Science
press releases.

Science7 May 2025

Asthma attacks more common for some women taking the progesterone-only pill

A major study of around 260,000 women shows that taking the progesterone-only contraceptive pill can increase asthma attacks in some women. The research, published in ERJ Open Research [1], shows an increase in asthma attacks in women with asthma who are taking the progesterone-only pill and either aged under 35, or using fewer asthma treatments, or with a type of asthma called eosinophilic asthma. There was no increase in asthma attacks for women taking the combined oestrogen and progesterone contraceptive pill. The researchers say their finding could be an important step towards understanding why women are more likely ...

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Science7 May 2025

Do laws requiring vertical IDs for youth curb underage drinking and tobacco use?

All 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have adopted vertical identification laws, which require state drivers’ licenses issued to individuals under age 21 to be vertically oriented, with the goals of lowering the cost of age verification and curbing underage drinking and smoking. Research published in Contemporary Economic Policy indicates that these laws have not achieved these goals, however. For the study, investigators analyzed 1991–2019 data from the national and state Youth Risk Behavior Surveys. ...

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Science7 May 2025

Do many women experience disrespectful care during and after childbirth?

A quarter of women who gave birth in metropolitan France and were surveyed reported that they were treated disrespectfully during childbirth and/or while staying in the hospital after giving birth. Among the 7,332 women surveyed in the Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica study, 1,888 reported that they experienced words, gestures, or attitudes that shocked, offended, or made them feel uncomfortable from health care professionals. They were more frequently nulliparous, had a high education level, a birth plan, and an instrumental or cesarean birth. Women with psychiatric history or prenatal psychological distress were ...

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Science7 May 2025

Scientists identify a mechanism that controls tomato ripening

In research published in New Phytologist, investigators reveal that tomato ripening is regulated by the same mechanism that contributes to humans' and animals' life- and health-span. The mechanism, called autophagy, regulates cellular recycling and operates in all life forms apart from bacteria. This latest work shows that autophagy affects tomato fruit ripening by controlling the production of ethylene. Ethylene is the primary hormone that controls ripening in many fruits such as apples, bananas, mangoes, avocados, and tomatoes. To assess the role of autophagy in ripening, ...

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Science7 May 2025

Humans prefer to put more effort into empathizing with groups than with individuals

What makes us care about others? Scientists studying empathy have found that people are more likely to choose to empathize with groups rather than individuals, even though they find empathizing equally difficult and uncomfortable in both cases. The scientists suggest that the sight of groups of people could offer more context information which helps people decide whether to empathize, and therefore increases the chances that they choose to do so. “People’s willingness to empathize is different depending on who the target is: a single individual ...

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Science7 May 2025

Sunlight unlocks secrets to how Earth works

When our planet and the incoming sunlight align just right, stunning phenomena such as rainbows and halos can occur. More often, sunlight - or shortwave radiation - interacts with Earth in subtle but curious ways. A new perspective study, published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, lays out how shortwave radiation research has led to improved fundamental understanding of Earth. The study also shares exciting prospects for how such advances can continue into the future. Scientific insights derived from shortwave ...

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Science7 May 2025

T. rex’s direct ancestor crossed from Asia to North America

Tyrannosaurus rex evolved in North America, but its direct ancestor came from Asia, crossing a land bridge connecting the continents more than 70 million years ago, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in Royal Society Open Science, also found that the rapid growth in size of tyrannosaurids (the group that included the T. rex) as well as a closely related group called megaraptors coincided with a cooling of the global climate following a peak in temperatures 92 million years ago. This suggests T. rex and its cousins might have been better suited to cooler climates than other dinosaur groups at the time, perhaps due to having feathers or a more warm-blooded ...

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Science6 May 2025

Pondering artistic beauty encourages ‘big picture’ thinking, study finds

Since the dawn of philosophy, thinkers from Plato to Kant have considered how beauty affects human experience, and whether it has the power to transform our state of mind. Now, a new study from the University of Cambridge suggests that stopping to contemplate the beauty of artistic objects in a gallery or museum boosts our ability to think in abstract ways and consider the “bigger picture” when it comes to our lives. Researchers say the findings offer empirical evidence that engaging with artistic beauty helps us escape the “mental trappings of daily life,” such as current anxieties and to-do lists, and induce “psychological distancing”: ...

