Science
press releases.

Science23 Jul 2025

Hidden in plain sight: A century-old museum specimen turns out to be a landmark in evolution

In a twist worthy of a detective novel, a long-misidentified fossil at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) has emerged as a key discovery in early animal evolution. Originally described in 1865 as a caterpillar, Palaeocampa anthrax shuffled between classifications—worm, millipede, and eventually a marine polychaete—until 130 years later, when researchers realized its true identity: the first-known nonmarine lobopodian and the earliest one ever discovered. Lobopodians are extinct, soft-bodied creatures that bridge the evolutionary gap between a primitive worm-like ancestor and modern ...

Read the release

Science23 Jul 2025

Can certain fungi boost the micronutrient content of bread wheat?

New research in Plants, People, Planet indicates that bread wheat’s micronutrient content can be increased by cultivating it with a specific type of fungus. When investigators grew different types of wheat with and without the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis, they observed that crops grown with fungi developed larger grains with greater amounts of phosphorus and zinc. The higher amount of phosphorus in the grain did not result in an increase in phytate (a compound that can hinder digestion of zinc and iron). As a result, bread wheat grown with fungi had higher bioavailability of zinc and iron overall compared ...

Read the release

Science23 Jul 2025

Metal-free supercapacitor stack delivers 200 volts from just 3.8 cm³

Researcher at Guangdong University of Technology has developed a new method to build powerful, compact energy storage devices—called thin-film supercapacitors (TFSCs)—without using metal parts or traditional separators. Their tiny 3.8 cm³ device is even capable of outputting 200 volts—enough to light 100 LEDs for 30 seconds or a 3-watt bulb for 7 seconds. The method, detailed in the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, could help power next-generation microelectronic devices, especially those used in harsh or space-constrained environments. At ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

Surprising rocky worlds revealed around a small star

A team led by the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets (IREx) has achieved the most precise study to date of the L 98-59 planetary system, and confirmed the existence of a fifth planet in the star’s habitable zone, where conditions could allow liquid water to exist. Volcanic planets, a sub-Earth, and a water world L 98-59, a small red dwarf located just 35 light-years from Earth, hosts three small transiting exoplanets discovered in 2019, thanks to NASA's TESS space telescope, and a fourth planet revealed through radial velocity measurements with the European Southern Observatory's ESPRESSO spectrograph. All four planets orbit their parent star in ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

Heatwaves to increase in frequency, duration under global warming

As the climate becomes warmer on average, it makes intuitive sense that we will see more hot days and we've had predictions of this for some time. However, the duration of heatwaves — how many days in a row exceed a temperature that is unusually hot for a given region — can be very important for impacts on humans, livestock and ecosystems. Predicting how these durations will change under a long-term warming trend is more challenging because day-to-day temperatures are correlated — tomorrow's temperatures have a dependence on today's temperature. This study takes ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

First impressions count: How babies are talked about during ultrasounds impacts parent perceptions, caregiving relationship

Most parents can think back to the first ultrasound image they saw of their unborn child, and may even be able to remember what impression that image had on them. Would their child be an active toddler, a tad bit ornery or stubborn, sweet and cuddly, fiercely independent, or shy and cooperative? New research suggests these initial perceptions may have been formed, at least in part, in response to how the health care provider described the baby during the exam. These prenatal care experiences play a large role in shaping how parents ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

Americans prefer a more diverse society

At a time marked by debate about identity, migration and national cohesion, a new study brings a surprising message: Most Americans want a more ethnically and religiously diverse society than the one they live in today. The study, published in the journal Ethos, is based on a representative questionnaire survey of 986 American citizens. Participants were asked to assess both the actual and ideal composition of ethnic and religious groups in the United States. ‘We wanted to investigate whether the idea of a multicultural United States still has popular ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

How our body keeps time in the heat

Researchers led by Gen Kurosawa at the RIKEN Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences (iTHEMS) in Japan have used theoretical physics to discover how our biological clock maintains a consistent 24-hour cycle—even as temperatures change. They found that this stability is achieved through a subtle shift in the “shape” of gene activity rhythms at higher temperatures, a process known as waveform distortion. This process not only helps keep time steady but also influences how well our internal clock synchronizes with the day-night cycle. The study was published in PLOS Computational Biology on July 22. Have ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

Sorting without comparators: The rise of intelligent memory systems

Peking University, July 16, 2025: A research team led by Prof. Yang Yuchao from the School of Electronic and Computer Engineering at Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School has achieved a global breakthrough by developing the first sort-in-memory hardware system tailored for complex, nonlinear sorting tasks. Published in Nature Electronics, the study titled “A fast and reconfigurable sort-in-memory system based on memristors” proposes a comparator-free architecture, overcoming one of the ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

Teens are using dating apps more than you’d think. It may not be a bad thing.

