Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Featured Stories
UTMB Launches First of Its Kind Hybrid Doctor of Occupational Therapy Cohort in Laredo
GALVESTON, Texas, Aug. 29 -- The University of Texas Medical Branch issued the following news release:
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UTMB launches first of its kind hybrid Doctor of Occupational Therapy cohort in Laredo
The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) launched its inaugural Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) cohort at the UT Education and Research Center at Laredo (UT Center at Laredo) in Laredo, Texas, today. The program is the first hybrid occupational therapy program offered by a public university in Texas.
This milestone marks a significant step forward in expanding access to advanced health care
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GALVESTON, Texas, Aug. 29 -- The University of Texas Medical Branch issued the following news release:
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UTMB launches first of its kind hybrid Doctor of Occupational Therapy cohort in Laredo
The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) launched its inaugural Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) cohort at the UT Education and Research Center at Laredo (UT Center at Laredo) in Laredo, Texas, today. The program is the first hybrid occupational therapy program offered by a public university in Texas.
This milestone marks a significant step forward in expanding access to advanced health careeducation in medically underserved regions.
"As an occupational therapist myself, I understand firsthand the critical need for more OTs in our community," said Dr. Jodie M. Sandel, Site Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Instruction. "This program is not just about education--it's about opportunity, and building a brighter future for health care in Laredo."
From a competitive pool of over 165 applicants, 14 students were selected to join the first cohort. The students will complete certain coursework online while also conducting lab activities on campus. The new doctorate program is specifically designed to prepare the next generation of occupational therapy leaders and practitioners while contributing to the expansion of clinical care programs critical to addressing existing health care disparities in the region.
"There are so many opportunities for practice, employment, and growth in this diverse field," Sandel added. "We are thrilled to be part of a movement that empowers students and strengthens communities."
The new cohort begins classes this fall, setting the stage for a transformative journey in occupational therapy education and service.
"Our mission at UTMB is to improve the quality of life in all the communities we serve," said Dr. Jochen Reiser, president of UTMB and CEO of the UTMB Health System. "The establishment of this first-ever in-person doctorate program at a UT System multi-institution teaching center, offered through a pioneering hybrid model, exemplifies that mission."
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Original text here: https://www.utmb.edu/news/article/utmb-news/2025/08/28/utmb-launches-first-of-its-kind-hybrid-doctor-of-occupational-therapy-cohort-in-laredo
UNSW Researchers Develop Tool to Unravel Secrets of the Dark Genome
SYDNEY, Australia, Aug. 29 (TNSjou) -- The University of New South Wales issued the following news:
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UNSW researchers develop tool to unravel secrets of the dark genome
We mapped the human genome decades ago, but most of it is still a black box. Now, UNSW scientists have developed a tool to peer inside and what they find could reshape how we think about disease.
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Your genome is the genetic map of you, and we understand almost none of it.
Our handle on the bits of the genome that tell the body how to do things ("make eyes blue", "build heart tissue", "give this person sickle cell anaemia")
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SYDNEY, Australia, Aug. 29 (TNSjou) -- The University of New South Wales issued the following news:
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UNSW researchers develop tool to unravel secrets of the dark genome
We mapped the human genome decades ago, but most of it is still a black box. Now, UNSW scientists have developed a tool to peer inside and what they find could reshape how we think about disease.
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Your genome is the genetic map of you, and we understand almost none of it.
Our handle on the bits of the genome that tell the body how to do things ("make eyes blue", "build heart tissue", "give this person sickle cell anaemia")is okay, but there are vast areas of the genome that don't appear to do anything.
Scientists long assumed this was just "junk" DNA, leftovers from the billions of years it took us to evolve from primordial slop into the complex life we know today.
But it turns out we just didn't know what to look for, nor how to look for it.
Now, new tools developed at UNSW Sydney in collaboration with researchers from the University of Montreal and McGill University are helping us understand just how important the dark genome really is.
Understanding that, scientists hope, will offer new avenues for drug discovery, and transform how we think about disease and even life itself.
Seeing in the dark
Your genome is broken up into protein-coding genes (around 2%), and the rest.
Proteins are the little machines that do the actual work of running an organism; protein-coding genes are the instructions for those proteins.
The other 98% doesn't build proteins, it doesn't follow the same rules, and it's much harder to understand.
It contains "long non-coding RNAs", the stuff that was long dismissed as junk.
"We're trying to decode the logic circuitry of the human genome - the hidden rules that tell our DNA how to build and run a human being," says study author Associate Professor Martin Smith, from the UNSW School of Biotechnology & Biomolecular Sciences.
