Science
press releases.

Science31 Mar 2025

How dreams, novelty, and emotions can shape memories: lessons from smartphone studies

BOSTON - March 31, 2025 - A memory is not a straight line from one point to another, even if we sometimes think of them like linear stories. This key insight that cognitive neuroscientists have known for many years is now guiding a new type of research—to explore not only how memories evolve over time but also how they can be strengthened or changed. Assisting researchers with this new exploration is a powerful tool: smartphones. “Smartphones are an incredible tool for understanding patterns of feelings, behavior, ...

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Science31 Mar 2025

Study highlights barriers to including non-English speakers in research

Health researchers omit including speakers of languages other than English (LOE) in their studies due to lack of training, challenges securing interpreter services, budget constraints and other barriers, according to a new JAMA Network Open study. “Non-English-speaking individuals are being excluded from research, and we wanted to understand why,” said senior author Maya Ragavan, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh. “Ensuring that everyone can participate in research, regardless of the languages that they speak, helps ensure that the findings are representative of the entire community, ...

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Science31 Mar 2025

Make these scientific sessions part of your media coverage

New York, NY – March 31, 2025 – Register now for a complimentary media pass for the ATS 2025 International Conference in San Francisco. We will have breaking news from the leading international conference for pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. See what scientific sessions we have planned: Allergy/Immunology Critical Care Cellular/Molecular Biology Bronchiectasis and COPD Health Equity/Health Disparities ILD Pediatrics Sleep All registered media will receive a press release one week prior to the conference with ...

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Science31 Mar 2025

Do authoritarian narratives shape Japanese public opinion?

An authoritarian regime is a type of government system where power is restricted in the hands of a single leader or a group, limiting the participation of citizens in decision-making. As authoritarian states like China and Russia intensify their global information campaigns, a new study highlights Japan’s vulnerability to illiberal narratives. This research, led by Professor Tetsuro Kobayashi of Waseda University, Research Associate Yuan Zhou of Kobe University, Ph.D. student Lungta Seki of Koç University, and Professor Asako Miura of Osaka University, was published online on March 12, ...

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Science31 Mar 2025

New plesiosaur discovery sheds light on early Jurassic evolution and plausible endemism

A nearly complete specimen of Plesiopterys wildi from Germany provides fresh insights into plesiosaur diversity and regional specialisation A newly described plesiosaur fossil from southern Germany is providing crucial evidence about the diversification of these ancient marine reptiles during the Early Jurassic. Published in PeerJ Life and Environment, the study details the discovery and analysis of an exceptionally well-preserved Plesiopterys wildi specimen, which offers new clues about the evolution and geographic distribution of plesiosaurs in Europe nearly 180 million years ago. Unearthed ...

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Science31 Mar 2025

One hour’s screen use after going to bed increases your risk of insomnia by 59%, scientists find

Scientists have found another reason to put the phone down: a survey of 45,202 young adults in Norway has discovered that using a screen in bed drives up your risk of insomnia up by 59% and cuts your sleep time by 24 minutes. However, social media was not found to be more disruptive than other screen activities. “The type of screen activity does not appear to matter as much as the overall time spent using screens in bed,” said Dr Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, ...

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Science31 Mar 2025

Cannabis use disorder among insured pregnant women in the US between 2015-2020

Cannabis use has been increasing during pregnancy, according to researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Previous research has observed that past-month cannabis use has more than tripled among pregnant women in the U.S. from 2002-2020 with self-reported cannabis use rising from 1.5 percent to 5.4 percent over the 18 years of tracking data. The findings are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Medical guidelines recommend that pregnant women abstain from cannabis because of its link to an increased risk of adverse maternal ...

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Science30 Mar 2025

Play “humanizes” pediatric care and should be key feature of a child-friendly NHS – report

Play should be a core feature of children’s healthcare in forthcoming plans for the future of the NHS, according to a new report which argues that play “humanises” the experiences of child patients. The report, by University of Cambridge academics for the charity Starlight, calls for play, games and playful approaches to be integrated into a ‘holistic’ model of children’s healthcare – one that acknowledges the emotional and psychological dimensions of good health, ...

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Science30 Mar 2025

Stricter oversight needed as financial misconduct drives risk-taking in banking

Banks facing regulatory sanctions for financial misconduct tend to adopt riskier business practices, according to new research. The authors warn repeated or systemic misconduct can accelerate risk-taking in ways that weaken both individual institutions and the wider financial system. Researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA), the US Department of the Treasury and Bangor University, in the UK, drew on data from nearly 1,000 publicly listed US banks from 1998 to 2023 - a period spanning multiple economic cycles including the 2007–09 ...

