Science
press releases.

Science12 Nov 2025

Missed the live session? Watch the recording now!

The insightful Carbon Research Webinar, "Fossil-Free Graphite from Biomass for Greener Process Industries," is now available on-demand on YouTube! This insightful discussion with Prof. Weihong Yang of KTH Royal Institute of Technology took place on Monday, August 11, 2025. In case you couldn't join us live, you can now catch the full session on-demand, where Prof. Yang explores innovative strategies for replacing fossil-based materials with sustainable, bio-based graphite. He provides key insights into: Converting bioprecursors into fossil-free graphite. Its critical applications ...

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Science12 Nov 2025

Monk seal acoustic breakthrough: Hawai’i study quadruples known call types and detects novel communication strategy

New research led by UH Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) has drastically increased our understanding of Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi) underwater sound production, revealing a vocal repertoire far more complex than previously described. Published today in Royal Society Open Science, the study analyzed thousands of hours of passive acoustic data and identified 25 distinct underwater vocalizations, a dramatic increase from the six calls previously known from seals in human care. The team also ...

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Science12 Nov 2025

Shouting at seagulls could stop them stealing your food

Shouting at seagulls makes them more likely to leave your food alone, research shows. University of Exeter researchers put a closed Tupperware box of chips on the ground to pique herring gulls’ interest. Once a gull approached, they played either a recording of a male voice shouting the words, “No, stay away, that’s my food”, the same voice speaking those words, or the ‘neutral’ birdsong of a robin. They tested a total of 61 gulls across nine seaside towns in Cornwall and found that ...

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Science12 Nov 2025

Experts find £90K “sweet spot” for crowdfunding success

A new study led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) reveals what drives investors to put their money behind business start-ups. Researchers analysed more than a thousand successful crowdfunding campaigns on the platform Seedrs. They found that setting a £90K “sweet spot” target, having around 19 team members, and using certain phrases including “health” and “organic” in campaign pitches all helped attract investors. Offering a high equity percentage in return for investment was also found to be crucial – with low equity ratios putting investors off. The researchers hope their work could help entrepreneurs fine-tune ...

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Science12 Nov 2025

Tough little wallaby sets the scene for kangaroo bounding success

Flinders University fossil experts have unearthed more clues about why kangaroos and wallabies have endured to become one of the continent’s most prolific marsupial groups. They have analysed the powerful limbs of Australia’s earliest ‘true’ kangaroo – the shared ancestor of modern-day kangaroos and wallabies. The palaeontologists focused on the limb bones of the extinct Dorcopsoides fossilis, found only in the rich Alcoota fossil field in the southern Northern Territory. Lead investigator Dr Isaac Kerr says these hardy hopping marsupials, which lived around 7 million years ago in a period called the Late Miocene, are ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

A sit-stand ratio ‘sweet spot’ may boost office productivity

New research has found a simple sit-stand routine at work significantly reduces lower back pain, offering a high-impact solution for employees in sedentary work environments. While the Griffith University-led study focused on individuals with recent lower back pain, the recommended ratio of 30 minutes sitting followed by 15 minutes standing (30:15) could benefit all desk-based workers by improving focus, reducing stress, and encouraging regular movement patterns throughout the day. In collaboration with co-authors ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

Trainer identification project treads new ground

Forensic experts are inviting the public to put their trainer knowledge to the test – and contribute to an award-winning research project. Led by University of Staffordshire and West Yorkshire Police, When All is Tread and Done is exploring new forensic techniques to help identify criminals by their shoes. Project lead Professor Claire Gwinnett explained: “While CCTV, body-worn cameras and mobile footage is increasingly used in criminal investigations, suspects often cover their faces. “Shoes, however, can be a distinguishing feature in CCTV footage or images and that is what our research is ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

Discussion approach improves comprehension for 4th, 5th graders, study finds

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Small-group discussions designed to help elementary students engage in conversations that promote critical analytic thinking, reasoning and deeper understanding of the content they read increased critical thinking over time for fourth- and fifth-grade students, according to a new study by a team that includes researchers from the Penn State College of Education. It’s the latest evidence in support of Quality Talk, the “deliberate approach to discussion that transforms student engagement” developed by P. Karen Murphy, associate dean for research and outreach in the Penn State College ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

