Science
press releases.

Science29 May 2025

Fewer qubits and better error correction: Nord Quantique's multimode encoding breakthrough

SHERBROOKE, Canada (May 29, 2025) – Nord Quantique, a pioneer in the field of quantum error correction, today announces a first in applied physics. The company has successfully developed bosonic qubit technology with multimode encoding, which outlines a path to a major reduction in the number of qubits required for quantum error correction (QEC). The result is an approach to quantum computing which will deliver smaller yet more powerful systems that consume a fraction of the energy. These smaller systems are also simpler to develop to utility-scale due to their size and lower requirements ...

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Science29 May 2025

MISTRAL, a wind of change in the SRT observations

MISTRAL is a new generation receiver installed on the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) and built by the Sapienza University of Rome for the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) as part of the upgrade of the radio telescope for the study of the Universe at high frequencies, funded by a PON (National Operational Program) project, concluded in 2023 and now providing its first significant scientific results. MISTRAL stands for “MIllimetric Sardinia radio Telescope Receiver based on Array of Lumped elements kids”. MISTRAL is an innovative receiver in many ways. Radio astronomy ...

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Science29 May 2025

Report: ‘Future-proofing’ crops will require urgent, consistent effort

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a review in The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Stephen Long, a professor of crop sciences and of plant biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, describes research efforts to “future-proof” the crops that are essential to feeding a hungry world in a changing climate. Long, who has spent decades studying the process of photosynthesis and finding ways to improve it, provides an overview of key scientific findings that offer a ray of hope. Higher temperatures, more frequent and longer droughts, catastrophic rainfall events and rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels all ...

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Science29 May 2025

New research shows importance of promoting better understanding and inclusion of children with disabilities in the classroom

According to the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, approximately 1 in 6 children in the United States have developmental disabilities which include physical, learning, language or behavior-related disabilities. Students with disabilities often receive accommodations (how students access and learn the same content as their classmates) at school, but teachers rarely explain them to typically-developing classmates. Children with disabilities are increasingly included in general education classrooms alongside typically-developing classmates. Accommodations ...

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Science29 May 2025

Sharks rarely seen together may be up for sharing a meal too good to miss

Many sharks, particularly those that live in the open oceans, are hunters rather than scavengers. Despite this, a small portion of their diet comes from scavenging, a behavior they may engage in when the opportunity arises. Now, writing in Frontiers in Fish Science, researchers have described an unusual aggregation of sharks coming together to feed on a carcass that had decayed to mostly flesh and blubber. “To our knowledge, this is the first study to document a feeding aggregation of tiger sharks and oceanic whitetip sharks scavenging concurrently, and peacefully, on a carcass,” said first author Dr Molly Scott, a marine researcher ...

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Science28 May 2025

Borders and beyond: Excavating life on the medieval Mongolian frontier

New archaeological findings along a little-known medieval wall in eastern Mongolia reveal that frontier life was more complex than previously believed. Excavations show evidence of permanent habitation, agriculture, and cultural exchange, suggesting that these walls were not solely defensive structures but part of a broader system of regional control and interaction during the Jin dynasty. Link to pictures and video: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1krCqKwVHzMIA-EaU7AhES47HikEgElmp?usp=sharing A team of international archaeologists ...

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Science28 May 2025

Too much of a good thing: Consequences of overplanting Bt corn in the US

May 28, 2025 MSU has a satellite uplink/LTN TV studio and Comrex line for radio interviews upon request. Why this matters: Too much of a specific type of Bt corn — genetically modified to produce insecticides against corn rootworm — is being planted in places that don’t have a high risk of corn rootworms destroying corn crops. This overuse is causing corn rootworms to become resistant, or immune, to Bt insecticides. So Bt corn isn’t working as well now in Corn Belt states where corn rootworm is a serious risk, as rootworms are becoming increasingly pesticide resistant. Corn rootworm is one of the worst ...

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Science28 May 2025

Kinetic coupling – breakthrough in understanding biochemical networks

A new concept of kinetic modules in biochemical networks could revolutionize the understanding of how these networks function. Scientists from the University of Potsdam and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Golm succeeded in linking the structure and dynamics of biochemical networks via kinetic modules, thus clarifying a systems biology question that has been open for longtime. Their groundbreaking findings were published today in the journal “Science Advances”. Biochemical networks are the central processing units of a cell that enable it to process signals and convert molecules into building blocks ...

