Scientists using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have observed an entirely new type of exoplanet whose atmospheric composition challenges our understanding of how this type of planet forms.  This bizarre, lemon-shaped body, possibly containing diamonds at its core, blurs the line between planets and stars.  Officially named PSR J2322-2650b, this object has an exotic helium-and-carbon-dominated atmosphere unlike any ever seen before. It has a mass about the same as Jupiter, but soot clouds float through the air—and deep within the planet, these carbon clouds can condense and form diamonds. It orbits a rapidly ...

The gut microbiome is intimately linked to human health and weight. Differences in the gut microbiome—the bacteria and fungi in the gut—are associated with obesity and weight gain, raising the possibility that changing the microbiome could improve health. But any given person’s gut contains hundreds of different microbial species, making it difficult to tell which species could help. Now, research at the University of Utah has identified a specific type of gut bacteria, called Turicibacter, that improves metabolic health and reduces weight gain in mice on a high-fat diet. People with obesity ...

Electronic medical records (EMRs) have been a tremendous benefit in exam rooms across the country, creating secure patient history databases that clinicians can easily access and update. Yet, they can also detract from the doctor-patient experience, as physicians must type notes into the system rather than devote their complete attention to patients. To help put physicians back in front of their patients — and away from their keyboards — UC Davis Health has adopted an artificial intelligence (AI) scribe, which automatically records and ...

NEW ORLEANS — The oceanic conditions that churn up the very strongest of hurricanes and typhoons are heating up in the North Atlantic and Western Pacific, fueled by warm water that extends well below the surface. Human-caused climate change may be responsible for up to 70% of the growth of storm-brewing hotspots there, according to new research.   These hot spots are making it more likely that stronger Category ‘6’ tropical cyclones may hit landfall in highly populated areas.   “The hot spot regions ...

Once the domain of buttons and knobs, car dashboards are increasingly home to large touch screens. While that makes following a mapping app easier, it also means drivers can’t feel their way to a control; they have to look. But how does that visual component affect driving? New research from the University of Washington and Toyota Research Institute, or TRI, explores how drivers balance driving and using touch screens while distracted. In the study, participants drove in a vehicle simulator, ...

St. Louis, MO — Researchers at Saint Louis University School of Medicine say deaths from alcohol-related liver disease have surged in recent years, and the increase is hitting people without a college degree the hardest. While nearly every demographic group is seeing higher death rates—including those with college degrees—the gap between economically disadvantaged groups and more affluent ones is growing, according to new research published in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research. Alcohol-related liver disease is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. Experts say its growing impact ...

As microplastics accumulate in soils, waters, and even the human body, scientists are racing to understand how these persistent pollutants can be safely removed from the environment. A new review published in New Contaminants highlights a critical but often overlooked factor in this challenge: temperature. The study examines how high and extreme temperatures influence the ability of microorganisms to degrade microplastics. Drawing on evidence from laboratory studies, natural hot environments, and industrial systems, the authors show that heat can both accelerate and suppress microbial breakdown of plastic particles, depending on conditions ...

Plants do not rely only on their leaves to feed on carbon dioxide. A new study in Carbon Research reveals that maize roots can act as an active “second mouth” for carbon, taking up CO2 from the soil and helping regulate the carbon cycle between soil, plants and the air. A new look at plant carbon For decades, biology textbooks have emphasized that plants absorb CO2 only through chlorophyll containing leaves. The new research challenges this simplified view by showing that roots can also absorb CO2 from the soil atmosphere under certain conditions. This underground carbon intake ...

FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers are applying fuel cell technology to new applications like sustainable energy and water treatment. In a study published in Frontiers in Membrane Science and Technology, the researchers examined a type of membrane called a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer membrane, or PFSA polymer membrane. These membranes act as filters, allowing protons to move through, but blocking electrons and gases. In the study, the researchers examined how boiling these membranes — a common treatment applied to the material — affects their performance and helps them work as specialized tools for ...

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) congratulates UN Member States for recognizing that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) is a major cause of disability and death requiring urgent action and welcomes the call for increased access to diagnosis and inhaled medicines included in the Political Declaration.  480 million people live with COPD, and 3.7 million die each year.  COPD is the third commonest cause of death globally.  It also creates massive economic costs and a recent study estimated ...

(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – December 16, 2025) St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists identified a promising combination approach to treat a rare, but catastrophic pediatric brain cancer called atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT). Reactivating and maintaining p53, a protein responsible for tumor suppression, using the drugs idasantulin and selinexor, respectively, was well-tolerated, reduced tumor burden and increased survival in a laboratory model. Further, the researchers identified a route by which cells may develop resistance to the combination and outlined strategies to offset this phenomenon. The findings were published in Neuro-Oncology ...

A new study led by scientists from the University of Hawaiʻi (UH) Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) Shark Lab reveals a critical link between seasonal seabird nesting and the movements of top marine predators in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The research, published this month in the journal Ecosphere, found that the annual summer arrival of fledgling seabirds at French Frigate Shoals (FFS) concentrates tiger sharks in specific areas, forcing other species, including gray reef and Galapagos sharks, to drastically shift their own habitat use to avoid predation and competition. The discovery highlights a profound, indirect connection between terrestrial ...

