Soybean oil, the most widely consumed cooking oil in the United States and a staple of processed foods, contributes to obesity, at least in mice, through a mechanism scientists are now beginning to understand. In an experiment conducted at UC Riverside, most mice on a high-fat diet rich in soybean oil gained significant weight. However, a group of genetically engineered mice did not. These mice produced a slightly different form of a liver protein that influences hundreds of genes linked to fat metabolism. This protein also appears to change how the body processes linoleic acid, a major component of soybean oil. “This may be the first step toward understanding ...

The famous statues of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) were carved by numerous independent groups, according to a study published November 26, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Carl Philipp Lipo of Binghamton University, New York and colleagues. The island of Rapa Nui is famous for preserving hundreds of stone statues (moai) carved by Polynesian communities starting in the 13th century. Archaeological evidence consistently suggests that Rapa Nui society was not politically unified, consisting instead of small and independent family groups. ...

Captive male Asian elephants can live together peacefully and with little stress, if introduced slowly and carefully, per Laos case study of 8 unrelated males Article URL: https://plos.io/4oYWIwt Article title: Socializing a group of male Asian elephants in a semi-captive facility in Lao PDR Author countries: Thailand, Lao P.D.R., U.S. Funding: This research was supported by graduated school Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Grant number;2562), Chiang Mai University, Thailand. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, ...

The Galapagos and other oceanic islands and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) may be "critical" refuges for sharks in the Tropical Eastern Pacific, as predatory fish appear depleted in more coastal MPAs through fishing pressure Article URL: https://plos.io/3JOKoiY Article title: Relative abundance and diversity of sharks and predatory fishes across Marine Protected Areas of the Tropical Eastern Pacific Author countries: Ecuador, Colombia, U.S. Funding: We are grateful to the funding provided: To ...

Nature is brimming with colour in almost every season. While the majority of colours are matte, some are shiny. Evolutionary biologist Casper van der Kooi wondered why shiny colours are so rare. He researched how bees perceive glossy colours by using artificial flowers. The experiment showed that shiny objects can be easily seen from afar, but are more difficult to discern up close. ‘It’s a visual trade-off.’ Biologists do not merely admire the colours in nature, they also develop theories to explain them. Most colours, such as the feathers of a great tit, the petals of a daisy, or the skin of a frog, are matte. These colours look the same from every ...

Climate-vulnerable districts of India face significantly higher risks of adverse health outcomes, including 25% higher rates of underweight children, per large scale analysis highlighting the threat of climate change in undermining gains in Sustainable Development Goals Article URL: https://plos.io/3LCFo1n Article title: Health SDGs are at risk from climate change: Evidence from India Author countries: India Funding: This paper was written with support from the Wellcome Trust, UK [226740/Z/22/Z], for a research grant. PD is the principal investigator, WJ the co-principal investigator, while GS, MC and G are research staff on the study team. The authors are ...

A spatial analysis of crime in Chicago suggests that certain environmental and socioeconomic factors, such as building density, are linked with crime rates, but these relationships differ between neighborhoods. The study also reveals discrepancies between media coverage and actual crime patterns, with coverage disproportionately concentrated in certain areas. Yuxuan Cai of the University of Chicago, U.S., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on November 26, 2025. Numerous ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Providing year-round access to RSV immunization would minimize the risk of large seasonal outbreaks across the nation, including in both urban and rural areas. That’s according to a new study, published in Science Advances, which examined differences in viral spread in areas with different population density. The study showed that in urban areas, higher rates of interpersonal contact led to a higher proportion of hospitalizations in infants under age 1 and a more prolonged, lower-intensity RSV outbreak. Rural areas, on the other hand, saw shorter, spikier outbreaks. The ...

Located in the middle of the South Pacific, thousands of miles from the nearest continent, Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth. To visit it and marvel at the quarries where its iconic moai statues were created is a luxury few get to experience – until now. You can now explore Rano Raraku, one of the major quarries on Easter Island, from the comfort of your home. A research team including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York has created the first-ever high-resolution 3D model of the quarry, providing people ...

Researchers at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, led by Professor Kyu-Jin Cho—Director of the Human-Centered Soft Robotics Research Center and a founding member of the SNU Robotics Institute (SNU RI)—have applied the principle of interlacing to an origami-inspired structure and developed a “Foldable-and-Rollable corruGated Structure (FoRoGated-Structure)” that can be smoothly folded and rolled up for compact storage while maintaining very high strength when deployed. The study ...

Nerve damage is one of the most common and burdensome complications of diabetes. Millions of patients worldwide suffer from pain, numbness, and restricted movement, largely because damaged nerve fibres do not regenerate sufficiently. The reasons for this are unclear. A research team led by Professor Dr Dietmar Fischer, Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Cologne’s Faculty of Medicine, and Director of the Center for Pharmacology at University Hospital Cologne, has now identified a central mechanism that explains limited regeneration ...

What if a robot could show us how the brain keeps us balanced? UBC scientists built one – and their discovery could help shape new ways to reduce fall risk for millions of people. A towering ‘body-swap’ robot built by University of British Columbia researchers is giving scientists an unprecedented look at how the brain keeps us standing—a skill we barely notice until affected by age or disease. Their findings, published today in Science Robotics with collaborators at Erasmus Medical Clinic, reveal that to stay balanced, the brain treats delays in sensory feedback almost the same way it handles changes in body mechanics. ...

