Highlights: Biodegradation is an important natural process during oil spill cleanup. A new study revealed that using spill treating agents does not negatively impact naturally occurring biodegradation. Washington, D.C.—Using spill treating agents to clean up oil spills does not significantly hinder naturally occurring oil biodegradation, according to a new study. The study, published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology, provides information that will be useful in future oil ...

Mount Sinai researchers studying a type of heart disease known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have calibrated an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to quickly and more specifically identify patients with the condition and flag them as high risk for greater attention during doctor’s appointments. The algorithm, known as Viz HCM, had previously been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the detection of HCM on an electrocardiogram (ECG). The Mount Sinai study, published April 22 in the journal NEJM AI, assigns numeric probabilities to the algorithm’s ...

Telemedicine use in 2023 reduced monthly carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of up to 130,000 gas operated vehicles, suggesting it could have a positive effect on climate change, new UCLA-led research finds. The findings, to be published April 22 in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Managed Care, suggest that telemedicine could have a modest but noticeable impact on the environment by decreasing the number of vehicles traveling to and from medical appointments. They could also have policy implications, said co-senior author Dr. John N. Mafi, associate professor-in-residence of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research ...

An Abundance of Caution American Schools, the Virus, and a Story of Bad Decisions David Zweig A searing indictment of the American public health, media, and political establishments’ decision-making process behind pandemic school closures. 9780262549158| $39.95 US | hardcover | April 22nd, 2025 | 464 pp. | Cambridge, MA, April, 2025 For immediate release This spring marks the 5th anniversary of the initial Covid lockdowns. While we all experienced the pandemic differently, for 50 million American children the unprecedented––and for many of them, years-long––disruption to their education may be the most consequential collective event in more than a generation. ...

WASHINGTON—The Endocrine Society has appointed Manuel Tena-Sempere, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Cordoba in Spain, as the next Editor-in-Chief of its flagship basic science journal, Endocrinology, starting January 2026. Manuel Tena-Sempere is a professor of physiology at the University of Cordoba, a research group leader at the biomedical research institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC) and a principal investigator at the Spanish network of Research on Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN) in Cordoba, Spain. “I am pleased to announce Dr. Tena-Sempere as our next Editor-in-Chief of ...

The way DNA folds inside the nucleus of brain cells may hold the key to understanding a devastating form of brain cancer called glioblastoma, suggests a new preclinical study from Weill Cornell Medicine researchers. The findings, published April 3 in Molecular Cell, offer a new way to think about cancer beyond gene mutations, based on the way that genes are connected and regulated in three-dimensional space. “Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive and incurable tumors. Although we know a lot about the mutations and the genes that characterize it, we still have no effective ways to stop it,” said Dr. Effie ...

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally, with nearly 20 million new cases and 9.7 million deaths in 2022. Early detection plays a crucial role in reducing cancer-related morbidity and mortality, but many cancers are diagnosed at advanced stages due to subtle early symptoms and lack of awareness. Liquid biopsy, a non-invasive approach that examines circulating tumor components in body fluids, has emerged as a groundbreaking technology in cancer detection. This review presents the advancements in liquid ...

More than two-thirds of Floridians are moderately or extremely concerned about hurricanes increasing in strength and frequency, according to a new Florida Atlantic University survey. The Invading Sea’s Florida Climate Survey also found that most Floridians – 54% – are worried about being able to afford and maintain homeowners insurance due to climate change. According to a 2023 report by LexisNexis Risk Solutions, the average premiums for Florida homeowners rose nearly 60% between 2015 and 2023, the largest increase ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Financial benefits, such as saving on utility payments and avoiding electricity rate hikes, are a key driver of U.S. adults’ willingness to consider installing rooftop solar panels or subscribing to community solar power, a new study suggests. Researchers at The Ohio State University conducted a national survey to gauge consumer perceptions about adopting solar power. Though previous work has examined views about rooftop solar, this study is the first assessment of public opinion about accessing community solar energy for household use. The findings led researchers to recommend that policymakers and industry leaders increase marketing campaign ...

Human consumption of antibiotics increased by 65% between 2000 and 2015. These drugs are not completely metabolized while passing through the body, nor completely destroyed or removed by most wastewater treatment facilities. Heloisa Ehalt Macedo and colleagues calculate that worldwide humans consume around 29,200 tonnes of the 40 most used antibiotics. After metabolism and wastewater treatment, an estimated 8,500 tonnes (29% of consumption) may reach the world’s river systems, and 3,300 tonnes (11%) may arrive at the world’s oceans or inland sinks (such as lakes or reservoirs). The authors calculate these ...

DALLAS, April 22, 2025 — The American Heart Association and the National Football League (NFL) want more people to be confident and capable when faced with a cardiac emergency. Currently, 9 out of every 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die[1]. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), performed immediately, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. That’s why the Heart Association and the NFL are working together to expand the Nation of Lifesavers™ movement, the Association’s most recent commitment to CPR. With support from the NFL and ...

Chronic pain, a common and debilitating condition, often leads practitioners to prescribe opioids in escalating doses. The prescription of opioids has created a serious nationwide crisis that killed more than 107,000 Americans from December 2020 through December 2021, according to a report by the American Medical Association (“Nation’s opioid-related overdose and death epidemic continues to worsen”). Given these realities, an urgent need exists to develop novel non-opioid and non-addicting therapies capable of effectively managing chronic pain. To help spur the development of these therapies, ...

Psychedelic drugs are seeing a surge of interest from mainstream medicine, and initial results suggest that psychedelic-therapy can be a safe and effective treatment for some mental health conditions. However, the side-effect profile is still incompletely understood. In particular, the use of psychedelics has been posited to carry a risk of triggering latent psychotic disorders or persistent visual hallucination, known as Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD). In order to better understand the prevalence and risk factors of such side-effects, Katie Zhou and colleagues surveyed 654 people online who were planning to take psychedelics through their ...

