Science
press releases.

Science2 Jul 2025

Emoji use may impact relationship outcomes

The use of emojis in text messaging improves perceived responsiveness and thereby enhances closeness and relationship satisfaction, according to a study published July 2, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Eun Huh from The University of Texas at Austin, U.S. Text-based messaging is a primary use of smartphones, with near-universal adoption across age groups. The use and variety of emojis in such messages have also surged, particularly among young adults. Defined as digital representations of emotions and ideas, emojis enrich text-based communication by conveying emotional nuance and increasing expressiveness. ...

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Science2 Jul 2025

Using viral load tests to help predict mpox severity when skin lesions first appear

In August 2024, the World Health Organization declared a second “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” for mpox. The current outbreak in Africa is driven mainly by the clade I variant, with multiple countries reporting their first-ever mpox cases of this more severe strain. Nagoya University researchers and their collaborators have found that measuring the amount of virus in the blood when skin lesions first appear can help predict whether patients will experience mild or severe progression of the disease. The study analyzes viral loads during early infection to predict how sick patients will get, potentially improving treatment strategies ...

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Science2 Jul 2025

Regional disparities in US media coverage of archaeology research

What archaeological discoveries are considered newsworthy by U.S. media outlets and audiences? A new analysis of “pop-science” reporting reveals topical and regional disparities, including an apparent underrepresentation of Chinese archaeology and preference for findings relevant to white Christian histories. The skewed coverage raises concerns as archaeology influences notions of identity and cultural achievement, and has been misappropriated by racist, nationalist ideologies. Mass ...

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Science2 Jul 2025

Coral larvae travelling further makes populations stronger

Understanding how far Great Barrier Reef corals are from their parents could be key to identifying and protecting at risk populations, University of Queensland research has found. PhD candidate Zoe Meziere said well-connected coral populations had a better chance of adapting to climate change and other environmental pressures. “Quantifying genetic connectivity can predict the fate of populations as more isolated reefs with lower levels of genetic variation are likely more vulnerable,” Ms Meziere said. “Species that don’t disperse or breed as far are more likely to form isolated populations, reducing their capacity to recover from bleaching events ...

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Science2 Jul 2025

Gas leakage triggers wound healing in plants

Scientists at the University of Helsinki discovered how plants heal their protective outer layer, the periderm. The diffusion of ethylene and oxygen through a wound triggers repair – a finding with potential implications for crop resilience, and food preservation. All living organisms rely on protective barrier tissues to shield them from the environment. In plants, the periderm which forms the tough outer cork layer plays this role, helping to prevent water loss and block harmful microbes, for example in potato skin and tree bark. But what happens ...

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Science2 Jul 2025

Study: To battle tip fatigue, businesses should make their service efforts visible

PULLMAN, Wash. -- As customers face more and more prompts to add a tip to the bill in places where gratuities were not customary only a few years ago—and often before any service has been rendered—their attitudes toward the practice have turned sharply negative. “Businesses should seriously consider whether they want to offer that tipping request,” said Ruiying Cai, an assistant professor in the WSU’s Carson College of Business and co-author of a new study published in the International Journal of Hospitality ...

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Science2 Jul 2025

ACMG takes action to address national gap in newborn screening leadership

BETHESDA, MD – July 2, 2025 | In response to the continued need for evidence-based reviews of newborn screening (NBS) conditions following the recent dissolution of the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children (ACHDNC), the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) is moving forward with organizing a new advisory framework to uphold the integrity and scientific rigor of nationally coordinated NBS recommendations. To initiate this process, the ACMG will convene a virtual stakeholder roundtable this summer to gather ...

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Science2 Jul 2025

Clues in the claws: finger length may reveal sexual preferences in rats

Sexual behavior and sex preference in animals and humans are shaped by complex interactions between the brain and hormones during early development. One critical factor is exposure to androgens (male sex hormones) during fetal development, which influences the sexual differentiation of the brain. This early hormonal exposure is linked to a wide range of adult behaviors, like sexual behavior and cognitive traits, but finding a reliable, non-invasive biological marker for the same has remained a challenge. Now, a team of researchers led by Professor Hirotaka Sakamoto, along with Dr. Himeka Hayashi from Okayama University, ...

