See, Feel, and Understand: HSE Researchers to Explore Mechanisms of Movement Perception in Autism
Scientists at the HSE Cognitive Health and Intelligence Centre have won a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) to investigate the mechanisms of visual motion perception in autism. The researchers will design an experimental paradigm to explore the relationship between visual attention and motor skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. This will provide insight into the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying social interaction difficulties in autism and help identify strategies for compensating for them.
Scholars Disprove Existence of ‘Crisis of Trust’ in Science
An international team of researchers, including specialists from HSE University, has conducted a large-scale survey in 68 countries on the subject of trust in science. In most countries, people continue to highly value the work of scientists and want to see them take a more active role in public life. The results have been published in Nature Human Behaviour.
'Intuition Tells Me that Some Knowledge Cannot Be Reduced to Simple Terms'
Daria Alova jokes that she once aspired to be a criminal investigator but ended up becoming a scientific investigator instead. In this interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, she discusses models of legal reasoning, her fascination with Plato, and Ivan the Terrible's eschatological thoughts.
Education System Reforms Led to Better University Performance, HSE Researchers Find
A study by researchers at the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences and the Institute of Education have found that the number of academic papers published by research universities in international journals has tripled in the past eight years. Additionally, universities have developed more distinct specialisations. Thus, sectoral universities specialising in medical, pedagogical, technical, and other fields are twice as likely to admit students to target places. The study has been published in Vocation, Technology & Education.
HSE Foresight Centre's Work Praised by United Nations
The HSE Foresight Centre has been featured in a report by the United Nations Secretary-General as a successful example of a centralised approach to technology foresight. The document was prepared for the twenty-eighth session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, which is the United Nations’ focal point for technology foresight and technology assessment.
Scientists Record GRB 221009A, the Brightest Gamma-Ray Burst in Cosmic History
A team of scientists from 17 countries, including physicists from HSE University, analysed early photometric and spectroscopic data of GRB 221009A, the brightest gamma-ray burst ever recorded. The data was obtained at the Sayan Observatory one hour and 15 minutes after the emission was registered. The researchers detected photons with an energy of 18 teraelectronvolts (TeV). Theoretically, such high-energy particles should not reach Earth, but data analysis has confirmed that they can. The results challenge the theory of gamma radiation absorption and may point to unknown physical processes. The study has been published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
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Chemists Simplify Synthesis of Drugs Involving Amide Groups
Chemists from HSE University and the Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INEOS RAS) have developed a new method for synthesising amides, essential compounds in drug production. Using a ruthenium catalyst and carbon monoxide under precisely controlled reaction conditions, they successfully obtained the target product without by-products or complex purification steps. The method has already been tested for synthesising a key component of Vorinostat, a drug used to treat T-cell lymphoma. This approach could lower the cost of the drug by orders of magnitude. The paper has been published in the Journal of Catalysis. The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation.
Scientists Examine Neurobiology of Pragmatic Reasoning
An international team including scientists from HSE University has investigated the brain's ability to comprehend hidden meanings in spoken messages. Using fMRI, the researchers found that unambiguous meanings activate brain regions involved in decision-making, whereas processing complex and ambiguous utterances engages regions responsible for analysing context and the speaker's intentions. The more complex the task, the greater the interaction between these regions, enabling the brain to decipher the meaning. The study has been published in NeuroImage.
‘Mayflies Are Drifting along the River–This Is a Symbol that Everything Goes By’
Arseniy Uspenskij (Litvin) initially studied Indology but ultimately focused on Assyriology. In an interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, he discussed the metrical structure of Akkadian poetry, the deciphering of the Behistun inscription, and King Sargon.
Scientists Present New Solution to Imbalanced Learning Problem
Specialists at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science and Sber AI Lab have developed a geometric oversampling technique known as Simplicial SMOTE. Tests on various datasets have shown that it significantly improves classification performance. This technique is particularly valuable in scenarios where rare cases are crucial, such as fraud detection or the diagnosis of rare diseases. The study's results are available on ArXiv.org, an open-access archive, and will be presented at the International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD) in summer 2025 in Toronto, Canada.