Science
press releases.

Science28 Oct 2025

American Pediatric Society honors Dr. Bruce D. Gelb with 2026 APS John Howland Award

HOUSTON, Oct. 28, 2025 – The American Pediatric Society (APS) proudly announces Bruce D. Gelb, as the recipient of the 2026 APS John Howland Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Society. Widely regarded as the most prestigious recognition in academic pediatrics, the award celebrates Dr. Gelb’s outstanding contributions to advancing child health and the field of pediatrics. Established in 1952 to honor clinician-scientist John Howland, MD, the APS John Howland Award annually recognizes individuals for their distinguished service to pediatrics. Dr. Gelb will be formally honored during the APS Presidential Plenary at ...

Read the release

Science28 Oct 2025

BD² awards $18 million in grants to advance research on the biology of bipolar disorder

Washington, D.C. – Today, BD², or Breakthrough Discoveries for thriving with Bipolar Disorder, announced its third round of Discovery Research grants, totaling nearly $18 million – expanding a comprehensive global effort to examine the key mechanisms of bipolar disorder. Multidisciplinary teams of scientists and clinicians include leads from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Mass General Brigham, Weill Cornell Medicine, and the University of Minnesota. These teams represent a unique cohort of successful Discovery Grantees, as they will all use neuromodulation to explore human neural circuitry in bipolar disorder. These teams will each ...

Read the release

Science28 Oct 2025

Opt-out organ donation policies might reduce organ supply

Every day, 17 Americans die while waiting for an organ transplant. Opt-out organ donation policies, which enroll everyone into post-mortem donation programs by default unless people choose to opt out, have been touted as a way to increase the supply of desperately needed organs. But opt-out organ donation policies may reduce living organ donations, leaving systems no better supplied with lifesaving organs. Pascal Güntürkün and colleagues analyzed epidemiological data from 24 countries between 2000–2023 and conducted four experimental ...

Read the release

Science28 Oct 2025

Message from the oldest-living dogs to dogs and men: Gonad function fights frailty

West Lafayette, Ind. – Frailty threatens older individuals because it increases their vulnerability to detrimental health outcomes, such as falling, longer hospitalization, or even shortened life expectancy. New research exploring the linkage between frailty and mortality risk points to retaining gonad function as a potent strategy to fight late-life frailty. The study conducted by scientists at the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation’s Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies was published last week in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Scientific Reports. The ...

Read the release

Science28 Oct 2025

Identifying safer implant designs for total hip replacement

As populations continue to age, total hip replacement (THR) is becoming an increasingly common surgical procedure. Experts estimate that approximately one million THRs are performed each year worldwide. The surgery is often life-changing, as it can fully restore the function of the hip joint, reduce pain, and allow patients to walk and bear weight again. However, as with any major surgery, the procedure is not without risks, especially for older individuals with other health conditions. A significant complication following THR is a femoral fracture—a break in the thigh bone near the artificial hip joint. This ...

Read the release

Science28 Oct 2025

Researchers develop an ultrasound probe capable of imaging an entire organ in 4D

For the first time, a team of Inserm researchers from the Physics for Medicine Institute (Inserm/ESPCI Paris-PSL/CNRS) has succeeded in mapping the blood flow of an entire organ in animals (heart, kidney and liver) with great precision, in four dimensions: 3D + time. This new imaging technique, when applied to humans, could both improve our understanding of the circulatory system (veins, arteries, vessels and lymphatic system) and facilitate the diagnosis of certain blood circulation-related diseases. These results are published ...

Read the release

Science28 Oct 2025

Oxygen deprivation heightens risk of illness by changing genes

Low oxygen levels in the blood can alter the genetic makeup of key immune cells, weakening the body’s ability to fight infection, new research shows. Scientists found that oxygen deprivation – known as hypoxia – changes the genetic material of immune cells called neutrophils, reducing their capacity to destroy harmful microbes. The team discovered that low oxygen appears to leave a lasting mark on the bone marrow cells that produce neutrophils, meaning the impact can persist after oxygen ...

Read the release

Science28 Oct 2025

What drives sleep problems in long-term care facilities?

