Science
press releases.

Science20 Oct 2025

What goes up must come down – scientists unearth “universal thermal performance curve” that shackles evolution

Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have unearthed a “universal thermal performance curve” (UTPC) that seemingly applies to all species and dictates their responses to temperature change. This UTPC essentially “shackles evolution” as no species seem to have broken free from the constraints it imposes on how temperature affects performance. All living things are affected by temperature, but the newly discovered UTPC unifies tens of thousands of seemingly different curves that explain how well “species work” at different ...

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Science20 Oct 2025

National poll: 1 in 10 young children play outdoors as little as once a week

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The physical and mental health benefits of outdoor play are well established but one in 10 parents of preschoolers and toddlers say their child plays outside just once a week or less. Screen time is also increasingly part of the play routine, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health: Nearly a third of parents say their child engages in media play, such as video games, while three in five say ...

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Science20 Oct 2025

Exploring how storytelling strategies shape memories

Does the way a person hears about an event shape their recollection of it later? In a new JNeurosci paper, Signy Sheldon and colleagues, from McGill University, explored whether different storytelling strategies affect how the brain stores that experience as a memory and recalls it later. The researchers created narratives with the same core events, but different elaborative details. These elaborations had two different focuses: (1) conceptual details, which describe a person’s feelings and interpretations while experiencing core events, and (2) perceptual details, such as a person’s concrete observations about core events. Neuroimaging ...

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Science20 Oct 2025

Ultra-endurance athletes test the metabolic limits of the human body

When ultra-runners lace up for races that stretch hundreds of miles and days, they’re not merely testing their mental grit and muscle strength—they’re probing the limits of human biology. Reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on October 20, researchers found that even the most extreme athletes cannot surpass an average “metabolic ceiling” of 2.5 times their basal metabolic rate (BMR) in energy expenditure. The metabolic ceiling represents the maximum number of calories a body can burn. Previous research suggested that people can burn up to 10 times their BMR, or the minimum energy required while at rest, for short bursts. ...

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Science20 Oct 2025

Eye prosthesis is the first to restore sight lost to macular degeneration

A tiny wireless chip implanted in the back of the eye and a pair of high-tech glasses have partially restored vision to people with an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration. In a clinical trial led by Stanford Medicine researchers and international collaborators, 27 out of 32 participants had regained the ability to read a year after receiving the device. With digital enhancements enabled by the device, such as zoom and higher contrast, some participants could read with acuity equivalent to 20/42 vision. The results of the trial will be published Oct. 20 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The ...

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Science20 Oct 2025

Pioneering eye device restores reading vision to blind eyes

After being treated with an electronic eye implant paired with augmented-reality glasses, people with sight loss have recovered reading vision, reports a trial involving a UCL (University College London) and Moorfields Eye Hospital clinical researcher. The results of the European clinical trial, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, showed 84% of participants were able to read letters, numbers and words using prosthetic vision through an eye that had previously lost its sight due to the untreatable ...

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Science20 Oct 2025

Experts urge risk-based monitoring as Barrett’s esophagus care moves beyond one-size-fits-all

Bethesda, MD (Oct. 17, 2025) — The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) today released a new clinical practice guideline on the surveillance of Barrett's esophagus, the only known precursor to esophageal cancer (adenocarcinoma), a highly lethal cancer whose incidence has risen substantially over recent decades. The guideline provides eight evidence-based recommendations and several key implementation statements to help clinicians monitor patients after a diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus, a condition associated with chronic ...

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Science20 Oct 2025

About 9 in 10 haven’t heard of condition that affects nearly 90% of U.S. adults

Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT / 5 a.m. ET Monday, Oct. 20, 2025 DALLAS, Oct. 20, 2025 — About 9 in 10 U.S. adults have not heard of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, a newly defined health condition affecting nearly 90% of adults that includes heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and obesity, according to a new survey from the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere. However, many are interested in learning more about it. Nearly 90% of U.S. adults have at least ...

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Science20 Oct 2025

The tiny droplets that bounce without bursting

If you’ve ever added liquid to a hot frying pan, maybe you noticed how the droplets bubbled up and skittered across the sizzling surface, rather than immediately flattening and wetting. This happens because the pan’s heat starts boiling the undersides of the droplets, producing vapor that acts as an insulating cushion on which they can – momentarily – dance. Previously, scientists have produced a room-temperature version of this phenomenon – known as the Leidenfrost effect – ...