Legalized sports betting comes with a hidden public safety cost: a measurable rise in violent and impulsive crime on game days––even in states without gambling, according to new research led by the University of Michigan.   Researchers from U-M and Rice University analyzed crime incident data from 2017 to 2021 and found that states that legalized sports betting after the 2018 Supreme Court decision in Murphy v. NCAA saw significant increases in assaults, larceny and vehicle theft during and immediately following professional sports games. Crime levels ...

Scientists at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed a powerful new artificial intelligence tool called LA⁴SR that can rapidly identify previously overlooked proteins in microalgae - tiny organisms that produce much of the Earth’s oxygen and support entire aquatic ecosystems. This breakthrough will allow scientists to speed up the search for new natural compounds and enzymes that could support future clean energy solutions. It will also help researchers better understand how microscopic life adapts to changing environments and open new possibilities for monitoring water quality and tracking how ecosystems respond to climate shifts. Microalgae are essential ...

Starting in 2026, the Cluster of Excellence Future Forests at the University of Freiburg will investigate how forests and their use can be adapted to global change and retain their important ecological and social functions. The Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundation has now announced its intention to provide extensive support for the work of Future Forests through a new funding initiative. The foundation will fund a new tenure track endowed professorship for silviculture and climate change adaptation, an international research laboratory on forest adaptation, ...

Researchers led by Takuzo Aida at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) in Japan have one-upped themselves in their quest to solve our microplastic problem. In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society they report a new type of plastic made from plant cellulose, the world’s most abundant organic compound. The new plastic is strong, flexible, and capable of rapid decomposition in natural environments, setting it apart from other plastics marketed ...

Machine learning methods have emerged as promising tools to predict antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and uncover resistance determinants from genomic data. This study shows that sampling biases driven by population structure severely undermine the accuracy of AMR prediction models even with large datasets, providing recommendations for evaluating the accuracy of future methods.   In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper in PLOS Biology: https://plos.io/44mryGI   Article title: Biased sampling driven by bacterial population structure confounds machine learning prediction of antimicrobial resistance Author countries: United States, ...

Are authors fairly judged by assessment of the prestige of the journals in which their work is published? This study compares article level metrics with journal level metrics, finding that the vast majority of influential papers are published in lower tier journals, and that more authors, regardless of demographics, would be better recognized with article level data.   In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper in PLOS Biology: https://plos.io/43D3JKG Article title: Most researchers ...

A protein essential to the human body for managing energy and regulating appetite relies on a partner protein, according to new research, and the findings could help researchers better understand genetic obesity.   In a paper published in Science Signalling today (Tuesday 16 December), an international research team led by academics from the University of Birmingham, looked at the supporting role of a partner protein called MRAP2 with an appetite regulating protein called MC3R, which coordinates whether the body stores energy or burns it.     Previous studies ...

Though the 2025 hurricane season was relatively quiet for the United States, researchers are combining massive amounts of observational data with wildly complex computer models to predict the impact of future storms on coastal communities.   The University of Florida’s Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment, or ESSIE, is part of a project that recently received the Excellence in Partnering Award by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program for its collaborative, ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — In the midst of the COVID pandemic, scientists embarked on an ambitious research expedition to the North Atlantic to investigate the inner workings of the ocean’s carbon cycle. A series of storms hammered the three vessels, among the most advanced research ships in the world, while bureaucratic mayhem threatened to scrub the voyage entirely. Despite these challenges, the multinational, interdisciplinary team and able crew were wildly productive. A resulting study, led by UC Santa Barbara’s David Siegel, published in the journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles, reveals important insights for our understanding of ...

What keeps our cells the right size? Scientists have long puzzled over this fundamental question, since cells that are too large or too small are linked to many diseases. Until now, the genetic basis behind cell size has largely been a mystery. New research has, for the first time, identified a gene in the non-coding genome that can directly control cell size. In a study published in Nature Communications, a team at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) found that a gene called CISTR-ACT acts as a controller of ...

A joint research team from NIMS, The University of Tokyo, Kyoto Institute of Technology and Tohoku University has demonstrated that thin films of ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂) exhibit altermagnetism—the defining property of what is now recognized as the third fundamental class of magnetic materials. Altermagnets have the potential to overcome limitations associated with current magnetic random access memory using conventional ferromagnets and are attracting attention as promising materials for next-generation high-speed, high-density memory devices. In addition ...

PHILADELPHIA— The largest-ever study testing the effectiveness of an evidence-based approach to increasing physical activity using smartphone fitness trackers gamification to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease will launch at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Ascension, one of the nation’s leading non-profit health systems , thanks to a $25 million award. The six-year study, funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), will build on the highly successful BE ACTIVE trial, published in 2024, which demonstrated sustained increases in daily step counts using a behavioral economics based approach ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Every day, Americans face health care decisions without the information needed to fully understand the potential benefits and risks of different treatment options. To help close these evidence gaps and empower individuals and their caregivers with the information needed to make more informed health care decisions, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) announced funding awards for new patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) studies addressing a range of adult and pediatric health concerns.   “Patient-centered comparative ...