Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is one of life’s most versatile molecules, with roles going far beyond being a messenger of genetic code, as it is fundamentally involved in gene regulation, processing, and maintenance across all living systems. This versatility is deeply tied to RNA’s ability to adopt complex three-dimensional shapes, known as secondary and tertiary structures. With the global rise of RNA-based therapeutics, understanding and precisely predicting secondary and tertiary structures is essential to fully harness the RNA’s ...

Closing the skull safely and securely after surgery remains one of neurosurgery’s biggest challenges. Traditional fixation systems made from titanium or semi-absorbable polymers can interfere with brain imaging, degrade unevenly, or remain in the body long after healing. These drawbacks can slow down recovery, cause discomfort, and increase the risk of complications. To address these issues, a team led by Dr. Siyi Wanggou and Professor Xuejun Li from the Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, China, collaborated with MedArt Technology Co., Ltd., China, to develop a fully degradable cranial flap fixation system made from high-purity poly-L-lactic ...

Key findings Enhanced prediction capability: Machine learning-based system matches and in some cases outperforms traditional forecasting systems, with particular improvements in northern Europe where conventional methods struggle Critical timing insights: Greatest forecast skill comes from atmospheric predictors 4-7 weeks before summer (mid-March), providing optimal lead time for preparation measures Lives and livelihoods at stake: Early warning capability could help the agricultural industry and health services implement effective strategies against heatwaves, which cause increased mortality and economic ...

WASHINGTON (Nov. 4, 2025)--Imagine early humans meticulously crafting stone tools for nearly 300,000 years, all while contending with recurring wildfires, droughts, and dramatic environmental shifts. A recent study, published in Nature Communications, brought to light remarkable evidence of enduring technological tradition from Kenya’s Turkana Basin. An international multi-center research team has uncovered at the Namorotukunan Site one of the oldest and longest intervals of early Oldowan stone tools yet discovered, dating from approximately 2.75 ...

A new study published in Environmental Research Letters reveals that even advanced climate intervention strategies may not be enough to secure the future of wine grapes, coffee and cacao. These crops are vital to many economies and provide livelihoods for farmers worldwide. However, they are increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns cause big variations in crop yields from year to year, meaning that farmers cannot rely on the stability of their harvest, and their produce is at risk. The researchers ...

Embargo 4 November 10:00 UK / 05:00 US Eastern Times Peer-reviewed / Experimental / Bacteria   ADVANCED DISEASE MODELLING SHOWS SOME GUT BACTERIA CAN SPREAD AS RAPIDLY AS VIRUSES Escherichia coli (E. coli), a type of bacteria commonly found in the human gut, could spread as quickly as swine flu, new research suggests. For the first time, researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Oslo, the University of Helsinki, Aalto University in Finland, and their collaborators are able to predict the rate at which one person could transmit ...

Beyond the disruption to Ukraine’s food exports, the war is jeopardising the country’s long-term ability to remain the ‘breadbasket of Europe’, because its soils are gradually losing vital crop nutrients. That is the warning issued by researchers from the UK, Ukraine and the Netherlands who say more nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium* are now being removed from soils via harvested crops than added back in. This is due to reduced access to fertilisers during the war and inefficient farming practices. Military activity has also exacerbated existing degradation and erosion ...

In urban environments, competing hornet species coexist by specializing on different prey species. The Kobe University study was made possible by pioneering DNA analysis of hornet larvae's gut contents and shows that cities are fascinating model systems for how predatory species adapt to environmental stress. City gangs brutally illustrate a principle that is a staple in ecological theory, the “competitive exclusion principle”: Two species competing for the same limited resource cannot coexist. Nature seems to find more peaceful solutions. “The yellow-vented hornet and the Japanese yellow hornet are both considered urban adapters with nesting sites and activity ...

Contrary to previous research, transgender women who use the hormone oestradiol for their transition do not have an increased risk of heart attack and stroke compared to men in the general Dutch population. This is shown by a large-scale study from Amsterdam UMC, with data from more than 4,000 transgender individuals, published today in the European Heart Journal. The researchers suspect that the hormone treatment transgender women receive has a protective effect on the heart and blood vessels. In transgender people, the sex assigned at birth does not match their experienced gender identity. Many of them therefore choose hormone treatment to develop ...

A new paper in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, published by Oxford University Press, finds high qualities of toxic “forever” chemicals in sea otters recovered off the Pacific Ocean. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, so called “Forever Chemicals,” are used in the lining of food packaging, non-stick cookware, waterproof and stainproof textiles, cosmetics, firefighting foams, and electronics. These chemicals, which bioactively bind to proteins within an organism, can ...

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama, USA, 4 November 2025 — What if the brain’s response to stress could be read not in fleeting neurotransmitter bursts, but in the quieting of genes deep inside chromatin? Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have now shown that stress hormones may silence crucial neuronal genes through an unexpected class of RNA molecules that operate not by encoding proteins, but by reshaping the genome’s architecture. Stress, the genome, and a hidden layer of regulation. The study, led by Professor Yogesh Dwivedi, Distinguished Professor and Elesabeth Ridgely Shook Endowed Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral ...

New York, New York, 4 November 2025 – A comprehensive review published today in Brain Medicine illuminates the intricate connections between gut microbiota and sleep regulation, establishing the microbiota-gut-brain axis as a critical pathway in understanding and potentially treating sleep disorders. The research, led by Professor Lin Lu from Peking University Sixth Hospital and an international team of collaborators spanning institutions in China and the United States, synthesizes current insights into how the trillions of bacteria residing in our digestive system ...

