Science
press releases.

Science6 Mar 2025

Awareness of rocky mountain spotted fever saves lives

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a bacterial infection spread by biting ticks to humans and dogs. Found on every continent except Antarctica, the infectious disease has been spreading since the early 2000s, most notably in Mexico and Brazil. Of the cases reported, more than half of infected people and dogs die. A paper led by the University of California, Davis, highlights one of the most effective but often missing solutions to surviving this preventable, deadly disease: awareness. Most fatal cases stem from delays in diagnosis and treatment. “The No. 1 thing that prevents human death from Rocky Mountain spotted fever is for everyone at high risk to know ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

Breakthrough in noninvasive monitoring of molecular processes in deep tissue

The prestigious journal Advanced Materials recently published a groundbreaking study introducing a new method for monitoring molecular processes deep within tissue. Developed at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, the innovation is expected to accelerate key advancements in personalized medicine, cancer diagnosis, and early disease detection. The research was led by Prof. Hossam Haick, postdoctoral fellow Dr. Arnab Maity, and Ph.D. student Vivian Darsa Maidantchik from the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering at the Technion. The study also involved Dr. Dalit Barkan, research assistant Dr. Keren ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

Memory is impaired in aged rats after 3 days of high-fat eating

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Just a few days of eating a diet high in saturated fat could be enough to cause memory problems and related brain inflammation in older adults, a new study in rats suggests. Researchers fed separate groups of young and old rats the high-fat diet for three days or for three months to compare how quickly changes happen in the brain versus the rest of the body when eating an unhealthy diet. As expected based on previous diabetes and obesity research, eating fatty foods for three months led to metabolic problems, gut inflammation and dramatic shifts in gut bacteria in all rats compared to those that ate normal chow, while just three days of ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

AERA selects 29 exemplary scholars as 2025 Fellows

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2025—The American Educational Research Association (AERA) has announced the selection of 29 exemplary scholars as 2025 AERA Fellows. The AERA Fellows Program honors scholars for their exceptional contributions to, and excellence in, education research. Nominated by their peers, the 2025 Fellows were selected by the Fellows Committee and approved by the AERA Council, the association’s elected governing body. They will be inducted during a ceremony at the 2025 Annual Meeting in Denver on April 24. With this cohort, there will be a total of 791 AERA Fellows. “The ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

Touchless tech: Control fabrics with a wave of your finger

A team of researchers from Nottingham Trent University (UK), Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Italy) has created washable and durable magnetic field sensing electronic textiles – thought to be the first of their kind – which they say paves the way to transform use in clothing, as they report in the journal Communications Engineering (DOI: 10.1038/s44172-025-00373-x). This technology will allow users to interact with everyday textiles or specialized clothing by simply pointing their finger above a sensor. The researchers show how they placed tiny flexible ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

New research sheds light on why scleroderma affects mostly women and how to treat it

Two new studies led by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) have uncovered key biological mechanisms driving systemic sclerosis (SSc), or scleroderma – a rare and often devastating autoimmune disease that causes fibrosis (tissue hardening) and inflammation. The research, published in the March issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine, helps explain why the disease disproportionately affects women and reveals potential treatment targets, some of which are already in development. Scleroderma affects approximately 300,000 people in the U.S., with about one-third ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

Yawn! Many people are bored by spiritual practice

We commonly consider spiritual practices sources of peace and inspiration. A recent study led by researchers of the University of Vienna shows that they can also be experienced differently: Many persons feel bored during these practices – and this can have far-reaching consequences. The results recently published in the academic journal Communications Psychology open up an entirely new field of research and provide fascinating insights into a phenomenon that has received only scant attention so far. Even though boredom is a heavily researched subject at the moment, spiritual boredom has so far been largely neglected in research. Psychologists at the University of ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

Effects of shenfu decoction on neutrophil chemotactic function in septic mice

Background and objectives Sepsis involves a complex cascade of inflammatory reactions and immune system dysregulation. Neutrophils play a crucial role in modulating the anti-inflammatory response, which is vital for managing sepsis. Impaired chemotaxis of granulocytes can significantly impact the outcome of sepsis. Shenfu Decoction, by tonifying Qi and warming Yang, enhances the propelling function of Qi for promoting the chemotactic function of neutrophils. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Shenfu Decoction on the chemotactic function of neutrophils in septic mice and the underlying ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

