Bowhead whales—the only warm-blooded mammal that outlives humans—can survive for 200 years and seldom get age-related diseases like cancer. University of Rochester researchers discovered a new clue to the whales’ longevity: an abundant protein called CIRBP that helps repair DNA. Acquiring cancer is a complex process that involves biology, inherited genes, and environmental exposures. Along the way, if breaks in DNA occur and the genetic damage is not repaired, cancer is more likely. The team found that in bowhead whales, the DNA-repair protein CIRBP, was present at 100-fold higher levels compared to other mammals. Wilmot Cancer Institute ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- In most states, schools are required to screen students as they enter kindergarten — a process that is meant to identify students who may need extra help learning to read. However, a new study by MIT researchers suggests that these screenings may not be working as intended in all schools. The researchers’ survey of about 250 teachers found that many felt they did not receive adequate training to perform the tests, and about half reported that they were not confident that children who need extra instruction in reading end up receiving it. When performed successfully, these screens can be essential ...

A study published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering and featured on its cover showed that a fraction obtained from lignin, an organic polymer responsible for the rigidity of plant cell walls, was able to improve the performance of nanoparticles with herbicide. The study was conducted by researchers from three research institutions in the state of São Paulo, Brazil: São Paulo State University (UNESP), the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), and the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar). "Lignin has antioxidant properties and is one of the main components of plant biomass, but it's still underutilized and often ...

MINNEAPOLIS — Military veterans who develop epilepsy after a traumatic brain injury may have a higher mortality rate in the following years than veterans who develop epilepsy with no previous traumatic brain injury, according to a study published on October 29, 2025, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “While these findings need to be validated in future studies, we recommend that people who develop epilepsy after a traumatic brain injury are closely monitored, and, especially if seizures do not respond well to treatment, are prioritized for surgery or changing to new medications without delay,” said study ...

MINNEAPOLIS — If untreated, a disorder of high brain pressure called idiopathic intracranial hypertension can lead to vision loss. But this disorder can develop without noticeable symptoms, making it hard to catch. A new study looks at how these vision problems develop and proposes a way to predict who will develop issues. The study is published on October 29, 2025, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “The number of cases of idiopathic intracranial hypertension has been increasing, and it mainly affects young women, so we need more information about who is more likely to develop vision problems and how that process ...

LA JOLLA, CA—Luc Teyton, professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research, has received a five-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to help answer how type 1 diabetes manifests and develop potential therapeutics to reverse or prevent the disease. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the cells that produce insulin—a critical hormone that regulates the blood sugar of the body. Approximately 1.6 million Americans live with type 1 diabetes, and while genetics play a strong role in susceptibility, ...

CHICAGO, IL – The Bayer Foundation has named Dr. Anna Wuttig, the Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Chicago, as the recipient of its Early Excellence in Science Award in the Chemistry category. The award celebrates young, international researchers who are pioneering their respective fields, recognizing Dr. Wuttig for her innovative work “advancing electrocatalysis for energy storage and conversion, and medicinal chemistry.” Dr. ...

After two years of use, lithium-ion battery electric vehicles (BEVs) result in a reduction in cumulative carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions compared to fossil-based internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS Climate by Pankaj Sadavarte of Duke University, US, and colleagues. The transportation sector accounts for 28% of US greenhouse gas emissions in the US and growing consensus supports electric vehicle adoption to address climate and air quality challenges. However, ongoing debate surrounds whether lithium-ion batteries are truly cleaner ...

A new study suggests that, between 1911 and 2022, land-use change was the primary direct cause of the loss of 75% of natural plant species on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. Andreas Hemp of the University of Bayreuth, Germany, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on October 29, 2025. Kilimanjaro is a dormant tropical volcano in Tanzania and Africa’s tallest mountain. Millions of people living in the area rely on Kilimanjaro’s diverse ecosystems for such benefits as timber, food, and water regulation. But the variety of species found in these ecosystems—their biodiversity—is declining ...

The long-standing mystery around why spider webs sometimes feature “extra touches” known as stabilimenta has been revisited in a new study which suggests that their wave-propagation effects could help spiders locate captured prey. Gabriele Greco of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on October 29, 2025. Many spider species build spiral wheel-shaped webs—orb webs—to capture flying prey, and many can incorporate stabilimenta into the web structure. These “decorations” may ...

Tombs scattered across China, built between the 4,000-year old Xia Dynasty and the modern era, reflect the political and social patterns of Chinese history, according to a study published October 29, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Quanbao Ma from the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, China, and colleagues. The research team mapped the location of ancient tombs in China to search for patterns in their distribution across the country and throughout history. They found that both socioeconomic factors and geography may have influenced ...

1 in 3 university students surveyed from a Parisian suburb report being unable to access desired food, with this food insecurity associated with academic dropout Article URL: http://plos.io/4oiDEbt Article title: Correlates of food insecurity among university students in a socioeconomically disadvantaged area of the Paris suburbs: A cross-sectional study Author countries: France Funding: HD : doctoral scolarship from Université Sorbonne Paris Nord https://www.univ-spn.fr/ The University administration conducted the data collection. The funders had no role in study design, data analysis, ...

A research team from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) has made progress in studying the Shibantan Biota in Yichang, Hubei Province, uncovering the oldest known complex three-dimensional burrow systems to date. Preserved in approximately 550-million-year-old strata, these trace fossils show that complex animal behaviors were modifying the seafloor environment nearly 10 million years earlier than previously thought. The Ediacaran–Cambrian transition, around 539 million years ago, marks ...

