Science
press releases.

Science21 May 2025

Positive expressive writing consistently improves wellbeing, but not all techniques are created equal

The benefits of positive expressive writing for psychological health and wellbeing depend on the particular approach and on individual differences, according to a systematic review published on May 21, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Lauren Hoult from Northumbria University, U.K., and colleagues. Writing interventions first explored in research direct people to write about stressful or negative topics repeatedly over the course of several consecutive days, which often improves mental health in the long run, but risks heightening negative emotions in the moment. Positive expressive writing, on the other hand, emphasizes self-reflection, gratitude, ...

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Science21 May 2025

When lightning strikes: Gamma-ray burst unleashed by lightning collision

Osaka, Japan – Lightning is a phenomenon that has fascinated humanity since time immemorial, providing a stark example of the power and unpredictability of the natural world. Although the study of lightning can be challenging, scientists have, in recent years, made great strides in developing our understanding of this extreme spectacle. A study that will be published in Science Advances, led by researchers from The University of Osaka, describes a world-first observation of an intense burst of radiation, known as a terrestrial gamma-ray flash (TGF), synchronized ...

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Science21 May 2025

Shrinking Nemo: Clownfish survive heatwaves by shrinking

Clownfish have been shown to shrink in order to survive heat stress and avoid social conflict, Newcastle University research reveals. The fish, recognisable from the starring role in the film ‘Finding Nemo’, were studied by academics from the universities of Newcastle, Leeds and Boston, USA. The work was conducted in collaboration with Mahonia Na Dari Conservation and Research Centre, in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. The team measured the length of 134 clownfish every month for five months, and monitored the water ...

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Science21 May 2025

Viral mouth-taping trend ‘sus’ says Canadian sleep expert

LONDON, ON – Mouth taping, a growing trend on social media channels like TikTok, carries serious health risks, especially for those with sleep-disordered breathing and obstructive sleep apnea, according to a paper published today in PLOS One. The study from Lawson Research Institute (Lawson) of St. Joseph’s Health Care London, London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute (LHSCRI) and Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry also found no strong evidence of health benefits. The trend involves ...

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Science21 May 2025

Dana-Farber genomic score predicts progression to multiple myeloma

BOSTON – A new risk assessment score developed by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard reveals how multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, begins and progresses from precancerous to malignant states by tracing DNA mutations. The score, called an MM-like score, assesses the severity of disease and risk of progression to active cancer, with higher scores indicating faster progression. In the future, the MM-like score could be used in clinical practice to inform decisions about early intervention. “In patients with a precursor condition for multiple myeloma, the multiple myeloma-like score helps to predict ...

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Science21 May 2025

Re-creating the sounds of an underground city #ASA188

NEW ORLEANS, May 21, 2025 – Have you ever walked through the ruins of an ancient city and wondered what life sounded like back then? So has Sezin Nas, a researcher of interior architecture and acoustics at Istanbul Galata University. The ancient, underground city of Derinkuyu caught Nas’s eye early on. Located in modern-day Turkey, Derinkuyu was built underground to defend against invasion, protect its citizens from harsh weather, and safely store agricultural products. At its peak, it could hold up to 20,000 people. The city spanned seven levels underground, with four main ventilation channels and over 50,000 other ...

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Science21 May 2025

Extreme weather cycles change underwater light at Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is experiencing large-scale shifts in ultraviolet radiation (UV) as climate change intensifies wet and dry extremes in the region. That is according to a study led by the University of California, Davis' Tahoe Environmental Research Center and co-leading collaborator Miami University in Ohio. For the study, published in ASLO, the journal of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, scientists analyzed an 18-year record of underwater irradiance at Lake Tahoe, which is renowned ...

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Science21 May 2025

Hand2: positional code that allows axolotls to regrow limbs found

Living in a murky lake around Mexico City, surrounded by aggressive and cannibalistic neighbors, the axolotl lives at constant risk of losing a limb to a neighbor’s nibble. Fortunately, lost limbs regrow and are functional in as few as eight weeks. To achieve this feat, the regrowing body parts must “know” their position within the axolotl body to regenerate the right structure for a specific location. A long-sought code that tells the cells where they are located and thereby gives body parts their identity has now been cracked by Elly Tanaka and her group at IMBA, the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology ...

