Science
press releases.

Science10 Feb 2026

Media coverage of Asian American Olympians functioned as 'loyalty test'

When Asian American Olympians Chloe Kim and Eileen Gu competed in their first Winter Games, they were treated differently by the U.S. media, a new University of Michigan study suggests. Snowboarder Chloe Kim was celebrated as a "typical American teenager" by the media for competing for the United States in her first Olympics in 2018, while four years later, freestyle skier Eileen Gu was cast as an "ungrateful traitor" after opting to represent China instead of the U.S. Study corresponding author Doo Jae Park, a lecturer in sport management at the U-M School of Kinesiology and faculty affiliate ...

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Science10 Feb 2026

New record of Great White Shark in Spain sparks a 160-year review

On April 20, 2023, a juvenile great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) measuring approximately 210 cm and weighing between 80-90 kg was incidentally caught by local fishermen off the coast of eastern peninsula. This rare encounter, prompted the researchers to dive deep into past records spanning from 1862 to 2023 compiling an extensive review that is now published in the open-access journal Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria. The accidental capture - contextualized within a review of records spanning 160 years - revealed that while the Mediterranean great white shark remains ...

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Science10 Feb 2026

Do cash transfers lead to traumatic injury or death?

Cash transfer programs, which provide money directly to recipients, are growing in the United States, but face significant scrutiny, with questions over their value. In addition, some contend that these payments can lead to harm—recipients, they claim, will use the cash to immediately buy alcohol or drugs, leading to injury or death. However, a new 11-year study of a long-standing cash-transfer program in Alaska finds no evidence that direct cash payments increase the risk of traumatic injury or death. The paper, authored by researchers at New York University, the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, and Alaska’s former chief ...

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Science10 Feb 2026

Eva Vailionis, MS, CGC is presented the 2026 ACMG Foundation Genetic Counselor Best Abstract Award by The ACMG Foundation

BETHESDA, MD – February 10, 2026 | Eva Vailionis, MS, CGC is the 2026 recipient of the ACMG Foundation Genetic Counselor Best Abstract Award. The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine selected Ms. Vailionis based on her abstract, “Prevalence and Tumor Characteristics of Patients with TMEM127 Pathogenic Variants in a Large, Pan-Cancer Cohort,” which will be delivered as a featured platform presentation at the 2026 ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting. Vailionis is a cancer genetic counselor at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. She earned her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Rutgers University in 2022 and practices in hereditary ...

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Science10 Feb 2026

Where did that raindrop come from? Tracing the movement of water molecules using isotopes

Tokyo, Japan –Did you know that we can track the journey of a drop of water through space and time? Water is made of hydrogen and oxygen, and sometimes these atoms are slightly heavier than usual. These heavier forms are called isotopes. As water evaporates or moves through the atmosphere, the amount of these isotopes changes in predictable ways. This can act as a fingerprint, allowing researchers to trace the movement of water at global scales. This information can then be used with hydrological modeling, allowing scientists to interpret extreme weather events, such as storms, flooding and droughts, ...

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Science10 Feb 2026

Planting tree belts on wet farmland comes with an overlooked trade-off

A research team has conducted a study to examine how shelterbelts influence bird species diversity and composition in an agricultural wetland landscape on the western coast of central Japan. They determined that shelterbelts, trees planted to protect the land from wind, in farmlands are not automatically beneficial for bird diversity. Their research is published in the Journal of Environmental Management on January 15, 2026. Many agri-environmental policies promote planting trees and hedgerows in farmland to enhance biodiversity. These woody features, called shelterbelts, are widely assumed to be beneficial. However, most of the evidence supporting their benefits comes from croplands ...

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Science10 Feb 2026

Egalitarianism among hunter-gatherers

Hunter-gatherers like the Hadza of Tanzania are famous for their egalitarianism. A resource redistribution experiment conducted with the Hadza suggests many tolerate inequality—as long as it benefits themselves. Duncan N.E. Stibbard-Hawkes, Kris M. Smith, and colleagues asked 117 Hadza adults to redistribute food resources between themselves and an unspecified campmate after receiving either advantageous or disadvantageous initial allocations. Unlike many previous redistribution experiments, participants ...

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Science10 Feb 2026

AI-generated arguments are persuasive, even when labeled

Labeling content as AI-generated does not make it less persuasive than human-authored or unlabeled content, according to a study. Isabel O. Gallegos and colleagues conducted a survey experiment with 1,601 Americans to test whether authorship labels affect the persuasiveness of AI-generated messages about public policies. Participants viewed an AI-generated message about one of four policy issues, including geoengineering, drug importation, college athlete salaries, and social media platform liability. Participants were randomly assigned to see the message labeled as created by an expert ...

