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press releases.

Science16 Jan 2025

Large and small galaxies may grow in ways more similar than expected

A team of astronomers led by University of Arizona researcher Catherine Fielder has obtained the most detailed images of a small galaxy and its surroundings, revealing features typically associated with much larger galaxies. The observations provide a rare, elusive glimpse into how small galaxies form and evolve, suggesting that the mechanisms fueling galaxy growth may be more universal than previously thought. Fielder presented the findings at the 245th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in National Harbor, Maryland, during a press briefing ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

Australopithecines at South African cave site were not eating substantial amounts of meat

Seven Australopithecus specimens uncovered at the Sterkfontein fossil site in South Africa were herbivorous hominins who did not eat substantial amounts of meat, according to a new study by Tina Lüdecke and colleagues. Lüdecke et al. analyzed organic nitrogen and carbonate carbon isotopes extracted from tooth enamel in the fossil specimens to determine the hominin diets. Some researchers have hypothesized that the incorporation of animal-based foods in early hominin diets led to increased brain size, smaller gut size ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

Do parents really have a favorite child? Here’s what new research says

Siblings share a unique bond built from shared memories, family rituals and the occasional argument. But ask almost anyone with a brother or sister and you’ll likely find a longstanding debate: who’s the favorite? New research from BYU sheds some light on that playful rivalry, revealing how parents might subtly show favoritism based on birth order, personality and gender. The study, conducted by BYU School of Family Life professor Alex Jensen, found that younger siblings generally receive more favorable ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

Human ancestor thrived longer in harsher conditions than previous estimates

An early human ancestor of our species successfully navigated harsher and more arid terrains for longer in Eastern Africa than previously thought, according to a new study published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment. Homo erectus, the first of our relatives to have human-like proportions and the first known early human to migrate out of Africa, was the focus of the new study led by the international research team. The researchers analysed evidence from Engaji Nanyori in Tanzania’s Oldupai Gorge, revealing Homo erectus thrived ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

Evolution: Early humans adapted to extreme desert conditions over one million years ago

Homo erectus was able to adapt to and survive in desert-like environments at least 1.2 million years ago, according to a paper published in Communications Earth & Environment. The findings suggest that behavioural adaptations included returning repeatedly over thousands of years to specific rivers and ponds for fresh water, and the development of specialised tools. The authors propose that this capability to adapt may have led to the expansion of H. erectus’ geographic range. There has been significant debate over ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

The staying power of bifocal contact lens benefits in young kids

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Young nearsighted kids who wear bifocal contact lenses that slow uncoordinated eye growth do not lose the benefits of the treatment once they stop wearing the lenses, new research shows. The study is a follow-up to a clinical trial published in 2020 showing that soft multifocal contact lenses with a heavy dose of added reading power dramatically slowed further progression of myopia in kids as young as 7 years old. Researchers wondered if discontinuing that treatment might cause a rebound of faster-than-normal eye growth that wipes out the benefit. In the new trial, nearsighted kids wore ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

Leader in mission-driven open publishing wins APE Award for Innovation in Scholarly Communication

Digital Science is pleased to announce that Dr Raym Crow, a leading figure in mission-driven, sustainable open publishing models, has won the 2025 APE Award for Innovation in Scholarly Communication. The award – a joint initiative between Digital Science and the Berlin Institute for Scholarly Publishing (BISP) – has been announced at the 20th Academic Publishing in Europe (APE) Conference in Berlin, Germany. The APE award is presented to an individual who has brought innovation in scholarly communication to the community, through infrastructure, technology, business models, output on the topic, theory, or practice. With more than ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

MEXICO: How animals, people, and rituals created Teotihuacán

The remains of nearly 200 animals found in Mexico’s Teotihuacán are helping reconstruct history. The unearthing and significance of these remains, found in four chambers within the Moon Pyramid — dating back nearly 2,000 years — are central in Nawa Sugiyama’s new book, “Animal Matter: Ritual, Place, and Sovereignty at the Moon Pyramid of Teotihuacan,” published by Oxford University Press. Teotihuacán, one of the first megacities of the Western Hemisphere and now a UNESCO World Heritage site, is situated ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