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Science21 May 2025

Lethal mutations in pregnancy loss

In a study published in Nature today “Sequence diversity lost in early pregnancy,” scientists from deCODE genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen, estimate that around one in 136 pregnancies are lost due to new mutations in the fetus. In other words, millions of pregnancies worldwide are lost because of mutations every year. The human genome varies between individuals, but there are some locations in the genome where there seems to be little or no sequence variation between individuals. This raises the question whether the sequences at these locations are essential for human development? It is known that mutations ...

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Science21 May 2025

Can plants hear their pollinators? #ASA188

NEW ORLEANS, May 21, 2025 – When pollinators visit flowers, they produce a variety of characteristic sounds, from wing flapping during hovering, to landing and takeoff. However, these sounds are extremely small compared to other vibrations and acoustics of insect life, causing researchers to overlook these insects’ acoustic signals often related to wing and body buzzing. Francesca Barbero, a professor of zoology at the University of Turin, and her collaborators — an interdisciplinary mix of entomologists, sound engineers, and plant physiologists ...

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Science21 May 2025

Emotional expressions shape how help is received in the workplace

PULLMAN, Wash. – The way people express emotions while helping others can influence whether their assistance is welcomed, resented, or reciprocated, according to new research from Washington State University’s Carson College of Business. The study, led by Stephen Lee, assistant professor of management, found that helpers who express emotions like gratitude and sympathy are more likely to be seen as having genuine motives and are more likely to foster trust and future collaboration. Conversely, when helpers display pride or contempt, their motives are often questioned, weakening relationships and reducing the likelihood of reciprocation. “In ...

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Science21 May 2025

New clues to autism: epigenetic study identifies RABGGTB as a novel candidate gene

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a condition affecting the brain’s development and often affects the ability of a person to perceive sensory information and social cues and socialize with others. Recent studies have revealed that environmental factors and epigenetic processes, such as DNA methylation, are crucial to the development of ASD. Notably, immune activation and exposure to stress hormones are known to alter neuronal activity in the dorsal raphe (DR, a region of the brain involved in serotonin signaling), contributing ...

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Science21 May 2025

PREVENT equation accurately estimated 10-year CVD risk and those with calcium buildup

Research Highlights: The American Heart Association’s PREVENTTM risk calculator accurately identified participants who had calcium buildup in their heart arteries and those who had a higher future heart attack risk, in an analysis of about 7,000 adults in New York City referred for heart disease screening. The PREVENT scores also predicted future heart attack risk. Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET Wednesday, May 21, 2025 DALLAS, May 21, 2025 — The PREVENTTM risk calculator helped to identify people with plaque buildup in the arteries of the heart, in addition to predicting their risk of a future heart attack, according ...

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Science21 May 2025

Major step for flat and adjustable optics

By carefully placing nanostructures on a flat surface, researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have significantly improved the performance of so-called optical metasurfaces in conductive plastics. This is a major step for controllable flat optics, with future applications such as video holograms, invisibility materials, and sensors, as well as in biomedical imaging. The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications. To control light, curved lenses are used today, that are often made of glass that is either concave or convex, ...

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Science21 May 2025

Less frequent stroke monitoring is safe, effective, and frees up resources, study finds

Halving the number of times vital signs and neurological function are checked in low-risk patients after treatment for acute ischaemic stroke does not compromise care or recovery, according to new findings presented at the 11th European Stroke Organisation Conference in Helsinki, Finland. Results from the Optimal Post rTpa-Iv Monitoring in Ischaemic Stroke Trial (OPTIMISTmain)1, simultaneously published in The Lancet, also showed that this approach also had flow-on benefits for nursing workflow and intensive care resources. The trial was led by Professor Craig Anderson from The George Institute for Global Health and UNSW ...

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Science21 May 2025

Could strawberry tree extract prevent and treat gastrointestinal disorders?

New research in rats indicates that a Mediterranean plant may be an effective treatment for ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease. The findings are published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Various antioxidant and anti-inflammatory medications are used to treat ulcerative colitis, but they can cause numerous side effects. To test the potential of the Arbutus unedo plant (often referred to as the strawberry tree) that is native to the Mediterranean region, investigators gave rats doses of an extract from the plant ...

