Science
press releases.

Science10 Mar 2025

Can a joke make science more trustworthy?

Politicians learned this lesson a long time ago: a well-placed joke is a valuable tool for capturing public attention and building trust. Scientists, however, are much more reluctant to use humor when engaging in science communication. They may fear that a lighthearted approach could make them seem less authoritative and, consequently, make scientific findings appear less credible. The good news, however, is that science itself seems to contradict this assumption. A new study led by Alexandra Lynn Frank, a ...

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Science10 Mar 2025

Hiring strategies

Krapivsky drew inspiration from the famous “secretary problem” or “optimal marriage problem”. In one of its many versions, a princess must choose her future husband from a pool of 100 candidates at a grand reception. However, strict rules apply: she may meet only one suitor at a time and has limited time to get to know him. At the end of each encounter, she must decide immediately whether to accept or reject the suitor. She cannot revisit previous candidates, nor can she ask any of them to wait while she considers others. How can the princess hope to make the best choice? The secret lies in a number: 37, to be precise (raise your hand if you ...

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Science9 Mar 2025

Megalodon’s body size and form uncover why certain aquatic vertebrates can achieve gigantism

CHICAGO — A new scientific study provides many new insights into the biology of the prehistoric gigantic shark, Megalodon or megatooth shark, which lived nearly worldwide 15-3.6 million years ago. Paleobiology professor Kenshu Shimada of DePaul University led the study along with 28 other shark, fossil, and vertebrate anatomy experts around the globe. Findings from the study will be published in the journal “Palaeontologia Electronica.” Formally called Otodus megalodon, it is primarily known only from its serrated teeth, vertebrae, ...

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Science9 Mar 2025

A longer, sleeker super predator: Megalodon’s true form

The megalodon has long been imagined as an enormous great white shark, but new research suggests that perception is all wrong. The study finds the prehistoric hunter had a much longer body—closer in shape to a lemon shark or even a large whale. The study team, which included researchers from University of California, Riverside and across the globe, used a novel approach to estimate the shark’s total body length, moving beyond traditional methods that rely primarily on tooth size. By examining megalodon’s vertebral column and comparing ...

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Science8 Mar 2025

“Sloshing” from celestial collisions solves mystery of how galactic clusters stay hot

Tokyo, Japan – The XRISM collaboration have discovered flows of hot gas in the core of the Centaurus Cluster. By comparing state-of-the-art X-ray measurements from the XRISM satellite with numerical simulations, they showed this is evidence for collisions between galaxy clusters, causing gas inside to “slosh”. This solves the longstanding mystery of how cluster cores stay hot, and sheds light on how our universe continues to evolve. Astronomers have long envisioned how vast gravitational forces ...

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Science8 Mar 2025

Children poisoned by the synthetic opioid, fentanyl, has risen in the U.S. – eight years of national data shows

Incidents of children in the U.S. being poisoned by the synthetic opioid fentanyl “increased and became more severe”, a new study reveals. Launched today as Congress continues to review the HALT Fentanyl Act, the research follows an analysis of nonfatal fentanyl pediatric (aged 0-19) exposures reported to poison centers in 49 U.S. states from 2015 through to 2023. In total, some 3,009 cases were detailed across the eight-year period. In 2023 alone, 44.6% were life-threatening incidents in which there was extreme harm ...

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Science7 Mar 2025

Stretching spider silk makes it stronger

When spiders spin their webs, they use their hind legs to pull silk threads from their spinnerets. This pulling action doesn’t just help the spider release the silk, it’s also a crucial step in strengthening the silk fibers for a more durable web. In a new study, Northwestern University researchers have discovered why the role of stretching is so important. By simulating spider silk in a computational model, the team discovered the stretching process aligns the protein chains within the fibers and increases the number of bonds between those ...

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Science7 Mar 2025

New study finds that tooth size in Otaria byronia reflects historical shifts in population abundance

Puerto Madryn, Argentina – A new study published in PeerJ Life and Environment reveals that the teeth of South American sea lions (Otaria byronia) hold valuable clues about past population dynamics. Researchers from the Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos, the Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos, and the Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco analysed changes intooth size and growth layer groups (GLGs) over the ...

