Science
press releases.

Science11 Aug 2025

The cerebral cortex ages less than thought

The human brain ages less than thought and in layers – at least in the area of the cerebral cortex responsible for the sense of touch. Researchers at DZNE, the University of Magdeburg, and the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research at the University of Tübingen come to this conclusion based on brain scans of young and older adults in addition to studies in mice. Their findings, published in the journal “Nature Neuroscience”, also provide new insights into how the ability to process sensory information changes with age. The human cerebral cortex ...

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Science11 Aug 2025

Study: Routine childhood and adolescent immunizations declining in Michigan

Routine childhood and adolescent immunizations declined in Michigan between 2017 and 2023, particularly among counties with lower household income and higher uninsurance rates, a new study suggests. For many key pediatric vaccines, completion rates dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and have not yet recovered, according to Michigan Medicine led findings in Pediatrics. “Our findings show that progress towards increasing childhood and adolescent immunizations is stalling in Michigan, increasing the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases,” said senior author Kao-Ping Chua, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatrician and researcher at University of Michigan ...

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Science11 Aug 2025

Ancient practice of blowing through a conch shell could help to treat dangerous snoring condition

People who practised blowing through a conch shell regularly for six months experienced a reduction in their symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), according to a small randomised controlled trial published today (Monday) in ERJ Open Research [1]. OSA is a common sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly stops during the night due to a blocked airway. It leads to loud snoring, restless sleep and daytime sleepiness. It also increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Blowing ...

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Science8 Aug 2025

UCLA study reveals complex muscle control behind blinking and eyelid function

A blink of an eye seems natural and instantaneous, but is it? Without a functioning eyelid, the eye can become dry, irritated and eventually lose the ability to see clearly. Now, a team of UCLA biomechanical engineers and ophthalmologists has uncovered new details about the muscle that controls blinking, offering a pathway toward developing blink-assisting prostheses. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study found that the orbicularis oculi — the muscle that controls eyelid movement — contracts in complex patterns that vary by action and move the eyelid in more than just a simple up-and-down motion. The researchers studied how ...

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Science8 Aug 2025

Does a parent’s exposure to workplace chemicals affect autism in their children?

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — A new study in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health finds parents’ workplace chemical exposure may be linked to a range of behavioral challenges and developmental delays in their children with autism. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that is marked by challenges with social skills, communication struggles and repetitive behaviors. Autism traits can vary widely in how mild or strong they are. “Past research explored the impact of environmental factors on the likelihood of a child developing autism,” said Irva ...

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Science8 Aug 2025

How steep does that hill look? Your height plays a role

COLUMBUS, Ohio – People’s perceptions of the world are easily impacted by the angle at which they view objects in it, suggests a new study. This finding, made by researchers from The Ohio State University, was revealed by testing people’s ability to estimate the steepness of a hill. The study, recently published in the journal Perception, showed that most people, regardless of their visual orientation — or line of sight — will consistently overestimate its steepness. Dennis Shaffer, lead author of the study and a professor of psychology at The Ohio State University’s Mansfield campus, said his team’s research aimed to understand ...

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Science8 Aug 2025

How a rare cycad's wax crystals conjure blue without pigment

The endangered South African cycad Encephalartos horridus may resemble a relic from the Jurassic age, but the species itself evolved long after dinosaurs disappeared. Still, it carries a biochemical legacy inherited from its distant ancestors—plants that once thrived alongside Jurassic fauna. A team led by Hiroshima University (HU) researchers found that its spiky, silvery-blue leaves owe their color not to pigment, but to a wax-based optical effect produced by a lipid compound that may date back to the dawn of land plants. In ...

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Science8 Aug 2025

Small but mighty: A biomimetic idea takes flight

When Singapore celebrated its 50th year of independence in 2015, a team of student researchers led by Associate Professor Foong Shaohui from Singapore University Technology and Design (SUTD) embarked on an ambitious challenge: to design and build a drone capable of 50 minutes of sustained flight. At the time, most hobbyist quadcopters could barely manage half of that. The SG50 Multi-Rotor Drone project succeeded, but to fly that long, the craft had to be large, complex, and heavy. A decade on, Assoc Prof Foong has reached new heights in his drone research—this time by going small and pursuing a completely different ...

