Science
press releases.

Science1 Dec 2025

Cu (100) grain boundaries are key to efficient CO electroreduction on commercial copper

Copper (Cu)-based catalysts are currently the most efficient for CO(2)RR to produce high-value C2+ products. Unfortunately, despite recent advances in catalyst design for CO(2)RR, a deep understanding of active sites in Cu-based catalysts remains elusive, primarily due to their poor structural stability under operating conditions, which may lead to significant reconstruction. Consequently, emerging in situ and ex situ characterizations provide ambiguousevidence regarding the true active sites of Cu-based catalysts, including morphology evolution, local pH changes, valence state shifts, ...

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Science30 Nov 2025

Study finds gender gap in knee injuries

CHICAGO – One of the largest MRI-based studies comparing knee injuries between men and women reveals surprising differences in injury patterns based on gender and age. The findings, which can be used to improve risk assessment and develop early intervention strategies, will be presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). “In recent years, we've grown more interested in the differences in knee injuries between men and women,” said study co-author Jenifer Pitman, M.D., assistant professor of radiology at Johns Hopkins Medical ...

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Science29 Nov 2025

First ‘Bible map’ published 500 years ago still influences how we think about borders

University of Cambridge media release First ‘Bible map’ published 500 years ago still influences how we think about borders UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 19:01 US ET ON FRIDAY 28TH NOVEMBER 2025 / 00:01 UK (GMT) ON SATURDAY 29TH NOVEMBER 2025 The first Bible to feature a map of the Holy Land was published 500 years ago in 1525. The map was initially printed the wrong way round – showing the Mediterranean to the East – but its inclusion set a precedent which continues to shape our understanding of ...

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Science28 Nov 2025

Why metabolism matters in Fanconi anemia

Experts at Cincinnati Children’s have uncovered striking metabolic differences in people with Fanconi anemia (FA), a rare genetic disorder that causes bone marrow failure and dramatically increases cancer risk. The findings, published Nov. 28, 2025, in Science Advances, could reshape how clinicians think about nutrition and potentially cancer prevention in this vulnerable population. WHAT THE TEAM DISCOVERED In collaboration with the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program and the Fanconi Anemia Comprehensive Care Center at Cincinnati Children’s, researchers used a cutting-edge technique ...

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Science28 Nov 2025

Caribbean rainfall driven by shifting long-term patterns in the Atlantic high-pressure system, study finds

A new study published in Science Advances overturns a long-standing paradigm in climate science that stronger Northern Hemisphere summer insolation produces stronger tropical rainfall. Instead, a precisely dated 129,000-year rainfall reconstruction from a Cuban cave shows that the Caribbean often did the opposite, drying during intervals of intensified summer insolation. The research reveals a new unrecognized primary driver: The North Atlantic Subtropical High (NASH), a powerful and ever-present high-pressure system, that surprisingly has been the dominant force shaping the ...

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Science28 Nov 2025

What is that dog taking? CBD supplements could make dogs less aggressive over time, study finds

In humans, CBD is thought to have therapeutic effects for some conditions including chronic pain, nausea, or inflammation. Now, dogs may be reaping some of the benefits, too, according to a new study. Researchers in the US have used data from the Dog Aging Project to characterize demographics, health status, and behavior of dogs that used CBD or hemp supplements. They published their results in Frontiers in Veterinary Science. “Behaviorally, dogs given CBD products for multiple years are initially more aggressive compared to dogs not receiving those products, but their aggression becomes less intense over time,” said senior author ...

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Science28 Nov 2025

The 'black box' of nursing talent’s ebb and flow

SMU Office of Research Governance & Administration – Associate Professor Yasmin Ortiga chats with Filipino nurses for a living. The sociologist at Singapore Management University (SMU) tends to ask them about their hopes and dreams, why they uprooted themselves to go work in a hospital miles away from their home in the Philippines, often leaving young children behind. Every conversation builds up her research on international migration. Of late, the chats have thrown up cases of these migrant nurses choosing to bypass Singapore, which relies on Filipinos for over half of its foreign registered nurses. A blip or a notable shift ...

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Science28 Nov 2025

Leading global tax research from Singapore: The strategic partnership between SMU and the Tax Academy of Singapore

By Vince Chong SMU Office of Research Governance & Administration - Increasing tax competition, cryptocurrency taxation, environmental taxation, and myriad global tax reforms. These are among the many concerns facing the international tax system right now, as regulatory environments diverge and grow ever more complex. Tackling the challenges head on is SMU Assistant Professor Vincent Ooi, who leads a prestigious new initiative launched in partnership with the Tax Academy of Singapore: ...

