Most bacteria cannot be cultured in the lab—and that’s been bad news for medicine. Many of our frontline antibiotics originated from microbes, yet as antibiotic resistance spreads and drug pipelines run dry, the soil beneath our feet has a vast hidden reservoir of untapped lifesaving compounds. Now, researchers have developed a way to access this microbial goldmine. Their approach, published in Nature Biotechnology, circumvents the need to grow bacteria in the lab by extracting very large DNA fragments directly from soil to piece together the genomes of previously hidden microbes, and then mines resulting genomes for ...

Flavoured drinks without sugar can be perceived as sweet – and now researchers know why. A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the journal Nature Communications, reveals that the brain interprets certain aromas as taste. When we eat or drink, we don’t just experience taste, but rather a ‘flavour’. This taste experience arises from a combination of taste and smell, where aromas from food reach the nose via the oral cavity, known as retronasal odour. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now shown that the brain integrates these signals earlier than previously thought – already in the insula, ...

A newly-formed group of scientists will be fighting for the survival of species — the smallest ones on the planet.   The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has launched a species survival commission for microbiology and microbes to serve as a global safeguard for microbial biodiversity and to pursue coordinated conservation action. The new Microbial Conservation Specialist Group marks a first in the history of international conservation and filling a critical gap in ...

The team behind a new world-leading conservation committee headed by Applied Microbiology International (AMI) is calling on global scientific and conservation communities to get on board to protect microbial life. Members of the new IUCN Microbial Conservation Specialist Group (MCSG) have outlined its priorities for its first year and beyond in a paper published in Nature Microbiology. Earlier this year, global conservation leader, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) officially approved ...

For decades, amino acids have been added to medical formulations like insulin as stabilizers: these small molecules keep proteins (i.e. larger particles) from interacting in undesirable ways. And for decades, scientists have known that this works – but not why. Now, an international team of scientists, led by the Supramolecular Nano-Materials and Interfaces Laboratory in EPFL’s School of Engineering, has finally explained the ‘why’ – and in the process, unearthed a fundamental stabilizing effect ...

In the summer of 2022, less than a full month after the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) had begun to produce its first scientific images, astronomers noticed something unexpected: little red dots. In pictures taken at JWST’s unprecedented sensitivity, these extremely compact, very red celestial objects showed very clearly on the sky and there appeared to be a considerable number of them. JWST had apparently discovered a whole new population of astronomical objects, which had eluded the Hubble Space Telescope. That latter part is unsurprising. “Very red” ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Tiny red objects spotted by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are offering scientists new insights into the origins of galaxies in the universe — and may represent an entirely new class of celestial object: a black hole swallowing massive amounts of matter and spitting out light. Using the first datasets released by the telescope in 2022, an international team of scientists including Penn State researchers discovered mysterious “little red dots.” The researchers suggested the objects may be galaxies that were as mature as our current Milky Way, which is roughly 13.6 billion years ...

Researchers have identified the mechanism by which a common genetic mutation increases liver disease risk. Their findings suggest that healthy choices, such as increasing antioxidants and limiting exposure to smoke, may reduce the risk of this disease. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is an important enzyme that detoxifies harmful aldehydes produced in the body. While it is best known for metabolizing acetaldehyde –an aldehyde increased by drinking– it also plays a role in detoxifying other harmful aldehydes, including acrolein. Acrolein is a highly reactive aldehyde produced by environmental exposure to pollutants such as cigarette smoke. It damages proteins, DNA, and lipids, ...

As chronic wounds such as diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, and articular wounds continue to challenge global healthcare systems, a team of researchers from China has introduced a promising innovation: AI-integrated conductive hydrogel dressings for intelligent wound monitoring and healing. This comprehensive review, led by researchers from China Medical University and Northeastern University, outlines how these smart dressings combine real-time physiological signal detection with artificial intelligence, offering a new paradigm in personalized wound care. Why It Matters: Real-Time Monitoring: Conductive hydrogels can track key wound ...

Wide-band-gap perovskites are the key top-cell for >30 % tandem modules, yet spin-coating and methylammonium (MA) instability block factory-scale production. Now researchers from Southwest Petroleum University, UNSW and UCL have formulated an MA-free ink that can be blade-coated in ambient air and delivers certified 23 % efficiency—one of the highest values ever reported for a 1.69 eV MA-free film. Why This Matters Air-processable: 23 % small-area cell and 20.2 % 10.5 cm2 mini-module fabricated entirely in room air—no glove-box. MA-free stability: eliminates MA cation de-protonation and proton migration, ...

LA JOLLA, CA— A simple fitness tracker might hold the key to revolutionizing maternal healthcare. Scientists at Scripps Research have found preliminary evidence suggesting that common wearable devices such as the Apple Watch, Garmin and Fitbit could remotely monitor pregnancy-related health changes by tracking physiological patterns—like heart rate—that correlate with hormonal fluctuations. “Wearable devices offer a unique opportunity to develop innovative solutions that address the high number of adverse pregnancy outcomes ...

Huang Feihe at Zhejiang University, Jonathan Sessler of the University of Texas at Austin, and colleagues reported a novel cation recognition mode which mimics the biological allosteric effect and achieves efficient recognition of cations by cationic compounds. Specifically, this work achieves continuous recognition of anions and cations by synergizing various recognition modes while also utilizing the allosteric effect during the recognition process to explore a new cation recognition mode. Background: Coulomb's ...