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Science7 Aug 2025

What drives anaphylactic response in food allergies

New research in mice reveals that food-induced anaphylaxis is driven by distinct immune pathways involving inflammatory lipids called leukotrienes. The findings, published across two separate studies, identify genetic and cellular factors that influence susceptibility to severe allergic reactions and point to the potential of the drug Zileuton to block this life-threatening response. Food allergies arise when the immune system mounts an exaggerated response to certain proteins found in foods. This reaction is typically driven by Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, which recognize dietary allergens and activates mast cells throughout the body. In severe ...

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Science7 Aug 2025

What makes the teeth of chitons iron hard?

A group of marine mollusks called chitons produce extraordinarily tough teeth, which they use to scrape algae off rocks for food. Now, researchers report the protein RTMP1 (radular teeth matrix protein 1) appears to guide the precise formation of the iron-based mineral magnetite in the ultra-hard teeth of chitons. The findings mark the first known instance of an iron oxide-forming protein in a eukaryote, offering new insights into biomineralization and potential inspiration for novel materials design. Throughout the animal kingdom, many organisms ...

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Science7 Aug 2025

UC Irvine scientist takes a lesson from ultrahard, wear-resistant mollusk teeth

Irvine, Calif. — Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and Japan’s Okayama and Toho universities conducted a first-of-its-kind study to understand how chitons, mollusks that feed on algae growing on intertidal rocks, develop such hard, wear-resistant and magnetic teeth, and what they learned is inspiring new ways to produce advanced materials for a variety of applications. The results were published today in Science. In its study, the team unveiled the process by which chiton-specific, iron-binding ...

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Science7 Aug 2025

Earth’s natural CO2 vacuum cleaners

Natural weathering processes are removing CO2 from the air in a wide range of environments across continents and ocean. Until recently these ‘CO2 vacuum cleaners’ were often studied separately, without properly examining their complex interactions. Now, an international team of earth scientists is proposing an integrated vision of the many factors that influence the removal of atmospheric CO2 from the highest mountain peaks to the deep ocean floor, including their various interactions. The so-called weathering continuum provides a much more complete picture on what controls and regulates the natural removal of CO2, which could ...

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Science7 Aug 2025

It's not all about size

To the point Power relationships between female and male gorillas: They are less strictly male-biased than previously thought. Females can overpower males despite the extreme male-biases in size and strength. Revisiting traditional gender narratives: Females that overpower males have priority of access to food over these males, challenging the traditional narrative that females and males compete over different resources (females over food and males over females). Over 50 years ago, the idea that males had universal ...

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Science7 Aug 2025

Population history of the Southern Caucasus

To the point Stable genetic ancestry: Despite significant cultural changes, populations in the Southern Caucasus have maintained remarkably constant genetic ancestry for over 5,000 years. Genetic contributions during the Bronze Age: Although local genetic continuity was predominant, there were partial genetic contributions from the Eurasian Steppe and from Anatolia during the Bronze Age. Cultural influences: Practices such as cranial deformation were adopted primarily through cultural influences, rather than solely through migration. New insights into the Southern Caucasus region: This research highlights the Southern Caucasus as ...

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Science7 Aug 2025

City of Hope Research Spotlight, July 2025

LOS ANGELES — City of Hope® Research Spotlight offers a glimpse into groundbreaking scientific and clinical discoveries advancing lifesaving cures for patients with cancer, diabetes and other chronic, life-threatening diseases. Each spotlight features research-related news, such as recognitions, collaborations and the latest research defining the future of medical treatment. This roundup highlights two innovative clinical trials for promising cancer treatments, a potential liquid biopsy for gastric cancer, new insights into how to boost immune system ...

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Science7 Aug 2025

New experiment paves the way for secure, high-speed communication

In a new paper published in Light: Science & Applications, a team of scientists from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), Fragmentix, University of Waterloo (UW), and Technische Universität Wien (TU) have successfully demonstrated a more practical and robust method for quantum key distribution, a breakthrough that could soon lead to more secure and cost-effective communication networks worldwide. Imagine sharing secrets today that will stay safe – even from the most powerful quantum computers of tomorrow. That’s the promise of quantum key distribution (QKD), a method that uses the principles ...

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Science7 Aug 2025

Maple compound offers new way to fight tooth decay

Washington, D.C. — A new study in the journal Microbiology Spectrum highlights the potential of using a natural compound from maple to combat the bacteria responsible for tooth decay: Streptococcus mutans. The compound, epicatechin gallate, is a powerful and safe alternative to traditional plaque-fighting agents. Its natural abundance, affordability and lack of toxicity make it especially promising for inclusion in oral care products such as mouthwashes, offering a safer option for young children, who often accidentally swallow mouthwash. The new study emerged as an offshoot of research into natural compounds that ...

