Food insecurity affects about 1 in 13 (7.8%) U.K. households, with higher rates of food insecurity found in Black British households and people with long-term mental health conditions, according to a new study published October 15, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Maddy Power of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U.K., and colleagues. Food insecurity—defined as limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods—has become an increasingly urgent public health concern in the U.K. In the new study, researchers analyzed data from the 2019/20 Family Resource ...

At least eight bat species commute or forage over pig farms in Northern Italy, and the frequent absence of physical barriers and biosafety measures preventing contact between bats or bat feces and pigs could increase exposure risks to the diverse coronaviruses that circulate in these species Article URL: http://plos.io/4mQ5Scy Article title: A multi-disciplinary approach to identify spillover interfaces of bat coronaviruses to pig farms in Italy Author countries: Italy, U.K. Funding: The present work was supported by the First International ICRAD call under grant agreement N◦ 862605, ID 95 ConVErgence. END ...

Strictly embargoed until 15 October, 2025 at 14:00 (2:00 pm) U.S. Eastern Time A new study published in Science Advances and led by the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology uncovers how flexibility made the difference between survival and extinction. By analyzing fossil teeth from Vietnam and Laos, an international team reconstructed the diets and habitats of extinct, extirpated, and still-living species. The results show that animals with varied diets and habitats were more likely to endure, while narrow specialists largely disappeared. The team examined 141 fossil teeth dating from 150,000 to 13,000 years ago and combined them with existing records. Using stable isotope analysis ...

When starting college, many young people report adopting pro-environmental behaviors such as active travel (e.g. walking, biking) and reduced meat consumption, so targeted interventions in these transition moments could be especially effective.  Article URL: https://plos.io/4pZVamA Article Title: Shifting horizons: Significant life events and pro-environmental behaviour change in early adulthood Author Countries: United Kingdom Funding: This work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC), under the project “Understanding and leveraging ‘moments of change’ for pro-environmental behaviour shifts” [grant number: 820235 to LW; KM; MG; NN] ...

Researchers developed a soft robotic skin that enables vine robots that are just a few millimeters wide to navigate convoluted paths and fragile environments. To accomplish this, the researchers integrated a very thin layer of actuators made of liquid crystal elastomer at strategic locations in the soft skin. The robot is steered by controlling the pressure inside its body and temperature of the actuators. The researchers showed that a robot equipped with this skin could successfully navigate a model of the arteries in a human body. The robot also was able to navigate a model of the interior of a jet engine.  The research team published their results ...

Researchers have created a class of robots made from thin sheets of material that can snap into hundreds of stable shapes – allowing them to execute a wide variety of actions despite the fact that they have no motor and are made of a single, flat material. These “metabots” essentially resemble animated sheets of plastic, capable of moving around a surface or grasping objects. “We start out with simple polymer sheets that have holes into them, but by applying thin films to the surface of the polymer we’re able to incorporate ...

Starting university doesn’t just change where students live or study; it can also lead to changing their habits. New research from the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST) at the University of Bath shows that young people are more likely to adopt sustainable behaviours, like recycling and active travel, during major life transitions. The study, published in PLOS Climate, tracking hundreds of 16–24-year-olds, examined two “moments of change”: the move from school to university and the sudden disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both events reshaped daily routines, offering opportunities ...

New research has unravelled the mystery of how microscopic cilia coordinate to move and propel marine creatures through water. Cilia are tiny, hair-like protrusions found in many organisms, including humans and many aquatic animals. Almost all marine plankton have a life stage where they have cilia, which act like microscopic oars,  fundamental to the organism’s  ability to feed, move and disperse through water, avoid predators, and select suitable habitats. Proper coordination of cilia is essential for the normal physiology of many organisms, from single cells to humans. Yet despite decades of research, the mechanisms ...

New research by UCLA Health has identified a sex-chromosome linked gene that drives inflammation in the female brain, offering insight into why women are disproportionately affected by conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis as well as offering a potential target for intervention. The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, used a mouse model of multiple sclerosis to identify a gene on the X chromosome that drives inflammation in brain immune cells, known as microglia. Because females have two X chromosomes, as opposed to only one in males, they get a “double ...

A groundbreaking international study changes the view that exposure to the toxic metal lead is largely a post-industrial phenomenon. The research reveals that our human ancestors were periodically exposed to lead for over two million years, and that the toxic metal may have influenced the evolution of hominid brains, behaviour, and even the development of language. Moreover, the study – published in Science Advances – adds a piece to the puzzle of how humans outcompeted their cousins, the Neanderthals. Brain organoid models with Neanderthal genetics were more susceptible ...

The uplift of East Africa during the Miocene epoch dramatically transformed the region’s climate and ecosystems, promoting the expansion of grassland and reshaping habitats for mammals and early hominoids. This is revealed in a new study published in Science Advances by researchers at Stockholm University, ETH Zurich, and the Swedish Museum of Natural History. ”Our results show that tectonic uplift, combined with declining CO₂ during the Middle Miocene Climate Transition, substantially reduced forest cover and ...

Human Organ Chip technology sets stage for pan-influenza A CRISPR RNA therapies  Human lung alveolus chip infection model enables investigation of viral replication, inflammatory responses, and genetic off-target effects of a novel pan-influenza CRISPR therapy By Benjamin Boettner Boston – The Influenza A virus (IAV) has been the cause of six major flu pandemics, responsible for 50 to 100 million deaths globally. In the U.S. alone, it is estimated that, despite seasonally updated vaccines, ...