A research team led by Dr. Kee Young Koo from the Hydrogen Research Department at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (President Yi Chang-Keun, hereafter referred to as KIER) has developed a world-class catalyst for the reverse water–gas shift reaction, transforming carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, into a key building block for eco-friendly fuels. The reverse water–gas shift (RWGS) reaction is a technology that converts carbon dioxide (CO₂) into carbon monoxide (CO) and water (H₂O) by reacting it with hydrogen ...

EMBARGOED UNTIL TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025 AT 12:01 AM ET  When Bathroom Breaks Rule Your Day A new survey reveals men would rather sit in traffic than talk about prostate health ORLANDO, FL — A new survey from Orlando Health reveals that over one-third of men (38%) would rather endure stressful situations, such as watching their team lose a big game or being stuck in traffic, than discuss their prostate health. This widespread reluctance to address a common health issue often leads to delayed diagnosis and treatment for conditions like an enlarged prostate. "The prostate is a gland that wraps around the urethra, and as we get older, our prostates tend ...

With global teacher shortages at an all-time high, retaining and recruiting teachers to the education sector is critical. Yet with fragmented support and inconsistent induction processes, nearly a fifth of early career teachers choose to leave within five years.   Education experts at the University of South Australia say that to address teacher shortages, Australia must develop stronger government policies focused on the retention and career development of early career teachers, particularly those in casual ...

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has had a transformative impact on business, enabling the automation of routine tasks, freeing up employees to focus on more strategic and creative work, while also reducing costs and accelerating time to market.  However, new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) published in the International Journal of Information Management and funded by the SBL Business Intelligence Research group, has highlighted some of the issues that could be hindering the adoption of these emerging technologies.     GenAI uses ...

With much of the world’s coral turning a ghostly white, UC Riverside scientists have launched a $1.1 million project to uncover how reefs regain life-giving algae after suffering from heat stress.  Bleaching occurs when stressed corals lose the algae living in their tissues. Without them, coral turns pale and begins to starve. If algae don’t return within a few weeks, the sickly coral dies, leaving behind a white skeleton that can no longer support the marine life that once depended ...

Background Sepsis is a complex clinical syndrome characterized by dysregulated immune responses, systemic inflammation, and multi-organ dysfunction. It involves intricate interactions among multiple signaling pathways, including NF-κB, JAK/STAT, TLR, MAPK, HIF-1α, and Nrf2/Keap1, which collectively regulate immune activation, inflammation, and cellular metabolism. Mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic reprogramming further contribute to its pathogenesis by impairing energy production and immune cell function. Conventional treatments, primarily reliant on antibiotics and early goal-directed therapy, often ...

Solid-state lithium-metal batteries (SSLMBs) are the holy-grail of next-generation energy storage, but their commercialization has been stymied by dendrite growth, fragile interfaces, and the ion-conductivity vs. mechanical-strength trade-off. Now, researchers from Sichuan University, led by Prof. Yu Wang and Prof. Xuewei Fu, have introduced a “lithium-ion dynamic interface (Li⁺-DI)” strategy that turns charged halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) into nano-interfacial engineers, delivering composite polymer electrolytes ...

Every 27 minutes, someone in Australia is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Best known for its tremors, movement and balance issues, it also brings another, often overlooked burden – persistent pain.   Now, new research from the University of South Australia shows that many people with Parkinson’s are struggling to manage their pain, with researchers calling for more individualised, multidisciplinary and empathetic care.   In two studies that assessed how people with Parkinson’s manage pain and their experiences of pain care services, researchers found notable gaps in support, ...

A team of UC Riverside researchers has uncovered a potential breakthrough in solar desalination that could reduce the need for energy-intensive saltwater treatment. Led by Luat Vuong, an associate professor of mechanical engineering in UCR’s Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering, the team has demonstrated for the first time how the highest frequencies of sunlight—specifically invisible ultraviolet (UV) light—can break the stubborn bonds between salt and water. “To our knowledge, nobody else has yet articulated this deep UV channel for salt-water separation,” Vuong said. “UV light in the wavelength range of 300-400 nanometers is used ...

How do stem cells know what to become? Nearly three decades after scientists isolated the first human embryonic stem cells, researchers are still working hard to understand precisely how a single, undifferentiated cell can become any one of the roughly 200 cell types that make up the human body. A new study offers key insights, describing how cellular storage units known as “P bodies” heavily influence a cell’s fate. By manipulating P bodies, the scientists were able to efficiently create hard-to-develop cell types in the lab, including “germ cells” (the cells that precede sperm and egg) and “totipotent” cells, which can become ...

Key Points:  Shifting to more plant-based diets could reduce global agricultural labour needs by 5–28 per cent by 2030, the equivalent of 18–106 million full-time jobs.  The global rebalancing of food production could cut agricultural labour costs by US $290–995 billion each year, equal to around 0.2–0.6 per cent of global GDP.  Countries with livestock-heavy agriculture would see the biggest declines in labour demand, while others - especially lower-income nations - could need 18–56 million more ...

Scientists have developed an innovative planning framework that could help protect fragile ecosystems in cold regions while supporting sustainable development. The study, published in Agricultural Ecology and Environment, introduces a new “connectivity–ecological risk–economic efficiency” (CRE) approach that integrates environmental, economic, and climatic factors into a single model for ecological security planning. Cold regions such as Northeast China’s Songhua River Basin are vital for ...

A team of scientists has discovered that the crystal structure of naturally occurring iron minerals plays a crucial role in breaking down harmful chemical additives released from plastics. The findings could improve predictions of how these pollutants behave in the environment and guide strategies for reducing their long-term risks. The study, published in Environmental and Biogeochemical Processes, examined how three types of iron oxyhydroxide nanominerals, goethite, akaganeite, and lepidocrocite, catalyze the breakdown of organophosphate esters (OPEs). OPEs are ...