Puerto Ayora, Galapagos | 26 November, 2025 – One of the most comprehensive surveys to date of shark and other large predator fish in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) ocean finds that  remote Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)—including the Galapagos, Malpelo, Clipperton, and Revillagigedo islands—support some of the largest numbers of sharks reported globally, including the critically endangered scalloped hammerhead, while coastal MPAs are showing signs of severe depletion.  “The oceanic islands of the Eastern Tropical ...

A new study of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with seven common cancers reveals that nearly one in ten patients diagnosed with non-metastatic disease later develop metastatic recurrence — a condition associated with significantly worse survival outcomes. Metastasis is when cancer cells spread from the initial or primary site to other parts of the body. It comes with significantly worse survival outcomes. UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center scientists led the research. The findings highlight the urgent need to identify and address survivorship needs for young cancer survivors. “As treatments improve survival, young patients with cancer face unique challenges,” ...

Tampa, FL, USA, November 26, 2025: The Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition of leading human and animal virologists in more than 40 countries dedicated to advancing pandemic preparedness through research, education and training, and global health solutions, today issued a statement on the newly confirmed outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in southern Ethiopia. This represents the country’s first documented outbreak of Marburg virus and raises urgent public health, research, and surveillance imperatives. According to the World Health Organization ...

“Exploitative” online money gaming in India is harming people’s financial and mental health and causing deep social problems, a new study shows. The analysis says new legislation which bans these games is constitutionally defensible and justified. It highlights how the business models of companies running the games are designed to exploit users through aggressive promotional spending and addictive design features. The study alleges some companies are spending up to 70 per cent of revenue on promotional activities designed to create addicted users who will subsequently lose far more than they receive ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — For some patients with the most common type of lung cancer, known as lung adenocarcinoma, there's new hope. In a new study published in Cell Reports, Mayo Clinic researchers have found several previously unknown genetic and cellular processes that occur in lung adenocarcinoma tumors that respond well to immunotherapy. A recently approved group of drugs — immune checkpoint inhibitors — can boost the body's ability to eliminate a tumor and even keep the cancer from coming back. However, while the medications work well for some people, the drugs aren't ...

In a study of fossils, a research team led by an evolutionary biologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine suggests that a group of giant reptiles alive up to 220 million years ago may have acquired the ability to fly when the animal first appeared, in contrast to prehistoric ancestors of modern birds that developed flight more gradually and with a bigger brain. A report on the study, which used advanced imaging tools to study the brain cavities of pterosaur fossils, and was funded in part by the National Science Foundation, was published Nov. 26 in Current Biology. The findings add to ...

The world’s farms could become one of the most powerful tools in the fight against climate change according to a new international study led by QUT. Published in Plant Physiology, the paper lays out a framework to assess how plant agriculture and synthetic biology innovations can help mitigate climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions and increasing carbon storage. Lead author Professor Claudia Vickers, from the QUT School of Biology and Environmental Science, Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, QUT Centre for Environment and Society, and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, ...

With the help of newly identified bones, an enigmatic 3.4-million-year-old hominin foot found in 2009, is assigned to a species different from that of the famous fossil Lucy providing further proof that two ancient species of hominins co-existed at the same time and in the same region. In 2009, scientists led by Arizona State University paleoanthropologist Yohannes Haile-Selassie, found eight bones from the foot of an ancient human ancestor within layers of 3.4-million-year-old sediments in the Afar Rift in Ethiopia. The fossil, called the Burtele Nature Foot, ...

About The Study: Evidence is insufficient for the use of cannabis or cannabinoids for most medical indications. Clear guidance from clinicians is essential to support safe, evidence-based decision-making. Clinicians should weigh benefits against risks when engaging patients in informed discussions about cannabis or cannabinoid use. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Kevin P. Hill, MD, MHS, email khill1@bidmc.harvard.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2025.19433) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other ...

PRINCETON, NJ — Artificial intelligence may write award-winning essays and diagnose disease with remarkable accuracy, but biological brains still hold the upper hand in at least one crucial domain: flexibility. Humans, for example, can quickly adapt to new information and unfamiliar challenges with relative ease — learning new computer software, following a recipe, or picking up a new game — while AI systems struggle to learn ‘on the fly’. In a new study, Princeton neuroscientists uncover one reason for the brain’s advantage over AI: it reuses the same cognitive “blocks” across many ...

Protein kinases are the molecular switches of the cell. They control growth, division, communication, and survival by attaching phosphate groups to other proteins. When these switches are stuck in the “on” position, they can drive cancer and other diseases. Not surprisingly, kinases have become one of the most important drug target families in modern medicine: today, more than 80 kinase inhibitors are FDA-approved, and nearly twice as many are in clinical development. These drugs were designed to block enzymatic activity. But a new study led by CeMM, the Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Vienna), the AITHYRA ...

In spaces smaller than a wavelength of light, electric currents jump from point to point and magnetic fields corkscrew through atomic lattices in ways that defy intuition. Scientists have only ever dreamed of observing these marvels directly. Now Princeton researchers have developed a diamond-based quantum sensor that reveals rich new information about magnetic phenomena at this minute scale. The technique uncovers fluctuations that are beyond the reach of existing instruments and provides key insight into materials such as graphene and superconductors. Superconductors have enabled today’s most advanced medical imaging tools and form the basis of hoped-for technologies like lossless ...

About The Study: The findings from this cohort study highlight the overall burden of metastatic disease in adolescents and young adults, expanding the knowledge of metastatic recurrences that help improve care for adolescent and young adult survivors throughout the cancer survivorship spectrum.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Ann Brunson, MS, email ambrunson@health.ucdavis.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2025.4971) Editor’s ...