Older people with a history of chronic kidney disease or conditions affecting blood flow to the brain such as stroke face about double the risk for developing neuroinvasive disease that can lead to paralysis and death following infection with West Nile virus, new UCLA research finds. The study, to be published December 10 in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Network Open, also suggests that other factors such as male sex, hematologic malignancy, immune suppressants, hypertension, alcohol-related disorders and multiple sclerosis, contribute to the higher risk for developing neuroinvasive disease, which occurs when the ...

New immune role discovered for specialized gut cells linked to celiac disease The human small intestine absorbs nutrients while protecting us from potentially harmful microbes. One of the cell types that plays a key role in this protection is the microfold cell, or M cell. These cells detect bacteria and other foreign particles and pass them on to immune cells. Until now, most knowledge about M cells came from studies in mice. In a new study published in Nature, researchers from the Clevers Group show that human M cells have additional immune functions. They do not only transport antigens, ...

The Amazon rainforest is slowly transitioning to a new, hotter climate with more frequent and intense droughts — conditions that haven’t been seen on Earth for tens of millions of years. The conclusions come from a new study led by the University of California, Berkeley, involving a large team of national and international scientists. The researchers predict that, if society continues to emit high levels of greenhouse gases, “hot drought” conditions could become more prevalent across the Amazon ...

Minimally invasive tissue penetration techniques are increasingly demanded in biomedical applications such as neural probe implantation, ophthalmic surgery, and single-cell puncture. These procedures require highly precise penetration of biological membranes with minimal tissue damage, often relying on real-time force feedback to control insertion forces. Traditional methods typically use sharp micro-tools or robotic systems, which can lead to rapid insertion speeds, increasing tissue damage and inflammation risks. Additionally, the heterogeneous nature of biological tissues complicates the ability to adjust to varying mechanical properties. ...

A new University of California San Diego School of Medicine study offers a unified biological model to explain how genetic predispositions and environmental exposures converge to cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study, published in Mitochondrion on Dec. 9, 2025, describes a “three-hit” metabolic signaling model that reframes autism as a treatable disorder of cellular communication and energy metabolism. The model also suggests that as many as half of all autism cases might be prevented or reduced with ...

European beech trees, a key species in central Europe’s forests, are showing remarkable adaptability underground. A new study published in Forest Ecosystems reveals that these trees adjust the structure and growth of their fine roots according to seasonal soil moisture fluctuations, rather than the long-term wetness or dryness of their sites. The research team, led by scientists from Dresden University of Technology (TUD), Germany, monitored beech trees across three near-natural forest sites in Saxony, Germany, representing wet, intermediate, and dry soil conditions. Over a 30-month period, the team collected high-resolution data on fine root biomass, growth, ...

A new study on intensively managed loblolly pine plantations in the southern United States reveals how trees compete for light and nutrients, and how thinning reshapes that competition. The findings, published in Forest Ecosystems, provide new insight into how forest management affects both tree growth patterns and overall productivity. Researchers from Zhejiang University and Stephen F. Austin State University tracked 48 plots of loblolly pine across Texas and Louisiana for seven years after mid-rotation thinning. They used two indicators to assess forest structure: the Gini index (GI), which measures differences in tree size, and growth ...

The study, published in Forest Ecosystems, presents a refined update to the 3-PG (Physiological Processes Predicting Growth) model. Its major innovation is adding a carbon storage pool specifically for stem growth, making it possible for the model to account for the “carry-over effect” in which trees use carbohydrates stored from previous years to form new wood, particularly early in the growing season when photosynthesis is low. Including such physiological processes improved simulations in ...

In the fields of radiation detection and X-ray imaging, oil exploration poses more stringent and specific requirements for performance of scintillators. Scintillators have to be operated at temperature higher than 200 ℃, and sometimes they are used in high humidity environment. However, most of existing commercial scintillators, such as Bi4Ge3O12 and CsI:Tl, exhibit inferior thermal stability, which hinders their application in complex environment. Therefore, it is extremely urgent to develop new scintillator materials ...

The rapid advancement of fifth-generation (5G) communication and high-power electronic devices has revolutionized modern life, yet it also brings about dual challenges of electromagnetic wave (EMW) pollution and heat accumulation, which severely threaten the stability and service life of integrated components. While hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a promising candidate for thermal management due to its high thermal conductivity and chemical stability, its inherent electrical insulation and chemical inertness significantly limit its ability to absorb EMWs. Achieving simultaneous high-efficiency EMW absorption and thermal conductivity in a single BN-based ...

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzers are a leading technology for clean hydrogen production, yet their widespread deployment is limited by high cost and insufficient durability, particularly at the anode where the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) occurs under extremely harsh conditions. Commercial systems rely on Ir/Ru-based oxides, which are scarce and intrinsically unstable in these environments. Anode degradation is not a single-material issue but arises from tightly coupled chemical, electrochemical, mechanical, and impurity-driven processes ...

Metastasis occurs when cancer cells break away from the original tumor and travel through the bloodstream to form new tumors in other parts of the body. It is the leading cause of cancer-related death. Brain metastasis is particularly severe and affects 10-30% of patients with advanced lung, breast, and melanoma cancers. While therapies exist for established brain tumors, there are limited strategies that directly target the very first cancer “seed cells” that enter and lodge in the brain.  Our brains, however, are equipped with immune cells called microglia that rapidly respond to ...

