A new species of manzanita — a native California shrub famous for its twisted branches and wildfire resilience — has been discovered on the central coast, but its survival is already threatened by urban development that could destroy much of its fragile population. The discovery is detailed in a new study published in PhytoKeys, where researchers used genetic analysis to confirm the plant as a distinct species. Named Arctostaphylos nipumu to honor the Nipomo Mesa where it was discovered and its indigenous heritage, the species stands out for its shaggy gray bark — ...

New Curtin University research has revealed how massive ancient glaciers acted like giant bulldozers, reshaping Earth’s surface and paving the way for complex life to flourish. By chemically analysing crystals in ancient rocks, the researchers discovered that as glaciers carved through the landscape, they scraped deep into the Earth’s crust, releasing key minerals that altered ocean chemistry. This process had a profound impact on our planet’s composition, creating conditions that allowed ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — From integrated photonics to quantum information science, the ability to control light with electric fields — a phenomenon known as the electro-optic effect — supports vital applications such as light modulation and frequency transduction. These components rely on nonlinear optical materials, in which light waves can be manipulated by applying electric fields.  Conventional nonlinear optical materials such as lithium niobate have large electro-optic response but are ...

UdeM reproductive biologist Greg FitzHarris and his team show for the first time that sister cells can communicate with each other through a bridge that allows them to die in a coordinated way. Sister cells are a pair of cells that share the same mother cell. In a new study published in Developmental Cell, researchers led by Université de Montréal (UdeM) professor Greg FitzHarris show how the early mouse embryo gets rid of the defective or unneeded cells in pairs. “Such a mechanism could serve to ensure the elimination of cells with a ...

Identifying and delineating cell structures in microscopy images is crucial for understanding the complex processes of life. This task is called “segmentation” and it enables a range of applications, such as analysing the reaction of cells to drug treatments, or comparing cell structures in different genotypes. It was already possible to carry out automatic segmentation of those biological structures but the dedicated methods only worked in specific conditions and adapting them to new conditions was costly. An international ...

AURORA, Colo. (Feb. 25, 2025) – A new study, published today in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, tested whether a set of interventions to keep lungs expanded before, during, and after abdominal surgery could lower the risk of serious breathing problems in patients compared to the usual care at 17 academic hospitals in the U.S. The research has determined that these interventions for open abdominal surgery do not result in less severe breathing problems as compared to the usual care in those hospitals. Adult abdominal surgery patient enrollees were either given a lung expansion set of interventions or the typical care plan to follow at each hospital. ...

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2025 Media Contacts: Renee Tessman, rtessman@aan.com, (612) 928-6137 Natalie Conrad, nconrad@aan.com, (612) 928-6164 Microplastics in ocean linked to disabilities for coastal residents Mobility, self-care, independent living disability higher in areas with high microplastics MINNEAPOLIS – Tiny bits of plastic found in the ocean may be tied to a higher risk of disability for people who live in coastal areas with high levels, according to a preliminary study released today, ...

ROCKVILLE, MD – The 10 winners of the annual Undergraduate Poster Award Competition (UPAC) were recognized at the 69th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting Awards Ceremony on February 17, 2025. After two rounds of judging, judges from every career level selected these students for their outstanding presentations during the poster competition. Seventy-four students participated in the competition.  The 2025 UPAC winners are:  Adam Gatch, Clemson University, USA – “AΒ42 Accelerates Pathogenic Structural Transformation Within ...

How can the loss of species and habitats in agricultural landscapes be stopped? Up to now, measures have mostly been implemented by individual farms. In contrast, agri-environmental measures that are planned across farms at landscape level offer greater potential for creating suitable habitats for different species as a mosaic in the landscape. However, successful landscape level approaches also require cooperation between farms and other stakeholders from local governments, politics and nature conservation. Researchers at the University of Göttingen have therefore identified ...

LA JOLLA, CA—Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have found a potential new target for treating Parkinson's disease. Their new research reveals how a protein in brain cells may drive Parkinson's onset—and offers a possible explanation for why Parkinson's is much more common in men.  In recent years, LJI scientists have found increasing evidence that autoimmunity plays a role in the onset of Parkinson's disease. Their recent study in The Journal of Clinical Investigation shows that PINK1 appears to mark ...

WASHINGTON—The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) has published an expert consensus statement that provides interventional cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and heart teams with practical guidance for selecting patients and performing alternative access transaortic valve replacement (TAVR). TAVR has seen substantial growth over the past decade, becoming a standard of care for many patients with asymptomatic aortic stenosis. However, some patients face challenges due to inadequate femoral vascular access. The new guidelines address this gap by recommending alternative access ...

The efficient architecture of our joints, which allows our skeletons to be flexible and sturdy, originated among our most ancient jawed fish ancestors, according to a study published February 25th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Neelima Sharma of the University of Chicago and colleagues. Synovial joints are a key feature of most vertebrate skeletons, providing more mobility and stability compared to other joint types. A synovial joint allows bones or cartilage to slide past each other with the aid of a lubricated cavity between them. These joints are present in land vertebrates and bony fish, suggesting this feature had evolved in the common ancestors of these groups, but ...

A world of microbes resides within the gut of every human being. This vast microbial community, the microbiome, which includes bacteria and viruses, has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to actively contribute to both health and disease. Researchers have learned a good deal about the bacterial communities that live in the human gut. For instance, they have discovered that these bacteria extensively metabolize the food we eat, drive normal development of the immune system and, to our detriment, include some opportunistic microorganisms that can cause disease under certain conditions. On the other hand, the contributions of viruses in the gut microbiome ...