School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic imposed enormous long-term costs while other measures delivered better health outcomes for far less money, according to new research led by Oxford University's Department of Statistics and the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science analysing non-pharmaceutical interventions in the United States. The study, published in BMC Global and Public Health, examined policies implemented across US states during 2020, before vaccines became available. Researchers from Oxford and the University of Washington analysed ...

Seeds in Madagascar’s forests are getting smaller, and new research published in Ecology Letters suggests that human activities are playing a role in this shift. Researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Leipzig University combined data from more than 2,800 plant species, 48 living and 15 extinct fruit-eating animals (frugivores) – including birds and lemurs. The results show that both past human-driven frugivore extinctions and current human pressures are shaping seed size across the island. The researchers found that increased human footprint (a cumulative index of human pressure) is associated ...

Children in the North of England are waiting up to three years longer than those in the south for an autism diagnosis, new data analysis shows.  The data, released by NHS England, reveals that children in Mid and South Essex are waiting on average 54 days for an assessment – falling within National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines of 13 weeks.   However, in South Yorkshire, children wait on average 1,063 days – almost three years longer.  Published today by the Child of the North initiative, the data also shows:  only ...

Many researchers dream of publishing their work in world-leading journals like Nature. But how do you catch the attention of editors and reviewers at such high-impact publications? On Sunday, September 14, 2025, an international online webinar will bring answers straight from the source. Prof. Willie Peijnenburg, a distinguished environmental scientist from Leiden University in the Netherlands, will share practical strategies on how to write and present research that makes it into top-tier journals. Prof. Peijnenburg has authored more than 675 scientific ...

Copenhagen, Denmark: The results of two new studies show that it can be safe, effective and practical for most patients to have cataract surgery on both eyes in one day. Both studies will be presented at the 43rd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS).   The first study [1], by Danish researchers, shows that the majority of patients can manage at home on their own after cataract surgery on both eyes, and carry out essential tasks such as preparing food and using their mobile phone.   The ...

A more precise and personalized form of electric brain stimulation may be a more effective and faster treatment for people with moderate to major depression compared to other similar treatments, according to a UCLA Health study. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, examined the effectiveness of a noninvasive brain stimulation treatment known as high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) in treating depression. Transcranial direct current stimulation uses electrodes placed on a patient’s ...

(Auburn, AL) Imagine tugging on a Chinese finger trap. The harder you pull, the tighter it grips. This counterintuitive behavior also exists in biology. Certain protein complexes can form catch-bonds, tightening their grip when force is applied. These interactions are essential in processes ranging from how bacteria attach to our cells to how tissues in our body hold together under stress. But a fundamental mystery has lingered: Do catch-bonds need to be stretched to a certain threshold before they strengthen, or do they activate as soon as force is applied? In a new study published in Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation, Dr. Marcelo Melo (Colorado State University, ...

Hepatitis C, a bloodborne virus that damages the liver, can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure and death if left untreated. Despite the availability of highly effective treatments, the prevalence of hepatitis C infection remains high, particularly among women of childbearing age, who account for more than one-fifth of chronic hepatitis C infections globally. Within this group, new mothers are especially vulnerable because treatment has traditionally required outpatient follow-up appointments during the challenging postpartum period. Now, a new study on an innovative clinical program developed by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine ...

Ikoma, Japan—Ever wondered how the different cells in our body communicate with each other to fulfill their different roles—be it cells repairing a tissue injury or immune cells moving towards an invading pathogen (microorganisms that causes disease) to engulf it? To move forward or migrate, cells must exert forces or interact with their surrounding environment. Interestingly, however, a fault in these interactions can also be the reason for spread of deadly cancer cells, such as in glioblastoma or brain ...

The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering has named the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory as the recipient of the 2025 SAMPE Organizational Excellence Award. The national award is presented annually in recognition of extraordinary contributions within the advanced materials and processes community across industrial, academic and governmental sectors. “ORNL is leading the way in carbon fiber and composites research, and we’re helping move these materials from the lab into real-world use. ...

OKLAHOMA CITY – Researchers from the University of Oklahoma Health Campus have published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine describing a novel care coordination and communication program and its potential for helping Indigenous people access the lifesaving cancer care that they need. American Indian and Alaska Native residents in Oklahoma face significant cancer disparities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Oklahoma State Department of Health, ...

Over the last 20 years, substance use-related deaths have more than doubled for women of reproductive age. Overdose deaths are now a leading cause of maternal mortality in the U.S., and in some states, the leading cause. Still, substantial gaps remain in understanding how different treatment approaches influence the short- and long-term health of mothers and infants, as well as their broader economic impacts over time.   New research published this month in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found that while established medications for opioid use disorder in mothers — buprenorphine and methadone — ...

Scientists from the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that, in the largest such study to date, frequent cannabis users did not display impairments in driving performance after at least 48 hours of abstinence. The new findings have implications for public health as well as the enforcement of laws related to cannabis and driving. Approximately three-quarters of Americans live in a state where cannabis is legally available, and about 15% of Americans ...