First to track teen dating app use through real-time smartphone data versus self-reports Over six months, 23.5% of teens used dating apps, higher than previous estimates Apps may provide valuable social connections, particularly for sexual and gender minorities CHICAGO --- Nearly one in four teenagers are using dating apps — and it may not be hurting their mental health, suggests a new Northwestern Medicine study that monitored adolescents over six months. The findings challenge the popular belief that dating apps are harmful for teenagers. Instead, the study suggests, these apps may ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

320 million trees are killed by lightning each year — Considerable biomass loss

Considerable biomass loss 320 million trees are killed by lightning each year Lightning has a greater impact on forests than previously thought. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed new model calculations that, for the first time, estimate the global influence of lightning on forest ecosystems. According to their findings, an estimated 320 million trees die each year due to lightning strikes. Tree losses caused by direct lightning-ignited wildfires are not included ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

Leading the way comes at a cost for feathered friends

Like humans, animals can become stressed when trying to lead a group of peers in a particular direction, a new study from The Australian National University (ANU) has shown. According to study co-author Associate Professor Damien Farine, many animal groups make decisions in a very democratic way, taking a “majority rules” approach. While effective, it can also take a toll. “We already have evidence of how this decision-making can work – it’s like a voting process. So, individuals might start to move away from the group in the direction they want to go to find food and if they get enough ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

How tickling builds trust: Scientists identify oxytocin’s role in human-rat bonding

Pleasant tactile stimulation drives social bonding in many animal species, especially mammals. Tactile stimulation forms the basis of the infant-caregiver relationship and often leads to affinity-like behavior, indicating the formation of social bonds. Juvenile-adolescent rats often engage in rough-and-tumble play, during which they emit characteristic ultrasonic vocalizations. These vocalizations, typically in the 50 kHz frequency range, are thought to be associated with pleasurable emotional states. Juvenile adolescent rats also emit 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in response to tickling with human hands, which mimics natural rough-and-tumble play. Moreover, these rats develop a ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

Yellowstone aspen showing signs of recovery following 1995 reintroduction of wolves to park

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Yellowstone National Park is celebrating an ecological milestone along with a key anniversary this summer, Oregon State University researchers report. A paper published today in Forest Ecology and Management documents the first new generation of overstory aspen trees in Yellowstone’s northern range in 80 years, three decades after wolves were reintroduced to the nation’s oldest national park. Without predation pressure from wolves, which had been extirpated from the park by 1930, elk populations grew to the point that their browsing was thwarting the growth of young aspen. The ecosystem effects ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

City of Hope research spotlight, June 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 a new drug combination that slows the spread of advanced prostate cancer, a novel artificial intelligence (AI) conversation ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

US adolescents with cannabis use disorder failing to complete rehabilitation

Cannabis use disorder in adolescents in the United States remains a growing threat despite declines in cannabis use. Many adolescents begin using cannabis before high school during crucial stages of brain development, which may pose short- and long-term risks for cognitive, academic and social challenges. Although behavioral therapies show promise, there is still limited understanding of what truly drives recovery in teens. With treatment often sought only after serious problems emerge, identifying who succeeds – and why – is essential to developing more effective and targeted ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

Researchers at Notre Dame detect ‘forever chemicals’ in reusable feminine hygiene products

When a reporter with the Sierra Club magazine asked Graham Peaslee, a physicist at the University of Notre Dame, to test several different samples of unused menstrual underwear for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in 2019, the results fueled concern over chemical exposure in feminine hygiene products — which ultimately ended up in a $5 million lawsuit against the period and incontinence underwear brand Thinx. Then in 2023, the New York Times asked Peaslee to test 44 additional period and incontinence products for PFAS, a class of toxic fluorinated compounds inherently repellent to oil, water, soil and stains, and ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

