Several genetic variants associated with social behavior in honey bees are located within genes that have previously been linked to social behavior in humans, Ian Traniello at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, and colleagues report on September 16th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology. The results hint at ancient roots to social behavior that have been conserved across species. In social species, there is individual variation in sociability — some individuals are highly social and well-connected within their ...

Previous studies have suggested that children exposed to opioid pain medications while in the womb have higher rates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but a new study finds that any increased risk could be explained by other factors. Emma N. Cleary of Indiana University Bloomington, USA, and colleagues published these findings on September 16th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine. Opioids are commonly prescribed to help manage pain during pregnancy, but it is unclear whether opioid exposure in utero increases a child’s risk of neurodevelopmental disorders ...

A diet focused on healthy plant-based foods may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study by Solomon Sowah and colleagues from the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, published September 16th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine. Growing research shows that unhealthy foods not only impact your health but are also detrimental to the environment. Diets such as the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) recommend high amounts of healthy plant-based foods and limited animal-derived foods and sugary drinks ...

An Indiana University study brings a comprehensive new perspective to a growing body of evidence suggesting that mild to moderate use of prescribed opioid pain medications during pregnancy does not cause an increased risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. The study explores documented associations between prescribed opioid pain medications during pregnancy and the increased risk for the two neurodevelopmental disorders. It concludes that other factors, rather than fetal exposure to opioid ...

ITHACA, N.Y. — As academics increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence (AI) for research and analysis, its inability to capture the emotional and ethical depth of witness testimony risks reshaping how history is recorded and understood, a Cornell historian warns. When Jan Burzlaff, a postdoctoral associate in the Jewish Studies Program and an expert on Nazi Germany, asked ChatGPT to summarize the testimony of Luisa D., a seven-year-old Holocaust survivor, the large language model omitted a harrowing detail: her mother had cut her own finger to feed her dying child drops of blood — ...

Würzburg. In almost all solid tumours – i.e. cancers with a solid tissue structure – the detection of tumour cells in the lymph nodes is considered a decisive marker for the progression of the disease. Lymph node involvement has a significant influence on the choice of treatment and the chances of survival for patients. In particular, solid tumours in the breast, on the skin or in the gastrointestinal tract use the lymphatic system as the main route for distant metastasis, for example to the lungs, liver and bones. However, lymph nodes also play an important role in the immune system. They serve as a meeting place for various immune ...

Implanting a brain shunt in older people diagnosed with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is effective in improving their symptoms, a randomized, double-blinded, multi-center patient trial shows. This condition is associated with an enlargement of the brain’s ventricles, the spaces where fluid to cushion the brain and spine is produced and stored. The disorder is manifested by slow gait and balance issues that increase the risk for falls, as well as difficulty thinking, memory loss, and urinary incontinence. “If ...

As modern communication and sensing systems demand ever higher speeds and efficiencies, integrated photonics has emerged as a critical enabling technology. Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN), known for its exceptional electro-optic and second-order nonlinear properties, is poised to become the material of choice for high-performance modulators and frequency converters. However, manufacturing TFLN-based devices typically relies on dry etching processes, which suffer from low selectivity, limited reproducibility across different tools, and long recipe development cycles. These challenges become more severe ...

Embargo 16 September 2025 at 17:00 UK time / 12:00 US ET Peer-reviewed / Human cell lines / Experimental KIDNEY TRANSPLANT REJECTION ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN LYMPHATIC VESSELS, NEW RESEARCH SHOWS Scientists have uncovered how lymphatic vessels – the kidney’s ‘plumbing system’ – undergo dramatic changes during chronic transplant rejection, becoming structurally disorganised and spreading to unusual parts of the kidney. Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University College London (UCL) and the University of Cambridge used single-cell sequencing combined with powerful 3D imaging to look at small lymphatic vessels in kidney tissue, comparing healthy ...

EWRR is recognised as a friendly and interactive forum for basic and translational researchers working in rheumatology. The initial meeting took place in 1981, and four decades later it is still providing up-to-date information – helping to unpick the basic mechanisms of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), and supporting the development of advanced treatment options. Considered Europe’s premier event for basic and translational research in the field of rheumatology, its core aim is to attract young scientists and to give them ...

Researchers at the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) at Heidelberg University Hospital have decoded a previously unknown mechanism by which HIV-1 selects its integration targets in the human genome. A research team led by DZIF scientist Dr. Marina Lusic identified RNA:DNA hybrids (R-loops) as molecular signposts for the virus. These findings reveal a key vulnerability in the life cycle of HIV-1. The results, published in the renowned journal Nature Microbiology, provide new therapeutic approaches for specifically controlling HIV reservoirs in the body. This has been one of the biggest obstacles to long-term or curative HIV therapies. Thanks ...

Fukuoka, Japan—For most people, swallowing is second nature, but how does it occur, and why do some people have difficulty with it? Researchers at Kyushu University in Japan have started to tackle these questions by developing a mathematical model that recreates the muscle movements of the esophagus that occur during swallowing. The model, reported in Royal Society Open Science, also replicates muscle dynamics seen in various esophageal motility disorders, revealing insights into their underlying causes and opening up new avenues for treatment. A ...

