URBANA, Ill. – Access to nature promotes physical and mental health, and it is vital for children’s social and emotional development. Outdoor activities also influence family dynamics, helping to reduce stress and encourage connections. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign examines how green spaces and outdoor structures near the family residence interact with other factors in the household environment to influence executive functioning in early childhood. “We looked at what people have outside their ...

Eastern Oregon’s Malheur National Forest boasts some of the state’s oldest trees, including pine and larch that live more than 500 years. But many of those ancient trees are dying at an alarming rate, a new analysis shows. Between 2012 and 2023, a quarter of trees more than 300 years old in randomly located sites in roadless areas died, the study found. A triple whammy of drought, bug infestations and competition with younger trees is likely driving the decline. “It’s sad to see so many old trees dying,” said lead researcher ...

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (July 10, 2025) – Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction models have improved the ability to stratify adults across the CVD risk spectrum. Researchers at Sutter Health and colleagues at Stanford University tested the performance of the American Heart Association’s Predicting Risk of CVD Events (PREVENT) equations in the six largest Asian subgroups as well as in Mexican and Puerto Rican Hispanic subgroups. The findings, published June 25 in JAMA Cardiology, showed the PREVENT equations accurately predicted CVD, atherosclerotic CVD ...

Patients with stage III melanoma were treated with nivolumab (anti-PD1) and relatlimab (anti-LAG-3) before surgery 87% of patients remained alive and 80% were disease free four years after treatment Nearly all patients whose tumors responded to treatment before surgery remained disease-free after four years Researchers found potential biomarkers that can highly predict which patients have better outcomes or are at high risk of recurrence HOUSTON, JULY 10, 2025 ― Four years after pre-surgery treatment with a novel combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors, nivolumab and relatlimab, 87% of patients with stage III melanoma ...

Researchers present BioEmu – a new AI model that rapidly and accurately predicts the full range of shapes a protein can adopt, offering a faster, cheaper alternative to traditional molecular simulations. Proteins and their complexes are essential to nearly every biological process and are central to advances in medicine and biotechnology. While recent breakthroughs in sequencing and deep learning have made it easier to determine a protein’s sequence and structure, understanding how proteins function by shifting between different shapes in response to other molecules remains a central challenge. ...

Adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and pigmented glia (ALSP) is a progressive neurological disease with an average age of onset of 43 years and an average life expectancy of only 3 to 5 years after symptoms begin. ALSP is caused by microglial mutation, the immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS). Currently, ALSP has no cure and treatments are limited. All microglia rely on a kinase called colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R), which is only found in microglia and other myeloid cells. When CSF1R gene carries pathogenic ...

-With images-   In the tropical rainforests of Fiji, a genus of unusual plants has developed a remarkably simple but highly effective way to prevent violence between rival ant colonies: architecture.   In a new study published in Science, an international team led by Professor Guillaume Chomicki at Durham University has revealed how some species of the epiphytic plant Squamellaria (part of the coffee family, Rubiaceae) form peaceful and productive partnerships with multiple aggressive ant species simply by physically ...

Odd plants from a remote Pacific island reveal new insights into an important ecological question: how unrelated and antagonistic partners can form long-term mutualistic relationships with the same host. Scientists studying ant plants in Fiji have discovered one way that a host plant can keep the peace among residents that might otherwise kill each other. By providing separate chambers inside a gradually enlarging tuber -- each chamber with an entry hole from the outside but no connection to any adjacent chamber -- the Squamellaria plant prevents conflicts between the multiple ant species that ...

A new study suggests that, under realistic scenarios of high emissions and socioeconomic development, annual heat-related deaths in the U.K. could rise to about 50 times current rates by the 2070s, but that climate change mitigation and adaptation could significantly limit this rise. Rebecca Cole of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U.K., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS Climate. Heatwaves are expected to become more frequent and more intense in coming decades in the U.K. ...

UCL Press Release Under embargo until Thursday 10 July 2025, 19:00 UK time, 14:00 US Eastern time   Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change The annual number of heat-related deaths in England and Wales is set to rise up to fiftyfold over the next 50 years because of climate change, finds new research by UCL and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Their paper, published in PLoS Climate, analysed the impacts of 15 ...

An international team led by researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Dalhousie University, the University of Exeter (UK) and the Medical University of Vienna (Austria) has uncovered a surprising way compartments within cells work together to defend themselves against oxidative stress, a finding that could shift how we understand age-associated conditions such as diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.   Published today in Science, the study reveals a newly identified mechanism between two key compartments of the cell (mitochondria ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Rivers are Earth’s arteries. Water, sediment and nutrients self-organize into diverse, dynamic channels as they journey from the mountains to the sea. Some rivers carve out a single pathway, while others divide into multiple interwoven threads. These channel patterns shape flood risks, erosion hazards and ecosystem services for more than 3 billion people who live along river corridors worldwide. Understanding why some waterways form single channels, while others divide into many threads, has perplexed researchers for over a century. ...

AURORA, Colo. (July 10, 2025) – A new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has upended decades of neuroscience dogma, revealing that dopamine, a neurotransmitter critical for movement, motivation, learning and mood, communicates in the brain with extraordinary precision, not broad diffusion as previously believed. This groundbreaking research offers fresh hope for millions of people living with dopamine-related disorders, marking a significant advance in the quest for precision-based neuroscience and medicine. For years, scientists thought of ...