WHAT: Lowering the body temperature of preterm infants (born at 33 to 35 weeks of pregnancy) with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)—a type of brain damage caused by oxygen loss—offers no benefits over standard care, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Previous studies of near-term and term infants (born after 36 weeks) with HIE found that this cooling treatment, which lowers body temperature to about 92 degrees Fahrenheit, significantly reduced the risk of death or disability by age 18 months (corrected for prematurity). However, the current findings show ...

BATON ROUGE – When faced with multiple food options and ultimately choosing one, the factors of that decision-making process may be more physiological than previously assumed. A group of scientists led by Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s Dr. Christopher Morrison recently discovered that the hormone fibroblast growth factor 21, or FGF21, plays an influential role in brain reward mechanisms like those involved in dietary choices.   The discovery was announced in the research team’s recent paper titled “FGF21 ...

As electric vehicles (EVs) gain momentum in the fight against climate change, the conversation around public charging infrastructure is growing increasingly complex. Xinwu Qian , assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University, is spearheading research that reimagines how and where charging stations should be deployed — ensuring that alignment with people’s daily routine and activities, beyond mere accessibility, are at the forefront. “Charging an electric vehicle isn’t just about plugging it in and waiting — it takes 30 minutes to an hour even with the fastest charger ...

On Wednesday 26 February, a thermal imaging camera built by researchers at the University of Oxford’s Department of Physics will blast off to the Moon as part of NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission. This aims to map sources of water on the Moon to shed light on the lunar water cycle and to guide future robotic and human missions. Once in orbit, the spacecraft – weighing 200kg and about the size of a washing machine- will map the surface temperature and composition of the ...

CHICAGO—February 24, 2025—Beacon Technology Solutions (Beacon), with collaborators at Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech), has been awarded a grant to support a novel study on how Far-UVC technology can help mitigate the spread of infectious diseases in public spaces. The grant was awarded through the Illinois Innovation Vouchers (IIV) Program, which fosters research collaborations between small- and medium-sized enterprises and Illinois’ world-class universities. Beacon’s flagship product is a wall-mounted smart disinfection device that uses Far-UVC 222nm light, which has been shown to disinfect up to 99.99 percent ...

New technology developed by researchers at the University of Houston could revolutionize medical imaging and lead to faster, more precise and more cost-effective alternatives to traditional diagnostic methods. For years, doctors have relied on conventional 2D X-rays to diagnose common bone fractures, but small breaks or soft tissue damage like cancers often go undetected. More expensive and time-consuming MRI scans are not always suitable for these tasks in these detection or screening settings. Now, Mini Das, Moores professor at UH’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Cullen College ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — International process systems and operation experts have launched high-tech startup Crystallization Systems Technology Inc. (CrySyst) to streamline processes used by companies in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries. CrySyst’s quality-by-control (QbC) framework addresses crystallization monitoring, modeling and control. The framework is based on research published in the April 15, 2020, and Oct. 5, 2021, issues of the journal Crystal Growth & Design and the Sept. 22, 2022, issue of the journal Industrial & Engineering ...

Discarded food scraps, stray branches, seashells and many other natural materials are key ingredients in a new system that can pull drinkable water out of thin air developed by researchers from The University of Texas at Austin. This new “molecularly functionalized biomass hydrogels” system can convert a wide range of natural products into sorbents, materials that absorb liquids. By combining these sorbents with mild heat, the researchers can harvest gallons of drinkable water out of the atmosphere, even in dry conditions. “With ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Researchers have developed a battery that can convert nuclear energy into electricity via light emission, a new study suggests.  Nuclear power plants, which generate about 20% of all electricity produced in the United States, produce almost no greenhouse gas emissions. However, these systems do create radioactive waste, which can be dangerous to human health and the environment. Safely disposing of this waste can be challenging.  Using a combination of scintillator crystals, high-density materials that emit light when they absorb radiation, and solar cells, the team, led by researchers from The Ohio State University,  demonstrated that ambient ...

A novel tool for rapidly identifying the genetic “fingerprints” of cancer cells may enable future surgeons to more accurately remove brain tumors while a patient is in the operating room, new research reveals. Many cancer types can be identified by certain mutations, changes in the instructions encoded in the DNA of the abnormal cells. Led by a research team from NYU Langone Health, the new study describes the development of Ultra-Rapid droplet digital PCR, or UR-ddPCR, which the team found can measure the level of tumor cells in a tissue sample ...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2025 – Keeping work surfaces clean during meat processing is a challenge. Bacteria from meat can attach, grow, and build up to create a biofilm that is difficult to remove, even on stainless steel surfaces used in industrial facilities. It can also aggregate, clumping together into an invisible mass that is stronger than individual cells, making it harder to kill using food-grade antibacterial surface cleaners. In a paper published this week in Journal of Laser Applications, from AIP Publishing and the Laser Institute of America, researchers from the Hopkirk Research Institute, New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre, ...

About The Study: The findings of this study indicate that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a modest reduction in the risk of obesity-related cancers, independent of adiposity measures. Further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms by which the Mediterranean diet may contribute to cancer prevention. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Inmaculada Aguilera-Buenosvinos, PhD, email iaguilerabuenosvinos@gmail.com. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.61031) Editor’s Note: Please see the ...