ANN ARBOR—For a long time, evolutionary biologists have thought that the genetic mutations that drive the evolution of genes and proteins are largely neutral: they're neither good nor bad, but just ordinary enough to slip through the notice of selection. Now, a University of Michigan study has flipped that theory on its head.  In the process of evolution, mutations occur which can then become fixed, meaning that every individual in the population carries that mutation. A longstanding theory, called the Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution, posits that most genetic mutations that are fixed are neutral. Bad mutations ...

Tensor operations are the kind of arithmetic that form the backbone of nearly all modern technologies, especially artificial intelligence, yet they extend beyond the simple maths we’re familiar with. Imagine the mathematics behind rotating, slicing, or rearranging a Rubik’s cube along multiple dimensions. While humans and classical computers must perform these operations step by step, light can do them all at once. Today, every task in AI, from image recognition to natural language processing, relies on tensor operations. However, the explosion of ...

Mangrove ecosystems rank among the most efficient "blue carbon" systems on Earth, capable of absorbing and storing vast quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). However, mangroves also release methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas, potentially offsetting a portion of their climate mitigation benefits. While prior research has focused primarily on methane emissions from mangrove soils and water surfaces, the role of tree stems as an emission pathway and its significance for global blue carbon accounting have remained largely unexamined. In a new study, researchers from the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a global-scale ...

Food brings people together. It serves as a tool to communicate political stances, to cultivate cross-cultural comprehension or, if necessary, create tensions. Menus can reflect these intentions by using food to create specific psychological effects and convey symbolic messages. But how exactly is it done? Now, researchers in Portugal have examined menus from diplomatic dinners, state banquets, and receptions hosted over the 20th and 21st centuries to find out how meals reflected and shaped Portuguese foreign policy and ...

A research team from South China University of Technology has made  progress in understanding both the unconditional global existence and the vanishing viscosity limit of parabolic-elliptic coupled systems, with findings that extend existing research. The work, led by Prof. Changjiang Zhu and Dr. Qiaolong Zhu, is published in Acta Mathematica Scientia.   The study focuses on a parabolic-elliptic coupled system, which is a simplified model critical to understanding phenomena where fluid motion interacts with heat radiation. ...

As global water, energy and food demands intensify under climate change, a scalable, round-the-clock technology that simultaneously produces fresh water, electricity and irrigation water is urgently needed. Now researchers from Harbin Institute of Technology, Wuhan University and Tsinghua University—led by Prof. Shih-Hsin Ho—have unveiled an integrated Water/Electricity-Cogeneration–Cultivation (WEC) platform that couples solar-driven desalination with salinity-gradient power generation and zero-pollution crop irrigation. The work offers a practical blueprint for advancing ...

As data theft and counterfeiting grow ever more sophisticated, cryptography demands devices that are miniature, reconfigurable and almost impossible to reverse-engineer. Now researchers from the Shenyang Institute of Automation (CAS), Shanghai University and City University of Hong Kong—led by Prof. Haibo Yu and Prof. Wen Jung Li—have created a micro-dynamic multiple encryption device (μ-DMED) built from coumarin-based metamaterials that can hide, rewrite and store multilevel information under different light fields. The work establishes a new paradigm for on-chip, high-security optical encryption. Why μ-DMED Matters All-Optical ...

Professor Wen-Bo Liu's research group at Wuhan University reported a nickel-catalyzed regioselective hydrogen metallization/5-exo-trig cyclization reaction. Using β-propargylcyclobutanone as a starting material, multi-substituted bicyclo[2.1.1]hexanol can be synthesized in one step, followed by skeletal rearrangement to yield 1,2,4-trisubstituted bicyclo[2.1.1]hexanone. This structure can be used for diverse derivatization reactions. DFT computational studies elucidated the crucial role of carbonyl coordination in regioselectivity control. This research provides a new method for obtaining structurally ...

