How does friendship affect the human brain and influence behavior? In a new JNeurosci paper, Jia Jin and colleagues, from Shanghai International Studies University, present their work examining how close relationships influence consumer behavior and neural activity. Through a combination of long-term behavioral experiments with 175 participants and neuroimaging data from 47 participants, the researchers shed light on how friendships promote neural and behavioral similarity.  Participants evaluated products more similarly to their friends than strangers. As friends grew closer over time, this similarity ...

Because unpleasant withdrawal symptoms fuel nicotine addiction’s high relapse rate, targeting their underlying mechanisms with treatments may promote continued abstinence from the drug. In a new JNeurosci paper, Alexis Monical and Daniel McGehee, from the University of Chicago, explored a neural pathway for nicotine withdrawal symptoms stemming from the interpeduncular nucleus (IPN) to the laterodorsal tegmentum (LDTg).  The researchers previously found that high doses of nicotine interact with the IPN to cause unpleasant effects that reduce intake of the drug in mice. Other researchers have linked the IPN to nicotine withdrawal symptoms. This nucleus inhibits ...

Researchers at the Hebrew University have developed an exceptionally accurate method for predicting chronological age from DNA, based on two short genomic regions. Using deep learning networks analyzing DNA methylation patterns at a single-molecule resolution, they achieve age predictions with a median error as low as 1.36 years in individuals under 50. The method is unaffected by smoking, BMI, and sex, and has potential applications in forensics, aging research, and personalized medicine. A team of researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, led by Bracha Ochana and Daniel Nudelman, ...

In a milestone for scalable quantum technologies, scientists from Boston University, UC Berkeley, and Northwestern University have reported the world’s first electronic–photonic–quantum system on a chip, according to a study published in Nature Electronics . The system combines quantum light sources and stabilizing electronics using a standard 45-nanometer semiconductor manufacturing process to produce reliable streams of correlated photon pairs (particles of light)—a key resource for emerging quantum technologies. The advance paves the way for mass-producible “quantum ...

Kenneth Merz, PhD, of Cleveland Clinic's Center for Computational Life Sciences and a team are exploring how quantum computers can work with supercomputers to better simulate molecule behavior.   Simulating large molecule stability and behavior requires more time and power than is possible on even the most advanced supercomputer. Dr. Merz and his team developed a strategy for overcoming this barrier by combining the power of a quantum computer with the accuracy of a supercomputer in a study published ...

High-resolution cryo-electron microscopy makes it possible to study complex enzymatic processes in detail. With this method, a research team of the University of Potsdam and Humboldt-Universität Berlin succeeded in characterizing the CODH/ACS enzyme complex in detail. They discovered that the complex moves in the course of chemical reactions and thus determines the reaction sequence. Their results have been published in the journal Nature Catalysis. Before the start of photosynthesis in Earth's history and accumulation of oxygen in the atmosphere, anaerobic microorganisms lived here, which do not need oxygen for their metabolism. ...

MSU has a satellite uplink/LTN TV studio and Comrex line for radio interviews upon request. EAST LANSING, Mich. – A new study led by Michigan State University found that as people get better at handling stress on a daily basis, they also become more extroverted, agreeable and open to new experiences over a nearly 20-year period. Likewise, the worse they manage daily stressors, the more introverted, unfriendly and closed off from new experiences they become. The study, published in Psychology and Aging, is the largest and longest study to look at how managing stress on a daily basis may translate to personality. The study ...

They’ve barely opened their eyes, but newborn babies already seem to prefer nice behaviours. New research reveals that infants just five days old can tell the difference between two distinct forms of prosocial and antisocial behaviour—and they prefer the prosocial. This suggests that some parts of how humans understand and evaluate the social world may be built into the brain from birth. “These babies have almost no experience with the social world, and yet they’re already picking up on friendly versus unfriendly interactions, on helping versus hindering. That could be telling us something ...

SAN FRANCISCO—Endocrine Society experts encouraged more widespread screening for a common hormonal cause of high blood pressure known as primary aldosteronism in a new Clinical Practice Guideline released today. “Primary Aldosteronism: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline” was published online and is being presented at ENDO 2025, the Society’s annual meeting. A significant minority of people who are diagnosed with hypertension, or high blood pressure, actually have undiagnosed primary aldosteronism. An estimated 5% to 14% of people with high blood pressure seen in primary care and up to 30% seen in referral centers have primary ...

Gene therapy has emerged as a revolutionary approach to treating genetic disorders by directly addressing underlying genetic abnormalities. However, the success of gene therapy hinges on the efficient and safe delivery of therapeutic genes to target cells. Traditional viral vectors, despite their high transfection efficiency, face limitations such as immunogenicity, limited cargo capacity, and risks of insertional mutagenesis. Non-viral gene delivery systems, particularly those based on macromolecular carriers, have gained prominence as safer and more versatile alternatives. This review explores the advancements in synthetic and natural polymer-based gene delivery systems, highlighting ...

New study redefines healthy aging as an environmental, social, and political phenomenon, and calls on public health strategies to expand beyond lifestyle prescriptions to address structural inequalities and governance deficits A groundbreaking international study of 161,981 participants across 40 countries published in Nature Medicine today, [Monday , 14th July 2025] reveals that air pollution, social inequality, and weak democratic institutions substantially accelerate aging. The collaborative study involves leading researchers from the Global Brain Health Institute in Trinity ...

