Science
press releases.

Science18 Dec 2025

Kinetic careers

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Science can be as dynamic as the researchers who explore it. The Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers is recognizing three Sandia National Laboratories engineers who pushed beyond the boundaries of linear research to expand their knowledge and impact across multiple fields. Mechanical engineer Anton Sumali earned an SASE Career Achievement Award, chemist and nanoengineer Bishnu Khanal received an SASE Professional Achievement Award and transportation systems engineer Esther Woon Lyn John was honored with an SASE Promising Professional Achievement Award. Each has a unique journey but with ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

Uncovering how parasitic plants avoid attacking themselves to improve crop resistance

Ikoma, Japan—Parasitic plants are notorious agricultural pests that drain nutrients from crops and cause economic losses of more than USD 1 billion due to yield losses every year. Yet these plants almost never attack themselves or closely related plants. Scientists have long suspected that parasitic plants can recognize “kin,” but the molecular basis for this self-protection has remained unclear. Now, a team of researchers at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) in Japan has uncovered the mechanism that allows parasitic plants to distinguish self from non-self. Their findings, ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

Do hormones explain why women experience more gut pain?

Women are dramatically more likely than men to suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a chronic condition causing abdominal pain, bloating, and digestive discomfort. Now, scientists at UC San Francisco have discovered why. Estrogen, the researchers report in Science, activates previously unknown pathways in the colon that can trigger pain and make the female gut more sensitive to certain foods and their breakdown products. When male mice were given estrogen to mimic the levels found in females, their gut pain sensitivity increased to match that of females. The findings not only explain the female predominance ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

LLM use is reshaping scientific enterprise by increasing output, reducing quality and more

LLM-assisted manuscripts exhibit more complexity of the written word but are lower in research quality, according to a Policy Article by Keigo Kusumegi, Paul Ginsparg, and colleagues that sought to evaluate the impacts of widespread use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies on scientific production. “As AI systems advance, they will challenge our fundamental assumptions about research quality, scholarly communication, and the nature of intellectual labor,” write the authors. “Science policymakers must consider how to evolve our scientific institutions to accommodate the rapidly changing scientific production process.” Despite ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

Is talented youth nurtured the wrong way? New study shows: top performers develop differently than assumed

Exceptional performers drive innovation and help solve humanity's most pressing problems. Societies have a vital interest in the development of top performers in various fields. A recent review in the journal Science suggests that gifted education and talent programs have been based on false premises. For the first time, an international, interdisciplinary research team has collated the development of world-class performers in science, classical music, chess, and sports. Traditional research into giftedness and expertise assumes that the key factors to develop outstanding achievements are early performance (e.g., in a school subject, sport, or in concerts) and corresponding abilities ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

Most parents aware of early peanut introduction guidelines, but confused about details

Feeding babies peanut-containing foods as early as possible can help prevent peanut allergy, but a new study published in JAMA Network Open found that parents need more support to get it right. Interviews with parents revealed widespread confusion about the purpose, risks, and timing of early peanut introduction guidelines. “While some parents we talked to understood correctly that starting their baby on peanut foods trains the immune system in order to prevent the development of peanut allergy, other parents mistakenly believed that the purpose is to test if their baby is allergic – a misconception that fueled fears of severe allergic reaction, leading to hesitation and delays ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

Virtual care provision and emergency department use among children and youth

About The Study: In this population-based cohort study of Ontario children and youth, while emergency department visits following a primary sick visit were infrequent, virtual sick visits to primary care were associated with a small increase in emergency department use in children ages 3 months or older, especially low-acuity emergency department visits. Judicious use of virtual primary care to manage acute illness in children is warranted. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Natasha R. Saunders, MD, MSc, email natasha.saunders@sickkids.ca. To access the embargoed ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

ESMT Berlin study: What makes a first offer successful in negotiations

For decades, researchers and practitioners have debated whether it is better to make the first offer in a negotiation or to wait. A new meta-study now provides a comprehensive and clear answer. The researchers analyzed 90 studies with a total of 374 experiments and more than 16,000 participants. Their conclusion: Those who make the first offer and come well prepared generally achieve better outcomes. The study “The Power and Peril of First Offers in Negotiations” was conducted by Martin Schweinsberg, associate professor of organizational behavior at ESMT Berlin, as part of an international research team led by Hannes M. Petrowsky (Leuphana University). ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