Chiral molecules, which have a helical structure, are known to interact with magnets in a phenomenon known as chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS). For instance, when a chiral molecule is connected to a magnet and an electric current is applied, magnetoresistance effects can be observed. It has also been reported that magnets can be used to separate right-handed and left-handed chiral molecules. The prevailing explanation is that the flow of current through a chiral molecule induces magnetic ...

Scientists at TU Delft, The Netherlands, have developed a new algorithm that allows multiple autonomous drones to work together to control and transport heavy payloads, even in windy conditions. Ideal for reaching and maintaining hard-to-reach infrastructure, like offshore wind turbines. With often harsh weather, limited payload capacity and unpredictable contact with the environment, it is difficult for current drones to operate safely and effectively. The results have been published in Science Robotics. “A single drone can only carry a very limited load,” explains Sihao Sun, robotics researcher at TU Delft. “This ...

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a cardiac disorder in which the chambers of the heart beat rapidly and irregularly. It’s the most common type of arrhythmia and the leading cardiac cause of stroke.  While several treatments—ranging from medication to surgery—exist, the search continues for improved options to address AFib, which the National Institutes of Health (NIH) forecasts will affect up to 12 million people in the U.S. by 2050.  One emerging strategy includes electrical stimulation, known as neurostimulation, which researchers believe could potentially suppress, treat, or even reverse ...

If current extinction trends continue, global shark populations will lose much of their variety, thereby threatening ecosystems where specialized species serve vital roles, researchers have found. In prowling Earth’s oceans for more than 400 million years, sharks have evolved into a delightfully diverse group. As popularly conveyed through children’s books, the famous fish range in size from palm-sized dwarf lanternsharks to school-bus-length whale sharks. Great whites, hammerheads, and many others serve key ecological roles as apex predators at the top of the food chain. According to previous research, one-third ...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a major unmet medical challenge, often resulting in permanent paralysis and disability with no effective treatments. Now, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have harnessed bioinformatics to fast-track the discovery of a promising new drug for SCI. The results will also make it easier for researchers around the world to translate their discoveries into treatments. One of the reasons SCI results in permanent disability is that the neurons that form our brain and spinal cord cannot effectively regenerate. Encouraging neurons to regenerate with drugs offers a promising ...

Amidation reactions are the most common reactions in the chemical industry. They are indispensable for a wide range of industrial production processes, but their ecological footprint is highly problematic. They generate large amounts of toxic waste and are energy-intensive. A team led by Dr Tobias Schnitzer, research group leader at the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Freiburg, is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop innovative, boronic acid-catalysed amidation reactions that do not ...

A new interactive web application allows for a tangible understanding of abstract concepts of quantum game theory. The Kobe University development parallels the emergent dialogue found in jazz and improvisational music and aims for a scientific exploration of creativity. For many of us, quantum mechanics, game theory and jazz are difficult concepts by themselves, and it is hard to imagine how they would combine. But Kobe University quantum engineer SOUMA Satofumi posits that not only can they fruitfully interact, but their combination also provides new avenues to understanding each of them. Through creating the world’s first browser-based interactive ...

About The Study: Over 11,000 physicians were sponsored for H-1B visas in fiscal year 2024, representing 1% of the U.S. physician workforce. H-1B–sponsored advanced practice providers (physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives), dentists, and other health care workers (podiatrists, chiropractors, and optometrists) accounted for a smaller share. The percentage of H-1B–sponsored physicians was nearly 2 times higher in rural compared with urban counties and nearly 4 times higher in the highest- vs lowest-poverty counties. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Rishi K. Wadhera, ...

Investigators at Mass General Brigham and the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have found that international doctors sponsored by H1-B visas in 2024 comprised nearly 1% of the entire physician workforce in the United States, with substantial variation in different counties’ reliance on H-1B-sponsored physicians and other healthcare professionals. The research, published in JAMA, comes out just weeks after a presidential proclamation that substantially increased employers’ fees for H1-B visa applications. “Our ...

SEATTLE, WASH. — October 29, 2025 — As flu season approaches and public health officials roll out their annual push for vaccination, Allen Institute scientists are learning why vaccines can trigger a weaker response in older adults, around age 65, and what can be done to improve them. These insights open the door to designing more effective vaccines. In the largest study of its kind, published in Nature, scientists discovered that our T cells—key players in coordinating immune responses—undergo profound and specific changes as we age. These changes, far from ...

The human body relies on precise genetic instructions to function, and cancer begins when these instructions get scrambled. When cells accumulate genetic errors over time, they can break free of the normal controls on their growth and divide excessively. Chromosomal abnormalities – numerical and structural defects in chromosomes – are a common first step in this process, often contributing to normal cells turning cancerous.  A new AI tool developed by researchers in the Korbel Group at EMBL Heidelberg now offers a powerful method to gain deep insights ...

Ribosomes are the cell's protein factories, which read the genetic code and assemble the proteins that every organism needs to live. But as far as how ribosomes themselves were formed, tantalizingly little was known.   Now, scientists have captured a key part of this process, in motion. The findings, published in Nature, combine artificial intelligence, cryo-electron microscopy, and genetics to reveal, in unprecedented detail, how cells coordinate, regulate, and safeguard the creation of the small ribosomal subunit—a machine central to forming every protein.  "We finally have a molecular movie of ribosome formation—we've ...