Researchers from the Human Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) and Robotics Institute (RI) at Carnegie Mellon University introduced a novel method for fabricating functional flat-to-shape objects using a computer-controlled sewing machine.  The team includes Sapna Tayal, undergraduate student in the School of Design; Lea Albaugh, Mark Stehlik postdoctoral teaching fellow at HCII; James McCann, associate professor in RI; and Scott E. Hudson, professor and associate department head for education in HCII.  “Flat-to-shape” refers to objects that can be transformed from a flat sheet into a three-dimensional form through ...

A study in mice suggests that senescent cells are at least partially responsible for post-surgical delirium and similar conditions in elderly people—and identifies a combination of drugs that might be able to prevent the complication.  Elderly people sometimes experience neurocognitive problems after infections or surgeries. Shyni Varghese and colleagues investigated the role of cellular senescence in the neuroinflammation that occurs in these cases. Cellular senescence is a normal process that helps prevent abnormal cell proliferation, but it can also occur in response to stress. Senescent cells stop dividing and typically secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines and other molecules ...

The highs and lows of blood glucose aren’t just an energy rollercoaster; they could be a key to detecting diabetes risk early and spare you a needle prick or two. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have identified a simple, noninvasive method for assessing blood glucose regulation — an essential factor in diabetes risk. Their approach, based on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data, could improve early detection and risk assessment for diabetes without relying on blood samples and expensive or complex procedures. The ...

While much of the global research on menopause has focused on Western populations, the unique cultural, genetic, and lifestyle factors affecting Asian women during menopause have been largely overlooked. Key findings from a new white paper that surveyed 1,741 working women across five major Asia Pacific (APAC) countries—Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, Japan, and Indonesia titled ‘Menopause and the Bottom Line: A Critical Leadership Challenge for APAC Leaders’, published by NUS Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE) at the NUS ...

Insects are disappearing at an alarming rate worldwide, but why? Agricultural intensification tops the list of proposed reasons, but there are many other, interconnected drivers that have an impact, according to new research led by Binghamton University, State University of New York.  Research on insect decline has surged in recent years, sparked by an alarming 2017 study that suggested that insect populations had declined by 75% in less than three decades. This has led to countless published papers, with scientists hypothesizing different ...

Many people view their dog as a family member, friend, or kid, but does the relationship with them really resemble these human relationships? Researchers from ELTE Eötvös Loránd University now set out to explore the precise role dogs play in human social networks by comparing human-dog relationships with human-human relationships using 13 relationship scales. Their study revealed that the owner-dog relationship can be interpreted as a mix of child and best friend relationships, combining positive aspects of the child relationship with the lack of negative aspects of friendship, blended with a high level of control over the dog.  Interestingly, ...

Scientists at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology and VIVES University College have developed a new method to genetically improve poplar trees without introducing foreign DNA into its genome. This advancement could pave the way for faster and more widely accepted use of gene-edited trees in forestry and the bio-based economy. The work appeared in New Phytologist.   Gene editing without the baggage  Gene editing tools like CRISPR are revolutionizing plant science by allowing precise and targeted improvements ...

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, USA, 22 April 2025 – In a groundbreaking research study, University of Michigan researchers have discovered that a single dose of a psychedelic compound can enhance cognitive flexibility—the brain's ability to adapt to changing circumstances—for weeks after administration, potentially revolutionizing treatments for depression, PTSD, and neurodegenerative diseases. The study, published today in the journal Psychedelics, demonstrates that mice treated with a single dose of 25CN-NBOH, a selective serotonin 2A receptor agonist, showed markedly ...

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey, USA, 22 April 2025 – In a comprehensive Genomic Press peer-reviewed research article, researchers have revealed compelling evidence that biological sex significantly influences substance use patterns among individuals with panic disorder, with implications for both clinical assessment and treatment strategies. The noteworthy study, published today in the journal Genomic Psychiatry, examined associations between panic disorder and both alcohol and tobacco use disorders in a demographically diverse sample of nearly 11,000 individuals. The research team, led by Dr.  Michele Pato from Rutgers University, ...

NANTES, France, 22 April 2025 – In a wide-ranging Genomic Press Interview, Dr. Jeremie Poschmann of INSERM and Université de Nantes shares the story behind his bold, data-centric approach to immunology and translational science. The conversation, published in Genomic Psychiatry as part of the Innovators & Ideas series, explores how Dr. Poschmann’s unconventional path—from nurse to systems biologist—has uniquely shaped his research into the circulating immune system. His lab focuses on the molecular analysis of blood-derived immune cells using multi-omics tools, ...

NEW YORK, New York, USA, 22 April 2025 – A powerful editorial published today in Brain Medicine raises alarm about a previously overlooked threat to brain development and public health: the disruption of sterol biosynthesis by common prescription medications. The editorial, authored by Brain Medicine Editor-in-Chief Julio Licinio, responds to a recent article by Korade and Mirnics (https://doi.org/10.61373/bm025p.0011) that identified over 30 FDA-approved drugs—including widely prescribed psychiatric medications such as aripiprazole, trazodone, haloperidol, and cariprazine—that inhibit DHCR7, a critical enzyme in cholesterol ...

PCR genetic analysis has been in the spotlight since COVID-19, but light is now further facilitating PCR-free methods. Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have developed a light-induced DNA detection technique, using heterogeneous probe particles, that enables ultra-sensitive and ultra-fast genetic analysis without the need for PCR amplification. This advancement is lighting the way for faster, more affordable, and precise genetic analysis across medicine, environmental science, and portable ...