Scientists at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology and VIVES University College have developed a new method to genetically improve poplar trees without introducing foreign DNA into its genome. This advancement could pave the way for faster and more widely accepted use of gene-edited trees in forestry and the bio-based economy. The work appeared in New Phytologist.   Gene editing without the baggage  Gene editing tools like CRISPR are revolutionizing plant science by allowing precise and targeted improvements ...

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, USA, 22 April 2025 – In a groundbreaking research study, University of Michigan researchers have discovered that a single dose of a psychedelic compound can enhance cognitive flexibility—the brain's ability to adapt to changing circumstances—for weeks after administration, potentially revolutionizing treatments for depression, PTSD, and neurodegenerative diseases. The study, published today in the journal Psychedelics, demonstrates that mice treated with a single dose of 25CN-NBOH, a selective serotonin 2A receptor agonist, showed markedly ...

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey, USA, 22 April 2025 – In a comprehensive Genomic Press peer-reviewed research article, researchers have revealed compelling evidence that biological sex significantly influences substance use patterns among individuals with panic disorder, with implications for both clinical assessment and treatment strategies. The noteworthy study, published today in the journal Genomic Psychiatry, examined associations between panic disorder and both alcohol and tobacco use disorders in a demographically diverse sample of nearly 11,000 individuals. The research team, led by Dr.  Michele Pato from Rutgers University, ...

NANTES, France, 22 April 2025 – In a wide-ranging Genomic Press Interview, Dr. Jeremie Poschmann of INSERM and Université de Nantes shares the story behind his bold, data-centric approach to immunology and translational science. The conversation, published in Genomic Psychiatry as part of the Innovators & Ideas series, explores how Dr. Poschmann’s unconventional path—from nurse to systems biologist—has uniquely shaped his research into the circulating immune system. His lab focuses on the molecular analysis of blood-derived immune cells using multi-omics tools, ...

NEW YORK, New York, USA, 22 April 2025 – A powerful editorial published today in Brain Medicine raises alarm about a previously overlooked threat to brain development and public health: the disruption of sterol biosynthesis by common prescription medications. The editorial, authored by Brain Medicine Editor-in-Chief Julio Licinio, responds to a recent article by Korade and Mirnics (https://doi.org/10.61373/bm025p.0011) that identified over 30 FDA-approved drugs—including widely prescribed psychiatric medications such as aripiprazole, trazodone, haloperidol, and cariprazine—that inhibit DHCR7, a critical enzyme in cholesterol ...

PCR genetic analysis has been in the spotlight since COVID-19, but light is now further facilitating PCR-free methods. Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have developed a light-induced DNA detection technique, using heterogeneous probe particles, that enables ultra-sensitive and ultra-fast genetic analysis without the need for PCR amplification. This advancement is lighting the way for faster, more affordable, and precise genetic analysis across medicine, environmental science, and portable ...

A new study from Aalborg University in Denmark reveals that European hares (Lepus europaeus) are not only surviving—but thriving—in urban environments. Using a combination of citizen science and thermal imaging technology, researchers have documented surprisingly high hare densities in two of Denmark’s largest cities, raising new questions about the role of cities in European wildlife conservation. “We were surprised to find such high numbers of hares right in the middle of the city. In several areas, the population density rivals or even exceeds that of the best rural habitats in Europe,” says senior ...

Findings From More Than 64,000 People, in 29 Countries, Show the Relationship Between Loneliness and Age Varies by Country. Adults in Denmark Report the Lowest Levels of Loneliness. Those in Greece and Cyprus Reported the Overall Highest Levels. Middle-aged Americans demonstrated some of the highest levels of loneliness in a new study assessing tens of thousands of 50-to-90-year-olds across 29 countries. The peer-reviewed research, published in Aging and Mental Health, shows loneliness generally increases ...

The Frontiers Planet Prize names 19 National Champions – scientists offering scalable solutions to help keep humanity safely within planetary boundaries.  Following an independent scientific assessment involving 100 experts, chaired by Professor Johan Rockström, the developer of the Planetary Boundaries framework, the prize ensures faster global scientific consensus around the innovative ideas with greatest potential to drive change.  The Frontiers Planet Prize has today announced 19 National Champions from science ...

April 21, 2025 MSU has a satellite uplink/LTN TV studio and Comrex line for radio interviews upon request. Contact: Bethany Mauger: 765-571-0623, maugerbe@msu.edu; Sydney Hawkins: 517-206-0547, sydneyh@msu.edu Images Should farm fields be used for crops or solar? MSU research suggests both Strategic use of solar arrays could provide financial boost, help farmers continue producing crops and even save water EAST LANSING, Mich. – As farmers debate whether fields should be used for agriculture or solar panels, new research from Michigan State University says the answer could be both.  Jake Stid, a graduate student in the College ...

Using pilocarpine eye drops following Kahook Dual Blade (KDB) goniotomy surgery may improve clinical outcomes for patients with glaucoma and reduce the need for future medications, according to new research published by faculty members and trainees in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “The KDB goniotomy is a minimally invasive glaucoma surgery that we do a lot here at the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center, and there was some variability in the post-operative eye drop regimen among different providers,” says Julia Xia, MD, a uveitis ...

