Children born to mothers who are very obese with a BMI of 35 or higher are at heightened risk of being admitted to hospital for an infection, finds a long term study published in the open access journal BMJ Medicine. The findings highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight before and after the pregnancy, say the researchers. On current trends, the global prevalence of maternal obesity is projected to reach nearly 1 in 4 (23%) by 2030, point out the researchers. This is of particular concern, given that obesity is characterised by a state of chronic inflammation, which increases the risk of a disordered immune ...

A group of astronomers from across the globe, including a team from the University of Washington and led by Queen’s University Belfast, have revealed new research showing that millions of new solar system objects will be detected by a brand-new facility, which is expected to come online later this year.   The NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory is set to revolutionize our knowledge of the solar system’s “small bodies” — asteroids, comets and other minor planets.  The Rubin Observatory, ...

A new study from Pitt researchers challenges a decades-old assumption in neuroscience by showing that the brain uses distinct transmission sites — not a shared site — to achieve different types of plasticity. The findings, published in Science Advances, offer a deeper understanding of how the brain balances stability with flexibility, a process essential for learning, memory and mental health. Neurons communicate through a process called synaptic transmission, where one neuron releases chemical messengers called neurotransmitters ...

The Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering the nation’s most promising innovators, and Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), a global semiconductor leader, have announced a new partnership to drive the next generation of scientific leadership in analog, digital, and software technology solutions. Through the Hertz Fellowship – the nation’s most prestigious doctoral fellowship – and its influential network of 1,300 Hertz Fellows, the Hertz Foundation has been at the forefront of advancing science and technology for more than 60 years. Hertz Fellows are responsible for some of the most significant progress of the past century, from the recent launch of the ...

Despite growing concerns about data privacy, new research from the University of South Australia shows that most people are happy to hand over their health information if it could help improve their care.   In a new global study, UniSA researchers found that 94% of people who use wearable activity trackers – such as Fitbits, Garmins, as well as Samsung or Apple Watches – are open to sharing data with their healthcare providers.   Of these respondents, 47% of people had already discussed their data with their healthcare provider, ...

OXFORD, Miss. – Many Americans rely on their Apple Watches or similar devices each day to count their steps, track workouts, and measure how many calories they burn. But are those wearable devices accurate? University of Mississippi professor Minsoo Kang and doctoral student Ju-Pil Choe are working to answer that question. Kang, a professor of sport analytics, and Choe reviewed 56 studies that compared the Apple Watch to trusted reference tools in measuring energy burned, heart rate and step counts. Data ...

Dr. Nikolaos Koundouros, a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been awarded a 2025 Tri-Institutional Breakout Award for Junior Investigators. Weill Cornell Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and The Rockefeller University present the awards to up to six exceptional investigators each year—at least one from each institution—who are recognized for their notable research achievements, impactful findings and high potential for success as independent investigators. ...

A large international study has found that two different approaches to managing blood pressure in older adults undergoing non-cardiac surgery, one avoiding low blood pressure (hypotension) and the other high blood pressure (hypertension), lead to similar outcomes in terms of in-hospital delirium and cognitive changes one year after surgery. The findings were published on June 3 in Annals of Internal Medicine. The randomized controlled trial, a substudy of the POISE-3 trial, included 2,603 patients across 54 centres in 19 countries undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Participants were 70 years old on ...

Caring for a cat with chronic health conditions can be challenging for all involved, from the process of getting to a veterinary clinic to the stress of being in a strange environment with new smells and animals. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, worked with pet owners across the United States and Canada to determine whether video telehealth visits could help improve care and the home environment for cats with feline degenerative joint disease, commonly referred to as feline arthritis. The findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science, show that video calls where pet owners can ask questions and get non-medical ...

Using a newly devised, three-dimensional model to study the regeneration of nerve tissue in the nose, researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) and colleagues have discovered that one type of stem cell thought to be dormant may play a more significant role in preserving the sense of smell than originally believed. Unlike cells in the central nervous system, sensory neurons in the nasal cavity have a remarkable ability to regenerate throughout life despite near constant exposure to the outside ...

A new paper published in Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology examines alcohol consumption in avian species.  In “The proof is in the plumage: a method for detecting dietary ethanol exposure in birds by testing for ethyl glucuronide in feathers,” authors Cynthia Y. Wang-Claypool, Ammon Corl, Joseph Jones, Jimmy A. McGuire, Rauri C.K. Bowie and Robert Dudley investigated whether birds that eat sugar-rich foods—like fruit and nectar—might regularly consume alcohol produced by natural fermentation. ...

Decarbonizing Australia’s economy and protecting the country’s most critical natural resources are both possible but will require significant collaboration between energy developers, state and local governments, landowners, and interest groups, according to new research led by Princeton and The University of Queensland. The research, published May 29 in Nature Sustainability, demonstrates that Australia can fully decarbonize its domestic and energy export economies by 2060 while avoiding harm to important areas for biodiversity outcomes, safeguarding agricultural activities, and respecting Indigenous land rights. “The amount ...

A study conducted by researchers at the Center for Cell-Based Therapy (CTC) highlights key proteins and signaling pathways involved in the efficacy of immunotherapy based on CAR-T cells (lymphocytes modified in the laboratory to fight cancer). The CTC is a Research, Innovation, and Dissemination Center (RIDC) funded by FAPESP and based at the Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP) in Brazil. The research, published in the Journal of Proteome Research, was carried out by John Oluwafemi Teibo, a doctoral student at FMRP-USP and FAPESP scholarship ...

