Science
press releases.

Science18 Nov 2024

The Einstein Foundation Berlin awards €500,000 prize to advance research quality

The €500,000 Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research honors researchers and institutions whose work helps to fundamentally advance the quality and robustness of research findings. The award is bestowed jointly with the QUEST Center for Responsible Research, Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité. „The Einstein Foundation Award seeks to amplify the importance of quality and accountability in research, particularly as science plays a critical role in addressing global challenges,“ explains Martin Rennert, Chair of the Einstein Foundation’s Executive Board. ...

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Science18 Nov 2024

Mitochondrial encephalopathy caused by a new biallelic repeat expansion

Mitochondrial diseases are among the most prevalent hereditary metabolic disorders, known to occur in one out every 5000 births. Single nucleotide variations, indels, and structural variations are known to cause these disorders. While many arise from single nucleotide variations, indels, or structural variants, some forms are also triggered by repeat expansions in nuclear genes affecting mitochondrial function, which can result in severe mitochondrial dysfunction. These diseases often impact the central nervous system (CNS), and mitochondrial encephalopathies represent a subset characterized by prominent ...

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Science18 Nov 2024

Be humble: Pitt studies reveal how to increase perceived trustworthiness of scientists

How can scientists across climate science, medical and psychological topics foster the public’s trust in them and their science? Show that they are intellectually humble. Those are some of the findings of two intellectually humble University of Pittsburgh scientists and their co-authors, using five separate studies totaling 2,034 participants in research published Nov. 18 in Nature Human Behaviour. “Research has shown that having intellectual humility — which is an awareness that one’s knowledge or beliefs might be incomplete or wrong — is associated with engaging in more effortful and less biased information processing,” said Jonah Koetke, ...

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Science18 Nov 2024

Promising daily tablet increases growth in children with dwarfism

A promising daily tablet is effective at increasing height and improving proportional limb growth in children with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, according to a new study. And the findings could spare these children from needing to have a daily injection to boost growth. The phase II study, led by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found the drug infigratinib, an investigational product, was safe and effective in treating children with achondroplasia aged 3-11 ...

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Science18 Nov 2024

How 70% of the Mediterranean Sea was lost 5.5 million years ago

Mediterranean Sea dropped during the Messinian Salinity Crisis – a major geological event that transformed the Mediterranean into a gigantic salt basin between 5.97 and 5.33 million years ago2. Until now, the process by which a million cubic kilometres of salt accumulated in the Mediterranean basin over such a short period of time remained unknown. Thanks to analysis of the chlorine isotopes3 contained in salt extracted from the Mediterranean seabed, scientists have been able to identify the ...

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Science18 Nov 2024

Parkinson’s Paradox: When more dopamine means more tremor

Researchers from the Champalimaud Foundation shed light on the puzzling relationship between dopamine and rest tremor in Parkinson’s disease, finding that preserved dopamine in certain brain regions may actually contribute to tremor symptoms, challenging common beliefs. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder known for its characteristic motor symptoms: tremor, rigidity, and slowness of movement. Among these, rest tremor—a shaking that occurs when muscles are relaxed—is one of the most recognisable yet least understood. A new study from the Champalimaud ...

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Science18 Nov 2024

A new model to explore the epidermal renewal

The mechanisms underlying skin renewal are still poorly understood. Interleukin-38 (IL-38), a protein involved in regulating inflammatory responses, could be a game changer. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has observed it for the first time in the form of condensates in keratinocytes, the cells of the epidermis. The presence of IL-38 in these aggregates is enhanced close to the skin’s surface exposed to atmospheric oxygen. This process could be linked to the initiation of programmed ...

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Science18 Nov 2024

New model can help understand coexistence in nature

Different species of seabirds can coexist on small, isolated islands despite eating the same kind of fish. A researcher at Uppsala University has been involved in developing a mathematical model that can be used to better understand how this ecosystem works. “Our model shows that coexistence occurs naturally when species differ in their ability to catch fish and to efficiently fly long distances to the area where they catch fish,” says Claus Rüffler, Associate Professor of Animal Ecology at Uppsala University. Seabirds can breed in very large colonies, sometimes consisting of several hundred thousand pairs. Ecologists working ...

