◆ Science Press Releases

Media Contact: pr@cos.io Open science has moved from the margins to the mainstream. With the release of our 2026–2028 Strategic Plan, COS is focusing its next phase of work on advancing Lifecycle Open Science, ensuring that research plans, data, materials, code, and outcomes remain openly connected and reusable over time. We are pleased to welcome Chris Bourg (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Marcus Munafò (University of Bath) to the COS Board of Directors at this pivotal moment. Their leadership in equitable ...

Hematological malignancies, encompassing Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), multiple myeloma (MM), and leukemia, represent a major global health challenge with substantial morbidity and mortality. A new study made available online on February 11, 2026, in the Chinese Medical Journal delivers a detailed epidemiological analysis of their disease burden worldwide, with a focused comparison between China and the United States (US), leveraging the latest data from GLOBOCAN 2022 and Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 to inform evidence-based prevention ...

Researchers have determined how a key protein activates brown fat by expanding blood vessels and nerves in the heat-generating tissue.  The findings, published in Nature Communications, point to a potential strategy for treating obesity that deviates from the current approach of suppressing appetite.  Most of the fat in our bodies is white fat, which stores excess energy and, at too high of levels, can lead to obesity. Humans and other mammals also have a smaller amount of brown fat, a specialized tissue ...

A research team from the National Taiwan Normal University has clarified the status of a secretive reptile through a new study published in the open-access journal ZooKeys. Led by Si-Min Lin, the team focused on the Formosan legless lizard, scientifically known as Dopasia formosensis. These lizards are among the most secretive and least studied groups in Taiwan, living primarily under leaf litter and humus in moist forests. This elusive behavior makes field observations and ecological studies extremely difficult. The ...

ATLANTA, March 25, 2026 — Biodiesel is a renewable fuel and offers a sustainable and potentially carbon-neutral alternative to petroleum products. Yet production costs remain a hurdle to its widespread use. Now, researchers have developed an inexpensive way to make biodiesel from materials found along the banks of their Louisiana bayou: algae and oyster shells. The researchers will present their results at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Spring 2026 is being held March 22-26; it features nearly 11,000 presentations on a range of science topics. Biodiesel is manufactured and used around the world, but its production ...

With almost a third of cacti species threatened with extinction, a new open access database of cactus ecology and evolution could help scientists and conservationists save species from the brink. Researchers from the Universities of Bath and Reading have launched CactEcoDB, the most comprehensive database ever created for the cactus family, offering an unprecedented window into the evolution, ecology and conservation needs of one of the world’s most distinctive and endangered groups of plants. Cactaceae - the family that includes everything from tiny globular cacti to towering desert giants ...

A new study published in Engineering provides significant insights into the evolutionary history of the human N-glycosylation pathway, a critical process in protein modification. Researchers from various institutions in Croatia, including the University of Zagreb and the Ruder Bošković Institute, utilized phylostratigraphy to trace the origins of glycosylation machinery (GM) genes and glycoproteins (GPs) across a broad phylogenetic context.   Glycosylation, the enzymatic process of attaching glycans ...

As bees and hummingbirds flit from flower to flower, greedily sipping nectar in exchange for pollination, the animals often get another treat: alcohol. In the first broad analysis of the alcohol content of flower nectars, University of California, Berkeley biologists found detectable alcohol in at least one flower of 26 of the 29 species of plants tested. While most samples had very low levels, almost certainly from yeast fermenting the sugars in the nectar, one contained 0.056% ethanol by weight: ...

UC Riverside researchers have identified a mechanism that allows plants to rapidly slow growth in response to extreme environmental stress. The finding could help farmers grow more resilient crops, and one researcher continued the work years into retirement to uncover it. The rapid response system is based on a process inside plant cells that produces compounds needed for growth, development, and survival. If even one of the key enzymes in this process fails, the plant cannot live.  Under stress conditions such as intense light, this biological pathway behaves in an unexpected manner. Rather than being governed by changes in gene expression, a standard mechanism in biology, ...

UCL Press release Embargoed until Tuesday March 24th 23:30 UK time / 19:30 US Eastern time Peer-reviewed / Observational study / People Parenting programmes can improve wellbeing for families from diverse backgrounds Evidence-based parenting programmes delivered through community organisations can support family wellbeing and should be considered as part of wider strategies to reduce health inequalities, a landmark UCL study has found. In a new paper published in The Lancet Public Health, the researchers assessed the effectiveness and value for money of the Race Equality Foundation-designed Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) programme, ...

A research team has developed a highly efficient biochar-supported catalyst that can convert biomass-derived chemicals into valuable industrial products under remarkably mild conditions. The study demonstrates how agricultural waste can be transformed into advanced catalytic materials, offering a greener pathway for chemical production. “By leveraging the natural structure of biomass, we created a catalyst that is both highly efficient and environmentally friendly,” said the corresponding author. “This work shows the untapped potential of biochar not just as a carbon material, but as an active partner ...

East Tennessee State University is one of three universities nationwide selected to develop and launch a new program designed to connect older adults living with behavioral health conditions to local senior community meal sites — strengthening nutrition, reducing isolation, and supporting overall well-being. ETSU was awarded the three-year grant by the U.S. Administration for Community Living’s Innovation in Nutrition Programs and Services program. Texas A&M University and Virginia Commonwealth University also received grants as part of the initiative, totaling about $1.49 million.   ETSU’s ...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is celebrating the successful conclusion of a research marathon on Japan’s Large Helical Device (LHD). Since it began operations in 1998, LHD has been a critical test bed for international research on fusion energy, helping to prove that stellarators can be a stable and reliable pathway toward creating a limitless source of energy on Earth.  The international collaboration involved a few dozen PPPL researchers, ...