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered a previously unrecognized mechanism by which Staphylococcus aureus — one of the most common causes of skin and soft tissue infections worldwide — delays wound healing. The new study reveals that quorum sensing — a process in which bacteria communicate and coordinate behavior with one another — is a key driver of delayed healing in wounds infected by S. aureus. The findings suggest that by using drugs to interfere with quorum sensing, it could be possible to enhance wound healing without relying on antibiotics, reducing the risk of resistance and improving healing ...

SAN ANTONIO — Patrick Giam, M.D., FASA, physician partner at U.S. Anesthesia Partners in Houston, assistant professor of clinical anesthesiology at the Houston Methodist Academic Institute, clinical assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College and adjunct clinical assistant professor of the Texas A&M School of Medicine was today named president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), the nation’s largest organization of anesthesiologists. Dr. Giam assumed office at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2025 annual meeting and will serve ...

Tendinopathy is a degenerative disease involving tendons, primarily caused by degenerative changes in the collagen fibers within the tendon. Current treatment methods for tendinopathy are diverse, including non-surgical and surgical approaches. Non-surgical treatments mainly consist of rest and immobilization, physical therapy, pharmacological interventions, and traditional Chinese massage, aiming to alleviate pain, reduce inflammation, promote tendon repair, and restore function. For patients with severe conditions or those unresponsive to conservative treatments, surgical interventions ...

SAN ANTONIO — October 15, 2025 — Dr. Pablo Bueno of Southwest Research Institute’s Mechanical Engineering Division has been named an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). AIAA Associate Fellows are recognized for overseeing important engineering or scientific work, outstanding contributions to their field or original work of exceptional caliber. Associate Fellows must be recommended by at least three other associate fellows, be a senior member in good standing of the ...

New study reveals, for the first time, a tidal disruption event (TDE), where a black hole tears apart a star, occurring outside the center of a galaxy that produced exceptionally strong and rapidly evolving radio signals. This rare discovery shows that supermassive black holes can exist and remain active far from galactic cores, challenging current understanding of where such black holes reside and how they behave. The event’s delayed and powerful radio outbursts also suggest previously unknown ...

New study on a ‘portfolio approach’ to carbon removal enables firms to mix expensive tech-based solutions that inject carbon deep underground with lower-cost and currently more available nature-based options.   The research can identify which corporate portfolios could best stabilise global temperatures over centuries and suggests that, with the right ‘buffer’, even those projects at higher risk of carbon re-release – such as forests and biochar – could help towards this long-term goal.   However, ...

KANSAS CITY, MO — October 15, 2025 — Stem cells in most organisms typically take cues from adjacent cells. But new research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research reveals planarian stem cells ignore their nearest neighbors and instead respond to signals further away in the body. This discovery may help explain the flatworm’s extraordinary ability to regenerate — and could offer clues for developing new ways to replace or repair tissues in humans. The study, published in Cell Reports on October 15, 2025, and led by Postdoctoral Research Associate Frederick “Biff” ...

The trunks and branches of trees in Australia's tropical rainforests – also known as woody biomass – have become a net source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, according to a new international study.   According to the team behind the Nature study, which includes experts from The Australian National University (ANU), Australia’s wet tropics are the first globally to show this response to climate change. The rising temperature, air dryness and droughts caused by human-driven climate change are likely the major culprits. Usually, tropical forests absorb more carbon than they release – what's known as a carbon sink. Woody ...

About The Study: In this cohort study of pregnancies exposed to messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines in the first trimester, exposure was not associated with an increased risk of any major congenital malformations, overall, by organ group, or by individual major congenital malformation, supporting the safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in early pregnancy.  Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Clement Bernard, MSc (clement.bernard@ansm.sante.fr) and Mahmoud Zureik, MD, PhD (mahmoud.zureik@ansm.sante.fr). To ...

About The Study: In this study, major adverse cardiovascular event risk varied significantly by medication class, with most protection achieved with sustained treatment with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) followed by sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is), sulfonylureas, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors. The magnitude of benefit of GLP-1RAs over SGLT2is depended on baseline age, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and kidney impairment. These results, along with consideration of cost, availability, and ...

A team of scientists led by Rutgers researchers has uncovered evidence that modern sea level rise is happening faster than at any time in the past 4,000 years, with China’s coastal cities especially at risk. The scientists examined thousands of geological records from a number of sources, including ancient coral reefs and mangroves, which serve as natural archives of past sea levels. They reconstructed sea level changes going back nearly 12,000 years, which marks the beginning of the current geological epoch, the Holocene, which followed the last major ice age. Reporting in Nature, their findings show that since 1900, global ...

Hundreds of new viruses living inside bacteria within our gut have been discovered in an international study led by Professor Jeremy J. Barr from Monash University’s School of Biological Sciences and Associate Professor Sam Forster from Hudson Institute of Medical Research. These viruses, known as bacteriophages, could eventually be used to reshape the gut microbiome, potentially influencing gut health and the progression of various disease states. Published in Nature, the study is the first of its kind and uses a large-scale, culture-based approach to isolate and ...

The prevalence of obesity in the United States could rise sharply under a new definition of obesity released earlier this year by the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology Commission. Researchers from Mass General Brigham found that when applying the new criteria, which expands upon the traditional use of body mass index (BMI) to include measures of body fat distribution, the prevalence of obesity increased from about 40 percent to about 70 percent among over 300,000 people included in their study. The rise was even more pronounced ...