ESMT Berlin offers scholarships in executive leadership

Various full and partial scholarships will be available for three premier programs of ESMT: Bringing Technology to Market, the General Management Seminar, and the Executive Transition Program. By offering financial support and access to distinguished executive education, ESMT is committed to fostering greater diversity in senior leadership. The initiative empowers professionals from various backgrounds to make a lasting impact in their industries and beyond. The scholarships are aimed at senior leaders preparing for top executive positions, particularly transitioning from leading corporate divisions into board level as well as accomplished managers holding global responsibilities ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

New WSU study shows how scarcity pricing helps 'cult wineries' drive demand

PULLMAN, Wash. — When a product is hard to buy, more people want it. A new Washington State University study reveals that wineries producing “cult wines” can boost long-term profits by keeping their prices low, creating excess demand that fuels their brand’s prestige and future revenue. Economists in WSU’s School of Economic Sciences (SES) analyzed data on cult wines: rare, luxury bottles only available to consumers who secure a spot on a winery’s allocation list or purchase the product via the secondary market. The study, published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, focused solely on Washington, ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

World’s oldest impact crater found, rewriting Earth’s ancient history

Curtin University researchers have discovered the world’s oldest known meteorite impact crater, which could significantly redefine our understanding of the origins of life and how our planet was shaped. The team from Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences investigated rock layers in the North Pole Dome — an area of the Pilbara region of Western Australia — and found evidence of a major meteorite impact 3.5 billion years ago. Study co-lead Professor Tim Johnson, from Curtin University, said the discovery significantly ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

Pledge to phase out toxic lead ammunition in UK hunting by 2025 has failed

A voluntary pledge made by UK shooting organisations in 2020 to replace lead shot with non-toxic alternatives by 2025 has failed, analysis by Cambridge researchers finds. The pledge, made in February 2020 by the UK’s nine leading game shooting and rural organisations, aimed to benefit wildlife and the environment and ensure a market for the healthiest game meat food products. But a Cambridge team, working with the University of the Highlands and Islands, has consistently shown that lead shot was not being phased out quickly enough to achieve ...

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Science6 Mar 2025

Possible foundations of human intelligence observed for the first time

A study led by Dr. Rodrigo Quian Quiroga, group leader of the Neural Mechanisms of Perception and Memory Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, has allowed scientists to observe for the first time how neurons in the human brain store memories independent of context in which they are acquired. Published in Cell Reports, the study confirms that neurons can distinguish objects or people regardless of their context, enabling the formation of higher and more abstract relationships, ...

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Science5 Mar 2025

New STI impacts 1 in 3 women: Landmark study reveals men are the missing link

A landmark study reveals that bacterial vaginosis (BV), a condition affecting nearly a third of women worldwide and causing infertility, premature births and newborn deaths, is in fact a sexually transmitted infection (STI), paving the way for a revolution in how it is treated. Monash University and Alfred Health researchers at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre say their findings, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, hold the key to driving down stubborn and distressing recurrence ...

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Science5 Mar 2025

Feeling is believing: Bionic hand “knows” what it’s touching, grasps like a human

Johns Hopkins University engineers have developed a pioneering prosthetic hand that can grip plush toys, water bottles, and other everyday objects like a human, carefully conforming and adjusting its grasp to avoid damaging or mishandling whatever it holds. The system’s hybrid design is a first for robotic hands, which have typically been too rigid or too soft to replicate a human’s touch when handling objects of varying textures and materials. The innovation offers a promising solution for people with hand loss and could improve how robotic arms interact with their environment. Details about the device appear today in Science Advances. “The ...

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Science5 Mar 2025

Over-the-counter pain relievers linked to improved recovery from concussion

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2025 Media Contacts: Renee Tessman, rtessman@aan.com, (612) 928-6137 Natalie Conrad, nconrad@aan.com, (612) 928-6164 Over-the-counter pain relievers linked to improved recovery from concussion MINNEAPOLIS – People who take over-the-counter pain relievers after a concussion may recover faster than those who do not take pain relievers, according to a preliminary study released today, March 5, 2025, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 77th Annual Meeting taking place April 5–9, 2025, in San Diego ...

