FRANKFURT. When a tree dies, it forms the foundation for new life: In a slow, invisible process, leaves, wood and roots are gradually decomposed – not by wind or weather but by millions and millions of tiny organisms. Fungi thread their way through the dead wood and degrade cell walls. Tiny animals such as insect larvae and mites gnaw through the tissue. And something very important happens in the process: The carbon stored in the plant is released, ultimately placing it at the disposal of plants again for the purpose of photosynthesis. But what exactly is responsible for performing this task in the global ...

Miami (August 28, 2025) – Using a care pathway focused on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can lead to shorter hospital stays, increased referrals to pulmonary rehabilitation, and improved standardization of care, according to a new study. The study is published in the July 2025 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal. COPD is an inflammatory lung disease, comprising several conditions, including chronic ...

For women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), pregnancy can be an uncertain time due to limited clinical data about how IBD medications impact pregnancy outcomes and infants who have been exposed to IBD medications in utero.  As a matter of policy, pregnant women are excluded from clinical trials of experimental therapies for IBD and when a new therapy achieves regulatory approval, there is only animal safety data, but no human pregnancy safety data.   For patients with IBD, stopping medication ...

One of our most popular summer soft fruits could last longer in the fridge thanks to pioneering new research conducted at Cranfield University. Researchers have recently published a new method to edit the DNA of raspberries, with the goal of creating more sustainable raspberry production and less food waste. A first for gene editing in raspberry The new study details a novel method for the isolation of single cells (protoplasts) from the leaf tissue of raspberry microplants grown in sterile tissue culture. The protoplasts were then gene edited with CRISPR-Cas9, a revolutionary biotechnology ...

Wearable sensors can help prevent critical health issues by continuously monitoring physiological factors in real time. Specifically, sweat monitoring can provide valuable insights into electrolyte balance and overall health. Sodium concentration in sweat is a key indicator of hydration and muscle performance. Thin film materials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and ion-selective membranes (ISMs), have become central to the development of wearable sweat sensors. CNTs offer high mechanical flexibility and electrical conductivity, and ISMs enable non-invasive detection of specific ions in sweat. Unfortunately, ...

Nanoparticles have diverse applications in modern science and industry, powering technologies like quantum-dot displays, nanocatalysts and drug delivery. Their unique physicochemical properties, which can be tuned by changing their size and shape, make them highly attractive. However, despite extensive research, the exact mechanisms and dynamics of monodisperse, or uniformly sized, nanoparticle formation and growth remain poorly understood. The classical nucleation theory (CNT), based on the Gibbs-Thomson equation, has been the primary framework for understanding nanoparticle ...

The most comprehensive quantitative review of research into complementary and alternative treatments for autism has found no strong evidence to support their use, and that the safety of these treatments was rarely assessed. A new study from Paris Nanterre University, Paris Cité University and the University of Southampton, published today [28 August] in Nature Human Behaviour, assessed 248 meta-analyses, including 200 clinical trials involving over 10,000 participants. Researchers were investigating the efficacy and safety of complementary, alternative and integrative medicines (CAIMs) to treat autism. They looked at 19 types of treatment, including animal-assisted interventions, ...

Today’s electric vehicle boom is tomorrow’s mountain of electronic waste. And while myriad efforts are underway to improve battery recycling, many EV batteries still end up in landfills. A research team from MIT wants to help change that with a new kind of self-assembling battery material that quickly breaks apart when submerged in a simple organic liquid. In a new paper published in Nature Chemistry, the researchers showed the material can work as the electrolyte in a functioning, solid-state ...

A tiny fossil of a sea creature that lived more than half a billion years ago sheds new light on the evolution of arthropods, the most species-rich and successful group of animals to inhabit the Earth, according to a study published in Nature Communications. One of the last remaining enigmas surrounding arthropod evolution has been the split of the tree of life separating the two largest groups of arthropods: mandibulates, the group including insects, crustaceans, millipedes and centipedes; and chelicerates, the group that includes spiders, scorpions and their kin. New analyses of fossils of an extinct segmented creature known as Jiangfengia multisegmentalis reveal ...

Key take-aways     New research shows that blood pressure, like heart rate and breathing, synchronises more to predictable phrase structures in music, which may improve the body’s baroreflex sensitivity, i.e. its ability to regulate blood pressure.  92 participants had their blood pressure continuously monitored while listening to nine out of 30 piano music tracks. The piece of music that had the most predictable phrase structures, and the biggest impact on blood pressure, was the English pianist Harold Bauer’s performance of Franz Liszt’s ...

Key take-aways    A new global systematic review and meta-analysis has shown an association between herpes zoster vaccination, used to prevent shingles, and a statistically significant lower risk of heart attack and stroke  Herpes zoster vaccination was associated with an 18% and 16% reduction in risk of cardiovascular events in adults 18 and 50 years or older, respectively   The findings are encouraging, but more research is needed to understand whether there may be a causal connection       Madrid, Spain – 28 August 2025: A new global systematic ...

Inspired by an urgent need to improve timely defibrillation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) in dense urban settings, a team of investigators developed a simulation that explored the potential of leveraging an existing food delivery network in Taipei City, Taiwan, to help address this challenge. Their findings in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, published by Elsevier, suggest that deploying food delivery riders to deliver defibrillation may reduce automated external defibrillator (AED) response times by approximately three minutes—about 50% faster than a traditional emergency medical system (EMS)—and might be particularly beneficial during peak ...