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Science28 May 2025

After mild stroke, more sleep or time spent trying to sleep tied to thinking problems

MINNEAPOLIS — After a mild stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), people who spend more time in bed sleeping or trying to sleep may be more likely to have lower scores on tests of thinking and memory skills and changes in their brains that can lead to dementia or second strokes, according to a study published on May 28, 2025, online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Spending longer in bed—when some of that time can be not sleeping due to difficulty falling asleep, fragmented sleep, poor quality sleep or other problems—can be a sign of a sleep disorder. The study found that both people ...

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Science28 May 2025

Adolescents in India whose mothers experience domestic violence face significantly increased risk of anxiety and depression

Adolescents in India whose mothers experience domestic violence face significantly increased risk of anxiety and depression Article URL: https://plos.io/4ja7HiJ Article title: Examining the impact of maternal experiences of domestic violence on the mental health of their adolescent children in India Author countries: U.S., Germany, India, U.K., France, China Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. END ...

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Science28 May 2025

Llamas may have been domesticated in the semi-arid North of Chile prior to the Incas, according to multi-proxy analysis of early camelid remains

Llamas may have been domesticated in the semi-arid North of Chile prior to the Incas, according to multi-proxy analysis of early camelid remains Article URL: https://plos.io/4mzZabZ Article title: Multi-proxy analysis of El Olivar camelids (1,090-1,440 cal AD): Evaluating the presence of llamas (Lama glama, Linnaeus 1758) in the Semiarid North of Chile before the arrival of the Inca Author countries: Chile, Denmark, Argentina Funding: Work funded by the El Olivar Archaeological Project. ...

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Science28 May 2025

Cats recognize their owner’s scent

Cats spend longer sniffing the odor of a stranger than that of their owner, suggesting that they can identify familiar humans based on smell alone, according to a study publishing May 28, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Yutaro Miyairi and colleagues at Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan. Cats use their sense of smell to identify other cats and communicate with each other, but whether they can also use smell to distinguish between different humans has not previously been studied. The researchers investigated whether ...

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Science28 May 2025

Own sense of athleticism linked to personality, family, prior experience, and feedback

In a new study of college undergraduates in Japan, the students’ self-perception of their own athletic ability was linked with several internal and external factors, such as personality traits, family characteristics, leisure activities, and others’ perceptions. Sho Ito of Nanzan University, Japan, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on May 28, 2025. Self-perception of one’s own athletic ability could influence one’s motivation to engage in physical activity. For young people, the sense of one’s own athleticism may affect their participation in sports and other physical activities, ...

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Science28 May 2025

A sweeping study of 7,000 years of monuments in South Arabia

COLUMBUS, Ohio – New research brings together 7,000 years of history in South Arabia to show how ancient pastoralists changed placement and construction of monuments over time in the face of environmental and cultural forces. In a study published today (May 28, 2025) in PLOS One, an international team of archaeologists documents how monuments changed as the climate transitioned from a humid environment to, eventually, an arid desert. Early monuments were built by larger groups at one time. But as people dispersed with the increasingly drier climate, smaller groups began constructing monuments and eventually built many of them in several visits. “The ...

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Science28 May 2025

After 20-year war, Afghanistan reports lowest well-being in recorded history

In 2022, after U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban regained power, Afghans reported an average life satisfaction of 1.28 on a scale from 0 to 10—or from the worst possible life to the best possible life—a global, all-time low, according to a new study published today in Science Advances. That is lower than life satisfaction scores recorded in more than 170 countries since 1946, when global ratings were first tallied. In 2022, the global mean life satisfaction rating recorded in the Gallup World Poll was 5.48. Afghans also showed little hope for the future. When asked to imagine what their lives would be like in five years on the same ...

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Science28 May 2025

Meet your next AGA president: Dr. Lawrence Kim

Bethesda, MD (May 28, 2025) — Lawrence Kim, MD, AGAF, today begins his term as the 120th president of the AGA Institute. A leader in community-based practice, Dr. Kim is a partner at South Denver Gastroenterology, an independent gastroenterology practice in Colorado. In his 27 years in private practice, Dr. Kim has helped diversify and innovate his group. He developed a part-time partnership model, making South Denver Gastroenterology a leader in recruiting women gastroenterologists, who now comprise one-third of the practice. He incorporated ...

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Science28 May 2025

Association of endothelial dysfunction with chronic marijuana smoking and THC-edible use

About The Study: This cross-sectional study found that chronic cannabis smoking and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) ingestion were associated with endothelial dysfunction similar to that observed in tobacco smokers, although apparently occurring via distinct mechanisms. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Matthew L. Springer, Ph.D., email matt.springer@ucsf.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2025.1399) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions ...