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Science7 Mar 2025

nTIDE March 2025 Jobs Report: Employment rate for people with disabilities holds steady at new plateau, despite February dip

East Hanover, NJ – March 7, 2024 – The employment rate for people with disabilities saw a slight dip in February but continued to fluctuate around a steady plateau of approximately 37.5%. While these dips can trigger speculation about broader policy implications, nTIDE experts cautioned that it is premature to attribute changes to recent shifts in federal employment policies. The employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities remained stable. nTIDE is issued by Kessler Foundation and the ...

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Science7 Mar 2025

Nearly half of popular tropical plant group related to birds-of-paradise and bananas are threatened with extinction

A new analysis from researchers at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History reveals that nearly half of the genus Heliconia, a group of tropical plants popular for their bright, beak-shaped flowers, are threatened with extinction. The findings, published today, March 7, in the journal Plants, People, Planet, reveal that many of these imperiled plants are not found within protected areas or botanical gardens, making additional conservation action crucial to saving these charismatic, horticulturally important and ecologically significant floras. The new work places Heliconia among a select group of plants to undergo a detailed, comprehensive ...

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Science7 Mar 2025

The changing chorus: How movements and memories influence birdsong evolution

New research from the University of Oxford has provided fresh insights into how bird songs evolve over time, revealing a significant role for population dynamics in shaping song diversity and change. The findings – based on an analysis of over 100,000 bird songs – have been published today (7 March) in the journal Current Biology. The researchers spent three years collecting over twenty thousand hours of sound recordings from a wild population of great tits (Parus major) in Oxfordshire, which has been studied for the past 77 years as part of the Wytham Great Tit study. ...

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Science7 Mar 2025

One in 15 U.S. adults have been on the scene of a mass shooting

About 7% of U.S. adults have been present at the scene of a mass shooting in their lifetime, and more than 2% have been injured during one, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research. The study, published March 7 in the journal JAMA Network Open, also found that younger generations were significantly more likely to have been exposed than their parents or grandparents were. Generation Z— adults born after 1996—were at greatest risk. “This study confirms that mass shootings are not isolated tragedies, but ...

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Science7 Mar 2025

Prevalence of depression and anxiety among adults with chronic pain

About The Study: In this systematic review and meta-analysis of depression and anxiety among individuals with chronic pain, approximately 40% of adults had clinically significant depression and anxiety. Women, younger people, and people with nociplastic pain were most likely to have depression and anxiety. The co-occurrence of chronic pain with depression and anxiety is a significant public health concern necessitating routine screening in clinical settings, equitable access to specialty care, and innovative treatment development. Corresponding Author: To contact ...

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Science7 Mar 2025

Direct exposure to mass shootings among US adults

About The Study: The findings from this survey study of U.S. adults underscore the extensive and often overlooked regular exposure to mass shootings in this country. The demographic disparities in exposure highlight the need for targeted interventions and support for the most affected groups, particularly younger generations and males. Understanding these patterns is essential for addressing the broader impacts of gun violence on public health and community well-being. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, David C. Pyrooz, PhD, email david.pyrooz@colorado.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website ...

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Science7 Mar 2025

KTU scientists develop advanced forest monitoring systems: Will forests monitor themselves in the future?

“Forests are among the most important ecosystems in nature, constantly evolving, yet their monitoring is often delayed,” says Rytis Maskeliūnas, a professor at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU). Climate change, pests, and human activity are transforming forests faster than we can track them – some changes become apparent only when the damage is already irreversible. KTU researchers are proposing innovative technological solutions: an innovative forest regeneration model and a sound analysis system that can predict forest conditions and detect environmental changes in real time. Forest ...

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Science7 Mar 2025

Researchers create gel that can self-heal like human skin

Researchers create gel that can self-heal like human skin The hydrogel has a unique structure, making it the first to combine strength and flexibility with self-healing capabilities. We all encounter gels in daily life – from the soft, sticky substances you put in your hair, to the jelly-like components in various foodstuffs. While human skin shares gel-like characteristics, it has unique qualities that are very hard to replicate. It combines high stiffness with flexibility, and it has remarkable self-healing capabilities, often healing completely within 24 hours after injury. Until now, artificial gels ...