Maternity care access and infant mortality

About The Study: In this population-based cross-sectional study, infant mortality risk was inversely associated with county-level access to maternity care, with the highest risk in counties with no access. When examined by race and ethnicity, differences in mortality risk between living in a full access and no access county were observed among white infants only, indicating that unmeasured barriers may limit the protective effect of access for some racial and ethnic groups. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Ripley Lucas, MPH, email RLucas@marchofdimes.org. To ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

Self-administered hypnosis vs sham hypnosis for hot flashes

About The Study: In this randomized clinical trial, the clinical hypnosis group experienced significantly greater reductions of hot flash scores and daily interference from hot flashes compared with the active control condition at week 6. This study suggests that hypnosis delivered through self-administered audio files is a clinically significant and effective method to reduce hot flashes in postmenopausal women. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Gary Elkins, PhD, email gary_elkins@baylor.edu. To ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

Genetic testing trifecta predicts risk of sudden cardiac death and arrhythmia

Novel study used whole genome sequencing to combine monogenetic and polygenetic testing, which are often siloed in research and practice More physicians should order genetic testing but much of the workforce isn’t trained in it Findings lay the groundwork for developing targeted therapies CHICAGO --- In a new Northwestern Medicine study, scientists have developed a more precise genetic risk score to determine whether a person is likely to develop arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat that ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

Moving past the mouse – genetic advances inspire new frontiers

Recent epic leaps in genetics have created a biodiversity library. As the genetic make-up of animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, and viruses has been mapped, researchers racing to develop solutions to today’s global challenges run into a question: Why be limited to a mouse? Electric eels, octopi, birds, sponges, and plastic-gobbling bacteria are amongst the new stages on which discovery is unfolding. The challenge is to refine the theater to optimize performance. In today’s Nature Reviews Biodiversity, Michigan State University evolutionary biologist Jason Gallant presses a case for research – from classrooms and laboratories to funding agencies ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

AI-based analysis of CT scans taken for many reasons may also reveal weakened bones

Computed tomography (CT) scans of the chest, abdomen, and spine, taken originally to detect problems such as kidney stones or growths on the lungs, can be repurposed through artificial intelligence (AI) to catch signs of bone loss, a new study shows. NYU Langone Health radiologists who developed the AI tool with experts at Visage say their new tool will soon be ready to provide “opportunistic screening” in NYU Langone hospitals for osteoporosis. The effort will be part of a clinical trial to diagnose those with unknown low bone density, using CT scans taken for other purposes. Publishing ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

Widely cited stat on global water and food security ‘hearsay’ and fragile for policymaking

A globally cited statistic about the role of irrigation for food security that has formed foundational evidence for policy making and scientific research is used on a ‘hearsay’ basis and is based on weak evidence, according to a new study. In a new paper published in PNAS Nexus, a team of researchers from the University of Birmingham has analysed the use of widely cited statistics, that irrigation agriculture produces 40% of global crops and withdraws 70% of global freshwater resources. ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

Forever chemicals affect the genes of unhatched ducklings

The EU is considering introducing a blanket ban on the man-made chemicals called PFAS because of the risks they pose. Researchers have now found that these substances can even alter the genes of birds before they hatch. These substances are called ‘forever chemicals’ because they break down very slowly in the natural environment. Some people may know them by the abbreviation PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They are also very abundant. “These substances are used in hundreds of products, ranging from frying pans and waterproof clothing to firefighting foam, food packaging and stain-resistant ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

American Pediatric Society announces election of 2026 members

November 11, 2025 – The American Pediatric Society (APS) is pleased to announce the election of 92 new members to its distinguished community. Founded in 1888, APS is North America's first and most prestigious academic pediatric organization. New members will be formally recognized at the APS Howland Gala, held during the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2026 Meeting in Boston, April 24–27, 2026. APS members are recognized child health leaders of extraordinary achievement who work together to strengthen academic pediatrics by expanding the workforce, nurturing leaders, ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

Two major irrigation statistics may be wrong

The idea that irrigated agriculture underpins global food and water security—producing 40% of crops and using 70% of freshwater—has become widespread in science and policy. However, these statistics are not empirically supported, according to a new analysis. Arnald Puy and colleagues traced these figures through citations in 3,693 scientific documents published from 1966 to 2024. The authors found that 60–80% of citation paths led to sources without supporting data or that did not contain the claimed numbers. Only approximately 1.5% of cited documents provided original data. When ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