Why swearing makes you stronger

Letting out a swear word in a moment of frustration can feel good. Now, research suggests that it can be good for you, too: Swearing can boost people’s physical performance by helping them overcome their inhibitions and push themselves harder on tests of strength and endurance, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. “In many situations, people hold themselves back – consciously or unconsciously – from using their full strength,” said study author Richard Stephens, PhD, of Keele University in the U.K. “Swearing is an easily available way to help yourself feel focused, ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

A decline in churchgoing linked to more deaths of despair

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A decline in religious participation among middle-aged, less educated white Americans may have played a role in the widely noted increases in “deaths of despair,” a new study finds. Researchers found that states that had the largest declines in churchgoing from 1985 to 2000 also had larger increases in death by drug overdoses, suicide and alcoholic liver disease – what have been called deaths of despair. While the increase in deaths of despair has often been ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

Global study to evaluate whether dengue outbreaks can be anticipated earlier

Thousands of dengue forecasting models have been published, but few have been tested in real public-health settings. Now, researchers from the US and Australia are launching a field evaluation in Vietnam to see whether a new early-warning platform can support earlier interventions against a disease that WHO says puts nearly half the world’s population at risk. Southern Cross University (Aus) is leading the second phase of this multi-year collaboration, working alongside the University of Queensland (Aus), Yale University (USA) and Vietnam’s National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. This ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

Detecting the hidden magnetism of altermagnets

Altermagnets are a newly recognized class of antiferromagnets whose magnetic structure behaves very differently from what is found in conventional systems. In conventional antiferromagnets, the sublattices are linked by simple inversion or translation, resulting in spin-degenerate electronic bands. In altermagnets, however, they are connected by unconventional symmetries such as rotations or screw axes. This shift in symmetry breaks the spin degeneracy, allowing for spin-polarized electron currents even in the absence of net magnetization. This unique property makes altermagnets exciting candidates for spintronic technologies, a field of electronics that ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

Your genes may influence gut microbiome of others, rat study shows

Your "roommate's" genes could be influencing the bacteria living in your gut, and vice versa, according to a study of rats published today in Nature Communications. The research, carried out by studying more than four thousand animals, reveals that the composition of the rat gut microbiome is shaped not only by an individual’s own genes but also by the genes of the individuals they share a living space with. The discovery reveals a new way genes and social life intertwine: through the exchange ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

Could your genes influence the gut microbiome of others?

The gut microbiome — made up of trillions of microbes in the digestive tract — is vital for digestion and overall health. Diet and medication shape these microbial ecosystems, but the contribution of genetics has been more difficult to ascertain. Now, a new study of rats — a model organism for understanding the human gut — has found that the composition of the rat gut microbiome is shaped not only by a rat’s own genes but also by the genes of those it lives with. The discovery reveals a novel way in which genes and social interactions intertwine: through the exchange of commensal ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

Collective risk resonance in Chinese stock sectors uncovered through higher-order network analysis

Background and Motivation Systemic financial risk remains a critical challenge for modern economies, underscored by recurring crises such as the 2008 global financial meltdown, the 2015 Chinese stock market crash, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditional research has often examined sectors in isolation or focused on pairwise risk spillovers, overlooking the complex, multi-sector dependencies that can amplify systemic threats. This study addresses that gap by exploring higher-order interactions—where risks resonate ...

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Science18 Dec 2025

Does CPU impact systemic risk contributions of Chinese sectors? Evidence from mixed frequency methods with asymmetric tail long memory

Background and Motivation As climate change intensifies globally, national policies aimed at mitigation and adaptation have become a significant, yet volatile, factor influencing financial markets. In China—the world's second-largest economy and a key player in global climate governance—the path toward carbon neutrality involves substantial policy adjustments, creating what researchers term Climate Policy Uncertainty (CPU). While CPU is recognised as an emerging source of financial risk, its specific impact on the systemic risk contributions of different economic sectors within ...

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Science17 Dec 2025

How many insects fly in the sky above the USA?

