Science
press releases.

Science2 Feb 2025

Launch of the most comprehensive, and up to date European Wetland Map

2nd February 2025 Greifswald/Aarhus/Helsinki - On time for World Wetlands Day, the European Wetland Map (‘EWM’) significantly enhances knowledge of wetlands across Europe by locating, assessing and merging the latest geospatial data. It combines various geographic information system (GIS) data on wetland types and their distribution on mineral soil in coastal environments, floodplains, and a large variety of peatlands in one most comprehensive, easily accessible resource. "Over a period of two years, we collected, checked and merged more than 200 geodata on wetlands and especially ...

Read the release

Science1 Feb 2025

Lurie Children’s campaign urges parents to follow up right away if newborn screening results are abnormal

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago launched a newborn screening awareness campaign, with signage on public transit and billboards across Chicago urging parents to contact their child’s pediatrician immediately if results are out of normal range. For some conditions, such as cystic fibrosis, that are included in newborn screening, timely diagnosis and early treatment are key to optimal health, while delays can lead to more severe disease. All U.S. states screen for at least 33 metabolic and ...

Read the release

Science1 Feb 2025

Does drinking alcohol really take away the blues? It's not what you think

A new study from the University of Chicago Medicine reveals that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and depression experience high levels of stimulation and pleasure when intoxicated, similar to drinkers who do not have depression. The findings counter the long-held belief that the pleasure people experience when drinking alcohol decreases with addiction and that drinking to intoxication is mainly to reduce negative feelings as a form of self-medication. "We have this folklore that people drink excessively when they're feeling depressed ...

Read the release

Science1 Feb 2025

Speed of risk perception is connected to how information is arranged

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have studied how nurses perceive words showing high and low risk ailments. They looked for directional bias, e.g. whether words denoting lower (higher) risk led to a quicker response when placed on the left (right) side or vice versa. They found faster response for significantly higher or lower risk, but different people had different directional biases. Their findings might inform better ways to present clinical information. With every incoming medical emergency, nurses are required ...

Read the release

Science31 Jan 2025

Policy briefs present approach for understanding prison violence

Prison violence remains a significant yet underreported issue in the U.S. criminal justice system, leading to unsafe conditions for both incarcerated persons and staff. To address this pressing problem, a team of researchers has conducted a study aimed at understanding prison violence to develop strategies for reducing and preventing it in correctional facilities nationwide. The researchers present their work in two recently released policy briefs — “The Dark Figure of Prison Violence: A Multi-Strategy Approach to Uncovering the Prevalence of Prison Violence” and “Sources and Consequences ...

Read the release

Science31 Jan 2025

Tigers in the neighborhood: How India makes room for both tigers and people

In India, tigers haven’t just survived − they’ve made a comeback. Despite a growing population and increasing pressure on their habitats, the number of wild tigers is rising. The reason? A combination of ecological restoration, economic initiatives, and political stability. And just as important: a deeply rooted reverence for tigers that has fostered a culture where humans and predators can coexist. How do you protect an endangered species when that species is a tiger − a predator that also poses a threat to humans? India has found a way by combining protected reserves with areas where tigers and people share space. The result? A 30% increase in ...

Read the release

Science31 Jan 2025

Powerful legal and financial services enable kleptocracy, research shows

Powerful legal and financial service industries are enabling kleptocracy and corrupt elites to operate with relative impunity, a new study shows. The research details how “enablers” from these industries exploit deregulation and the under-enforcement of the law to game the system. They can offshore their clients' wealth, and enhance their reputations and influence via philanthropy, political donations, and the use of the UK's punitive libel regime. Most of this “enabling” is likely ...

Read the release

Science31 Jan 2025

Sound is a primary issue in the lives of skateboarders, study shows

Sound plays a significant and often poignant part of skateboarders’ relationship with their sport, a new study shows. Skateboarders develop the skill to tune into the noise of urban surfaces. They both hear and feel noise and this means images and videos alone are a poor insight into the sport. They use sound to verify the success of their manoeuvres, judge the veracity and capacity of surfaces for use and as a social cue. For some the sensory overload of skateboarding is therapeutic and it helps them connect with others skating nearby. But ...

Read the release

Science31 Jan 2025

Watch what you eat: NFL game advertisements promote foods high in fat, sodium

ST. LOUIS – Research from Saint Louis University (SLU) and the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine finds that some of the most-watched ads promote the worst food options for adults with chronic health conditions. The findings published online on Jan. 30 in JAMA Network analyzed advertisements transmitted during televised NFL games in the U.S. to assess the nutritional content by serving. The study found that store-bought foods and quick-service restaurants advertised during NFL games, the most watched sporting events in the U.S., ...