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Science21 May 2025

More than half of US workers say job insecurity causing stress

A majority of U.S. workers (54%) said job insecurity has had a significant impact on their stress levels at work, and more than a third (39%) said they are concerned they may lose their job in the next 12 months due to changes in government policies, according to the American Psychological Association’s 2025 Work in America™ survey. Two-thirds of employed adults (65%) said their company or organization has been affected by recent government policy changes. The survey found that for some, these changes, as well as growing economic ...

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Science21 May 2025

A one-pixel camera for recording holographic movies

A new camera setup can record three-dimensional movies with a single pixel. Moreover, the technique can obtain images outside the visible spectrum and even through tissues. The Kobe University development thus opens the door to holographic video microscopy. Holograms are not only used as fun-to-look-at safety stickers on credit cards, electronic products or banknotes; they have scientific applications in sensors and in microscopy as well. Traditionally, holograms require a laser for recording, but more recently, techniques that can record holograms with ambient light or light emanating from ...

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Science21 May 2025

Taking the guesswork out birdsong evolution

May 21, 2025 Taking the Guesswork out Birdsong Evolution Biologists from UMass Amherst are the first to comprehensively link bird songs’ pitch and volume, providing insight into bird evolution AMHERST, Mass. — Biologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently announced that they have released the first broad scale, comparative, fine-grained analysis linking the amplitude, or volume, of a birds’ song to its vocal frequency, or pitch. Though biologists have long wondered whether birds ...

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Science21 May 2025

On the origin (and fate) of plants that never bloom

Plants that reproduce exclusively by self-pollination arise from populations with extremely low diversity to begin with. The Kobe University research not only adds a facet to possible evolutionary strategies, but also lends weight to Darwin’s suspicion that this strategy might be a path to extinction. Charles Darwin once remarked, “It is hardly an exaggeration to say that Nature tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors perpetual self-fertilization.” And yet, Kobe University botanist SUETSUGU Kenji knows of a few islands in Japan where orchids ...

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Science21 May 2025

Male bodybuilders face high risk of sudden cardiac death, especially those who compete professionally

Sudden cardiac death is responsible for an unusually high proportion of deaths in male bodybuilders worldwide with the highest risk among professional bodybuilders, according to research published in the European Heart Journal [1] today (Wednesday). Sudden cardiac death is when someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly due to a problem with their heart. It is generally rare in young and apparently healthy individuals, but it is often linked to underlying heart conditions. Researchers say their findings highlight the health risks associated with competitive ...

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Science21 May 2025

For galaxies forming stars, it’s not about how much gas there is but where you find it

Researchers at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) made the discovery about galaxies by studying the gas distribution that helps create stars. Using CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope located at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, researchers explored the gas distribution in about 1,000 galaxies as part of the WALLABY survey. Lead author Seona Lee, a PhD student at The University of Western Australia node of ICRAR, said the findings give new insights into how stars ...

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Science20 May 2025

Landmark report reveals key challenges facing adolescents

Poor mental health, rising obesity rates, exposure to violence and climate change are among the key challenges facing our adolescents today, according to a global report. The landmark report, by experts in adolescent health including from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), has revealed how supporting young people’s health and wellbeing could improve economic, social and public health for generations to come. The 2025 Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing found investment in adolescents’ health and wellbeing doesn’t match the scale of the problems faced by young people. Bringing together 44 Commissioners ...

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Science20 May 2025

Thousands of young children worldwide still swallowing magnets despite increased regs

Thousands of young children worldwide are still swallowing magnets despite an increase in regulations, finds a review of the available evidence, published online in the journal Injury Prevention. With US children among those seemingly most at risk, it’s time to bolster restrictions and use better evidence to inform policy, say the researchers. The swallowing of small high powered magnets is a significant issue worldwide, especially among children under the age of 4, note the researchers, because they are commonly found in household ...

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Science20 May 2025

Standardising disposable vape devices may curb young people’s desire to try them

Standardising the colour and branding of disposable vaping devices may deter young people who have never smoked or vaped from trying them in the first place, suggests a comparative study, published online in the journal Tobacco Control. But a potential trade-off is that there is a risk it may lead to fewer people switching from smoking to vaping, say the researchers. Vaping has surged in popularity among young people in many countries over the past decade in tandem with the introduction of cheap disposable devices, point out the researchers. Previously ...

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