Science
press releases.

Science30 Sep 2025

The relaxed birder

Kyoto, Japan -- Citizen science has allowed regular citizens to participate in data collection as well as expanded biodiversity monitoring. Yet many datasets are still limited to the coverage of certain regions and habitats in particular seasons. In bird research, for example, traditional point‑count surveys often have strict rules regarding the location, timing, and spacing between observation points, making it challenging for citizen volunteers to participate casually. This inspired Masumi Hisano, formerly of Kyoto University and now at Hiroshima University, to try a more flexible approach by conducting counts whenever and wherever possible, as part of his daily routines. As someone ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

Indoor wood burners linked to a decline in lung function

Using a wood burning stove at home can lead to a decline in lung function, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands [1]. The study was presented by Dr Laura Horsfall, Principal Research Fellow from the Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, UK. The use of solid fuel for domestic heating has increased in Europe due to the marketing of wood as renewable energy and high fossil fuel prices. In the UK, the proportion of harmful ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

Yale researchers develop novel test for leptospirosis

New Haven, Conn. — In a new study, Yale School of Medicine (YSM) researchers unveiled a novel diagnostic method for detecting leptospiral virulence-modifying (VM) proteins in the blood and urine of hamsters, an advance that could pave the way for early diagnosis of the tropical disease leptospirosis in humans and improved treatment options. The findings were published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum. Found around the world, leptospirosis affects approximately 1 million people annually, with nearly 60,000 fatalities. The disease is caused by the bacterium Leptospira and is spread ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

The first animals on Earth may have been sea sponges, study suggests

A team of MIT geochemists has unearthed new evidence in very old rocks suggesting that some of the first animals on Earth were likely ancestors of the modern sea sponge. In a study appearing today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers report that they have identified “chemical fossils” that may have been left by ancient sponges in rocks that are more than 541 million years old. A chemical fossil is a remnant of a biomolecule that originated from a living organism that has since been buried, transformed, and preserved in sediment, sometimes for hundreds of millions of years. The newly identified chemical fossils are special types ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

Scientists map the navigation styles of wild cats and dogs

The next time you watch your dog visit the same places around your yard or notice that your cat seems to explore a new area every time it ventures outside, consider this: you might be witnessing an ancient evolutionary strategy in action. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during the week of September 29, 2025 reveals that wild canids have, on average, both a greater density of travel routeways and a greater probability of routeway usage than wild felids. Led by University of Maryland researchers, the ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

Polyphenols Applications World Congress and Iprona will launch Global Call to Advance Robust, Reproducible Polyphenol Research, next October in Malta

At the 18th World Congress on Polyphenols Applications, which will be held in Malta on October 2-3, 2025, Iprona and Polyphenols Applications will announce a global call to action, inviting researchers to strengthen the quality and reproducibility of polyphenol science. Through this initiative, ElderCraft®, a polyphenol-standardised European black elderberry (Sambucus nigra) water extract, is now available at no cost to qualified academic and clinical research groups worldwide. ElderCraft® is a polyphenol and anthocyanin-rich extract, sourced exclusively from ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

New BBRF webinar to explore biological factors underlying suicide risk

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) will host a free webinar on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 2:00 pm ET, examining the biological factors that contribute to suicide risk and what can be done to strengthen prevention efforts. The event will be hosted by Jeffrey Borenstein, M.D., President & CEO of BBRF and host of the Emmy® nominated television series Healthy Minds. Featured speaker, Steven Lamontagne, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), will ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

From shortage to success: How MUSC anesthesia team navigated IV fluid crisis

As we approach the first anniversary of flooding from Hurricane Helene that devastated parts of North Carolina, the anesthesia department from the Medical University of South Carolina is sharing how it responded to one effect of that flooding: the disruption of the IV fluid supply chain. “The culture in anesthesia is to be prepared for everything,” said Carlee A. Clark, M.D., lead author of the MUSC study published in A&A Practice. The journal is for doctors working in anesthesia and pain medicine, focusing on short, peer-reviewed articles on innovative treatments and solutions. The anesthesia team was prepared for an IV fluid supply shortage. Previous publications ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