Read the release

Science31 Jan 2025

Mortality trends among adults ages 25-44 in the US

About The Study: This cross-sectional study found that compared with trends from the early 2000s, early adult (ages 25-44) mortality in the U.S. has risen substantially in 2 stages: 2011 to 2019 and 2020 to 2023. Although mortality rates decreased after the core pandemic years, excess mortality remained higher than expected based on pre-pandemic levels. The largest portion of 2023 excess mortality was driven by drug poisoning, but many other external and natural causes exceeded what prior trends would have projected. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, PhD, email ewf@umn.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our ...

Read the release

Science31 Jan 2025

New study reveals how reduced rainfall threatens plant diversity

Predicting and mitigating the effects of climate change while preserving biodiversity is a top priority for both scientists and policymakers. As climate change intensifies, leading to more frequent and severe droughts, understanding the impact on natural ecosystems has become increasingly important. One of the main challenges is forecasting changes in species richness due to shifts in precipitation patterns. While it’s established that, on a broad geographic scale, regions with more water generally support greater plant diversity, results vary at ...

Read the release

Science31 Jan 2025

New study reveals optimized in vitro fertilization techniques to boost coral restoration efforts in the Caribbean

A recent study published in PeerJ Life and Environment unveils refined techniques for in vitro fertilization (IVF) in four key Caribbean coral species, offering a crucial advancement in coral reef restoration efforts. Researchers from SECORE International, the CARMABI Foundation, and the University of Amsterdam have developed new insights into the optimal conditions for coral breeding, which could significantly enhance larval production and bolster declining coral populations. Study Focus The study examined four broadcast-spawning ...

Read the release

Science31 Jan 2025

Ear muscle we thought humans didn’t use — except for wiggling our ears — actually activates when people listen hard

If you can wiggle your ears, you can use muscles that helped our distant ancestors listen closely. These auricular muscles helped change the shape of the pinna, or the shell of the ear, funneling sound to the eardrums. Millions of years ago, our ancestors stopped using them, so humans’ auricular muscles are only vestigial. But now scientists examining the function of these muscles have discovered that they activate when we’re trying to listen to competing sounds. “There are three large muscles which connect the auricle to the skull and scalp and are important for ear ...

Read the release

Science30 Jan 2025

Women’s pelvic tissue tears during childbirth unstudied, until now

Millions of women undergo episiotomies during childbirth every year, yet the mechanics behind these surgical cuts remain largely unstudied. A new research project is poised to change that, addressing this significant gap in women’s health. An episiotomy involves cutting the pelvic-floor muscles to aid delivery, a technique currently guided largely by a surgeon’s personal judgment and experience. While intended to prevent severe vaginal tears or other complications during delivery, the procedure itself can lead to lasting pain, incontinence, infection, ...

Read the release

Science30 Jan 2025

Why you shouldn’t scratch an itchy rash: New study explains

Your parents were right: Scratching an itchy rash really does make it worse. Now we know why, thanks to new research published today in the journal Science that uncovers how scratching aggravates inflammation and swelling in a mouse model of a type of eczema called allergic contact dermatitis. “At first, these findings seemed to introduce a paradox: If scratching an itch is bad for us, why does it feel so good?” said senior author Daniel Kaplan, M.D., Ph.D., professor of dermatology and immunology at the University of Pittsburgh. “Scratching is often pleasurable, which suggests ...

Read the release

Science30 Jan 2025

Polar bear energetic model reveals drivers of polar bear population decline

Polar bears in Western Hudson Bay have seen their population nearly halved over the last several decades, largely due to dwindling sea ice and limited hunting opportunities, according to the findings of a novel bioenergetic model using data spanning more than 40 years. The findings reveal the relationship between bears’ individual energy needs and environmental limitations in driving population trends, highlighting energy as the central limiting factor behind the decline of a key Arctic apex predator. The Arctic is warming ...

Read the release

Science30 Jan 2025

New £2 million project to save UK from food shortages

Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is leading a new £2 million initiative to help prevent food shortages that could potentially trigger civil unrest in the UK. The project, called Backcasting to Increase Food System Resilience in the UK, is being led by experts from Anglia Ruskin’s Global Sustainability Institute and has received £2,048,461 in funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Building on recent research that found that over 40% of food experts believe widespread civil unrest linked to food shortages, such as demonstrations and violent looting, is possible or likely in the UK within the next 10 ...

