How quickly do we perceive whether a person we are interacting with is clever or predictable? Be it in a game, a conversation or a negotiation, we constantly infer what others are thinking and size up their intentions, and we adjust our behavior accordingly in a process that scientists call “adaptive mentalization.” A new study by the University of Zurich now reveals how our brains govern this adaptation. Differences in social mentalization A team of researchers led by Christian Ruff, a professor of neuroeconomics and decision neuroscience at the University of Zurich, examined the behavior of over 570 people ...

Researchers have discovered that mutations in the FOXJ3 gene act as a "master switch" failure, disrupting how the brain builds its layers and leading to FCD, a primary cause of drug-resistant epilepsy. The study reveals how FOXJ3 controls the formation of brain cortical layers during brain development by regulating the PTEN–mTOR signaling pathway. The PTEN-mTOR signaling pathway acts as a critical control system for cell growth, proliferation, metabolism, and survival. When this system malfunctions, ...

Research Highlights: A study that looked at over 3,000 women experiencing a first pregnancy determined that persistently higher stress levels were associated with high blood pressure post pregnancy, specifically in women who had faced adverse pregnancy outcomes, or complications in pregnancy, including high blood pressure, pre-term birth, having a smaller baby or stillbirth. Higher stress levels were detected 2-to-7 years after delivery, emphasizing a need for managing stress in women who have had adverse pregnancy outcomes, as they may be more susceptible to the negative effects of stress on their heart health. Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET Monday, March 9, 2026 DALLAS, ...

When the days start to get longer again, Dr Christine Blume’s phone rings more often. That’s because journalists want to ask the sleep researcher what spring fatigue is all about. Until now, she has always replied that there are no studies that have investigated this phenomenon. “But I always found that unsatisfactory,” says Blume, who is a researcher at the Center for Chronobiology of the University Psychiatric Clinics (UPK) and the University of Basel.That’s why she teamed up with sleep researcher Dr Albrecht Vorster from the University of Bern’s Inselspital to conduct a study that investigated ...

In a study of adults with advanced prostate cancer taking androgen-receptor pathway inhibitors and different types of anticoagulants, investigators found no evidence of an increase in patients’ bleeding or clotting risks, despite previous lab results that raised alarms. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Thromboembolism, caused by a circulating blood clot that gets stuck and causes an obstruction, is the second leading cause of death in people with cancer, ...

People living with neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease, dementia and epilepsy face not only physical decline, but also profound questions about identity, purpose, and meaning. Yet physicians best positioned to address those concerns do not have the adequate training and tools to do so, a new paper states. The paper, published in the journal Neurology Clinical Practice by researchers from UCLA Health, the University of Colorado, Harvard Medical School and Brown University, argues that spiritual assessment should become a routine part of neurological care, and offers practical guidance for how clinicians can make it happen. The paper describes why neurologists are uniquely ...

The growing use of AI-generated scientific and science-related content, especially on social media, raises important concerns: these texts may contain false or highly persuasive information that is difficult for users to detect, potentially shaping public opinion and decision-making. Several jurisdictions and platforms are moving toward clearer disclosure of AI-generated or AI-synthesised content to protect the public. However, a new study published in JCOM warns that these labels may have the opposite effect of what regulators intend, decreasing ...

Three years ago, in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the passage of an “ultra-energetic” cosmic neutrino was observed — the most energetic ever detected. The event drew international attention from the scientific community as well as from the media and the public, not least because the origin of this particle — whose energy exceeded that of previously observed neutrinos by more than an order of magnitude — is unknown. A new paper published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (JCAP) by the KM3NeT collaboration, which operates the KM3NeT/ARCA detector off the coast of Sicily, suggests ...

New prescriptions for stimulants among adults, largely to treat ADHD, more than doubled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in younger adults, found new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251065. In the past, stimulants have been prescribed mainly for pediatric cases of ADHD and some other conditions. However, over the last 20 years, ADHD diagnoses and stimulant prescriptions have increased globally in adults, and data indicate this trend accelerated after the start of the pandemic. Canadian researchers sought to understand whether this trend is evident in Canada and ...

A “peculiar” ancient relative of the crocodile which experts believe began life on four legs before, in adulthood, it learnt how to walk on just two has been revealed in a new study. Named Sonselasuchus cedrus, this archaic reptile was part of the shuvosaurid group, most of which had an appearance mimicking that of the ornithomimid dinosaurs that it shared the landscape with during Late Triassic time (approximately 225-201 million years ago). In peer-reviewed findings, published today in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, ...

  AI can quantify calcification build-up in breast arteries via mammograms. This ‘arterial calcification’ is strongly linked to the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. Breast cancer screening could also be used to screen for cardiovascular disease.   Sophia Antipolis, France – 9 March 2026. The risk of serious or fatal heart disease can be predicted with artificial intelligence (AI) analysis of mammograms, according to research published in the European Heart Journal [1] today (Monday).   The study ...

More images available via the link in the notes section Engineers at Oxford University have developed a rapid, ultra-low-cost method for manufacturing soft robots using common lab equipment. The method has been published today (8 March) in Advanced Science. The new technique enables researchers to fabricate soft robotic actuators - the flexible components that power movement - in under 10 minutes at a material cost of less than $0.10 (US Dollars) per unit. Principle Investigator and corresponding author Professor Antonio Forte (Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford) said: “By lowering the financial and technical barriers ...

Neuroscientists at King’s College London have pinpointed a mechanism behind the increased neural connectivity observed in the very early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.   Published in Translational Psychiatry, the study also demonstrated that a cancer medication has the potential to reduce this hyperconnectivity.  The research, funded by Alzheimer's Society and conducted in brain cells of rats, showed that low levels of the protein amyloid-beta could induce hyperconnectivity and this pattern closely resembled changes seen in the brains ...

