Science
press releases.

Science12 Aug 2025

Pew supports 10 Latin American fellows pursuing scientific advances

PHILADELPHIA—The Pew Charitable Trusts today announced the 2025 class of the Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences. The 10 postdoctoral fellows from five Latin American countries—Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico—will receive two years of funding to conduct research in laboratories throughout the United States. They will work under the mentorship of prominent biomedical scientists, including alumni from the Latin American fellows program and the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. “Scientific ...

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Science12 Aug 2025

Portable spectroscopy enables detection of vaginal microbes

Vaginal health is tightly linked to the balance of bacteria in the microbiome, especially certain species of Lactobacillus. When this balance is disturbed—a condition known as dysbiosis—it can lead to increased risk of infections, complications during pregnancy, and other long-term health concerns. Despite this risk, existing diagnostic methods often fall short, especially in detecting Lactobacillus iners, an important vaginal bacterium, which doesn't always show up under a microscope or in lab cultures. Researchers at Vanderbilt University are ...

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Science12 Aug 2025

Ultrafast untethered levitation device utilized squeeze film for omni-directional transport

Advances in technology have led to the miniaturization of many mechanical, electronic, chemical and biomedical products, and with that, an evolution in the way these tiny components and parts are transported is necessary to follow. Transport systems, such as those based on conveyor belts, suffer from the challenge of friction, which drastically slows the speed and precision of small transport. Researchers from YOKOHAMA National University addressed this issue by developing an untethered levitation device capable of moving in all directions. The frictionless design ...

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Science12 Aug 2025

Tiny ants crack the secret to perfect teamwork

Weaver ants have solved a problem that has plagued human teams for centuries: individuals contribute less to tasks when more people join in. New research published in Current Biology on 12 August shows individual weaver ants instead get stronger as their group grows. "Each individual ant almost doubled their pulling force as team size increased – they actually get better at working together as the group gets bigger," says lead author Madelyne Stewardson from Macquarie University. The longstanding problem in human teams was first published by French engineer Max Ringelmann in 1913 who measured ...

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Science12 Aug 2025

Core-cladding-like phosphor ceramics wafer: a path to ultra-high luminance

High-brightness laser-driven light sources, which are generated by exciting phosphor materials with high power density blue laser diodes, hold great promise for applications in long-distance searchlights, high-luminance projection displays, and long-range night vision systems. The luminance of these light sources is primarily influenced by two critical parameters: the maximum luminous flux and the illuminated area (i.e., light spot area). Both of these factors are contingent upon the properties of the phosphor ...

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Science12 Aug 2025

Exercise may slow epigenetic aging

“Collectively, these findings suggest that increased leisure-time physical activity and reduced sedentary behavior may have beneficial effects on epigenetic aging.” BUFFALO, NY — August 12, 2025 — A new research perspective was published in Aging (Aging-US) on July 8, 2025, titled “Exercise as a geroprotector: focusing on epigenetic aging.” In this perspective, led by Takuji Kawamura from Tohoku University, researchers reviewed existing evidence from scientific studies showing that regular exercise, physical activity, and ...

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Science12 Aug 2025

“Skin in a syringe” a step towards a new way to heal burns

Researchers have created what could be called “skin in a syringe”. The gel containing live cells can be 3D printed into a skin transplant, as shown in a study conducted on mice. This technology may lead to new ways to treat burns and severe wounds. The study was led from the Center for Disaster Medicine and Traumatology and Linköping University in Sweden, and has been published in Advanced Healthcare Materials. As long as we have a healthy skin, we do not give it much thought. However, ...

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Science12 Aug 2025

BTI, Meiogenix and FFAR announce $2 million breakthrough tomato genetics collaboration

In a landmark $2 million initiative, the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and biotechnology company Meiogenix have launched a collaboration to develop drought- and disease-resistant tomatoes by tapping the genetic power of wild species. The project, funded through a generous Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) Seeding Solutions grant, seeks to ensure a stable tomato supply by leveraging cutting-edge genomics and breeding technologies to address the global threats of environmental stress and ...

