Baby talk, more formally referred to as infant-directed speech (IDS), often differs from adult-directed speech (ADS) in both pitch and vocabulary. The existing scientific evidence for the presence of vowel hyperarticulation in IDS is conflicting, however. Researchers recently performed a meta-analysis of all existing IDS vowel hyperarticulation research studies and found that the exaggeration of vowels in IDS is present in at least 10 different languages.

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that PM_2.5 air pollutants negatively affect mucociliary clearance, a protective mechanism of the respiratory tract. Air pollution led to the formation of lipid peroxide-derived aldehydes, known to damage protective cells in the airway and increase the risk of infections. ALDH1A1 was found to play an important role in protection against aldehydes, making it a potential therapeutic target to diminish the negative effects of air pollution.

Certain 2D van der Waals bilayers, such as WTe₂ and h-BN, exhibit sliding ferroelectricity, yet its stability above room temperature remained unexplained. AIMR researchers developed a thermodynamic model linking this stability to monolayer stiffness. Their findings reveal a soft “sliding phonon” governing the phase transition, with implications for next-generation nanoelectronics.