A ubiquitous architectural pattern in nature

A database, collecting and classifying tile-like patterns in biology, aims to be a resource and research catalyst. The human eye is drawn to the rhythmic beauty of tiled patterns, which occur abundantly in nature. Jana Ciecierska-Holmes, John Nyakatura and Mason Dean led a project with colleagues, offering a classification of biological tilings—repeated patterns of geometric discrete elements found in nature. Tilings are found across the tree of life, in a wide variety of taxa and at many spatial scales from ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

The first four years of PNAS Nexus

In an editorial, Editor-in-Chief Yannis C. Yortsos looks back at the journal’s first few years and considers the aptness of W. Brian Arthur’s 2009 definition of technology, “leveraging phenomena for useful purposes,” exploring how it might be applied across all scientific endeavors in the age of artificial intelligence, the acceleration of which has coincided with the launch of PNAS Nexus. Created to serve as a platform for scientific and technological ideas, enlightenment, and solutions, PNAS ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

VR headsets may make dry eye less likely: World's first time-course observation during a VR session

Virtual reality (VR) gaming has gained significant attention in recent years, with an increasing number of users integrating VR and immersive headsets into their daily lives. These devices provide highly immersive visuals, creating a strong sense of presence and disconnection from the real world. However, concerns have been raised about the effects of prolonged VR use—especially at short viewing distances—on eye health and its potential link to dry eye disease, an ocular condition characterized by tear film instability. The tear film is a dynamic, multilayered system composed of lipid ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

Male pregnancy: a deep dive with seahorses

Reversed sex roles: In seahorses, it is the males who carry offspring to term. The females lay their eggs into a special brood pouch on the bellies of the males where they are fertilized by the male’s sperm. In the brood pouches, embryos are provided with nutrients and oxygen from the males' bodies until the males give live birth to small seahorses (viviparity). But how does this work? A German-Chinese research team led by evolutionary biologist Axel Meyer from the University of Konstanz and working in collaboration with Liu Yali and Lin Qiang from the South China Sea ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

New molecule reduces ethanol intake and drinking motivation in mice, with sex-dependent differences

A new compound tested at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) in Spain shows promising effects in reducing alcohol consumption and motivation to drink in mice, with marked sex-dependent differences in efficacy. Although MCH11 is not yet available for human use, it could pave the way for personalized treatments of alcohol use disorder. The results, published in the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, stem from four years of work by a team from the Institute of Neurosciences (a joint UMH–CSIC centre), the Institute for Health and Biomedical ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

Adenosine is the metabolic common pathway of rapid antidepressant action: The coffee paradox

NEW YORK, New York, USA, 11 November 2025 -- Perhaps the most intriguing implication of recent breakthrough research lies in an unexpected connection: the most rigorous mechanistic dissection of rapid antidepressant action identifies adenosine as the critical mediator, yet adenosine receptors are the primary target of caffeine, the world's most widely consumed psychoactive substance. A commentary published today in Brain Medicine by Drs. Julio Licinio and Ma-Li Wong explores this striking convergence. Is this merely coincidence, or ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

Personalized interactions increase cooperation, trust and fairness

A new setup for social games suggests that when people are given the freedom to tailor their actions to different people in their networks, they become significantly more cooperative, trusting and fair. The international study with Kobe University participation thus argues that many standard experimental setups of cooperation underestimate people’s prosocial potential. Games that are models of social interactions are used in sciences spanning from sociology and anthropology to psychology and economics, giving us very concrete data on how likely it is that people behave in a certain way in certain social contexts. For example, when modeling how people cooperate in social networks, ...

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Science11 Nov 2025

Dreaming of fewer running injuries? Start with better sleep

If you are among the 620 million people who lace up their running shoes on a regular basis, chances are that you’re an early riser. Hopefully, you will have got at least eight hours of good sleep the night before, otherwise your risk of injury skyrockets. That’s the finding from a new study led by Professor Jan de Jonge, a work and sports psychologist at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of South Australia. In a survey of 425 recreational runners, Prof de Jonge and his team found that those reporting shorter sleep duration, lower sleep ...

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