About 20% of U.S. adults experience major depression in their lifetime. For most people, symptoms improve within a few treatment attempts, but up to one-third of patients have treatment-resistant depression, for which standard antidepressant medication or psychotherapy isn’t enough. Now, a study shows that a small, implanted device may provide substantial, long-lasting relief to people with the most severe treatment-resistant depression. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. ...

A recent publication in Nature Medicine describes a novel immunotherapy targeting pancreatic cancer that has shown promising results in a first in-human phase 1/2 trial. The TACTOPS trial, which investigated the safety and clinical effects of autologous T cell therapy targeting multiple tumor antigens, was a collaboration between researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital. “We wanted to ...

Marsupials are a group of mammals that encompass many of Australia's most iconic animals, unique because of their geographically isolated evolution. Despite their household names, their microbiomes remain under-researched.   "Understanding marsupial gut microbiomes advances our knowledge of host-microbiome evolution, helps explain adaptations to challenging diets like eucalyptus, and supports conservation efforts for threatened species through improved health management,” says Kate Bowerman, a microbiologist at the University of Queensland (UQ) and co-author ...

Challenging a 50-year-old narrative about Hawaiʻi’s native birds, a new study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa found no scientific evidence that Indigenous People hunted waterbird species to extinction. Published in the journal Ecosphere, the research debunks this long-held myth and offers a new, integrated theory to explain the disappearances. Researchers found no evidence that Indigenous People over-hunted birds to extinction. Instead, the authors suggest a new theory: the birds died out because of a combination of climate change, invasive species,and changes in how the land was used—most of which happened either prior to Polynesian ...

Biochar has long been promoted as a climate-friendly soil amendment, but new research suggests that treating it as a one-size-fits-all solution may be limiting its full potential. A new open-access review published in Biochar shows that engineered biochar works best when it is carefully customized for specific agricultural and environmental goals, from boosting crop yields to suppressing soil-borne diseases and remediating contaminated land. The international research team reviewed more than a decade of studies on engineered biochar and its interactions in the rhizosphere, the thin zone of soil surrounding ...

A growing body of research suggests that combining enzymes with biochar, a carbon-rich material made from agricultural and organic waste, could transform how scientists clean polluted water and soil. A new review published in Biochar provides the most comprehensive overview to date of how biochar-immobilized enzymes work, why they are effective, and what challenges remain before the technology can be widely applied. Environmental pollution from industrial chemicals, dyes, pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, and heavy metals continues to threaten ecosystems and human health worldwide. Traditional treatment methods often rely on energy-intensive processes or chemical reagents that can ...

Researchers led by Yue Pan at Shenyang Agricultural University tested how swings between wet and dry conditions affect soil organic carbon breakdown in a clay loam Alfisol from Northeast China, and whether biochar can soften these impacts. The team incubated soils for 90 days under three moisture patterns and three levels of corn straw biochar to mimic the more extreme rainfall expected under climate change.​ The study showed that stronger moisture variability sped up soil organic carbon decomposition, increasing cumulative carbon dioxide release by up to 17.2 percent compared with constant moisture. At the same time, fluctuating moisture boosted soil microbial activity and shifted the ...

For decades, global efforts to combat climate change and protect biodiversity have relied on a high-tech promise: that satellite-derived maps can tell us exactly where the world's forests are. But a new study from the University of Notre Dame reveals that these digital baselines are often in sharp disagreement, creating confusion that threatens to undermine effective climate funding and international development efforts. Because these maps determine everything from carbon storage estimates to the enactment of conservation policies, even small discrepancies can have serious ...

NEW ORLEANS – Jan. 13, 2026 – Ochsner Health has appointed Dr. Timothy Riddell as its new executive vice president and chief operating officer. In this role, Dr. Riddell will oversee clinical operations across the system’s 47 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers. He plays a vital part in guiding Ochsner toward its long-term goals for sustainability and success.  Dr. Riddell brings 28 years of experience within the Ochsner group practice to his new position. He began his career with the health system as a family medicine resident in 1997. A Louisiana native, Dr. Riddell has spent decades caring for families across ...

As the warning label on every pack of cigarettes tells us, smoking is harmful. It’s the leading preventable cause of death, disease and disability. And yet, nearly 15 percent of adults in the United States still smoke.  “Most indicate they want to quit,” said Jeff Stein, an addiction researcher and assistant professor with Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. “But knowing that smoking affects your health isn’t enough to motivate people. The future is just too abstract and often doesn’t feel real.” If ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used to analyze medical images, materials data and scientific measurements, but many systems struggle when real-world data do not match ideal conditions. Measurements collected from different instruments, experiments or simulations often vary widely in resolution, noise and reliability. Traditional machine-learning models typically assume those differences are negligible — an assumption that can limit accuracy and trustworthiness. To address this issue, Penn State researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence framework with potential implications for fields ranging from Alzheimer’s disease ...

Stem Cell Reports, the peer-reviewed, open-access journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), today announced a call for applications to serve on its editorial team as an Early Career Editor, a prestigious opportunity for outstanding, early-career scientists to help shape the future of stem cell publishing. The deadline to apply is 13 March 2026. “Publishing in Stem Cell Reports and serving as an early career editor has given me unique insights into studies outside my immediate field, while reinforcing my commitment ...

