Cardiovascular diseases remain the most common cause of death worldwide. In Europe, they account for over 40 percent of all deaths. However, known risk factors such as high cholesterol levels or high blood pressure cannot fully explain the high mortality rate or the number of cardiovascular diseases. Scientists in Graz have now investigated a new factor that is closely linked to cardiovascular mortality. Elevated levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood led to a stiffer and less elastic aorta in an animal model. These findings contribute to the current understanding ...

Hafnium oxide (HfO2) has attracted attention as a promising material for ultrathin semiconductors and other microelectronic devices. The strong ionic bond between hafnium and oxygen atoms in HfO2 gives it a high dielectric constant, superior thermal stability, and a wide band gap. Notably, these properties can be maintained even at the atomic scale. Meanwhile, these properties also pose challenges in achieving highly precise and smooth etching of HfO2 films. Now, a group of researchers from Japan and Taiwan has successfully etched HfO2 films with atomic-level precision, smoothness, ...

A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, finds that the relatively high rate of Autism-spectrum disorders in humans is likely due to how humans evolved in the past. About one in 31 (3.2%) children in the United States has been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that around one in 100 children have autism. From an evolutionary perspective, many scientist believe that autism and schizophrenia may be unique to humans. ...

LINKÖPING, SWEDEN, 9 September 2025 -- In a revealing Genomic Press Interview published today in Genomic Psychiatry, Dr. Gerhard Andersson traces his extraordinary journey from skateboarding punk musician to becoming the architect of a global revolution in psychological treatment delivery. The comprehensive interview unveils how two graduate students knocking on his office door in 1998 sparked a transformation that would fundamentally alter how millions access mental healthcare worldwide. From Uppsala Laboratory to Global Impact Dr. Andersson's path to scientific prominence began unexpectedly ...

TUCSON, Arizona, USA, 9 September 2025 -- A viewpoint article published today in Brain Medicine by Dr. Esther Sternberg provides a compelling portrait of how one pioneering neuroscientist continues to thrive beyond his centennial year. The tribute to Dr. Seymour Reichlin, published as part of a special Festschrift commemorating his 100th birthday, examines the multifaceted elements that have sustained his remarkable intellectual vigor and social vitality at 101 years old. Dr. Sternberg, who has directed research at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative ...

LONDON, England, UNITED KINGDOM, 9 September 2025 -- In a compelling Genomic Press Interview published today in Genomic Psychiatry, Dr Oliver Pain reveals how personal experiences and scientific curiosity converged to reshape global approaches to psychiatric genomics. The Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Research Fellow transforms how scientists worldwide understand and apply genetic risk prediction for mental health disorders, developing tools that democratize access to cutting-edge genomic methodologies across international research communities. The interview illuminates Dr Pain's evolution ...

Organic molecules detected in the watery plumes that spew out from cracks in the surface of Enceladus could be formed through exposure to radiation on Saturn’s icy moon, rather than originating from deep within its sub-surface ocean. The findings, presented during the EPSC–DPS2025 Joint Meeting in Helsinki this week, have repercussions for assessing the habitability of Enceladus’s ocean. ‘While the identification of complex organic molecules in Enceladus’s environment remains an important clue in assessing the moon’s habitability, the results demonstrate that radiation-driven chemistry ...

Selecting the right spot to smash a spacecraft into the surface of a hazardous asteroid to deflect it must be done with great care, according to new research presented at the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting this week in Helsinki. Slamming into its surface indiscriminately runs the risk of knocking the asteroid through a 'gravitational keyhole' that sends it back around to hit Earth at a later date. "Even if we intentionally push an asteroid away from Earth with a space mission, we must make sure it doesn't drift into one of these ...

Do you think that Spotify's suggestions for new music becomes stranger all the time? It may be because of you. In a unique study with researchers from University of Gothenburg, 15 years of listening data shows that musical taste becomes more refined with age. Music is a strong marker of identity – but what we listen to changes with age. The results may not be that surprising, but now there is scientific evidence for the first time through an analysis of how listening habits change over time. The international study from University of Gothenburg, Jönköping University and University of Primorska, ...

As X-ray detection plays an indispensable role in industrial inspection, medical diagnosis, and security checks, the search for high-performance detection materials has never been more critical. Traditional three-dimensional (3D) metal halide perovskites show great promise for direct X-ray detection, yet their inherent ion migration severely undermines detector stability—hindering commercialization. Now, a collaborative team of researchers from institutions including Henan University, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (Chinese Academy of Sciences), and ...

Combining classic comparative approaches, including collecting species from the wild, and cutting-edge light-induced gene manipulation technology, researchers from Japan and Germany have discovered how developing fly embryos solve the fundamental problem of “tissue tectonic collision” when the rapidly expanding head and torso tissues crash into each other. Different species have evolved different solutions, one of which, the ‘cephalic furrow’, has long been a mystery to developmental biologists because it forms and disappears without leaving a trace. For an animal to develop properly, two fundamental processes need to happen: cells need to be ...

Women taking popular weight-loss medications during their reproductive years may be unaware of associated risks to pregnancy and unborn babies, warn Flinders University researchers.  A new study has revealed that most Australian women of reproductive age prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonists—medications increasingly used for weight loss such as Ozempic—are not using effective contraception, despite known risks during pregnancy.   Published in the Medical Journal of Australia, the ...

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have rapidly emerged as a front-runner in next-generation photovoltaic technologies, boasting a certified power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.95%—now rivaling crystalline silicon and CIGS cells. Yet, a critical bottleneck remains: energy losses stemming from mismatched energy levels between the perovskite absorber and charge transport layers (electron transport layers, ETLs; hole transport layers, HTLs), which hinder charge separation and transport. To address this, a team of researchers from Nanjing Tech University has published a landmark review in Nano-Micro Letters, systematically analyzing strategies to optimize energy-level alignment ...

