Science
press releases.

Science13 May 2025

New insights into x-ray sterilization: Dose rate matters

Radiation sterilization technology destroys the DNA and cellular structures of bacteria and microorganisms using electromagnetic waves with far higher energy than ultraviolet radiation. This technique has become indispensable for sterilization in various fields, including medical devices (e.g., disposable syringes, catheters, artificial joints), pharmaceuticals (e.g., raw materials, tissue grafts), and food products (e.g., sprout inhibition in potatoes). Traditionally, it has been believed that the effectiveness of radiation sterilization depends solely on the total irradiation ...

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Science13 May 2025

Combinations of chronic illnesses could double risk of depression

People with multiple long-term physical health conditions are at a significantly greater risk of developing depression, a study shows. Researchers found that some combinations of illnesses – particularly cardiometabolic ones like diabetes and heart disease – could more than double the likelihood of a future depression diagnosis. With multimorbidity – when patients live with two or more chronic conditions – continuing to put pressure on an already stretched healthcare ...

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Science13 May 2025

Growth before photosynthesis: how trees regulate their water balance

Plants have small pores on the underside of their leaves, known as stomata. When the sun rises, these pores open and the plants absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, which they need, in addition to sunlight and water, for photosynthesis. At the same time, water evaporates through the open stomata; for a tree, this may be several hundred liters per day. When water is scarce, plants can close their stomata and thus prevent it from evaporating too much water. The fact that plants have this protective mechanism at their disposal is nothing new. Until now, however, it has not been clear when this closure occurs and what the trigger was. ...

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Science13 May 2025

Enlarged salience network could be first reliable biomarker for depression risk

OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada, 13 May 2025 - In a comprehensive Genomic Press Commentary published today, researchers have identified what could be the first reliable biomarker for depression risk, potentially transforming how this devastating condition is identified and treated. The commentary examines recent findings demonstrating that individuals with depression consistently exhibit a functionally enlarged salience network compared to non-depressed controls. Distinctive Brain Connectivity Pattern Identified The salience network, a neural system responsible for attention allocation and switching between different brain ...

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Science13 May 2025

Higher success rate using a simple oral swab test before IVF

Brief facts about the study: fertility // randomised, clinical trial // 1,466 women. The study has been published in Frontiers in Endocrinology. About 15 per cent of all couples of reproductive age are involuntarily childless. A major reason why so many need assisted reproduction is that nowadays more and more people are putting off starting a family. “This is a global trend that is expected to increase in the coming years. In Europe alone, one million IVF treatments are carried out each year; in Sweden, the corresponding number is 25,000,” ...

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Science13 May 2025

Summer in the city

Kyoto, Japan -- Stifling heat and sticky air often make summertime in the city uncomfortable. Due to the heat island effect, urban areas are significantly warmer than nearby rural areas, even at night. This, combined with more frequent extreme weather events caused by climate change, often render the city an unpleasant environment in the summer. Urbanization and climate change modify the thermal environment of urban areas, with an expectation that urban disasters from extremely hot weather and heavy rainfall will only become more severe. Mitigating potential damage involves reducing the intensity of the heat island effect and adapting to climate ...

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Science12 May 2025

Growth in informal lead mining is contributing to widespread poisoning

Artisanal lead mining in Nigeria is responsible for airborne lead exposures that are 10 times the U.S. Permissible Exposure Limit according to a study published today. This is the first study to report on airborne lead levels from self-employed artisanal lead miners as a source of community exposures. The study also found that airborne lead exposures from gold ore processing in Northern Nigeria is associated with exposures that are more than 30 times greater than allowable exposure limits. The artisanal gold ore processing that was monitored utilized a variety of manual and machine grinding methods to process and extract ...

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Science12 May 2025

Unprecedented progress in tackling smoking during pregnancy threatened by NHS cuts, experts warn

Unprecedented progress in reducing the number of women smoking during pregnancy in England could be put at risk by NHS funding cuts, according to a UEA addiction expert. A new BMJ article, co-authored by Prof Caitlin Notley from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, reveals that the proportion of women smoking during pregnancy in England has almost halved in the last decade. Most of the decline happened in the last five years thanks to the introduction of dedicated stop smoking advisers in NHS maternity services since 2020. But the team fear that the reduction could be threatened by cost-cutting exercises. And they are calling for continued investment to give every ...