LA JOLLA, CA—When labor begins, the uterus must coordinate rhythmic, well-timed contractions to deliver the baby safely. While hormones such as progesterone and oxytocin are key contributors to that process, scientists have long suspected that physical forces—in this case, the stretching and pressure that accompany pregnancy and delivery—also play a role. Now, a new study from Scripps Research published in Science on November 13, 2025, reveals how the uterus senses and responds to those forces at a molecular level. The findings could help scientists better understand the biological roots of conditions such as stalled labor and preterm birth, guiding ...

This study is led by Professor Wanneng Yang (National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Center of Plant Gene Research, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China). The team created the Arabidopsis Phenotypic Trait Estimation System (APTES), an open-access pipeline integrating computer vision with optimized deep learning models to automate organ phenotyping. For individual leaf segmentation, an enhanced Cascade Mask R-CNN model achieved precision, recall, and F1 scores of 0.965, 0.958, and 0.961 respectively, representing consistent ~1% improvements ...

The inspiring online talk, "Turn Waste Into Wonder: Discover How 'Supercharged Biochar' Can Grow a Greener Future!" is now available on demand. If you couldn't join us live, now is your chance to catch this fascinating discussion. The event took place on October 29 (Wednesday) and featured Prof. Salah Jellali from Sultan Qaboos University, a visionary researcher turning trash into treasure through science. In this session, hosted by the top-cited Dr. Yu Luo from Zhejiang University, Prof. Jellali reveals how to upgrade plain biochar using wastewater and industrial leftovers to create a smart, slow-release fertilizer that grows healthier ...

There are more candidates on the waitlist for a liver transplant than there are available organs, yet about half the time a match is found with a donor who dies after cardiac arrest following the removal of life support, the transplant must be canceled. For this type of organ donation, called donation after circulatory death, the time between the removal of life support and death must not exceed 30 to 45 minutes, or the surgeons will often reject the liver because of the increased risk of complications to the recipient. Now, Stanford Medicine researchers have developed a machine learning-based ...

Antibiotic resistance is widely recognized as one of the most urgent public health challenges of the twenty first century. Now, a new study shows that even very small amounts of antibiotics that commonly appear in soil, rivers, wastewater, and agricultural runoff may significantly accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes among bacteria. The research, published in Biocontaminant, investigates how four typical antibiotics found in the environment influence both vertical and horizontal gene transfer, the two major pathways through which bacteria pass on resistance. The team examined tetracycline, ...

A new scientific review highlights major advances in the use of iron enhanced biochar as a powerful tool for cleaning contaminated environments and supporting sustainable agriculture. The study synthesizes recent breakthroughs in modifying biochar with iron to dramatically improve its ability to capture pollutants, catalyze chemical reactions, and stabilize nutrients in soil and water systems. Biochar is a carbon rich material created when agricultural residues, wood waste, or other biomass are heated under limited ...

Alcohol-related diseases and injuries have the potential to cost the Australian healthcare system a staggering $68 billion over 60 years if nothing is done to stop the impact. The new Griffith University developed The Alcohol Policy (TAP) model is an epidemiological model used to estimate the avoidable alcohol-related disease, injury and healthcare cost burden in the Australian population aged over 15 years. Dr Mary Wanjau from Griffith’s School of Medicine and Dentistry said if we eliminated alcohol consumption ...

NIMS, in collaboration with Nagoya University, Gifu University, and the University of Adelaide, has developed a method for simultaneously imaging DNA and RNA inside cells using harmless infrared to near-infrared light. This study enables high-precision detection of all stages of cell death, paving the way for early detection of cell aging and damage for disease prevention. The results were published in Science Advances on October 23, 2025. Background Early detection of cellular damage that leads to aging or death is essential for developing therapeutic strategies for many diseases. Achieving this requires observing cellular changes throughout their life cycle by cell ...

