A new study of 1960s maps, many of which were created by young people, has provided important fresh evidence of the timing and extent of habitat losses caused by agricultural intensification and urban growth in England and Wales.  Prior to the analysis by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), there were gaps in understanding about how our landscape gradually changed in the intervening years between the 1930s and 1990.   The 1960s survey involved 3,000 volunteers – many of them schoolchildren and students – marking maps with different colours and shadings, corresponding to a type of land cover such ...

As global temperatures rise and heatwaves intensify, a new textile innovation co-developed by University of South Australia scientists promises to keep people cooler, drier, and more comfortable in extreme heat. Partnering with researchers from Zhengzhou University in China, UniSA materials scientist Professor Jun Ma has helped to create a lightweight breathable fabric that reflects 96% of the sun’s rays in outdoor conditions. The moisture-wicking composite fabric is described in the journal Nano Research. In outdoor field tests, the new textile lowered skin temperature by 2 degrees celsius under direct sunlight ...

A new study published in Nitrogen Cycling presents the most comprehensive assessment to date of how China can reduce nationwide nitrogen pollution while continuing to meet the rising food demands of its population. The research analyzes nearly six decades of data and concludes that smarter nitrogen management could reduce fertilizer use by more than one third, significantly improving air and water quality without compromising crop yields. Nitrogen fertilizers have played a central role in feeding China since the 1960s, supporting ...

Around two-thirds (68%) of pregnancies have weight gain that is more or less than recommended and that is associated with complications such as preterm birth, large birth weight, and admission to intensive care, finds a review of data from 1.6 million women published by The BMJ today. These findings reinforce the need for international standards for healthy GWG alongside lifestyle support and public health measures to improve outcomes for mothers and babies worldwide, say lead researchers Helene Teede and Rebecca Godstein. Gaining too much or too ...

Thousands of locally employed doctors (LEDs) - many of them international graduates and from ethnic minority backgrounds - are trapped on insecure NHS contracts with no access to training, career progression, or national safeguards, reveals an investigation published by The BMJ today. LEDs are the fastest growing group of doctors in the UK, driven mostly by those who graduated outside the UK. From 2019 to 2023, the number of LEDs in England and Wales rocketed by 75% to 36,831 doctors. Freedom of Information (FoI) data obtained by The BMJ show that almost nine in 10 UK acute trusts use local contracts - some dating back as far as 2002 without ...

Key points Higher and lower than recommended gestational weight gain is associated with increased pregnancy complications Support is needed to improve health for women across the globe Findings may help inform global standards for healthy weight gain in pregnancy Around two-thirds of pregnancies have weight gain that is more or less than recommended and is associated with complications such as preterm birth, large birth weight, and admission to intensive care. The findings are part of a Monash University-led systematic review of data from 1.6 million women, published by The BMJ. Gaining too much or too little weight during pregnancy, known as gestational ...

Large-scale livestock farming is accelerating the spread of antibiotic resistance and heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils at a pace and scale that poses new risks to global food safety and public health, new research reveals. Scientists have uncovered how even “low-risk” organic fertilizers like dried poultry manure can inadvertently drive a dramatic surge in dangerous antibiotic resistance genes, once released into vegetable plots used for food crops. The peer-reviewed study, published this week in Biocontaminant, focused on ...

DALLAS, Nov. 19, 2025 — National Women’s Soccer League and Angel City FC defender Savy King are teaming up with the American Heart Association on a groundbreaking league-wide initiative to equip all NWSL 16 teams with the lifesaving skills of Hands-Only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automatic external defibrillator (AED) education. The initiative aims to empower players, staff and coaches with the knowledge and confidence to act in a cardiac emergency. The initiative was announced tonight at the NWSL Awards ceremonies in San Jose, California and broadcast on ...

A University of California, Riverside-led study shows that holding underperforming schools accountable can yield life-changing benefits for their most vulnerable students. The research, led by UCR economist and professor Ozkan Eren, found that when high schools receive the state’s lowest performance rating—and are subsequently compelled to make changes—students are significantly less likely to have run-ins with law enforcement later in life. “In terms of long-run criminal involvement, we find that if the school has a ...

Just over half (51%) of published novelists in the UK believe that artificial intelligence is likely to end up entirely replacing their work as fiction writers, a new University of Cambridge report shows. Close to two-thirds (59%) of novelists say they know their work has been used to train AI large language models (LLMs) without permission or payment. Over a third (39%) of novelists say their income has already taken a hit from generative AI, for example due to loss of other work that facilitates novel writing. Most (85%) novelists expect their future ...

UK Biobank has today [Thursday 20 November] released the final set of data on nearly 250 metabolites – the molecules in our blood produced by our bodies as we go about our lives – in half a million volunteers. This completes the world’s largest ever metabolomic study, which will help researchers to better predict who is at highest risk of disease and drive treatment strategies for neurological conditions, ...

Media Contact: pr@cos.io The Center for Open Science (COS) has been awarded a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to develop a community-driven strategic plan for ensuring the long-term preservation, accessibility, and usability of federally-funded scientific data. COS has long championed policies and practices that increase the openness, integrity, and trustworthiness of research. The success of the open science movement relies on the integrity, sustainability, and resilience of infrastructures that promote access to research outputs, like scientific data. In 2025, the sudden removal of public data from multiple federal agency ...