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Science18 Nov 2024

National Poll: Some parents need support managing children's anger

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Many parents are all too familiar with angry outbursts from their children, from sibling squabbles to protests over screen time limits. But some parents may find it challenging to help their kids manage intense emotions. One in seven think their child gets angrier than peers of the same age and four in 10 say their child has experienced negative consequences when angry, a new national poll suggests. Seven in 10 parents even think they sometimes set a bad example of handling anger themselves, according to the University of Michigan Health ...

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Science18 Nov 2024

Scientists lead study on ‘spray on, wash off’ bandages for painful EB condition

Research into new bandaging aims to ease the agony experienced by those living with genetic skin condition Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), commonly referred to as 'butterfly skin'. Scientists at Maynooth University in Ireland are leading research into whether ‘spray on, wash off’ bandages will be a viable alternative to those currently used, which can cause severe pain when applied and removed. EB, which affects over 500,000 children and adults worldwide including 5,000 in the UK and 300 ...

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Science17 Nov 2024

Partial cardiac denervation to prevent postoperative atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting

About The Study: This randomized clinical trial found that partial cardiac denervation was an effective procedure to reduce the occurrence of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) without additional postoperative complications. These results suggest that partial cardiac denervation may be a good option for cardiac surgeons to consider for preventing POAF after CABG. Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Wei Feng, MD, PhD (fengwei@fuwai.com) and Wei Zhao, MD, PhD (zhaowei_fw@163.com). To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at ...

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Science16 Nov 2024

Excessive screen time linked to early puberty and accelerated bone growth

Exposure to blue light, like that from smartphones or tablets, may accelerate bone growth and bone age, leading to early puberty in rats. This research, presented at the 62nd Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting in Liverpool, sheds light on how the use of blue light-emitting devices could impact growth and development and raises important questions about the long-term health effects in children, who are increasingly exposed to screens from a young age. As children grow and develop, long bones such ...

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Science16 Nov 2024

Traditional Mayan practices have long promoted unique levels of family harmony. But what effect is globalization having?

A new paper in the journal Child Development shows how some aspects of family interaction among Indigenous people in Guatemala have fundamentally shifted with rapid globalization, yet families have still maintained a unique level of harmony in their interactions. UC Santa Cruz psychologist Barbara Rogoff has been working with Mayan communities in San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala for five decades and noticed a sophisticated type of fluid, inclusive collaboration among children from these communities. During a research study 30 years ago, mothers and their two small children interacted in a very distinct way, ...

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Science15 Nov 2024

Speech Accessibility Project partners with The Matthew Foundation, Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress

The Speech Accessibility Project has two new partners — The Matthew Foundation and the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress — as it continues to recruit adults with Down syndrome who live in the United States and Canada. The project also allows residents of Puerto Rico to participate. The project is also recruiting those with ALS, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease, as well as individuals who have had a stroke. “The research team has learned that connecting with trusted partners is key to showing the credibility of our work and how much it could improve the lives of people with disabilities,” said Mark ...

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Science15 Nov 2024

How microbes create the most toxic form of mercury

Mercury is extraordinarily toxic, but it becomes especially dangerous when transformed into methylmercury – a form so harmful that just a few billionths of a gram can cause severe and lasting neurological damage to a developing fetus. Unfortunately, methylmercury often makes its way into our bodies through seafood – but once it’s in our food and the environment, there’s no easy way to get rid of it. Now, leveraging high-energy X-rays at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, ...

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Science15 Nov 2024

‘Walk this Way’: FSU researchers’ model explains how ants create trails to multiple food sources

It’s a common sight — ants marching in an orderly line over and around obstacles from their nest to a food source, guided by scent trails left by scouts marking the find. But what happens when those scouts find a comestible motherlode? A team of Florida State University researchers led by Assistant Professor of Mathematics Bhargav Karamched has discovered that in a foraging ant’s search for food, it will leave pheromone trails connecting its colony to multiple food sources when they’re available, ...

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Science15 Nov 2024

Study uncovers earliest evidence of humans using fire to shape the landscape of Tasmania

Some of the first human beings to arrive in Tasmania, over 41,000 years ago, used fire to shape and manage the landscape, about 2,000 years earlier than previously thought. A team of researchers from the UK and Australia analysed charcoal and pollen contained in ancient mud to determine how Aboriginal Tasmanians shaped their surroundings. This is the earliest record of humans using fire to shape the Tasmanian environment. Early human migrations from Africa to the southern part of the globe were well underway during the early part of the last ice age – humans reached northern ...

