the potential role that the powerhouses of our cells play in a wide range of brain disorders and diseases.

knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

Could mitochondria be the key to a healthy brain?

Some researchers suspect these bacterial ancestors living within our cells may contribute to a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders

knowablemagazine.org

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