Researchers have uncovered a surprising new role for nano-biochar, showing that it can drive the natural formation and accumulation of silver nanoparticles in rice roots. The study, published in Biochar, reveals how this tiny carbon material interacts with plant roots to transform silver ions into metallic nanoparticles, potentially affecting both plant health and the movement of metals in the environment. Silver is widely used in electronics, medicine, and antimicrobial products, which leads to the release of silver ions into soils and waterways. These ions are highly reactive and can pose risks to living organisms. In contrast, silver nanoparticles are more stable and less toxic. ...

Electronic waste is piling up around the world at a rate that far outpaces recycling efforts, partly because it’s so costly and time-consuming to recover useful materials from discarded gadgets. When processed improperly, spent electronics can expose workers and the environment to lead, mercury and other toxic chemicals. Without systemic changes, our global appetite for electronics could produce an annual 60 million tons of electronic waste by 2030. This conundrum inspired a team at the University ...

Prominent research studies have suggested that our planet is currently experiencing another mass extinction, based on extrapolating extinctions from the past 500 years into the future and the idea that extinction rates are rapidly accelerating. A new study by Kristen Saban and John Wiens with the University of Arizona Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, however, revealed that over the last 500 years extinctions in plants, arthropods and land vertebrates peaked about 100 years ago and have declined since then. Furthermore, the researchers found that the past extinctions underlying these ...

The discovery of a tiny foot bone millions of years old reveals Aotearoa New Zealand was once home to a songbird species with potentially unique courtship behaviours, new research shows. These days bowerbirds are only found in Australia and New Guinea but an international collaboration by the University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the University of Cambridge shows they may have resided in Aotearoa 14-19 million years ago. The foot bone that was found in the St Bathans, Central Otago, fossil deposits bore a close similarity to bowerbirds, though belonged to a bird that was much smaller than living species. Co-author Associate ...

Scientists at ARUP Laboratories have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that detects intestinal parasites in stool samples more quickly and accurately than traditional methods, potentially transforming how labs diagnose parasitic infections around the world. Identifying parasites under the microscope has long been a painstaking task requiring highly trained experts to manually scour each sample for telltale cysts, eggs or larva. Now, a deep-learning model, known as a convolutional neural network (CNN), achieves that work with a high degree ...

On Wednesday, October 29 at 14:00 (Beijing Time), environmental engineering expert Prof. Salah Jellali from Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, will present his pioneering work on nutrient-enriched biochar — a sustainable solution that transforms agricultural residues and industrial byproducts into powerful, slow-release eco-fertilizers. Unlike conventional biochar, which lacks essential nutrients, Prof. Jellali’s innovation leverages nutrient-rich wastewater and mineral waste streams to “supercharge” biochar, creating a high-performance soil enhancer that improves crop yields while closing ...

Restricted sugar intake during early life is linked to lower risks of several heart conditions in adulthood, including heart attack, heart failure, and stroke, finds a study published by The BMJ today using data from the end of UK sugar rationing in 1953.   The greatest protection against the risk of developing heart problems - and the longest delay in disease onset - was seen in people whose sugar intake was restricted from conception (“in utero”) to around 2 years of age.   Evidence ...

A new analysis of the SELECT trial – the largest and longest clinical trial to date examining the cardiovascular benefits of semaglutide (a medication used to support weight loss and diabetes management) – confirms it also lowers the risk of major heart problems in people who are overweight or obese and already have heart disease, even if they don’t have diabetes. Importantly, this heart protection happens regardless of how much weight a person loses or their baseline body weight, according to the new study, published in The Lancet. The SELECT trial originally studied over 17,000 adults with heart disease and a body mass index (BMI) of ...

Anti-obesity medication semaglutide may help to prevent heart attacks and other major cardiac events regardless of how much weight people lose while taking the drug, according to a new study led by a UCL researcher. The finding, the researchers say, suggests there are multiple ways the drug benefits the heart, rather than its protective effect on cardiovascular health being due solely to weight loss. The study, published in the Lancet journal and funded by Novo Nordisk, looked at data from 17,604 people aged 45 and over who were overweight and had cardiovascular disease, who were randomly assigned either ...

Largest-ever analysis of data on stage, treatment and consistency with international clinical guidelines, from over 275,000 women diagnosed with breast, cervical or ovarian cancer during 2015-2018 in 39 countries For breast and cervical cancer, 40% of women in high-income countries had their cancer detected at an early stage, compared with below 20% for women in low- and middle-income countries Ovarian cancer is least likely to be diagnosed early across the world, at less than 20% Three-quarters (78%) of women in HICs and more than half (56%) of women in LMICs were offered surgery, but international clinical guidelines were not followed ...

An international panel of leading experts on women’s mental health is recommending that postpartum psychosis be recognized as a distinct category of mental illness and classified accordingly within standardized medical coding systems. The recommendation, known as a “consensus statement,” and a comprehensive review of the scientific literature on postpartum psychosis appear in the October 22 issue of Biological Psychiatry. [DOI: /10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.10.016] Postpartum psychosis is an acute and severe psychiatric illness that sets in within weeks after delivery. ...

Reston, VA (October 21, 2025)--A new approach to PET imaging offers a promising way for physicians to promptly identify patients who are at risk for poor functional recovery after a heart attack, according to new research published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. By visualizing CXCR4--a cellular protein that plays key role in inflammation--this technique can enable the timely implementation of treatments to mitigate inflammation and prevent heart failure progression. Heart attack, also known as acute myocardial ...

