Two new articles highlight research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital:

A new study is the first to explore the experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, or Intersex, Plus (LGBTQI+) parents and identify the factors that influence their decisions on infant nutrition. The authors of the report say that recognizing these factors can help healthcare professionals improve their support of LGBTQI+ parents.

Challenges and Experiences of LGBTQI+ Parents Regarding Infant Nutrition

Researchers at Nationwide Children’s described physical activity patterns among high school-age adolescents with congenital heart disease (CHD) in the United States. The results, including analyses of the effects of gender and behavioral elements, were published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology.

Are Adolescents with Congenital Heart Disease Getting Enough Physical Activity?

In a new study, researchers from the University of Queensland used advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to visualize the brains of several octopus species. The findings, published in Current Biology, shed new light on octopus brains and reveal previously unknown neuroanatomical diversity.

Read about the findings at my Animal Minds blog: Study Uncovers Brain Diversity in Octopuses.

In oceans all across the globe, fish have been observed rubbing up against sharks. Now, researchers collecting these observations have concluded that fish-on-shark chafing is more frequent and widespread than previously recognized—suggesting the behavior plays an important ecological role and raising more questions for scientists to explore.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Shark Spa Services.

Since stem cells give rise to all the different cell types that make up our bodies, they have the potential to repair or replace cells that are missing or dysfunctional in a wide range of diseases and injuries. In recent years, an explosion of clinical trials involving stem cell therapies has inspired hope that such regenerative strategies may soon cure some of our most vexing diseases. Before that hope is realized, we will need a greater understanding of the fundamentals of stem cell biology as well as the specifics of different disease processes.

Read my latest for IEEE Pulse magazine: Stem Cell Update: Where Are We Now?

There are more than 1,400 species of bat found all over the world. They have conquered every habitat except Antarctica and a few remote oceanic islands. So what makes bats so successful?

Over their 50-million years of evolution, bats have developed ingenious solutions to life’s challenges. In uncovering the secrets of bats’ “superpowers,” scientists are discovering just how much these amazing animals can teach us.

Read more about bats’ superpowers on Nat Geo: Why Bats Are the Real Superheroes of the Animal World.