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Science2 Jul 2025

Women get better at managing their anger as they age

CLEVELAND, Ohio (July 2, 2025)—There has been a lot of research focused on understanding women’s experiences with depression during the menopause transition and early menopause, but there are few studies on perimenopausal women’s experiences with emotional arousal, such as anger. A new study shows that women’s anger traits significantly decrease with age starting at midlife. Results of the study are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society. Anger is defined as antagonism toward someone or something, often accompanied by a propensity to experience and express it indiscriminately. ...

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Science2 Jul 2025

Illegal shark product trade evident in Australia and New Zealand

Research from the University of Adelaide’s School of Biological Sciences and Wildlife Crime Research Hub has highlighted evidence of shark products entering both Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand, including clear patterns in flows between the two countries. According to the study, published in Pacific Conservation Biology, the products identified were carried in personal luggage and postage, likely transported for personal use, as trophies, or for resale or consumption. Most products seized upon entry to Australia came from Asia, ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

Against the odds: Endometriosis linked to four times higher pregnancy rates than other causes of infertility, new study reveals

(Paris, France, Wednesday, 2 July 2025) A landmark 30-year study of over four million women in England has revealed that women with endometriosis-associated infertility are significantly more likely to become pregnant compared to those with infertility from other causes.[1] Presented today at the 41st Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), the findings offer renewed optimism for millions of women living with endometriosis who are hoping to conceive. Endometriosis is a long-term ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

Family ties and firm performance: How cousin marriage traditions shape informal businesses in Africa

A new study published in the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal examines how long-standing cultural practices, specifically cousin marriage traditions, continue to influence business outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa's informal economy. Researchers Saul Estrin (London School of Economics), Tomasz Mickiewicz (Aston University), and Peng Zhang (University of Sheffield) analyzed survey data from over 3,000 informal entrepreneurs across eight African countries. They explored how pre-colonial family structures—especially the practice of marrying within the extended family—affect ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

Manipulation of light at the nanoscale helps advance biosensing

Traditional medical tests often require clinical samples to be sent off-site for analysis in a time-intensive and expensive process. Point-of-care diagnostics are instead low cost, easy-to-use, and rapid tests performed at the site of patient care. Recently, researchers at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology reported new and optimized techniques to develop better biosensors for the early detection of disease biomarkers. People have long been fascinated with iridescence of peacock feathers, appearing to change color as light hits them from different angles. With ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

Pyruvate identified as a promising therapeutic agent for ulcerative colitis by targeting cytosolic phospholipase A2

A groundbreaking study published in Genes & Diseases has revealed that exogenous pyruvate significantly alleviates the symptoms of ulcerative colitis (UC) by targeting cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2). This discovery opens new avenues for the treatment of UC, which remains a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with limited therapeutic options. The study shows that pyruvate can suppress the TNFα/NFκB signaling pathway, which is pivotal in driving inflammation, thereby offering a novel approach to mitigating UC symptoms. Ulcerative colitis is characterized by chronic intestinal inflammation, leading ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

Displays, imaging and sensing: New blue fluorophore breaks efficiency records in both solids and solutions

Images A new blue fluorescent molecule set new top emission efficiencies in both solid and liquid states, according to a University of Michigan-led study that could pave the way for applications in technology and medicine. Able to absorb light and emit it at lower energy levels, fluorescent molecules called fluorophores glow in OLED displays and help doctors and scientists figure out what's happening in cells and tissues. They need to be solid in displays and many sensing applications, but liquids are typically preferred for biological uses. ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

Sugar, the hidden thermostat in plants

For a decade, scientists have believed that plants sensed temperature mainly through specialized proteins, and mainly at night when the air is cool. New research suggests that during the day, another signal takes over. Sugar, produced in sunlight, helps plants detect heat and decide when to grow. The study, led by Meng Chen, a University of California, Riverside professor of cell biology, shows that plants rely on multiple heat-sensing systems, and that sugar plays a central and previously unrecognized role in daytime temperature response. The findings, published in Nature Communications, reshape a long-standing view of how plants ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

Personality can explain why some CEOs earn higher salaries

The lucrative pay for American CEOs often makes headlines. In 1965, CEO compensation was 22 times higher than the pay of an average worker. In recent years, CEOs have been paid 344 times more than the people who work for them. The personality of a CEO is one factor driving the increase in executive compensation, according to a new study from a team of researchers that includes Sam M. Walton College of Business strategic management professor Jason Ridge. Leaders with a Machiavellian personality, someone who is self-interested, unemotional and manipulative, earn more than $1.5 million a year in additional pay. While ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

