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AI helps dentists practice the conversations that matter

A University of Rochester collaboration is using an AI-powered virtual patient to help dentists strengthen their communication, build trust and better respond to patients' fears and concerns. For many patients, sitting in a dental chair can be stressful long before treatment

How hibernating squirrels retain sense of touch in the cold

For most mammals, cold suppresses neural activity and diminishes the sense of touch. But the thirteen-lined ground squirrel can detect touch in conditions as low as 4°C (39°F), about as cold as the inside of a refrigerator, finds a new Yale study published in Current Biology.

Extreme drought now covers 44% of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico’s normally rainy season has instead brought a severe and fast-growing drought. By August 25, three-quarters of the territory was in at least moderate drought, with extreme drought covering 44 percent and some areas receiving less than 20 percent of their usual

MIT turns bacteria into living transistors

MIT researchers have created bacterial “transistors” that can be wired together into living circuits capable of performing calculations and directing chemical signals. One day, these biological computers could coat plant roots or leaves, detecting environmental threats and