Violent crime has fallen to historic lows in Chicago, although gun violence continues to plague neighborhoods with concentrated poverty. A 2023 study of five major cities showed that more than 55% of shootings occurred in just 9% of total census tracts, and that small increases in things like poverty, unemployment, or limited access to health care are associated with large increases in firearm violence. Yet not every neighborhood that struggles with these challenges also has high rates of violence. ...

In a surprising twist amid rising climate concerns, new research shows that scorching soil temperatures during extreme heatwaves do not necessarily boost the uptake of toxic elements like arsenic in rice crops. This finding, from a real world experiment during China's record breaking 2022 heatwaves, challenges fears that global warming will poison staple foods. "Our study reveals that soil warming alone, decoupled from air temperature rises, does not inevitably ramp up arsenic or heavy metal accumulation in rice grains," said Sha Zhang, ...

A new study shows how digital building models can be used to pinpoint where carbon emissions occur across a building’s entire life cycle, offering designers and policymakers a powerful tool to reduce the climate footprint of the construction industry. Researchers developed an integrated method that combines Building Information Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment to calculate carbon emissions from the earliest design stage through construction, operation, and eventual demolition. Using a real office building in China as a case study, the team demonstrated how emissions can be quantified in detail and how targeted reduction ...

Researchers at the University of Delaware have transformed discarded corn cobs and other agricultural byproducts into high performance biochar filters that capture both ammonia and tiny plastic particles from water. In laboratory tests, optimized biochar removed up to 64 percent of dissolved ammonia and more than 97 percent of polystyrene micro and nanoplastics without leaching harmful chemicals back into the water. The study points to a practical way to clean polluted water while recycling agricultural waste and locking ...

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (1/07/2026) —New research from the University of Minnesota Medical School offers a new view of how the immune system responds to organ transplants. The findings, published today in Science Advances External link that opens in the same window, show that T cell exhaustion – traditionally viewed as a pathological failure of the immune system — can instead play a protective role by helping the body tolerate a donated organ. The study identifies the spleen as a key control center for transplant tolerance. Researchers found that administering apoptotic donor leukocytes (ADLs) triggers the expansion of donor-specific regulatory T cells, ...

PHOENIX — Mayo Clinic researchers have developed and evaluated MedEduChat, an electronic health record (EHR) that works with a large language model to provide accurate, patient-specific prostate cancer education.   The findings are published in Nature Portfolio Digital Medicine and highlight a new approach to delivering timely, individualized guidance for people navigating a prostate cancer diagnosis.   Cancer patients often face uncertainty as they process complex information about their diagnosis and treatment options. Limited time with ...

Peripheral nerve injury reduces the ability of macrophages to clear dead or dying cells – a process known as efferocytosis – leading to chronic pain Restoring efferocytosis ability reduced neuropathic pain in lab models Efferocytosis is a potential therapeutic target for chronic neuropathic pain Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that targeting a specific immune process could help improve recovery after nerve injury and reduce chronic pain. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), was led by Peter Grace, Ph.D., associate ...

Most conversations about breast milk tend to focus on topics like nutrients, antibodies and bonding time rather than bacteria. But it turns out that human milk carries its own tiny community of microbes, and those passengers may help shape a baby’s developing gut microbiome — which in turn can impact nutrient absorption, metabolic regulation, immune system development, and more. A new study published in Nature Communications provides one of the most detailed portraits yet of how different combinations of bacteria in human milk contribute to the assembly of infants’ ...

In the battle against type 1 diabetes (T1D), one researcher at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is leading a bold new front. With $1 million in funding from Breakthrough T1D, the leading global T1D research and advocacy organization, Leonardo Ferreira, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pharmacology and Immunology, and his collaborators at partnering institutions will explore a  new approach to treating – and potentially curing – the disease. The team aims to reimagine how the immune system interacts with the pancreas by combining stem cell biology, immunology and transplantation science. The project’s goal is deceptively simple: to restore beta cell ...

Princeton researchers have developed a new tool to speed the discovery of advanced materials known as metal organic frameworks, or MOFs. MOFs are an emerging class of materials that form microscopic sponge-like structures with vast interior surface area. That quality promises to transform how society traps, absorbs and filters substances at the molecular level. The researchers say this could lead to better battery chemistry, more efficient carbon capture and improved access to clean water. But scientists face a problem of choice. MOFs are highly modular, consisting of metal-ion nodes and organic molecules that link the nodes into large networks. The researchers say there ...

An artificial saliva in the form of a mouthwash, produced with the CANECPI-5 protein extracted from sugarcane and modified in a laboratory, can aid in treating teeth in patients with head and neck cancer. In these cases, radiotherapy very close to the mouth can destroy salivary glands and compromise saliva production, which is essential for controlling bacteria and disease. According to research conducted at the Bauru School of Dentistry at the University of São Paulo (FOB-USP) in Brazil, CANECPI-5 forms a protective “shield” for the teeth, guarding the enamel against weakening acids found ...

Transverse tubules (T-tubules) play significant role in muscle contraction. However, the underlying mechanism of their formation is yet to be elucidated. In a recent study, a research team from Japan used a Drosophila model to understand this process. The results show the involvement of LUBEL, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, in the T-tubule biogenesis. Beyond LUBEL’s role in immune response, the study reveals an unexpected function of linear ubiquitination in membrane deformation, driven by BAR-domain proteins. Transverse tubules ...