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 15:00 GMT / 10:00 ET WEDNESDAY 10 DECEMBER 2025 New breakthrough in detecting ‘ghost particles’ from the Sun First observation of carbon-neutrino interactions opens new frontiers in nuclear and particle physics. More images available via the link in the Notes Section. Neutrinos are one of the most mysterious particles in the universe, often called 'ghost particles' because they rarely interact with anything else. Trillions stream through our bodies every second, ...

Offering screening for neurodivergence to people detained by the police could help ensure access to appropriate support and fairer treatment in the criminal justice system, say Cambridge researchers, after a study suggests that one in two individuals arrested and detained in London may have undiagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and one in 20 may have undiagnosed autism. Research has consistently found that neurodivergent individuals – particularly autistic people and those with ADHD – are overrepresented within prison populations. There is also growing evidence ...

Fukuoka, Japan—Whether you turn red when drinking alcohol, dislike certain smells, or metabolize drugs differently from others, the explanation often lies in your DNA, or more precisely, your gene types. People share the same genes but not the exact same gene types. These types are unique combinations of multiple DNA sequence differences that together shape our biological traits. Researchers have long investigated these genetic variations, but traditional tools analyze only 150-300 bases at a time, providing isolated “dots” of information. Advances ...

The African CDC has recently warned of a surge in cholera cases across the continent. Cholera, caused by certain strains of V. cholerae, is a waterborne infection that spreads rapidly, particularly in areas with limited access to clean water and sanitation. Africa bears the majority of the global burden of cholera, accounting for 46% of all cases and nearly 83% of all deaths. Yet, only about 1.3% of laboratories on the continent have the bacteriology capacity to confirm infections.   In 2024, representatives from ...

SAN ANTONIO — December 10, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and Trinity University will improve a prodrug, a compound activated in the body, to mitigate tissue and organ damage associated with heart attacks, strokes and traumatic injuries. These conditions cause a lack of blood flow, but treatment to reverse blockages can also lead to lasting damage. A project collaboratively funded by SwRI and Trinity will address both the initial lack of blood (ischemia) and the rush of blood that follows treatment (reperfusion) referred to as ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). “The moment oxygen comes flooding back ...

SAN ANTONIO – The investigational, oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) giredestrant  given as an adjuvant therapy showed significant improvement in invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) compared with the current standard-of-care endocrine therapy in patients with early-stage, hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, according to the results of the phase III IidERA trial presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), held December 9-12, 2025. “For patients with HR-positive breast cancer—which accounts for about 70% of breast cancer ...

Washington, D.C. December 10, 2025 – Gen Z views the world as a scary place, according to new research presented at the 2025 Society for Risk Analysis Conference. In ongoing research that began in Fall 2022, Gabriel Rubin, Ph.D. a justice studies professor at Montclair State University, has now conducted 104 long-form interviews with Gen Z young people in the Northeast United States about their views on politics, risk and protest—expanding on his initial findings from the study, Gen Z Risk Perceptions: ...

•    Measurement accuracy of oxidase biosensors for glucose, lactate, and creatinine increased from about 50 to 99 percent  •    Oxygen previously caused inaccuracies; the new method removes oxygen  •    Researchers see potential applications ranging from personalized medicine to agriculture Biosensors are helping people with chronic conditions worldwide live better lives. However, their measurement accuracy has often been relatively low, limiting the range of possible applications. ...

Researchers have harnessed a new statistical technique that allows forest managers to use incomplete satellite imagery for precise forest inventories, bypassing the need for complex and often uncertain data repair processes. The method, known as a "hybrid estimator," is particularly valuable for leveraging decades of archived data from the aging Landsat 7 satellite, which has been collecting images with systematic gaps since 2003. The study, published in Forest Ecosystems, addresses a critical challenge in forestry and climate science. Remote sensing is vital for large-scale ...

A chemical found in dark chocolate could slow the rate of biological ageing. Research from King’s College London has found that the chemical theobromine, a common plant compound that comes from cocoa, could have anti-ageing properties. The study, published today in Aging, compared levels of theobromine in people’s blood, with blood-based markers of biological ageing. Biological age markers indicate how old your body seems based on its health and function, as opposed to the years you have lived. These markers ...

Chronic hepatitis C infection affects an estimated 50 million people globally, causes approximately 242,000 deaths per year mostly due to cirrhosis and liver cancer Same-day results will help kickstart treatment for infection, which is curable with medication  Johns Hopkins scientists independently confirmed test’s 100% agreement when compared to commercial platforms CHICAGO --- Scientists at Northwestern University have developed the fastest test yet for diagnosing hepatitis C virus (HCV). The highly accurate diagnostic delivers results to patients in just 15 minutes — up to 75% faster than other rapid HCV tests. This ...

The planets in the Solar System are typically divided into three categories based on their composition: the four terrestrial rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars), followed by the two gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn), and finally two ice giants (Uranus and Neptune).  According to the work carried by the UZH scientific team, Uranus and Neptune might actually be more rocky than icy. The new study does not claim the two blue planets to be one or the other type, water- or rock- rich, it rather challenges that ...

Ex vivo cultured organoids, tissue slices, and isolated organs are essential models for studying disease mechanisms and evaluating drug responses. Real-time, multisite electrophysiological monitoring is critical for capturing their dynamic behavior. However, conventional microelectrode arrays are limited in dynamic environments due to rigid structures, fixed electrode layouts, and cable constraints. Advances in soft, stretchable electronics offer solutions, but most devices lack active repositioning capabilities. “Magnetically actuated soft robots ...