Continuous landmasses, now submerged, may have made it possible for early humans to cross between present-day Turkiye and Europe, new landmark research of this largely unexplored region reveals.   The findings, published today in the peer-reviewed Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, unveil a previously undocumented Paleolithic presence in Ayvalık and more importantly could redocument our species’ migration into the continent.   It has long been thought that Homosapien reached Europe primarily coming via the Balkans and the Levant, from Africa into the Middle East.  However, with this new discovery of 138 lithic artifacts at 10 sites, across a region ...

A team of scientists has discovered that the ability of biochar to conduct electricity can significantly affect methane emissions from rice paddies, one of the largest sources of agricultural greenhouse gases worldwide. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, with more than 27 times the warming effect of carbon dioxide. Rice paddies, covering about 9% of global farmland, contribute nearly one-third of agricultural methane emissions. Scientists have long debated whether adding biochar—charcoal-like material made from plant matter—can help reduce or increase these emissions. The new findings, published ...

A new editorial in Biocontaminant reports that Guangdong Province is experiencing the largest outbreak of chikungunya fever ever recorded in China, with more than 4,000 confirmed cases since late July. Shunde District of Foshan alone has reported over 3,600 infections, and cases have also spread to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macao. Chikungunya fever is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, the same vectors responsible for dengue and Zika. The disease, marked by fever and severe joint pain, does not spread directly between people, making mosquito control the key to prevention. “The outbreak reflects both the global spread of chikungunya and the favorable ...

New research shows that that the diabetes/obesity medication tirzepatide can cause clinically meaningful improvements in blood sugar control and weight loss in children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes aged 10-17 years whose diabetes and weight are inadequately controlled with an existing treatment regimen of metformin, insulin, or both. The study (the SURPASS-PEDS trial), by Dr Tamara Hannon, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, ...

New research presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria (15-19 September) and published simultaneously in The Lancet shows that a much lower dose than previously thought of the old immunomodulatory drug anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) is safe and effective in preventing progression of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in young people. The authors, led by EASD President Professor Chantal Mathieu, Department of Endocrinology, UZ Leuven, Belgium, say that the trial findings open up the potential use of this affordable, repurposed agent, ATG, in a low and safe dose, as ...

New research (the Ver-A-T1D trial) presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) (Vienna, 15-19 September) shows that slow-release (SR) verapamil (360mg daily) could have a potential effect on beta-cell function in adults with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. The study is led by Professor Thomas R. Pieber, Medical University of Graz, Austria, on behalf of the Ver-A-T1D Study Group. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease where the body's immune ...

In 2023, the groundbreaking Australian BANDIT (Baricitinib in New Onset Type 1 Diabetes) trial [1] reported that a daily pill of baricitinib, commonly prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis and alopecia, could safely preserve the body’s own insulin production and slow the progression of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in people recently diagnosed with the condition. Now the follow-up of the blinded BANDIT trial, being presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), Vienna ...

The global type 1 diabetes (T1D) burden continues to increase rapidly driven by rising cases, ageing populations, improved diagnosis and falling death rates, according to the results of a new modelling study being presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), Vienna (15-19 Sept). The study estimates that T1D will affect 9.5 million people globally in 2025 (up by 13% since 2021), and this number is predicted to rise to 14.7 million in 2040. However, due to lack of diagnosis and challenges in collecting sufficient data, the actual number of individuals living with T1D is likely much higher, researchers say. In ...

Biologists at The University of Texas at Austin, who have reported discovering a bird that’s the natural result of a green jay and a blue jay’s mating, say it may be among the first examples of a hybrid animal that exists because of recent changing patterns in the climate. The two different parent species are separated by 7 million years of evolution, and their ranges didn’t overlap as recently as a few decades ago. “We think it’s the first observed vertebrate that’s hybridized as a result of ...

A Chicago Quantum Exchange–led coalition focused on leveraging cutting-edge quantum technology to protect the nation’s most sensitive information from cyber attacks has advanced to the final stage of the National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program, the NSF announced Thursday afternoon. If funded, Quantum Connected, a Midwest-based coalition of academic, industry, nonprofit, and government partners, will build critically needed quantum-based cyber security. It is one of 15 teams who will pitch the NSF on different projects. Winners, anticipated to be announced in early 2026, could receive as much as $160 million ...

A study conducted by the Molecular Oncology Research Center (CPOM) at Hospital de Amor in Barretos (formerly Barretos Cancer Hospital) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, has identified possible biomarkers that could guide the development of more personalized therapies for pediatric germ cell tumors (GCTs). Although GCTs account for only 3% of childhood cancers, they challenge doctors and researchers due to their diversity and the toxicity of available treatments. The main approach today involves surgery combined with chemotherapy. ...

JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology, and the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation are hosting a UNGA side event to discuss data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study, the largest and most comprehensive source of health data with nearly 16,500 expert contributors in 168 countries. Speakers will present the most up-to-date data for 204 countries and territories, and discuss trends observed from 1990 to 2023 at the regional, national, and subnational levels. This work directly supports progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3.4, by equipping stakeholders ...