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Science7 Aug 2025

The first 25 years of SuperAger research

SuperAgers are adults over age 80 who have the memory capacity of individuals who are at least three decades younger SuperAgers are highly social and have brains that resist the buildup of Alzheimer’s-related plaques and tangles Research could lead to new strategies to delay, prevent dementia due to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal degeneration CHICAGO --- For 25 years, scientists at Northwestern Medicine have been studying individuals aged 80 and older — dubbed “SuperAgers” — to ...

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Science7 Aug 2025

IBS in America: Despite advances, IBS remains a burden for many millions

Bethesda, MD (Aug. 1, 2025) – Despite social media helping to increase awareness of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among the public (81% of health care providers agree) and advancements in treatment over the past decade, IBS symptoms continue to significantly impact patients' daily lives and productivity, according to a new survey released by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), in partnership with The Harris Poll, a Stagwell (STGW) agency. The AGA IBS in America survey reveals compelling new insights that explore shifts in patient experiences, health care provider perceptions, and the treatment landscape for IBS from a similar study conducted in 2015. The 2024 comprehensive ...

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Science7 Aug 2025

Light up our love: Medaka courtship dynamics observed

Japanese rice fish, known as medaka, are small, easy to breed, and reproduce daily, making them widely used as model organisms around the world. Until now, medaka research has mainly occurred in labs where environmental conditions and study observations are easily controlled. Unnatural environmental settings such as these bring into question the accuracy of previous behavioral findings. Therefore, this study is important for answering the fundamental question of whether the behavior of animals observed in laboratories is the same as in their natural environments. A ...

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Science7 Aug 2025

Dopamine assists female flies eager to mate in enhancing their sensitivity to sounds

Many animals, including humans, can flexibly modulate their responsiveness to sounds according to different situations. This ability allows them to optimize the use of their limited brain resources by prioritizing the processing of critical information at any given moment. In line with this idea, a research team at Nagoya University in Japan has demonstrated that when female fruit flies are eager to mate, dopaminergic signals can influence their sensitivity to sounds, including courtship sounds from males, which are an essential source of information for species reproduction. "We believe that this finding is the first step toward understanding the neural mechanisms that underlie ...

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Science7 Aug 2025

Scared of giving birth? You’re not alone, but stay positive to ease the fear

Up to 60% of women experience some fear about giving birth, especially for the first time, but a new study shows why some women are more likely to stay calm and confident in the lead-up to childbirth. In a global first, researchers from Robert Gordon University in Scotland and the University of South Australia (UniSA) investigated the factors that help ease childbirth fears, rather than stoke them. They surveyed 88 pregnant women in their third trimester before attending antenatal classes in north-east ...

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Science6 Aug 2025

Global hunt for ‘positive tipping points’

Experts are calling for a global effort to identify “positive tipping points” to accelerate the green transition – and have devised a method to find them. A tipping point is a threshold where a small change can trigger a significant, often irreversible, transformation. With climate change becoming increasingly damaging and dangerous, positive tipping points in human societies and economies can spark rapid reductions in emissions and other environmental harm. Positive tipping points are already happening – with solar power and electric vehicles rapidly displacing fossil-fuelled alternatives – but many more are needed to ensure a thriving, sustainable ...

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Science6 Aug 2025

Study: Affordable trial programs prevented youth substance misuse

While overdose deaths in the U.S. sharply declined in 2024, they remain high. Almost 90,000 Americans died from drug overdoses between October 2023 and September 2024. Overdose death rates are particularly high in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people. The earlier someone starts substance use, the more likely they are to have substance use problems later in life. So, it is important to work with young people to prevent substance use early in life. Researchers at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health recently partnered ...

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Science6 Aug 2025

Higher risk of ischemic stroke at young age after pregnancy complications

The study examined over a thousand women aged 18 to 49. Of these, 358 had suffered an ischemic stroke. Researchers compared the pregnancy histories of these women with those of 714 women who had not experienced a stroke. The results showed that more than half of the women who had an ischemic stroke had experienced at least one complication during pregnancy. In the group without ischemic stroke, this was one-third. Women who had experienced a stillbirth were found to be nearly five times more likely to ...

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