Liquid–liquid phase separation is a process in which a uniform solution separates into two coexisting liquid phases. In living cells, it governs the formation of membrane-less compartments that selectively concentrate molecules and regulate biochemical reactions. This phenomenon is also widely used in practical applications, including biomolecular separation and purification. A long-standing question in phase separation research is why specific molecules preferentially localize in one phase over the other. Conventional explanations have focused on polymer–polymer ...

Schizophrenia is a highly heterogeneous psychiatric disorder affecting ~1% of the global population, typically emerging in adolescence or early adulthood and characterized by hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, and cognitive impairments; while its etiology remains elusive, genetic factors are widely recognized as fundamental, and GWAS have identified over 200 genome-wide significant loci.  White matter microstructure is essential for neural communication and is strongly heritable; diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) quantifies white matter integrity via FA, MD, and the three tensor eigenvalues (λ1–λ3), and widespread ...

A new study published in Big Earth Data provides a comprehensive evaluation of the accuracy of widely used satellite-based and reanalysis precipitation datasets, offering critical guidance for hydrological, climate, and environmental applications in Central Europe.  Citation Paluba, D., Bližňák, V., Müller, M., & Štych, P. (2025). Evaluation of ten satellite-based and reanalysis precipitation datasets on a daily basis for Czechia (2001–2021). Big Earth Data, 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/20964471.2025.2592444 Abstract This ...

Metastatic urothelial carcinoma has a poor prognosis: ~50% of muscle-invasive bladder cancer progresses to metastasis, and the 5-year survival for advanced/metastatic disease is <10%. Platinum-based chemotherapy was historically first-line, but its benefit is limited by renal insufficiency/poor tolerance and the lack of effective options after resistance. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have improved outcomes in a subset of patients and are supported by high tumor mutational burden and PD-L1 expression in bladder cancer; however, response ...

Investigational New Drug (IND) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) paves the way for ISM8969 clinical study in the United States. The Phase I clinical trial aims to evaluate safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics profiles. ISM8969 is a novel oral therapeutic candidate developed through Insilico’s Pharma.AI, with best-in-class potential, unique brain penetrant traits, and favorable druggability profiles demonstrated in preclinical studies. Insilico Medicine has entered into a co-development collaboration agreement with Hygtia Therapeutics, with both parties each holding 50% of ...

Hepatic steatosis is a core pathological feature of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). It not only drives disease progression to intrahepatic conditions such as cirrhosis but also elevates the incidence and mortality risk of cardiovascular diseases and extrahepatic malignancies. Importantly, hepatic steatosis is reversible in its early stages. Clinical practice guidelines recommend exercise intervention as the primary approach for treating the disease, and the concept of "exercise as medicine" is widely acknowledged. In recent years, researchers have mainly evaluated how different components of exercise prescriptions affect health ...

A new expert consensus made available online on 10 October 2025 and published in Volume 5, Issue 4 of the journal Intelligent Medicine on 1 November 2025, sets out a structured framework to assess large language models (LLMs) before they are introduced into clinical workflows. The guidance responds to the rapid uptake of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for diagnostic support, medical documentation, and patient communication, and the corresponding need for consistent evaluation of safety, effectiveness, and fairness. The consensus formalizes retrospective evaluation—testing ...

The rising incidence of cancer worldwide has led to an increasing number of surgeries that involve the removal of lymph nodes. Although these procedures play a major role in cancer staging and preventing the spread of malignancies, they sometimes come with severe long-term consequences. Since lymph nodes do not naturally regenerate once removed, their absence can lead to a condition known as secondary lymphedema. It manifests as chronic swelling, discomfort, and reduced mobility in affected limbs or regions, severely affecting a patient’s quality of life. Consequently, a major focus within the ...

New research published in Nature Ecology and Evolution reveals significant recent shifts in tree diversity among the tropical forests of the Andes and Amazon, driven by global change. The study, led by Dr Belen Fadrique from the University of Liverpool, uses 40 years of records on tree species collected by hundreds of international botanists and ecologists in long-term plots to offer comprehensive insights into tree diversity change in the world’s most diverse forests. Key Findings At the continental level, ...

Children with spina bifida, a malformation of the spinal cord that can lead to mobility impairments and hydrocephalus — a buildup of fluid in the brain — face significant risk of cognitive difficulties throughout their lives. A new multi-center study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Michigan Medicine finds that breathing problems during sleep are a widespread but often undetected issue among these babies and raises the possibility that early treatment might significantly improve ...

The North Atlantic Ocean is warming up. Higher temperatures and increased human activity in the region can trigger abrupt changes in marine ecosystems, for example how species are distributed and what they eat. In a long-term study published in Frontiers in Marine Science, researchers in Canada have examined the diet of three rorqual whale species and how these whales might have adapted their feeding habits as climate change and increasing human presence reshape the ecosystem of the Gulf of St Lawrence (GSL), a seasonally important feeding area for many whale species. “A ...

Wetland restoration is expanding worldwide, but long-term success often remains uncertain. Most projects rely on short-term, expert monitoring that ends long before restored wetlands stabilize, leaving major gaps in understanding how restored wetlands actually evolve over time. One increasingly discussed way to close these gaps is to extend monitoring beyond professional teams by engaging local communities and citizens in long-term observation. In a Perspective published (DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2026.100656) in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology in January 2026, researchers from Aarhus University ...

