School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic imposed enormous long-term costs while other measures delivered better health outcomes for far less money, according to new research led by Oxford University's Department of Statistics and the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science analysing non-pharmaceutical interventions in the United States. The study, published in BMC Global and Public Health, examined policies implemented across US states during 2020, before vaccines became available. Researchers from Oxford and the University of Washington analysed ...

Seeds in Madagascar’s forests are getting smaller, and new research published in Ecology Letters suggests that human activities are playing a role in this shift. Researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Leipzig University combined data from more than 2,800 plant species, 48 living and 15 extinct fruit-eating animals (frugivores) – including birds and lemurs. The results show that both past human-driven frugivore extinctions and current human pressures are shaping seed size across the island. The researchers found that increased human footprint (a cumulative index of human pressure) is associated ...

Children in the North of England are waiting up to three years longer than those in the south for an autism diagnosis, new data analysis shows.  The data, released by NHS England, reveals that children in Mid and South Essex are waiting on average 54 days for an assessment – falling within National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines of 13 weeks.   However, in South Yorkshire, children wait on average 1,063 days – almost three years longer.  Published today by the Child of the North initiative, the data also shows:  only ...

Many researchers dream of publishing their work in world-leading journals like Nature. But how do you catch the attention of editors and reviewers at such high-impact publications? On Sunday, September 14, 2025, an international online webinar will bring answers straight from the source. Prof. Willie Peijnenburg, a distinguished environmental scientist from Leiden University in the Netherlands, will share practical strategies on how to write and present research that makes it into top-tier journals. Prof. Peijnenburg has authored more than 675 scientific ...

Copenhagen, Denmark: The results of two new studies show that it can be safe, effective and practical for most patients to have cataract surgery on both eyes in one day. Both studies will be presented at the 43rd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS).   The first study [1], by Danish researchers, shows that the majority of patients can manage at home on their own after cataract surgery on both eyes, and carry out essential tasks such as preparing food and using their mobile phone.   The ...

A more precise and personalized form of electric brain stimulation may be a more effective and faster treatment for people with moderate to major depression compared to other similar treatments, according to a UCLA Health study. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, examined the effectiveness of a noninvasive brain stimulation treatment known as high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) in treating depression. Transcranial direct current stimulation uses electrodes placed on a patient’s ...

(Auburn, AL) Imagine tugging on a Chinese finger trap. The harder you pull, the tighter it grips. This counterintuitive behavior also exists in biology. Certain protein complexes can form catch-bonds, tightening their grip when force is applied. These interactions are essential in processes ranging from how bacteria attach to our cells to how tissues in our body hold together under stress. But a fundamental mystery has lingered: Do catch-bonds need to be stretched to a certain threshold before they strengthen, or do they activate as soon as force is applied? In a new study published in Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation, Dr. Marcelo Melo (Colorado State University, ...

Hepatitis C, a bloodborne virus that damages the liver, can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure and death if left untreated. Despite the availability of highly effective treatments, the prevalence of hepatitis C infection remains high, particularly among women of childbearing age, who account for more than one-fifth of chronic hepatitis C infections globally. Within this group, new mothers are especially vulnerable because treatment has traditionally required outpatient follow-up appointments during the challenging postpartum period. Now, a new study on an innovative clinical program developed by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine ...

Ikoma, Japan—Ever wondered how the different cells in our body communicate with each other to fulfill their different roles—be it cells repairing a tissue injury or immune cells moving towards an invading pathogen (microorganisms that causes disease) to engulf it? To move forward or migrate, cells must exert forces or interact with their surrounding environment. Interestingly, however, a fault in these interactions can also be the reason for spread of deadly cancer cells, such as in glioblastoma or brain ...

The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering has named the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory as the recipient of the 2025 SAMPE Organizational Excellence Award. The national award is presented annually in recognition of extraordinary contributions within the advanced materials and processes community across industrial, academic and governmental sectors. “ORNL is leading the way in carbon fiber and composites research, and we’re helping move these materials from the lab into real-world use. ...

OKLAHOMA CITY – Researchers from the University of Oklahoma Health Campus have published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine describing a novel care coordination and communication program and its potential for helping Indigenous people access the lifesaving cancer care that they need. American Indian and Alaska Native residents in Oklahoma face significant cancer disparities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Oklahoma State Department of Health, ...

Over the last 20 years, substance use-related deaths have more than doubled for women of reproductive age. Overdose deaths are now a leading cause of maternal mortality in the U.S., and in some states, the leading cause. Still, substantial gaps remain in understanding how different treatment approaches influence the short- and long-term health of mothers and infants, as well as their broader economic impacts over time.   New research published this month in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found that while established medications for opioid use disorder in mothers — buprenorphine and methadone — ...

Scientists from the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that, in the largest such study to date, frequent cannabis users did not display impairments in driving performance after at least 48 hours of abstinence. The new findings have implications for public health as well as the enforcement of laws related to cannabis and driving. Approximately three-quarters of Americans live in a state where cannabis is legally available, and about 15% of Americans ...