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Science12 Aug 2025

Common food thickeners – long thought to pass right through us – are actually digested

It turns out those cellulose-based thickening agents found in common foods can be digested. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have shown that our gut bacteria can feed on these large molecules – something thought to not be possible – thanks to enzymes that normally help us break down dietary fibre. “Researchers assumed that these thickening agents, which are artificial derivatives of natural cellulose, just pass right through the digestive system unaltered,” says Dr. Deepesh Panwar, a postdoctoral fellow ...

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Science12 Aug 2025

Mirror-like graphite films break records in strength and conductivity

Graphite has attracted global interest due to its unique anisotropic properties, including excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. Widely used as a battery anode material and in applications such as electromagnetic shielding, catalysis, and nuclear technology, graphite remains a critical material in both industrial and research fields. For decades, researchers have sought to produce high-quality artificial graphite with large grains and smooth, layered structures. Conventional methods typically involve high-temperature treatment of polymer ...

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Science12 Aug 2025

Plants feed through one-way routes

Plants transport water and nutrients from their environment through specialised pores. Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have shed light on a little-known but essential mechanism for proper plant function: the directionality of nutrient transport in roots. The team demonstrates that this transport becomes unidirectional as the root develops. This discovery highlights the central role of the pores connecting plant cells and opens up new perspectives for improving plant resistance to water stress. These findings are published in the journal Molecular Plant. Roots play ...

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Science12 Aug 2025

Playtime a mostly mutual activity between dolphins and whales

A new study has investigated hundreds of videos and images taken by the public, tourism operators and scientists to better understand a rarely studied behaviour among whales and dolphins – do they actually “play” together, or is it more of a one-sided relationship? Led by Griffith University’s Whales & Climate Program lead, Dr Olaf Meynecke, the study analysed instances of baleen whale and dolphin interactions involving 19 species in 199 separate and unrelated interactions, documented by photographs and videos from 17 locations around the world. Published in Discover Animals, Dr Meynecke ...

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Science12 Aug 2025

Mixed-dimensional nanowires/nanosheet heterojunction of GaSb/Bi2O2Se for self-powered near-infrared photodetection and photocommunication

In the rapidly advancing field of optoelectronics, self-powered near-infrared (NIR) photodetectors are gaining attention for applications in imaging, environmental monitoring, and optical communication. Recently, a research team from Shandong University led by Professor Zai-xing Yang has made a significant leap forward by constructing a novel mixed-dimensional heterojunction between GaSb nanowires (NWs) and Bi2O2Se nanosheets (NSs). This breakthrough device demonstrates ultralow dark current, ultrafast response, and multifunctional capabilities — all without an external power supply. Why This Research Matters Record-Low Dark Current: The GaSb/Bi2O₂Se NW/NS ...

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Science11 Aug 2025

Only some emotions help posts go viral

The positive emotions of love and joy might seem to have much in common. Similarly, anxiety and anger appear to be close emotional siblings. But on social media, seemingly similar emotions can lead to very different responses. According to new research by Yifan Yu, assistant professor of information, risk, and operations management at Texas McCombs, certain emotions pack a bigger punch than others when it comes to how posts spread on social media. “Some emotions, like anxiety and love, help content go viral, while others, like anger or sadness, tend to slow ...

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Science11 Aug 2025

Test performance improves when children can exercise briefly beforehand, UNCG researchers find

A new study from UNC Greensboro (UNCG) researchers suggests giving children just nine minutes to engage in high-intensity interval exercise can boost their academic performance. “In the classroom, you have teachers that say, ‘Let’s take a movement break to get you focused again,’” said lead author and UNCG Assistant Professor Eric Drollette, Ph.D.. “We know that’s the case anecdotally in the classroom, but we hadn’t put the science to it.” Investigating the science behind this classroom wisdom, the researchers created a short sequence of exercises that can be completed in ...

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Science11 Aug 2025

Ready for market: New process boosts clean, cost-efficient chemical production

Building on their success developing a cleaner way to make valuable organic acids, researchers from the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) have pushed one product closer to commercialization with a major upgrade in yield. A CABBI team from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Princeton University re-engineered the metabolism of the yeast Issatchenkia orientalis to supercharge its fermentation of plant glucose into succinic acid – an important industrial chemical used in food additives and a diverse array of agricultural and pharmaceutical products. Since ...

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Science11 Aug 2025

Losing weight before IVF may increase chance of pregnancy

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 11 August 2025 Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Linkedin Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo ...