Stanford Medicine researchers have developed a blood test capable of detecting cancers, the ways cancer resists treatments and tissue injury caused by non-cancerous conditions. The new test analyzes RNA molecules in the bloodstream. This type of RNA is called cell-free RNA because the tiny molecules no longer inhabit a cell. There are always fragments of both DNA and RNA floating in blood — byproducts of natural cell death from all types of tissues and organs throughout the body, including cancerous tumors. The researchers spent more than six years developing novel methods to target messenger RNA in blood and then used it to identify the presence of cancers at different stages, ...

Primary progressive aphasia is a neurological condition that causes a gradual decline in language abilities. There is no cure or medication that can reverse or stop the progression of PPA. The standard practice in the clinical setting is speech-language therapy to help people with PPA maintain their ability to communicate.  University of Arizona neuroscientists have come up with a new treatment approach for PPA that combines traditional speech therapy with noninvasive electrical stimulation of the brain. The technique – called transcranial direct current stimulation – uses a low electrical current applied through electrodes on the scalp.  A ...

By John Lovett University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — While biodegradable plastics currently account for a half percent of the hundreds of millions of tons of plastic produced annually, a growing demand for the alternative reflects consumer awareness and corporate response. Researchers from Brazil, Germany and the United States document a multi-faceted global snapshot of the environmental aspects and trends surrounding single-use plastics in a review article titled “Rethinking single-use plastics: Innovations, policies, consumer awareness and market ...

With the assumption that students are going to use artificial intelligence and large language models such as ChatGPT to do their homework, researchers in the Department of Aerospace Engineering in The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign set out to learn how well the free version of ChatGPT would compare with human students in a semester-long undergraduate control systems course. The results: On straightforward math homework, ChatGPT got an A, but with some quirky answers. However, on higher-level problems that require reasoning, it got a D. “We found ChatGPT technology can get ...

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 21 April 2025    Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, threads, and Linkedin         Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf ...

 Use of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic chemical found in what is known as  “magic mushrooms,” has increased significantly nationwide since 2019, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety. The study was published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The researchers found that psilocybin use increased across all age groups, with the largest rise in young adults and older adults. “We found that since 2019, the number ...

Just published is the third new study showing that TM is highly effective in reducing stress in a wide array of populations. This meta-analysis included 15 studies with over 1,200 participants from military and civilian backgrounds. Using rigorous meta-analytic methods, the study found a large effect size of 1.01 for TM compared to control groups. An effect size over 0.80 is considered a large effect that the person, their family, and their medical staff would likely notice and discuss. Effective across multiple ethnicities and trauma types TM was consistently effective for people ...

CHICAGO — Five scientists from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will be recognized with Scientific Achievement Awards and honors at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2025. These awards highlight significant achievements in translational research and oncology leadership from both early career and internationally renowned scientists and clinicians.   The honors include:  AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education & Training in Cancer Research: ...

Understanding the acceleration of human impacts on the environment is key to addressing the complex planetary and social challenges of the Anthropocene. But even as the inter-relatedness of environmental, political, and social processes becomes clearer, the conditions that produce sustainable outcomes remain little understood.  Now, a new study examines the acceleration of social-ecological changes in the first kingdom in Poland, the Piast dynasty, identifying the factors that contributed to its failure. Using new high-resolution ...

In the largest study of its kind, researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History have used data from a 120-year-old program managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to quantify the effects of introduced species. The researchers included more than 5 million measurements from individual trees across much of eastern North America and showed the rate at which introduced species are spreading has increased over the last two decades. Additionally, native tree diversity is on the decline in areas where exotic species originally introduced by humans have encroached. This ...

The Krebs cycle is a series of chemical reactions that occur in the cells of living beings. It can produce energy from the degradation of certain types of molecules (lipids, sugars, proteins). This energy is then used by the cell to produce the energy essential to cell function. These fine layers of ice form on dust grains in space, and are irradiated by ultraviolet radiation and cosmic rays. Organic molecules that play a role in the chemical processes behind the origins of life. At the Nice Institute of Chemistry (CNRS/Université Côte ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In 2024, more than 50 million people in the United States lived in counties with no air-quality monitoring, according to a new study from researchers in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development. Rural counties — especially counties in the Midwest and South — were less likely to have an air-quality monitoring site. Air quality measures are used to estimate people’s exposure to air pollution, which makes monitoring a critical public health tool, according to Nelson Roque, assistant professor of human development and family studies and ...

DDT residues persist in trout in some Canadian lakes 70 years after insecticide treatment, often at levels ten times that recommended as safe for the wildlife which consumes the fish     Article URL: https://plos.io/4lp9Fhx Article title: Legacy DDT and its metabolites in Brook Trout from lakes within forested watersheds treated with aerial applications of insecticides Author countries: Canada Funding: This research was supported by funding from the New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund (JK; F000-201; www.nbwtf.ca), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Capitalizing on the flexibility of tiny cells inside the body’s smallest blood vessels may be a powerful spinal cord repair strategy, new research suggests. In mouse experiments, scientists introduced a specific type of recombinant protein to the site of a spinal cord injury where these cells, called pericytes, had flooded the lesion zone. Once exposed to this protein, results showed, pericytes change shape and inhibit the production of some molecules while secreting others, creating “cellular bridges” that support regeneration of axons – the long, slender extensions of nerve cell bodies that transmit messages. Researchers ...