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press releases.

Science14 Feb 2025

Ancient Egyptian mummified bodies smell ‘woody,’ ‘spicy’ and ‘sweet’

UCL Press Release Under embargo until Friday 14 February 2025, 00:01 UK time / 19:01 Thursday 13 February US Eastern time Ancient Egyptian mummified bodies smell ‘woody,’ ‘spicy’ and ‘sweet’, finds a new study led by researchers from UCL and the University of Ljubljana, revealing new details about mumification practices. The research, published in Journal of the American Chemical Society, is the first time that the smells of mummified bodies have been systematically studied combining a mix of instrumental and sensory techniques, including an electronic ‘nose’ ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

Speculum exams unnecessary for HPV screening

Genital human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States and is thought to be responsible for more than 99% of cervical cancers. HPV screening usually entails a speculum-based exam, which is an uncomfortable experience for most patients, especially those who have physical disabilities. In two studies, published in Preventive Medicine Reports and JAMA Network Open, University of Michigan researchers are the first to demonstrate in the U.S. that self-sampling is just as effective as speculum-based testing for HPV detection. Most people who have HPV are usually unaware that they have it. By ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

SHEA supports key federal advisory committees

The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) urges incoming Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to resume the federal advisory committees for key health-related priority issues as provided under the Federal Advisory Committees Act. Federal advisory committees are an important aspect of the deliberative process for reviewing important scientific information among federal agencies and members of the public as new evidence becomes available. The ability for members ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

U.S. stream network is longer during annual high-flow conditions

Rivers and streams may look permanent, but their lengths can change dramatically with the seasons, according to a new study. It reports that stream networks in the United States expand up to five times their low-flow size during wet conditions. The findings offer the first large-scale insights into how water dynamically moves through landscapes and provide a framework for forecasting climate-driven changes in stream networks, particularly in response to increasing storminess. Traditionally regarded as ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

WashU to develop new tools for detecting chemical warfare agent

Mustard gas, also known as sulfur mustard, is one of the most harmful chemical warfare agents, causing blistering of the skin and mucous membranes on contact. Chemists at Washington University in St. Louis have been awarded a $1 million contract with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to develop a new way to detect the presence of this chemical weapon on the battlefield. As with many chemical threats, quick identification of sulfur mustard is key to minimizing its damage, according to Jennifer Heemstra, the Charles Allen Thomas Professor of Chemistry in Arts & Sciences and principal investigator of the new DTRA grant. “It’s ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

SfN announces Early Career Policy Ambassadors Class of 2025

WASHINGTON — The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) has selected 10 members from a highly competitive applicant pool to participate in the Society’s annual Capitol Hill Day on March 11–13, 2025. The 10 Early Career Policy Ambassadors (ECPAs), representing many career stages and geographic locations, were chosen for their dedication to advocating for the scientific community, their desire to learn more about effective means of advocacy, and their experience as leaders in their labs and community. The ambassadors are: Izan Chalen, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Nicole D’Souza, University of California, Riverside Lana Ruvolo Grasser, PhD, Department ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

U.S. abortion bans and fertility

About The Study: The findings of this study provide evidence that fertility rates in states with abortion bans were higher than would have been expected in the absence of these policies, with the largest estimated differences among subpopulations experiencing the greatest structural disadvantages and in states with among the worst maternal and child health and well-being outcomes. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Suzanne O. Bell, PhD, email suzannebell@jhu.edu. To ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

U.S. abortion bans and infant mortality

About The Study: U.S. states that adopted abortion bans had higher than expected infant mortality after the bans took effect. The estimated relative increases in infant mortality were larger for deaths with congenital causes and among groups that had higher than average infant mortality rates at baseline, including Black infants and those in southern states. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Alison Gemmill, PhD, email agemmill@jhu.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2024.28517) Editor’s ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

How fruit flies flit between courtship and aggression to fight for mates

For fruit flies, finding the right mate is all about the right song. Now, research shows that male flies don’t just try to impress their valentine by serenading her with song—they also go to great lengths to drown out the competition. By jamming their rivals’ love songs with high-frequency wing flicks, male fruit flies boost the chances that they’ll win the female over. The new study, published in Cell, explains how the fruit fly brain coordinates courtship and aggressive competition—a framework which could ultimately help scientists understand how humans flexibly ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