The word “nemotia”1 is a neologism, a newly coined term that, in this case, describes the sense of overwhelm and disconnect accompanying the thought that nothing you do will ever make a difference. If this describes your current frame of mind, you might find some comfort in a recent discovery made by researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History. It has to do with citizen science, a sort of reciprocal partnership in which large numbers of non-scientists collect data that is used across multiple disciplines, from environmental monitoring and conservation assessments ...

Researchers led by Guilio Bernardi at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca in Italy have discovered a key relationship between dreaming and the feeling of having had a good night’s sleep. Published in PLOS Biology on March 24th, the study shows that the feeling of deep sleep is not determined solely by slow-wave brain activity. Rather, immersive dreaming that comes with increases in wake-like brain activity leads to a greater feeling of deep sleep. Why is it that sometimes we sleep 8 hours and don’t feel rested, while other times we feel like we had a great night’s sleep after only 5 hours? Research ...

In the U.S., youth with disabilities make up 32% of the foster care population. Youth in foster care ages 16-21 who are transitioning into adulthood with disabilities face an increased risk of unemployment, low self-esteem, homelessness, and incarceration compared to those without disabilities.  While some federal and state services are available to help youth in foster care transition successfully to adulthood, youth in foster care with disabilities have a complex array of needs that require additional services and support.    Previously, there was ...

A new study finds overconfident CEOs are less likely to delegate responsibilities to underlings, particularly in settings that involve complex transactions – such as hammering out the details of high-stakes deals. “Organizations have only gotten more complex over time, often operating in multiple countries across many different sectors,” says Jared Smith, co-author of a paper on the work and a professor of finance in North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management. “As a result, it is important for modern companies to bring more voices to the table. Involving more people who have more ...

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is second only to carbon dioxide in driving up global temperatures. But it doesn’t linger in the atmosphere for long thanks to molecules called hydroxyl radicals, which are known as the “atmosphere’s detergent” for their ability to break down methane. As the planet warms, however, it’s unclear how the air-cleaning agents will respond.  MIT scientists are now shedding some light on this. The team has developed a new model to study different processes that control ...

Snow flies might be undergoing an identity crisis. In a new study, Northwestern University scientists explored how snow flies — small, wingless insects that crawl across snow to find mates and lay eggs — survive in freezing cold temperatures. They discovered this snow-dwelling fly uses a surprising combination of strategies: it generates its own body heat like a mammal and produces antifreeze proteins like an Arctic fish. While sub-zero temperatures are a death sentence for most other insects, these adaptations allow snow flies to remain active at temperatures as low as -6 degrees Celsius (or 21.2 degrees Fahrenheit). The ...

About The Study: In this cohort study of 515 children followed from kindergarten through grades 1 and 4, distinct patterns of cognitive-linguistic deficits in kindergarten were associated with 2- to 5-fold increased risk for early- and late-emerging dyslexia. These findings provide a foundational evidence base to support the integration of developmentally sensitive screening into pediatric surveillance frameworks, facilitating early identification and a shift from reactive to preventive care, including for children at risk of late-emerging dyslexia. Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Avi Karni, MD, PhD, (avi.karni@yahoo.com) and Rotem Yinon, PhD, ...

Can using a large language model (LLM) make a person more creative? Prior work has shown that using LLMs can make creative outputs more homogeneous,but this homogenization could stem from the specific LLM used or from widespread use of the same model. Emily Wenger and Yoed N. Kenett asked humans recruited from the Prolific platform and a broad range of LLMs to complete multiple tasks designed to measure different facets of creativity. For example, one task asked participants to come up with as many uses as possible for an item like a fork or a pair of pants. Another task asked participants to think of 10 nouns that are as different from one another ...

A rare form of leukemia known as TCF3::HLF-positive B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) sits among the most aggressive blood cancers seen in children. The disease causes a rapid buildup of abnormal blood cells, but unlike other types of leukemia, it also severely damages bones and causes pain. To make things worse, patients with TCF3::HLF-positive B-ALL tend to relapse quickly after treatment, with survival rates remaining low. Despite decades of research, progress against this aggressive leukemia has been slow and unremarkable. ...

Visible to the naked eye in the constellation Cassiopeia, the star γ Cas has puzzled astrophysicists for half a century. It emits X-rays of an intensity and temperature incompatible with what one would expect from an ordinary massive star. Observations, carried out using the Resolve instrument aboard the Japanese XRISM telescope, now allow us to attribute this emission to the white dwarf orbiting γ Cas. This also confirms the existence of a family of binary systems long predicted to exist but never identified. The results of this study, led by astronomers from the University ...

An invisible companion consuming material from the naked-eye star gamma-Cas has been revealed as the culprit for curious X-rays coming from the stellar system. This closes the case on a mystery that has puzzled astronomers for more than fifty years.  Unique high-resolution observations made by the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) revealed that the X-rays are linked to the orbital motion of a companion white dwarf star, enabling astronomers to finally solve the mystery. The observations are detailed in a new paper led by Yaël Nazé of the University of Liège, ...

# A novel catalyst design enables simultaneous control of lattice structure and oxygen vacancies in molybdenum oxide through iron (Fe) substitution, with the study selected as a cover article in a leading international journal. # Achieves high water electrolysis performance using low-cost, non-precious metal-based catalysts, with strong potential for applications in eco-friendly hydrogen production and the hydrogen economy. CHANGWON, South Korea — Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), led by President Chuljin ...