The dawn of agriculture in the Neolithic was a major development in the evolution of modern human culture. Although scientists agree that farming developed independently several times around the world, including in Africa, the Americas, and eastern Asia, the origins of many key crops, such as wheat, barley, and legumes have been traced to the Fertile Crescent and the harvesting of wild grains by a people known as the Natufians, roughly 10,000 years ago. Now, a new study by an interdisciplinary research team shows that, by at least 9,200 years ago, people as far north and east as southern Uzbekistan were harvesting wild barley ...

Flamingos reveal their secret to ageing Is ageing inevitable? While most living beings age, some do so more slowly than others. A new scientific study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) addresses a fascinating question: what if migration influences the way we age? To explore this mystery, scientists turned their attention to the pink flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus), a graceful migratory bird that is emblematic of the Camargue region of France. Birds that do not all age in the same way Thanks to a flamingo tagging and tracking ...

As people age, they display a bias in recognizing emotions as positive—to the point of improperly labeling neutral or negative emotions as positive. Some researchers theorize this bias is an adaptive mechanism to support mental and emotional wellness, but new evidence suggests it may be a sign of cognitive decline. In a new JNeurosci paper, Noham Wolpe, from Tel Aviv University, and colleagues, from the University of Cambridge, advance understanding on what this positive emotion bias that elders exhibit signifies about their brains’ health.  A large pool of participants (665) viewed faces in an emotion recognition task. Age-related ...

People tend to be self-preoccupied. Self-interest is good when it ensures that one’s needs are met, but it can also be maladaptive; research shows that the tendency to self-focus promotes the occurrence of depression and anxiety and can even prolong these conditions. Is there a neural representation of self-preoccupation? Danika Geisler and Meghan Meyer, from Colombia University, explored this question in their new JNeurosci paper.  The researchers first identified a pattern of neural activity that frequently ...

MAUI, HI - AUGUST 25, 2025 — The highest-resolution images of a solar flare captured at the H-alpha wavelength (656.28 nm) ever captured may reshape how we understand the Sun’s magnetic architecture—and improve space weather forecasting. Using the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, built and operated by the NSF National Solar Observatory (NSO), astronomers captured dark coronal loop strands with unprecedented clarity during the decay phase of an X1.3-class flare on August 8, 2024, at 20:12 ...

A cardiac device trial published in eClinicalMedicine shows that improving enrollment of females in such trials can better guide care for all patients. The BIO-LIBRA study investigated how well implantable cardiac defibrillators work for patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, a weakening of heart muscle that is more common in females. Because nearly 48 percent of study participants were assigned female at birth—a number that is unheard-of in cardiac device trials—the one-year interim study results revealed that participants assigned male at birth were twice as likely to die or experience ...

RICHMOND HILL, Canada - 25 August 2025 — Wildfires are putting more lives at risk than ever before. A new research led by the United Nations University, Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) scientists finds that the number of humans directly exposed to wildland wildfires increased by 40% within the first two decades of the 21st century. The study published in Science reports at least 2,500 deaths and 10,500 injuries directly from wildfires in this period, and more than 1.5 million smoke-related deaths each year. Despite limited coverage in global media, Africa accounted for 85% of those exposed. The authors note that ...

Antiseizure medications help the majority of people with focal epilepsy, a common form of the neurological disorder. Yet most will still have episodes for at least a year after their treatment begins, until their doctors can find the right drug and dosage for them, a new study shows. Accounting for about 60% of people with epilepsy, focal epilepsy occurs when nerve cells in a certain brain region send out a sudden, excessive burst of electrical signals. This uncontrolled activity, which is called a focal ...

CLEVELAND—A team of scientists led by the Institute for Glial Sciences (IGS) at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine has discovered a built-in “brake” that controls when key brain cells mature. In multiple sclerosis (MS), this brake appears to stay on too long, leaving the cells unable to repair the damage the disease causes. The study, published today in the journal Cell, identifies a new framework for how cells control when they mature. The discovery also presents a potential regenerative medicine approach to repair the damage caused by MS and similar diseases affecting the nervous system. “Myelin ...

Key Takeaways Harvard SEAS researchers have created an electro-optic digital-to-analog converter that bridges electronic and photonic signals for efficient photonic computing and signal processing. The device is based on a novel interferometer design and offers an alternative to conventional signal conversion and modulation methods in high-speed optical systems.  The Harvard team’s device was made using a mature lithium niobate photonic foundry process similar to what exists for ...

KEY TAKEAWAYS Mass General Brigham researchers compared data from more than 75,000 adults with TBI to a control group of the same size. They studied the patients over 24 years and observed how many developed brain tumors, leaving out any patients with existing risk factors, such as radiation exposure or a history of tumors.  The study found an increased risk of developing a malignant brain tumor in adults with moderate to severe TBI.    New research led by investigators at Mass General Brigham suggests a link between a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and risk of developing a malignant brain tumor. By evaluating data from 2000-2024 of more ...

About The Study: Large portions of obesity-related conditions in U.S. adolescents and young adults may be attributable to obesity and, to a lesser extent, overweight. Obesity-related conditions during youth increase the risk of more severe disease in the future, and treating and preventing obesity may reduce obesity-related conditions and associated costs.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Ashwin K. Chetty, BS, email ashwin.chetty@yale.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.2716) Editor’s Note: Please see the article ...

About The Study: Contrary to prevailing assumptions, the findings of this study suggest that children’s depression over time may have contributed to worsening maternal depression, rather than the other way around. While these results should be replicated in non-pandemic contexts to confirm their generalizability, they highlight the need for family-centered approaches to mental health care.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Sheri Madigan, PhD, email sheri.madigan@ucalgary.ca. To access the embargoed ...