Next translucent glass-ceramics: Amorphous alumina boosts strength and toughness

Zirconia-based ceramics, particularly 3Y-TZP, have transformed dental restorations, enabling the development of durable all-ceramic crowns and fixed prostheses. However, their inherent opacity necessitates the application of a porcelain layer, which is prone to chipping and debonding. To address this, translucent glass ceramics (GCs) have been developed and commercialized, including mica-based, leucite-based, and lithium disilicate GCs. These materials offer excellent aesthetics and bondability due to their controlled crystallization process, ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

Project Cure CRC ignites innovation in 2025 with $10.5 million in research, K-SPY debut & renewed RFP

The leading nonprofit Colorectal Cancer Alliance (Alliance) is making bold strides in its mission to put an end to the disease. Its Project Cure CRC research initiative awarded new grants, convened top scientists to spark breakthrough advancements at its Cure CRC Summit, and unveiled K-SPY, a groundbreaking multi-center platform trial for high-risk colorectal cancer cases. Since its launch, Project Cure CRC has received 275 proposals, of which 22 have been approved totaling $10.5 million in awards. The latest awards reflect $2.8 million ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

New ACS study finds menthol flavored cigarette smoking increases mortality risk vs. non-menthol cigarettes

In a large, nationwide study led by the American Cancer Society (ACS), researchers found mortality risks for smoking menthol cigarettes were higher than non-menthol cigarettes for death from any cause and cardiovascular diseases, especially heart diseases. Higher risks were evident in individuals who had quit smoking and at high smoking intensities. Black participants currently smoking menthol brands had high increases for some heart diseases with an 88% elevated mortality risk compared to non-menthol cigarettes. ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

Discussing barriers, concerns key for getting older adults vaccinated

A clear endorsement from their healthcare provider and being supplied information about recommended vaccines before their clinic visit spurred more older Americans to get vaccinated, a new University of Virginia School of Medicine study found. Because immune systems age like the rest of the body, older adults are at higher risk for poor outcomes from infections. But only 15% of Americans ages 50 and older and 25% of Americans ages 65 and older are up to date on all recommended vaccines, including flu, RSV, tetanus and pneumococcal disease. In the study, six primary care clinics across America piloted a new approach to boosting vaccination rates. This included ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

The complicated question of how we determine who has an accent

COLUMBUS, Ohio – How do you tell if someone has a particular accent? It might seem obvious: You hear someone pronounce words in a way that is different from “normal” and connect it to other people from a specific place. But a new study suggests that might not be the case. “People probably don’t learn who has an accent from hearing someone talk and thinking, ‘huh, they sound funny’ – even though sometimes it feels like that’s how we do it,” said Kathryn Campbell-Kibler, author of the study and associate professor of linguistics at The Ohio State University. Accents may be ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

Lack of discussion drives traditional gender roles in parenthood

Conversations about parental duties continue to be led by mothers, even if both parents earn the same amount of money, finds a new study by a UCL researcher. A new study by Dr Clare Stovell (IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society), published in the Journal of Family Studies, highlights how a lack of discussion between parents about important choices such as parental leave, work and childcare is perpetuating traditional gender roles. The study found that women usually lead the conversations and there is little discussion about the man’s work schedule, even in cases where the woman earns as much or more than her partner. Dr Stovell said: “These interviews ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

Scientists discover mechanism driving molecular network formation

Covalent bonding is a widely understood phenomenon that joins the atoms of a molecule by a shared electron pair. But in nature, patterns of molecules can also be connected through weaker, more dynamic forces that give rise to supramolecular networks. These can self-assemble from an initial molecular cluster, or crystal, and grow into large, stable architectures. Supramolecular networks are essential for maintaining the structure and function of biological systems. For example, to ‘eat’, cells rely ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

Combining millions of years of evolution with tech wizardry: the cyborg cockroach

