Science
press releases.

Science1 Jul 2025

Creativity across disciplines

In a Perspective, Julio M. Ottino describes different classes of creativity and proposes a benchmark for the highest level of creativity. Combinative creativity is the process of combining existing elements to create new solutions, while transformative creativity leads to entirely new frameworks. But beyond the breakthroughs of transformative creativity, according to Ottino, is the “break-with,” a conceptual advance that destroys previous worldviews completely and ushers in a new order. Advances that rise to the level of a break-with include quantum mechanics in physics and cubism in ...

Read the release

Science1 Jul 2025

Hear here: How loudness and acoustic cues help us judge where a speaker is facing

As technology increasingly integrates complex soundscapes into virtual spaces, understanding how humans perceive directional audio becomes vital. This need is bolstered by the rise of immersive media, such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), where users are virtually transported into other worlds. In a recent study, researchers explored how listeners identify the direction from which a speaker is facing while speaking. The research was led by Dr. Shinya Tsuji, a postdoctoral fellow, Ms. Haruna Kashima, ...

Read the release

Science1 Jul 2025

Epilepsy self-management program shows promise to control seizures, improve mood and quality of life

CLEVELAND—Epilepsy is among the most common neurological conditions, marked by unpredictable seizures, accidents and injuries, reduced quality of life, stigma and—in the worst case—premature death. But a program—developed over several years by a Case Western Reserve University-led research team—that teaches people with epilepsy how to “self-manage” their disorder is showing positive results. The program has been found to help people with epilepsy reduce related health complications and improve their mood and quality of life, according to a new study recently ...

Read the release

Science1 Jul 2025

Gut microbes could protect us from toxic ‘forever chemicals’

Scientists have discovered that certain species of microbe found in the human gut can absorb PFAS - the toxic and long-lasting ‘forever chemicals.’ They say boosting these species in our gut microbiome could help protect us from the harmful effects of PFAS. PFAS have been linked with a range of health issues including decreased fertility, developmental delays in children, and a higher risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Scientists at the University of Cambridge have identified a family of bacterial species, found naturally in the human gut, that absorb various PFAS molecules from their surroundings. When nine of these ...

Read the release

Science1 Jul 2025

Public take the lead in discovery of new exploding star

Previously described as playing astronomical ‘spot the difference,’ Kilonova Seekers asks the public to compare the latest images of a section of night sky to an image of the same section of space taken on previous nights. Their goal – to spot new stars or significant changes in light intensity that may indicate that something remarkable has happened in space. Published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics, the project has announced its first published major discovery – a bright exploding star. The object underwent an extreme brightening (increasing ...

Read the release

Science1 Jul 2025

What are they vaping? Study reveals alarming surge in adolescent vaping of THC, CBD, and synthetic cannabinoids

Ann Arbor, July 1, 2025 - Novel research has revealed that adolescent vaping of current delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) has increased between 2021 and 2023. Also, adolescents are increasingly unsure about the substances they vaped in their e-cigarettes. A new study appearing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, sheds light on this alarming trend and contributes to informing evidence-based public health policies and harm reduction strategies aimed at protecting ...

Read the release

Science1 Jul 2025

Cheese may really be giving you nightmares, scientists find

Scientists have found that eating too much dairy could ruin your sleep. Researchers questioned more than 1,000 students about the quality of their sleep, their eating habits, and any perceived link between the two, and found a strong association between nightmares and lactose intolerance — potentially because gas or stomach pain during the night affects people’s dreams. “Nightmare severity is robustly associated with lactose intolerance and other food allergies,” said Dr Tore Nielsen of Université de Montréal, lead author of the article in Frontiers in Psychology. “These new findings imply that changing eating habits for ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Strategies for staying smoke-free after rehab

For people recovering from substance use disorders, quitting smoking remains one of the most difficult—but most crucial—steps toward long-term health. New research from Flinders University reveals that providing consistent support and access to a range of nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) can help people in recovery take that vital step. A first-of-its-kind trial to compare vapes with combination nicotine replacement therapy (cNRT) - patches, gum, and lozenges - in people leaving smoke-free ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Study projects over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues

