A new study has revealed that sunlight can transform common synthetic fabrics into tiny plastic fibers that pollute coastal oceans. The findings shed light on how clothing and household textiles contribute to the growing problem of microplastic pollution in marine environments. Scientists from the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences and Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology examined how different colored polyester fabrics break down when exposed to sunlight in seawater. They discovered that long-term exposure to ultraviolet light can convert polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a ...

Giving antibiotics to women within 24 hours of an obstetric tear during childbirth is associated with a reduced risk of larger/clinically relevant wound complications, find the results of a clinical trial from Denmark published by The BMJ today. The researchers say this finding supports the use of preventive (prophylactic) antibiotics after a second degree tear or episiotomy, which affects millions of women each year across the globe. But more research is needed to determine which patients are most at risk of "clinically relevant" ...

Even when blood pressure is well controlled, older adults whose blood pressure fluctuates widely from one heartbeat to the next may be at greater risk for brain shrinkage and nerve cell injury, according to a new study led by the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. The study, first published online in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease on October 17, reveals that short-term “dynamic instability” in blood pressure — moment-to-moment changes measured over just minutes ...

The microbiome—the trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live quietly in our body—plays a crucial role in shaping human health by providing a variety of micronutrients necessary for vital functions. But these tiny microorganisms can provide even more extraordinary benefits by reaching deep inside cells to accurately decode the genetic information that makes proteins, the building blocks of life.  In a recent article published in Nature Cell Biology, University of Chicago researchers ...

Emergency departments (EDs) hold a unique position for treating people from rural areas, as many patients from these regions have limited access to primary care services. According to a new study from the University of Missouri School of Medicine, a pilot program involving ED staff could help fulfill the unmet needs of pediatric patients and their families. The Mizzou study evaluated a pilot program called Tigers ConnectED, which was designed to identify and assist families visiting the pediatric emergency department who might be facing challenges outside of traditional medical ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Renewable energy sources like wind and solar generation now account for over 20% of electricity in the U.S. — and keep growing after large-scale production more than doubled since 2000. Still, high-profile power failures illustrate persistent challenges from the lack of available capacity to provide enough energy at times of need, said Chiara Lo Prete, an associate professor of energy economics in the John and Willie Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering at Penn State. The issue isn’t ...

•    Mass General Brigham researchers showed that all trial participants with knee osteoarthritis, meniscal tear, and knee pain improved  •    Participants who received a home exercise program as well as standard or sham physical therapy (PT) had a small additional improvement compared with those who received the home exercise program without PT  •    Outcomes in those receiving standard and sham PT were similar People with a meniscal tear and osteoarthritis prescribed home exercises with or without physical therapy reported substantial improvements in knee pain, according to a new ...

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Oct. 29, 2025 — Scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in collaboration with researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, have made a breakthrough in understanding why many cancer patients develop nerve damage after chemotherapy. Their new study reveals that a stress response inside certain immune cells can trigger this debilitating side effect. This discovery could open the door to new ways to prevent or treat nerve damage in cancer patients. The study was published online ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a specific immune cell that can be targeted to give a boost to standard immunotherapies for cancer. Two research teams, working collaboratively but using distinct approaches, found that "first-responder" immune cells known as myeloid cells can be manipulated to enhance the activity of tumor-killing T cells. The finding suggests that enhanced myeloid cells may boost certain immune checkpoint therapies, which are the standard of care for some cancers but may not have lasting effects. A clinical trial is now being developed at Mayo Clinic to test the enhanced cells in ...

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 ...