Latest Releases

Surveys of Twitter and Facebook users show people are exhausted by and unhappy with the overrepresentation of extreme political content or controversial topics in their feeds. In a review published today (Aug. 3) in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, social scientists from Northwestern University describe how the misalignment between the objective of social media algorithms, designed to boost user engagement, and functions of human psychology can lead to increased polarization and misinformation.

Although there is a long-standing assumption that dopamine neurons solely respond to rewards, Northwestern researchers discovered that one genetic subtype fires when the body moves. The finding could have implications for Parkinson's disease.

Former President Donald J. Trump was indicted yesterday on four conspiracy charges for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Professors in the fields of history, political science and communications at Northwestern University provide their perspectives on Trump’s third indictment.
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Northwestern University today announced that it has engaged former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch to lead an independent review of the processes and accountability mechanisms in place at the University to detect, report and respond to potential misconduct in its athletics programs, including hazing, bullying and discrimination of any kind.

Northwestern researchers developed the first 3D simulations of energy rippling from a massive star’s core to its outer surface. Using these new models, the researchers determined, for the first time, how much stars should innately twinkle.

Despite having risk factors for heart disease, only 60% of women reported receiving counseling on optimizing their heart health, which includes healthy eating, exercise and losing weight gained during pregnancy at their six-week postpartum visit between 2016 and 2020.

A Northwestern study found that having a pediatrician who recommended early peanut introduction was the strongest factor in whether a parent or caregiver was aware of the guidelines.

Scientists have uncovered a new mechanism by which mutations in a gene parkin contribute to familial forms of Parkinson's disease. The discovery opens a new avenue for Parkinson’s therapeutics, scientists report in a new study.

Antipsychotic drugs have lots of unpleasant side effects. The drugs also aren’t effective for many people. There is an urgent need to develop better drugs. A new finding from Northwestern Medicine scientists provides a new avenue to develop more effective drugs to treat the debilitating symptoms of schizophrenia.

A research team led by Northwestern University and the University of Pennsylvania scientists has created a new synthetic biology approach, a “QR code for cancer cells,” to follow tumor cells over time, finding there are meaningful differences in why a cancer cell dies or survives in response to anti-cancer therapies.