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Science27 Nov 2025

Inhibiting a master regulator of aging regenerates joint cartilage in mice

An injection that blocks the activity of a protein involved in aging reverses naturally occurring cartilage loss in the knee joints of old mice, a Stanford Medicine-led study has found. The treatment also prevented the development of arthritis after knee injuries mirroring the ACL tears often experienced by athletes or recreational exercisers. An oral version of the treatment is already in clinical trials with the goal of treating age-related muscle weakness. Samples of human tissue from knee replacement surgeries — which include both the extracellular scaffolding, or matrix, in the joint as well as cartilage-generating ...

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Science27 Nov 2025

Metronome-trained monkeys can tap to the beat of human music

Macaques can tap along to a musical beat, according to a new study – findings that upend the assumption that only animals with vocal-learning abilities can find and move to a groove. According to the authors, the discovery offers fresh insights that suggest the roots of rhythm may run far deeper in our evolutionary past than previously believed. Humans have a unique ability to perceive and move in time to a steady musical beat. It is a skill that develops early in life and requires complex pattern recognition, prediction, and motor coordination. Outside of humans, the ability to synchronize ...

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Science27 Nov 2025

Michigan cherry farmers find a surprising food safety ally: falcons

The cherry harvest wrapped up months ago. But in northern Michigan, some growers are already anticipating the spring resurgence of a tiny raptor that could benefit next season’s crop. The American kestrel is the smallest falcon in the U.S. As birds of prey, kestrels deter smaller birds that like to snack on farmers’ fruit. But new research suggests that these winged security guards may have an additional benefit: food safety. That’s according to a study from Michigan State University, ...

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Science26 Nov 2025

Famous Easter Island statues were created without centralized management

The famous statues of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) were carved by numerous independent groups, according to a study published November 26, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Carl Philipp Lipo of Binghamton University, New York and colleagues. The island of Rapa Nui is famous for preserving hundreds of stone statues (moai) carved by Polynesian communities starting in the 13th century. Archaeological evidence consistently suggests that Rapa Nui society was not politically unified, consisting instead of small and independent family groups. ...

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Science26 Nov 2025

Captive male Asian elephants can live together peacefully and with little stress, if introduced slowly and carefully, per Laos case study of 8 unrelated males

Captive male Asian elephants can live together peacefully and with little stress, if introduced slowly and carefully, per Laos case study of 8 unrelated males Article URL: https://plos.io/4oYWIwt Article title: Socializing a group of male Asian elephants in a semi-captive facility in Lao PDR Author countries: Thailand, Lao P.D.R., U.S. Funding: This research was supported by graduated school Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Grant number;2562), Chiang Mai University, Thailand. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, ...

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Science26 Nov 2025

Why are shiny colours rare yet widespread in nature?

Nature is brimming with colour in almost every season. While the majority of colours are matte, some are shiny. Evolutionary biologist Casper van der Kooi wondered why shiny colours are so rare. He researched how bees perceive glossy colours by using artificial flowers. The experiment showed that shiny objects can be easily seen from afar, but are more difficult to discern up close. ‘It’s a visual trade-off.’ Biologists do not merely admire the colours in nature, they also develop theories to explain them. Most colours, such as the feathers of a great tit, the petals of a daisy, or the skin of a frog, are matte. These colours look the same from every ...

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Science26 Nov 2025

New study reveals spatial patterns of crime rates and media coverage across Chicago

A spatial analysis of crime in Chicago suggests that certain environmental and socioeconomic factors, such as building density, are linked with crime rates, but these relationships differ between neighborhoods. The study also reveals discrepancies between media coverage and actual crime patterns, with coverage disproportionately concentrated in certain areas. Yuxuan Cai of the University of Chicago, U.S., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on November 26, 2025. Numerous ...

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Science26 Nov 2025

First-of-its-kind 3D model lets you explore Easter Island statues up close

Located in the middle of the South Pacific, thousands of miles from the nearest continent, Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth. To visit it and marvel at the quarries where its iconic moai statues were created is a luxury few get to experience – until now. You can now explore Rano Raraku, one of the major quarries on Easter Island, from the comfort of your home. A research team including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York has created the first-ever high-resolution 3D model of the quarry, providing people ...