Study suggests remembrances of dead played role in rise of architecture in Andean region

By Greg Watry, UC Davis Archaeologists have long thought that monumental architecture — large, human-built structures that emphasize visibility — were products of societies with power structures, including social hierarchy, inequality and controlled labor forces. But this notion is being questioned as researchers uncover evidence that hunter-gatherer groups also built such structures. In new research published June 24 in the journal Antiquity, University of California researchers report evidence of monumental structures built by hunter-gatherer groups at Kaillachuro, a collection of burial mounds located in the Titicaca Basin of the ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

Scientists target ‘molecular machine’ in the war against antimicrobial resistance

Scientists have studied a new target for antibiotics in the greatest detail yet – in the fight against antibiotic resistance. The ‘molecular machine’ flagellum is essential for bacteria to cause infection, allowing bacteria to ‘swim’ around the bloodstream until finding something to infect. But it could also be a target for antibiotics. Impairing the flagellum would deliver a critical, but not fatal, blow to bacteria. This is a new approach and contrasts to traditional antibiotics, which are designed to kill all bacteria ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

Thunderstorms are a major driver of tree death in tropical forests

Trees in tropical forests are dying at an increased rate, with consequences for biodiversity, carbon storage, and the global climate. While deforestation is the primary cause of forest loss, intact forests are also experiencing a rise in tree death. Drought, higher temperatures, and fires have been the leading suspects, but a new paper led by Evan Gora, a forest ecologist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, identifies an underappreciated threat: thunderstorms, which are becoming more frequent with climate change. Not to be confused with hurricanes or cyclones, these convective storms ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

Danforth Plant Science Center adds two new faculty members

ST. LOUIS, MO, July 1, 2025– The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center today announced two new faculty members. Justin Conover, PhD, joined as assistant member and Erin Sparks, PhD, joined as associate member at the Danforth Center and associate professor at the University of Missouri – Columbia (MU) a joint hire between the Danforth Center and MU. “We’re excited to welcome two exceptional scientists who will add new expertise and complement several research areas at the Danforth Center,” ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

Capturability distinction analysis of continuous and pulsed guidance laws

In the guidance law capturability analysis, the differential game theory is complemented by considering the optimal situation for both the evader and the pursuer as the capture boundary, and it is commonly used to derive the necessary and sufficient conditions of capture zones. However, in previous studies, capturability was analyzed for continuous guidance laws. Still, pulsed guidance laws, which are sometimes used in reality, such as pulsed orbital thrust control for exo-atmospheric vehicles, have different capture zones and influence factors. To address the above-mentioned challenge, a team of automation scientists led ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

FAU’s Paulina DeVito awarded prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Paulina DeVito, a Ph.D. candidate in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Florida Atlantic University, has been awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. This nationally competitive fellowship, widely regarded as one of the most esteemed honors for graduate students in STEM fields, supports outstanding scholars pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees across the United States. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program provides three years of financial support over a five-year period, including an annual stipend of $37,000 and a cost-of-education allowance to the institution. ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

Fentanyl detection through packaging

Fentanyl has killed hundreds of thousands of people globally since 2015. Detection of the drugs during interdiction is currently done through Raman spectroscopy or chemical strips—both of which require direct access to samples. Michael Malone and colleagues use a magnetic resonance technique to detect fentanyl hydrochloride inside sealed opaque containers and packages—an approach that could be used in airports, border crossings, post offices, and other contexts. Nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) spectroscopy sends a radio frequency pulse with ...

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Science1 Jul 2025

Prof. Eran Meshorer elected to EMBO for pioneering work in epigenetics

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is proud to announce that Prof. Eran Meshorer has been elected as a member of EMBO, a prestigious European organization recognizing exceptional research leaders in life sciences across Europe and beyond. “At a time when Israel faces significant challenges, it is especially meaningful to celebrate achievements that highlight the strength and resilience of our academic community. The election of Prof. Eran Meshorer to EMBO is not only a personal honor, but also a testament to the world-class research conducted at the Hebrew University. His groundbreaking work in epigenetics ...

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