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Science6 May 2025

Study suggests we don’t just hear music, but ‘become it’

An international study co-authored by McGill psychologist Caroline Palmer suggests our brains and bodies don’t just understand music, they physically resonate with it. These discoveries, based on findings in neuroscience, music, and psychology, support Neural Resonance Theory (NRT). NRT maintains that rather than relying on learned expectations or prediction, musical experiences arise from the brain’s natural oscillations that sync with rhythm, melody and harmony. This resonance shapes our sense of timing, musical ...

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Science6 May 2025

The ISSCR announces Montréal as the location for its 2026 Annual Meeting 8-11 July 2026

Stem cell scientists from around the world will gather in Montréal, Canada, from 8–11 July 2026 for the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) 2026 Annual Meeting. This global event will unite experts who are leading progress in stem cell research and regenerative medicine. The meeting will center around five key scientific themes curated by the 2026 Annual Meeting Program Committee: Clinical Applications Chairs: Catherine Priest, USA and Stuart Forbes, UK Capturing Development Chairs: Kat Hadjantonakis, USA and Dasaradhi Palakodeti, ...

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Science6 May 2025

Discovery: a better, more targeted termite terminator

Drywood termites, the ones that hide in wooden structures, molt about seven times in their lives. UC Riverside researchers have found a chemical preventing them from growing new exoskeletons will also end their infestation of your home. The chemical, bistrifluron, and its ability to kill about 95 percent of a termite colony without off-target effects on mammals, are documented in a paper published in the Journal of Economic Entomology. “This chemical is more environmentally friendly than ones traditionally used for drywood termite infestations,” said Nicholas Poulos, corresponding author of the paper and a doctoral student in UCR’s Department of Entomology. ...

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Science6 May 2025

New research finds leadership-backed training key to better policing

BALTIMORE, MD, May 6, 2025 – As communities across the U.S. continue grappling with public safety and police reform, a new study published in the INFORMS journal Management Science offers compelling evidence for a path forward: procedural justice training for police officers, backed by leadership support, can significantly improve officer behavior and strengthen community trust. “At a time when communities are calling for both safer streets and meaningful police reform, our findings offer an important starting point,” says Rodrigo Canales, lead author of the study and professor at Boston University. “When backed by leadership, ...

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Science6 May 2025

„Looking Through Objects. Women in Contemporary Polish Design” – exhibition at Design Museum Brussels

„Looking Through Objects. Women in Contemporary Polish Design” – exhibition at Design Museum Brussels The traveling exhibition spotlighting Polish women designers is making its way to Belgium. Opening on May 8 at Design Museum Brussels, Looking Through Objects brings together works of 16 creatives who have been shaping the evolving landscape of Polish design. The curatorial team behind the show includes Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka, dean of Faculty Design at SWPS University in Warsaw, along with Gian Luca Amadei and Dario Lombardi. A story of women shaping Polish ...

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Science6 May 2025

Subtle edits yield big results in microbes

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Colorado Boulder used a gene-silencing tool and a large library of molecular guides to understand how photosynthetic bacteria adapt to light and temperature changes. They found that even partial suppression of certain genes yielded big benefits in modifying the stress response of wild microbes. This powerful technique delivers a faster, more comprehensive way to influence microbial traits for biotechnology, providing more insights into gene functions than traditional genome editing and accelerating our ability to augment microbes to produce fuels, chemicals and materials, said ORNL’s Carrie Eckert. Scientists ...

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Science6 May 2025

Would a musical triangle of any other shape sound as sweet?

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2025 – The triangle is a small instrument made of a metal rod bent into a triangle shape that is open at one corner. While small, its sound is distinct, with multiple overtones and nonharmonic resonance. But what causes the surprisingly powerful sound? “The triangle instrument produces enchanting and beautiful tones, raising deep and profound questions about the connection between music and physics,” author Risako Tanigawa said. “Optical sound measurement has only been applied to limited subjects until now. By observing the sound field of a triangle for ...

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Science6 May 2025

Do manta rays benefit from collective motion?

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2025 – From bird flocking to fish schooling, many biological systems exhibit some type of collective motion, often to improve performance and conserve energy. Compared to other swimmers, manta rays are particularly efficient, and their large aspect ratio is useful for creating large lift compared to drag. These properties make their collective motion especially relevant to complex underwater operations. To understand how their group dynamics affect their propulsion, researchers from Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) and the Ningbo Institute of NPU, in China, modeled the motions of groups of manta rays, which they present in Physics of Fluids, by AIP ...