Sleep problems affect more than one in five residents in long-term care facilities, with pain, daytime napping and certain medications emerging as key contributors. An international team led by University of Waterloo researchers analyzed health records from more than 21,000 residents aged 65 and older living in 228 long-term care homes across New Brunswick and Saskatchewan between 2016 and 2021, using data from the standardized interRAI assessment system. The researchers tracked who developed – or recovered from – sleep disturbances over time. At the start, nearly 22 per cent of residents had trouble sleeping, although ...

Read the release

Science28 Oct 2025

Earth’s ‘boring billion years’ created the conditions for complex life

A study led by researchers from the University of Sydney and the University of Adelaide has revealed how the breakup of an ancient supercontinent 1.5 billion years ago transformed Earth’s surface environments, paving the way for the emergence of complex life. “Our approach shows how plate tectonics has helped shape the habitability of the Earth,” lead author Professor Dietmar Müller said. “It provides a new way to think about how tectonics, climate and life co-evolved through deep time.” The research, published in ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

Young adults fear mass shootings but don’t necessarily support gun control

More than 60% of adults aged 18 to 29 worry that a mass shooting will impact their lives in some way. About 17% worry a lot. But when it comes to sentiments about gun control, the age group dubbed the “massacre generation” is deeply divided, new University of Colorado Boulder research shows. The study, published in the journal Social Science Quarterly, found that while young adults overall modestly favor gun control, their viewpoints differ wildly depending on their gender and political leanings: Among young Republicans, young conservatives ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

How unlocking ‘sticky’ chemistry may lead to better, cleaner fuels

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In a new study, chemists have developed a novel framework for determining how effectively carbon monoxide sticks to the surface of a catalyst during conversion from carbon dioxide. This stickiness, known as carbon monoxide (CO) adsorption energy, is a property that can often decide the final product of a chemical reaction. Using a widely accessible advanced electroanalytical technique, researchers found that the strength of this energy actually relies on a mix of reaction factors, including the type of catalyst material, applied voltage, and the surface’s ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

Getting steps in one long walk a day cuts risk of death and CVD better than multiple short walks

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 27 October 2025 Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Linkedin Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

Researchers find possible cause for increasing polarization

Embargoed until 27-Oct-2025 15:00 ET (27-Oct-2025 19:00 GMT/UTC) Between 2008 and 2010, polarization in society increased dramatically alongside a significant shift in social behavior: the number of close social contacts rose from an average of two to four or five people. The connection between these two developments could provide a fundamental explanation for why societies around the world are increasingly fragmenting into ideological bubbles. [Vienna, 23.10.2025]—"The big question that not only we, but many countries are currently grappling with, is why polarization has increased so dramatically in recent years," says ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

From soft to solid: How a coral stiffens its skeleton on demand

Touch the branches of Leptogorgia chilensis, a soft coral found along the Pacific coast from California to Chile, and its flexible arms stiffen, like Marvel’s Mr. Fantastic warding off a foe. Now, Penn Engineers have discovered the mechanism underlying this astonishing ability, one that could advance fields as varied as medicine, robotics and manufacturing. In a new paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a group led by Ling Li, Associate Professor in Materials Science and Engineering and in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, describes how the coral’s skeleton — made of millions of mineral ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

Once tadpoles lose lungs, they never get them back

ITHACA, N.Y. – Tadpole species that lost their lungs through evolution never re-evolve them, even when environmental change would make it advantageous – bucking long-standing assumptions about how lost traits can reemerge, according to a new Cornell University study. Typical tadpoles have three main ways to get oxygen: from the air, with lungs; from the water, through gills; and from the air through their skin. Curiously, all frogs have lungs, so tadpoles retain the developmental genetics to regain lungs when environmental pressures might favor having them but instead evolve alternate solutions for acquiring oxygen from the air. The study, ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

Scientists can now explore mechanisms behind attachment issues

Children can sometimes develop health, behavioral, and attachment issues that persist when their needs are not met by their caregiver. New from eNeuro, Arie Kaffman and colleagues at Yale University School of Medicine explored whether mouse pups also experience these issues from early life adversity. Their discoveries provide an opportunity for researchers to explore the mechanisms of health and behavioral deficits from early life adversity. When the researchers limited bedding for making nests, this impaired maternal care and increased stress hormone signaling ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