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Science17 Oct 2025

Jump Trading CSO Kevin Bowers elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

The Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing American scientific and technological leadership, today announced the election of Hertz Fellow Kevin Bowers to its board of directors. Bowers is chief science officer and head of research and development at Jump Trading, a proprietary global trading firm specializing in algorithmic and high-frequency trading strategies. Bowers earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Purdue University. He credits his Hertz Fellowship with helping him earn his Master of Science ...

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Science17 Oct 2025

Former Inscripta CEO Sri Kosaraju elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

The Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing American scientific and technological leadership, today announced the election of Sri Kosaraju to its board of directors. Kosaraju is the former chief executive officer at Inscripta, and currently serves as audit chair and board member at 10x Genomics, supporting advancements in life science technology. He also sits on the board at Manus Bio, contributing to the acceleration of biologically produced alternatives. Previously he was a board member at Nevro until its acquisition by Globus. He also served as president and chief financial officer at Penumbra, Inc., and ...

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Science17 Oct 2025

Citadel’s Jordan Chetty elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

The Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing American scientific and technological leadership, today announced the election of Hertz Fellow Jordan Chetty to its board of directors as an early-career board member. Chetty earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, where he specialized in the fabrication of neural interfaces, devices that enable the study and modulation of brain activity. Driven by boundless curiosity, he has built a career that has so far ranged ...

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Science17 Oct 2025

Eighty-five years of big tree history available in one place for the first time

Whether strolling through the woods or taking a rest from outdoor labors, autumn is a time when people contemplate the value of our trees and forests. The curious can now also explore the historical documents of the nation’s biggest trees dating back to the 1940s online, in one place, for the first time. The National Champion Tree Program at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture has compiled historical records dating back to the program’s inception. “We are thrilled to release this compilation of more than 80 years of big tree history,” ...

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Science17 Oct 2025

Sandra Shi MD, MPH, named 2025 STAT Wunderkind

Sandra Shi MD, MPH, has been named a 2025 STAT Wunderkind. Dr. Shi is a geriatrician, instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, and assistant scientist at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife. STAT Wunderkinds is a chance to celebrate early-career researchers who are not yet independent scientists or program leaders. It honors postdoctoral researchers, interns, and fellows — those who have terminal degrees in hand, but aren’t ...

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Science17 Oct 2025

Research Spotlight: Mapping overlooked challenges in stroke recovery

Nirupama Yechoor, MD, MSC, of the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, is the senior author of a paper published in JAMA Network Open, “Coherence of Stroke Survivors’ Lived Experiences and the Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale.” Q: How would you summarize your study for a lay audience? As doctors who care for stroke survivors, we recognize that recovery is a long journey shaped by physical, emotional, mental and social challenges that extend beyond the hospital walls. We also recognize that many changes are needed to help all stroke survivors achieve their best recovery, which means optimizing both their health and their wellbeing. ...

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Science17 Oct 2025

Missing molecule may explain Down syndrome

Faulty brain circuits seen in Down syndrome may be caused by the lack of a particular molecule essential for the development and function of the nervous system, new research suggests. Restoring the molecule, called pleiotrophin, could improve brain function in Down syndrome and other neurological diseases – possibly even in adults, the researchers say. The scientists conducted their work in lab mice, rather than in people, so the approach is far from being available as a treatment. But the researchers found that administering pleiotrophin improved brain function in adult ...

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Science17 Oct 2025

Overactive Runx1 gene triggers early disc degeneration linked to aging

“Taken together, these findings reveal a novel role of Runx1 in maintaining disc health and regulating age-related degenerative processes.” BUFFALO, NY — October 17, 2025 — A new research paper was published in Volume 17, Issue 9 of Aging-US on September 8, 2025, titled, “Runx1 overexpression induces early onset of intervertebral disc degeneration.” In this study, led by first author Takanori Fukunaga from Emory University School of Medicine and corresponding author Hicham Drissi from Emory and the Atlanta VA Medical Center, researchers found that the Runx1 gene, when overactive in spinal disc cells, ...