Forget numbers: your PIN could consist of a shimmy and a shake

In the near future, you may not need to touch a keypad to select a tip or pay for large purchases. All it may take is a swipe, tap or other quick gesture. Hygienic tips The innovation utilizes near-field communication (NFC), the short-range wireless technology embedded in smartphones, payment cards and terminals, passports and key fobs. UBC computer scientists say it could help prevent the spread of germs through touchpads, speed up transactions, and improve accessibility for users unable to press buttons. Researchers debuted ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

Walking shapes how people process sound

Does walking influence how people process sensory information, like sounds, from the environment? In a new JNeurosci paper, researchers led by Liyu Cao, from Zhejiang University, and Barbara Händel, from University of Würzburg, explored whether walking direction influences how people process sounds. Thirty volunteers walked in an eight-shaped path as they listened to a continuous stream of sound with changing intensities while researchers collected recordings of brain activity. People had stronger neural responses to sound while walking as opposed to standing or walking in place. These responses changed to the same degree as manipulations to sound intensity. ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

How EU’s data protection regulation affected news and media websites

In May 2018, the European Union (EU) implemented the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a major component of EU privacy law. Privacy regulations like the GDPR have long been criticized by the online advertising industry as harmful to the digital economy. Critics argue that stricter privacy laws reduce online tracking, disrupt targeted advertising, and, as a result, weaken the ability of publishers and content creators to generate revenue and maintain free, high-quality content for users. But since its implementation, little attention has been directed to understanding the regulation’s ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

Dr. Amar Kishan honored with Steven A. Leibel Memorial Award

Dr. Amar Kishan, professor and executive vice chair of radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and co-director of the cancer molecular imaging, nanotechnology and theranostics program at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been named the recipient of the 2025 Steven A. Leibel Memorial Award, one of the most distinguished honors in radiation oncology. Presented by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the American Board of Radiology (ABR) Foundation, the award recognizes outstanding principal investigators within the first decade of their careers following board certification. Kishan was selected for ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

Europe's oldest blue pigment found in Germany

At the Final Palaeolithic site of Mühlheim-Dietesheim, Germany, archaeologists from Aarhus University found traces of a blue residue on a stone artifact dating back around 13,000 years. Using a suite of cutting-edge scientific analyses, they confirmed the traces were from the vivid blue mineral pigment azurite, previously unseen in Europe’s Palaeolithic art. “This challenges what we thought we knew about Palaeolithic pigment use”, sais Dr. Izzy Wisher, the lead author of the study. Until now, scholars believed Palaeolithic artists predominantly used red and black pigments – practically no other colours ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

Daydreaming can lead to epiphanies, greater career purpose, WashU research finds

The legendary tale of the business leader who had an epiphany that fundamentally changed his or her professional journey — turning hobbies, small observations or frustrations into billion-dollar ideas — is well known. Julia Child writing her first cookbook at 50 and becoming a famous chef; Sara Blakely channeling frustration with undergarments to develop Spanx; Jeff Bezos leaving a successful Wall Street investment career to get in on the booming growth of the internet … the list goes on. Epiphanies — sudden realizations that transform how people see ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

High pollen count: The last straw effect on suicide risk

Images Beyond the sneezing and itchy eyes, high pollen seasons are now linked to a significant increase in suicide risk. A new University of Michigan study found a 7.4% jump in deaths, suggesting the physical discomfort of allergies may trigger a deeper, more dangerous despair, an overlooked factor in suicide prevention. The study indicates that allergies' physiological effects, such as poor sleep and mental distress, may contribute to this increased risk. "A small shock could have a big effect ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

Ontology 2.0 deepens LOINC®-SNOMED collaboration, speeds global lab interoperability

INDIANAPOLIS, US and LONDON, UK – Regenstrief Institute and SNOMED International have released LOINC® Ontology 2.0, the next version of The LOINC Ontology: A LOINC and SNOMED CT Interoperability Solution and a significant advance in their ongoing collaboration to streamline the exchange and use of health data worldwide. This version expands the Ontology with approximately 6,000 additional concepts, with more than 2,500 new “Orderable Grouper” concepts that provide practical, higher-level groupings for laboratory orders. By introducing this organization, ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

Cornell launches initiative to unravel the science of menopause

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Two centuries ago, few women lived long enough to reach menopause. Today, it marks a major inflection point in women’s health, yet remains poorly understood. Cornell researchers aim to change that. Drawing on cutting-edge technology and interdisciplinary expertise, researchers are launching Menopause Health Engineering, a new initiative uniting faculty from Cornell’s Ithaca campus and Weill Cornell Medicine, to uncover how menopause shapes health and disease, and to develop urgently needed treatment ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

