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 ...

Why are we able to recall only some of our past experiences? A new study led by Jun Nagai at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Japan has an answer. Surprisingly, it turns out that the brain cells responsible for stabilizing memories aren’t neurons. Rather, they are astrocytes, a type of glial cell that is usually thought of as a role player in the game of learning and memory. Published in the scientific journal Nature on Oct 15, the study shows how emotionally intense experiences like fear biologically ...

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Consumers are more likely to choose a higher-priced item when it’s correlated with messages that emphasize an increase in the product’s positive attributes—rather than a reduction in its negative ones. When deciding between two products, consumers don’t just compare costs, they also respond to how the relationship between the cost and product attributes is described. A new Washington State University study shows that people perceive a stronger link between price and product attributes when the relationship is ...

October 15, 2025 – A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier, found that discontinuing universal free school meal (UFSM) policies significantly increases school meal debt, student stigma, and declines in participation. The research, based on a survey of nearly 1,000 school food authorities (SFAs) across eight states, also found that states continuing UFSM through state-level policies reported more stable revenues and greater student access to nutritious meals. Researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey in the spring of 2023 with 941 SFAs from states that either ...

As a revolutionary 3D cell culture system, organoids bridge the gap between traditional 2D models and animal studies. This review synthesizes the current state of organoid engineering, from fundamental methods to transformative applications. Organoid Construction Key methods enable the generation of complex organoids: Air-Liquid Interface (ALI) Culture: Ideal for modeling hollow organs and co-culturing with immune cells to study the tumor microenvironment. Bioreactor Culture: Uses agitation to enhance nutrient exchange, supporting ...

In a Policy Forum, Dawson White and colleagues argue that international drug policy must distinguish between the coca leaf – a sacred plant long cultivated in South America – and its purified chemical derivative, cocaine. The World Health Organization’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) is now reassessing the plant’s status, which, according to the authors, presents a rare opportunity to realign global drug policy with scientific evidence and Indigenous rights. Currently, the coca bush is classified under international law as a Schedule I drug, a group that also includes cocaine and heroin. While these drugs have a well-documented history of addiction and harm, ...

The Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN), in collaboration with the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), has developed a comprehensive roadmap toward an integrated biological and environmental data network. The initiative, known as the Building an Integrated, Open, Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (BIOFAIR) Data Network project, addresses the urgent need to connect fragmented data held in biodiversity collections and other biological and environmental data repositories to tackle pressing societal challenges, including biodiversity loss, climate change, invasive ...

SAN ANTONIO — October 15, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and 8 Rivers have patented a system that leverages fluctuations in energy demand by using liquid oxygen storage (LOX) to make power plants more cost-effective and efficient. To accomplish this, the Institute modified a recently developed power cycle, the Allam-Fetvedt Cycle, which combusts fuel, like natural gas, using an oxygen and carbon dioxide mixture to allow complete carbon capture, producing minimal greenhouse gas emissions. The Allam-Fetvedt Cycle ...

For thousands of years, people in the Andes have chewed the leaves of the coca plant to stave off hunger, treat altitude sickness, and sustain energy. Yet under international law, this ancient crop is treated as harshly as cocaine and fentanyl. Now, scientists say it’s time to end that contradiction. A new international perspective published in Science argues that scientific evidence clearly supports the coca leaf as a benign, useful, and culturally paramount crop plant that should be removed from the list of Schedule I substances – where it currently ...

When the experimental fusion system known as JT-60SA comes online in 2026, it will be the world’s largest fusion machine: a crowning achievement for Japan and Europe, which partnered to build it. Now, the research team has turned to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) for critical measurement equipment. The effort is part of a new agreement between PPPL, the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) of Japan and Europe’s Fusion for Energy (F4E), allowing for broader collaboration between the researchers. “PPPL is among the first U.S. institutions to have its equipment installed ...