Babies as young as eight months old can adapt their learning style to changing situations, according to research by Francesco Poli of the Donders Institute at Radboud University. This is the first time that babies have been shown to learn in such a flexible way. “The conventional wisdom is that eight-month-old babies passively absorb knowledge,” says neuroscientist Francesco Poli. New research now shows that this is not the case. 'We see that babies are able to adapt their learning strategies to their environment from a very young age. Monster here, monster there Poli investigated this by showing babies a screen displaying a colourful ...

An almost universal phenomenon in humans is the use of child-directed speech, where caregivers communicate with children often involving a particular speech style also termed “baby-talk”. Numerous studies have linked the amount of child-directed speech children hear to better learning outcomes (e.g. vocabulary size or literacy skills). This practice seems to facilitate the acquisition of language. But how did this trait evolve? To explore this, researchers from the University of Zurich (UZH) and the University of Neuchâtel (UNINE), members of the NCCR Evolving Language, and colleagues from universities in France, Germany ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — New findings by a team of molecular biologists at Brown University on the critical role of a protein called AIMP3 in heart function could inform new treatments for heart disease. In a study published in Nature Cardiovascular Research, the researchers showed that removing AIMP3 from heart cells in mice led to severe heart problems, including inflammation, scarring and fatal heart failure. “AIMP3 is a protein that had never been studied in the heart and was of unclear function,” said study author Federica Accornero, an associate professor of biochemistry at Brown who ...

University of Mississippi researchers have linked exposure to high levels of black carbon in the air to an increase in respiratory-related hospital admissions in Mississippi’s capital city, according to a study published in Environmental Pollution.   Courtney Roper, assistant professor of environmental toxicology, found in a 2023 study that Jackson’s air contains the state’s highest concentration of black carbon, commonly referred to as soot. In a new study published this summer, her team found that this pollutant may be contributing to a rise in hospital visits for respiratory issues among older adults.  “We can see that ...

It can be found inside gas giants such as Jupiter and is briefly created during meteorite impacts or in laser fusion experiments: warm dense matter. This exotic state of matter combines features of solid, liquid and gaseous phases. Until now, simulating warm dense matter accurately has been considered a major challenge. An international team led by researchers from the Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) in Germany and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has succeeded in describing this state of matter much more accurately than before using a new computational method. The approach ...

About The Article: This Viewpoint discusses how physicians should counsel patients on vaccine safety in the wake of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ decision to remove COVID-19 vaccinations as a recommended vaccine for children and pregnant women.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Amos Grünebaum, MD, email agrunebaum@northwell.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2025.11328) Editor’s ...

Landmark study uncovers role of tumour microenvironment in nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression which supports personalised treatment Molecular profiling of over 1,000 nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients’ tumours reveals distinct differences in tumour microenvironment of locoregionally advanced NPC, supporting the use of personalised treatment Current treatment does not account for these biological differences, resulting in suboptimal outcomes The study is the result of a 7-year-effort by the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), and validates ongoing clinical trials aimed at improving standards of ...

Developing technology that allows quantum information to be both stable and accessible is a critical challenge in the development of useful quantum computers that operate at scale. Research published today in the prestigious journal Nature provides a pathway for scaling the number of quantum transistors (known as qubits) on a chip from current numbers under 100 to the millions needed to make quantum computation a practical reality. The result is enabled by new cryogenic control electronics, that operate at close to absolute zero, developed at The University of Sydney. Lead researcher Professor David Reilly ...

Scientists at Nagoya University in Japan studied what happens when macrophages—a type of immune cell—encounter dying cancer cells in tumors and discovered a mechanism that accelerates tumor growth. When cancer cells begin to die within tumors, they expose signals on their surface that indicate they are dying. Macrophages then detect these signals and engage in phagocytosis, where they eat dying cancer cells. Using fruit flies as a model organism, the scientists found this triggers production of proteins called cytokines, which activate growth ...

Every decision begins invisibly. Long before someone acts, the brain is already hard at work gathering evidence, weighing options, and gradually committing to a choice. But even when faced with the same evidence, people can arrive at different outcomes, especially when the decision is difficult. Two different drivers in rush hour traffic, for example, see the same congested road, yet one might speed up to merge while another cautiously brakes. How the brain, made up of billions of specialized cells, makes ...

New research has underlined the surprising extent to which pervasive surveillance of people and their habits is powered by computer vision research – and shone a spotlight on how vulnerable individuals and communities are at risk. Analyses of over 40,000 documents, computer vision (CV) papers and downstream patents spanning four decades has shown a five-fold increase in the number of computer vision papers linked to downstream surveillance patents. The work also highlights the rise of obfuscating language that is used to normalise and even hide the existence of surveillance.  The research, ...

EMBARGOED UNTIL JUNE 25TH 16:00 UK TIME New Global Index Aims to Help People and Nature Thrive Together Researchers at Oxford University join the United Nations Development Programme to propose an optimistic, practical approach to inspire stronger action on nature. Oxford, 25 June 2025 — As the world faces an escalating planetary crisis, a new paper published today in Nature offers something we don’t often hear - hope. Rather than focussing on what we’re doing wrong, the paper proposes a bold new way forward; a global framework that measures how well people and nature are thriving together. The ...

