As power grids become more complex with the rise of renewable energy and local energy sources like rooftop solar panels, managing electricity efficiently is more challenging than ever. In a study published in Access, a group of researchers from the Brazil, Syria, Iran and U.K., focuses on how to make electric power distribution systems more efficient by changing the way they are configured. In power systems, this process is called Distribution System Reconfiguration. It's used to reduce power losses and improve how electricity ...

An international team of astronomers including researchers at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory has unveiled groundbreaking findings about the disks of gas and dust surrounding nearby young stars, using the powerful Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, or ALMA.  The findings, published in 12 papers in a focus issue of the Astrophysical Journal, are part of an ALMA large program called the ALMA Survey of Gas Evolution of PROtoplanetary Disks, or AGE-PRO. AGE-PRO observed 30 planet-forming disks around sunlike stars to measure gas disk mass at different ages. The study revealed ...

In today’s world, we hear a lot about what we should eat: more vegetables, less sugar and salt, and to obtain locally sourced, sustainable, and nutrient-rich food. But there’s a fundamental question most people don’t think about: How do we actually know what is in our food? The answer lies in food composition databases (FCDBs), which are collections of data about the nutritional content of different foods, from macronutrients like protein and fat, to vitamins, minerals and specialized biomolecules like antioxidants and phytochemicals.  But a new global review, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, reveals ...

In cancer care, accurate tools for predicting whether a tumor will spread (metastasize) can help patients receive the most appropriate treatments. But existing prediction methods don’t always work equally well for everyone. In particular, Black patients with breast or colon cancer often experience worse outcomes than White patients, despite receiving similar care. A new study from researchers at the University of Rochester, published in Biophotonics Discovery, suggests that differences in the structure of collagen—the main protein in connective tissue—may help explain part of this ...

In 1831, Charles Darwin embarked on a five-year voyage to South America aboard the HMS Beagle, which was conducting hydrographic surveys. During the expedition, Darwin explored remote regions of the continent, collecting plants, animals, and fossils and recording detailed observations. These materials were fundamental to the development of his ideas on evolution by natural selection, which are a pillar of modern scientific development. Today, the collection Darwin gathered on his most famous voyage is in the care of ...

SEYCHELLES — Coastal planners take heed: Newly uncovered evidence from fossil corals found on an island chain in the Indian Ocean suggests that sea levels could rise even more steeply in our warming world than previously thought.  "This is not good news for us as we head into the future," says Andrea Dutton, a professor of geoscience at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dutton and her PhD student Karen Vyverberg at the University of Florida led an international collaboration that included researchers from University of Sydney, University of Minnesota ...

EMBARGOED in Science Advances until 2 p.m. Friday, June 13   A new platform for engineering chiral electron pathways offers potential fresh insights into a quantum phenomenon discovered by chemists—and exemplifies how the second quantum revolution is fostering transdisciplinary collaborations that bridge physics, chemistry, and biology to tackle fundamental questions. In the late 1990s, Ron Naaman at the Weizmann Institute and David Waldeck at the University of Pittsburgh were investigating how electrons scatter from chiral molecules. Previous gas-phase experiments had shown tiny asymmetries—less than 0.01%—when ...

A new study from the University of Vienna reveals that sea anemones use a molecular mechanism known from bilaterian animals to form their back-to-belly body axis. This mechanism ("BMP shuttling") enables cells to organize themselves during development by interpreting signaling gradients. The findings, published in Science Advances, suggest that this system evolved much earlier than previously assumed and was already present in the common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians. Most animals exhibit bilateral symmetry—a body plan with a head and tail, a back and belly, and left and right ...

The University of São Paulo (USP) and FAPESP are participating in the 9th edition of Viva Technology (VivaTech), Europe’s largest startup and technology event. They have a 100-square-meter stand to showcase innovations in agriculture, climate, energy, artificial intelligence, and health (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/54959). The program at the stand also includes USP professors who, besides being available to investors, entrepreneurs, and visitors to the fair, are participating in roundtable discussions ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A cosmic particle detector in Antarctica has emitted a series of bizarre signals that defy the current understanding of particle physics, according to an international research group that includes scientists from Penn State. The unusual radio pulses were detected by the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) experiment, a range of instruments flown on balloons high above Antarctica that are designed to detect radio waves from cosmic rays hitting the atmosphere. The goal of the experiment is to gain insight ...

MSU has a satellite uplink/LTN TV studio and Comrex line for radio interviews upon request. Contact: Kim Ward: ‪(734) 224-8377, kward@msu.edu Images Why this matters: Scientists use satellite images of light given off by plants — called solar-induced fluorescence, or SIF — to check how healthy the Amazon forest is. SIF is often used to estimate how much photosynthesis is happening. But this study shows that SIF may not be a reliable predictor of photosynthesis functionality. When the climate ...

The first of the selected abstracts came from Wolfgang Merkt, who presented an update on a patient who originally received third-generation CD19-CAR-T cells in 2022. This patient had a rapidly progressive form of systemic sclerosis (SSc) with interstitial lung disease with fatal prognosis. The authors report that CAR-T cells and B cell depletion persisted over 24 months, with stable serological remission and major disease improvement. Of note, fibrotic lesions and areas of activated fibroblasts further regressed in ...

Most VVD in clinical trials have been shown to exert anti-fibrotic effects – but findings are mixed around whether they also improve pulmonary function tests and prevent progression of SSc-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). A post-hoc analysis presented by Adela-Cristina Sarbu aimed to address this by assessing the impact of VVD on functional progression and all-cause mortality in people with SSc-ILD. Using data from the EUSTAR database, they looked at three different outcomes for 2,156 people receiving endothelin-receptor antagonists (ERA), phosphodiesterase-5 ...