Parental favoritism isn't a myth

WASHINGTON -- If you’ve ever wondered whether your parents secretly had a favorite child, they might have. Parents may be more inclined to confer the “favorite child award” to daughters and children who are agreeable and conscientious, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. “For decades, researchers have known that differential treatment from parents can have lasting consequences for children,” said lead author Alexander Jensen, PhD, an associate professor at Brigham Young University. “This study helps us understand which children are more likely to be on the receiving end of favoritism, which can ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

MIT Press’s Direct to Open reaches annual funding goal for 2025, opens access to 80 new monographs

January 16, 2024 - The MIT Press is pleased to announce that Direct to Open (D2O) has reached its full funding goal for 2025 and will open access to 80 new monographs and edited book collections in the spring and fall publishing seasons. “It has been one of the greatest privileges of my career to contribute to this program and demonstrate that our academic community can unite to publish high-quality open access monographs at scale,” said Amy Harris, Senior Manager of Library Relations ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

Thin lenses have a bright future

Paper-thin optical lenses simple enough to mass produce like microchips could enable a new generation of compact optical devices. A team with researchers at the University of Tokyo and JSR Corp. fabricated and tested flat lenses called Fresnel zone plates (FZPs), but did so for the first time using only common semiconductor manufacturing equipment, the i-line stepper, for the first time. These flat lenses currently lack the efficiency of in-production lenses, but have the potential to reshape optics for industries ranging from astronomy to health care and consumer electronics. Flat lenses, such as metalenses, exist, but they come with hefty price tags ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

Study identifies mechanism underlying increased osteoarthritis risk in postmenopausal females

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition that disproportionally affects postmenopausal women, and the millions affected can attest to the pain, reduced mobility and diminished quality of life that comes from this disease. While the hormonal changes associated with menopause have long been known to accelerate the development and progression of OA, a deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms that underlie this correlation is crucial for developing effective treatments. A new study led by researchers at Spaulding Rehabilitation, a member of the Mass General Brigham ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

Study shows seed impact mills clobber waterhemp seed viability

WESTMINSTER, Colorado – 16 January 2025 – Recently published research in the journal Weed Science shows promise for controlling herbicide-resistant weeds in soybean fields by using a seed impact mill at harvest. When installed on a combine, this harvest weed-seed control system (HWSC) mechanically damages weed seeds as they move through the mill to render them non-viable. Iowa State University Researchers Alexis Meadows and Ram (Ramawatar) Yadav conducted seed impact mill field experiments ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

Study links rising suicidality among teen girls to increase in identifying as LGBQ

Amid an increase in suicidal behavior among teen girls, new research links this phenomenon to the significant increase in the number of female students identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning (LGBQ). “This finding suggests that the overall increase in female suicidality is not due to all female students becoming more suicidal, but rather to a larger proportion of students being part of a group that has historically experienced higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors due to social and structural pressures,” says lead author Joseph Cimpian, ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

Mind’s eye: Pineal gland photoreceptor’s 2 genes help fish detect color

We see color because photoreceptor cones in our eyes detect light waves corresponding to red, green, and blue, while dimness or brightness is detected by photoreceptor rods. Many non-mammalian vertebrates like fish, however, are known to detect color and brightness with the pineal gland, which is part of the brain. An Osaka Metropolitan University research group has further elucidated on how the pineal organ of fish do so. Previously, the research group led by Professor Akihisa Terakita and Professor Mitsumasa Koyanagi of the Graduate School of Science revealed that ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

Mapping gene regulation

KYOTO – An international team of researchers has taken an important step toward understanding how gene expression is controlled across the human genome. A new study has comprehensively analyzed “cis-regulatory elements” (CREs), which are the DNA sequences that regulate gene transcription. This work sheds light on how these elements contribute to cell-specific gene expression and how mutations within them may influence health and disease. CREs, including enhancers and promoters, are essential for controlling when and where genes are ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

Dung data: manure can help to improve global maps of herbivore distribution

Researchers have used dung records to create high-resolution maps of herbivore distribution around the world. Their new study, recently published in Nature Food, reveals a strong positive relationship between dung presence and grazing pressure, meaning the amount of dung found in a particular location could help us understand approximately how many herbivores live there. Many people consider dung simply as the manure left behind by horses and cows at country shows, or something to be avoided when you visit the cousins’ farm. But dung is actually an important resource for millions of people worldwide. Dung ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