UCSF assistant professor to receive the 2025 Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Research Goes Red® Award

DALLAS, Sept 29, 2025 — Megan McLaughlin, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has been selected to receive the 2025 Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Research Goes Red® Award at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025. The meeting, to be held Nov. 7-10, 2025, in New Orleans, is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science. The award will be presented to Dr. McLaughlin during the annual Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Research Goes Red® Award for Best Scientific Article on Cardiovascular ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

APSS accepting sleep and circadian research abstracts and session proposals for SLEEP 2026 in Baltimore

DARIEN, IL – The Associated Professional Sleep Societies is accepting research abstracts and session proposal submissions for SLEEP 2026, the 40th annual meeting of the APSS, which will be held June 14 to 17 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Research abstracts will be accepted for oral and poster presentations in two tracks: basic and translational sleep and circadian science and clinical sleep science and practice. Accepted abstracts will be published online in a supplement of the journal Sleep. The APSS Program Committee is also accepting proposals for postgraduate courses and other sessions including bench-to-bedside sessions, clinical workshops, discussion ...

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Science29 Sep 2025

Many older adults – especially Gen X women – show signs of addiction to ultra-processed foods

They were the first generation of Americans to grow up with ultra-processed foods all around them – products typically loaded with extra fat, salt, sugar and flavorings. They were children and young adults at a time when such products, designed to maximize their appeal, proliferated. Now, a study shows, 21% of women and 10% of men in Generation X and the tail end of the Baby Boom generation, now in their 50s and early 60s, meet criteria for addiction to these ultra-processed foods. That rate is far higher than it is among ...

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Science28 Sep 2025

People may age faster if their dad smoked during puberty

People whose fathers smoked during puberty seem to age faster than expected, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands [1]. The researchers found signs of faster biological ageing, compared to chronological age, in people whose fathers began smoking at age 15 or younger. They say smoking during puberty may create damage in boys’ developing sperm cells that can be passed on to their children. The researchers call for stronger efforts to prevent tobacco use in teenagers, not only ...

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Science28 Sep 2025

Combination inhaler reduces asthma attacks in children by almost half

Findings from a trial comparing the real-world effectiveness of asthma inhalers could reshape how children with asthma are treated. In the first randomised controlled trial to investigate the use of a 2-in-1 inhaler as the sole reliever therapy for children aged 5 to 15, an international team found the combined treatment to be more effective than salbutamol, the current standard for asthma symptom relief in children, with no additional safety concerns. The results show that using a single 2-in-1 anti-inflammatory reliever inhaler – ...

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Science26 Sep 2025

Sylvester researchers to present findings at ASTRO 2025

PRESIDENTIAL SYMPOSIUM SPEAKER: Classical Movement Disorders and Connectomics: Image-Guided Radiosurgery Reimagined Speaker: Markus Bredel, M.D., Ph.D., Sept. 28, 2025; 10:30-10:50 AM PT Location: San Francisco Ballroom ORAL: Community Outreach Initiatives – Disparities in Gynecologic Cancer Care and Outcomes in the Age of Molecular Profiling and Targeted Therapies: Etiologies and Solutions Presenter: Amanda Rivera, M.D., Sept. 29, 2025, 11:32-11:47 AM PT Location: Room 154 ORAL: Pembrolizumab ...

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Science26 Sep 2025

Key adaptation helps nomadic people survive in extreme desert

ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell University researchers have contributed to a multi-institutional study of how the nomadic Turkana people of northern Kenya – who have lived for thousands of years in extreme desert conditions – evolved to survive, showing humans’ resilience in even the harshest environments. In the study, published in Science, a team of researchers from Kenya and the U.S., working with Turkana communities, identified eight regions of DNA in the genomes of the Turkana that have evolved through natural ...

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Science26 Sep 2025

Study: Exercise lowers risk of depression and sleep problems in older smokers

Getting enough weekly exercise may help smokers over 40 reduce depression and sleep issues to levels seen in non-smokers, according to a study from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health. The study showed that smokers had higher rates of moderate to severe depressive symptoms and sleep disorders than non-smokers. Notably, smokers aged 40 to 59 who did not meet physical activity guidelines were especially likely to report moderate to severe depressive symptoms and sleep disorders. Smokers aged ...

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