Every human face is unique, allowing us to distinguish between individuals. We know little about how facial features are encoded in our DNA, but we may be able to learn more about how our faces develop by looking at our ancient relatives, the Neanderthals. Neanderthal faces were quite distinctive from our own, with large noses, pronounced brows and a robust lower jaw. Now, scientists from the MRC Human Genetics Unit in the Institute of Genetics and Cancer at the University of Edinburgh, UK, are using the DNA of our extinct ...

A research team from Trinity College Dublin has unveiled a groundbreaking new approach to vaccination that could redefine how we protect against respiratory infections. In a landmark study published in Nature Microbiology, the team demonstrated that their nasally-delivered, antibiotic-inactivated Bordetella pertussis (AIBP) vaccine not only prevents severe disease but also curbs bacterial transmission — an achievement long sought by vaccine developers worldwide. The work, led by Professor Kingston Mills and Dr Davoud Jazayeri of Trinity’s School of Biochemistry ...

What makes some plastics stick to metal without any glue? Osaka Metropolitan University scientists peered into the invisible adhesive zone that forms between certain plastics and metals — one atom at a time — to uncover how chemistry and molecular structure determine whether such bonds bend or break. Their insights clarify metal–plastic bonding mechanisms and offer guidelines for designing durable, lightweight, and more sustainable hybrid materials for use in transportation. Combining the strength of metal with the lightness and flexibility of plastic, polymer–metal hybrid structures are emerging as key elements for building lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles. ...

A new study reveals that the impact humans are having on the Amazon rainforest is so profound it is even changing the evolutionary history and functionality of the forests. As the world gathers at COP30 to discuss climate in the world’s largest rainforest, the focus is often on the carbon that these forests either store or sequester. However, tropical forests are much more than just carbon: they are among the biggest reservoirs of biodiversity on the planet. For example, the Amazon holds up to 16,000 species of tree alone, with a single hectare frequently holding more than 300 species. In comparison, the UK has just 32 species of ...

Routine screening is limited to only a few cancer types. New research indicates that routine liquid biopsy testing (multi-cancer early detection testing) could substantially reduce late-stage cancer diagnoses, allowing patients to receive treatment at earlier cancer stages, which are more likely to respond to interventions. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Currently, routine screening is only recommended for four types of cancer, leaving approximately 70% of new cancer cases to be detected only after symptoms appear, often at an advanced stage when survival ...

Chronic fatigue syndrome leaves patients exhausted and struggling with brain fog — and it typically gets worse after mental or physical exercise, a phenomenon called post-exertional malaise. Now scientists investigating shortness of breath in chronic fatigue patients have discovered that they are highly likely to experience dysfunctional breathing, which could be caused by dysautonomia, abnormal control of innervation to blood vessels and muscles. Targeting treatments towards these breathing problems ...

New Zealand — particularly the South Island/Te Waipounamu — is one of the most seismically active regions in the world. For this reason, the country has acknowledged the importance of building awareness and preparedness. In this kind of disaster communication, emotions — whether conscious or not — play a crucial role. Caroline Rowe, researcher at the Centre for Sustainability Research, University of Otago, New Zealand, explored this dimension, showing how risk communication can balance fear and anxiety with positive emotions such as fascination and confidence, using vivid imagery, ...

“People tend to joke about mood swings, saying ‘my mood swings throughout the day, I’m already a bit bipolar,’ or joke with each other saying ‘everything is bipolar.’ And it’s not quite like that, as bipolar disorder has a biological component.” This is one of the statements featured in a short trailer on YouTube about bipolar disorder. The video is connected to the play Oxímoro, entre Solstícios e Equinócios (Oxymoron, Between Solstices and Equinoxes) by Marionet, a Portuguese theatre company that brings scientific research topics to the stage. The play was developed through an in-depth collaboration with doctors, ...

A major study has found that people with eczema are able to bathe either daily or weekly, without any impact to their symptoms. The findings of the new study, which are published in the British Journal of Dermatology, are great news for people living with eczema, as it will mean they will have the freedom to choose how often to bathe without fear it will worsen their symptoms. People with eczema often have questions about how best to bathe including how often to have a bath or shower. The ‘Eczema Bathing study’, was prioritised and developed by people living with eczema, in partnership with researchers from ...

Children's access to NHS dentists and rates of tooth decay remain very poor despite improvements from national government interventions, oral health experts say.  Analysis of the latest government data by the Child of the North initiative gives cause for cautious optimism, they say, but the schemes need to be scaled up and strengthened to meet the needs of young people across the country.  The latest update, titled Improving Children’s Oral Health Update: Integrated Health and Education Solutions, is the seventh to be released ...

The risk of dying is six times higher among patients who become short of breath after being admitted to hospital, according to research published today (Monday) in ERJ Open Research [1]. Patients who were in pain were not more likely to die.   The study of nearly 10,000 people suggests that asking patients if they are feeling short of breath could help doctors and nurses to focus care on those who need it most.   The study is the first of its kind and was led by Associate Professor Robert Banzett from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, ...

Existing evidence does not clearly link paracetamol (acetaminophen) use during pregnancy with autism or ADHD in children, finds an in-depth evidence review published by The BMJ today, in direct response to recent announcements around the safety of using paracetamol in pregnancy. The researchers say confidence in the findings of existing evidence reviews and studies on this topic is low to critically low, and suggest that any apparent effect seen in previous studies may be driven by shared genetic and environmental factors within families. Regulatory bodies, clinicians, pregnant women, parents, and those affected by autism and ADHD should be informed ...