It's a tough job, but a crucial one because studies show that the roots of many diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and some psychiatric disorders, lie outside the well-understood, protein-coding regions of the genome.
Non-protein coding genes have key regulatory roles, turning certain genes on and off or altering their shape.
Do any of that at the wrong time, and things start to break down.
"We think that these RNAs act like software, orchestrating the protein 'hardware' into a functioning symphony," says A/Prof. Smith.
Not junk, after all.
You are not a banana
You might have heard that you share 60% of your DNA with a banana.
It's not strictly speaking true, unfortunately, but there is a germ of truth there.
Humans and bananas (and everything else) all evolved from the same soup of bacteria and single-celled organisms about four billion years ago, and some of our DNA has been conserved over that time because it performs fundamental functions in our cells.
Studies have shown that about 10% of the human genome shows obvious conservation, but the rest is harder to pin down.
"We suspect that the remaining approximatey 90% of the genome harbours many conserved RNA structures that are invisible to traditional approaches - hidden regulatory elements camouflaged in the genome," says A/Prof. Smith.
Which is where the UNSW-developed AI - a tool called ECSFinder - comes in. It has been detailed in a recent paper in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, opens in a new window.
A/Prof. Smith and his team trained the program on known RNA structures to detect secrets hidden in the genome.
The program outperformed other available tools and is now ready to be unleashed on the entire genome.
"We expect to uncover hundreds of thousands of new RNA structures, adding a new dimension to our understanding of the genome," says A/Prof. Smith.
Truly personalised health care
The holy grail of medicine right now is personalised therapy, treatments designed specifically for your individual illness.
One day, it's hoped, clinicians will be able to take a sample of your cancer's DNA, map its genome, then design ultra-specific drugs around its weaknesses, all within a few weeks.
And if the secrets of all gene-driven illnesses are hidden somewhere in the dark genome, learning how to read it is imperative.
For A/Prof. Smith, the real promise of ECSFinder lies not just in decoding the dark genome, but in bringing it into the clinic.
"Because RNA structures can be targeted by drugs, they present an exciting new frontier for therapies."
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Original text here: https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2025/08/unsw-researchers-develop-tool-to-unravel-dark-genomes-secrets
Michigan State University College of Social Science: Shoreline Armoring of Michigan's Lake Michigan Coast Increased Fivefold During the Latest Period of High Water
EAST LANSING, Michigan, Aug. 29 (TNSjou) -- Michigan State University's College of Social Science issued the following news:
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Shoreline armoring of Michigan's Lake Michigan coast increased fivefold during the latest period of high water
By Diane Huhn
With Labor Day fast approaching, many Lake Michigan beachgoers will lament the unofficial end of summer. While they have enjoyed average to slightly below-average lake levels this summer, many Michiganders will remember a very different scenario that began playing out just a little over a decade ago. Starting in 2014, Lake Michigan, like the
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EAST LANSING, Michigan, Aug. 29 (TNSjou) -- Michigan State University's College of Social Science issued the following news:
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Shoreline armoring of Michigan's Lake Michigan coast increased fivefold during the latest period of high water
By Diane Huhn
With Labor Day fast approaching, many Lake Michigan beachgoers will lament the unofficial end of summer. While they have enjoyed average to slightly below-average lake levels this summer, many Michiganders will remember a very different scenario that began playing out just a little over a decade ago. Starting in 2014, Lake Michigan, like theother Great Lakes, experienced increasingly high water levels, peaking in 2020. As water levels and wave energy increased during this time period, so did beach, dune, and bluff erosion.
For home- and business owners, as well as lakefront communities, the desire to protect their properties increased. In many instances, coastal property owners responded to these hazards by armoring their shorelines using a variety of hard structures, such as seawalls, revetments, and groins. However, while research shows that these structures may successfully protect an individual location from erosion, they often lead to unintended consequences such as disrupted sediment transport, enhanced coastal erosion of adjacent properties, and negative impacts on ecological communities.
While shoreline armoring is prevalent throughout the Great Lakes region, no studies have documented the changes in the percentage of armoring that results in response to a specific phase of high water levels and its associated effects of coastal erosion. Ethan Theuerkauf, a coastal geomorphologist and assistant professor with the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences at Michigan State University, decided to document the increase of shoreline armoring in response to rising lake levels.