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified over 250 proteins that are strongly affected by malaria, which could help predict the severity of the disease and thus enable faster treatment for the most critical patients. The study, published in the journal Immunity, was conducted on 72 adult travellers diagnosed with malaria at Karolinska University Hospital after returning from tropical regions. By analysing blood samples from these individuals, who were followed for a year, the researchers were able to identify around ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that delays in hypertension diagnosis were common and significantly associated with delays in treatment initiation and adverse cardiovascular outcomes, underscoring the need for earlier identification and intervention.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, John E. Brush Jr, MD, email jebrush@sentara.com. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.20498) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional ...

About The Study: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) therapy in idiopathic intracranial hypertension is associated with significant reductions in medication use, symptoms/signs, and procedural interventions, suggesting its potential as a management strategy. Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Dennis J. Rivet II, MD, email dennis.rivet@vcuhealth.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2025.2020) Editor’s Note: Please ...

About The Article: This article provides practical strategies for symptom management for patients receiving glucagon-like peptide-1 and dual receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) to manage weight and suggests interventions supporting muscle and nutrient preservation during GLP-1 RA treatment.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH, email jmanson@bwh.harvard.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.1794) Editor’s ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 14, 2025 CONTACT: Camille Jewell cjewell@vancomm.com or 202-248-5460   NASHVILLE — Research presented today at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery’s (SNIS) 22nd Annual Meeting included three studies that explored the differences in treatment and recovery options for patients across racial, gender and socioeconomic lines in a large telestroke network in Pennsylvania and a university medical center in Rhode Island.   Telestroke treatment aims to improve care for people with stroke symptoms who live far from comprehensive stroke centers — hospitals that offer a full ...

“[…] manipulating LD dynamics represents a promising strategy to overcome hypoxia-induced resistance to ferroptosis and improve the success of PCa treatment.” BUFFALO, NY – July 14, 2025 – A new research paper was published in Volume 16 of Oncotarget on June 25, 2025, titled “Hypoxia induced lipid droplet accumulation promotes resistance to ferroptosis in prostate cancer.” In this study, researchers led by Shailender S. Chauhan and Noel A. Warfel from the University of Arizona discovered that prostate cancer cells survive treatment ...

A bottleneck in ensuring access to widespread molecular diagnostics, especially in low- and middle-income countries, has been the high cost and logistical complexities associated with rapid, point-of-care tests. Now, a collaborative research effort outlined in a Life Science Alliance (LSA) study to be published July 14, 2025 has addressed these challenges by developing a lyophilized (freeze-dried) open-source reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for pathogen detection. This method, successfully applied to COVID-19, aims to make the diagnostics more accessible and affordable globally. In ...

AMHERST, Mass. — While popular culture commonly depicts extraterrestrial life as little green men with large, oval-shaped heads, it’s most likely that if there is life beyond our planet and within our solar system, it is microbial. Recently, NASA awarded University of Massachusetts Amherst microbiologist James Holden $621,000 to spend the next three years using his expertise to help predict what life on Jupiter’s moon Europa might look like. For that, Holden turned to an unexpected place: the volcanoes a mile beneath our own oceans. Jupiter’s moon, Europa, has a frozen surface, but astronomers believe that beneath all that ice lies a salty, liquid ocean ...

SAN ANTONIO — July 14, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is taking on the challenges of a hydrogen-powered future. In collaboration with NYSEARCH, a nonprofit research and development organization for the gas industry serving utility members across North America, SwRI is investigating how blending hydrogen into liquid natural gas (LNG) could affect the integrity of the LNG storage tanks. Natural gas is widely used to power appliances and heat homes. By blending hydrogen into ...

A new study from UNC-Chapel Hill reveals that repetitive flooding in North Carolina is far more common and more widespread than previously recognized, with over 20,000 buildings flooding multiple times between 1996 and 2020. The study, which mapped 78 flood events across roughly three-quarters of the state, fills a major gap in understanding the full impacts of flooding on communities well beyond the state’s coastal floodplains.  Until now, detailed flood maps have existed for only a handful of past events. The research team created high-resolution maps for more than 70 previously unmapped floods, linking them to the exact locations ...

People who view the world as a savage social jungle are more likely to admire antagonistic leaders, praising their competence, while those who see the social world as cooperative and benign might just call those leaders clueless, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. “Why do some people see antagonistic behavior in leaders – especially when it’s particularly mean or forceful or disagreeable – as a sign of incompetence, while others view it as a mark of savvy leadership?” said Christine Nguyen, a doctoral student at Columbia ...

New research published in Social Psychological and Personality Science shows that awareness of economic disparity affects happiness, meaning, harmony and spiritual well-being. A comprehensive new study examining data from 71 countries suggests that perceiving high levels of economic inequality significantly undermines individual well-being across multiple dimensions of human flourishing. The research provides crucial insights into how awareness of economic disparity affects not just happiness, but also people's sense of meaning, harmony, and spirituality. Led by researcher ...

While humans can escape the heat by seeking shade or shedding layers, plants remain rooted in place. So how do they survive extreme heat? It’s a question many have wondered—and now, science has an answer. A research team led by Dr. Hye sun Cho at the Plant Systems Engineering Research Center of the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology(KRIBB) has uncovered, for the first time at the molecular level, the mechanism by which plants adapt and survive under heat stress. The breakthrough is expected to greatly ...

With intensifying global warming and climate change, drought has become a major threat to global agriculture, impacting crop yields and food security. To survive such adverse events, plants have evolved several strategies. One such strategy to counteract water scarcity is ‘stomatal closure,’ where stomata—the tiny pores on leaf surfaces responsible for gaseous exchange—close to limit water loss. This process is regulated by the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA), which plays a crucial ...