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Science30 Mar 2025

Cardiac arrest during long-distance running races

About The Study: This study found that despite increased participation in U.S. long distance running races, the incidence of cardiac arrest during U.S. marathons and half-marathons remains stable. There has been a marked decline in cardiac arrest mortality, and coronary artery disease was the most common etiology among cases with sufficient cause-related data. Effective emergency action planning with immediate access to defibrillation may explain the improvement in survival. Corresponding Authors: To ...

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Science30 Mar 2025

Preventable cardiac deaths during marathons are down, Emory study finds

While more people than ever are running marathons in the U.S., the risk of dying from a heart attack during a run has fallen dramatically in recent years. That’s a key conclusion from a new study by Jonathan Kim, associate professor in the Emory School of Medicine. Kim’s research is a follow-up to a study he published in 2012 – the first investigation into unexpected cardiac arrests during long distance running events. The new findings, published in JAMA, indicate that while the rate of marathon runners who suffer cardiac arrests remained unchanged, their chance for survival is twice what it was in the ...

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Science29 Mar 2025

Who needs a statin? New study compares prescribing recommendations based on traditional risk factors vs. coronary artery calcium scoring

A new study by researchers at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City aims to determine the best method to screen and evaluate patients who are at risk of developing coronary heart disease and which patients would benefit from taking a statin medication to lower cholesterol. Currently, cardiologists determine a patient’s need for a statin based on traditional risk factors, using the Pooled Cohort Equation (PCE), which calculates coronary risk by assessing the risk factors of age, sex, total and HDL cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and whether someone ...

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Science29 Mar 2025

PNNL scientist elected AAAS fellow

RICHLAND, Wash.—Chemist Zheming Wang, whose research largely focuses on the chemistry underlying radioactive and advanced energy materials, as well as critical elements, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science—the highest honor the society bestows. AAAS is the world's largest multidisciplinary scientific society with a mission to “advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people.” AAAS notes that Fellows are celebrated for contributions that span ...

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Science28 Mar 2025

JACC to recognize 2025 Simon Dack Award recipients, Elite Reviewers

JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology, has awarded two peer reviewers with the Simon Dack Award for Outstanding Scholarship and seven peer reviewers with Elite Reviewer awards. Named after the founding editor of JACC, the Simon Dack Award recognizes outstanding peer reviewers whose contributions have helped JACC achieve its mission to publish new and important clinical research. The 2025 recipients are: Kershaw V. Patel, MD, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston Robert S. Rosenson, MD, Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York The Elite Reviewers are peer reviewers ...

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Science28 Mar 2025

JACC recognizes five recipients of the William W. Parmley Young Author Achievement Award

JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology, is recognizing five primary authors with the William W. Parmley Young Author Achievement Award, due to their exceptional research papers published in the journal. The award, also known as the Parmley Prize, recognizes remarkable first-author publications by trainees in JACC. The award aims to elevate trainee-led research in JACC and put the spotlight on their contributions to cardiovascular science. This year’s winners and their mentors are: Aldostefano Porcari, PhD National Amyloidosis Centre, Division of Medicine, University ...

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Science28 Mar 2025

Mass General Brigham researchers identify mutations that can lead to resistance to some chemotherapies

Investigators at Mass General Brigham have uncovered how resistance to chemotherapies may occur in some cancers. Researchers focused on a pathway that harnesses reactive oxygen species (ROS) to kill cancer cells. The study found that mutations to VPS35, a key player in this pathway, can prevent chemotherapy-induced cell death. These results, published in Nature, could help pinpoint treatment-resistant tumors. “ROS play an important role in healthy and diseased cells, but pathways that sense and control cellular ROS levels are not well understood,” said corresponding author Liron Bar-Peled, PhD, of the Krantz Family ...

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Science28 Mar 2025

Jefferson Lab Director Kimberly Sawyer named to CoVaBIZ Magazine’s 150 Most Influential People List

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is making good waves in coastal Virginia, and now its director is being recognized for those positive impacts. CoVaBIZ has listed Jefferson Lab Director Kimberly Sawyer in its 2025 list of the 150 most influential people in coastal Virginia. “It is an honor to be named to this list, and it reflects well on the positive economic, research and education impacts that Jefferson Lab has on our region,” said Sawyer, who took the helm at Jefferson Lab in July 2024. “We are proud to advance our research mission as Virginia’s national lab and ...