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Science5 Mar 2025

Stressed out? It may increase the risk of stroke

MINNEAPOLIS — Some people living with chronic stress have a higher risk of stroke, according to a study published on March 5, 2025, online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study looked at younger adults and found an association between stress and stroke, with no known cause, in female participants, but not male participants. This study does not prove that stress causes stroke; it only shows an association. “Younger people often experience stress due to the demands and pressures associated with work, including long hours and job insecurity, as well as financial burdens,” ...

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Science5 Mar 2025

Nanoscale tweaks help alloy withstand high-speed impacts

ITHACA, N.Y. – A Cornell University-led collaboration devised a new method for designing metals and alloys that can withstand extreme impacts, which could lead to the development of automobiles, aircraft and armor that can better endure high-speed impacts, extreme heat and stress. The research, published in Communications Materials, introduces nanometer-scale speed bumps that suppress a fundamental transition that controls how metallic materials deform. The project was led by Mostafa Hassani, assistant professor of mechanical ...

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Science5 Mar 2025

AI-generated voices which sound like you are perceived as more trustworthy and likeable, with implications for deep-fakes and manipulation

AI-generated voices which sound like you are perceived as more trustworthy and likeable, with implications for deep-fakes and manipulation Article URL: https://plos.io/4baFCW5 Article title: AI-determined similarity increases likability and trustworthiness of human voices Author countries: Germany Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. END ...

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Science5 Mar 2025

After sexual misconduct accusations, scholars’ work is cited less

In a new analysis, scholars publicly accused of sexual misconduct experienced a significant decrease in the rate at which other scholars cited their published research. Giulia Maimone of the University of California, Los Angeles, U.S., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on March 5, 2025. In academia, scholars cite other scholars’ publications as a widely agreed-upon way to reference existing research and promote scientific advancement. A scholar with a high number of citations may be considered particularly impactful in their field. Prior research ...

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Science5 Mar 2025

Findings may advance understanding of infertility in mothers

Oxytocin, a hormone already known for its role in childbirth, milk release, and mother-infant bonding, may have a newfound purpose in mammalian reproduction. In times of maternal stress, the hormone can delay an embryo’s development for days to weeks after conception, a new study in rodents shows. According to the authors, the findings about so-called “diapause” may offer new insights into pregnancy and fertility issues faced by humans. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the study explored diapause, in which an embryo temporarily stops growing early in ...

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Science5 Mar 2025

Scientists catch water molecules flipping before splitting

For the first time, Northwestern University scientists have watched water molecules in real-time as they prepared to give up electrons to form oxygen. In the crucial moment before producing oxygen, the water molecules performed an unexpected trick: They flipped. Because these acrobatics are energy intensive, the observations help explain why water splitting uses more energy than theoretical calculations suggest. The findings also could lead to new insights into increasing the efficiency of water splitting, a process that holds promise for generating clean hydrogen fuel and for producing breathable oxygen during future missions to Mars. The study will be published Wednesday (March 5) ...

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Science5 Mar 2025

New antibodies show potential to defeat all SARS-CoV-2 variants

The virus that causes COVID-19 has been very good at mutating to keep infecting people – so good that most antibody treatments developed during the pandemic are no longer effective. Now a team led by Stanford University researchers may have found a way to pin down the constantly evolving virus and develop longer-lasting treatments. The researchers discovered a method to use two antibodies, one to serve as a type of anchor by attaching to an area of the virus that does not change very much and another to inhibit the virus’s ability ...

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Science5 Mar 2025

Australian researchers call for greater diversity in genomics

A new study has uncovered that a gene variant common in Oceanian communities was misclassified as a potential cause of heart disease, highlighting the risk of the current diversity gap in genomics research which can pose a greater risk for misdiagnosis of people from non-European ancestries. Led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and published in the European Heart Journal, the researchers describe the cases of two individuals of Pacific Island ancestries who carry a genetic variant previously thought to be a likely cause for their inherited ...

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Science5 Mar 2025

The pot is already boiling for 2% of the world’s amphibians: new study

Scientists will be able to better identify what amphibian species and habitats will be most impacted by climate change, thanks to a new study by UNSW researchers. Amphibians are the world’s most at-risk vertebrates, with more than 40% of species listed as threatened – and losing entire populations could have catastrophic flow-on effects. Being ectothermic – regulating their body heat by external sources – amphibians are particularly vulnerable to temperature change in their habitats. Despite this, the resilience of amphibians to rising temperatures ...

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