Following a competitive review process, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for Pennington Biomedical’s Metabolic Basis of Disease Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) was renewed for an additional five years. This Phase II renewal builds on the momentum achieved since the center’s establishment in 2020, enabling continued support for young scientists who are focused on the mechanisms through which nutrition and metabolism contribute to health. “The renewal of this center grant provides Pennington Biomedical with the opportunity to continue a metabolic ...

New research from Rice University suggests that the giant planet Jupiter reshaped the early solar system in dramatic ways, carving out rings and gaps that ultimately explain one of the longest-standing puzzles in planetary science: why many primitive meteorites formed millions of years after the first solid bodies. The study, which combined hydrodynamic models of Jupiter’s growth with simulations of dust evolution and planet formation, was recently published in Science Advances. Through state-of-the-art computer simulations, planetary scientists André Izidoro and Baibhav Srivastava found that Jupiter’s rapid ...

Cancer remains one of the greatest health concerns in the U.S., but University of Louisville cancer researchers and UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center oncologists are improving outcomes for patients in Kentucky and beyond. UofL’s Center for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy (CCII), established in 2020, has been at the forefront of exciting developments in immunotherapy, using the patients’ own immune system to defeat cancer. That work will continue and expand at UofL thanks to $11.5 million in new funding from the National Institutes of Health. The funding ...

A new study from University of California San Diego has found that, while a third of Californians use cannabis regularly, there are significant gaps in knowledge around cannabis use and driving. The researchers found that even six years after the legalization of recreational cannabis use, adults in California demonstrate mixed awareness and knowledge of driving-related laws and regulations. The study results, published in BMC Public Health, come from a large-scale survey of cannabis use in California, titled Impact 64, which was funded by the California ...

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4:00 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2025 Highlights: A new study finds that having both gum disease and cavities is linked to an 86% increased risk of stroke compared to having a healthy mouth. Poor oral health was tied to a 36% higher risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events. People with regular dental visits were 81% less likely to have both gum disease and cavities. Researchers say improving oral health could be an important — and often overlooked — way to help reduce stroke risk. MINNEAPOLIS – People with both cavities and gum disease may face a higher risk of ischemic stroke, according to a study ...

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4:00 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2025. MINNEAPOLIS – Adults with gum disease may be more likely to have signs of damage to the brain’s white matter, called white matter hyperintensities, than people without gum disease, according to a new study published on October 22, 2025, in Neurology® Open Access, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology. White matter refers to nerve fibers that help different parts of the brain communicate. Damage to this tissue can affect memory, thinking, balance and coordination and has been linked to higher stroke risk. White matter hyperintensities are bright spots that appear on ...

Brian Cleary is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences (CDS) and a core faculty member in the Bioinformatics Program. Brian also holds appointments in the Biology and Biomedical Engineering departments, and the Biological Design Center (BDC) at the Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering.  Cleary is the sole principal investigator (PI) on the five-year project, “Measuring and modeling gene expression trajectories: new computational-experimental approaches.”   The research aims to deepen understanding of how gene expression changes ...

DNA within dried feces dating from more than 1,000 years ago provides valuable insights into the pathogens that plagued ancient Mexican peoples, according to a study published October 22, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Drew Capone of Indiana University, U.S., and colleagues. Ancient feces are a valuable source of information on the intestinal parasites of past populations. Microbial DNA is known to survive in stool samples, but analysis of ancient feces has historically been limited ...

Nearly one-third of people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in an Indian cohort achieved remission through an intensive lifestyle intervention program, according to a new study publishing October 22, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Pramod Tripathi of Freedom from Diabetes Clinic & Diabetes Research Foundation, India, and colleagues. Type 2 diabetes affects more than 72 million people in India. While lifestyle interventions have shown promise for diabetes management in Western populations, limited data exists on their effectiveness in India, where genetic and lifestyle factors place the population at higher risk. In the new study, researchers analyzed data ...

Idiopathic hypersomnia is a rare disease of excessive sleepiness, with patients revealing they never feel rested or awake no matter how much sleep they get, in analysis of online posts Article URL: http://plos.io/3KIF6W5 Article title: The experience and impact of living with idiopathic hypersomnia: A qualitative study of patient perspectives shared in online media Author countries: U.S., Germany, Canada Funding: This study was funded by Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA. END ...

Backyard birders in South Africa may continue to enjoy biodiversity in visiting birds under climate change scenarios, while climate change and declining biodiversity may decrease birding in protected public parks. Article URL: https://plos.io/4ol2UxW Article Title: Climate change impacts the non-market value of nature: A case study of birding cultural ecosystem services in South Africa Author Countries: United States Funding: This work was supported by the Ridge to Reef NSF Research Traineeship, Award DGE-1735040 to ...

Researchers led by investigators at Mass General Brigham and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have validated an ingestible capsule in preclinical models for the diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia, a condition caused by blocked or reduced blood flow to the intestines. The research is published in Science Robotics. Acute mesenteric ischemia accounts for less than 1.5% of emergency department visits for abdominal pain but has a mortality rate of 55%, due in part to how difficult it can be to diagnose the condition early. “Acute mesenteric ischemia is a potentially deadly but often underdiagnosed ...

Study found which abnormal cells talk to each other in harmful ways and perpetuate lung damage Scientists are already exploring therapeutic strategies based on this study’s discoveries Treatments also could help patients with other lung-scarring diseases (COPD, COVID-19, etc.) CHICAGO --- More than 50% of lung-transplant recipients experience a rejection of their new lung within five years of receiving it, yet the reason why this is such a prevalent complication has remained a medical mystery.  Now, a new Northwestern Medicine study has found that, following transplant and in chronic disease states, abnormal cells emerge and “conversations” ...