Nov. 9, 2025--In the United States, one in every 250 people has inherited a genetic variant that leads to dangerously high cholesterol levels from birth.   If high cholesterol isn’t lowered early, people with this genetic condition, called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), have a high risk of having a heart attack or stroke as early as their 30s or 40s. But only about 1 in 10 of people living with FH (1.5 million Americans) is aware of their condition.  A new modeling study conducted by researchers at Columbia and Harvard Universities finds ...

In a major new study, researchers from Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City have found that weight loss drugs used by patients who have high triglycerides do not increase their risk of pancreatitis or adverse cardiac events. Since the first GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RAs), more commonly known now as weight loss drugs, were approved in 2005, some clinicians have been hesitant to prescribe them to people who have very high triglycerides. That’s because these patients are typically at high risk of pancreatitis, and the drugs interact with the pancreas.  In the new study, Intermountain researchers found that ...

A major analysis led by the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), in collaboration with international institutions, has pooled data from 17,801 myocardial infarction survivors with preserved cardiac function enrolled in five global clinical trials. The study concludes that beta-blockers offer no clinical benefit for this patient group, which today represents the majority of infarction survivors. The study was made possible by close collaboration between CNIC researchers and the ...

A tailored approach of vitamin D3 supplementation in patients who have suffered a heart attack significantly reduces their risk of a second heart attack, a new study from heart researchers at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City finds. In a large, randomized clinical trial, Intermountain Health researchers have found that treating heart attack patients in a “target to treat” fashion, where patients’ blood levels of vitamin D were monitored and vitamin D3 dosing adjusted to achieve optimal levels, cut their risk of a second heart attack in half. Results of the study were presented on Nov. 9 at the 2025 American Heart Association Scientific ...

A new study from researchers at Intermountain Health reveals that hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular complications — including heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and death — within five years of giving birth. The study found that women who experienced HDP during pregnancy were significantly more likely to develop serious cardiovascular-related issues compared to those without HDP. These findings underscore the growing body of evidence over the past two decades linking pregnancy-related hypertension to ...

Opening all blocked arteries with stents in patients with a heart attack, known as complete revascularization, reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular causes, death from any cause and future heart attacks compared with opening only culprit artery causing the heart attack according to a new, large international study led by researchers at the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), a joint organization of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences. The results were published simultaneously in The Lancet and presented in a Late-Breaking Clinical Science Featured Research ...

In cases of mild congenital heart defects, more prenatal visits are associated with greater likelihood of appropriate delivery at a community hospital, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Results suggest that more prenatal care is beneficial for families and may allow their newborns with mild heart defects to receive the right level of care closer to home, as opposed to traveling to a regional cardiac surgical center, which can be expensive, taxing and stressful for families. Congenital heart defects are the most common and resource-intensive birth defects in the United States. Infants with the most complex heart defects are usually directed ...

Drinking coffee can protect against atrial fibrillation (A-Fib), a common heart rhythm disorder that causes rapid, irregular heartbeat and can lead to stroke and heart failure. Doctors typically recommend that people with heart issues like A-Fib avoid caffeine out of fear that it will trigger symptoms. But a study by UC San Francisco and the University of Adelaid has concluded that drinking a cup of caffeinated coffee a day reduced A-Fib by 39%. “Coffee increases physical activity which is known to reduce atrial fibrillation,” said Gregory M. Marcus, MD, MAS, ...

Houston, TX (November 8, 2025) — A 5-year study revealed a stability of globalacute kidney injury (AKI)–related mortality rates with differing patterns that indicate a rising concentration of mortality in older populations and higher socioeconomiccountries. The findings will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2025 November 5– 9. When investigators at the Kyung Hee University Hospital in Seoul assessed AKI-related mortality trends in 43 countries from 1996–2021 using the WHO MortalityDatabase, they ...

Houston, TX (November 8, 2025) — The current kidney transplant waitlistingcriterion is based on a single measurement of kidney function (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] ≤20 ml/min/1.73m2) and does not consider an individual’s risk of progressing to kidney failure. A new study reveals that inclusion of a patient’s 2-year risk of progression to kidney failure (using theKidney Failure Risk Equation [KFRE], which incorporates age, ...

Houston, TX (November 8, 2025) — The cost of emergency dialysis is estimated to be 8-times that of in-center dialysis. A new study reveals that a transitional dialysis program piloted in Travis County (Austin, TX) resulted in a significant decrease in emergency department visits and hospital admissions for emergency dialysis by providing a pathway for outpatient dialysis in uninsured patients. Thefindings will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2025 November 5– ...

Houston, TX (November 8, 2025) — Metformin-associated lactic acidosis(MALA) is a rare but serious adverse effect of the diabetes drug metformin in which the body accumulates too much lactic acid. Investigators developed and tested a protocol for diagnosis and treatment of MALA. Their work will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2025 November 5– 9. The protocol, which included immediate initiation of dialysis using either intermittent hemodialysis, continuous kidney replacement therapy, or peritonealdialysis as treatment, ...

Houston, TX (November 8, 2025) — It can be challenging to identify which patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) will most benefit from conservative care rather than initiating dialysis. Researchers recently developed and validated a prediction model to estimate individualized survival probabilities with conservative non-dialytic management versus dialysis in patients with advanced CKD from the national Veterans Affairs and OptumLabs® DataWarehouse databases. The work will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2025 November 5–9. Investigators found that among veterans with advanced CKD who received dialyticversus ...