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Science6 May 2025

Differences in abortion use by sexual orientation in 3 national cohorts

About The Study: In this study using data from retrospectively reported pregnancies from 3 longitudinal cohorts, all sexual minority groups had increased abortion use compared with completely heterosexual participants, and abortion use was heterogeneous; given the higher use of abortion among sexual minority populations, they are more likely to be disproportionately impacted by the narrowing of abortion access in the U.S. after the Supreme Court Dobbs decision. Future research is needed to understand the pathways that contribute to the unique abortion care needs of sexual minority ...

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Science6 May 2025

Fruit and microbes boost biogas production and fermentation

Highlights: Fermenting organic matter can produce biogas, which includes methane, and suggests a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Alfalfa, often used as feed, produces biogas after fermentation. Adding fruit waste and Lactobacillus acidophilus to alfalfa boosts biogas production and improves fermentation, according to a new study. The process points to a useful way to dispose of fruit waste, produce energy and enhance agricultural feed. Washington, D.C.—Alfalfa is more than a protein-rich feed for livestock; it may also be an excellent source of biogas. This mixture of methane and other gases is produced when plants (or ...

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Science6 May 2025

Mobile, low-cost arsenic detection tool for safe water

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur have developed a new low-cost mobile tool to detect arsenic contamination in water sources, addressing a critical threat to human health and the environment. Published in IOP Publishing’s academic journal Nanotechnology the new tool offers a low-cost, onsite solution for monitoring water quality, especially useful in low-income regions where access to safe drinking water is a major challenge. The sensor is the first to provide on-site, accurate and repeatable results without the need for complex lab equipment ...

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Science6 May 2025

The West’s spring runoff is older than you think

Growing communities and extensive agriculture throughout the Western United States rely on meltwater that spills out of snow-capped mountains every spring. The models for predicting the amount of this streamflow available each year have long assumed that a small fraction of snowmelt each year enters shallow soil, with the remainder rapidly exiting in rivers and creeks. New research from University of Utah hydrologists, however, suggests that streamflow generation is much more complicated. Most spring runoff heading to reservoirs is actually several years old, indicating ...

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Science6 May 2025

Evidence review raises concern about cannabis use in pregnancy

An updated systematic review finds that consuming cannabis while pregnant appears to increase the odds of preterm birth, low birth weight and infant death. The study by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University published today in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. The lead author is a physician-scientist who provides prenatal care for high-risk pregnancies at OHSU. “Patients are coming to me in their prenatal visits saying, ‘I quit smoking and drinking, but is it safe to still use cannabis?’” said lead author Jamie Lo, M.D., ...

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Science5 May 2025

Children as young as five can navigate a 'tiny town'

Many behavioral studies suggest that using landmarks to navigate through large-scale spaces — known as map-based navigation — is not established until around age 12. A neuroscience study at Emory University counters that assumption. Through experiments combining brain scans and a virtual environment the researchers dubbed Tiny Town, they showed that five-year-olds have the brain system that supports map-based navigation. The journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published ...

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Science5 May 2025

Gorilla study reveals complex pros and cons of friendship

Friendship comes with complex pros and cons – possibly explaining why some individuals are less sociable, according to a new study of gorillas. Scientists examined over 20 years of data on 164 wild mountain gorillas, to see how their social lives affected their health. Costs and benefits changed depending on the size of gorilla groups, and differed for males and females. For example, friendly females in small groups didn’t get ill very often but had fewer offspring – while those in large groups got ill more but had higher birth rates. Meanwhile, males with strong social bonds tended to get ill more – ...

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Science5 May 2025

New molecular label could lead to simpler, faster tuberculosis tests

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Tuberculosis, the world’s deadliest infectious disease, is estimated to infect around 10 million people each year, and kills more than 1 million annually. Once established in the lungs, the bacteria’s thick cell wall helps it to fight off the host immune system. Much of that cell wall is made from complex sugar molecules known as glycans, but it’s not well-understood how those glycans help to defend the bacteria. One reason for that is that there hasn’t been an easy way to label them inside cells. MIT chemists have now overcome that obstacle, demonstrating that they can label a ...

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Science5 May 2025

How are they biting? High speed video reveals unexpected jaw movements in reef fish

Some reef fish have the unexpected ability to move their jaws from side to side, biologists at the University of California, Davis have discovered. This ability – which is rare among vertebrate animals – allows these fish to feed rapidly and efficiently on algae growing on rocks. The work is published May 5 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Being able to move your jaw from side to side might not seem surprising from a human point of view, but if you look across all vertebrate ...

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