Concerns over maternity provision for pregnant women in UK prisons

Senior midwives and researchers with experience in criminal and social justice are among those calling for improved maternity provision for pregnant women in UK prisons. In an article published by The BMJ today, Laura Abbott and colleagues highlight gaps in clinical care for pregnant women and say the systemic problems need tackling urgently to protect the health of pregnant women, new mothers, and babies while in criminal justice settings. Figures from April 2023 to March 2024 show that 229 pregnant women ...

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Science16 Jan 2025

UK needs a national strategy to tackle harms of alcohol, argue experts

The UK needs an overarching national strategy to tackle alcohol related harms, argue experts in The BMJ today, as deaths from alcohol in England reach their highest level on record. Julia Sinclair at the University of Southampton and colleagues warn that successive government cuts have led to reduced provision and quality of alcohol treatment, and say sustained funding is needed for screening and care, while industry must also shoulder some of the costs. Alcohol is widely available and drunk by around 80% of adults in the UK and is now well established as ...

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Science15 Jan 2025

How does Tourette syndrome differ by sex?

MINNEAPOLIS — Tourette syndrome is currently diagnosed about three times more frequently in males than in females. A new study finds that female individuals are less likely to be diagnosed with the syndrome, take longer to receive a diagnosis and are older when they are diagnosed than male individuals. The study is published in the January 15, 2025, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by ...

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Science15 Jan 2025

Examination of Large Language Model "red-teaming" defines it as a non-malicious team-effort activity to seek LLMs' limits and identifies 35 different techniques used to test them

Examination of Large Language Model "red-teaming" defines it as a non-malicious team-effort activity to seek LLMs' limits and identifies 35 different techniques used to test them Article URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0314658 Article title: Summon a demon and bind it: A grounded theory of LLM red teaming Author countries: US, Denmark Funding: VILLUM Foundation, grant No. 37176: ATTiKA: Adaptive Tools for Technical Knowledge Acquisition. The funders had no role in study design, data collection ...

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Science15 Jan 2025

AI–guided lung ultrasound by nonexperts

About The Study: In this multicenter validation study, trained health care professionals with artificial intelligence (AI) assistance achieved lung ultrasound images meeting diagnostic standards compared with lung ultrasound experts without AI. This technology could extend access to lung ultrasound to underserved areas lacking expert personnel. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Cristiana Baloescu, MD, MPH, email cristiana.baloescu@yale.edu. To access the embargoed ...

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Science15 Jan 2025

Association between surgeon stress and major surgical complications

About The Study: In this cohort study including 38 attending surgeons and 793 patients, increased surgeon stress at the beginning of a procedure was associated with improved clinical patient outcomes. The results are illustrative of the complex relationship between physiological stress and performance, identify a novel association between measurable surgeon human factors and patient outcomes, and may highlight opportunities to improve patient care. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Jake Awtry, MD, email jawtry@bwh.harvard.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media ...

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Science15 Jan 2025

How cryogenic microscopy could help strengthen food security

According to the United Nations, soil salinization affects between 20% and 40% of arable land globally, with human activity and climate change – especially rising sea levels – largely responsible for this process. While the human body needs sodium to function, this is not the case for most plants. In fact, excess salt around plants’ roots gradually blocks their access to water, stunting their growth, poisoning them and hastening their death. Ten million hectares of farmland are destroyed by soil salinization every year, posing a threat to global food security. Scientists at EPFL, ...

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Science15 Jan 2025

How crickets co-exist with hostile ant hosts

Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have discovered sophisticated behavioral strategies that enable parasitic crickets to survive within ant colonies. Led by Ryoya Tanaka, the team documented how these insects successfully navigate life among potentially lethal hosts through precise evasion tactics. Their findings, published in Communications Biology, reveal remarkable adaptations that allow these cricket species to thrive in a hostile environment. Animals that live in ant colonies, known as “ant guests”, exploit their hosts’ resources. However, this ...

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