A growing body of research ties environmental pollutants to worse health and shorter life spans for childhood cancer survivors. Yet medical providers lack sufficient resources to address these risks with patients, a recent federally funded study found. The study, published in Cancers, revealed 80% of pediatric oncology providers surveyed received questions from families about the impact of environmental pollutants on children’s health, but only 25% of providers said they felt comfortable discussing the topic. “Medical providers receive little to no education or clinical training on the impacts of environmental pollutants like pesticides and wildfire smoke ...

Research led by the Transforming and Expanding Access to Mental Health Care Universally in Pediatrics (TEAM UP) Scaling and Sustainability Center of Boston Medical Center (BMC) finds that children who receive behavioral health services delivered through the TEAM UP Model™ of integrated behavioral health care have fewer behavioral health symptoms.  The findings, published recently in JAMA Network Open, offer new hope for addressing the children’s mental health crisis.    “Several prior studies demonstrate that TEAM UP ...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2025 – Over 200 underwater bridge tunnels exist for vehicular traffic around the world, providing connectivity between cities. Once constructed, however, these tunnels are difficult to monitor and maintain, often requiring shutdowns or invasive methods that pose structural risks. Muography — an imaging technique using high-energy particles, called muons, which can traverse hundreds of meters within the earth — can provide a noninvasive approach to examining subterranean infrastructure. In the Journal of Applied Physics, by AIP Publishing, ...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2025 – Everyone hates traffic. Big cities in particular are plagued by an overabundance of vehicles, turning a simple crosstown jaunt into an odyssey during rush hour. Part of the problem is that traffic is incredibly complex, and a small change in one part of the system can have ripple effects that alter traffic patterns throughout a city. City planners attempting to improve local traffic grids can often struggle to foresee all the effects their changes could have. In Chaos, by AIP Publishing, a pair of ...

About The Study: In this cohort study of children at federally qualified health centers implementing behavioral health integration, receipt of encounters with behavioral health clinicians and psychotropic prescriptions were associated with improved psychosocial symptoms, suggesting that expanding integrated pediatric behavioral health care might enhance behavioral health outcomes among marginalized pediatric populations. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, R. Christopher Sheldrick, Ph.D., email radley.sheldrick@umassmed.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi: ...

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study, uterine fibroid embolization was underutilized with significant disparities across socioeconomic factors. Further efforts are needed to equitably expand access to uterine fibroid embolization across the country. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Tarig S. Elhakim, M.D., M.P.H., email tarigelhakim@gmail.com. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.32100) Editor’s ...

Orange, Calif. — Sept. 16, 2025 — A new study led by the U.S. Forest Service, with Chapman University as a key senior collaborator, published in Nature Communications, suggests the Earth’s own tropical soils may contribute to climate change as global warming continues, releasing vast amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂) as they warm and potentially accelerating a dangerous feedback loop. Tropical forests have long been viewed as critical allies in the fight against climate change, natural systems that absorb excess carbon and cool the planet. But this new research shows that warming itself is causing ...

“We believe that our findings will incentivize further studies to identify the best disease-modifying therapy for early PD without dementia.” BUFFALO, NY — September 16, 2025 — A new research paper was published  in Volume 17, Issue 8 of Aging-US on August 6, 2025, titled “Age-related trends in amyloid positivity in Parkinson’s disease without dementia.” In this study, led by first author Keiko Hatano and corresponding author Masashi Kameyama from the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology in Japan, researchers ...

OAK BROOK, Ill. – An artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning tool that estimates the malignancy risk of lung nodules achieved high cancer detection rates while significantly reducing false-positive results. Results of the study, which used data from large, multi-site lung cancer screening trials, were published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).   Lung cancer remains a significant global health issue, causing the most cancer-related deaths worldwide. Screening high-risk individuals with low-dose chest CT has been shown to reduce lung cancer mortality. However, early screening trials have reported high false-positive rates, leading ...

ITHACA, NY—A new study published today in the journal Biological Conservation finds that different communication approaches can influence whether people take action to prevent birds from colliding with windows, a leading cause of bird mortality that kills over 1 billion birds annually in the United States and Canada. Researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology tested different message framing approaches among bird enthusiasts and the general public to understand what motivates people to make their windows safer for birds. “If we want people to take action to reduce bird and window collisions, we really have to understand how to communicate with ...

SAN ANTONIO — September 16, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio) are collaborating to create a detection system to identify pre-ignition in hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2-ICE). Researchers will combine machine learning (ML) algorithms and artificial intelligence with onboard sensors to help detect pre-ignitions based on their tell-tale signs. Pre-ignition occurs when unprompted combustion happens inside an engine before the prescribed spark timing. These abnormal, uncontrolled ...

Ammonia is used in fertilizer and many industrial processes. It is also seen as a promising way to store and transport energy, as it is safer and easier to handle ammonia than hydrogen gas. Using plasma, the fourth state of matter, scientists have created a material that boosts ammonia production.  “If one needs industrial hydrogen someplace else than where it is made, it will be easier and safer to transport hydrogen as ammonia and store it until it is needed. Ideally then one would decompose the ...

The International Data Corporation projects that artificial intelligence will add $19.9 trillion to the global economy by 2030, yet educators are still defining how students should learn to use the technology responsibly. To better equip AI educators and to foster a sense of community among those in the field, Kennesaw State University Department Chair and Professor of Information Technology (IT) Shaoen Wu, along with assistant professors Seyedamin Pouriyeh and Chloe “Yixin” Xie, were recently awarded two National Science Foundation ...