Science
press releases.

Science14 Jan 2026

Scientists discover how fast the world’s deltas are sinking

New research involving the University of East Anglia (UEA) reveals how fast the world’s river deltas are sinking and the human-driven causes. Home to hundreds of millions of people, until now it was unclear what the rate of delta elevation loss is, or what is driving delta subsidence. In a new study published today in Nature, scientists report that land subsidence caused by humans - through the extraction of groundwater - is the main culprit. The study, led by the University of California, Irvine and involving researchers ...

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Science14 Jan 2026

Application of orthogonal CNOP-I in a convection-allowing ensemble prediction system based on CMA-MESO for improving extreme precipitation skill

Extreme summer precipitation events in China have grown increasingly frequent and intense, posing severe threats to human life, property, and socioeconomic development. Accurate forecasting of extreme precipitation is crucial for improving disaster prevention and mitigation. Ensemble forecasting quantifies prediction uncertainty by generating multiple simulations through strategic perturbations, thereby estimating the probability distribution of future atmospheric states. However, traditional initial perturbation methods using linear singular vectors (SVs) are insufficient to capture the nonlinear evolution of mesoscale convective ...

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Science14 Jan 2026

Study suggests bamboo has ‘superfood’ potential

The world’s first academic review into bamboo consumption has identified a surprising range of health benefits, including helping control blood sugar, fighting inflammation, improving gut health and acting as an antioxidant. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth, with some varieties growing up to 90cm per day. China and India are the world’s largest producers and although bamboo shoots are already a staple in many Asian diets, the new research indicates it could have an important role to play in diets worldwide. Bamboo is packed with protein, has moderate levels of fibre, is low in fat, contains amino acids, ...

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Science14 Jan 2026

SwRI’s Dr. Michael Davis named SPIE Fellow

SAN ANTONIO — January 14, 2026 — Southwest Research Institute’s (SwRI) Dr. Michael Davis has been named a Fellow of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Davis is an astrophysicist who specializes in the design and testing of space instruments including those used for ultraviolet (UV) imaging and spectroscopy of remote planets, galactic astrophysics, and Earth’s plasmasphere. He was named a senior member of SPIE in 2021, and this latest honor puts him in the most elite category of membership. Founded in 1955, SPIE promotes the global optics and photonics community through conferences, publications and professional ...

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Science14 Jan 2026

New study reveals precursors for forecasting summer clustered extreme precipitation events in Northeast China

Against the background of accelerated global warming, the atmospheric moisture content has increased significantly and the hydrological cycle has intensified, leading to pronounced rises in both the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events globally. Northeast China, a region highly sensitive to climate change, has experienced increasing occurrence of clustered extreme heavy precipitation events in recent years. Improved knowledge of synoptic regimes and moisture accumulation responsible for clustered extreme heavy precipitation events (CEPEs) is essential for enhancing short-term forecasting skill and disaster prevention and mitigation. Researchers ...

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Science14 Jan 2026

Bis-pseudoindoxyls: a new class of single benzene-based fluorophores for bioimaging applications

Fluorophores are chemical compounds or molecules that absorb light energy at one wavelength and re-emit it as light at a longer, lower-energy wavelength, acting as glowing tags or markers. The absorption process is known as excitation, and the re-emission is visible as fluorescent light, which makes these molecules crucial for biological imaging, diagnostics, and tracing cellular molecules like proteins or lipids under normal or various infectious conditions. Fluorophores with red-light absorption properties are ideal for bioimaging. Red light refers ...

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Science14 Jan 2026

Commercial water dispenser machines may contain more contamination than tap water

Water dispenser machines in commercial spaces may contain higher levels of microbial contamination if they aren’t cleaned regularly compared to the tap water sources supplying them that contain residual chlorine, according to a new study. Loma Linda University researchers conducted a literature review of 70 published studies from around the world that examined commercial water nozzles and spigots. Their study, Microbiological quality of drinking water from water dispensers, was published in December 2025 by the AIMS Microbiology. Researchers found that many studies identified bacterial growth in commercial ...

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Science14 Jan 2026

A CRISPR fingerprint of pathogenic C. auris fungi

(BOSTON) — Infection with the pathogenic yeast fungus Candida auris (C. auris) can wreak havoc on the health of hospital patients and residents of nursing homes, especially those who are already weakened by other illnesses. The pathogen easily spreads and colonizes surfaces and objects where it can survive for weeks to months, and is often resistant to standard disinfectants. C. auris infections are especially problematic for patients who receive organ transplants or chemotherapy, and whose immune systems are compromised, ...