Two cannabis-derived compounds have shown remarkable effectiveness against fungal pathogens in laboratory tests, according to new Macquarie University research. In a study published in The Journal of Neglected Tropical Diseases (PLOS NTDs), researchers discovered that bioactives Cannabidiol (CBD) and Cannabidivarin (CBDV) killed harmfulCryptococcus neoformans - a WHO-listed priority fungal pathogen. The compounds also killed dermatophytes that cause common skin infections, and much ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Levi.Gadye@ucsf.edu, (415) 502-6397 Subscribe to UCSF News A protein called PCSK9 determines how pancreatic cancer cells metastasize to different parts of the body.   Scientists at UC San Francisco have discovered how pancreatic cancer cells thrive in the lungs or liver, environments that are as distinct to cells as the ocean and desert are to animals. The spread of cancer cells to organs like these often produces the very first symptoms of pancreatic ...

ITHACA, N.Y. - To satisfy the seafood needs of billions of people, offering them access to a more biodiverse array of fish creates opportunities to mix-and-match species to obtain better nutrition from smaller portions of fish. The right combination of certain species can provide up to 60% more nutrients than if someone ate the same quantity of even a highly nutritious species, according to an analysis by Cornell University researchers. “This research hopefully highlights the importance of biodiversity, not just because of a moral quandary that we’re causing a mass extinction on Earth, but also because biodiversity can lead to better outcomes ...

Bo Han, Associate Professor, Computer Science, College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), received funding for: “I-Corps: Translation Potential of Next Generation Telepresence Enriched by Immersive Technologies.” Han aims to conduct extensive customer discovery and assess the value and potential of next-generation telepresence enriched by immersive technologies.  He will conduct interviews focused on three main customer segments: (1) education and training, (2) healthcare, and (3) fashion design. ...

A new study by Emory University researchers, published Thursday in Environmental Science & Technology, found that exposure to the tiny particles in air pollution during pregnancy can disrupt maternal metabolisms, altering key biological pathways. These changes were associated with increased risk of various negative birth outcomes, including premature birth. The study, which analyzed blood samples provided by 330 pregnant women from the Atlanta metropolitan area, is believed to be the first to investigate how exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) commonly found in air pollution ...

A groundbreaking technique developed by Politecnico di Milano researchers is enabling scientists to control specific bacterial functions using light-sensitive materials. The Engineering Of bacteria to See light (EOS) project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC), has pioneered a system that allows bacteria to sense light and convert light energy into electrical signals across their membranes without the need for any genetic modification. This method is being explored as a promising solution to the growing global challenge of antibiotic resistance. Its potential applications include ...

As federal funding cuts impact decades of research, scientists could turn to black holes for cheaper, natural alternatives to expensive facilities searching for dark matter and similarly elusive particles that hold clues to the universe’s deepest secrets, a new Johns Hopkins study of supermassive black holes suggests. The findings could help complement multi-billion-dollar expenses and decades of construction needed for research complexes like Europe’s Large Hadron Collider, the largest and highest-energy particle accelerator in the world. “One of the great hopes for particle colliders like the Large Hadron Collider is that ...

Journal: JAMA Network Open Title: Elevated death rates associated with incarceration emphasize the need for health care interventions both during and after incarceration Author: Utsha Khatri, MD, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Population Health Science and Policy, and Global Health and Health System Design, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Bottom line: This study shows individual incarceration rates and rates at the county level (the number of incarcerated individuals per 100,000 residents) are strongly associated with ...

Scientists at the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget), Milan, have found that gene editing using CRISPR-Cas9 in combination with AAV6 vectors can trigger inflammatory and senescence-like responses in blood stem cells, compromising their long-term ability to regenerate the blood system. The study, published in Cell Reports Medicine, outlines new strategies to overcome this hurdle, improving both the safety and efficacy of gene-editing-based therapies for inherited blood disorders. The research was led by Dr. Raffaella Di Micco, group leader at SR-Tiget, New York Stem Cell Foundation Robertson Investigator and Associate Professor at the School ...

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of births among individuals with a prior cesarean birth, patterns of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) by birth mode varied by race and ethnicity, with elevated rates of SMM among those from marginalized racial and ethnic groups with planned cesarean births. Future work should identify interventions to improve quality of care and promote equity for this population. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Laura B. Attanasio, Ph.D., email lattanasio@umass.edu. To access ...

About The Study: In this cohort study of 3.26 million individuals in the U.S., results highlighted the dual burden of incarceration on health outcomes. Individuals who were incarcerated faced significantly higher risks of death, particularly from overdoses, and elevated county incarceration rates exacerbated individual-level mortality risks. These findings suggest the need for reforms in criminal justice and public health policies to address these elevated risks and their widespread implications. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Utsha G. Khatri, M.D., M.S., email utsha.khatri@mountsinai.org. To access the embargoed study: ...

Barcelona, 3 June 2025 - More than 80% of early human embryos contain cells with an incorrect number of chromosomes—a phenomenon called aneuploidy. This typically stems from errors in chromosome segregation during the very first cell divisions. Remarkably, aneuploid cells are eliminated before implantation. When this does not happen, aneuploidy causes miscarriages or developmental disorders. Understanding how aneuploid cells are eliminated in these early stages is crucial for gaining insights into fertility, and it could also have implications for diseases like cancer. A team led by Dr. Marco Milán at IRB Barcelona has developed a tool that can generate customized ...