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Science11 Aug 2025

An innovative system that dehydrates fruit without heat

Dried fruit is a tasty snack or sweet addition to recipes, but the water removal process often requires heat and energy. In a step toward more sustainable food preservation, researchers reporting in ACS Food Science & Technology have developed a method to dry food at room temperature by adjusting air pressure conditions and using food-safe calcium chloride. In a proof-of-concept, the system successfully dried mango and apple slices to commercial levels. Dehydrating food turns perishable items such as fruit into long-lasting pantry ...

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Science11 Aug 2025

Is the 'love hormone,' oxytocin, also the 'friendship hormone'?

A new UC Berkeley study shows that the so-called love hormone, oxytocin, is also critical for the formation of friendships. Oxytocin is released in the brain during sex, childbirth, breastfeeding and social interactions and contributes to feelings of attachment, closeness and trust. Never mind that it’s also associated with aggression; the hormone is commonly referred to as the "cuddle" or "happy" hormone, and people are encouraged to boost their oxytocin levels for better well-being by touching friends and loved ones, listening to music and exercising. But recent studies involving the prairie vole have ...

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Science11 Aug 2025

Unpacking chaos to protect your morning coffee

Images To help manage agricultural practices with fewer or no pesticides, University of Michigan researchers say they need to understand how ecological systems work on agricultural lands. Now, U-M researchers John Vandermeer and Ivette Perfecto have used two ecological theories to describe a tangle of interactions between three ant species and a recently introduced fly that preys on one of the ant species. Their work on a coffee farm in Puerto Rico shows that the interaction between the ants and the predator fly creates chaotic patterns—chaos in ...

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Science11 Aug 2025

Researchers identify key biomarkers for chronic fatigue syndrome

ITHACA, N.Y. – When cells expire, they leave behind an activity log of sorts: RNA expelled into blood plasma that reveal changes in gene expression, cellular signaling, tissue injury and other biological processes. Cornell University researchers developed machine-learning models that can sift through this cell-free RNA and identify key biomarkers for myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The approach could lead to the development of diagnostic testing for a debilitating disease that has proved challenging ...

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Science11 Aug 2025

Georgia and Ukraine launch national Reproducibility Networks with support from the TIER2 project

Two new national Reproducibility Networks have been launched in Georgia and Ukraine with support from the TIER2 project – a step towards strengthening open, transparent, and high-quality research practices in Horizon Europe Widening participation countries. The TIER2 Reproducibility Network (RN) Award supported the creation of three RNs in Horizon Europe Widening Participation countries. In 2023 and 2024, research consortia from Georgia, Ukraine, and Serbia were selected through two open award calls, recognising their strong engagement in advancing Open Science and reproducibility, research integrity, and collaboration. The Georgian Reproducibility ...

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Science11 Aug 2025

Under-the-skin electrode allows for real-world epilepsy tracking

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London in partnership with the Mayo Clinic and UNEEG medical, has found that an electronic device placed under the scalp is an effective and feasible means of accurately tracking epilepsy. In a landmark study, published in Epilepsia and funded by the Epilepsy Foundation of America, researchers demonstrated that seizures can be tracked in the home environment, giving clinicians access to data that could have a dramatic impact on the way in which epilepsy is treated in the future. Tracking epileptic seizures over time is challenging ...

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Science11 Aug 2025

Why these hairy caterpillars swarm every decade – then vanish without a trace

A 50-year love affair with hairy caterpillars reveals their squirmy secrets Western tent caterpillars might not be on your mind every year, but during their peak outbreaks, they’re impossible to ignore—hairy larvae wriggling across roads and swarms of caterpillars climbing houses to form yellow silken cocoons. They’re certainly on the mind of Dr. Judith Myers, professor emerita in the faculties of science and land and food systems, who has spent five decades studying this native moth species and their boom-and-bust population cycles. In this Q&A, she ...

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Science11 Aug 2025

After the storm: to rebuild or relocate?

Study reveals how residents and government officials in a flood-prone community feel about adapting to climate change -- and how political views may play a role As climate hazards escalate, communities facing repetitive disasters in high-risk areas must weigh the economic and social trade-offs of rebuilding versus relocating. A Risk Analysis study has found that residents and government officials may have different ideas about how public funds should be spent to adapt to extreme weather events brought on by climate change. WHAT THEY DID: To ...

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