Philadelphia, November 19, 2025 – Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) revealed important genetic components that affect bone density in children and adolescents. This information could help identify pediatric patients who may benefit from strategies to help improve their bone health at an early age, helping them maintain healthy bones and prevent fractures in adulthood. Many children experience fractures due to accidents and recover quickly, but there are many reasons why children may have weak bones or be at risk for developing fragile bones. Chronic health conditions, dietary restrictions and steroid use all impact bone mineral metabolism. ...

Using lasers as tweezers to understand cloud electrification might sound like science fiction but at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) it is a reality. By trapping and charging micron-sized particles with lasers, researchers can now observe their charging and discharging dynamics over time. This method, published in Physical Review Letters, could provide key insights into what sparks lightning. Aerosols are liquid or solid particles that float in the air. They are all around us. Some are large and visible, such ...

Young people who play video games with “gambling-like” elements – such as buying loot boxes or in-game items – are more likely to go on to gamble with real money. That’s the suggestion of a new longitudinal study of gambling behaviour and attitudes in young people. A team of experts from Belgian institutions KU Leuven and the University of Ghent quizzed more than 2,000 young gamers twice, with a year gap in-between. In follow-up surveys, it was shown those who engage in games with gambling-like elements were more likely to then gamble with real money than those who did not. The research team, who publish their findings ...

A landmark multi-country clinical trial has shown that a structured, sustainable approach to infection prevention and treatment can save women’s lives, cutting severe maternal infections and deaths by about one-third (32%) compared to usual care. The maternal programme of prevention and treatment (APT-Sepsis) was developed by researchers at the University of Liverpool, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN’s Special Programme in Human Reproduction (HRP). Maternal infection and sepsis remain ...

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2025 MINNEAPOLIS — A new study shows large increases in the use of computed tomography (CT) scans of the head in emergency departments across the United States from 2007 to 2022. The study, which was published on November 19, 2025, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, also found disparities in use of head CTs by race, type of insurance and hospital location.  “Head CT scans are a critical tool for diagnosing neurological emergencies, but their growing use raises concerns about cost, ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Open semi-natural settings in urban areas – like parks and golf courses teeming with plants and small mammals – are possible hotspots for interaction between coyotes and humans, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed times and locations in Chicago when coyotes were on the move at the same time people were working, socializing or otherwise occupied outside the home. The analysis showed that overlap of human and coyote activity would be far more probable in areas with a high proportion of open space and less likely to ...

NEW YORK, NY--Columbia University researchers are the first to show that focused ultrasound — a non-invasive technique that uses sound waves to enhance the delivery of drugs into the brain — can be safely used in children being treated for brain cancer.  The focused ultrasound technique, developed by Columbia engineers, was tested in combination with chemotherapy in three children with diffuse midline glioma, a rare and ...

AUSTIN, Texas — Swapping beef for a plant-based meat substitute changed breast milk composition in just six days — even when the rest of the diet was made up of whole, unprocessed foods — according to a first-of-its-kind study from researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.  The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reveal that even small shifts in a breastfeeding family’s diet can quickly alter the types of fats their infant receives through breast milk. These changes could have implications for brain development and immune function. The study tested the effect of food processing by using meals that were nutritionally ...

In the race against time to meet 2050 climate targets, building decarbonization looms large—but high upfront costs and a lack of public awareness are two of the biggest barriers for many countries, slowing the adoption of energy efficiency and electrification technologies. The top risks center on performance and reliability. These findings come from two new studies by Schneider Electric and Boston University’s Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS), published in Nature Communications and Energy and Buildings, that identify 95 sociotechnical barriers ...

Women are underrepresented among authors of retracted publications, particularly in cases involving multiple retractions, according to a new study published November 19, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Paul Sebo of the University of Geneva, Switzerland. Gender disparities in scientific authorship are well documented, yet little is known about gender representation among authors of retracted publications. However, understanding the demographics of authors of retracted publications could shed light on the social and professional dynamics that lead to retractions. In the new study, Sebo analyzed 878 retracted publications from 131 high-impact medical journals across ...

Is it light or humidity? Scientists identify the culprits of emerald green degradation in masterpieces An international team of researchers have found what triggers degradation in one of the most popular pigments used by renowned 19th and 20th century painters. Using a multi-method approach, including advanced synchrotron radiation techniques, they’ve unveiled how light and humidity affect the masterpieces over time, and have proposed a strategy for its mitigation and monitoring. The results are out now in Science Advances. During the 19th century, the Second Industrial Revolution sparked major advances in chemistry, giving rise ...

Northwestern University engineers have developed the first haptic device that achieves “human resolution,” meaning it accurately matches the sensing abilities of the human fingertip. Called VoxeLite, the ultra-thin, lightweight, flexible, wearable device recreates touch sensations with the same clarity, detail and speed that skin naturally detects. Similar to a bandage, the device gently wraps around a fingertip to give digital touch the same realism people now expect from today’s screens ...

Earthquake faults deep in the Earth can glue themselves back together following a seismic event, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Davis. The work, published Nov. 19 in Science Advances and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, adds a new factor to our understanding of the behavior of faults that can give rise to major earthquakes.  “We discovered that deep faults can heal themselves within hours,” said Amanda Thomas, ...