If current extinction trends continue, global shark populations will lose much of their variety, thereby threatening ecosystems where specialized species serve vital roles, researchers have found. In prowling Earth’s oceans for more than 400 million years, sharks have evolved into a delightfully diverse group. As popularly conveyed through children’s books, the famous fish range in size from palm-sized dwarf lanternsharks to school-bus-length whale sharks. Great whites, hammerheads, and many others serve key ecological roles as apex predators at the top of the food chain. According to previous research, one-third ...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a major unmet medical challenge, often resulting in permanent paralysis and disability with no effective treatments. Now, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have harnessed bioinformatics to fast-track the discovery of a promising new drug for SCI. The results will also make it easier for researchers around the world to translate their discoveries into treatments. One of the reasons SCI results in permanent disability is that the neurons that form our brain and spinal cord cannot effectively regenerate. Encouraging neurons to regenerate with drugs offers a promising ...

Amidation reactions are the most common reactions in the chemical industry. They are indispensable for a wide range of industrial production processes, but their ecological footprint is highly problematic. They generate large amounts of toxic waste and are energy-intensive. A team led by Dr Tobias Schnitzer, research group leader at the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Freiburg, is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop innovative, boronic acid-catalysed amidation reactions that do not ...

A new interactive web application allows for a tangible understanding of abstract concepts of quantum game theory. The Kobe University development parallels the emergent dialogue found in jazz and improvisational music and aims for a scientific exploration of creativity. For many of us, quantum mechanics, game theory and jazz are difficult concepts by themselves, and it is hard to imagine how they would combine. But Kobe University quantum engineer SOUMA Satofumi posits that not only can they fruitfully interact, but their combination also provides new avenues to understanding each of them. Through creating the world’s first browser-based interactive ...

About The Study: Over 11,000 physicians were sponsored for H-1B visas in fiscal year 2024, representing 1% of the U.S. physician workforce. H-1B–sponsored advanced practice providers (physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives), dentists, and other health care workers (podiatrists, chiropractors, and optometrists) accounted for a smaller share. The percentage of H-1B–sponsored physicians was nearly 2 times higher in rural compared with urban counties and nearly 4 times higher in the highest- vs lowest-poverty counties. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Rishi K. Wadhera, ...

Investigators at Mass General Brigham and the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have found that international doctors sponsored by H1-B visas in 2024 comprised nearly 1% of the entire physician workforce in the United States, with substantial variation in different counties’ reliance on H-1B-sponsored physicians and other healthcare professionals. The research, published in JAMA, comes out just weeks after a presidential proclamation that substantially increased employers’ fees for H1-B visa applications. “Our ...

SEATTLE, WASH. — October 29, 2025 — As flu season approaches and public health officials roll out their annual push for vaccination, Allen Institute scientists are learning why vaccines can trigger a weaker response in older adults, around age 65, and what can be done to improve them. These insights open the door to designing more effective vaccines. In the largest study of its kind, published in Nature, scientists discovered that our T cells—key players in coordinating immune responses—undergo profound and specific changes as we age. These changes, far from ...

The human body relies on precise genetic instructions to function, and cancer begins when these instructions get scrambled. When cells accumulate genetic errors over time, they can break free of the normal controls on their growth and divide excessively. Chromosomal abnormalities – numerical and structural defects in chromosomes – are a common first step in this process, often contributing to normal cells turning cancerous.  A new AI tool developed by researchers in the Korbel Group at EMBL Heidelberg now offers a powerful method to gain deep insights ...

Ribosomes are the cell's protein factories, which read the genetic code and assemble the proteins that every organism needs to live. But as far as how ribosomes themselves were formed, tantalizingly little was known.   Now, scientists have captured a key part of this process, in motion. The findings, published in Nature, combine artificial intelligence, cryo-electron microscopy, and genetics to reveal, in unprecedented detail, how cells coordinate, regulate, and safeguard the creation of the small ribosomal subunit—a machine central to forming every protein.  "We finally have a molecular movie of ribosome formation—we've ...

The pangenome is central to our understanding of cultivated plants such as oats, as it maps their entire genetic diversity. It encompasses not only genes that occur in all plants, but also those that are only present in certain species, serving as a kind of map. In turn, the pantranscriptome shows which genes are active in different tissues, such as leaves, roots and seeds, and at different stages of development. It serves as a gene expression atlas. However, understanding how genetic differences influence individual plant traits is challenging, particularly in the case of oats. The oat genome ...

As information zings from cell to cell inside the brain, bursts of electricity spur its transmission. At Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), scientists have turned their attention to the tiny pores that let charged ions enter a cell—and the molecular gatekeepers that help control them. CSHL structural biologist Hiro Furukawa studies NMDA receptors (NMDARs). These ion channels open in response to chemical signals from neurons or drugs. The channels must be carefully regulated. When they open too wide or stay shut ...

After vocal cord surgery, many patients develop stiff vocal folds that impact their ability to speak. Hydrogels can help prevent this by promoting healing, but delivering hydrogels to the vocal cords is difficult. Publishing October 29 in the Cell Press journal Device, a team of biomechanical engineers and surgeons have developed a 3D-printing soft robot that can accurately deliver hydrogels to the vocal cord surgical site to reconstruct tissues removed during surgery. The robot’s printhead is only 2.7 mm in size—the smallest bioprinter reported to date.   “Our device is designed not only for accuracy and printing ...