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Science28 Mar 2025

Brownie points for ChatGPT’s food analysis skills

URBANA, Ill. — AI is changing the way we work, create, and share information — but brownies? A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explores how ChatGPT can be used in the sensory evaluation of foods, specifically brownies. The study offers insights that could streamline development of new products, and possibly enhance recipes moving forward. But, why use AI for brownie tasting? Most people would gladly line up to sample chocolatey treats. However, in the food industry, sensory evaluation is an essential yet rigorous and costly process. Companies ...

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Science28 Mar 2025

Why scientists are worried about weasels

When monitoring the health of mammal populations, scientists often use camera traps to observe the animals in their habitats. But weasels are so sneaky they’re rarely caught on camera – leaving scientists with questions about this population of predators. “We’re a little worried about the weasels,” says Roland Kays, a research professor at North Carolina State University and scientist at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. “We don’t see them very often, but it’s ...

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Science28 Mar 2025

C-Path announces successful conclusion of the ECOA: getting better together initiative

TUCSON, Ariz., March 26, 2025 – Critical Path Institute® (C-Path)Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Consortium and Electronic Clinical Outcome Assessment (eCOA) Consortium are pleased to announce the successful conclusion of the eCOA: Getting Better Together Initiative. This initiative, driven by a shared commitment to advancing patient-focused drug development, has culminated in meaningful, lasting changes that will benefit all stakeholders across the eCOA ecosystem. Beginning in 2019, this C-Path-led collaborative, pre-competitive initiative brought ...

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Science28 Mar 2025

Professor receives pilot funding to conduct study to increase forest farming in Appalachia

Appalachia is globally recognized as a key supplier of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) with growing demand for its resources. Nearly half of the woodland medicinal species in the global nutraceutical market come from the region, contributing to a multibillion-dollar industry. Species such as ginseng, slippery elm, and black cohosh are prominent understory sources of medicinal material. Appalachian edible products are also gaining popularity beyond the region. Ramps, a wild Appalachian plant, can sell for more than $20 per pound in places such as New York City. Spanning 205,000 square miles, Appalachia is home to over ...

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Science28 Mar 2025

Genes may influence our enjoyment of music

Music is central to human emotion and culture. Does our ability to enjoy music have a biological basis? A genetic twin study, published in Nature Communications, shows that music enjoyment is partly heritable. An international team led by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, uncovered genetic factors that influence the degree of music enjoyment, which were partly distinct from genes influencing general enjoyment of rewarding experiences or musical ability. Music plays an important role in human emotion, social bonding, and cultural expression. As Darwin already noted, music "must ...

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Science28 Mar 2025

Global patterns in seed plant distribution over millions of years

Why do some plants thrive in specific regions but not in others? A study led by researchers at the University of Göttingen explores the factors shaping plant distributions and how these patterns have changed over millions of years. Analyzing nearly 270,000 seed plant species worldwide, the research highlights the roles of environmental conditions and dispersal barriers in influencing global plant diversity. The results were published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. Using advanced methods that integrate plant distributions with phylogenetic information – meaning data about the evolutionary relationships among plant species – researchers ...

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Science28 Mar 2025

Intermittent fasting increases sex drive in male mice: an approach for low libido in humans?

Long-term fasting in 24-hour cycles increases the sex drive of male mice by lowering the concentration of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. This effect is linked to a diet-induced deficiency of the precursor substance tryptophan – an amino acid that must be obtained through food. Researchers from DZNE report on this in the journal Cell Metabolism, together with a Chinese team from Qingdao University and the University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. They suggest that similar mechanisms may exist in humans and view fasting as a potential approach for treating unwanted loss of sexual desire. Fasting ...

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Science28 Mar 2025

Discrimination-related depression, anxiety pronounced among multiracial, White, Asian populations

EMBARGOED UNTIL 11 a.m. EST on Friday, March 28, 2025 Contact: Jillian McKoy, jpmckoy@bu.edu Michael Saunders, msaunder@bu.edu ## Discrimination-related Depression, Anxiety Pronounced Among Multiracial, White, Asian Populations A new study found that more than half of US adults encounter some form of discrimination, and that this mistreatment may fuel higher chances of depression and/or anxiety among specific racial and ethnic groups due to cultural, social, and systemic factors. A ...

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