Theuerkauf focused his study on the entire open-coast shoreline of Michigan's Lake Michigan coast, extending from the Indiana state line north to the Straits of Mackinac, a total distance of nearly 370 miles. The extent of shoreline armoring prior to the high water period beginning in 2014 was determined using datasets through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management and digitized coastal imagery from 2014. These datasets were then compared to a 2021 map of armored shoreline, Theuerkauf created using Google Earth Pro.
After analyzing the data, Theuerkauf determined that shoreline armoring had increased fivefold during the period of high water levels. The southern section saw the most armoring with an increase of 351% between 2014 and 2021. The middle section had the next highest increase, with 5195 meters of shoreline armoring in 2014 before increasing to 28,268 meters by 2021. The northern section had 1754 meters of shoreline armoring in 2014, which increased to 8945 meters in 2021. In total, the amount of armored shoreline increased 376 % from 23,421 m in 2014 to 111,457 m in 2021.
"We can certainly appreciate landowners' desire to protect their shorelines. However, since we know that armoring these areas can lead to negative impacts along our coasts, the ability to determine the extent of armoring changes in response to rising lake level is important for guiding policy and management actions," explained Theuerkauf. "So, despite the protective intent, this widespread armoring raises concerns about its long-term effects on coastal ecosystems and geomorphology, highlighting the need for further research and informed policy decisions to balance protection needs with ecosystem function and integrity."
Theuerkauf's study on quantifying the increase in shoreline armoring along Michigan's Lake Michigan coast associated with rising lake levels appears in a special issue of the Journal of Great Lakes Research focused on coastal processes. Several additional articles related to Theuerkauf's research are also included in this special issue.
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Original text here: https://socialscience.msu.edu/news-events/news/2025-08-28-01.html
Maxwell's Baobao Zhang Awarded NSF CAREER Grant to Study Generative AI in the Workplace
SYRACUSE, New York, Aug. 29 -- Syracuse University posted the following news:
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Maxwell's Baobao Zhang Awarded NSF CAREER Grant to Study Generative AI in the Workplace
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Baobao Zhang, associate professor of political science and Maxwell Dean Associate Professor of the Politics of AI, has received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for $567,491 to support her project, "Future of Generative Artificial Intelligence for Current and Future Workers."
Baobao Zhang
The NSF CAREER Award is one of the most prestigious early-career recognitions from the
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SYRACUSE, New York, Aug. 29 -- Syracuse University posted the following news:
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Maxwell's Baobao Zhang Awarded NSF CAREER Grant to Study Generative AI in the Workplace
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Baobao Zhang, associate professor of political science and Maxwell Dean Associate Professor of the Politics of AI, has received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for $567,491 to support her project, "Future of Generative Artificial Intelligence for Current and Future Workers."
Baobao Zhang
The NSF CAREER Award is one of the most prestigious early-career recognitions from thefoundation, supporting faculty who integrate outstanding research and education. Zhang's study will explore how generative AI is transforming American workplaces--examining its effects on worker productivity, job satisfaction and skill development.
Zhang joined the Maxwell School faculty in 2021. She serves as a senior research associate with the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute and the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. Her research focuses on trust in digital technology and the governance of AI, studying public and elite opinions toward AI, and how institutions adapt to technological change.
She received earlier recognition for her contributions to AI governance, including the Public Voices Fellowship on Technology in the Public Interest (2023-24) and the Schmidt Futures AI2050 Early Career Fellowship (2022). Her work has been published in journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Nature Human Behavior, and she co-edited the volume, The Oxford Handbook of AI Governance.
"Professor Zhang's work on the governance of artificial intelligence exemplifies the Maxwell School's strength in addressing timely, real-world issues," says Dean David M. Van Slyke. "This NSF CAREER Award not only acknowledges her exceptional early-career scholarship but also furthers our mission to equip future policymakers with tools to navigate an economy that is increasingly shaped by AI."
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Original text here: https://news.syr.edu/blog/2025/08/29/maxwells-baobao-zhang-awarded-nsf-career-grant-to-study-generative-ai-in-the-workplace/
Keto Diet Might Benefit Females More Than Males, UT Health San Antonio Study Suggests
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Aug. 29 (TNSjou) -- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio issued the following news release:
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A keto diet might benefit females more than males, a new UT Health San Antonio study suggests
Estrogen may be protective against adverse effects
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Could a keto diet affect males differently from females? A study from The University of Texas Health Science at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) suggests so, and estrogen could promote different protections against adverse effects of the diet like the accumulation of cells expressing markers of age, or
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SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Aug. 29 (TNSjou) -- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio issued the following news release:
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A keto diet might benefit females more than males, a new UT Health San Antonio study suggests
Estrogen may be protective against adverse effects
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Could a keto diet affect males differently from females? A study from The University of Texas Health Science at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) suggests so, and estrogen could promote different protections against adverse effects of the diet like the accumulation of cells expressing markers of age, orsenescence.
