LOS ANGELES, California, May 27 -- The University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering posted the following news: * * * A Robot Hand That Taught Itself to Play Piano Could Change the Future of Machines * In a neuro-robotics lab at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, a small mechanical hand heard a melody and played it back. No weeks of training. No massive datasets. Just two minutes of random doodling on the keys-like any child would. The hand got so good at playing th  more

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, May 26 -- The University of the Witwatersrand posted the following news: * * * AI model sheds light on language evolution * AI model of Early Child Development explains how language evolves. New research from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, has significant implications for understanding both human language development and the behaviour of large-scale artificial intelligence language models. Culture is key, as well as an understanding of "ite  more

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, May 28 (TNSjou) -- The American Academy of Neurology issued the following news release: * * * Study: Smartwatch app detects seizures with low rate of false alarms Highlights: * In people with epilepsy, a smartwatch app accurately detected tonic-clonic seizures with a low rate of false alarms. * Tonic-clonic seizures involve major convulsions. Following such a seizure, people briefly lose muscle tone and can have airway obstructions that increase the risk for sudden u  more

BARCELONA, Spain, May 26 -- The Autonomous University of Barcelona issued the following news: * * * Barcelona and school gentrification: when urban changes enter the classroom * A new study by researchers from the UAB, the Institut Metropoli and the UB warns that the transformation of neighbourhoods is also redefining schools, and calls for public policies that can connect urban planning to educational equity. The article calls for educational equity to be the guiding principle of urban poli  more

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RS20348) entitled "Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview" by Congress and legislative process specialist James V. Saturno. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The Antideficiency Act (31 U.S.C. Sec.Sec.1341-1342, 1511-1519) generally bars the obligation of funds in the absence of appropriations. Exceptions are made under the act, including for activities involving "the safety of human life or the  more

MIAMI, Florida, May 28 -- Florida International University, a component of the public university system in Florida, issued the following news: * * * Alumna blazing trail in nuclear waste remediation research By Adrienne Sylver Armed with a doctorate in materials science engineering from FIU, Mellissa Komninakis is focusing her career on confronting a problem that predates her by decades. Radioactive waste and contamination, like that created during the Manhattan Project's launch of the worl  more

BARCELONA, Spain, May 27 -- The Autonomous University of Barcelona issued the following news: * * * Protein's role in male reproductive ageing identified * A study by the UAB and the IJC demonstrates that SIRT7 is a key regulator of the quality of male germ cells and that the deficiency of this protein during ageing can lead to a functional decline in sperm. A study led by researchers at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC) h  more

LONDON, England, May 27 [Category: Arts/Cultural] -- The Museums Association posted the following news: * * * Scottish Crannog Centre unveils new building * The Scottish Crannog Centre, Perthshire, has opened its first crannog since a devastating fire ravaged the site in 2021. The crannog - a domestic building constructed on stilts in estuary water or lochs dating from the Neolithic period on - was opened by Scotland's first minister John Swinney last Friday. It was built by a team of spec  more

BURNABY, British Columbia, May 27 -- Simon Fraser University posted the following news: * * * SFU study pushes for more inclusive urban design for people living with dementia * by Sam Smith Navigating Vancouver's streets on foot can feel somewhat perilous. Cars, cyclists and e-scooters come at you from all directions. Construction shuts off walkways leading to diversions. Sidewalks are often uneven and in need of repair. For people living with dementia, overcoming such challenges can be   more

LONDON, England, May 27 (TNSjou) -- The University College London posted the following news: * * * How wasp societies overcome fierce leadership battles When the loss of a queen wasp triggers a power struggle and social turmoil, colonies can survive the upheaval thanks to helpful wasps that pick up the slack, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The findings, published in the journal Animal Behaviour, show that even in colonies where leadership succession is violent and chaotic, there a  more

MANCHESTER, England, May 27 (TNSjou) -- The University of Manchester issued the following news release: * * * Study of coral surface behaviour offers new tools to understand the physics underlying infertility and ovarian cancer A study by researchers at The University of Manchester, carried out alongside the Universities of Melbourne and Copenhagen, could hold the key to understanding the causes of long-term health problems, such as infertility and ovarian cancer. The study, published in Phy  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 28 (TNSjou) -- The University of Michigan issued the following news: * * * Lake Erie produces 'forbidden soup' of rotating potential toxins Municipalities and federal agencies monitor U.S. waters for microcystins, a toxin produced by harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie, but a University of Michigan study shows that the blooms produce a greater range of potentially toxic compounds than previously known. The researchers found that these compounds, called bioactive cyanop  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 28 (TNSjou) -- The University of Michigan issued the following news: * * * Revealing hidden insights in demographic data An analysis of more than 10,000 cities worldwide reveals facts, figures and trends that governments can use to better to support their populations that would otherwise be obscured in national averages Written By: Diana Setterberg, Montana State University News Service The world's urban population increased by 785 million people between 2000 and 20  more

PULLMAN, Washington, May 28 -- Washington State University issued the following news release: * * * Unintended consequences: Graphic anti smoking ads may nudge people toward vaping Graphic anti-smoking ads can lead smokers to reconsider their habit, but in the absence of similar warnings for e-cigarettes, they make some smokers more inclined to vape than quit. That's the key finding of new research from Washington State University demonstrating unintended consequences of using vividly graphi  more

ALPHEN AAN DEN RIJN, Netherlands, May 28 -- Wolters Kluwer, a company that specializes in professional information, software solutions and services, issued the following news release on May 27, 2026: * * * Wolters Kluwer and Radiological Society of North America establish 10-year agreement to advance global access to leading radiology research journals Key Takeaways * Wolters Kluwer and the Radiological Society of North America formed a 10-year agreement to expand global access and discovera  more