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Science12 May 2025

Top scientific research recognized at ACC Asia Conference

The American College of Cardiology has recognized three outstanding abstract presentations as Abstract Award winners at the ACC Asia 2025 Together with SCS 36th Annual Scientific Meeting on May 9-11 in Singapore. The conference brings together leading experts and cardiovascular clinicians from across Asia to examine emerging trends and evidence-based strategies in the prevention and management of patients with heart disease. This year’s winners were selected for their high-quality research that furthers the ACC’s mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health. This year’s Abstract Award winners are: Yanji Qu, MD, PhD - Guangdong ...

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Science12 May 2025

Olympic anti-doping lab puts U.S. meat supply to the test

Scientists at UCLA's Olympic Analytical Laboratory turned their sophisticated analytical capabilities for testing athlete samples for performance-enhancing drugs to research examining the U.S. meat supply as part of a study led by Texas Tech. The study was designed to investigate concerns that residues of growth promoters used in meat production could potentially cause athletes to test positive. The laboratory, which typically searches for prohibited substances in urine and blood samples from elite ...

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Science12 May 2025

Study uncovers mystery of how mini sand dunes form

A new study led by the University of Southampton and research institutes in France has uncovered the mystery of how mini sand dunes form on beaches and in deserts. While the formation of large desert dunes is well understood, scientists haven’t been able to use the same theory to explain how smaller-scale dunes - the kind you might walk through on a beach holiday, emerge. The findings, published today [12 May 2025] in the journal PNAS, not only reveal how these so-called ‘proto dunes’ occur on Earth, but could hold clues to how they form on Mars and other planets. “These are the ...

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Science12 May 2025

Study reveals vast Aztec trade networks behind ancient obsidian artifacts

New archaeological research by Tulane University and the Proyecto Templo Mayor in Mexico reveals how obsidian – a volcanic glass used for tools and ceremonial objects and one of the most important raw materials in pre-Columbian times – moved across ancient Mesoamerica and shaped life in its capital, Tenochtitlan. The study sheds new light on the economic networks, rituals and political influence of the Mexica (Aztec) Empire. Published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study analyzed 788 obsidian artifacts excavated from the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan, the main temple and core of the Mexica Empire located in ...

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Science12 May 2025

Name diversity sheds light on ancient societies

A new study has uncovered hidden social patterns in ancient Hebrew kingdoms by analyzing personal names from archaeological findings. Applying diversity statistics typically used in ecological studies, the researchers found that the Kingdom of Israel had a far more diverse onomastic (naming) landscape than Judah—indicating a more open, cosmopolitan society. Over time, name diversity in Judah declined, likely reflecting increasing religious centralization and sociopolitical control. This interdisciplinary approach opens new possibilities for studying ancient cultures using statistical ...

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Science12 May 2025

Lower tackle height changing face of women’s rugby, study says

Lower the legal tackle height in women's rugby is providing effectin in reducing head contacts between players, a world-first study suggests. Changes to the tackle height law in women’s community rugby in Scotland is linked to reductions in head-to-head and head-to shoulder contacts, the study found. A study compared more than 11,000 tackles between the 2022/23 season, before the reduced tackle height law was trialed and the 2023/24 season when it was introduced. Experts found 21 per cent fewer upright tackles and a 34 per cent increase in tacklers entering the tackle bent at the waist, the recommended ...

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Science12 May 2025

Your fingers wrinkle in the same pattern every time you’re in the water for too long

Do your wrinkles always form in the same pattern every time you're in the water for too long? According to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York, the answer is yes. A couple of years ago, Binghamton University Associate Professor Guy German published research about why human skin wrinkles when you stay in the water too long. Received wisdom held that the water swelled your skin and made your fingers wrinkly, but little to no research had been done to prove that. What German and his team at the Biological Soft Matter Mechanics Laboratory found is that blood vessels beneath the skin actually contract after prolonged ...

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Science12 May 2025

Addressing hearing loss may reduce isolation among the elderly

Providing hearing aids and advice on their use may preserve social connections that often wane as we age, a new study shows. Its authors say that this approach could help ease the loneliness epidemic that older Americans face. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a quarter of seniors say they have little or no contact with others, and a third report feeling lonely. Experts have linked such isolation in part to hearing loss, which can interfere with communication and relationship building. The 2023 U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory named improving social connection as great a priority as targeting tobacco use, ...

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Science12 May 2025

First evidence of mother-offspring attachment types in wild chimpanzees

To the point Mother-offspring attachment in the wild: Wild chimpanzees develop secure or insecure-avoidant attachments to their mothers, but not disorganised attachments, suggesting that it is not a viable survival strategy in the wild. Attachment types: Chimpanzees with secure attachment are confident, while those with insecure-avoidant attachment are more independent. Disorganised attachment, common in humans and captive chimps, is linked to emotional and mental health issues. Potential parenting lessons: Taking into account the impact of ...

