https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Dartmouth College When we learn something new, that information does not exist in isolation. It integrates into the complex landscape of our knowledge, forging connections with existing ideas and opening up possibilities for new learning. In a study in Nature Communications, Dartmouth researchers report a mathematical technique for mapping the unique landscape of a student's conceptual knowledge from their performance on short multiple-choice quizzes. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-mathematical-framework-landscape-student-knowledge.html Mathematics Tue, 24 Mar 2026 06:00:02 EDT news693488653 Dartmouth researchers have developed a cell phone-based tool that monitors tissue health by using a naturally occurring molecule to measure the oxygen level in cells. The tool could provide a simple and affordable at-home method for detecting disease and making treatment decisions that is superior to current methods, according to a study in Biosensors and Bioelectronics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-smartphone-tool-tissue-health-natural.html Wed, 18 Mar 2026 11:40:04 EDT news693052501 Imagine waiting in line for a shot when someone who just got one tells you it was really painful. Could hearing that make the shot hurt more? According to a new Dartmouth study, what others say about an experience can shape how it actually feels. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that social information can influence how people experience negative events, from physical pain to watching others in pain and performing mentally demanding tasks. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-hyperconnected-world-negative.html Thu, 12 Mar 2026 18:40:01 EDT news692554262 A Dartmouth study challenges the conventional view that the amygdala—the two-sided structure deep in the brain involved in emotion, learning, and decision making—is simply the brain's primitive "fear center," reflexively driving us to avoid the things we fear, from high places and tight spaces to spiders and large crowds. The researchers report in Nature Communications that the amygdala is far more complex, acting as a sophisticated arbiter to help the brain choose between competing strategies for learning and decision-making. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-brain-primitive-center-sophisticated-reveals.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 24 Feb 2026 12:00:02 EST news691155662 A Dartmouth study finds that molecular hitchhikers living within bacteria can make their hosts extra resistant to medical treatment by corralling them into tightly packed groups. The findings introduce a previously unknown avenue through which bacterial infections can become more difficult to treat, the researchers say. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-bacterial-hitchhikers-hosts-super-strength.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 10 Feb 2026 18:20:02 EST news689957488 A study led by Dartmouth Engineering professors demonstrates a possible new technique for connecting electronic implants with the surface of the brain, as well as a new method for ensuring safe, long-term medical access to the brain. Alexander Boys and Katie Hixon combined their research areas of thin-film bioelectronics and regenerative tissue engineering to produce a neural device that promotes healing of the skull following implantation onto the brain. Their study is published in Advanced Materials Technologies and will be featured on the journal's cover in March. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-neural-implant-approach-regrows-skull.html Biomedical technology Thu, 05 Feb 2026 09:40:01 EST news689504494 A Dartmouth study published in Nature Communications reveals that immune cells in the brain use a surprising two-step process to power their search-and-destroy missions. When immune cells rush to injury sites in the brain, they arrive essentially empty-handed—powered by little more than the cellular equivalent of a candy bar. By traveling light and calling for backup, the cells can take immediate action and achieve longer-term damage control. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-brain-immune-cells-powered-sugar.html Neuroscience Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:22:41 EST news688663321 Psilocybin—the psychedelic compound that occurs naturally in certain "magic" mushroom species—has been shown in trials to provide long-term treatment for depression and anxiety. But the chemical's hallucinogenic effects can make developing treatments expensive and pose significant risks to people living with other psychiatric illnesses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-hallucinogenic-psilocybin-neural-receptor-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 13 Jan 2026 16:49:00 EST news687545281 For years, researchers have documented health differences between babies born vaginally versus by cesarean section—work that revealed the importance of exposure to the vaginal microbiome during birth. But a new Dartmouth-led study of more than 3,500 children in Brazil suggests another critical factor may have been overlooked: labor itself. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-elective-sections-linked-childhood-cortisol.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Mon, 05 Jan 2026 17:10:02 EST news686840721 A new Dartmouth study opens new avenues for understanding—and potentially manipulating—how cells decide to live or die. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-hidden-gatekeeper-cell-death-reveals.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 10 Dec 2025 12:34:20 EST news684592441 After fertilization, embryos race through rapid cell divisions before slowing down to build specialized cells that will carry out distinct functions in the developing body—but the signals that trigger this shift have remained a mystery. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-cellular-crowding-fruit-fly-embryos.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 20 Nov 2025 16:28:04 EST news682878481 Public opinion polls and other surveys rely on data to understand human behavior. New research from Dartmouth reveals that artificial intelligence can now corrupt public opinion surveys at scale—passing every quality check, mimicking real humans, and manipulating results without leaving a trace. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-fake-survey-ai-quietly-sway.html Social Sciences Mon, 17 Nov 2025 15:00:10 EST news682602806 A new Dartmouth study finds that artificial intelligence has the potential to deliver educational support that meets the individual needs of large numbers of students. The researchers are the first to report that students may put more trust in AI platforms programmed to pull answers from only curated expert sources, rather than from massive data sets of general information. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ai-personalized-scale-medical.html Education Tue, 11 Nov 2025 14:52:04 EST news682095121 National security officials are "overwhelmingly overconfident," which hinders their ability to accurately assess uncertainty, according to new research by a Dartmouth government professor. When they thought statements had a 90% chance of being true, the statements were only true about 60% of the time, according to the study. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-overconfidence-national.html Political science Tue, 07 Oct 2025 17:11:04 EDT news679075861 The solvent dichloromethane, or DCM, is commonly used to strip paint and cut grease. It's also what generations of chemistry students have used to dissolve pain reliever tablets in a lab exercise designed to teach them how to isolate compounds in a mixture. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-safer-solvent-chemistry-labs.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:14:04 EDT news679058041 Dog owners are often associated with personality traits of being social and community-oriented, while "cat people" are often thought of as introverted and more open-minded, according to prior research. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-cat-owners-donate-slightly-dog.html Social Sciences Thu, 25 Sep 2025 06:08:03 EDT news677999281 Tune into American politics today, and you'll hear something far more sinister than simple disagreement. The language has escalated: political parties trash talk each other—blaming rival parties for policy failures or even for causing incidents with national implications. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-easy-political-hatred.html Social Sciences Mon, 22 Sep 2025 15:00:01 EDT news677748901 With control of Congress and a check on the Trump administration at issue in the 2026 midterm elections, the upcoming election cycle may again see claims of voter fraud. But warning voters beforehand that there may be false claims about the election, and providing them with information on election security measures through "prebunking," can increase confidence in the results and decrease beliefs in voter fraud, according to a new study published in Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-prebunking-false-elections.html Social Sciences Fri, 29 Aug 2025 14:00:04 EDT news675588961 Modular robots built by Dartmouth researchers are finding their feet outdoors. Engineered to assemble into structures that best suit the task at hand, the robots are pieced together from cube-shaped robotic blocks that combine rigid rods and soft, stretchy strings whose tension can be adjusted to deform the blocks and control their shape. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-08-modular-robots-bridges-tools-outdoor.html Robotics Wed, 20 Aug 2025 14:48:03 EDT news674920081 We usually think of satellites as small objects orbiting planets or stars. But in the broader universe, galaxies themselves can have satellites—smaller galaxies bound by gravity that orbit a larger host, carrying with them stars, gas, dust, and dark matter. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-survey-hundreds-satellite-orbiting-dwarf.html Astronomy Tue, 05 Aug 2025 10:54:03 EDT news673610041 As early humans spread from lush African forests into grasslands, their need for ready sources of energy led them to develop a taste for grassy plants, especially grains and the starchy plant tissue hidden underground. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-diet-drove-physical-evolution-early.html Evolution Thu, 31 Jul 2025 14:00:09 EDT news673106169 If scientists are to better understand whether the genes that let us welcome the weekend with a cold beer or enjoy a glass of wine with dinner began with apes eating fermented fruit, then the habit needs a name, according to a new study. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-scrumping-social-rituals-fermented-fruit.html Archaeology Thu, 31 Jul 2025 07:00:01 EDT news673074158 Many soil microbes play a vital role in ecosystems, as they help plants access nutrients and water and assist in stress tolerance, such as during drought, and to defend against pathogens. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-global-databases-reveal-climate-soil.html Ecology Tue, 29 Jul 2025 10:55:03 EDT news673005301 Rural oncologists reported the loss of expertise and professional support as key impacts of the departure of "linchpin colleagues," according to a new Dartmouth-led study published in the journal JCO Oncology Practice. The study, which shares insights about the effects of specialist scarcity in rural settings, is helping researchers understand what strategies may work best in addressing gaps in care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-relationship-key-oncologist-shortages-rural.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 21 Jul 2025 10:40:01 EDT news672311249 Billionaires, oligarchs, and other members of the uber-rich, known as "elites," are notorious for the use of offshore financial systems to conceal their assets and mask their identities. Understanding the transnational offshore finance networks that they utilize has long been a challenge given the secrecy involved. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-elites-offshore-asset-strategies-home.html Economics & Business Wed, 16 Jul 2025 14:00:25 EDT news671865697 A new study challenges the idea that climate change is behind the erratic wintertime behavior of the polar jet stream, the massive current of Arctic air that regulates weather for much of the Northern Hemisphere. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-climate-link-wild-winter-jet.html Earth Sciences Thu, 26 Jun 2025 09:00:01 EDT news669638701 Will algorithms designed for interconnected computers hold up if some of the machines are not here on Earth but flying about in space, onboard satellites or spacecraft? https://techxplore.com/news/2025-06-relativistic-universe-expert-ponders-algorithms.html Computer Sciences Thu, 19 Jun 2025 11:44:03 EDT news669552241 Most plants form beneficial relationships with belowground mycorrhizal fungi that help them access soil nutrients in exchange for sugars. These plant-fungal relationships are the most common type of symbiosis in the world, but scientists know very little about the ways that fungal species' characteristics relate to their distribution, function, and resilience. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-database-soil-fungi-ecological-species.html Ecology Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:50:07 EDT news668961622 Pigs have long been known, sometimes celebrated, as among the most intelligent of farm animals. Now, a new Dartmouth-led study provides evidence that pigs were first domesticated from wild boars in South China approximately 8,000 years ago. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-year-teeth-evidence-pigs-domesticated.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 10 Jun 2025 15:46:05 EDT news668789161 With its cold climate, short growing season, and dense forests, Michigan's Upper Peninsula is known as a challenging place for farming. But a new Dartmouth-led study provides evidence of intensive farming by ancestral Native Americans at the Sixty Islands archaeological site along the Menominee River, making it the most complete ancient agricultural site in the eastern half of the United States. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-archaeologists-uncover-massive-year-native.html Archaeology Thu, 05 Jun 2025 14:00:17 EDT news668325001