Science
press releases.

Science17 Sep 2025

Indra's internet

Kyoto, Japan -- Online platforms promise connection, yet the social comparison, digital surveillance, and public criticism they foster can also heighten emotional instability. Recently, these platforms have even intensified global challenges by fueling misinformation-driven unrest and deepening emotional divides. These dynamics have been linked to rising levels of distress, fear, and trauma, often shaped by collective outrage and transient narratives. While current psychiatry offers various approaches to address individual distress, the field remains relatively under-equipped to understand ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

When smoke signals danger: How Australian lizards evolved to escape fire

Australian researchers have discovered that sleepy lizards (Tiliqua rugosus) can recognise the smell of smoke as a sign of approaching fire and attempt to escape, but they do not respond to the sound of fire. The study, published this month in Biology Letters, provides the first empirical test of an amusing anecdote: when zookeepers at a US zoo burnt their lunch, they noticed they were not alone in smelling the acrid smoke. Captive sleepy lizards became agitated by the smell wafting through the building, while other reptiles remained calm. Despite being mostly captive-bred, the lizards tongue-flicked, paced, and tried to escape—behaviour researchers now show ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

Beyond the surface: Atopic eczema linked to significantly higher risk of suicidal thoughts, major study finds

(Paris, France, Wednesday, 17 September 2025) A new international study presented today at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2025 reveals that adults with atopic eczema (AE) are significantly more likely to experience suicidal thoughts, with researchers uncovering the key factors driving this elevated risk.1 As one of the largest global investigations to examine the link between AE and suicidal ideation, the “Scars of Life” study surveyed 30,801 adults across 27 countries in 2024. Among ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

Orforglipron taken orally once daily leads to significant body weight loss (ATTAIN-1 Study)

New research presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna, Austria (Sept 15-19) and simultaneously published in NEJM shows that daily treatment with the new once-daily GLP-1 agonist orforglipron results in substantial weight loss in people living with obesity that do not have type 2 diabetes. The study is by Dr Sean Wharton, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada and Wharton Weight Management Clinic, Burlington, ON, Canada, and colleagues. The study is sponsored by Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of orforglipron. Orforglipron is a small-molecule, ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

Researchers: Targeted efforts needed to stem fentanyl crisis

A new study illuminates how some areas of the country have been hit much harder than others by the fentanyl epidemic, which took more than 70,800 lives in 2022 alone. The research calls attention to a need for focused, coordinated efforts to prevent overdose deaths in the places where deaths from the opioid are rampant, said lead author Thomas Wickizer, a professor emeritus in The Ohio State University College of Public Health. The study appears in the journal Health Affairs Scholar. “We can look at this map and see there are certain areas which are experiencing this at an extremely dire rate, and energy and resources, including financial investments, should ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

Loss of key male fertility gene leads to changes in expression of hundreds of other genes

In a new study conducted at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, researchers from the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) have shown that the loss of a key male fertility gene leads to infertility and changes expression of hundreds of other important genes. The study was led by Professor Dr. Monika Ward from the Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry & Physiology and the Yanagimachi Institute for Biogenesis Research (YIBR). The team has been investigating a zinc finger Y-encoded gene called Zfy. This gene, encoded on Y chromosome in both mice and humans, is considered a male fertility factor. In mice, Zfy is present as two copies, Zfy1 and Zfy2. The researchers ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

Pioneering research reveals problem gambling quadruples the risk of suicide among young people four years later

New research has shown how harmful gambling is clearly linked to a marked and long-lasting increase in suicide attempts among young people in the UK. The study, by researchers at the University of Bristol, found that compared to someone who experiences no gambling harms, problem gamblers face triple the suicide risk one year later, and quadruple the risk four years on. Researchers analysed data from 2,801 people in the renowned Children of the 90s study, which has followed the health and development of 14,000 pregnant women and their families since the early nineties, and which continues ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

UCalgary researchers pursue new approach to manage deadly lung scarring

Researchers at the University of Calgary studying a lethal lung disease called pulmonary fibrosis have found neurons, which were known to help detect pain, are also critical for reducing harmful lung inflammation that leads to the disease. Pulmonary fibrosis, also called lung scarring, is uncommon but it’s hard to treat and most people die within five years of diagnosis. Research to date has focused on how the lung lining gets damaged and the body’s attempts to repair the issue. The role of neurons — a complex network of cells within the nervous system that send messages between the brain, spinal cord and through the body ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