Around 100 trillion insects fly in the skies above the USA on a summer's day, according to estimates by researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) and the USA. Using weather radar, they have for the first time estimated the number of flying insects above the contiguous US. • Researchers used data from 140 weather radars to estimate the number of insects across the US. • The number of insects has remained stable there over the last ten years, but there have been significant regional increases and decreases. • The ...

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Science17 Dec 2025

Who faces more difficulty recovering from stroke?

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2025 Highlights: A new study has found that within the year following a stroke, female participants had more difficulty than male participants with doing daily tasks. Daily tasks include eating, dressing, driving and cooking. The differences remained even after considering age, education and insurance. The study authors suggest that early and repeated checks on daily abilities after stroke, especially for female individuals, could help improve recovery. MINNEAPOLIS — When examining recovery during the first ...

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Science17 Dec 2025

Aging-US now on ResearchGate, enhancing visibility for authors and readers

Joining ResearchGate allows Aging-US authors to connect their work with a wider network of peers, fostering collaboration, advancing understanding of the biology of aging, and helping translate discoveries into better health outcomes. BUFFALO, NY— December 17, 2025 — We are pleased to announce that we have officially joined ResearchGate, the professional network for scientists and researchers. This collaboration enhances the visibility, accessibility, and impact of research published ...

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Science17 Dec 2025

From prey to predator: How carnivores spread beneficial fungi

Animals help disperse seeds and spores for many plant and fungal species. This typically happens when animals eat the fruiting bodies of plants and fungi and pass seeds and spores through their digestive systems. Mycorrhizal fungi form symbiotic associations with plant roots, enhancing water and nutrient uptake and playing a central role in forest productivity, regeneration and resilience to environmental stress. Through these connections, mycorrhizal fungi shape forest structure and function by influencing plant establishment, growth and responses to drought and disturbance. Some fungal species produce above-ground fruiting bodies (mushrooms) that release ...

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Science17 Dec 2025

US Congressmembers’ responses on X to mass shooting events differ along party lines

Democratic congressmembers are significantly more likely to post on social media following a mass shooting event in the US compared to Republican congressmembers, according to a study published December 17, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS Global Public Health by Dmytro Bukhanevych from New York University, United States, and colleagues. Social media is now a key tool for politicians to communicate directly with the public, especially in the wake of important events. Previous studies have shown that voters perceive social media ...

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Science17 Dec 2025

Individual genetic differences render some therapies ineffective

The genome differs from person to person in thousands of positions. In some cases, this means that proteins have a different building block in certain regions, rendering some antibody-based therapies ineffective, report researchers from the University of Basel, Switzerland. Antibody-based therapies are used to treat numerous diseases, from cancer to rheumatic disorders and multiple sclerosis. Antibodies recognize and bind to very specific structures. This allows them to direct active substances to exactly the right target structure in the body, for example. Researchers from the University of Basel’s Departments of Biomedicine and Biozentrum now report in ...

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Science17 Dec 2025

Study explores role of neutrophils in canine atopic dermatitis

A new study from North Carolina State University found that neutrophils – white blood cells that are a key part of the immune system – play a role in the early stages of atopic dermatitis flares in dogs. The work is a first step toward understanding the role that these immune cells may play in the early stages of allergic skin response, and could have implications for human sufferers of atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a type of eczema associated with allergic reactions and characterized by inflamed itchy patches of ...

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Science17 Dec 2025

Heavy menstruation common among teenage girls – questionnaire reveals risk of iron deficiency

More than half of teenage girls experienced heavy bleeding and 40 per cent had an iron deficiency. The research, led from Lund University in Sweden, also shows that young teenage girls who experience heavy menstrual bleeding – and are therefore at greater risk of iron deficiency – can be identified using a simple questionnaire. As many as half of the teenage girls in the study published in PLOS One experienced heavy menstrual bleeding, and four out of ten had an iron deficiency. The 2023 study was carried ...

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Science17 Dec 2025

New study explores why open water swimming feels so powerful for midlife women

Researchers at the University of East London have published a new study examining how middle-aged, middle-class British women describe the effects of regular open water swimming on their wellbeing, including its impact on symptoms of menopause. The research, published in the European Journal of Ecopsychology, uses in-depth interviews to understand women’s own accounts of swimming in outdoor water and how they feel it supports their lives. The study looks at the patterns that emerged when women talked about ...

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