OKLAHOMA CITY – A new study from the University of Oklahoma reveals how a little-understood protein, CD82, contributes to blood vessel leakage, a process that initiates inflammation but becomes dangerous when it occurs during severe inflammatory diseases such as sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome and COVID-19. The findings, published in Nature Cardiovascular Research, could open the door to new therapies aimed at protecting patients from multi-organ failure and death in severe and systemic inflammation. Blood vessel (vascular) leakage happens when blood vessels ...

When Russia mounted a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many outsiders expected the worst. Predictions swirled that the capital city of Kyiv would fall in a matter of days or weeks. But Kyiv, which is home to nearly 3 million people, is still standing today. So is the majority of Ukraine, even though the country has experienced extreme losses. Hundreds of thousands of civilians and military members have died, roughly 3 million people have been displaced within Ukraine, and 20,000 children have been forcefully deported to Russia. Now, in a recent special issue of the journal Post-Soviet Affairs, political ...

Increasing tree species diversity is widely suggested as a way to help forests withstand climate change – especially prolonged droughts. But a new international study led by the University of Freiburg, published in Global Change Biology, shows that simply mixing more tree species does not always boost forests’ resilience to drought. In fact, the effects of diversity on tree growth can shift from beneficial to negative as droughts drag on. Longer droughts change how tree diversity affects tree growth Drawing on ...

Public confidence in the trustworthiness of U.S. health and science agencies has dropped across the board since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, driven by sharp declines among Democrats, according to a new survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania. The survey, conducted Aug. 5-18, 2025, among a nationally representative sample of nearly 1,700 U.S. adults, finds that members of the public have the greatest confidence on health matters in their own primary health care providers, as they have in the past. Most Americans lack confidence that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert ...

Researchers Mitsuyoshi Kamba, Naoki Hara, and Kiyotaka Aikawa of the University of Tokyo have successfully demonstrated quantum squeezing of the motion of a nanoscale particle, a motion whose uncertainty is smaller than that of quantum mechanical fluctuations. As enhancing the measurement precision of sensors is vital in many modern technologies, the achievement paves the way not only for basic research in fundamental physics but also for applications such as accurate autonomous driving and navigation without a GPS signal. The findings were published in the journal Science. The physical ...

Although El Niño suppresses overall monsoon season rainfall across India, a new study finds that it also, counterintuitively, sharply increases the likelihood of extreme daily downpours in the country’s wetter regions. The findings suggest that the processes that drive this intensification may play an important role in driving extreme rainfall variability under climate change in other tropical locations. It’s long been known that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) exerts a ...

Two of the world’s deadliest mosquito vectors – Aedes aegypti and Anopheles funestus – have evolved, spread, and adapted in ways that complicate global disease control, two studies show. The findings trace the human-linked origins of Ae. aegypti’s invasive lineage. They also reveal the rapid emergence of insecticide resistance in An. funestus. Collectively, they reveal the urgent need for more tailored and innovative interventions against malaria and dengue. Top of Form“Both [studies] provide important insights into the … the complex role that human activity, both passive and intentional, ...

Zebra finches can not only distinguish the full range of their species’ vocalizations but also organize them by meaning, according to a new study. The results suggest a surprising level of semantic understanding in the birds. Many social animals use a rich repertoire of vocalizations to communicate their needs, emotions, and awareness of the environment. Researchers have long tried to decode these sounds – essentially the species’ “language” – by grouping them into call types based on how they sound, the situations in which they are used, and how other animals respond. However, it is unclear whether these ...

In the United States, Republican control of the House or presidency has often coincided with higher federal science appropriations, say Alexandar Furnas and colleagues in a Policy Forum. They base their findings – which challenge the conventional wisdom about partisan support for science – on an analysis of decades of U.S. science- and research-related appropriations data. “Overall, our findings highlight the complexity of the relationship between political control and federal science funding,” write the authors. “[The analysis] underscores the importance of framing science ...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — One of the great challenges of ecology is to understand the factors that maintain, or undermine, diversity in ecosystems, researchers write in a new report in the journal Science. The researchers detail their development of a new model that — using a tree census and genomic data collected from multiple species in a forest — can predict future fluctuations in the relative abundance of those species. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign plant biology professor James O’Dwyer led the new research with Andy Jones, a professor ...

UNSW engineers have made a significant advance in quantum computing: they created ‘quantum entangled states’ – where two separate particles become so deeply linked they no longer behave independently – using the spins of two atomic nuclei. Such states of entanglement are the key resource that gives quantum computers their edge over conventional ones. The research was published today in the journal Science, and is an important step towards building large-scale quantum computers – one of the most exciting scientific and technological ...

New research into the genetics of Anopheles funestus (An. funestus), one of the most neglected but prolific malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in Africa, has revealed how this species is evolving in response to malaria control efforts. Reported today (18 September) in Science, researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute together with leading scientists across Africa sequenced hundreds of An. funestus mosquitoes collected throughout the continent to explore the genetic variation in the species, ...

A hydrogen battery that operates at just 90 °C has been developed by researchers from Japan, overcoming the high-temperature and low-capacity limits of earlier methods. The device works by moving hydride ions through a solid electrolyte, allowing magnesium hydride, which acts as the anode, to repeatedly store and release hydrogen at full capacity. This battery offers a practical way to store hydrogen fuel, paving the way for hydrogen-powered vehicles and clean energy systems. One of the most pressing challenges facing the use of hydrogen ...