By Paul Candon PISCATAWAY, NJ – It’s well known that alcohol misuse can harm not only drinkers themselves but also those around them. Now, a new report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs shows that, among college students, harms such as lower grades, mental distress and even suicidal thoughts are linked to being exposed to a drinker’s poor behavior. “We often think of alcohol’s harms as physical or social, but this was the first study to assess academic harms from others’ drinking, like having to drop a class or take on extra work,” says lead researcher Pamela ...

Whale sharks, the largest living fish species, are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Over the past 75 years, populations have declined by more than 50% worldwide, and by up to 63% in the Indo-Pacific region. Because whale sharks take up to 30 years to become sexually mature, populations can only recover slowly from threats like hunting for fins, meat, and oil, habitat loss, and entanglement in fishing nets. Now, an international group of researchers has shown that in the Bird’s Head Seascape off Indonesian West Papua, 62% of whale sharks have scars and injuries from preventable ...

Ecologists have observed a species of nocturnal spider attracting prey to its web using the bioluminescent beacons of already trapped fireflies. This rare example of a predator exploiting its prey’s mating signal for its own gain is documented in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Animal Ecology. Researchers at Tunghai University, Taiwan have observed sheet web spiders Psechrus clavis capturing fireflies in their webs and leaving them there while they emitted bioluminescent light for up to an hour. The researchers even observed the spiders going to check on the captured fireflies from time to time. Intrigued ...

Dr Donald Kilburg, who was a member of the US Department of State, says the technology is already shaping work for the likes of embassy officials whose jobs are to protect their country’s interests abroad. But the US army veteran and retired professor warns that algorithms cannot ‘read the room’, and can’t replicate the ‘empathy, intuition and deep cultural understanding’ of human diplomats. He says: “AI can streamline diplomacy, but only humans bring the empathy and intuition that make negotiations ...

A recent survey commissioned by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) focused on Americans’ awareness of the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer. The survey results show most people (80%) don’t know early-stage prostate cancer often presents with no physical symptoms, typically only diagnosed with a blood test. Prostate cancer affects more than 300,000 adults in the United States ...

Scientists at Kumamoto University have made a major breakthrough in regenerative medicine by successfully creating functional ureter tissue—organoids resembling the urinary tract—from pluripotent stem cells. The achievement brings researchers one step closer to developing transplantable kidneys capable of producing and expelling urine. The ureter, a critical tube that carries urine from the kidneys to the bladder, has long been missing from lab-grown kidney models. Without it, kidney ...

SHEA is deeply disappointed by the sudden departure of the CDC Director so soon after her confirmation, at a time when the agency most needs stability and authority to carry out its vital mission of protecting the health and safety of all Americans. The United States stands at a critical crossroads, where strong, trusted public health leadership is essential to restoring confidence through evidence-based practices and guidance. In an era marked by increasing assaults on science and public health, CDC must be empowered to rise above politics and remain focused on their core purpose: safeguarding ...

Deep in a forest in the Andes, high atop a tall tree, there’s a quick, colorful flash of plumage in vivid shades of yellow, green, and blue. A high-pitched musical chirp rings out. Through a carefully trained pair of binoculars, a beautiful little bird comes into view. It’s a multicolored tanager, a species that lives only in the mountains of Colombia. Seeing it in person for the first time feels like the thrill of discovery. Watching it search for fruit across the treetops brings a sense of peace and connection to nature.  Experiences like these are what motivate birdwatchers to travel the globe, in hopes ...

Contact: Gina DiGravio, 617-358-7838, ginad@bu.edu (Boston)—Next to cancer recurrence or progression, cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death in cancer survivors. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database revealed that among the more than three million who initially survived cancer between 1973 and 2012, 38% eventually succumbed to the disease while 11.3% died from cardiovascular diseases.  Specifically, cancer survivors are at a four to seven-fold higher risk of venous thromboembolism ...

For women diagnosed with early breast cancer, the long-term risk of developing a second primary cancer is low (around 2-3% greater than women in the general population), finds a study published by The BMJ today. The researchers say this information can help reassure many breast cancer survivors who believe their risk of a second primary cancer is much higher than these results suggest. Breast cancer survivors are at increased risk of developing second primary cancers, but risk estimates from previous studies are inconsistent. ...

A new study has uncovered a key difference between the immune system of males and females - and it comes down to a single gene. It is known that biological sex affects the function of the immune system, with women often being more severely affected by autoimmune conditions or allergic diseases. Scientists from the University of York have now identified the gene Malat1 as a critical player in regulating immune responses in female immune cells, but not in males.  The team studied T cells, a pillar of our immune system, in the lab and animal models of inflammation. ...

Food allergies affect more than half a billion people worldwide. In severe cases, even a small bite of the wrong food can trigger anaphylaxis — a rapid, body-wide allergic reaction that can cause difficulty breathing, a dangerous drop in blood pressure and even death. Scientists have long understood how injected allergens — like those in lab tests or insect stings — trigger anaphylaxis. But researchers have puzzled over how anaphylaxis begins in the gut after eating a food allergen. Now, Arizona State University researchers, in collaboration with a team ...

NEW YORK – August 27, 2025 – The Cardiovascular Research Foundation® (CRF®) is excited to announce the late-breaking clinical trials and science set to be presented at TCT® 2025, the annual scientific symposium of CRF® and the world’s premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine. This year’s conference will take place October 25–28 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, bringing together top experts, innovators, and clinicians from around the globe. For more ...