EMBARGOED UNTIL 11 am EST on Monday, August 25, 2025 Contact: Jillian McKoy, jpmckoy@bu.edu  Michael Saunders, msaunder@bu.edu Kate Shirley, kshirley@luskin.ucla.edu ##  Older men are 13 times more likely to die by firearm suicide than women, but a new study by Boston University School of Public Health and the University of California, Los Angeles Luskin School of Public Affairs has found that suicides by gun are increasing rapidly among older women. Firearms were involved in nearly 40 percent of suicides among older women from 2014-2023, up from 34.9 percent in 2014, according to the study in JAMA Network Open. Women represent nearly half of all new gun owners in the United ...

Researchers found that acoustic emission dose—an acoustic signal from microbubbles—could predict how to adjust ultrasound power and open the blood brain barrier for delivering drugs in patients with glioblastoma The blood-brain barrier—a feature of blood vessels that protects the brain from harmful substances—is so good at its job that it poses a serious obstacle to treating brain cancer. To deliver therapeutic treatments across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), researchers at Mass General Brigham ...

Researchers led by Hiroshi Ohno at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) in Japan have discovered why smoking tobacco helps people suffering from ulcerative colitis, a chronic disease typified by inflammation of the large intestine. Published in the scientific journal Gut on August 25, the study shows that smoking produces metabolites that encourage bacteria from the mouth to grow in the large intestines where they trigger an immune response. These findings imply that protection against ulcerative colitis can be achieved through prebiotics like hydroquinone or probiotic therapy with bacteria like Streptococcus ...

Even in the post-#MeToo era, news reporting on sexual violence remains problematic and causes harms, McGill researchers have found. The researchers conducted a thematic review of academic literature, analyzing 41 relevant articles published between 2013 and 2023 in the Global North to assess whether news coverage of sexual violence has evolved since the #MeToo movement of 2017 had increased awareness. “Journalistic practices can still problematically portray sexual violence, furthering harmful and lasting impacts for survivors,” said the paper’s co-author, Karen Andrews, a former master’s ...

A new study from the University of Georgia and Brigham Young University demonstrates how attending live events can help combat loneliness and build social connections. The research, forthcoming in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, pinpoints specific characteristics of events that most effectively foster feelings of connectedness. Led by Drs. Richard Slatcher (UGA) and Julianne Holt-Lunstad (BYU), the research team analyzed data from 1,551 participants who reported ...

Choosing a more electrified vehicle will reduce drivers' greenhouse gas emissions, regardless of where they live in the contiguous United States, according to a new study from the University of Michigan. The analysis is the most comprehensive to date, the authors said, providing drivers with estimates of emissions per mile driven across 35 different combinations of vehicle class and powertrains. That included conventional gas pickups, hybrid SUVs and fully electric sedans with dozens of other permutations. In fact, the team created a free online calculator that lets drivers estimate greenhouse gas emissions based on what they drive, how they drive ...

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (08/25/2025) — For the first time, a research team at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities demonstrated a groundbreaking process that combines 3D printing, stem cell biology, and lab-grown tissues for spinal cord injury recovery.  The study was recently published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, a peer-reviewed scientific journal. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, more than 300,000 people in the United States suffer from spinal cord injuries, yet there is no way to completely reverse the damage and paralysis from the injury. A major challenge is the death of nerve cells ...

DARIEN, IL - The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has developed and validated a patient-reported outcome tool for use in a clinical setting to monitor treatment response and longitudinal symptom progression in adults who have obstructive sleep apnea. Results show that the “Patient-reported Longitudinal Assessment Tool for OSA” demonstrates strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and it exhibits robust construct validity through moderate-to-strong correlations with established measures. Scores from the PLATO questionnaire also discriminate between sleep apnea severity levels ...

Indole, a molecule made up of a six-membered benzene ring fused to a five-membered ring containing nitrogen, forms the core structure of many biologically active compounds. Derivatives of indole, where hydrogen atoms are replaced by various chemical groups, are naturally produced by plants, fungi, and even the human body. Due to their properties, indoles have gained attention as a backbone for synthesizing a wide variety of drugs. Since 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved 14 indole drugs to treat conditions, such as migraines, infections, and hypertension. Chemists have developed many ...

Maybe you shouldn’t always listen to your gut. Researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC recently studied flavor-nutrient learning — how people come to prefer certain food based on how it makes them feel. Flavor-nutrient learning is one factor that influences eating habits and may impact body weight. “We have to learn what we are going to eat, and one factor that’s less well studied is post-ingestive signals — our gut talking to our brain, teaching ...

Four and a half billion years ago Jupiter rapidly grew to its massive size. Its powerful gravitational pull disrupted the orbits of small rocky and icy bodies similar to modern asteroids and comets, called planetesimals. This caused them to smash into each other at such high speeds that the rocks and dust they contained melted on impact and created floating molten rock droplets, or chondrules, that we find preserved in meteorites today.   Now, researchers at Nagoya University in Japan and the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) have for the first time determined how these droplets formed and accurately dated the formation of Jupiter based on their ...

A research team from the University of Basel, Switzerland, has developed a new molecule modeled on plant photosynthesis: under the influence of light, it stores two positive and two negative charges at the same time. The aim is to convert sunlight into carbon-neutral fuels. Plants use the energy of sunlight to convert CO2 into energy-rich sugar molecules. This process is called photosynthesis and is the foundation of virtually all life: animals and humans can “burn” the carbohydrates produced in this way again and use the energy stored within them. This once more produces carbon dioxide, closing the cycle. This model could also be the key to environmentally ...