Understanding the brain’s functional architecture is a fundamental challenge in neuroscience. The connections between neurons ultimately dictate how information is processed, transmitted, stored, and retrieved, thus forming the basis of our cognitive functions. Scientists often study neuronal signaling by recording the brief electrical pulses they generate over time, often referred to as ‘spike trains.’ Because of their bursty and aperiodic nature, inferring causal relationships between spike trains recorded from different neurons remains ...

(Barcelona, Spain September 9, 2025 1 p.m. CEST / UTC +2)  — New research presented identifies interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) as a critical regulator of immunotherapy sensitivity in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), offering a promising new avenue for overcoming resistance to PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint blockade. The research was presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC). SCLC tumors are typically characterized by low expression of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I), which impairs ...

Birds flock in order to forage and move more efficiently. Fish school to avoid predators. And bees swarm to reproduce. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have sought to mimic these natural behaviors as a way to potentially improve search-and-rescue operations or to identify areas of wildfire spread over vast areas—largely through coordinated drone or robotic movements. However, developing a means to control and utilize this type of AI—or “swarm intelligence”—has proved challenging.  In a newly published paper, an international team of scientists describes a framework designed to advance swarm intelligence—by controlling flocking and ...

(Barcelona, Spain--September 9, 2025 at 11:30 AM CEST / UTC +2)— A new analysis from the PALOMA-2 study presented today shows that subcutaneous administration of amivantamab every four weeks (Q4W), in combination with daily oral lazertinib, yields a high objective response rate in patients with previously untreated EGFR-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The results were presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer at the 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC). In the fully enrolled Cohort 5 of the PALOMA-2 trial, the Q4W dosing regimen was shown to maintain similar efficacy compared ...

A study led by University of Oxford and Brookhaven National Laboratory researchers has uncovered how exposure to hydrogen atoms dynamically alters the internal structure of stainless steel. The findings reveal that hydrogen allows internal defects in steel to move in ways not normally possible – which can lead to unexpected failure. This discovery offers vital insights that could help make hydrogen fuel systems safer and more reliable, from aircraft and fusion reactors to pipelines and storage tanks. The study has been published today (9 Sept) ...

(Barcelona, Spain September 9, 2025, 10:15 a.m. CEST / UTC +2) — A new study presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) demonstrates that monitoring circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can refine and personalize the use of consolidation immunotherapy in patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC). The research, led by scientists at the National Cancer Center of China, assessed ctDNA in 177 patients with LS-SCLC treated with chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), 77 of whom received consolidation immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Circulating tumor DNA was measured ...

(Barcelona, Spain September 9, 2025, 10:15 a.m. CEST / UTC +2) – A new study presented today reports encouraging long-term survival outcomes from an experimental viral  immunotherapy, CAN-2409, in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who previously failed to respond adequately to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). The study was presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer. The phase 2a clinical trial investigated the efficacy of two intratumoral injections of CAN-2409 combined with an oral prodrug (valacyclovir) in ...

(Barcelona, Spain September 9, 2025, 10:15 a.m. CEST / UTC +2) — A randomized Phase II trial from National Taiwan University Hospital reports early evidence that resecting the primary thoracic tumor following EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy may prolong disease control in patients with metastatic EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study was presented today at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC). The trial, which enrolled both oligometastatic and polymetastatic patients, is the first to assess  surgical ...

(Barcelona, Spain September 9, 2025, 10:15 a.m. CEST / UTC +2)  — A large-scale survey conducted by Lung Cancer Europe (LuCE) has identified critical communication barriers that affect information access, understanding, and shared decision-making among lung cancer patients and caregivers across Europe. The research was reported at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC). The study, based on 2,040 valid survey responses from 34 WHO European Region countries in 20 languages, evaluated three key areas: general knowledge about lung cancer, access to information, ...

(Barcelona, Spain September 9, 2025, 10:15 a.m. CEST / UTC +2)  — Results from the Female Asian Nonsmoker Screening Study (FANSS) highlight the potential value of low-dose CT (LDCT) screening for lung cancer among a growing but underserved population: Asian women with no history of smoking. The study results were reported today at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC). FANSS is the first known lung cancer screening program in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to ...

Five well-publicized polar geoengineering ideas are highly unlikely to help the polar regions and could harm ecosystems, communities, international relations, and our chances of reaching net zero by 2050.  This is according to a new assessment, published in Frontiers in Science, which looked at five of the most developed geoengineering proposals currently being considered for use in Antarctica and the Arctic.  The polar regions are home to fragile communities and ecosystems, as well as most of the world’s ice. Technological ‘geoengineering’ approaches have been proposed to delay or address the impacts of climate ...

Unarmed Black civilians are three times more likely to be shot and killed by police officers than unarmed white civilians in the U.S. In tragic cases in recent years, unarmed Black men holding innocuous objects like a wallet, cell phone, or vape pen were killed by police officers because those objects were misidentified as weapons. These split-second fatal mistakes, often under ambiguous and stressful conditions, have sparked urgent debates about their causes and how to fix them. A new brain-imaging study from researchers at Columbia University ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Using tiny particles shaped like bottlebrushes, MIT chemists have found a way to deliver a large range of chemotherapy drugs directly to tumor cells. To guide them to the right location, each particle contains an antibody that targets a specific tumor protein. This antibody is tethered to bottlebrush-shaped polymer chains carrying dozens or hundreds of drug molecules — a much larger payload than can be delivered by any existing antibody-drug conjugates. In mouse models of breast and ovarian cancer, the researchers found that treatment with ...

In a move that could reshape drug discovery, researchers at Harvard Medical School have designed an artificial intelligence model capable of identifying treatments that reverse disease states in cells. Unlike traditional approaches that typically test one protein target or drug at a time in hopes of identifying an effective treatment, the new model, called PDGrapher and available for free, focuses on multiple drivers of disease and identifies the genes most likely to revert diseased cells back to healthy function. The ...

Glioblastoma is a devastatingly effective brain cancer. Doctors can cut it out or blast it with radiation, but that only buys time. The cancer has an insidious ability to hide enough tumor cells in tissue around the tumor to allow it to return as deadly as ever. Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma survive for an average of 15 months. What’s needed is a better way of identifying those hidden cancer cells and predicting where the tumor might grow next. Jennifer Munson believes she and her research team at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have developed a tool to do just that. Their method, described ...

A new technique has measured boron in individual cancer cells for the first time, enabling researchers to better understand how drugs act to kill tumours in some cancers.   In a new article in the Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, a team from the University of Birmingham funded by the Rosetrees Trust have for the first time used a technology to conduct real-time measurement of boron in live tumour cells.  The technique, called single-cell ICP-MS, enabled the team to see how and when treatments for head and neck cancers enter and exit tumour cells.   Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is a new form of therapeutic for head and neck cancer that involves ...

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, ...