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Science14 Jan 2026

Time warp: How marketers express time can affect what consumers buy

Which feels further back in time: the year 2016, or 10 years ago? And which feels closer: 2036, or 10 years from now? According to new research from the UBC Sauder School of Business, the way time is expressed—as a calendar year or as a length of time—can change how people experience the past and the future, and influence real consumer decisions. That matters because time-based language is everywhere and could affect how much people are willing to pay. For example, which whiskey would consumers be willing to pay more ...

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Science14 Jan 2026

Staying single for longer affects young people’s well-being

Media increasingly portray being single as an expression of people’s lifestyle, self-determination and empowerment, with expressions such as self-partnership, solo living, sologamy and singlehood dominating the discourse. At the same time, more and more young adults are opting not to engage in a committed romantic relationship. A research team led by the University of Zurich (UZH) has now investigated how being single long-term affects people’s well-being. The researchers drew on data from more than 17,000 young people in Germany and the United Kingdom who had no prior relationship experience at the start of the study. Participants were surveyed annually from the ages of ...

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Science14 Jan 2026

Bulk inorganic crystals grown from water emit “handed” light

Researchers at Kumamoto University have discovered that a purely inorganic crystal grown from water solution can emit circularly polarized light, a special form of light whose “handedness” distinguishes left from right. The finding opens a new pathway toward robust optical materials for security printing, advanced displays, and photonic technologies, using simple inorganic chemistry rather than complex organic molecules. Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) occurs when a light-emitting material preferentially emits either left-handed or right-handed circularly polarized light. Until now, most CPL materials ...

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Science14 Jan 2026

Food critics or food grabbers? When choosing food, wood mice split into careful examiners who sniff and handle, and quick nut grabbers

A mouse scurries up to six chestnuts. Three look healthy. Three have exit holes where moth larvae ate the insides before they left. What does the mouse do? For two years, Nagoya University researchers watched wood mice make these decisions on a forest floor. They measured the time they spent selecting nuts and found that about half the mice observed spent about five seconds sniffing and comparing chestnuts before they chose, potentially increasing their exposure to predators. The other half grabbed the nearest nut and ran in one to two seconds. The study, published in Scientific Reports, confirms that mice use smell to detect ...

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Science14 Jan 2026

Phone apps nearly 3 times as good as no/basic support for quitting smoking long term

Smartphone apps—particularly those based on psychological theories—are 3 times as effective as no/minimal support at helping people who smoke stub out their tobacco use long term, suggests a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the online journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine. If high quality clinical trials can confirm lasting benefits and key features, these apps could become a cornerstone of global tobacco control efforts, suggest the researchers. Smartphone ...

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Science13 Jan 2026

Study debunks myth of native Hawaiians causing bird extinctions

Challenging a 50-year-old narrative about Hawaiʻi’s native birds, a new study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa found no scientific evidence that Indigenous People hunted waterbird species to extinction. Published in the journal Ecosphere, the research debunks this long-held myth and offers a new, integrated theory to explain the disappearances. Researchers found no evidence that Indigenous People over-hunted birds to extinction. Instead, the authors suggest a new theory: the birds died out because of a combination of climate change, invasive species,and changes in how the land was used—most of which happened either prior to Polynesian ...

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Science13 Jan 2026

New study reveals major gaps in global forest maps

For decades, global efforts to combat climate change and protect biodiversity have relied on a high-tech promise: that satellite-derived maps can tell us exactly where the world's forests are. But a new study from the University of Notre Dame reveals that these digital baselines are often in sharp disagreement, creating confusion that threatens to undermine effective climate funding and international development efforts. Because these maps determine everything from carbon storage estimates to the enactment of conservation policies, even small discrepancies can have serious ...

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Science13 Jan 2026

Can future-focused thoughts help smokers quit?

As the warning label on every pack of cigarettes tells us, smoking is harmful. It’s the leading preventable cause of death, disease and disability. And yet, nearly 15 percent of adults in the United States still smoke. “Most indicate they want to quit,” said Jeff Stein, an addiction researcher and assistant professor with Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. “But knowing that smoking affects your health isn’t enough to motivate people. The future is just too abstract and often doesn’t feel real.” If ...