IU researchers find that opioid pain meds prescribed during pregnancy do not cause increased risk of autism or ADHD

An Indiana University study brings a comprehensive new perspective to a growing body of evidence suggesting that mild to moderate use of prescribed opioid pain medications during pregnancy does not cause an increased risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. The study explores documented associations between prescribed opioid pain medications during pregnancy and the increased risk for the two neurodevelopmental disorders. It concludes that other factors, rather than fetal exposure to opioid ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

Preventing corruption in the lymph nodes

Würzburg. In almost all solid tumours – i.e. cancers with a solid tissue structure – the detection of tumour cells in the lymph nodes is considered a decisive marker for the progression of the disease. Lymph node involvement has a significant influence on the choice of treatment and the chances of survival for patients. In particular, solid tumours in the breast, on the skin or in the gastrointestinal tract use the lymphatic system as the main route for distant metastasis, for example to the lungs, liver and bones. However, lymph nodes also play an important role in the immune system. They serve as a meeting place for various immune ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

EWRR becomes an official EULAR Congress

EWRR is recognised as a friendly and interactive forum for basic and translational researchers working in rheumatology. The initial meeting took place in 1981, and four decades later it is still providing up-to-date information – helping to unpick the basic mechanisms of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), and supporting the development of advanced treatment options. Considered Europe’s premier event for basic and translational research in the field of rheumatology, its core aim is to attract young scientists and to give them ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

Scientists create a mathematical model that explains esophageal motility disorders

Fukuoka, Japan—For most people, swallowing is second nature, but how does it occur, and why do some people have difficulty with it? Researchers at Kyushu University in Japan have started to tackle these questions by developing a mathematical model that recreates the muscle movements of the esophagus that occur during swallowing. The model, reported in Royal Society Open Science, also replicates muscle dynamics seen in various esophageal motility disorders, revealing insights into their underlying causes and opening up new avenues for treatment. A ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

Disparities in utilization of uterine fibroid embolization

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study, uterine fibroid embolization was underutilized with significant disparities across socioeconomic factors. Further efforts are needed to equitably expand access to uterine fibroid embolization across the country. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Tarig S. Elhakim, M.D., M.P.H., email tarigelhakim@gmail.com. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.32100) Editor’s ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

A new way to produce ammonia more efficiently

Ammonia is used in fertilizer and many industrial processes. It is also seen as a promising way to store and transport energy, as it is safer and easier to handle ammonia than hydrogen gas. Using plasma, the fourth state of matter, scientists have created a material that boosts ammonia production. “If one needs industrial hydrogen someplace else than where it is made, it will be easier and safer to transport hydrogen as ammonia and store it until it is needed. Ideally then one would decompose the ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

Impact of decline in rescue breathing on child survival in Japan

Cardiac arrest happens when the heart stops pumping blood properly, cutting off oxygen to the brain and other vital organs. In these emergencies, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can help keep blood and oxygen moving until medical help arrives. For children, CPR usually needs both chest compressions and rescue breaths, because many cases are caused by breathing problems such as drowning, choking, or serious illness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, fear of infection changed the way CPR was practiced. Public health guidelines for adults recommended chest compression-only CPR (CO-CPR) to minimize the risk of ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

High-status producers have the support to radically shift their artists’ image, while mid-status producers follow trends

In markets where producers drive the creative process, high-status producers can opt for more radical changes for their artists’ image, whereas middle-status producers are likely to shift their artists’ image to follow popular categories. The new research, published in Strategic Management Journal, uses Korean pop music — or K-pop — to demonstrate how the status of entertainment agencies affects how idol groups shift categories, an effect that is also limited by the artists’ gender. The research — from Heeyon Kim of Cornell University, Yoonjeoung Heo of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, and Chi-Nien Chung of Hong ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

Outstanding postdoctoral researchers honored with 2025 Blavatnik Regional Awards for Young Scientists