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Science15 Nov 2024

Scientists uncover earliest evidence of fire use to manage Tasmanian landscape

Some of the first humans to arrive in Tasmania, over 41,000 years ago, used fire to shape and manage the landscape, a new study from The Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Cambridge has found. It is thought to be the earliest and most detailed record of humans using fire in the Tasmanian environment. According to the researchers, early inhabitants of Tasmania were managing forests and grasslands by burning them to create open spaces, possibly for food procurement and cultural activities. The team analysed traces of charcoal and pollen contained in ancient mud that showed how Indigenous Tasmanians (Palawa) ...

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Science15 Nov 2024

Stress makes mice’s memories less specific

Stress is a double-edged sword when it comes to memory: stressful or otherwise emotional events are usually more memorable, but stress can also make it harder for us to retrieve memories. In PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder, overgeneralizing aversive memories results in an inability to discriminate between dangerous and safe stimuli. However, until now, it wasn’t clear whether stress played a role in memory generalization. Now, neuroscientists report November 15 in the Cell Press journal Cell that acute stress prevents mice from forming specific memories. Instead, the stressed mice formed generalized memories, which are ...

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Science15 Nov 2024

Research finds no significant negative impact of repealing a Depression-era law allowing companies to pay workers with disabilities below minimum wage

PHILADELPHIA—Debate continues to swirl nationally on the fate of a practice born of an 86-year-old federal statute allowing companies to pay workers with disabilities subminimum wages: anything below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, but for some roles as little as 25-cents-per-hour. Those in favor of repealing this statute highlight assumptions about reduced productivity along with the unfairness of this wage level—often used elsewhere to pay, for example, food service workers who typically make additional wages in tips. Those against repeal have voiced concerns that, without subminimum ...

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Science15 Nov 2024

One or many? Exploring the population groups of the largest animal on Earth

FROM: James Urton University of Washington 206-543-2580 jurton@uw.edu (Note: researcher contact information at the end) Hunted nearly to extinction during 20th century whaling, the Antarctic blue whale, the world’s largest animal, went from a population size of roughly 200,000 to little more than 300. The most recent estimate in 2004 put Antarctic blue whales at less than 1% of their pre-whaling levels. But is this population recovering? Is there just one population of Antarctic blue whales, or multiple? Do these questions matter for conservation? A team led by Zoe Rand, a University of Washington doctoral student, tackles these questions ...

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Science15 Nov 2024

How optogenetics can put the brakes on epilepsy seizures

In what could one day become a new treatment for epilepsy, researchers at UC San Francisco, UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley have used pulses of light to prevent seizure-like activity in neurons. The researchers used brain tissue that had been removed from epilepsy patients as part of their treatment. Eventually, they hope the technique will replace surgery to remove the brain tissue where seizures originate, providing a less invasive option for patients whose symptoms cannot be controlled with medication. The ...

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Science15 Nov 2024

Maarja Öpik to take up the position of New Phytologist Editor-in-Chief from January 2025

The New Phytologist Foundation is delighted to announce that Professor Maarja Öpik will take up the position of Editor-in-Chief of New Phytologist from January 2025 for an initial term of five years. Maarja has served as a member of New Phytologist's editorial board since 2013 and is Professor of Molecular Ecology and Director of the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences at the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Tartu, Estonia. Maarja’s research addresses the interactions between plants and mycorrhizal fungi, with ...

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Science15 Nov 2024

Mountain lions coexist with outdoor recreationists by taking the night shift

Mountain lions in greater Los Angeles are proactively shifting their activity to avoid interacting with cyclists, hikers, joggers and other recreationists, finds a study from the University of California, Davis, Cal Poly Pomona and the National Park Service. The study, published Nov. 15 in the journal Biological Conservation, found that mountain lions living in areas with higher levels of human recreation were more nocturnal than lions in more remote regions who were more active at dawn and dusk. The authors said their findings offer a hopeful example of human-wildlife coexistence amid a large, dense human population. “People are increasingly enjoying recreating ...

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Science15 Nov 2024

Compound metalens achieves distortion-free imaging with wide field of view

In a recent study, researchers have developed a compound metalens that enables distortion-free imaging. The study, published in Engineering, presents a novel approach to on-demand distortion engineering using compound metalenses. Metalenses have emerged as a promising technology with applications in beam steering, imaging, depth sensing, and display projection. However, optical distortion, a crucial factor in optical design, has been relatively unexplored in the context of meta-optics. The researchers addressed this gap by demonstrating ...

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