LAWRENCE — A new study appearing in Nature Microbiology analyzes soils sampled across the state of Kansas to determine the importance of “legacy effects” — or how soils from a specific location are influenced by microbes that have evolved in response to the specific climate at that site for many years. “The bacteria and fungi and other organisms living in the soil can actually end up having important effects on things that matter, like carbon sequestration, nutrient movement and what we’re particularly interested in — ...

What if everything we know about T. rex growth is wrong? A complete tyrannosaur skeleton has just ended one of paleontology’s longest-running debates – whether Nanotyrannus is a distinct species, or just a teenage version of Tyrannosaurus rex.  The fossil, part of the legendary “Dueling Dinosaurs” specimen unearthed in Montana, contains two dinosaurs locked in prehistoric combat: a Triceratops and a small-bodied tyrannosaur. That tyrannosaur is now confirmed to be a fully grown ...

Washington, DC—Our galaxy’s most abundant type of planet could be rich in liquid water due to formative interactions between magma oceans and primitive atmospheres during their early years, according to new research published in Nature by Carnegie’s Francesca Miozzi and Anat Shahar. Of the more than 6,000 known exoplanets in the Milky Way, so-called Sub-Neptunes are the most common. They are smaller than Neptune and more massive than Earth and believed to have rocky interiors with thick hydrogen-dominated ...

Systemic light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a rare and life-threatening disorder characterized by the deposition of misfolded immunoglobulin light chains as insoluble amyloid fibrils in various tissues and organs, leading to progressive structural and functional impairment. Commonly affected sites include the heart, kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract, and nervous system, with cardiac involvement being the primary determinant of prognosis. Due to its nonspecific clinical presentation and multisystem nature, AL amyloidosis is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, ...

Lactate, once considered a metabolic waste product, is now recognized as a key regulator of cellular homeostasis and disease progression. In gynecological malignancies—including ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers—lactate accumulation drives a novel post-translational modification known as lactylation. This modification serves as a critical bridge between metabolic reprogramming and epigenetic regulation, promoting tumor proliferation, metastasis, and therapy resistance. Emerging therapeutic strategies targeting lactate production, transport, and lactylation itself show significant anticancer potential, particularly when combined with immunotherapy. This ...

Background and objectives Emerging evidence implicates immune dysregulation and neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of epilepsy, yet the causal mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the causal effects of immune cells and inflammatory proteins on epilepsy and evaluate the mediating role of inflammatory proteins. Methods This study utilized the largest available genome-wide association study data on immune cell phenotypes and inflammatory proteins as exposures, and epilepsy genome-wide association study data from the FinnGen dataset as outcomes. Five Mendelian randomization (MR) methods were applied within a two-sample MR framework to assess causal effects. Furthermore, ...

About The Study: The results of this cohort study suggest that, for older adults, poor olfaction as assessed by a single smell identification test is associated with a higher coronary heart disease risk. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Honglei Chen, PhD, email chenho19@msu.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2025.3740) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that maintaining a moderate level of physical activity of approximately 17 metabolic equivalent task-hours/week (i.e., 5 hours of brisk walking or 2 hours of running each week) over 3 decades was sufficient to achieve optimal benefit in reducing digestive system cancer risk.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Edward L. Giovannucci, MD, ScD, email egiovann@hsph.harvard.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2025.4185) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, ...

About The Study: The findings of this study highlight the persistence of misbeliefs and knowledge gaps about the link between alcohol and cancer among U.S. adults, which may contribute to the continuous increase in alcohol consumption. Individuals who drink alcohol were more likely to believe that alcohol consumption has no effect on cancer risk, which is alarming, given the growing burden of alcohol-related cancers in the U.S.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Sanjay Shete, PhD, email sshete@mdanderson.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media ...

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in collaboration with BostonGene, conducted the largest and most comprehensive molecular analysis of renal medullary carcinoma (RMC), a rare and aggressive form of kidney cancer, leading to the identification of TROP2 as a promising therapeutic target.  What is the key discovery in this research and why is it significant? By evaluating 25 patient samples, the researchers identified overexpression of TROP2 and several other cell-surface proteins in RMC, as well as upregulation of the Hippo pathway. These findings led to the exploration of sacituzumab govitecan, a TROP2-targeted antibody-drug ...

Some common hormonal contraceptives are linked to a slightly higher risk of breast cancer than others. This is shown by a new Swedish study from Uppsala University, in which researchers followed more than two million women and teenage girls in Sweden to identify how different hormonal contraceptives affect the risk of breast cancer. Peer-review / Observational study / Women In Sweden, hundreds of thousands of women use hormonal contraceptives every year. Over time, new products have been developed – from combined contraceptive pills ...

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, affecting 1 in 4 people during their lifetime. Stroke happens when blood vessels in the brain get clogged or damaged, impairing blood flow and oxygen supply to the brain, which leads to death of neurons and other brain cells. Although brain damage can be limited by interventions to restore blood flow, most stroke survivors experience some lifelong impairments of e.g. speech, movement, or cognitive function.   Despite the existence of immature stem cells in the brain, their role in repair is uncertain and the brain’s ...

If cancer is a disease of overabundance, where cells divide without restraint and tumors grow despite the body’s best interests, then degenerative diseases are disorders of deprivation. When malfunctions occur in the biological machinery our muscles or our brains use for renewal and repairs, these tissues gradually wither. This kind of decline is the hallmark of diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease or Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Scientists have long sought to develop treatments that enhance the muscle’s self-renewal capabilities ...

