Researchers have long focused on the STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) pathway as a way to harness the immune system’s natural defenses against cancer. This pathway, which plays a key role in helping the body defend against potential pathogens, can be leveraged to trigger an innate immune response that targets cancer cells. However, a study published July 3 in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, led by biochemist Lingyin Li (Bluesky: @lingyinli.bsky.social), is spearheading a new school of thought. Historically, research on STING has overwhelmingly focused on activating the pathway ...

Researchers in Japan have successfully generated lung cells similar to alveolar epithelial type 2 (AT2) cells from mouse embryonic fibroblasts without using stem cell technology. The AT2-like cells were generated in just 7 to 10 days—a significant reduction compared to the approximately one month typically required by conventional stem cell-based differentiation methods. This approach may pave the way for treating serious respiratory diseases, such as interstitial pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which currently lack effective treatments. The study was published ...

For her work to illuminate how the immune system responds to the beneficial skin microbiome, Djenet Bousbaine is the winner of the 2025 NOSTER & Science Microbiome Prize.   Bousbaine’s work reveals a surprisingly sophisticated immune response that could be harnessed for the development of innovative, needle-free vaccination strategies.   “I am delighted that 2025 attracted a diverse and exciting roster of entries for the NOSTER & Science Microbiome Prize,” said Caroline Ash, ...

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have gained unique insight into the mechanisms behind the collapse of Antarctic ice shelves, which are crucial for sea level rise in the Northern Hemisphere. The discovery of old aerial photos has provided an unparalleled dataset that can improve predictions of sea level rise and how we should prioritise coastal protection and other forms of climate adaptation. On 28 November 1966, an American aeroplane flies over the Antarctic Peninsula just south of the southernmost tip of Chile. On board is a photographer, probably from the US Navy, whose job is to map the Antarctic landscape. But it turns out that the photographer is also documenting ...

The private Swiss NOMIS Foundation is investing €20 million to support research at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) in Klosterneuburg—a partnership that focuses on daring science. Starting in 2026, projects will be funded for five years that break new ground and therefore have the potential to deliver substantial leaps in our knowledge. “We are thrilled to take our long-standing, successful collaboration with the NOMIS Foundation to a new level,” says ISTA President Martin Hetzer. “With this joint program, ...

Ship traffic in shallow areas, such as ports, can trigger large methane emissions by just moving through the water. The researchers in a study, led by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, observed twenty times higher methane emissions in the shipping lane compared to nearby undisturbed areas. Despite the fact that methane is a greenhouse gas that is 27 times as powerful as carbon dioxide, these emissions are often overlooked with today's measurement methods. "Our measurements show that ship passages trigger clear pulses of high methane fluxes from the water to the atmosphere. This is caused by pressure changes and mixing ...

In recent years, the application of picosecond laser (PSL) treatment for skin discoloration caused by nevus of Ota has been advancing in the fields of dermatology, plastic surgery, and cosmetic surgery. However, setting appropriate irradiation conditions is necessary to achieve effectiveness. This poses a challenge as previous meta-analyses on laser treatment research did not account for proper laser irradiation levels. Further, such analyses included results from cases with over- and under-irradiation, prompting the need for a more accurate evaluation. A research team led by Postdoctoral Fellow Yu Shimojo, Specially Appointed Professor Toshiyuki Ozawa, and Professor Daisuke ...

Vanilla flavoring is widely used in food, pharmaceutics, and cosmetics. The primary source, Vanilla planifolia, however, is vulnerable to diseases, drought, and heat – stressors expected to become more frequent under climate change. Wild Vanilla species offer a genetic reservoir of crop wild relatives ensuring the future of the vanilla crop. Scientists have now examined how climate change could cause mismatches in habitat overlap of wild vanilla and their pollinating insects. “Climate change may lead to a reduced habitat overlap between Vanilla orchid species and their pollinators, resulting in plant-pollinator decoupling that negatively ...

A new study offers a stark reminder of how pervasive cell phone use while driving is for young people, as findings demonstrate teen drivers spend an average of 21.1% of each trip viewing their mobile behind the wheel.    In a questionnaire completed by more than 1,100 teen drivers across the US, the young motorists estimated that 26.5% of these glances were for two seconds or longer, a duration which dramatically increases their risk for a crash.  Results, published in the peer-reviewed journal Traffic Injury Prevention, show the most common reason for the distraction was entertainment (65%), followed by texting (40%) and navigation (30%).  “Distracted ...

A new study from Mass General Brigham researchers offers a stark reminder of how pervasive cell phone use while driving is among young people. The study team developed and disseminated a questionnaire to over 1,100 participants and conducted 20 interviews for high school students to identify the factors influencing them to engage in distracted driving. They  found an average of 21% of teen drivers drive distracted and share other insights behind the behavior. Their results are published in Traffic Injury Prevention.           ...

The intricate, hidden processes that sustain coral life are being revealed through a new microscope developed by scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The diver-operated microscope — called the Benthic Underwater Microscope imaging PAM, or BUMP — incorporates pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) light techniques to offer an unprecedented look at coral photosynthesis on micro-scales.  In a new study, researchers describe how the BUMP imaging system makes it possible to study the health and physiology of coral reefs in their natural habitat, ...

Osaka, Japan – The benefits of urban green spaces in cities, in terms of ecological sustainability, climate modification, and human well-being, have been known for decades. More recently, additional economic and restorative payoffs from diverse and colorful plantings have been recognized. Now, a research team from Japan has developed a new method to identify vegetation color, structure, and seasonal changes in urban settings. In a study published in Landscape Ecology, researchers at The University of Osaka reveal an innovative approach to capture seasonal changes in urban plant species. This method combines artificial intelligence ...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — New research from UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center has uncovered an evolutionary change that may explain why certain immune cells in humans are less effective at fighting solid tumors compared to non-human primates. This insight could lead to more powerful cancer treatments. The study was published in Nature Communications. It revealed a tiny genetic difference in an immune protein called Fas Ligand (FasL) between humans and non-human primates. This genetic mutation makes the FasL protein vulnerable to being disabled by plasmin, a tumor-associated ...