As global concerns over emerging contaminants (such as pharmaceuticals) in wastewater grow, traditional treatment methods like ozone oxidation and activated carbon adsorption face limitations—from high energy consumption to reliance on critical raw materials. Now, a collaborative team of researchers from Gdansk University of Technology (Poland), Università Politecnica delle Marche (Italy), and Lund University (Sweden) has developed a game-changing solution: 3D-printed boron-nitrogen (B,N)-doped carbon electrodes fabricated via a synergistic combination of 3D printing, phase ...

As global demand grows for safe, low-cost, and sustainable energy storage technologies, aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have gained increasing attention due to their high theoretical capacity, environmental friendliness, and intrinsic safety. However, their practical application has long been hindered by two major challenges: uncontrolled zinc dendrite growth and hydrogen evolution reactions (HER), both of which degrade battery performance and lifespan. Now, a collaborative research team from Nanjing University, The University of Queensland, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University has developed an ...

Thorsten Becker, a professor at The University of Texas at Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences, is the author of a new textbook, “Tectonic Geodynamics.” The book is co-authored with Claudio Faccenna, who was formerly at UT, and is now a professor at the Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam and at Roma TRE University. The textbook is the first to integrate tectonics, structural geology, and geodynamics in a single volume. It will be released in November by Princeton University Press and is available for pre-order. Although ...

A new approach to manufacturing multicolour lenses could inspire a new generation of tiny, cheap, and powerful optics for portable devices such as phones and drones. The design uses layers of metamaterials to simultaneously focus a range of wavelengths from an unpolarised source and over a large diameter, overcoming a major limitation of metalenses, said the first author of the paper reporting the design, Mr Joshua Jordaan, from the Research School of Physics at the Australian National University and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS). “Our design has a lot of nice features ...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a complex condition marked by a gradual decline in kidney function, which can ultimately progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Globally, the prevalence of the CKD ranges from 8% to 16%, with about 5% to 10% of those diagnosed eventually reaching ESRD, making it a major public health challenge. In a new study, researchers used machine learning and deep learning models, as well as explainable artificial intelligence (AI), to assess integrated clinical and claims data with the goal of improving prediction ...

Researchers in China have developed a novel, low-cost catalyst that efficiently removes antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) from aquaculture wastewater, offering a potential new solution to one of today’s most pressing environmental and public health challenges. The study, published in Biochar, reports on a bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃, BFO) catalyst doped with peanut shell-derived biochar (BC). When combined with peroxymonosulfate (PMS), the biochar-doped composite rapidly inactivated ARB. In laboratory tests, the PMS/5% BC-BFO system removed nearly two orders of magnitude of ARB within just 10 minutes, achieving a reaction rate of 0.4401 min⁻¹. According to the research team, ...

Imagine being able to flip a light switch to control disease pathways inside a living cell. A team of visionary researchers at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health) is making this dream a reality with their groundbreaking genetic tools known as photo-inducible binary interaction tools, or PhoBITs. Published in Nature Communications, the study describes how PhoBITs enable researchers to harness the precision of a conductor leading an orchestra—using pulses of blue light to command specific proteins to start or stop their activity inside living cells with unparalleled ...

A multilayer film that reflects heat while letting through light needed for photosynthesis could make greenhouse agriculture more energy- and water-efficient. Such a film has been developed by engineers at the University of California, Davis, and is described in a recent paper in Advanced Energy & Sustainability Research.  Greenhouses enable higher yields of fruits and vegetables while conserving land,water, and fertilizers. But in warm climates, such as California’s Central Valley, the Mediterranean, or the Middle East, they can become extremely hot, which damages crops. Cooling greenhouses usually involves mechanical ventilation (fans) or evaporative cooling, which ...

SEATTLE, Wash. – Sept. 8, 2025 – A large portion of the global population with diabetes remains undiagnosed or is not receiving optimal care, according to a new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a global network of collaborators conducted the analysis of the diabetes care cascade for all ages, both sexes, and 204 countries and territories from 2000 to 2023. In 2023, an estimated 44% of people aged 15 and older with diabetes ...

As the COVID-19 pandemic wound down, so did the federal government’s funding to states that allowed all Medicaid enrollees to keep their coverage even if they no longer would have been eligible otherwise. This “great unwinding” at the end of March 2023 meant that more than 25 million people—about 30 percent of all Medicaid recipients—were removed from the program. Now, in the first study of its kind, researchers have analyzed how the unwinding affected the payer mix for children’s emergency department visits in Texas. During ...

Bright children from poorer backgrounds are twice as likely to be admitted to hospital with mental health problems than high-achievers with affluent upbringings.    That’s according to a new study of tens of thousands of secondary school pupils in England, published today in the peer-reviewed journal Oxford Review of Education, which also demonstrates poorer teens are more likely to be treated for alcohol and drug use and self-harm.  The paper, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, shows too they are more likely to become pregnant.    The ...

Researchers have developed a material that can sense tiny changes within the body, such as during an arthritis flare-up, and release drugs exactly where and when they are needed. The squishy material can be loaded with anti-inflammatory drugs that are released in response to small changes in pH in the body. During an arthritis flare-up, a joint becomes inflamed and slightly more acidic than the surrounding tissue. The material, developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, has been designed to respond to this natural change in pH. As acidity increases, the material becomes softer and more jelly-like, triggering the release of drug molecules that can be encapsulated ...