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Science26 Nov 2025

The pterosaur rapidly evolved flight abilities, in contrast to modern bird ancestors, new study suggests

In a study of fossils, a research team led by an evolutionary biologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine suggests that a group of giant reptiles alive up to 220 million years ago may have acquired the ability to fly when the animal first appeared, in contrast to prehistoric ancestors of modern birds that developed flight more gradually and with a bigger brain. A report on the study, which used advanced imaging tools to study the brain cavities of pterosaur fossils, and was funded in part by the National Science Foundation, was published Nov. 26 in Current Biology. The findings add to ...

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Science26 Nov 2025

New research by ASU paleoanthropologists gives valuable insight into how two ancient human ancestors coexisted in the same area

With the help of newly identified bones, an enigmatic 3.4-million-year-old hominin foot found in 2009, is assigned to a species different from that of the famous fossil Lucy providing further proof that two ancient species of hominins co-existed at the same time and in the same region. In 2009, scientists led by Arizona State University paleoanthropologist Yohannes Haile-Selassie, found eight bones from the foot of an ancient human ancestor within layers of 3.4-million-year-old sediments in the Afar Rift in Ethiopia. The fossil, called the Burtele Nature Foot, ...

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Science26 Nov 2025

Therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoids

About The Study: Evidence is insufficient for the use of cannabis or cannabinoids for most medical indications. Clear guidance from clinicians is essential to support safe, evidence-based decision-making. Clinicians should weigh benefits against risks when engaging patients in informed discussions about cannabis or cannabinoid use. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Kevin P. Hill, MD, MHS, email khill1@bidmc.harvard.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2025.19433) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other ...

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Science26 Nov 2025

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and chronic cough

About The Study: The results of this cohort study suggest an association between glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) use and chronic cough. Further research is needed to confirm the existence, strength, and mechanisms of this association. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Anca M. Barbu, MD, email anca.barbu@cshs.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2025.4181) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions ...

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Science26 Nov 2025

Why watching someone get hurt on screen makes you wince

If watching Robert De Niro ordering hammer-based retribution on a cheat’s hand in Casino instinctively made you wince, you are not alone. Many people say that seeing bodily injury on film makes them flinch, as if they ‘feel’ it themselves. It is as if the sting leaps straight off the screen and into your skin. But explaining why and how this happens has puzzled scientists for a long time. Now, scientists from the University of Reading, Free University Amsterdam, and Minnesota, USA, have uncovered a major clue as ...

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Science26 Nov 2025

UBC researchers uncover how statins harm muscles—and how to stop it

Statins have transformed heart health, saving millions of lives by lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. But for many patients, these drugs come with a troubling downside: muscle pain, weakness and, in rare cases, severe muscle breakdown that can lead to kidney failure. University of British Columbia researchers and their collaborators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have now pinpointed the cause. Their findings, published last week in Nature Communications, could pave the way ...

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Science26 Nov 2025

Making LAZY plants stand up: Research reveals new pathway plants use to detect gravity

A study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has revealed a previously unknown pathway plants use to detect gravity and orient the direction they grow in. Publishing this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study may one day open the door for improvements in crop cultivation. Prior studies have already established that a suite of genes, nicknamed LAZY, control a pathway plants use for detecting gravity. In a typical plant, cells within the stem use LAZY genes to detect the force of gravity. The plant can then guide the stem to grow upwards, branches to grow outwards, and roots to ...

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Science26 Nov 2025

Role of ubiquilin-2 liquid droplets in α-synuclein aggregation

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an age-related, progressive neurodegenerative disorder. The hallmark of PD pathogenesis is the Lewy bodies (LBs) that accumulate in neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain, damaging these neurons and leading to the motor symptoms of the disease. α-synuclein (α-syn), a misfolded protein, aggregates and forms fibrils, which leads to the formation of LBs. The exact molecular mechanism behind this aggregation process is yet to be uncovered. With an increasing number of elderly patients suffering from Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases ...

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Science26 Nov 2025

If you're over 60 and playing with sex toys, you're not alone

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Nov 26, 2025) –Although research on sexuality in older adults has been growing in recent years, most of the studies are focused on partnered sexual activity and not on solo sexual behavior, including masturbation or the use of sex toys. A new study specifically investigated sex toy use during partnered sex and masturbation in older adult women. Results of the study are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society. Women are less likely to masturbate than men, and masturbation tends to be negatively associated with age. Women are more likely to use masturbation as complementary ...

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