A research team from Northwest University, China, has developed a breakthrough nano-composite hydrogel system to address the dual challenges of inflammation and cartilage damage in osteoarthritis (OA), a leading cause of joint disability worldwide. Published in Engineering, the study confirms that the dual-drug-loaded hydrogel promotes cartilage repair through synergistic immune regulation and chondrocyte differentiation, offering a novel therapeutic strategy for OA. OA is characterized by persistent inflammation and impaired cartilage regeneration, with existing treatments failing ...

The 2025 Guangci Laboratory Medicine Innovation and Development Conference was successfully concluded at Shanghai Qingsongcheng Hotel during June 5-8, 2025! With the theme of "Innovation, Guidance, and Development", this conference successfully brought together nearly 100 well-known experts and scholars at home and abroad, and carried out in-depth dialogues and collisions of ideas around the cutting-edge hotspots in the field of clinical and laboratory medicine. Through diversified academic exchanges, the conference has built a high-level technology sharing and achievement display platform for laboratory medicine ...

In May 2025, under the review of the Polish ICI World of Journals (Copernicus Index Database), LabMed Discovery magazine was officially included in the ICI World of Journals database. This marks an important step for LabMed Discovery on the international academic stage, and is also a high recognition of the journal's long-term efforts in improving academic quality and promoting academic exchanges.   ICI World of Journals is the world's third largest scientific journal database, which includes and evaluates 45,000 journals from more than 150 countries and regions. The database adopts strict review standards and conducts multi-dimensional ...

After rigorous evaluation and review, LabMed Discovery was officially included in China Open Access Journal Database (COAJ) in May 2025. This progress marks that LabMed Discovery has been officially recognized in terms of academic quality, publishing standards and open access. It is also another achievement of LabMed Discovery following being selected into the ICI international database this month. This proves the improvement of LabMed Discovery's academic communication and influence, and is of great significance in furthering the speed, breadth and visibility of the journal's international dissemination. We ...

A research team has evaluated the real-world impact of a community-based pneumococcal vaccination support program for older adults conducted in Sera Town, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Their work is published in the Journal of Epidemiology on May 5, 2025. Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death in Japan. Each year about 74,000 people die from pneumonia with 98 percent of these deaths occurring in people aged 65 and older. The bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae is the primary cause of pneumonia. In October 2014, Japan began a nationwide routine vaccination program for the elderly under ...

In the early 2000s the U.S. Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a large randomized clinical trial, showed that intensive lifestyle modification was better than a medication called metformin at preventing at-risk patients from developing Type 2 diabetes. In a newly completed follow-up study, a team of researchers including Vallabh “Raj” Shah, professor emeritus in The University of New Mexico Departments of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the School of Medicine, found that the health benefits from the lifestyle intervention persisted more than 20 years later.Molecular Biology at the School of Medicine In a paper published in The ...

Disrupted care during the covid-19 pandemic led to sharp increases in other non-covid causes of illness and death, particularly mental health disorders, malaria in young children, and stroke and heart disease in older adults, finds a study published by The BMJ today. For example, new cases of depressive disorders rose by 23% in 5-14 year-olds and malaria deaths rose by 14% in children under five years old from 2020-2021. The researchers say future responses to potential pandemics or other public health emergencies of international concern “must extend beyond infection control ...

The green transition will boost productivity across the UK economy, new research suggests. Researchers analysed the impacts of the low-carbon transition in power, transport and heating. With renewable energy now cheaper than fossil fuels in most of the world – and still getting cheaper – the findings show these three industries benefit directly from the transition. But the far larger knock-on effect is an economy-wide productivity boost, as all businesses gain from cheaper power, transport and heating. The research team – led by the universities of Exeter and Manchester – warn that this boost depends on cheaper ...

A new report from the University of East Anglia has raised concerns about the state of democracy around the world during 2024’s ‘Super Cycle’ of elections. Described by Time Magazine as the ‘Year of Elections’, 2024 saw 1.6 billion people head to the polls across 74 national elections in 62 countries - an unprecedented concentration of democratic activity in a single year. But a global report from the Electoral Integrity Project, released today, paints a mixed and often troubling picture of how those ...

“Forever chemicals” or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been widely used in consumer and industrial products for the better part of a century, but do not break down in the natural environment. One PFAS, perfluorohexanoic acid or PFHxA, is made up of a shorter chain of molecules and is thought to have less of an impact on human health. New research from the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester suggests otherwise, finding that early life exposure to PFHxA may increase anxiety-related behaviors and memory deficits in male ...

Quantum sensing:  Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, have developed a tunable system that paves the way for more accurate sensing in a variety of technologies, including biomedical diagnostics. The potential range of technologies is large, stretching from the largest scales – detecting gravitational waves in space over environmental monitoring to the tiny fluctuations in our own bodies – biomedical sensing for imaging and diagnostics in e.g. magnetic scanners. The result is now published in Nature. Quantum limit – this is where it gets really tricky Optical sensing ...

Wet wastes, including food waste and biomass, are promising candidates for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production due to their triglyceride content, which can be converted into biocrude via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). SAF precursors must meet criteria derived from conventional fuels (e.g. Jet A), including complete oxygen removal to prevent jet engine corrosion and a higher heating value (HHV) close to Jet A. Currently, no HTL-derived biocrude meets these. This study, with contributions from researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation ...