University of Bath Press Release  3 March 2026  Hairdressers could be a secret weapon in tackling climate change, new research finds  Salons can be influential in prompting climate conversations - research  Hairdressers across the UK are emerging as powerful, under-recognised influencers in tackling climate change, according to new research from academics at the University of Bath’s Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST), and the Universities of Cardiff, Oxford and Southampton.  The ...

RICHMOND, Virginia, UNITED STATES, 3 March 2026 -- A sweeping new peer-reviewed study published in Genomic Psychiatry has introduced a concept that could reshape how psychiatrists and geneticists think about mental illness: genetic specificity. Led by Dr. Kenneth S. Kendler at Virginia Commonwealth University, the research team analyzed data from over two million individuals born in Sweden between 1950 and 1995, asking a deceptively simple question. When someone is diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, how much of their genetic vulnerability actually points toward that specific ...

Coronaviruses not only use the machinery of the human cells they infect: they modify it to achieve optimal conditions to produce viral proteins and thus spread more quickly. This is the main conclusion of a study by Pompeu Fabra University published in Nature Communications. The study identifies enzymes that modify transfer RNAs (tRNAs) –small cellular parts required to build proteins– as key elements for coronavirus infection. These enzymes are activated by the stress response of viral infection and could be a new therapeutic target for developing broad-spectrum antiviral drugs against coronaviruses.  In the last 25 years, the world has witnessed ...

Wildfires are among the most economically costly natural disasters and becoming more severe and frequent due to global warming. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction estimates that global damage from wildfires was on average $106 billion per year between 2014 and 2023. The US is especially prone: the 10 most costly wildfires since 1970 all happened there, with the 2025 wildfires around Los Angeles topping the charts at $53 billion. Worldwide, wildfires destroyed 3.9 million sq km in 2025. One way to limit the risk and severity of wildfires is forest thinning, where foresters ...

 A research team led by Dr. Jeong Min Park of the Nano Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), in collaboration with Dr. Jaemin Wang and Prof. Dierk Raabe of the Max Planck Institute in Germany, has developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based model capable of assessing the likelihood and characteristics of internal defects during process design. This research achievement is expected to significantly enhance the reliability of metal additive manufacturing parts and greatly expand their applicability for mass production in industrial settings.  Metal additive ...

New, miniscule fossils of the earliest-known relative of all primates, including humans, Purgatorius, have been unearthed in a more southern region of North America than ever before – and the breakthrough is providing paleontologists fresh clues about evolution. The origin and early biogeographic history of primates is a fascinating, albeit controversial topic. The oldest archaic primate, Purgatorius, is a small, shrew-sized mammal that first appears in North America immediately after the extinction ...

Applied Microbiology International will hold a free webinar on ‘Gender Equality and Water’ to mark World Water Day 2026 - March 18 2026. The webinar will be the first event in an exciting new AMI Advisory Group webinar series, and is hosted by the chair of our Clean Water Advisory Group, Gary Hogben. The discussion will begin with Dr Kwanrawee Joy Sirikanchana highlighting aims and progress on UN SDG 6, Clean Water and Sanitation, since its implementation in 2015. We’ll be joined by Professor Jiménez Cisneros, an expert in ...

Beginning with Issue 1, 2026, Frontiers in Energy was officially renamed ENGINEERING Energy. In the first issue of ENGINEERING Energy, Zhen Huang, Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Chair Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, published an editorial entitled “The unprecedented transformation in energy: The Third Energy Revolution toward carbon neutrality”. This paper explores the historical development of energy revolutions, the cornerstones of the third energy revolution, and the new cognitive frameworks and innovative thinking required for the construction of a new energy system. 1 Developmental ...

When China's Chang'e-6 probe returned to Earth in June 2024, it carried a cargo of unprecedented scientific value: the first-ever samples collected from the far side of the Moon. Now, a research team led by Beihang University has unveiled the first high-throughput, non-destructive characterization of these precious materials, revealing that the "soil" on the lunar far side possesses unique physical properties which are vital for future lunar bases. The study combines high-resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) with advanced deep learning algorithms to virtually reconstruct over 349,000 individual lunar soil particles. The findings ...

In 1873, Ernst Abbe proposed the famous diffraction limit theory, stating that the resolution of an optical system is limited by the light wavelength and numerical aperture. For a long time, the resolution of imaging systems has been constrained by the Abbe-Rayleigh diffraction limit. This means that to obtain higher spatial resolution, optical systems often have to rely on huge physical apertures, just as astronomical telescopes must possess huge mirrors to “see clearly.” Although superresolution fluorescence microscopy, awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, successfully broke this limit, existing methods still ...

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are upgraded to improve the quality of river water downstream, but the effects of such upgrades on aquatic microbial and viral communities remain poorly understood. In a new study published in Water & Ecology, a research team led by Yaohui Bai from Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, investigated how the upgrade of a WWTP influenced nitrogen-cycling microorganisms and DNA viruses in its receiving river. Conducted in Beijing's Tonghui River (WWTP upgraded in 2017) and Qing River (WWTP upgraded ...

People with chronic back pain process everyday sounds differently, and more intensely, than people without pain, according to new research from the University of Colorado Anschutz. Published today in Annals of Neurology, the study is one of the first to tie this sound hypersensitivity to specific, measurable changes in the brain, indicating that chronic back pain affects far more than the back. The research also shows there’s an effective treatment that can help. “Our findings validate what many patients have been saying for years that everyday sounds genuinely ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Low-resolution online videos are less likely to influence opinion and also more likely to dissuade viewers from engaging with future content, research by Oregon State University scientists shows. The study carries major implications for the design and delivery of video content and suggests that deviations from high-quality presentations can create repercussions regarding the video’s content, according to Christopher Sanchez of the OSU College of Liberal Arts. Sanchez says it’s not surprising that the findings, published in the journal Displays, suggest people prefer ...

For decades, the basics of plant growth have been taught in grade-school: Plants make their food out of water from the soil, light from the sun and carbon dioxide from the air in a process called photosynthesis. What gets less attention is that plants release some of that carbon dioxide back into the air in a parallel process called photorespiration. Most scientists think this parallel process is a waste of the plant’s energy, consuming 30 percent or more overall. Millions of dollars have been spent on research trying to eliminate photorespiration, with the aim of redirecting that “wasted” energy to boost crop production. So far, progress has been slow. But, “plants ...

**Study includes country-level data for 204 countries and territories worldwide, see summary tables at end of release**  Breast cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer-related illness and premature death among women worldwide. In 2023, there were an estimated 2.3 million new breast cancer cases and 764,000 deaths, resulting in around 24 million years of healthy life lost due to illness and early mortality. Over a quarter of healthy years lost to breast cancer are due to six modifiable risk factors, including high red meat intake, tobacco, high blood sugar, and high BMI—offering important opportunities for prevention. The ...

Suicide in autistic people originates in the inequalities they face across their lives, starting in childhood, and spanning education to employment, and health and social care, a new study by a team at Cambridge and Bournemouth Universities has found. The researchers call for a radical change in the way society understands suicide and mental illness in autistic people, who are three to five times more likely to die by suicide. The study, published today in eClinicalMedicine, involved over 2,500 autistic people and allies/ supporters of autistic people. It is part of the biggest ...

Weight-loss (GLP-1 mimicking) drugs may help prevent further tissue damage following a heart attack, significantly reducing the risk of further life-threatening complications that affect up to half of all patients, according to a new study led by the University of Bristol and University College London (UCL). Published in Nature Communications, the research suggests that GLP-1 weight-loss drugs could offer a promising new therapeutic approach for improving heart attack recovery. Previous studies have shown that GLP-1 weight-loss drugs can lower ...

For every recognized vertebrate species, there are on average two unrecognized, or "cryptic" species, according to a new study led by University of Arizona researchers. The findings suggest that global vertebrate biodiversity has been significantly underestimated, which could have consequences for conservation efforts if these hidden species are not properly identified. "Each species that you and I can see and recognize as distinct may actually be hiding two different species, on average," said John Wiens, ...

NYU Langone Health orthopedic experts are presenting their latest clinical findings and research discoveries at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), held March 2 to 6 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Among the topics presented: Physiological, not biological, age should determine ACL reconstruction in athletic patients over 50. AI chatbot allows hip and knee arthroplasty patients to ask basic pre- and postoperative questions, as well as potentially embarrassing queries, at any time. Patients with metal allergies are at higher risk of ...

A newly launched scientific journal is calling for a deeper integration of artificial intelligence into environmental research, arguing that AI may be one of the most powerful tools available to address climate change, pollution, and resource sustainability. The inaugural editorial of Artificial Intelligence & Environment outlines how environmental challenges have become increasingly interconnected and global in scale. From worsening climate disruption and biodiversity loss to pollution and energy insecurity, ...

A new international study finds that artificial intelligence development is increasingly splitting into three distinct global systems led by the United States, China, and the European Union, each shaped by different policy priorities, innovation models, and governance philosophies. The research suggests that this divergence may permanently reshape the technological landscape and complicate global cooperation on AI safety, standards, and innovation. The study, published in Artificial Intelligence & Environment, combines policy ...

A new review highlights how machine learning is transforming the way scientists detect and measure organic pollutants in the environment, offering powerful new tools to overcome long standing analytical challenges. Environmental organic pollutants are extraordinarily diverse, ranging from pharmaceuticals and pesticides to industrial additives and their transformation products. Many of these compounds lack commercially available reference standards, making it difficult to identify and quantify them using conventional analytical methods. In a comprehensive review published in Artificial ...

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 2 March 2026    Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Linkedin              Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives ...

A new study examining fossil evidence shows large land predators were already hunting big plant-eating animals more than 280 million years ago. University of Toronto Mississauga researchers Jordan M. Young, Tea Maho, and Robert Reisz studied bite marks on the skeletons of three young herbivores from the early Permian of Texas revealing feeding patterns from multiple predators and a glimpse into how animals hunted and interacted with each other. “This discovery shows predator-prey hierarchies were formed earlier than previously expected,” said Professor Reisz, co-author of Earliest direct evidence of trophic interactions between terrestrial apex predators and large herbivores. ...

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4:00 P.M. ET, MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2026 Highlights: A new study has found people whose drinking water came from newer groundwater had a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease than those whose water came from older groundwater. The study does not prove that newer groundwater causes Parkinson’s; it only shows an association. Older groundwater typically contains fewer contaminants because it is usually deeper and better shielded from contaminants. Researchers found drinking water drawn from ...