Research announcements from universities, hospitals and scientific institutions. Explore the stories, people and discoveries behind the headlines.
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Oxford and Chinese researchers identified WRINKLED1a as the master regulator of root-shoot balance in rice under nitrogen stress. A naturally stronger gene variant raised yields by up to 23.7% in field trials while keeping fertilizer inputs low.
Read the releaseGenetic analysis reveals that early Neanderthal-human interbreeding was predominantly between male Neanderthals and female modern humans, explaining the scarcity of Neanderthal DNA on the human X chromosome today.
Read the releaseA Policy Forum in Science identifies five structural weaknesses in U.S. state genetic privacy legislation, including vague definitions that let life and disability insurers use genetic information despite nominally protective laws.
Read the releaseGenomic analysis of sugar-feeding birds across four continents finds that one gene - MLXIPL, a master regulator of sugar metabolism - was independently modified in every group, while other adaptations were unique to each lineage. The gene is also relevant to human metabolic disease.
Read the releaseUniversity of Pennsylvania researchers analyzed three Neanderthal genomes and found a 62% excess of modern human DNA on their X chromosomes, suggesting Neanderthal males preferentially mated with human females - not that natural selection purged incompatible genes.
Read the releaseA UT Arlington study analyzed over 300 hotline chat transcripts and 17 advocate interviews, finding that text and chat services allow domestic violence survivors to seek help discreetly and with less psychological pressure than phone calls.
Read the releaseA survey of pickleball professionals and amateurs published in JAMA Ophthalmology found that protective eyewear use is low among professionals and less than half among amateurs, with many players using personal prescription glasses that may not meet protective specifications - a concern given rising rates of pickleball-related eye injuries.
Read the releaseA study published in JAMA found that donation after circulatory death now represents approximately half of all deceased organ donors in the United States, comprising the majority of donors at 44% of organ procurement organizations. Contemporary DCD donors are more medically complex than those from earlier eras, requiring ongoing development of best practices for organ selection and preservation.
Read the releaseA proof-of-concept study conducted at a Finnish climate research facility found that breastfeeding women maintain elevated breast surface temperatures even when ambient temperature drops - a finding that supports a thermoregulatory hypothesis for the evolutionary development of the distinctively shaped human breast.
Read the releaseA study in Frontiers in Aging found that two specific PFAS chemicals - PFNA and PFOSA - are associated with accelerated biological aging measured through epigenetic clocks, with middle-aged men showing the strongest effect. The findings challenge the safety assumption behind PFAS alternatives adopted after regulatory bans on older compounds.
Read the releaseGenomic analysis of Late Bronze Age goat remains from County Armagh, dated to 1100-900 BCE, shows the strongest genetic affinity with today's critically endangered Old Irish Goat - suggesting the breed represents a continuous lineage stretching back three millennia.
Read the releaseKobe University biologists used radioactive phosphorus tracing to show liverwort rhizoids actively absorb and transport the nutrient throughout the plant - demonstrating that land plants had efficient phosphorus delivery systems long before roots and vascular tissue evolved.
Read the releaseA Cambridge and Sussex study of 148 children found non-friends' connected communication jumped 25% during a goal-directed drawing task versus free play, while friends' communication was nearly unchanged - suggesting that structured tasks bridge social distance.
Read the releaseTracking 9 rescued Bengal slow lorises released into a national park in Bangladesh, researchers found only 2 survived - 4 were killed by resident lorises within 10 days to 6 months - raising urgent questions about release site selection and species-specific protocols.
Read the releaseAnalyzing 5 million live births across 33 sub-Saharan African countries and India, researchers found days above 20 degrees C reduce male births - but through distinct biological and behavioral pathways that differ sharply by region.
Read the releaseA Korean study of more than 410,000 adult smokers found that persistent smokers had the lowest Parkinson's disease incidence, while sustained quitters showed 60-61% higher risk of Parkinson's - yet sustained quitters also had 17% lower overall mortality, reinforcing the broad health case for quitting despite the Parkinson's paradox.
Read the releaseUsing data from 223 male participants including 170 former college and professional football players, researchers found higher levels of interleukin-6, TNF-alpha, and GFAP associated with worse white matter microstructure in the limbic system, which predicted poorer memory - suggesting inflammation as a potential pathway from head impacts to cognitive decline.
Read the releaseA study of over 500,000 people followed for 14 years found morning chronotype associated with 20% lower ALS risk and 600+ MET-minutes per week of physical activity associated with 26% lower risk compared to night owls and less active individuals - though 95% were white and causation cannot be established.
Read the releaseThe Lancet's ARTISTRY-1 phase 3 trial data shows bictegravir/lenacapavir single-tablet therapy maintained HIV suppression in 96% of 550+ patients aged 22-84 on complex multi-drug regimens, with improved cholesterol profiles and no new drug resistance.
Read the releaseAnalysis of 607,315 gun homicide deaths from CDC data spanning 1979 to 2023 found the racial disparity in firearm homicide rates widened significantly after 2010, reaching 10.38 times higher for Black males versus White males in 2020, with 31,202 excess Black deaths in 2021-2023 alone.
Read the releaseUltrasound monitoring of 32 healthy fetuses found an average of 3.63 yawns per hour, with higher yawning frequency correlating with lower birth weight - a potential marker of mild fetal stress, even when all infants were born healthy.
Read the releaseA field trial in the Ethiopian highlands compared conventional tillage against conservation agriculture practices including no-till, crop rotation, and mulching. The conservation approach reduced water runoff and soil erosion while increasing crop yields by up to 122%, offering a practical model for degraded smallholder farming systems.
Read the releaseAnalysis of over 8,000 herbarium specimens collected between 1794 and 2024 across 33 tropical species shows flowering periods have shifted by an average of two days per decade, with some species shifting by weeks or months - challenging assumptions that tropical plants are insulated from climate-driven phenological change.
Read the releaseAnalysis of 25 years of data shows humpback whale entanglements in West Coast fishing gear spike during years of compressed cold-water habitat, with the Habitat Compression Index able to predict ocean conditions 6-12 months in advance - offering managers an early warning tool.
Read the releaseVirginia Tech researchers used gene editing to disable a single phosphorylation site on the AMPK enzyme in mice. The animals ran only one-third as far as controls, and AMPK-related protein patterns in their muscles matched data from human diabetic patients - pointing toward a potential diabetes treatment target.
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