Study finds “forever chemicals” in reusable feminine hygiene products

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA — A new study from researchers at the Indiana University Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the University of Notre Dame shows that per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS)—also known as “forever chemicals”—can be found in reusable feminine hygiene products. The pilot study provides information that will be useful for consumers, regulators, and manufacturers. Published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, the article, “Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in reusable ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

Four abstracts using Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry data presented at World Bronchiectasis Conference

Miami (July 22, 2025) – The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association announced today that four abstracts using Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry data were presented at the World Bronchiectasis Conference, held July 14-17, 2025, in Brisbane, Australia. The abstracts are: “The Impact of Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) Use on Exacerbation Rates in Patients with Bronchiectasis: An Analysis of the US Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry,” which examined the impact proton pump inhibitor use has on exacerbation and hospital stay frequency and disease severity. “High frequency chest ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

When the city comes to you, get flexible; when you go to the city, be persistent

To the point Grackles trained to be more flexible were better at foraging afterward: They ate more foods and used more foraging techniques. Investigating their cognitive abilities in the wild shows how flexibility impacts their ability to adapt to human-modified environments. Behavioral flexibility is not the primary facilitator of a range expansion: Although high levels of flexibility were found in two successful urban bird species, only one is rapidly expanding is range. This suggests that flexibility alone does not ...

Read the release

Science22 Jul 2025

Some people could sound angrier when complaining, new study finds

It has long been established that emotions reflect in our voice – this helps us communicate more purposefully and gives listeners cues as to how they should interpret what we say. But what emotions predominate in complaints – and how do they differ between groups? Researchers in Switzerland and Canada investigated and published their findings in Frontiers in Communication. “Complaining is differentiated from neutral speech by changes in vocal expression. Complainers tend to change their intonation, pitch, rhythm, and emphasis, making them sound more emotive and expressive,” ...

Read the release

Science21 Jul 2025

Near tripling in US reported lidocaine local anesthetic poisonings/deaths over past decade

Poisonings and deaths linked to the use of the local anaesthetic lidocaine have nearly tripled in the US over the past decade, finds an analysis of National Poison Data System (NPDS) reports, published online in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine This increase contrasts with the overall fall in reported poisonings and deaths from other types of local anaesthetics over the same period, the analysis shows. Local anaesthetics are widely used for pain control, but carry an inherent risk of systemic toxicity, referred to as LAST, prompting multiple professional societies to issue ...

Read the release

Science21 Jul 2025

Despite self-perceived sensitivities, study finds gluten and wheat safe for many people with IBS

A new study from McMaster University researchers has found that many people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who believe they are sensitive to gluten or wheat may not actually react to these ingredients. IBS is an intestinal disorder that affects an estimated 10 per cent of Canadians – one of the highest prevalence rates globally, according to the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation. It can be disruptive and debilitating, and its underlying cause is unclear. The study, published in The Lancet Gastroenetrology ...

Read the release

Science21 Jul 2025

A simple filter for rare earth elements will ensure a clean domestic supply of these crucial metals

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Rare earth elements sustain the Information Age, and securing a supply of these metals has become a matter of national and economic security. They’re ubiquitous in our smart technologies, high performance materials and industrial catalysts. Yet reclaiming them is complex, dangerous and expensive. That’s why UC Santa Barbara’s Justin Wilson has partnered with the mineral recovery company REEGen. “We’ve developed a new approach to extract rare earth elements from end-of-life products like electronic waste from phones, batteries and discarded catalytic converters,” said Wilson, a professor in UCSB’s Department ...

Read the release

Science21 Jul 2025

FAMU-FSU research identifies U.S. dams at greatest risk of overtopping

The number of dams in the United States at risk of overtopping is increasing, threatening their structural integrity and downstream communities, according to new research from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. The study, published in Nature Communications, examined data from 33 dams over 50 years to determine how overtopping probability changed since 1973. The research found an increasing trend in the number of dams exhibiting critical overtopping probabilities (low, moderate and high) and ...

Read the release