About The Study: In this study, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication remained associated with reduced risks of several serious real-world outcomes (self-harm, unintentional injury, traffic crashes, and crime). However, the magnitude of these associations appears to have decreased alongside rising prescription rates over time. Thus, it is important to regularly evaluate medication use in different patient populations.  Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Zheng Chang, PhD, (zheng.chang@ki.se) ...

In a first-of-its-kind study, Stanford researchers have measured how the abundance of ocean life has changed over the past half-billion years of Earth’s history.  Overall, the total mass of marine organisms has generally increased over the past 500 million years, the study showed, albeit with setbacks after major extinction events. The findings align with evidence for a similar rise in marine biodiversity – the total variety of organisms – over the past half-eon from studies dating as far back as the 19th century, suggesting an evolutionary connection between biomass and biodiversity. ...

About The Study: In this case-control study of vaccine effectiveness, 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines were estimated to provide additional effectiveness against medically attended COVID-19, with the highest and most sustained estimates against critical illness. These results highlight the importance of receiving recommended COVID-19 vaccination for adults 18 years or older.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Ruth Link-Gelles, PhD, MPH, email hzt7@cdc.gov. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link ...

LOS ANGELES — Yuman Fong, M.D., chair of the Department of Surgery at City of Hope®, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States with its National Medical Center named a Top 5 “Best Hospital” in the nation for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report, this month delivered the Lister Legacy Lecture at the triennial conference of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. This presentation honors the long-term impact of Baron Joseph Lister, M.D., who brought antiseptic ...

Chemists from The University of Manchester and The Australian National University (ANU) have engineered a new type of molecule that can store information at temperatures as cold as the dark side of the moon at night, with major implications for the future of data storage technologies.   The findings, published in Nature, could pave the way for next-generation hardware about the size of a postage stamp that can store 100 times more digital data than current technologies.  “The ...

A new multi-state study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) VISION Network – including Regenstrief Institute – has provided the most comprehensive assessment to date of the effectiveness of 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines among adults in the U.S. during the XBB and JN.1 Omicron subvariant waves. Data suggest that receiving updated COVID-19 vaccines remains crucial, especially for older adults and those at increased risk for severe outcomes, and underscores the additional protection provided ...

Key Points: Infectious disease (ID) physicians are among the lowest paid of all medical specialties, leading to declining interest among medical students and a national shortage. To address this, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced a new add-on code increasing payments by ~20%  in 2025, the first specialty-specific workforce incentive in the Medicare fee schedule. This new analysis offers three recommendations for CMS to guide implementation and evaluation of this new payment model. Boston, MA – A new analysis ...

The discovery of an unknown organelle inside our cells could open the door to new treatments for devastating inherited diseases.  The organelle, a type of specialized structure, has been dubbed a “hemifusome” by its discoverers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. This little organelle has a big job helping our cells sort, recycle and discard important cargo within themselves, the scientists say. The new discovery could help scientists better ...

A study published today in Geophysical Research Letters reveals that glaciers in western Canada, the United States, and Switzerland lost around 12 percent of their ice between 2001 and 2024. A 2021 study in Nature showed that glacial melt doubled between 2010 and 2019 compared with the first decade of the twenty-first century. This new paper builds on that research, says lead author Brian Menounos, and shows that in the years since, glacial melt continued at an alarming pace. “Over the last four years, glaciers lost twice as much ice compared to the previous decade,” ...

PITTSBURGH, June 25, 2025 – Clinicians who work with elite college athletes and military cadets should be aware of the association between higher body mass index (BMI) and worse concussion recovery, suggests new University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine research published today in Sports Medicine. The study found that athletes and cadets with a BMI equal to or above 30 had increased inflammatory biomarkers, more severe concussion symptoms and worse cognition following a concussion than those with lower BMI. These findings support previous research indicating that obesity correlates with increased ...

Lugano, Switzerland, 25 June 2025 – The ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress 2025 will take place between 2-5 July in Barcelona, bringing together leading experts to present new data, share insights, and discuss recent development in the understanding and treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies. The Congress will cover a broad spectrum of topics – from molecular prevention and precision therapy to patient-centred approaches and quality of life. Congress sessions will be held onsite and will ...

The Drug Target Discovery Institute of Korea University Successfully Held Opening Symposium Signed MOU with the University of Michigan to Enhance Global Cooperation   The Drug Target Discovery Institute (Director Kim Dong-Hoon) of Korea University recently held its successful opening symposium.   This symposium held lectures of leading global scholars in the fields of metabolic disease treatment research, and drug target discovery and development. Professor Randy J. Seeley of the University of Michigan, Professor Hiroaki Suga of the University of Tokyo, and Professor Kim Sung-Hoon of Yonsei University, ...

Astronomers from The University of New Mexico, along with U.S. and international researchers, have confirmed the existence of a new giant exoplanet, made possible through a collaboration with citizen sciences around the world. The discovery is detailed in a new paper published in The Astronomical Journal, with Postdoctoral Fellow Zahra Essack, Ph.D. as lead author, and Assistant Professor Diana Dragomir as co-author. The planet, TOI-4465 b, is a gas giant located approximately 400 light-years from Earth. It was first spotted by NASA’s ...