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Science17 Oct 2025

‘Skinny fat’ linked to silent artery damage, McMaster study reveals

Hamilton, ON (October 17, 2025) – A new study led by researchers at McMaster University reveals that hidden fat deep inside the abdomen and liver may quietly damage arteries, even in people who appear healthy. The findings, published in Communications Medicine on October 17, 2025, challenge the long-standing reliance on body-mass index (BMI) as a measure of obesity and offer fresh insight into how hidden fat contributes to heart disease. Visceral fat (the kind that wraps ...

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Science17 Oct 2025

Sulfated yeast rises to the challenge facing rare earth metals

Ever wonder what happens to those old, broken electronics after tossing them? How about how new ones are being produced despite dwindling resources? The seemingly endless supply of gadgets hides an increasingly critical problem, limited raw resources. Electronics, optical fibers, and superconducting materials heavily rely on rare earth metals, but such limited resources lack innovative recycling solutions. Various methods do exist for metal recovery, but technology with low environmental impact and costs is rising in demand. Fortunately, an answer may have been found in the common kitchen ingredient, baker’s yeast. ...

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Science16 Oct 2025

Overheating bat boxes place bats in mortal danger during heatwaves

Staying cool during heatwaves is challenging for small creatures, but the problem could be even more extreme for nocturnal creatures that are unable to move to cooler locations while slumbering. ‘Roosting bats may face lethally high body temperatures during extremely hot days’, says Ruvinda de Mel, from the University of New England, Australia. And bat boxes are often designed to retain heat to keep bats cozy, which could place the animals at even greater risk during heatwaves, depending on the box’s position ...

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Science16 Oct 2025

New framework can improve the planning stage of surgical quality improvement projects

Key Takeaways An evaluation of 50 surgical QI projects found that only one scored above 70% on criteria for a well-conducted effort, with major deficits in the critical early "front-end" planning stage. The new EPoSSI framework provides a structured, nine-step guide and checklist to help clinicians systematically plan projects before launch. In testing, using the full EPoSSI tool (diagram and guidance table) led to an increase in planning comprehensiveness, with participants meeting 100% of scoring criteria compared to just 24% without the framework. CHICAGO ...

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Science16 Oct 2025

Not for hearing but for symbiosis

Like us humans, insects possess sensory organs responsible for vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. For vision, insects primarily rely on compound eyes. But what about hearing? For example, crickets develop tympanal organs on their forelegs, which function like a human’s eardrum to detect sound. They use these “ears on the legs” to listen to courtship songs and sense approaching enemies. The tympanal organs have evolved in insects repeatedly. For example, cicadas, grasshoppers, moths and mantises have tympanal ears on their abdomen or thorax. Uniquely, stinkbugs of the family Dinidoridae, encompassing around 100 species representing ...

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Science16 Oct 2025

Incentivizing risk to inspire investments in clean innovation for aviation

In a Policy Forum, David Victor and colleagues outline a framework for incentivizing meaningful investments into high-risk, transformative clean technologies in the aviation industry. While massive reductions in global emissions are needed to combat climate change, most current clean investments focus on low-risk, mature technologies such as renewable energy, batteries, and electric vehicles. However, many sectors, including aviation, which accounts for about 3% of global emissions, face steep technological and economic barriers to decarbonization, making ...

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Science16 Oct 2025

Just knowing help is there makes all the difference

People who feel supported by family, friends and colleagues tend to have better mental health, perform more effectively at work and experience positive outcomes in other areas such as physical health, education and risk-taking behaviors, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. “This study underscores the importance of considering the associations between multiple types and sources of perceived social support and multiple domains of human thriving,” said lead author GeckHong Yeo, PhD, of the National University of Singapore. “Our findings also suggest that adolescents, in particular, ...

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Science16 Oct 2025

Manchurian walnut tree holds key to eco-friendly weed control

Fukuoka, Japan—In the search for eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic herbicides, researchers from Kyushu University, Japan, have identified a potent, weed-inhibiting compound in the leaves of the Manchurian walnut tree (Juglans mandshurica Maxim.). The discovery of the compound, 2Z-decaprenol, and its unique mode of action on plants could lead to the development of more sustainable herbicides. The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Juntendo University in Japan and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and was published ...

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