A newly identified genetic marker may significantly improve the ability to predict life-threatening reactions to the gout medication allopurinol in U.S. patients. While the gene HLA-B*58:01 has long been used to screen patients in Southeast Asia — where it accounts for nearly all cases of severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) — it misses more than one-third of patients at risk in the U.S. and up to 45% of Black individuals who would be at risk of severe reactions if prescribed. Now, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have discovered ...

About The Study: In this cohort study of patients infected with COVID-19, patients with serious mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or recurrent major depressive disorder) compared with those without serious mental illness were at increased risk of postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), underscoring the need for coordinated mental health and COVID-19 care strategies. PASC is defined as ongoing, relapsing, or new symptoms or other health effects occurring after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection (i.e., that present 4 weeks or more after the acute infection).  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Jyotishman ...

Scientists have identified hundreds of genes that may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease but the roles these genes play in the brain are poorly understood. This lack of understanding poses a barrier to developing new therapies, but in a recent study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital offer new insights into how Alzheimer’s disease risk genes affect the brain. “We studied fruit fly versions of 100 human Alzheimer’s disease risk genes,” said first author Dr. Jennifer Deger, ...

University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies announced a new white paper, “Autonomy and Competitive Edge: Mentorship as a Solution,” by Louise Underdahl, Ph.D., doctoral instructor and a research fellow with the University’s Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR), exploring how structured mentoring programs can help organizations address a growing crisis of worker autonomy, reduce burnout and improve retention.   Drawing on findings from the University of Phoenix Career Optimism Index® study and ...

A comprehensive new report published in the journal BioScience reveals that Earth's climate crisis is accelerating at an alarming rate, with 22 of 34 planetary vital signs now at record levels. The study, co-led by Dr. William J. Ripple of Oregon State University and Dr. Christopher Wolf of Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Associates, presents stark evidence that Earth is approaching climate chaos. The vital signs tracked in the report represent key indicators of human activities and their associated climate responses, including energy consumption, greenhouse ...

22 of the planet’s 34 vital signs are at record levels, with many of them continuing to trend sharply in the wrong direction. This is the message of the sixth issue of the annual “State of the climate” report. The report was prepared by an international coalition with contribution from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and led by Oregon State University scientists. Published today in BioScience, it cites global data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in proposing “high-impact” strategies. “The last few years have seen vital signs breaking their records by extraordinary margins, like surface ...

In a promising advance for cancer treatment, Northwestern University scientists have re-engineered the molecular structure of a common chemotherapy drug, making it dramatically more soluble and effective and less toxic.  In the new study, the team designed a new drug from the ground up as a spherical nucleic acid (SNA) — a nanostructure that weaves the drug directly into DNA strands coating tiny spheres. This design converts a poorly soluble, weakly performing drug into a powerful, targeted cancer killer that leaves healthy cells unharmed.  After developing the new therapy, the team tested it in a small animal model of acute myeloid leukemia ...

Lurking in the waters along our shorelines, a haunting presence is luring marine life to their untimely demise and trapping their spirits in an underwater purgatory. This isn’t the plot of a new Halloween blockbuster, it’s the unfortunate impact of derelict fishing equipment commonly known as “ghost traps.” William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS has awarded $1.8 million to 13 organizations throughout the U.S. focused on the removal of derelict fishing gear, which poses a significant threat to the sustainability of coastal ...

NEW YORK, NY— The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Grants for Junior Faculty. The Grants for Junior Faculty program provides up to $150,000 to junior faculty (MDs and PhDs) for 1-2 years to conduct research that will serve as the basis for longer term research efforts on the biology of aging.The major goal of this program is to assist in the development of the careers of early career investigators committed to pursuing careers ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – 2024 was the hottest year on record and likely the hottest in at least 125,000 years, according to an annual report issued by an international coalition led by Oregon State University scientists. “Without effective strategies, we will rapidly encounter escalating risks that threaten to overwhelm systems of peace, governance, and public and ecosystem health,” said co-lead author William Ripple. “In short, we’ll be on the fast track to climate-driven chaos, a dangerous trajectory for humanity.” Despite the sixth annual ...

American Pediatric Society Announces Bruce D. Gelb, MD, as Recipient of Its Prestigious 2026 APS John Howland Award New York, NY (October 29, 2025) – The American Pediatric Society (APS) has selected Bruce D. Gelb, MD, Gogel Family Chair and Director of The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute and Dean for Child Health Research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, as the recipient of the 2026 APS John Howland Award, the highest honor given in academic pediatrics. Established in 1952 ...

Daily interactions with friends, even through something as simple as a text message, may reduce momentary loneliness for caregivers tending to a family member with dementia.   Providing care for a loved one with dementia can be a difficult burden to bear, and caregivers can be especially vulnerable to loneliness. But social interactions, no matter how small, with friends and other family members can lower feelings of loneliness.   Crystal Ng, a research fellow at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, and colleagues studied 223 dementia caregivers, who reported their social interactions and loneliness every three hours over five days—showing ...

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a powerful tool that physicians can use to help diagnose their patients and has great potential to improve accuracy, efficiency and patient safety, it has its drawbacks. It may distract doctors, give them too much confidence in the answers it provides, and even lead them to lose confidence in their own diagnostic judgement. To ensure that AI is properly integrated into healthcare practice, a research team has provided a framework comprising five guiding questions aimed at supporting doctors in their patient care while not undermining their expertise through an over-reliance on AI. The framework was recently published in the peer-reviewed ...