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Science10 Feb 2026

Researchers rebuild microscopic circadian clock that can control genes

Our circadian clocks play a crucial role in our health and well-being, keeping our 24-hour biological cycles in sync with light and dark exposure. Disruptions in the rhythms of these clocks, as with jet lag and daylight saving time, can throw our daily functioning out of sync. University of California San Diego scientists are now getting closer to understanding how these clocks operate at their core. In the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, researchers based in UC San Diego’s Department of Molecular Biology (School of Biological Sciences) and Center for Circadian Biology, along with national ...

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Science10 Feb 2026

Young scientists from across the UK shortlisted for largest unrestricted science prize

10 February 2026 – London – The Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences today announced the Finalists for the 2026 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the United Kingdom. The Awards recognise scientific advances by UK researchers across Life Sciences, Chemical Sciences, and Physical Sciences & Engineering. On Tuesday, 24 February, Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, will reveal the three 2026 Laureates at a gala dinner and awards ceremony in London. Now in its ninth year, each Blavatnik Awards Laureate will receive an unrestricted £100,000 (US$135,000) prize, while the remaining six Finalists ...

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Science10 Feb 2026

The nonlinear Hall effect induced by electrochemical intercalation in MoS2 thin flake devices

A research team from Nanjing University has developed an in-situ on-device electrochemical intercalation method to manipulate the structural and electronic properties of MoS2 thin flakes, resulting in a robust nonlinear Hall effect (NLHE) observable at room temperature. By intercalating cetyltrimethylammonium ions (CTA+) into the van der Waals (vdW) gap of MoS2, the inversion symmetry is broken and NLHE can be observed up to 300 K. This work provides a new approach for regulating NLHE and symmetry in 2D materials ...

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Science10 Feb 2026

Moving beyond money to measure the true value of Earth science information

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — They’re all around us: sensors and satellites, radars and drones. These tools form vast remote sensing networks that collect data on the climate, the ground, the air, and the water. This information is immensely useful for research, conservation, and disaster preparedness. But, according to an interdisciplinary group of Earth science researchers in a paper led by Casey O’Hara of UC Santa Barbara, we’re only just scratching the surface of understanding just how beneficial Earth Science Information can be. “We’re trying to use the information we gather from all this instrumentation ...

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Science10 Feb 2026

Legalization of cannabis + retail sales linked to rise in its use and co-use of tobacco

The legalisation of cannabis and the start of retail sales of the drug in the US are linked to both a rise in its recreational use and concurrent use of tobacco, as well as a fall in sole tobacco use, finds an analysis of health behavioural data, published online in the journal Tobacco Control. These patterns were evident in higher risk groups, such as those with poor mental health, as well as those with historically lower levels of recreational cannabis use, such as older people and those with higher levels of education, the findings indicate. Concurrent use of tobacco and cannabis is associated with an increased risk of developing ...

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Science10 Feb 2026

Porpoises ‘buzz’ less when boats are nearby

Harbour porpoises “buzz” less when boats and ships and nearby – suggesting a drop in feeding and socialising, new research shows. Scientists used underwater microphones in a narrow strait called the Little Belt (Denmark) then mapped porpoise sounds against vessel traffic. Buzzes (short sounds used when porpoises feed and socialise) reduced by up to 45% during busiest vessel traffic periods. Harbour porpoises are small but have a rapid metabolism and eat almost constantly – so reduced activity could ...

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Science9 Feb 2026

When heat flows backwards: A neat solution for hydrodynamic heat transport

When we think about heat travelling through a material, we typically picture diffusive transport, a process that transfers heat from high-temperature to low-temperature as particles and molecules bump into each other, losing kinetic energy in the process. But in some materials heat can travel in a different way, flowing like water in a pipeline that – at least in principle – can be forced to move in a direction of choice. This second regime is called hydrodynamic heat transport. Heat conduction is mediated by movement of phonons, which are collective excitations of atoms in solids, ...

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Science9 Feb 2026

Global collaboration launches streamlined-access to Shank3 cKO research model

** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ** Global Collaboration Launches Streamlined-Access to Shank3 cKO Research Model Next-generation research tool designed to accelerate therapeutic development for Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS) and SHANK3-related neurodevelopmental disorders. Next-generation research tool designed to accelerate therapeutic development for Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS) and SHANK3-related neurodevelopmental disorders. LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS - LOS ANGELES - PERTH — February 9, 2026 — InnoSer, a contract research organization (CRO) with preclinical expertise; CureSHANK, a driver of initiatives that accelerate the development of new therapies for PMS ...