Osaka, Japan – From disaster zones to extreme environments, there remain areas difficult for even humans to reliably access. This poses a problem for search-and-rescue operations, research, surveillance, and more. Now, however, a research team from Osaka University and Diponegoro University, Indonesia is hard at work on one potential solution: the cyborg insect. Cyborg insects have a lot of advantages over traditional robots. Power consumption is less of an issue, so it’s easier to miniaturize them, and they are even ‘pre-built’ in a sense. However, research on cyborg insects has been limited to simple environments, like flat surfaces supplemented ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

Discrimination can arise from individual, random difference, study finds

New research from the University of Sydney has found people tend to discriminate in favour of individuals who show a similarity to them, even when the similarity arises from a random event like the flip of a coin. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research runs counter to traditional theories, in particular social identity theory, that assume discrimination occurs because we divide people into groups. It finds, instead, differences between individuals are enough to trigger discrimination. Previous research (using the seminal ‘minimal group’ experiment) showed participants tend to financially benefit members of their own group over ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

Alarming gap on girls’ sport contributes to low participation rates

Researchers at Flinders University say there is an urgent need to encourage more girls to participate in sports, following a new study that reveals a striking lack of research on girls' sport engagement. A new study in Sport in Society journal set out to review existing data on interventions to engage female adolescents in organised sport, and to explore the different factors that influence their experience and decision making in sport. “Despite a rigorous systematic search of more than 3,000 articles, only five (globally) were found to ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

Critical thinking training can reduce belief in conspiracy theories

A new study finds that training in critical thinking skills can be effective in counteracting conspiracy beliefs. Many well-established programmes for reducing people's belief in conspiracies have either no effect or a negative effect. The study is the first to directly compare different strategies to reduce conspiracy thinking. A new experimental study has found that fostering critical thinking can be an effective method to reduce people's tendency to believe in conspiracy theories. Led by researchers at University College Cork (UCC), the ...

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Science13 Feb 2025

Babies respond positively to smell of foods experienced in the womb

Embargoed until 00:01 GMT on Thursday 13 February 2025 -With pictures- Babies show positive responses to the smell of foods they were exposed to in the womb after they are born, according to a new study. The findings, led by Durham University, UK, could have implications for understanding how healthy eating habits might be established in babies during pregnancy. Researchers analysed the facial expressions of babies who had been repeatedly exposed to either kale or carrot in the womb after birth. Newborns whose mothers had taken carrot powder capsules when pregnant were more likely to react favourably to the smell of carrot. Likewise, ...

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Science12 Feb 2025

Simple, quick test can predict fall risk in older adults six months in advance

The scenario is common. An elderly person seems to be in good health until one day they suffer a fall and from then on their quality of life begins to deteriorate. Even if there are no serious consequences such as injuries, fractures or head trauma, falls usually lead to reduced mobility and consequently to a loss of independence and autonomy. The problem is so worrisome – falls are the second leading cause of injury-related death among adults aged 65 and over in the world, according to the United Nations’ ...

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Science12 Feb 2025

Semaglutide shows promise in reducing cravings for alcohol, heavy drinking

The blockbuster drug semaglutide, better known as Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for obesity, could also help people cut down on their alcohol intake, according to new research led by Christian Hendershot, PhD, first author of the study, professor of Population and Public Health Sciences and director of Clinical Research at USC Institute for Addiction Science, and Klara Klein, MD, PhD, senior author, assistant professor at the Department of Medicine’s Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the UNC School of Medicine. The findings, ...

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Science12 Feb 2025

Epidural steroid injections for chronic back pain: An AAN systematic review

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2025 MINNEAPOLIS – The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has developed a new systematic review to summarize for neurologists and other clinicians the evidence for epidural steroid injections and whether they reduce pain and disability for people with certain kinds of chronic back pain. The systematic review is published on February 12, 2025, online in Neurology®. It updates a 2007 assessment by the AAN. With an epidural steroid injection, a steroid or corticosteroid medication ...

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Science12 Feb 2025

Study finds more barriers to genetic testing for Black children than white children

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4:00 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2025 MINNEAPOLIS — For children with signs of neurological conditions such as autism, epilepsy and global developmental delay, genetic testing can help make the diagnosis, identify possible treatments and determine whether family members could be affected, among other benefits. But a new study shows that white children were almost twice as likely as Black children to have completed genetic testing. The study is published on February 12, 2025, online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study also found that insurance coverage for genetic ...

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