Turbulence is everywhere, yet much about the nature of turbulence remains unknown.  During the last decade, physicists have discovered how fluids in a pipe or similar geometry transition from a smooth, laminar state to a turbulent state as their speed increases.  Surprisingly, in the newly emerging consensus, the process could be understood using statistical mechanics, not fluid mechanics, and was mathematically equivalent to the way in which water percolates down through a coffee filter.  In a new twist, UC San Diego researchers Guru K. Jayasingh and Nigel Goldenfeld ...

While the early Mars climate remains an open question, a new study suggests its atmosphere may have been hospitable to life due to volcanic activity which emitted sulfur gases that contributed to a greenhouse warming effect. This finding comes from a study published in Science Advances, led by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. Using data from the composition of Martian meteorites, the researchers ran more than 40 computer simulations with varied temperatures, concentrations, and chemistry to estimate how much carbon, nitrogen, and sulfide gases may have been emitted on early Mars. Instead of the high concentrations ...

Global regulators, industry leaders, scientists, and patient advocates set near-term commitments on early interception, trial modernization, and patient-first evidence. WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2025 —Critical Path Institute® (C-Path) today announced the outcomes of its Global Impact Conference (CGIC), held September 9–11 in Washington, D.C. Over three days of working sessions, regulators, industry leaders, researchers, clinicians, and patient advocates outlined priority actions and next steps to further strengthen collaborations that accelerate drug development across rare diseases, neurology, type-1 diabetes, and pediatrics — with the voices ...

When someone mentions the word “toxicity” in relation to cancer treatment, they’re usually referring to the negative physical side effects and complications that can result from therapies like radiation and chemotherapy. But researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine are raising awareness of another kind of toxicity patients face: financial toxicity, which refers to the stress, expense and instability caused by direct and indirect costs associated with healthcare. In a recent study, the UChicago researchers ...

The percentage of women who went without a Pap smear for cervical cancer screening increased following the COVID-19 pandemic, from 19% in 2019 to 26% in 2022, shows survey of almost 2000 US women--and this increase was even more marked in African American women.   In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS Global Public Health: https://plos.io/3VsRL1P Article Title: HPV knowledge and non-adherence to cervical cancer screening before and following ...

The accuracy of machine learning algorithms for predicting suicidal behavior is too low to be useful for screening or for prioritizing high-risk individuals for interventions, according to a new study published September 11th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Matthew Spittal of the University of Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues. Numerous risk assessment scales have been developed over the past 50 years to identify patients at high risk of suicide or self-harm. In general, these scales have had poor predictive accuracy, but the availability of modern machine ...

From pollinating flowers to enabling decomposition and supporting nutrient cycles, insects’ abundance and biodiversity are critical for maintaining healthy ecosystems. However, recent studies showing population declines have raised alarm about how insects are coping with the modern world. Understanding whether recent observations are part of longer timescale trends can help inform global conservation efforts, and identify the reasons behind the so-called “Insect Apocalypse”.  Published in Science, researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology ...

A new study of ants in Fiji – involving genomic sequencing of over 4,000 ant specimens from museum collections – shows that most native species have been in decline since humans first arrived in the archipelago 3,000 years ago. Meanwhile, recently introduced ant species have expanded. The findings underscore how human activity has and continues to reshape fragile island ecosystems. Insects, which make up much of Earth’s biodiversity, provide crucial ecosystem services, including pollination, soil ...

According to a new study, most climate models exploring wildfires’ impacts on air quality overlook the effect of heat from a fire in one location on altering weather patterns – and in turn air quality – in locations farther afield. The authors of this study report that wildfires in the western United States are worsening air quality in the West but, paradoxically, may be improving it in the East. Over recent decades, wildfires in the western United States have become more frequent and intense, releasing vast amounts of smoke, which can greatly degrade air quality both locally and in regions far downwind. Often assumed to worsen when wildfire smoke drifts eastward from the ...

In a Policy Forum, Natalie Ram and colleagues discuss the concerning gaps in robust regulatory protection on direct-to-consumer genetic data and biospecimens. After declaring bankruptcy in March 2025, the direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing company, 23andMe, sold the genetic data of over 15 million people worldwide to a nonprofit founded by 23andMe’s own CEO. Although the nature of the sale meant the data remained under familiar leadership, it was controversial and highlighted critical gaps in legal ...

New Haven, Conn. — The movement of protons through electrically charged water is one of the most fundamental processes in chemistry. It is evident in everything from eyesight to energy storage to rocket fuel — and scientists have known about it for more than 200 years. But no one has ever seen it happen. Or precisely measured it on a microscopic scale. Now, the Mark Johnson lab at Yale has — for the first time — set benchmarks for how long it takes protons to move through six charged water molecules. The discovery, made possible with a ...

We take our understanding of where we are for granted, until we lose it. When we get lost in nature or a new city, our eyes and brains kick into gear, seeking familiar objects that tell us where we are. How our brains distinguish objects from background when finding direction, however, was largely a mystery. A new study provides valuable insight into this process, with possible implications for disorientation-causing conditions such as Alzheimer’s. The scientists, based at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of McGill University and the University Medical Center Göttingen, ran an experiment with mice using ultrasound imaging to measure and record brain ...