New University of Hawaiʻi research confirms that “Sharktober” is real, revealing a statistically significant spike in shark bite incidents in Hawaiian waters every October. The study, which analyzed 30 years of data (1995–2024), found that about 20% of all recorded bites occurred in that single month, a frequency far exceeding any other time of the year. Researchers at UH Mānoa’s Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) Shark Lab published their findings in Frontiers in Marine Science. The research, led by HIMB Professor Carl G. Meyer, determined ...

A new computing platform that pairs artificial intelligence (AI) with high performance computing aims to end the bottleneck holding back fusion energy research by speeding the simulations needed to advance the field.  The project — known as the Simulation, Technology, and Experiment Leveraging Learning-Accelerated Research enabled by AI (STELLAR-AI ) — will be led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). STELLAR-AI will expand far beyond the Lab’s walls, however, bringing together national laboratories, universities, technology companies and industry partners to build the computational foundation ...

Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) are vital for positioning autonomous vehicles, buses, drones, and outdoor robots. Yet its accuracy often degrades in dense urban areas due to signal blockage and reflections. Now, researchers have developed a GNSS-only method that delivers stable, accurate positioning without relying on fragile carrier-phase ambiguity resolution. Tested across six challenging urban scenarios, the approach consistently outperformed existing methods, enabling safer and more reliable autonomous navigation.   Accurately determining position is critical for the safety and reliability of autonomous vehicles and outdoor ...

A research team from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a novel DNA origami-based technique to synthesize stable, monolithic amorphous silver nanostructures under ambient conditions. By using DNA scaffold with fivefold rotational symmetry, the method introduces geometric frustration that effectively suppresses crystallization in metallic silver, a traditionally challenging feat due to the natural tendency of silver to form crystalline structures. Detailed characterization and molecular ...

Deep neural networks (DNNs) have become a cornerstone of modern AI technology, driving a thriving field of research in image-related tasks. These systems have found applications in medical diagnosis, automated data processing, computer vision, and various forms of industrial automation, to name a few. As our reliance on AI models grows, so does our need to test them thoroughly using adversarial examples. Simply put, adversarial examples are images that have been strategically modified with noise to trick an AI into making a mistake. Understanding adversarial image generation techniques is essential for identifying vulnerabilities in DNNs and for developing more secure, reliable systems. Despite ...

A comprehensive new review published in the Journal of Management synthesizes decades of research to understand the epidemic of workplace loneliness. By analyzing 233 empirical studies, researchers from Portland State University have identified how workplace conditions contribute to isolation and offer evidence-based paths to reconnection. The research emphasizes that loneliness is distinct from social isolation. While isolation is about being alone, loneliness is the subjective feeling that one’s social relationships are deficient—meaning ...

Cadmium contamination in agricultural soils is a growing global concern, threatening food safety, crop productivity, and human health. New research shows that not all biochars work the same way and that choosing the right type of biochar can make the difference between trapping toxic metals in soil or unintentionally making them more mobile. In a study published online on January 15, 2026, researchers report that biochar produced at high temperatures can work together with soil microbes to effectively immobilize cadmium, one of the most hazardous heavy metals found in farmland ...

A recently identified tree species in Australia has been given the name ‘zombie’ by scientists who say ambitious assistance is needed to reverse its ‘living dead’ status. University of Queensland botanist Professor Rod Fensham said it was a race against time to save Rhodamnia zombi from the fungal disease myrtle rust. “This species did not have a name when it was first assessed in 2020, and since then 10 per cent of the trees have died and none of those remaining are producing flowers or fruit because of myrtle rust,” ...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new study led by Mayo Clinic found that postmenopausal women receiving menopausal hormone therapy lost 35% more weight while taking tirzepatide, a Food and Drug Administration-approved drug for the treatment of overweight and obesity. The findings, published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women's Health, could expand treatment possibilities for millions of women struggling with obesity and obesity-related diseases after menopause. Menopause can accelerate age-related weight gain and increase the likelihood of developing overweight and obesity, which are major risk factors for cardiovascular ...

Water behaves in remarkable ways when heated and pressurized beyond its critical point. Under these extreme conditions, known as supercritical water, it no longer acts like an ordinary liquid. Instead, it takes on properties similar to organic solvents, dissolving hydrocarbons efficiently and transporting molecules rapidly. These unique features make supercritical water a promising green medium for energy conversion technologies such as biomass gasification, plastic recycling, and in situ fuel extraction. Yet many of these reactions occur inside extremely ...

A widely distributed environmental pollutant can leave lasting biological scars that persist long after direct exposure has ended, according to a new study that tracked its effects across multiple generations of fish. Researchers found that brief exposure to benzo[a]pyrene, a toxic compound produced by fossil fuel combustion and industrial activity, disrupted normal development and skeletal health not only in directly exposed fish but also in their unexposed descendants. The study reveals that these long-term effects are driven by persistent changes in metabolism, shedding new light on how ...

With already thin profit margins and increasingly uncertain farm labor and other input costs, precision agriculture technology could improve New England’s small and medium-sized farms’ efficiency, productivity, and resilience. Unfortunately, factors such as up-front costs and validation of the technology’s accuracy in the region remain a barrier to adoption. A research team at UNH led by Benjamin Fraser, visiting assistant professor and director of the Basic and Applied Spatial Analysis ...

Center for BrainHealth, a global leader in brain health research and its practical application, announces its fourth annual BrainHealth Week, February 23–28, 2026. The week-long conference features a diverse lineup of events designed to educate and inspire people of all ages to take action for better brain health. As brain health takes center stage at global forums like Davos and the UN General Assembly, BrainHealth Week 2026, presented by Ciridian, marks a pivotal moment in cognitive neuroscience. This event brings together world-renowned neuroscientists and brain performance experts to translate breakthrough research into "brain gains." ...