A new study published in The Lancet has raised urgent concerns about the global health consequences of recent cuts to U.S. foreign aid. The study, coordinated by researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), together with the Institute of Collective Health of the Federal University of Bahia (ISC-UFBA), the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and the Manhiça Centre for Health Research (CISM), among others, estimates that 91 million deaths were prevented between 2001 and 2021 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) thanks to programs supported by the United States ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Dysregulated epigenetic memory in early embryos offers new clues to the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

(Paris, France, Tuesday, 1 July 2025) Novel research presented today at the 41st Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has found that embryos from women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) carry a distinctive ‘epigenetic memory’ that could explain why the condition often runs in families.[1] PCOS is a common hormonal disorder affecting an estimated 1 in 10 women of reproductive age worldwide.[2] It is characterised by irregular menstrual cycles, excess levels of androgens (male hormones) and the presence of multiple cysts on the ovaries.[3] While it is recognised as a leading ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

IVF and IUI pregnancy rates remain stable across Europe, despite an increasing uptake of single embryo transfer

(Paris, France, Tuesday, 1 July 2025) Fewer in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles were reported in Europe in 20202, but clinical pregnancy rates remained stable, according to data presented at the 41st Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) [1]. Preliminary data from the ESHRE European IVF Monitoring (EIM) Consortium [2] reveals a steady and progressive rise in the use of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). In 2022, a total of 960,347 ART treatment cycles were reported by 1,371 clinics across 39 European countries, a 15.6% reduction from the 1,137,177 cycles reported in 2021 [3]. Of ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Aging-related inflammation is not universal across human populations, new study finds

June 30, 2025 -- Inflammation, long considered a hallmark of aging, may not be a universal human experience, according to a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The research suggests that "inflammaging"—chronic, low-grade inflammation associated with aging—appears to be a byproduct of industrialized lifestyles and varies significantly across global populations. The findings are published in Nature Aging. Researchers analyzed data from four populations: two industrialized ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Rare achievement: UTA undergrad publishes research

Caroline King didn’t expect to get involved in research when she arrived at The University of Texas at Arlington. But after joining the Honors College and taking a job with the Center for Rural Health and Nursing, she found herself diving into a literature review on midwifery in rural Texas. Two and a half years later, King is a published author in the Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care. While publication is a milestone for any academic, it’s a rare achievement for an undergraduate. “It’s ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Fact or fiction? The ADHD info dilemma

TikTok is one of the fastest-growing and most popular social media platforms in the world – especially among college-age individuals. In the United States alone, there are over 136 million TikTok users aged 18 and older, with approximately 45 million falling within the college-age demographic. And college students aren’t just using the platform to watch viral videos. They’re also turning to it as a source of information, with around 40% of Americans using TikTok as a search engine. While the ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Genetic ancestry linked to risk of severe dengue

PITTSBURGH, June 30, 2025—For the first time, the extreme variability in dengue fever has been linked to a biological mechanism, potentially opening doors to new treatments and vaccines for the most common mosquito-borne disease worldwide. The study was published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC and Instituto Aggeu Magalhães in Brazil. Cases of dengue fever, commonly known as “breakbone fever” for the excruciating joint pain that is the hallmark of the disease, have ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Groundbreaking analysis provides day-by-day insight into prehistoric plankton’s capacity for change

27 June 2025 UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 20:00 UK TIME (15:00 U.S. EASTERN TIME) ON MONDAY JUNE 30, 2025 Groundbreaking analysis provides day-by-day insight into prehistoric plankton’s capacity for change Scientists at the University of Southampton have developed a new way of analysing fossils allowing them to see how creatures from millions of years ago were shaped by their environment on a day-to-day basis for the first time. The research published today [30 June] in Proceedings of the National Academy ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Killer whales, kind gestures: Orcas offer food to humans in the wild

In the study, researchers from Canada, New Zealand and Mexico reported on 34 interactions spanning two decades in which orcas in the wild attempted to offer food to humans. The incidents took place in oceans around the world, from California to New Zealand to Norway to Patagonia. “Orcas often share food with each other – it’s a prosocial activity and a way that they build relationships with each other,” said study lead author Jared Towers, of Bay Cetology in British Columbia, Canada. “That they also share with humans may show their interest ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Using music to explore the dynamics of emotions