NEW YORK – September 16, 2025 – The Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences are proud to announce the three Laureates and six Finalists of the 2025 Blavatnik Regional Awards for Young Scientists, the Blavatnik Awards’ flagship prize that honors outstanding postdoctoral scientists from academic research institutions across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Honoring early-career excellence in the categories of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

Better understanding of bitter taste receptors: An AlphaFold3-based structure study

Receptor proteins, expressed on the cell surface or within the cell, bind to different signaling molecules, known as ligands, initiating cellular responses. Taste receptors, expressed in oral tissues, interact with tastants, the molecules responsible for the sensation of taste. Bitter taste receptors (T2Rs) are responsible for the sensation of bitter taste. However, apart from oral tissue, these receptors are also expressed in the neuropod cells of the gastrointestinal tract, which are responsible for transmitting signals from the gut to the brain. Thus, T2Rs might play a crucial role in maintaining the gut-brain axis. 25 types of human T2Rs have been identified to date. However, due ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

The ATREIDES program in search of lost exo-Neptunes

An international team led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE), including scientists from the National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS, the University of Warwick, and the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics, has launched an ambitious program to map exoplanets located around the Neptunian Desert. The goal: to better understand the formation and evolution of planetary systems. This collaboration, known as ATREIDES, has delivered its first results with the observation of the TOI-421 planetary system. Analysis of this system reveals a surprisingly inclined orbital architecture, offering new insights ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

Study isolates population aging as primary driver of musculoskeletal disorders

Philadelphia, September 16, 2025 – Novel research shows that in approximately one third of countries and territories worldwide, population aging was the largest contributor to the growing burden of musculoskeletal disorders from 1990 to 2021. The new study in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, published by Elsevier, is poised to inform targeted public health strategies and healthcare resource allocation to alleviate the global burden and economic impact of these disorders. Musculoskeletal disorders—conditions ...

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Science16 Sep 2025

Recent advances in dynamic biomacromolecular modifications and chemical interventions: Perspective from a Chinese chemical biology consortium

In August 2017, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) launched the Major Research Plan “Dynamic Modifications and Chemical Interventions of Biomacromolecules” (implementation period 2017–2025). Through interdisciplinary research that integrates chemistry, life sciences, medicine, mathematics, materials science, and information science, its aim is to develop specific labeling methods and detection techniques for dynamic chemical modifications of biomacromolecules, elucidate the recognition mechanisms and biological functions of dynamic ...

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Science15 Sep 2025

About one in five people taking Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro say food tastes saltier or sweeter than before

New research being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria (15-19 September) shows that some individuals who are taking Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro find that foods taste sweeter or saltier than before. About one in five of those participating in the real-word study, published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, perceived sweetness more intensely and a similar number were more sensitive to salt – and these changes were linked to a reduction in appetite. “Incretin-based therapies such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are widely used for weight management ...

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Science15 Sep 2025

Taking semaglutide turns down food noise, research suggests

New research being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria (15-19 September) shows that individuals who are taking semaglutide for weight loss experience less food noise than before. Food noise refers to obsessive and intrusive thoughts about food and eating. This preoccupation with food can hinder healthy lifestyle implementation and lead to overeating, making weight loss difficult. Previous research has found that 57% of people who have living ...

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Science15 Sep 2025

How NIL boosts college football’s competitive balance

A groundbreaking new study published in Management Science challenges conventional wisdom about Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies in college football, demonstrating they actively enhance competitive balance and broaden opportunities for athletes. Researchers Tim Derdenger from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business and Ivan Li at the Naveen Jindal School of Management, University of Texas at Dallas, find that NIL has led to a wider distribution of talent across college programs, directly benefiting athletes who seek to maximize their brands and earning potential. This research overturns the “rich get richer” narrative, asserting ...

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Science15 Sep 2025

Ants defend plants from herbivores but can hinder pollination

Around 4,000 plant species from different parts of the world secrete nectar outside their flowers, such as on their stems or leaves, through secretory glands known as extrafloral nectaries. Unlike floral nectar, extrafloral nectar does not attract pollinators; rather, it attracts insects that defend plants, such as ants. These insects feed on the sweet liquid and, in return, protect the plant from herbivores. However, this protection comes at a cost. A study published in the Journal of ...

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