The recreational drugs cannabis, cocaine and amphetamines significantly increase the risk of stroke – including among younger users – Cambridge researchers have concluded after analysing data from more than 100 million people. Stroke is a major global health challenge – the third leading cause of death and disability combined. But it also a condition that, for the most part, results from modifiable risk factors, such as poor diet, lack of exercise and other lifestyle factors. In 2024, 8.8% of adults aged 16 to 59 years in England and Wales – around 2.9 ...

VANCOUVER - March 8, 2026 - Age is more than just one number. While neuroscientists used to think of cognitive aging as a single trendline, they now realize that vast individual differences require a more predictive and personalized approach. As they uncover more factors that affect cognition over time, they are realizing that modeling the aging brain requires more diverse data than traditionally captured.  “We need to appreciate that how people age is as much a biological process as it is a social process,” says Randy McIntosh of Simon Fraser University, who is chairing a symposium at the ...

EMBARGO 8 March 00:01 CET Key takeaways  A new patient version of ESC Guidelines on pregnancy is being published on International Women’s Day to empower women living with cardiovascular disease to make informed decisions about pregnancy and birth and support shared decision making with clinical staff.  The patient guidelines give accessible information about medical and psychological support options available to women with pre-existing cardiovascular disease before, during and after birth. The guidelines also state that Specialist Pregnancy Heart Teams should support women at high risk from the moment they want to start a ...

Tokyo, Japan – Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered that a hydrogen-absorbing material shrinks in one direction upon heating, so-called negative thermal expansion (NTE). They found that this NTE is driven by a phase transition in the alignment of magnetic moments, an entirely different mechanism from its hydrogen-free counterpart. Since hydrogenation can be tuned, their findings promise customized high-precision ingredients in materials which don’t change in volume on heating, for next-generation precision nanotechnology.   Most materials tend to expand when heated. This can be problematic: glass containers often break when hot liquids are suddenly ...

(WASHINGTON – March 6, 2026) – Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to redefine how radiology is practiced, as well as highlight specific challenges for radiology departments, according to new research from the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR). The JACR Focus Issue on Impact of AI on Workflow Optimization offers a collection of invited research and reviews that explore the ways in which AI technology is being regularly utilized across practice types. “When thoughtfully implemented, AI can complement human expertise and improve efficiency and patient care,” said ...

Rice University has signed an $8.1 million cooperative agreement to lead the United States Space Force University Consortium/Space Strategic Technology Institute 4 (SSTI), called the Center for Advanced Space Sensing Technologies (CASST) at Rice. Led by David Alexander, director of the Rice Space Institute, CASST will bring new technologies to advance remote sensing and sensemaking from space.  The research team includes Rice professors and staff Kevin Kelly, Tomasz Tkaczyk, Kaden Hazzard, Mark Jernigan and Vinod Veedu, as well as collaborators ...

LA JOLLA, CA—Every time we feel a gentle tap on the skin, specialized nerve cells convert that physical force into an electrical signal the brain can interpret as touch. While scientists have long known that a protein called PIEZO2 acts as a key sensor for touch, it remained unclear why PIEZO2 is specialized for the localized mechanical forces experienced by sensory neurons, whereas its close relative PIEZO1 responds to broader mechanical stresses such as those generated when cells stretch, as occurs in blood vessels. Now, a new study from Scripps Research ...

  The greatest impacts would be concentrated in the northern lowlands of the country, potentially shifting cocoa cultivation toward higher elevations, especially in the Andean foothills. However, the areas where most of the country’s cocoa is currently produced would maintain favorable climate conditions.  Wild cocoa and agroforestry systems are emerging as complementary solutions: the former as a source of genes to develop more resilient varieties, and the latter to create more stable growing conditions in the face of climate change.  The study was published in the scientific journal Regional ...

DALLAS, March 6, 2026 — At time when trust in health information is at unprecedented risk, the American Heart Association today welcomed new findings from the independent Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) at the University of Pennsylvania suggesting that Americans consider the Association the most trusted source of public health information after their personal physician. According to the APPC poll, more than 8 in 10 (82%) U.S. adults say they are confident in the American Heart Association ...

A research team has developed a new strategy to improve catalysts used to remove nitrogen oxides from industrial emissions. By using ethanol during catalyst preparation, the scientists significantly enhanced the performance of manganese based carbon catalysts, achieving very high pollution removal efficiency at relatively low temperatures. The findings were published in the journal Sustainable Carbon Materials. Nitrogen oxides, commonly referred to as NOx, are major air pollutants produced during fossil fuel combustion in power plants and heavy industries. These gases contribute to smog formation, acid rain, and environmental and health problems. ...

Soil erosion is widely known for degrading land and reducing agricultural productivity. But new research shows it may also play a far more complex and important role in regulating the global nitrogen cycle, a fundamental process that supports plant growth and ecosystem health. In a new review published in Nitrogen Cycling, researchers synthesized current scientific knowledge on how soil erosion affects nitrogen transport, storage, and transformation in terrestrial ecosystems. The study reveals that erosion can significantly reshape how nitrogen moves through landscapes, with important implications for ...

Scientists have uncovered how different types of biochar influence the movement of water in agricultural soils that contain excessive phosphorus, offering new insights into how farmers can reduce nutrient loss and protect surrounding water bodies. In a new study, researchers investigated how two widely available agricultural biochars affect water infiltration and leakage in phosphorus enriched vegetable soils. The findings suggest that biochar made from rice husks can significantly slow water movement through soil, potentially reducing the risk of phosphorus leaching and improving water retention for crops. Vegetable production systems ...