The study, published Aug. 26 in the journal Cell Reports, found that male, but not female, mice on a ketogenic diet showed the accumulation of cells in organs expressing markers of cellular senescence. A keto diet is a popular low-carbohydrate, high-fat regimen that can help some Type 2 diabetes patients control blood sugar and those with epilepsy manage seizures. Cells expressing senescence markers can contribute to age-related declines in overall bodily function.
"These results suggest sex specificity alters the effects of a ketogenic diet, with important clinical implications," said David Gius, MD, PhD, assistant dean of research and professor with the Department of Radiation Oncology at UT Health San Antonio, associate cancer director for translational research at the institution's Mays Cancer Center and investigator for its Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies.
He is lead author of the study, titled, "Divergent sex-specific effects on a ketogenic diet: Male, but not female, mice exhibit oxidative stress and cellular senescence."
Ketogenic diets induce ketogenesis, the generation of ketone bodies or water-soluble molecules from fat for use as fuel in place of glucose. They have shown benefits in controlling refractory epilepsy and are being investigated as potential therapies for other health conditions.
In the past decades, keto diets also have become popular in North America and Europe for weight loss.
While the diets can improve certain health parameters, evidence from mice and clinical studies suggest the effects may be dependent on multiple variables, including adherence, metabolism and, importantly, sex, suggesting that hormone status may impact response.
Gius says the role of gender in the response to keto diets has been understudied. One reason is that male mice have been used extensively for in vivo basic and translational research because it was assumed that females would give less consistent results due to variability from the estrous cycle. Recent studies, however, suggest that largely is unfounded.
In the new study, Gius' team observed a keto-diet-induced increase in cellular senescence only in male mice, except when they were given the female hormone estrogen. Male mice on a keto diet also exhibited an increase in markers of oxidative stress, which is known to contribute to senescence in cells.
Notably, the researchers found, estrogen or estradiol treatment prevented increases in cell senescence and oxidated stress in male mice on a keto diet, as did several established antioxidants.
They also observed that when females were administered tamoxifen, a "selective estrogen receptor inhibitor" that blocks the effects of estrogen, they then exhibited an increase in oxidative stress and cells expressing senescence markers, the same as male mice. "These results strongly suggest that estrogen is an important variable in the response to a ketogenic diet," Gius said.
The researchers also found that a high-fat diet - comprising more carbohydrates than a keto diet - also induces cellular senescence in male, but not female, mice.
Other authors of the study also are with the Mays Cancer Center, the Barshop Institute and the Long School at UT Health San Antonio, as well as with Houston Methodist Cancer Center, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Galera Therapeutics Inc.
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Divergent sex-specific effects on a ketogenic diet: Male, but not female, mice exhibit oxidative stress and cellular senescence
Sung-Jen Wei, Joseph Schell, Wei Qian, Martin Silguero, Agne Baseviciene, Wan Hsi Chen, Rolando Trevino Jr., E. Sandra Chocron, Meredith M. Ogle, Mahboubeh Varmazyad, Gloria M. Martinez, Diego Cruz, Brandon Lorenzana, Felix F. Dong, Haiyan Jiang, Alia Nazarullah, Robert A. Beardsley, Kumar Sharma, Jenny Chang, Erin Munkacsy, David Gius
Published Aug. 26, 2025, in Cell Reports
Link to the full study: Divergent sex-specific effects on a ketogenic diet: Male, but not female, mice exhibit oxidative stress and cellular senescence - ScienceDirect
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The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) is one of the country's leading health science and research universities. With missions of teaching, research and patient care, its schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions, graduate biomedical sciences and public health have graduated more than 45,000 alumni who are leading change, advancing their fields and renewing hope for patients and their families throughout South Texas and the world. To learn about the many ways "We make lives better(R)," visit UTHealthSA.org.
Stay connected with UT Health San Antonio on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
The UT Health San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine is listed among U.S. News & World Report's best medical schools, ranking in the top 30% nationwide for research. To learn more, visit https://uthscsa.edu/medicine/.
The Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio is one of only four National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers in Texas. The Mays Cancer Center provides leading-edge cancer care, propels innovative cancer research and educates the next generation of leaders to end cancer in South Texas. In 2017, Mays Cancer Center became one of a select few centers in the nation to partner with MD Anderson Cancer Center, expanding access to cancer treatments that are among the most advanced in the nation-close to home. To learn more, visit https://cancer.uthscsa.edu.
Stay connected with the Mays Cancer Center on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
The Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies is one of the world's premier institutes dedicated to the study of age-related diseases. The Barshop Institute is the only aging-intensive research institute in the country to have four peer-reviewed designations: two National Institute on Aging (NIA)-funded centers (Nathan Shock and Claude D. Pepper centers), a testing site of the NIA-sponsored Interventions Testing Program, and a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center.
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Original text here: https://news.uthscsa.edu/a-keto-diet-might-benefit-females-more-than-males-a-new-ut-health-san-antonio-study-suggests/
Georgia Institute of Technology: When AI Blurs Reality - Rise of Hyperreal Digital Culture
ATLANTA, Georgia, Aug. 29 -- The Georgia Institute of Technology issued the following news:
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When AI Blurs Reality: The Rise of Hyperreal Digital Culture
Experts at Georgia Tech say the surge in AI hyperrealism -- content that mimics human emotion, speech, and appearance with uncanny precision -- is both a technological marvel and a societal challenge.
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From Bigfoot vlogs to algorithmically created personas, hyperrealistic AI content is redefining the boundaries of digital creators. These influencers are entirely virtual personas created using generative AI tools that simulate human
... Show Full Article
ATLANTA, Georgia, Aug. 29 -- The Georgia Institute of Technology issued the following news:
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When AI Blurs Reality: The Rise of Hyperreal Digital Culture
Experts at Georgia Tech say the surge in AI hyperrealism -- content that mimics human emotion, speech, and appearance with uncanny precision -- is both a technological marvel and a societal challenge.
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From Bigfoot vlogs to algorithmically created personas, hyperrealistic AI content is redefining the boundaries of digital creators. These influencers are entirely virtual personas created using generative AI tools that simulate humanfeatures, voices, and behaviors. They post lifestyle content, interact with followers, and even secure brand endorsements -- all without existing in the physical world. As these technologies grow more widely available and their results more believable, specialists caution that we are moving into a new age where the line separating fiction from reality is becoming increasingly blurred.
The Rise of Synthetic Creativity
Experts at Georgia Tech say the surge in AI hyperrealism -- content that mimics human emotion, speech, and appearance with uncanny precision -- is both a technological marvel and a societal challenge.
"AI does not have emotions as we understand them in humans, but it knows how to mimic emotional speech," said Mark Riedl, professor in the School of Interactive Computing. "Once we understand that AI is mimicking us, it is easy to understand how they can create believable outputs that sound authentic."
Riedl points to the democratization of video creation as a major shift. "AI video generation tools and the ability to bypass traditional content channels and post directly to social media have opened up the floodgates," he said.
Recent examples include synthetic influencers such as Nobody Sausage, a digitally animated character that has attracted over 30 million followers across multiple social media platforms through short-form dance videos and brand collaborations. On platforms like Character.AI, users engage with millions of virtual personas designed to simulate conversation and personality traits. These AI-generated figures are reshaping how audiences interact with content, marketing, and identity across Instagram, TikTok, and other social media channels.
Mental Health and the Reality Gap
Munmun De Choudhury, professor in the School of Interactive Computing, warns that hyperreal AI content can distort users' perception of reality, especially among vulnerable populations.
"This distortion can fuel anxiety, exacerbate body image and self-comparison issues, and contribute to a broader erosion of epistemic trust -- our basic belief in what others present as true," she said.
Her research shows that social media already blurs the line between authentic self-expression and performative identity. Hyperreal AI content -- from deepfakes to emotionally resonant synthetic personas -- further complicates users' ability to evaluate what is real or trustworthy. Adolescents and those facing mental health challenges may be especially susceptible.
"Individuals experiencing stress or social isolation may be more prone to believe deepfakes," De Choudhury explained. "Such content often reinforces existing beliefs or fills gaps in social connection."
The AI content challenges our understanding of authenticity, trust, and digital identity. It also raises questions about consent, misinformation, and the psychological effects of interacting with synthetic personas. Gen Z users, she notes, often judge AI content by emotional resonance rather than factual accuracy, while older users may struggle to detect synthetic cues altogether.
Platforms, Persuasion, and Misinformation
Riedl emphasizes that AI storytelling tools can be used to sway public opinion through "narrative transportation," a psychological phenomenon in which audiences become immersed in a story and are less likely to question its truth.