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Science9 Feb 2026

Baycrest study reveals how imagery styles shape pathways into STEM and why gender gaps persist

Toronto, February 9, 2026 – New research is proving persistent gender gaps in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers can’t be explained by academic ability alone. A recent Baycrest study suggests that success in STEM careers is shaped by different cognitive strengths and that these strengths relate differently to career outcomes for women and men. The findings offer new insight into why women remain underrepresented in computational STEM fields, such as computer science and engineering, despite comparable academic ability. The ...

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Science9 Feb 2026

Dana-Farber research helps drive FDA label update for primary CNS lymphoma

BOSTON — Dana-Farber Cancer Institute-led research helped drive an FDA label update for axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta) that removes a prior exclusion for patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma, a rare and aggressive lymphoma of the brain and spinal cord. The change is expected to expand access to commercial CAR T-cell therapy for eligible patients with relapsed or refractory disease. The updated labeling reflects years of Dana-Farber research focused on defining whether CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy can be delivered safely and effectively to patients with lymphoma involving the central nervous system. Most CAR T-cell trials ...

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Science9 Feb 2026

Impact of a smartwatch hypertension notification feature for population screening

About The Study: This cross-sectional study assesses the potential impact of a smartwatch hypertension notification feature for U.S. adults who have not been diagnosed with hypertension. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Jordana B. Cohen, MD, MSCE, email jco@pennmedicine.upenn.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2025.26925) Editor’s Note: Please see the article ...

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Science9 Feb 2026

Risk factors for the development of food allergy in infants and children

About The Study: In this meta-analysis, the most credible risk factors associated with development of childhood food allergy are a combination of major and minor risk factors, including early allergic conditions (atopic march/diathesis), delayed allergen introduction, genetics, antibiotic exposure, demographic factors, and birth-related variables. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Derek K. Chu, email chudk@mcmaster.ca. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website ...

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Science9 Feb 2026

What drives food allergies? New study pinpoints early-life factors that raise risk

A new study from McMaster University involving 2.8 million children around the world has revealed the most important early-life factors that influence whether a child becomes allergic to food. The study, one of the largest of its kind to examine food allergies, furthers our understanding of how allergies develop, concluding that a combination of genetic, environmental, microbial and social factors influence allergies, rather than a single cause. To come to their findings, researchers carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of 190 studies on childhood food allergy, including those that confirmed allergy using gold-standard food challenge testing. The study, published ...

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Science9 Feb 2026

Businesses can either lead transformative change or risk extinction: IPBES

Manchester, UK — Every business depends on biodiversity, and every business impacts biodiversity. The growth of the global economy has been at the cost of immense biodiversity loss, which now poses a critical and pervasive systemic risk to the economy, financial stability and human wellbeing. This is a central finding of a landmark new report published today by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Even companies that might seem far-removed from nature or that do not see themselves as nature-based rely, directly or indirectly, on material inputs, regulation of environmental conditions - such as ...

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Science9 Feb 2026

Seeing the whole from a part: Revealing hidden turbulent structures from limited observations and equations

The irregular, swirling motion of fluids we call turbulence can be found everywhere, from stirring in a teacup to currents in the planetary atmosphere. This phenomenon is governed by the Navier–Stokes equations—a set of mathematical equations that describe how fluids move. Despite being known for nearly two centuries, these equations still pose major challenges when it comes to making predictions. Turbulent flows are inherently chaotic, and tiny uncertainties can grow quickly over time. In real-world situations, scientists can only observe part of a turbulent flow, usually its largest and slowest ...

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Science9 Feb 2026

Evidence of a subsurface lava tube on Venus

Volcanic activity is not unique to Earth: traces of volcanic activity, such as lava tubes, have been found on Mars and the Moon. Now, the University of Trento has demonstrated the existence of an empty lava tube even in the depths of Venus, a planet whose surface and geology have been largely shaped by volcanic processes. The cave was identified through radar data analysis as part of a project funded by the Italian Space Agency. The discovery was published by Nature Communications. "Our knowledge of Venus is still limited, and until now we have never had the opportunity to directly observe processes occurring beneath the surface of Earth’s twin planet. ...

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Science9 Feb 2026

More than 1,000 institutions worldwide now partner with MDPI on open access

MDPI, the Open Access (OA) publisher, today announced more than 1,000 partners have joined its Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP), a significant milestone for the organization. The agreements span 59 countries, covering North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Last year alone, more than 150 new libraries and academic institutions joined MDPI’s IOAP. The expansion of an existing consortium deal in Sweden added a further 75 partners to the publisher’s portfolio in January 2026, ...

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