Boulder, Colo., USA: Dr. Rowan Martindale, a paleoecologist and geobiologist at the University of Texas at Austin, was walking through the Dadès Valley in the Central High Atlas Mountains of Morocco when she saw something that literally stopped her in her tracks. Martindale and her colleagues, including Stéphane Bodin of Aarhus University, were trekking through the rocky valley to study the ecology of the ancient reef systems that once sat below sea level there. To get to the reefs, they first had to traverse through layers and layers of turbidites—deposits made by thick submarine ...

BATON ROUGE, La. – Pennington Biomedical researchers recently investigated the systems of the body that regulate weight, exploring whether our bodies defend an established weight target or if our bodies operate within a broader range of tolerance before biological mechanisms are activated. The paper, titled “Body weight regulation models in humans: insights for testing their validity,” which was recently published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology, examined competing body weight regulation models and analyzed how energy intake and expenditure interact ...

The Oceanography Society has selected Dr. Zhongping Lee of Xiamen University as the recipient of the 2026 Nils Gunnar Jerlov Medal, recognizing his transformative contributions to understanding how light interacts with the ocean, as well as his sustained leadership in education, interdisciplinary research, and collaborative work with meaningful societal impact. Dr. Lee will be recognized at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, as well as during the Ocean Optics XXVII Conference in Ghent, Belgium, in September 2026. Awarded biennially, the ...

Deborah S. Kelley, Professor in the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington, has been awarded the Wallace S. Broecker Medal by The Oceanography Society. This honor recognizes her innovative and impactful contributions to marine geoscience and chemical oceanography, her leadership in interdisciplinary and collaborative research, and her sustained commitment to education and mentorship. Dr. Kelley will receive this honor at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, and will also present a plenary lecture during the society awards session on February ...

According to a Phase I study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, published today in Nature Medicine, the novel monoclonal antibody linavonkibart demonstrated the potential to overcome treatment resistance to anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors in multiple cancer types. The trial was led by Timothy Yap, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., professor of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics and vice president and head of clinical development in MD Anderson’s Therapeutics Discovery division. “This ...

Large language models (LLM) can generate treatment recommendations for straightforward cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that align with clinical guidelines but fall short in more complex cases, according to a new study by Ji Won Han from The Catholic University of Korea and colleagues publishing January 13th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine. Choosing the most appropriate treatment for patients with liver cancer is complicated. While international treatment guidelines provide recommendations, clinicians must tailor their treatment choice based on cancer stage and liver function as well as other factors such as comorbidities. To assess whether LLMs can provide treatment ...

In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper in PLOS Medicine: https://plos.io/48KLRz7   Article title: Multiview deep-learning-enabled histopathology for prognostic and therapeutic stratification in stage II colorectal cancer: A retrospective multicenter study Author countries: China, United States Funding: see manuscript END ...

In a new study, terrestrial bacteria-infecting viruses were still able to infect their E. coli hosts in near-weightless “microgravity” conditions aboard the International Space Station, but the dynamics of virus-bacteria interactions differed from those observed on Earth. Phil Huss of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S.A., and colleagues present these findings January 13th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology. Interactions between phages—viruses that infect bacteria—and their hosts play an integral role in microbial ecosystems. Often described as being in an ...

Therapies that target the utilization of fat by tumors and activate a type of cell death dependent on fat molecules may be a promising avenue to treat cancer, according to new research by UTHealth Houston. The findings were published today in Trends in Cancer and were co-led by Daniel E. Frigo, PhD, professor at  The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and a faculty member at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Researchers came to the conclusion through a review of 121 outside studies that examined the relationship between ...

Glenview, Illinois –The American College of Chest Physicians® (CHEST) recently released a new clinical guideline on biologic management in severe asthma. Published in the journal CHEST®, the guideline contains seven evidence-based recommendations to provide a framework for pulmonologists, allergists, and immunologists to implement in their own practice.  Severe asthma affects 5% to 10% of patients with asthma, which is defined as patients who require high-dose ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Clouds, smoke and fog may darken the skies, but sediment, algae blooms and organic matter can turn day into night on the seafloor. That’s why an international team of scientists have created the first framework to identify and compare these marine blackouts. The study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, introduces the concept of a marine darkwave: a short-term but intense episode of underwater darkness that can severely impact kelp forests, seagrass beds and other light-dependent ...

Dopamine in the brain influences movement, learning, motivation and sleep. In humans, problems with dopamine are linked to conditions like Parkinson’s disease, depression and sleep disorders. While scientists know a great deal about how dopamine works in the brain, they know less about how the body controls dopamine levels. Understanding this could help treat diseases where dopamine is disrupted. In a new study published in iScience, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital (Duncan NRI) worked with the laboratory fruit fly to find new genes involved in regulating dopamine ...

More than 14,000 physicists from around the world will convene to present groundbreaking research at the American Physical Society’s Global Physics Summit. The conference will be held in person in Denver and online everywhere March 15-20. Scientific program The scientific program includes more than 12,000 individual presentations on new research in astrophysics, particle physics, quantum information science, biological physics, energy research, and more. For more information, search the scientific program. All times are in Mountain time. Hybrid format The Global Physics Summit will have both in-person and online experiences. The in-person ...