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Science13 Jan 2026

Signs of ancient life turn up in an unexpected place

Boulder, Colo., USA: Dr. Rowan Martindale, a paleoecologist and geobiologist at the University of Texas at Austin, was walking through the Dadès Valley in the Central High Atlas Mountains of Morocco when she saw something that literally stopped her in her tracks. Martindale and her colleagues, including Stéphane Bodin of Aarhus University, were trekking through the rocky valley to study the ecology of the ancient reef systems that once sat below sea level there. To get to the reefs, they first had to traverse through layers and layers of turbidites—deposits made by thick submarine ...

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Science13 Jan 2026

Zhongping Lee awarded the Nils Gunnar Jerlov Medal

The Oceanography Society has selected Dr. Zhongping Lee of Xiamen University as the recipient of the 2026 Nils Gunnar Jerlov Medal, recognizing his transformative contributions to understanding how light interacts with the ocean, as well as his sustained leadership in education, interdisciplinary research, and collaborative work with meaningful societal impact. Dr. Lee will be recognized at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, as well as during the Ocean Optics XXVII Conference in Ghent, Belgium, in September 2026. Awarded biennially, the ...

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Science13 Jan 2026

Deborah S. Kelley awarded the Wallace S. Broecker Medal

Deborah S. Kelley, Professor in the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington, has been awarded the Wallace S. Broecker Medal by The Oceanography Society. This honor recognizes her innovative and impactful contributions to marine geoscience and chemical oceanography, her leadership in interdisciplinary and collaborative research, and her sustained commitment to education and mentorship. Dr. Kelley will receive this honor at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, and will also present a plenary lecture during the society awards session on February ...

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Science13 Jan 2026

CHEST releases guideline on biologic management in severe asthma

Glenview, Illinois –The American College of Chest Physicians® (CHEST) recently released a new clinical guideline on biologic management in severe asthma. Published in the journal CHEST®, the guideline contains seven evidence-based recommendations to provide a framework for pulmonologists, allergists, and immunologists to implement in their own practice. Severe asthma affects 5% to 10% of patients with asthma, which is defined as patients who require high-dose ...

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Science13 Jan 2026

Scientists create a system for tracking underwater blackouts

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Clouds, smoke and fog may darken the skies, but sediment, algae blooms and organic matter can turn day into night on the seafloor. That’s why an international team of scientists have created the first framework to identify and compare these marine blackouts. The study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, introduces the concept of a marine darkwave: a short-term but intense episode of underwater darkness that can severely impact kelp forests, seagrass beds and other light-dependent ...

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Science13 Jan 2026

New mega-analysis reveals why memory declines with age

A landmark international study that pooled brain scans and memory tests from thousands of adults has shed new light on how structural brain changes are tied to memory decline as people age. The findings — based on more than 10,000 MRI scans and over 13,000 memory assessments from 3,700 cognitively healthy adults across 13 studies — show that the connection between shrinking brain tissue and declining memory is nonlinear, stronger in older adults, and not solely driven by known Alzheimer’s-associated genes like ...

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Science13 Jan 2026

Minimum wage increases are linked to safer pregnancies

Increases to the minimum wage may do more than bolster household income, reduce inequality and enhance worker well-being: They may also help make pregnancies safer, according to new research from Rutgers University. A study published online ahead of the Fe in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that state-level increases in the minimum wage are associated with lower rates of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, a leading cause of maternal mortality in the United States. The study, led by Slawa Rokicki, an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health, ...

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Science13 Jan 2026

This crystal sings back: Illinois collaboration sheds light on magnetochiral instability

Researchers from The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have reported the first observation of a dynamic magnetochiral instability in a solid-state material. Their findings, published in Nature Physics, bridge ideas from nuclear and high-energy physics with materials science and condensed matter physics to explain how interplay between symmetry and magnetism can amplify electromagnetic waves. A material’s behavior is heavily influenced ...

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Science13 Jan 2026

New study reveals strategic logic behind global patent litigation venue selection

A new study published in the Strategic Management Journal sheds light on how multinational firms make strategic decisions about where to pursue patent litigation in an increasingly interconnected and politically complex global environment. Rather than treating patent disputes as isolated, country-by-country legal actions, the research shows that firms approach litigation as part of a coordinated global strategy. Drawing on patent litigation data from leading technology firms across 50 countries over ...

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