Read the release

Science30 Jan 2025

Aspects of marriage counseling may hold the key to depolarizing, unifying the country, study finds

Research has shown that polarization undermines democracy by driving citizens to prioritize partisan preferences over democratic principles, encourages democratic gridlock and threatens democratic attitudes and norms, such as tolerance for opposition. Today, Americans are grappling with deep political divides, often seeing those on the other side as untrustworthy, unpatriotic and misinformed — a rift that threatens democracy. Could marriage counseling hold the key to a more unified country? A recent study, published in Political Behavior and co-authored by Laura Gamboa, an assistant professor of democracy and global affairs at the Keough ...

Read the release

Science30 Jan 2025

Your fridge uses tech from the 50’s, but scientists have an update

Researchers report January 30 in the Cell Press journal Joule that a more efficient and environmentally friendly form of refrigeration might be on the horizon. The new technology is based on thermogalvanic cells that produce a cooling effect by way of a reversible electrochemical reaction. Thermogalvanic refrigeration is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than other cooling methods because it requires a far lower energy input, and its scalability means that it could be used for various applications—from wearable cooling devices to industrial-grade scenarios. “Thermogalvanic technology is on its way to our lives, ...

Read the release

Science30 Jan 2025

Lead contamination in ancient Greece points to societal change

Studies of sediment cores from the sea floor and the coastal regions surrounding the Aegean Sea show that humans contaminated the environment with lead early on in antiquity. A research team led by geoscientists from Heidelberg University conducted the analyses, which revealed that human activity in the region resulted in lead contamination of the environment approximately 5,200 years ago – much earlier than previously known. Combined with the results of pollen analyses from the sediment cores, this contamination also offers insights into socioeconomic change in the Aegean, even reflecting historical ...

Read the release

Science30 Jan 2025

Antidepressant use before, during, and after pregnancy

About The Study: This cohort study documented a large decrease in antidepressant use without an accompanying increase in psychotherapy during pregnancy. These findings, coupled with evidence of mental health challenges during and after pregnancy, suggest the need for increased focus on and discussion about mental health treatments by pregnant women and their clinicians. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Claire Boone, PhD, email claire.boone@mcgill.ca. To access the embargoed study: Visit our ...

Read the release

Science30 Jan 2025

Urgent action needed to keep Europe polio-free, warn heads of ECDC and WHO Europe

An unusually high amount of poliovirus detections in several European countries in recent months has underscored the importance of keeping Europe polio-free, according to an editorial by European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Director Pamela Rendi Wagner and World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge, which was published on Eurosurveillance. ‘A future without polio remains our goal, but it is by no means a certainty’, warn Rendi-Wagner and Kluge. ‘Every country must remain vigilant to detect the presence of polioviruses through sensitive surveillance systems, prepared to act quickly if any circulation is detected, ...

Read the release

Science30 Jan 2025

Optimism can boost saving, especially for lower-income individuals

WASHINGTON – Being optimistic about the future may help people save more money, and the effect appears strongest among those with lower incomes, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. The study found that people who scored higher on measures of “dispositional optimism” -- the tendency to expect positive outcomes -- saved more money over time compared with their less optimistic peers. The research was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. "We often think of optimism as rose-colored glasses ...

Read the release

Science30 Jan 2025

New insights on radical trapping in 12-phosphatetraphene uncovered

Muon spin rotation (µSR) spectroscopy is a powerful technique that helps to study the behavior of materials at the atomic level. It involves using muons—subatomic particles similar to protons but with a lighter mass. When introduced into a material, muons interact with local magnetic fields, providing unique insights into the material’s structure and dynamics, especially for highly reactive species such as radicals. In a new study, a team of researchers led by Associate Professor Shigekazu Ito, from the School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan, ...

Read the release

Science30 Jan 2025

Grossman wins 2025 Transatlantic Alliance Award in Endocrinology

WASHINGTON—The Endocrine Society and the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) are delighted to announce Professor Ashley Grossman, F.Med.Sci., as the winner of the 2025 Transatlantic Alliance Award. Grossman is emeritus professor of endocrinology at the University of Oxford and a senior research fellow at Green Templeton College in Oxford, U.K. He also is a consultant endocrinologist at the Royal Free London and a professor of neuroendocrinology at Queen Mary University of London in London, ...

Read the release