Can artificial intelligence, or AI, potentially transform health care for the better?   Now, rising to the challenge, an Arizona State University team of researchers has built a powerful new AI tool, called Ark+, to help doctors read chest X‑rays better and improve health care outcomes.   “Ark+ is designed to be an open, reliable and ultimately useful tool in real-world health care systems,” said Jianming “Jimmy” Liang, an ASU professor from the College of Health Solutions, and lead author of the study recently published in the prestigious journal Nature.   In a proof-of-concept study, the new AI tool demonstrated ...

Women with type 2 diabetes are nearly twice as likely as men to have hidden heart damage, according to a major new study by Leicester researchers funded through a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Professorship.  The research, published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, is one of the most detailed investigations into coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) to uncover sex-specific risk patterns in people with no signs of heart disease.  CMD is a form of early, silent heart damage caused by impaired blood flow in the ...

Nerve cells are not just nerve cells. Depending on how finely we distinguish, there are several hundred to several thousand different types of nerve cell in the human brain according to the latest calculations. These cell types vary in their function, in the number and length of their cellular appendages, and in their interconnections. They emit different neurotransmitters into our synapses and, depending on the region of the brain – for example, the cerebral cortex or the midbrain – different cell ...

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered a previously unknown molecule that may explain why people with type 2 diabetes often suffer from muscle weakness and muscle loss – a condition that has a major impact on quality of life and overall health. In the new study, published in Sciences Advances, researchers have identified a previously unknown molecule, TMEM9B-AS1, which may explain why people with type 2 diabetes often suffer from muscle weakness and loss of muscle mass. The molecule is a long non-coding RNA that plays ...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects individuals across all ages and genders. While its most visible impact is on the joints, RA also contributes to accelerated musculoskeletal ageing, often leading to progressive muscle degeneration and reduced muscle function. Emerging research has identified a specific form of muscle loss in RA—known as myopenia—which differs significantly from other disease-related muscle-wasting conditions such as cancer cachexia or heart failure. Unlike those conditions, myopenia is characterized by a decline in muscle mass without concurrent fat loss and can manifest across all age groups. Despite ...

Wavelength and propagation direction (angle) are two fundamental properties of light. The ability to selectively control both a specific wavelength and a specific angle forms the physical foundation for many advanced optical applications. However, due to the intrinsic dispersion in periodic systems, there exists an intrinsic locking relationship between angle and wavelength in the resonant spectrum. As a result, it has been widely accepted that changing the angle of incidence inevitably shifts the filtering wavelength of optical devices. This relationship between angle and wavelength in resonant spectra makes their independent ...

Among the more than 100 types of human papillomavirus (HPV), at least 14 are considered as ‘high-risk’ types which can cause (cervical) cancer. After breast cancer, cervical cancer is the most common cancer in Europe among women aged 15–44 years [1]. Before HPV vaccination among teenage girls started in Denmark, high-risk HPV was found in all cervical cancers. HPV types 16/18 accounted for around three quarters (74%) of cervical cancers. These two types are covered in the 4-valent HPV vaccine offered to girls since 2008 as well as the 9-valent vaccine which has been in use in Denmark since November 2017. One third (26%) of cervical cancers prior to the HPV immunisation ...

In a recent study published in Engineering, researchers from Harbin Engineering University have conducted an in-depth experimental investigation into the complex coupling dynamics of metal jets, waves, and bubbles generated during the underwater explosion of shaped charges. This research provides valuable insights into the behavior of shaped charges in underwater environments, which is crucial for understanding their potential applications and impacts.   The study was designed to analyze the characteristics of metal ...

A new wearable wristband could significantly improve diabetes management by continuously tracking not only glucose but also other chemical and cardiovascular signals that influence disease progression and overall health. The technology was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. The flexible wristband consists of a microneedle array that painlessly samples interstitial fluid under the skin to measure glucose, lactate and alcohol in real time using three different enzymes embedded within the tiny needles. Designed for easy replacement, the microneedle array can be swapped out to tailor ...

A recent study published in Engineering has provided new insights into the spatiotemporal distribution and biosynthesis of ganoderic acids (GAs) in Ganoderma lingzhi (G. lingzhi), a mushroom renowned for its medicinal properties in traditional Chinese medicine. The research, led by scientists from Northeast Forestry University, China, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, and the University of Macau, utilized a multi-omics approach to map the distribution of GAs and elucidate their biosynthetic pathways.   G. lingzhi, often referred to as the “mushroom of immortality,” has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2000 years. It contains various bioactive substances, ...

A recent study published in Engineering has shed light on the quality and potential antibiotic resistance dissemination risks associated with livestock probiotics in China. The research, conducted by a team from the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Yangzhou University, analyzed 95 non-duplicate commercial probiotic products for livestock from across China, revealing significant issues in labeling accuracy, strain composition, and the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs).   The study found that the labeling compliance rate for Lactobacillus was alarmingly low at just 11%, with approximately ...

A new genomic study reveals how human populations adapted, survived, and diversified in the Himalayas, one of the most extreme and challenging environments on Earth. The research, a collaboration between the University of Birmingham and international partners from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, analysed whole-genome sequences from diverse Himalayan ethnic groups, many of which had never been genetically studied before at this level. Published today (10 July) in Current Biology, the study shows that population structure in the Himalayas began over 10,000 years ago, thousands of years before archaeological evidence of permanent settlement at high altitudes. This early divergence ...