"Storytelling is a means of persuasive communication," he said. "Our brains are attuned to stories in a way that can bypass critical thinking."
Recent incidents highlight the changing landscape. Deepfakes of public figures such as Taylor Swift and Tom Hanks have surged in 2025, with over 179 incidents in the first four months of the year alone -- surpassing all of 2024. These deepfakes range from humorous impersonations to fraudulent and explicit content, raising ethical and legal concerns about identity misuse and misinformation. Riedl notes that video misinformation has historically been harder to produce but is now easier and more likely to be tailored to niche audiences.
Social media companies face mounting pressure to take action. De Choudhury argues that labeling AI-generated content is necessary but insufficient. "Platforms must invest in user-centered design, digital literacy interventions, and transparency about how algorithms surface such content," she said.
The stakes are especially high in mental health communities, where authenticity and lived experience are critical. "Users often feel overwhelmed or deceived when they encounter synthetic content without clear cues of its artificial origin," she added.
Governance in a Globalized AI Era
Milton Mueller, professor in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy, argues that regulation may be ineffective or even counterproductive in a decentralized digital ecosystem.
"Generative AI is part of a globalized and distributed digital ecosystem," Mueller said. "So, which regulatory authority are you talking about, and how does it gain the leverage needed to control the outputs?"
While the EU's AI Act mandates labeling and imposes steep fines, U.S. efforts remain fragmented. The Federal Communications Commission has made AI-generated voices in robocalls illegal, with entities facing fines, and several states are pushing for watermarking and criminal penalties for political deepfakes. But experts warn that First Amendment protections complicate enforcement.
Mueller cautions that governments are already using AI as a geopolitical tool, which could undermine global cooperation and lead to strategic escalation. "Instead of freely trading data and establishing common rules, governments are asserting digital sovereignty," he said.
He advocates for addressing AI-generated misinformation through decentralized governance, public debate, and media literacy, rather than centralized regulation or automated controls, emphasizing that content moderation should be guided by open processes and existing legal remedies applied after the fact.
As AI-generated content becomes more sophisticated and widespread, researchers say the challenge lies not only in technological safeguards but in how society adapts. Experts at Georgia Tech emphasize the need for transparency, interdisciplinary collaboration, and public engagement. The future of hyperreal media, they say, will depend on how well platforms, policymakers, and users navigate its risks and possibilities.
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Original text here: https://news.gatech.edu/news/2025/08/28/when-ai-blurs-reality-rise-hyperreal-digital-culture
Duke University Pratt School of Engineering: Gene Therapy Restores Functionality in Non-Human Primates After Heart Attacks
DURHAM, North Carolina, Aug. 29 (TNSjou) -- Duke University Pratt School of Engineering issued the following news:
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Gene Therapy Restores Functionality in Non-Human Primates After Heart Attacks
New approach uses bacterial genes to restore both strength and rhythm of damaged hearts.
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Biomedical engineers at Duke University have successfully conducted experiments to treat damage caused by heart attacks in non-human primates using gene therapy for the first time.
More than 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack every year. Even if they survive the initial event, the damage to the heart
... Show Full Article
DURHAM, North Carolina, Aug. 29 (TNSjou) -- Duke University Pratt School of Engineering issued the following news:
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Gene Therapy Restores Functionality in Non-Human Primates After Heart Attacks
New approach uses bacterial genes to restore both strength and rhythm of damaged hearts.
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Biomedical engineers at Duke University have successfully conducted experiments to treat damage caused by heart attacks in non-human primates using gene therapy for the first time.
More than 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack every year. Even if they survive the initial event, the damage to the heartis often permanent because heart muscle cells do not naturally regenerate. Patients are left with weakened heart contractions that can lead to heart failure or dangerous irregular heart rhythms called arrhythmia that can be fatal. Current therapies can only slow down disease progression and are limited in restoring lost function.
Now, researchers have shown they can help the heart to normalize strength and rhythm by delivering an engineered bacterial sodium channel to the damaged heart. The researchers first showed they can successfully improve contraction strength of injured lab-grown human heart tissues using these channels. In subsequent studies in macaque monkeys with heart damage mimicking that found in human heart attack, the gene therapy largely restored the heart's ability to pump blood and prevented arrhythmias within weeks of administration.
The results appeared online August 1 in the journal Circulation Research (https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.125.326570).
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Original text here: https://pratt.duke.edu/news/heart-gene-therapy-nhp/