How does the human brain track emotions and support transitions between these emotions? In a new eNeuro paper, Matthew Sachs and colleagues, from Colombia University, used music and an advanced approach for assessing brain activity to shed light on the context dependence and fluctuating nature of emotions. The researchers collaborated with composers to create songs that evoked different emotions at separate time points. They then assessed the brain activity of study participants as they listened to these songs. Sachs ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Túngara frog tadpoles that grew up in the city developed faster but ended up being smaller

With 8.2 billion people in the world, cities are constantly expanding, rapidly altering the environment. Animals that undergo complete metamorphosis, such as frogs, may face bigger challenges as they try to survive in new and changing conditions, because their young stages, the eggs and tadpoles, are more vulnerable. Scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama (STRI) compared the development of tadpoles of Túngara frogs (Engystomops pustulosus) in urban and forest conditions. Túngara frogs, whose mating calls sound like they’ve come straight out of a video game, lay their eggs in foam nests inside puddles. The eggs become tadpoles and, ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Where there’s fire, there’s smoke

Earlier this year, wildfires in southern California killed 30 people, destroyed more than 18,000 homes and burned more than 57,000 acres. The fires were a stark reminders of the threat of worsening climate change, and the increased likelihood of future devastating fires. With these fires comes smoke, which has long-term health effects for the people exposed to it – whether they are close to the source, or many miles away. A Harvard atmospheric modeling team has created an online platform that could help communities identify areas in need of controlled burns ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Cool is cool wherever you are

From Chile to China, cultures vary greatly around the globe, but people in at least a dozen countries agree about what it means to be cool, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. The researchers conducted experiments with almost 6,000 participants from countries around the world and found that cool people have surprisingly similar personalities. Even though Eastern and Western cultures often differ in many cultural attitudes, cool people were universally perceived to be more extraverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open and autonomous. “Everyone wants to be cool, or at least ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

New study shows omega-6 does not increase inflammation

June 30, 2025, Sioux Falls, SD: A new study published in Nutrients offers new insight into omega-6 and whether it is truly the proinflammatory fatty acid many claim it to be. There is currently a heightened interest in the health effects of seed oils, many of which are rich in linoleic acid (LA), an essential omega-6 fatty acid. Many have claimed that western diets contain “too much” LA and that many diseases of modernity stem from the increased intake of LA over the last century. This narrative places the blame on excess inflammation presumably caused by higher LA intakes. But ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Firms raise the bar after missing the target: Strategic use of overestimated earnings targets

When companies miss their earnings targets, one might expect them to lower expectations and rebuild investor trust slowly. However, many do the opposite. They announced even higher goals for the next period. A team of researchers, led by Professor Jungwon Min from Inha University, South Korea, including Professor Hyonok Kim from Tokyo Keizai University and Professor Konari Uchida from the Graduate School of Business and Finance, Waseda University, Japan, published a new study online in the journal Review of Managerial Science on June 03, 2025. It uncovers how firms strategically ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

A rare form of leprosy existed in the Americas for thousands of years

To the point Hansen’s Disease (leprosy) is thought to have originated in Eurasia: previous studies on Mycobacterium leprae, the dominant form of leprosy, suggest the disease originated in Eurasia. Ancient pathogen genomes from old bones: a team of scientists from Germany and Argentina have reconstructed two genomes of Mycobacterium lepromatosis in 4000-year-old human skeletons from Chile. This pathogen is regarded as a second, less common, cause of Hansen’s Disease. A new American chapter for Hansen’s Disease: two pathogens that are responsible for the same disease ...

Read the release

Science30 Jun 2025

Researchers identify genetic bottlenecks that explain the emergence of cholera

A new study by the Genomics and Microbial Evolution Group at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) together with the Department of Host-Microbe Interactions at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, USA, sheds light on one of the great enigmas of microbiology: why only certain strains of common bacteria become pandemic pathogens. The work, published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), focuses on Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera. It reveals that its most dangerous form arises from a specific combination ...

Read the release