Stillbirths in the United States

About The Study: This study characterizes stillbirth rates between 2016 and 2022 across clinical risk factors and geographic-based measures of access, income, and race in a large U.S. commercially insured population. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Jessica L. Cohen, PhD, email cohenj@hsph.harvard.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2025.17392) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

How animals get their spots, and why they are beautifully imperfect

From tiger stripes to leopard spots, the animal world is full of distinctive and intricate patterns. In a new study, CU Boulder scientists refined their previous theory of how animal patterns form and successfully recreated imperfections in natural designs, like irregular spots on a leopard. The new mechanism, described October 27 in Matter, could lead to materials that can respond to their environment, such as fabrics that change color on demand for camouflage. “Imperfections are everywhere in nature,” said Ankur Gupta, the study’s lead researcher in the ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

SwRI receives $9.9 million contract to assess reliability of F-16 landing gear components

SAN ANTONIO — October 27, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has received a seven-year, $9.9 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to predict the life of landing gear components for the F-16 Fighting Falcon fleet. SwRI will leverage its aging aircraft expertise to predict when parts need replacement, determine the root causes of failure and recommend improvements to maintenance practices. The contract falls under the Comprehensive Landing Gear Integrity Program, a 20-year, $300 million Indefinite Delivery ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

Self-affirmations can boost well-being, study finds

Self-affirmations – brief exercises in which people reflect on their core values, identity and positive traits – can increase people’s general well-being and make them happier in small but significant ways, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. “Even brief, low-cost self-affirmation exercises can yield significant psychological benefits in terms of enhancing personal and social well-being,” said study author Minhong (Maggie) Wang, PhD, of The University of Hong Kong. “More importantly, these benefits are both immediate and long-lasting.” The ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

Is your ultra-HD TV worth it? Scientists measure the resolution limit of the human eye

Is your ultra-high-definition television really worth it? Do you need a 4K or an 8K screen to get the best viewing experience at home? According to researchers at the University of Cambridge and Meta Reality Labs, the human eye has a resolution limit: in other words, there are only so many pixels the eye can see. Above this limit, a screen is giving our eyes more information than they can detect. To calculate the resolution limit, the researchers conducted a study that measured participants’ ability to detect specific ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

Uncovering hyper-maturity and accelerated aging in the hippocampus

Toyoake, Japan —October 27, 2025— In a groundbreaking study, researchers at Fujita Health University and the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science have uncovered a previously overlooked form of brain abnormality linked to anxiety: excessive maturation and aging in the hippocampus, a state they term "hyper-maturity." Published in Neuropsychopharmacology, the study systematically screened publicly available omics datasets and identified gene expression signatures of hippocampal ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

Henna’s hidden healing: Treating fibrosis with a chemical derived from Lawsonia inermis

Lawsonia inermis is best known for making henna, a versatile dye that is used to change the color of skin and clothes. Now, researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University have found another use for the pigments extracted from the dye: treating liver disease. Specifically, they could treat liver fibrosis, a disease that causes excess fibrous scar tissue to build up in the liver as a result of chronic liver injury caused by lifestyle choices such as excessive drinking. Patients with liver fibrosis have increased risks of cirrhosis, liver failure, and cancer. Despite 3–4% of the population having the advanced form of the disease, treatment options remain limited. One ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

Canada is failing the rising numbers of youth who use opioids

Youth opioid use is increasing in Canada, as are related emergency department visits and deaths, yet governments are not providing adequate support to address this public health crisis, argue the authors of a CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) editorial https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251682. “If this crisis is not properly addressed now, Canada’s health systems will play a part in perpetuating the opioid crisis for decades to come,” write Dr. Shannon Charlebois, medical editor, CMAJ, and Dr. Shawn ...

Read the release

Science27 Oct 2025

Opioid prescribing for pain is declining in Canada

Efforts to promote safer opioid prescribing in Canada appear to be having an effect, as new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250670 shows a decrease in opioid dispensing between 2018 and 2022. In the early 2000s, use of prescription opioids to treat acute and chronic noncancer pain increased substantially in Canada, and with it came a rise in opioid-related harms. The availability of more opioid products, coupled with aggressive marketing of these drugs, ...

Read the release