(Press-News.org) Suicide hotline calls increase with rising nighttime temperatures (by 168% for temperatures in the hottest 99th percentile), which could warrant temperature-triggered staffing protocols.
Article URL: https://plos.io/3Mtdju2
Article Title: Temperature extremes contribute to suicide-related help-seeking through multiple pathways: Evidence from crisis hotline data (2019–2023)
Author Countries: United States
Funding: This work was supported by the National Academy of Sciences Gulf Research Program (SCON-10001154 to MS and JR). The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
END
Suicide hotline calls increase with rising nighttime temperatures
2026-02-11
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
What honey bee brain chemistry tells us about human learning
2026-02-11
A multi-institutional team of researchers led by Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC has for the first time identified specific patterns of brain chemical activity that predict how quickly individual honey bees learn new associations, offering important insights into the biological basis of learning and decision-making.
The findings, which were published in Sciences Advances, found that the balance between the neurotransmitters octopamine and tyramine can predict whether a bee will learn quickly, slowly, or not at all as they associate an odor with a reward.
Because the same ancient ...
Common anti-seizure drug prevents Alzheimer’s plaques from forming
2026-02-11
Scientists examined engineered mouse models, human neurons and brains of Down syndrome patients, who are at high risk of developing an aggressive form of Alzheimer’s
Decades-old, FDA-approved drug restored neuronal function, steering neurons away from producing toxic amyloid‑beta 42
Drug would need to be taken ‘very, very early,’ before brain cells die
Existing human clinical data showed drug slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s pathology
CHICAGO — While physicians and scientists have long known Alzheimer’s ...
Twilight fish study reveals unique hybrid eye cells
2026-02-11
Researchers have identified a new type of visual cell in deep-sea fish larvae that challenges a century of knowledge about vertebrate visual systems.
Dr Fabio Cortesi from The University of Queensland’s School of the Environment said the finding could lead to new camera technology and medical treatments.
“For more than 150 years, textbooks have taught that vision in most vertebrates is made of cones and rods – cones which work in bright light and rods for dark situations,” Dr Cortesi said.
“But our study of deep-sea fish larvae revealed a new cell type – a photoreceptor that optimises vision in gloomy or twilight conditions.
“It combines the ...
Could light-powered computers reduce AI’s energy use?
2026-02-11
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A key problem facing artificial intelligence (AI) development is the vast amount of energy the technology requires, with some experts projecting AI datacenters to be responsible for over 13% of global electricity usage by 2028. According to Xingjie Ni, associate professor of electrical engineering at the Penn State School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the key to addressing this roadblock could lie in computers powered by light instead of circuitry.
Ni and his team recently developed a prototype device ...
Rebuilding trust in global climate mitigation scenarios
2026-02-11
A new IIASA-led study examines growing critiques of how global climate mitigation scenarios address equity and justice and identifies key conditions for fair, feasible, and politically credible climate action.
Global climate mitigation scenarios shape real-world policy choices of who cuts emissions, who pays, and who benefits from climate action. A new IIASA-led essay published in PLOS Climate identifies how these influential tools address equity and justice, with implications for perceptions of fairness and public trust in climate policy. Drawing on a broad grassroots community process, the study identifies practical ...
Skeleton ‘gatekeeper’ lining brain cells could guard against Alzheimer’s
2026-02-11
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Brain cells are constantly swallowing material from the fluid that surrounds them — signaling molecules, nutrients, even pieces of their own surfaces — in a process known as endocytosis that is essential for learning, memory and basic neural upkeep.
Now, new research by Penn State scientists has revealed this vital process may be governed by a previously unknown molecular gatekeeper: a lattice‑like structure just ...
HPV cancer vaccine slows tumor growth, extends survival in preclinical model
2026-02-11
Throughout the past decade, Northwestern University scientists have uncovered a striking principle of vaccine design: Performance depends not only on vaccine components but also on vaccine structure.
After proving this concept across multiple studies, the team developed therapeutic cancer vaccines to tackle one of the most challenging targets yet — HPV-driven tumors. In a new study, the scientists discovered that systematically changing the orientation and placement of a single cancer-targeting peptide can lead to formulations that supercharge the immune system’s ability to attack tumors.
The study ...
How blood biomarkers can predict trauma patient recovery days in advance
2026-02-11
AURORA, Colo. (February 11, 2026) – Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz have developed a way to predict how trauma patients will recover, days before complications come to fruition, by analyzing the molecules in their blood.
In a first-of-its-kind study, published today in Science Translational Medicine, the team showed that “omics” markers, or biological signals found in blood, can reveal why patients with similar injuries often recover differently, opening the door to more precise, personalized trauma care.
Researchers mapped the molecular endotypes and trajectories ...
People from low-income communities smoke more, are more addicted and are less likely to quit
2026-02-11
A new paper in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, published by Oxford University Press, finds that people experiencing more economic disadvantages are more likely to smoke cigarettes, have higher levels of tobacco addiction, and find it harder to quit than those who are most advantaged. This pattern was consistent across different forms and severity of disadvantage.
Despite decades of work by policymakers and reductions in smoking rates, tobacco use is still a leading cause of preventable mortality worldwide. In England, official estimates suggest 11.9% ...
No association between mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and autism in children, new research shows
2026-02-11
Embargoed until 9:45 AM PST, February 11, 2026
No Association Between mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy and Autism in Children, New Research Shows
Las Vegas, NV – The mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is not associated with autism or other neurodevelopmental problems in children whose mothers received the vaccine immediately before or during pregnancy, according to new research ...