Gout flares are associated with cardiovascular events. Treating gout to target serum urate level prevents flares, but whether such treatment can also prevent cardiovascular events is unknown. An abstract from Edoardo Cipolletta and colleagues explored whether achieving serum urate levels of less than 360 μmol/L within 1 year of the first prescription of urate-lowering therapy has an effect on the 5-year risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). The authors used English and Swedish primary-care data linked to hospitalisation and mortality records for over 116,000 patients. Overall, 16,201 patients had a MACE ...

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic musculoskeletal disease that predominantly affects the axial skeleton.1 axSpA is an umbrella term that comprises the whole spectrum of patients with and without radiographic sacroiliitis, and joint ASAS/EULAR recommendations were published in 2022.2 Radiographic sacroiliitis classifies patients as radiographic axSpA (r-axSpA) and those patients are at risk of spinal ankyloses. High disease activity has previously been linked to accelerated radiographic spinal progression in patients with early axSpA,3 but more information is needed.  Work presented at the 2025 annual ...

A systematic review aimed to assess the specific needs for adolescents and young adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Data from 1,913 patients aged range 11–30 years found that the three most common general needs were around daily activities and involvement in treatment decisions – each cited by 66% - and social life, including family and sexual considerations, which affected 55%. Other key needs in increasing order of importance were mobility, future, education, disease management, and treatment. Of the studies that focused on mental health, the need for independence, emotional ...

At the 2025 congress of EULAR – The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology – two abstracts were presented that showcase how patient organisations can help to support with education for people with an RMD.    The first looked at the idea of ‘introduction maps’. To do this, patient experts and healthcare professionals working with ReumaNet in Belgium researched the information needs of new RMD patients. The results suggested a need for high-quality information with one distribution ...

New studies shared at the 2025 annual EULAR congress in Barcelona reinforce that position, highlighting the benefits that nurse-led care can bring for both patients and healthcare systems.   Nurse-led care and self-monitoring can both support treat-to-target (T2T) approaches.2,3 Combining self-monitoring with nurse support during the initiation of urate-lowering therapy in people with gout could help reduce physician visits and costs while maintaining or improving quality of care. Work shared by Jeffrey van der Ven looked at estimating the cost-effectiveness ...

Recommendations stress that communication impacts treatment outcomes and shared decision-making between patients and physicians. Health literacy is an important aspect in this regard, and a person’s understanding of their condition can impact how they are able to use health information.2 There is growing evidence to suggest that internet-based information is an important tool for improving communication with healthcare professionals – and for many patients it plays a central role in their experience.3  New work presented at the 2025 annual EULAR ...

High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is the standard to diagnose and assess progression in interstitial lung disease (ILD), a key feature in systemic sclerosis (SSc). But AI-assisted interpretation has the potential to improve the quantification and characterisation of SSc-ILD, making it a powerful tool for monitoring. Francesca Motta offered new data from an observational study pitting AI-assisted analysis against two radiologists with expertise in thoracic imaging. Results showed that the AI outperformed visual scoring in assessing the progression of fibrosis in patients with SSc-ILD, and showed more significant correlation with values from pulmonary ...

To address this, a French multi-centre prospective pregnancy observational cohort was set up, to analyse disease activity, treatment, pregnancy outcomes, delivery, and neonatal health. The work – presented at the 2025 annual congress of EULAR – showcased findings from 97 women with an autoinflammatory disease. The most common diagnoses were FMF (81%), followed by undifferentiated systemic autoinflammatory diseases (USAID), tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS), cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS), Still's disease, recurrent pericarditis, mevalonate kinase deficiency, A20 haploinsufficiency, and other ...

Several sessions at the 2025 annual congress of EULAR, which took place in Barcelona, focused on the value of physical activity for people with a variety of RMD – as well as the potential barriers to implementing these programs in the real world.   Previous trials have demonstrated that long-standing, personalised supervised exercise therapy is more effective than usual care after 1 year in people with severe functional limitations due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).3,4 David Ueckert and colleagues set out to evaluate ...

New work presented at the 2025 congress of EULAR – The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology – in Barcelona described RMD health-related indicators from all EULAR member countries, collected as part of the RheumaFacts project – a study identifying potential inequities between countries.  Data were collected on a diverse range of topics, including access to reimbursed physiotherapy and psychological care, the possibility for patients to self-refer to rheumatologists in the public sector, the number of rheumatology departments and rheumatologists, and treatment availability. So far, 31 countries have submitted data.   The ...

Marcela Maus, MD, PhD, director of the Cellular Immunotherapy Program and the Paula J. O'Keeffe Endowed Chair of the Mass General Cancer Center, is senior author and Stefanie Bailey, PhD, Hana Takei, and Giulia Escobar, PhD of the Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research at Massachusetts General Hospital are co-lead authors of a paper published in Science Translational Medicine, “IFN-g-resistant CD28 CAR-T cells demonstrate increased survival, efficacy, and durability in multiple murine ...

Immediate-early genes (IEGs), including c-Fos, are integral to the brain's response to stimuli. Initially identified as a proto-oncogene, c-Fos is essential for neural activity, synaptic plasticity, and stress responses. While its transient expression supports memory formation in healthy brains, chronic overexpression in AD exacerbates neurotoxicity and cognitive decline. This review synthesizes findings from postmortem studies, animal models, and cell cultures to elucidate the dual roles of c-Fos and its mechanisms in AD pathogenesis. Expression of c-Fos in Brain Regions and Cell Types c-Fos is expressed in specific brain regions such as the hippocampus, amygdala, and cortex, ...