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Science28 May 2025

Early-life low lead levels and academic achievement in childhood and adolescence

About The Study: In this cohort study assessing early life low lead level and children’s and adolescents’ academic achievement, a 1-unit increase in lead levels in the range currently considered low for further interventions was associated with worse academic performance throughout school grades comparable to that for lead levels in the range recommended for additional interventions. These findings support the need to reconsider and potentially lower current blood lead reference values for recommending further interventions. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, George ...

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Science28 May 2025

Downconversion mechanoluminescence from lanthanide codoped heterojunctions

Mechanoluminescence (ML) is a type of luminescence that occurs when a material emits light in response to an external mechanical stimulus, such as scratching, pressing, or stretching. Unlike electroluminescence (EL) or photoluminescence (PL), ML does not require an electric energy or light excitation; instead, it directly converts mechanical energy into optical emission. Then, devices fabricated from ML materials are inherently passive. This characteristic represents an intelligent and energy-efficient light-emission mode. However, most current ML research mainly focuses on the study of single-matrix materials, whose stress-induced ...

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Science28 May 2025

Humans are seasonal creatures, according to our circadian rhythms

It's tempting to think that, with our fancy electric lights and indoor bedrooms, humanity has evolved beyond the natural influence of sunlight when it comes to our sleep routines. But new research from the University of Michigan shows that our circadian rhythms are still wild at heart, tracking the seasonal changes in daylight. "Humans really are seasonal, even though we might not want to admit that in our modern context," said study author Ruby Kim, U-M postdoctoral assistant professor of mathematics. "Day ...

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Science28 May 2025

Live longer

The combination of Rapamycin and Trametinib extends the lifespan of mice by around 30% and works better than either of the drugs alone. The therapy reduces chronic inflammation and delays cancer development New mechanisms: The combination influences gene expression differently than the individual drugs, without additional side effects. The researchers were able to show that Trametinib alone extends the lifespan of mice by 5-10%, while Rapamycin alone increases lifespan by 15-20%. Together, the drugs have a combinatorial effect that extends the life of the mice by around 30%. The ...

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Science28 May 2025

Study shows that music may improve infants’ mood

Many parents know that infants love to be sung to; however, there is limited prior research to show the long-term effects on parental singing. In a new study, researchers explored whether using a music enrichment intervention program to encourage parents to sing more frequently to their babies could improve the health of both infants and caregivers (as with skin-to-contact). This research was featured in a new Child Development article with authors from Yale University (United States), the University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands), the University of Auckland (New Zealand), McGill University (Canada), Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell (United States) ...

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Science28 May 2025

Bed bugs are most likely the first human pest, new research shows

Ever since a few enterprising bed bugs hopped off a bat and attached themselves to a Neanderthal walking out of a cave 60,000 years ago, bed bugs have enjoyed a thriving relationship with their human hosts. Not so for the unadventurous bed bugs that stayed with the bats — their populations have continued to decline since the Last Glacial Maximum, also known as the ice age, which was about 20,000 years ago. A team led by two Virginia Tech researchers recently compared the whole genome sequence of these two genetically distinct lineages of bed bugs. Published in Biology Letters on ...

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Science28 May 2025

Potential to prevent and treat a common type of inflammatory arthritis advanced by the identification of new genetic links

Philadelphia, May 28, 2025 – In a first-of-its-kind genome-wide association study (GWAS) researchers have discovered two genes, RNF144B and ENPP1, that cause calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease in Americans of European and African descent. This crystalline arthritis is caused by calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) crystal deposition in joints. The findings of this novel study in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, published by Elsevier, open up promising new avenues for targeted prevention and treatment of CPPD disease, which are currently lacking. Characterized by the deposition of CPP crystals in articular ...

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Science27 May 2025

Decision involvement and trust shape seniors’ willingness to cut back prescriptions

Background and Goal: This study explored older adults’ perspectives on proactive deprescribing, identified barriers and enablers, and developed a typology of patient attitudes to inform patient-centered deprescribing interventions. Study Approach: In this qualitative study, researchers conducted semi structured interviews with 20 patients in Japan aged 65 years or older who were receiving 5 or more oral medications. Main Results: Enablers Negative valuation of medication: patients noted pill burden, possible harm and past success in stopping drugs. Proactive decision making preference: a few patients wanted an active role ...

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