Across North America, mountain lions, bears, and gray wolves have made a remarkable comeback over the last 50 years. Once nearly exterminated, these animals have been recovering their populations and returning to the landscapes they historically roamed, thanks to protections like the Endangered Species Act, hunting limits, and reintroduction programs. The ecological impact of restoring these large carnivores is potentially huge, in part because of the way they could help to balance ecosystems by keeping prey populations under control.    One ...

How much squid do short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) off the coast of Hawai’i need to consume each day to survive and are there sufficient squid to sustain the population? Knowing these basic facts is essential in the fight to protect populations. Researchers from the USA, Spain, Australia and Denmark reveal in Journal of Experimental Biology that individual Hawaiian short-finned pilot whales consume between 82 and 202 squid per day, adding up to a total of 88,000 tonnes of squid per year for the entire ...

Seven new species of a distinctive frog-like insect have been discovered by a scientist from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge, England. Belonging to the genus Batracomorphus, the seven previously unknown species of leafhopper were found by Dr Alvin Helden during fieldwork in the tropical rainforest of Uganda. The name Batracomorphus derives from the Greek for “frog-shaped”, and these leafhoppers are mostly green, possess large eyes and jump using their long hind legs, which are tucked alongside their bodies like frogs. The details of Dr Helden’s discoveries have been published in the journal Zootaxa and they are the first new ...

Countless everyday products from plastic squeeze bottles to outdoor furniture are derived by first turning propane into propylene. A 2021 study in Science demonstrated chemists could use tandem nanoscale catalysts to integrate multiple steps of the process into a single reaction—a way for companies to increase yield and save money. But it was unclear what was happening at the atomic level, making it difficult to apply the technique to other key industrial processes. Researchers at the University of Rochester developed ...

For the first time, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), the Society for Developmental Biology (SDB), and the Allen Institute are collaborating to present a three-day scientific symposium led by early-career scientists. The Stem Cell & Developmental Biology Early Career Symposium is designed to nurture the next generation of researchers and provide a platform for professional growth while fostering collaboration at the intersection of developmental biology and stem cell science. The organizing committee comprises: Alessandro ...

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A new study published in Nature and Science of Sleep reveals a strong connection between social media addiction and poor sleep quality among high school graduates in Bangladesh, offering fresh insights into the mental health and digital habits of young people.  Researchers from the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, CHINTA Research Bangladesh, University of South Asia, Jahangirnagar University and the Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, analyzed data from 1,139 students preparing for university admission. The study found that higher levels of social media addiction were closely ...

A University of Massachusetts Amherst study has found that gerrymandering in North Carolina resulted in reduced access to healthcare services. As states across the country grapple with politically charged redistricting efforts, the finding could ultimately offer a new strategy to fight gerrymandering in the courts, the researchers say. “Access to healthcare should not be dependent on which party is in power,” says Auden Cote-L’Heureux, lead author of the paper published Nov. 13 in the American Journal of Public Health, which also issued an editorial piece on the research. “Healthcare should be protected from political whims.”  Cote-L’Heureux, ...

Four researchers from LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center have been named among the world’s most highly cited scientists, according to the 2025 Highly Cited Researchers list from Clarivate Analytics. Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Steven Heymsfield, Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk, Dr. Eric Ravussin, and Dr. Donna Ryan are recognized among the top 1 percent of researchers whose work has demonstrated significant and broad influence in their respective fields. The list identifies scientists whose publications rank among the most cited globally over the past 11 years, as measured in the Web of Science database. This year’s list recognizes 6,868 researchers representing more ...

Imagine existing as an apple tree, stretching your branches toward the sun and sinking your roots into the soil. Imagine life as a prairie dog, digging tunnels among those roots and peeking out to feel the sun’s warmth. Imagine being a robot tractor, planting vegetables beside the tree.  Now, thanks to a team of University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers and emerging media artists, players can step into all those roles and more through an extended reality (XR) experience that brings science to life. “MuMu: Worlds of Connection Chapter One” is an experience where players learn about network science — the study of connections ...