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Science7 Mar 2025

A parasite introduced from Mainland China invades parts of the Tone River system

A collaborative research team from Toho University, the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Nihon University, the Global Environmental Forum, and the Museum Park Ibaraki Nature Museum has revealed that a newly introduced parasite is infecting native fish in the Tone River system. Their study also confirms that the golden mussel, an invasive species, acts as the infection source, while non-native fish such as bluegill and channel catfish help sustain the parasite’s life cycle. This study was published in the Journal of Helminthology on January ...

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Science7 Mar 2025

Einstein Probe releases its Science White Paper

The Science White Paper for the Einstein Probe (EP) mission has been published in Science China: Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy. This mission, spearheaded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), and the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), is poised to advance the field of time-domain and X-ray astronomy significantly. EP's sophisticated observational instruments aim to probe X-ray transient sources and explosive astrophysical phenomena, thereby contributing to significant advancements in astronomical research. The ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

Three Speculum articles recognized with prizes

The University of Chicago Press is honored to share that several articles in Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies have won prizes from major organizations. These three articles join a long list of recent award-winners from the journal, which is the flagship publication of the Medieval Academy of America (MAA) and a major international forum for medieval studies research. Winner of the 2025 MAA Article Prize in Critical Race Studies Borderland Anxieties: Lisān al-Dīn ibn al-Khaṭīb (d. 1374) ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

Butter and plant-based oils intake and mortality

About The Study: In this cohort study, higher intake of butter was associated with increased mortality, while higher plant-based oils intake was associated with lower mortality. Substituting butter with plant-based oils may confer substantial benefits for preventing premature deaths. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Dong D. Wang, MD, ScD, email dow471@mail.harvard.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.0205) Editor’s ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

20% of butterflies in the U.S. have disappeared since 2000

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Butterflies are beloved creatures that inspire art and play an important ecological role, but you might have noticed less of them brightening your day in recent years. According to new research featuring faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York, these cherished insects are disappearing at an alarming rate. A new study published in Science examines butterfly data in the United States, and the results are troubling. Looking across 76,000 surveys, the study revealed that butterfly abundance fell by 22% between 2000 and 2020. To put it starkly: for every five butterflies in the U.S. ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

Scientists identify genes that make humans and Labradors more likely to become obese

Researchers studying British Labrador retrievers have identified multiple genes associated with canine obesity and shown that these genes are also associated with obesity in humans. The dog gene found to be most strongly associated with obesity in Labradors is called DENND1B. Humans also carry the DENND1B gene, and the researchers found that this gene is also linked with obesity in people. DENND1B was found to directly affect a brain pathway responsible for regulating the energy balance in the body, called the leptin melanocortin pathway. An additional four genes associated with canine obesity, ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

Study raises the possibility of a country without butterflies

Butterflies are disappearing in the United States. All kinds of them. With a speed scientists call alarming, and they are sounding an alarm. A sweeping new study published in Science for the first time tallies butterfly data from more than 76,000 surveys across the continental United States. The results: between 2000 and 2020, total butterfly abundance fell by 22% across the 554 species counted. That means that for every five individual butterflies within the contiguous U.S. in the year 2000, there were only four in 2020. “Action must be taken,” ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

A rapid decline in US butterfly populations

Butterfly populations across the United States are in alarming decline, according to a new study, with total abundance falling by 22% in just 20 years. Such widespread and worrisome losses portend broader environmental threats and emphasize the urgent need for conservation action. “Our national-scale findings paint the most complete – and concerning – picture of the status of butterflies across the country in the early 21st century,” write the authors. The decline of biodiversity has been extensively documented worldwide. Among these losses, the decline of insects is particularly ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

Indigenous farming practices have shaped manioc’s genetic diversity for millennia

A new genomic study reveals how Indigenous traditional farming practices have shaped the evolution of manioc – one of the world’s most important staple crops – for the better. The domestication of plants and the rise of agriculture were transformative events in human history. Today, a few staple crops provide most human calories, including manioc (cassava or yuca), a vital root crop that sustains nearly a billion people across the tropics. Although it ranks as the world’s seventh most significant crop, manioc is primarily cultivated on small farms. The plant’s ...

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