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Science12 May 2025

U.S. children living with a parent with substance use disorder

About The Study: Nearly 19 million children were estimated to be living in a household with at least 1 parent with substance use disorder, accounting for one-quarter of all U.S. children in 2023. Children in such households are more likely to develop adverse health outcomes than their peers without exposure to parental substance use disorder. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Sean Esteban McCabe, PhD, email plius@umich.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.0828) Editor’s ...

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Science12 May 2025

Microbial ‘phosphorus gatekeeping’ found at center of study exploring 700,000 years of iconic coastline

A new study has dug deep into the past of the coastal dunes of an iconic Queensland location in a bid to better understand how microscopic processes in the soil support some of the most biodiverse landscapes on Earth. Published in Nature Geoscience, the team of researchers from Griffith University, University of Sydney and Stockholm University investigated a sequence of coastal dunes of different ages (from 0-700,000 years old) in Cooloola National Park near Rainbow Beach to understand how soil microorganisms coped with severely declining levels of nutrients such as phosphorus in soil ...

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Science12 May 2025

Extended reality boccia shows positive rehabilitation effects

Boccia’s appeal and rising popularity comes from its showcase as a Paralympic sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. An Osaka Metropolitan University team has developed an extended reality version of the game as a rehabilitation program, showing how the game that requires accuracy and strategy can aid motor and cognitive skills. Graduate School of Rehabilitation Science Associate Professor Masataka Kataoka’s research group developed Boccia XR so that the program can be introduced even in environments with limited space. The researchers ...

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Science12 May 2025

Opioid prescribing standards changed practices in BC, but with caveats

VIEW EMBARGOED ARTICLE In an effort to curb misuse of opioids and prevent overdose deaths, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia released a legally enforceable practice standard, Safe Prescribing of Drugs with Potential for Misuse/Diversion, in 2016. This document limited prescribing of opioids for chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) with specific prescribing practices that clinicians were obligated to follow. In research that tested the effects of the 2016 practice standard on prescribing to patients with CNCP, researchers found ...

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Science12 May 2025

Credit ratings are a key check on CEO overconfidence in corporate acquisitions

Overconfident chief executives and their risky behaviours can be partly restrained through credit ratings, new research finds. Researchers led by Bangor University in Wales in the United Kingdom and other institutions including Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, Vlerick Business School in Brussels, Belgium and The University of Aberdeen in Scotland found that the creditworthiness of a company can hugely influence how its chief executive behaves – especially during corporate mergers and acquisitions (M&A). The research, which is published in the journal, European Financial Management, is based on data from 916 firms in the United States who were rated by American ...

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Science12 May 2025

Can the U.S. develop a strong national science diplomacy strategy?

In a new editorial in the AAAS publication Science & Diplomacy, Kimberly Montgomery, Director of International Affairs and Science Diplomacy at AAAS, reflects on whether the United States should develop a national science diplomacy strategy amid significant change to U.S. federal policy. Montgomery believes that the Trump administration should develop such a strategy – to help define a vision and direction for the U.S. It should outline how related policies “can advance U.S. diplomatic objectives, including fostering economic growth,” she writes. “And that strategy should detail how it will work with the private ...

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Science11 May 2025

Manuel Heitor to share perspectives on the future of research in Europe at launch of EndoCompass

Endocrine diseases affect millions of people in Europe, yet research into hormone health remains underfunded and fragmented. EndoCompass aims to change this. By identifying key research priorities and knowledge gaps, the roadmap will guide future studies, funding programmes and policy decisions at European and national levels. Although the full publication is still to come, two dedicated sessions at the Joint Congress will offer an exclusive preview: • On Sunday 11 May, a Scientific Symposium will introduce key findings from ...

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Science10 May 2025

Five minutes exposure to junk food marketing results in children consuming 130 kcals more per day, regardless of media advertising type

Exposure to junk food advertisements (relative to non-food) results in children and adolescents consuming significantly more calories during the day, regardless of the type of media advertising, according to a randomised crossover trial being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Malaga, Spain (11-14 May). The study found that 7–15 year-olds exposed to just 5 minutes of adverts for foods high in saturated fats, sugar, and/or salt (HFSS) consumed on average 130 kcals per day extra, which is equivalent to the calories in two slices of bread. The timely research is presented as many countries across Europe and globally are considering ...

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