More than half of American adults misunderstand or underestimate the link between alcohol consumption and cancer  Alcohol drinkers are especially likely to believe that drinking has no effect on cancer risk Correcting these misbeliefs may strengthen adherence to U.S. Surgeon General’s alcohol consumption guidelines to lower cancer risk HOUSTON, OCTOBER 30, 2025 – Despite clear evidence linking alcohol use to increased cancer risks, public awareness of this connection remains low in the U.S., according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson ...

(Toronto, October 30, 2025) JMIR Publications invites submissions to a new section titled "Digital Health Strategic Planning" in its open access journal Journal of Medical Internet Research. The premier, peer-reviewed journal is indexed in in all major literature indices including National Library of Medicine(NLM)/MEDLINE, PubMed, PMC, Scopus, DOAJ, Clarivate (which includes Web of Science (WoS)/ESCI/SCIE), and others. The integration of digital health into global policy, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and rapid technological progress, has highlighted a critical need for systematic digital ...

A research team led by the Medical University of Vienna, the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences and the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest has developed a groundbreaking new chemotherapeutic agent, LiPyDau, which shows remarkable efficacy against multiple tumor types in preclinical studies. Published in the leading journal Molecular Cancer, the study introduces a highly promising strategy for tackling drug-resistant cancers. Chemotherapy remains a cornerstone of cancer treatment despite well-known ...

WASHINGTON — Researchers have developed a new technology that can shape the spectrum of light emitted from a laser frequency comb across the visible and near-infrared wavelengths with more precision than previously possible. This advance could provide an important new tool in the hunt for Earth-like planets outside our solar system. When searching for exoplanets, astronomers use high-precision spectroscopy to detect tiny shifts in starlight that reveal a star’s subtle “wobble” due to an orbiting planet. But for Earth-sized planets, these wavelength changes are smaller than the spectrograph’s ...

TAMPA, FL, USA, October 30, 2025 – The Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition of leading medical virologists representing 80+ Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in 40+ countries, today announced the addition of three new Centers of Excellence: the USF Health Institute for Translational Virology and Innovation at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida, USA, the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Brazil, and the Pathogen Research Centre (PaRC) at Western University in Canada. With these additions, GVN strengthens its presence across the ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Young umbrella acacia trees in Africa survive severe drought by putting their natural processes into overdrive when water is in short supply, prioritizing continued growth over water conservation, new research shows. The study is the first genome-scale analysis of any African acacias and focuses on the umbrella acacia, an iconic feature of the African savanna. Researchers compared the genetic response to drought stress of the umbrella acacia (Vachellia tortilis) and one of its hundreds of relatives, the splendid thorn acacia (Vachellia robusta) more commonly found in wetter regions of East Africa. Results showed that ...

Oct. 30, 2025   An App, an Apple Watch and AI: UMass Amherst Creates a New Way for Researchers to Study Sleep Health   The new Apple Watch app will be incorporated into ongoing research examining links between disruptive sleep patterns and Alzheimer’s disease   AMHERST, Mass. — An app that turns consumer Apple Watches into tools for highly sophisticated sleep stage monitoring was developed by team of researchers led by professor Joyita Dutta at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The researchers say the app and corresponding AI code are convenient ...

Sharing happy moments with a partner may be good for older people’s health, lowering the level of the stress hormone cortisol in their bodies, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.   “We know from lots of research that positive emotions like happiness, joy, love and excitement are good for our health -- they’ve even been linked to living longer. But most of this research looks at people’s emotions as if they happen in isolation,” said study lead author Tomiko Yoneda, PhD, of the University of California Davis. “In real life, though, our most powerful positive emotions often happen when we’re connecting ...

Conventional approaches to cyborg insect preparation involve cutting antennae or cerci (sensory appendages) to implant electrodes, or using adhesives (like poly ionic liquid gels) to attach noninvasive films. “The methods have flaws: (1) Invasive implantation irreparably damages sensory organs, reducing the insect’s ability to detect obstacles and navigate; (2) Adhesive-based films degrade over time, cause exoskeleton harm during removal, and require skillful application—extending preparation time and limiting reuse; (3)Ethically, cutting appendages violates the “3Rs” framework (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) for humane animal research, raising concerns about ...

Gastric cancer remains a major global health challenge, characterized by high mortality and limited therapeutic efficacy, especially in advanced stages. With conventional treatments like surgery and chemotherapy often yielding suboptimal outcomes and significant side effects, there is an urgent need for safer and more effective alternatives. Scleromitrion diffusum (Willd.), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herb with a long history of use in oncology, has shown promising clinical potential against gastric cancer. This review systematically explores the ...

Recent research led to impactful achievements in advanced imaging strategies using intelligent micro/nanomotors (MNMs), which offer transformative solutions to traditional bioimaging paradigms by enabling enhanced detection sensitivity and real-time tracking of subcellular events and microenvironmental changes. Nevertheless, full realization of deep-tissue imaging and high resolution remains challenging to achieve, often limited by inherent constraints such as poor penetration depth and signal degradation. Based on research experience in this field, the study ...

To many people, nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, is only known as a party drug or from the dentist. However, the nitrogenous substance also contributes significantly to global warming. As a greenhouse gas, its effect in the atmosphere is almost three hundred times more powerful than that of CO2, and it also attacks the ozone layer. “The emission of this almost forgotten greenhouse gas is decisive for the global climate,” says Dr. Claudia Frey from the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Basel. The biogeochemist ...