Over the past two decades, microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) have been recognized as emerging pollutants, detected across every environmental compartment of the Earth's system—the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. Their pervasive presence has drawn increasing attention from researchers focused on biogeochemical cycles and climate change. Significant gaps remain, however, in quantifying the stocks, sources, transformation, and fate of plastics, especially within the atmosphere, primarily due to analytical limitations ...

Researchers have identified traces of plant poison from the South African plant gifbol on Stone Age arrowheads – the oldest known arrow poison in the world to date. The discovery, published in the scientific journal Science Advances, shows that 60,000 years ago, people in southern Africa had already developed advanced knowledge of toxic substances and how they could be used for hunting. Researchers from South Africa and Sweden have found the oldest traces of arrow poison in the world to date. On 60,000-year-old quartz arrowheads from Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, ...

Sponges are among earth’s most ancient animals, but exactly when they evolved has long puzzled scientists. Genetic information from living sponges, as well as chemical signals from ancient rocks, suggest sponges evolved at least 650 million years ago. The research is published today [7 January] in Science Advances. This evidence has proved highly controversial as it predates the fossil record of sponges by a minimum of  100 million years. Now an international team of scientists led by Dr M. Eleonora Rossi, from the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences, ...

Planthoppers and leafhoppers not only feed on rice plants but also act as highly efficient vectors for plant viruses, causing substantial yield losses worldwide. Notably, their persistent ability to evade natural enemies is not merely a matter of chance—it is subtly reinforced by the plant viruses they carry. A recent study led by Prof. ZHANG Xiaoming's team at the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with Prof. Ian T. Baldwin's group at the CAS Center ...

As part of the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory First Look event in June 2025, Rubin announced that it had observed thousands of asteroids cruising about our Solar System, about 1900 of which have been confirmed as never-before-seen [1]. Within the flurry, a team of astronomers has discovered 19 super- and ultra-fast-rotating asteroids. One of these is the fastest-spinning asteroid larger than 500 meters (0.3 miles) ever found. The study was led by Sarah Greenstreet, NSF NOIRLab assistant ...

Using ribosome engineering (RE), researchers from Shinshu University introduced mutations affecting the protein synthesis mechanism of probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG). These mutant LGGs exhibit altered surface protein expression, including increased presentation of so-called “moonlighting proteins.” These mutants adhere more strongly to intestinal cells and induce enhanced activation of immune cells, making them “super-probiotics.” This study demonstrates the utility of RE—an inexpensive, low-risk, and rapid technique—for the enhancement of probiotic lactic acid bacteria. Maintaining a healthy gut microbiota is an important ...

Assistive devices that enable those who can no longer move their bodies to control wheelchairs or communicate by moving only their eyes function by using eye-tracking technologies, but these technologies often have limitations due to their size and weight. Reporting in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports Physical Science on January 7, researchers developed a lightweight, self-powered eye-tracking system that runs off the energy generated through the friction between the eyelids and eyes while blinking. “We’ve developed a self-powered eye-tracking system that harvests energy from ...

In an NIH-funded study led by researchers from Mass General Brigham, children with more adverse prenatal exposures (APEs) showed higher rates of behavior problems that persisted into mid-adolescence, faster cortical thinning across multiple brain regions, and more depressive symptoms than children with fewer APEs. The researchers’ results are published in JAMA Psychiatry. “We sought to understand how multiple adverse experiences during pregnancy affect children’s mental health and brain development as they grow into adolescence,” said lead author ...

For millions living with nerve pain, even a light touch can feel unbearable. Scientists have long suspected that damaged nerve cells falter because their energy factories known as mitochondria don’t function properly. Now research published in Nature suggests a way forward: supplying healthy mitochondria to struggling nerve cells.    Using human tissue and mouse models, researchers at Duke University School of Medicine found that replenishing mitochondria significantly reduced pain tied to diabetic ...


Scientists at Nagoya University in Japan have identified the genes that allow an organism to switch between living as single cells and forming multicellular structures. This ability to alternate between life forms provides new insights into how multicellular life may have evolved from single-celled ancestors and eventually led to complex organisms like animals and plants.  Published in Nature, the study represents an exceptionally detailed molecular explanation of how clonal multicellularity, where all cells descend from a single ancestor, can be achieved and controlled at the genetic level.  Flexible life forms dependent on food availability  The ...

LOGAN, UTAH, USA – Across all domains of life, immune defenses foil invading viruses by making it impossible for the viruses to replicate. Most known CRISPR systems target invading pathogens’ DNA and chop it up to disable and modify genes, heading off infections at the (cellular) pass. Utah State University chemist Ryan Jackson and his students study two lesser known CRISPR (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) systems known as Cas12a2 and Cas12a3. In contrast to the better known CRISPR-Cas9, which uses a guide RNA to locate a specific ...

To the point Precisely dated fossils: A high-resolution magnetostratigraphic record at Thomas Quarry I captures the Matuyama–Brunhes reversal at around 773,000 years ago, providing one of the most accurate ages for an African Pleistocene hominin assemblage. Near the root of our lineage: Mandibles and other remains show a mosaic of archaic and derived traits consistent with an African sister population to Homo antecessor, near the divergence of Middle Pleistocene Eurasian and African hominin lineages. Northwestern Africa’s key role: Decades ...

ANN ARBOR—If you've ever spent time with a toddler, you might be surprised that the riskiest behavior in humans actually peaks in adolescence.  Researchers from the University of Michigan and James Madison University expected to find risky behavior to peak in adolescence in a study of chimpanzees as well. But instead, they found that chimpanzee infants take the greatest risks.  The study examined the development of risky behavior in chimpanzees as a model for human behavior. It found that risky behavior peaks when chimps are infants, then decreases ...