Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg and ETH Zürich have created the first integrated map detailing the metabolic and molecular changes in human blood stem cells as they age, specialize, or turn cancerous. Their innovative research, made possible by highly sensitive low-input techniques, identifies the nutrient choline, as a key player in preserving youthful stem cell traits. This work offers profound insights into stem cell health and disease, suggesting ...

Air pollution across the UK dropped between 2015 and 2024, but dangerous levels are still reached too often, shows new research published today (Tuesday, 15 July) in Environmental Science: Atmospheres. Scientists from the University of Reading studied pollution at more than 500 monitoring sites around the UK. They looked at three main types of air pollution which harm people's health. Two types of pollution got better over the decade. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is mainly produced by traffic, fell by 35% on average at monitoring sites. Fine particles called PM2.5, which are small enough to get deep into lungs, dropped ...

Magnetic hysteresis loss or iron loss is an important magnetic property that determines the efficiency of electric motors and is therefore critical for electric vehicles. It occurs when the magnetic field within the motor core, made up of soft magnetic materials, is repeatedly reversed due to the changing flow of current in the windings. This reversal forces tiny magnetic regions called magnetic domains to repeatedly change their magnetization direction. This change is, however, not perfectly efficient and results in energy loss. ...

New research explains how low levels of the electrolyte sodium in the blood can disrupt the timing of the heartbeat in patients taking widely used rhythm-control medications such as flecainide, which is commonly prescribed for atrial fibrillation and other fast or irregular heart rhythms. The study, by Virginia Tech researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in the journal Heart Rhythm, was conducted using guinea pig hearts and showed that blocking cardiac sodium channels with commonly prescribed medicine such as flecainide can make the heart’s electrical conduction unusually sensitive to even modest reductions ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Following a large-scale wildfire, more jaguars migrated to a study site in the Brazilian wetlands that already had the largest population density of jaguars in the world, a new study found. “Finding even more jaguars and other mammals in the study area following the 2020 wildfire and extreme drought suggests that it may serve as a climate refuge, buffering the effects of extreme climate events,” said Charlotte Eriksson, a post-doctoral scholar at Oregon State University. The 36,700-acre site is a seasonally ...

Can you imagine a life-saving molecule whose “twin” is a deadly poison? As surprising as it may seem, this chemical reality is known as “chirality”. Like a right hand and a left hand, two molecules can have the same composition, but a different shape and arrangement in space. And this difference can change everything. Understanding and controlling this phenomenon is crucial to drug design. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with the University of Pisa, has developed a new family of remarkably stable chiral molecules. This work opens up new prospects ...

A new paper in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, published by Oxford University Press, finds that efforts to eradicate invasive molluscs in Idaho’s Snake River may kill off valuable freshwater species. Dreissenid mussels such as zebra and quagga mussels are invasive aquatic species that disrupt freshwater ecosystems and cause major economic and social damage. In the United States, observers first found Dreissenid mussels in the Great Lakes, likely introduced via international shipping vessels, in 1988. In subsequent decades Dreissenid mussels spread to lakes and rivers throughout the eastern and central United States, causing dramatic shifts in food chains, collapsed fisheries, ...

Every day, your body replaces billions of cells—and yet, your tissues stay perfectly organized. How is that possible? A team of researchers at ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute and the University of Delaware believe they’ve found an answer. In a new study published today in the scientific journal Biology of the Cell, they show that just five basic rules may explain how the body maintains the complex structure of tissues like those in the colon, for example, even as its cells are constantly dying and being replaced. This research is the product of more than 15 years of collaboration between mathematicians and cancer biologists ...

NIJMEGEN, The Netherlands, 15 July 2025 – In a comprehensive Genomic Press perspective (peer-reviewed review) article, an international team of neuroscientists has outlined crucial validity standards that could transform how researchers use stem cell technology to study devastating brain disorders. The framework addresses a critical gap in translating laboratory discoveries into effective treatments for neuropsychiatric conditions that affect billions globally. Addressing the Translation Crisis Neuropsychiatric ...

Stroke is said to be the second leading cause of death worldwide after heart disease. To prevent the death of neurons in the brain, a research group led by Osaka Metropolitan University Associate Professor Hidemitsu Nakajima of the Graduate School of Veterinary Science has developed a drug that inhibits a protein involved in cell death.  The multifunctional protein GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) is linked to pathogenesis in many intractable brain and nervous system diseases. The team developed GAI-17, a GAPDH aggregation inhibitor. When this inhibitor was administered to model ...

by Rachael Frost Most people have heard of St John’s Wort and omega-3s. But did you know there are a lot more over-the-counter herbal products and supplements out there targeting depression? In our review of clinical trials of these products, we found 64 different over-the-counter (OTC) products that have been evaluated for depression – but with differing levels of evidence for each.   Why look at this topic?  Depression is increasingly common, to the extent that it is sometimes described as an ...

EMBARGOED UNTIL THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2025 AT 12:01 AM ET  Survey Finds Americans Choose Short Term Relief for Neck and Back Pain Doctors say treatment should be individualized  ORLANDO, FL — New survey data from the Orlando Health Spine Center reveals a significant difference among Americans on how to manage neck and back pain. Respondents were split between relying on rest and reduced activity (44%), turning to over-the-counter pain relievers (42%), and hot/cold therapies (29%) — an uncertainty that may be discouraging some from seeking medical guidance. “We ...

A cancer diagnosis is a life-changing event for patients that can cause short- and long-term mental health concerns as they shift to living within a new timeline driven by weeks or months between medical follow-up appointments. A new survey conducted on behalf of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) highlights the widespread emotional impact of cancer, revealing what weighs heavy on the minds of adults when a loved one is diagnosed. Kevin Johns, MD, director ...

Scientists from the Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney have made a landmark discovery that could lead to safer and more effective gene therapies for a range of serious genetic disorders including Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Pompe disease and haemophilia. Published in the leading journal Cell, the study identifies a previously unknown gateway into human cells, a receptor called AAVR2, that gene therapy viruses use to deliver therapeutic genes. This newly uncovered pathway could allow lower ...

A research team has discovered an electrochemical method that allows highly selective para-position single-carbon insertion into polysubstituted pyrroles. Their approach has important applications in synthetic organic chemistry, especially in the field of pharmaceuticals. Their work is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on July 14. “We set out to address the longstanding challenge of achieving single-carbon insertion into aromatic rings with precise positional control,” said Mahito Atobe, Professor, Faculty of Engineering, YOKOHAMA National University. Transformations that modify ...

Feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, is a serious and historically fatal disease in cats caused by a coronavirus. It behaves in many ways like severe coronavirus infections in humans, causing widespread inflammation, T cell exhaustion, and chronic immune dysfunction. Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have found that mesenchymal stromal cells, or MSC therapy, in combination with antiviral drugs, helped cats’ immune systems recover and reduced systemic inflammation. The study was published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine. “Our findings support the idea that FIP in cats is a useful model for studying long-term immune problems after a viral infection — ...

Progress towards universal access to safe, affordable surgical care is dangerously off track as at least 160 million patients each year are unable to receive surgery - with Low- and Middle-income Countries (LMICs) bearing the brunt of the crisis, a new study reveals.  A global coalition of 60 health experts representing 20 countries is calling for urgent action to resolve the crisis – warning that only 26% of LMICs are on track to meet a target for everyone to be able to access essential surgery within 2 hours, and ...

There is an accompanying press briefing being hosted by the Science Media Centre in the UK. Please contact UK Biobank for the details. In a remarkable achievement that is already impacting how we detect and diagnose disease, UK Biobank has completed the world’s largest whole body imaging project, scanning the brains, hearts, abdomens, blood vessels, bones and joints of 100,000 volunteers. These scans, on this scale, show us what is happening in people’s bodies as they age so we can understand how, why and when we get sick.   Since 2015, UK Biobank’s imaging data have been released in batches1 ...

People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have an odour that can be reliably detected from skin swabs by trained dogs, a new study has shown. The research, in collaboration with Medical Detection Dogs and the Universities of Bristol and Manchester, is published in The Journal of Parkinson’s Disease today [15 July]. Two dogs were trained by the charity, Medical Detection Dogs, to distinguish between sebum swabs from people with and without Parkinson’s disease. In a double blind trial, they showed sensitivity of up to 80% and specificity of up to 98%. Not only that, ...

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 00:01AM UK TIME ON TUESDAY 15 JULY 2025 Insomnia could be key to lower life satisfaction in adults with ADHD traits, study finds Insomnia could explain why adults with ADHD traits report having a lower quality of life, according to new research led by the University of Southampton and the Netherlands Institute of Neuroscience. A study published today [15 July] in BMJ Mental Health found that having higher ADHD traits was associated with a lower quality of life and that insomnia could be part of the reason why. At least ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 14, 2025 CONTACT: Camille Jewell cjewell@vancomm.com or 202-248-5460   NASHVILLE  — A study presented today at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery’s (SNIS) 22nd Annual Meeting found that almost half of gunshot wound injuries to the brain in children and young adults include penetrating cerebrovascular injuries (PCVIs). These types of injuries, which damage blood vessels in the brain and may result in high rates of permanent disability and death, may be mitigated if hospitals ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Scholars and schoolchildren alike have generally classified animals by the foods they eat: carnivores eat meat; browsers consume flowering plants, conifers and shrubs; and grazers focus on grasses.  But a new federally funded study led by Brown University biologists and scientists at Yellowstone National Park revealed that different circumstances lead herbivores to eat a much wider variety of plants than previously believed. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the new research suggests that the traditional classification schemes that distinguish herbivores by their ...

Widowed parents who enjoy close relationships with their adult children still struggle with loneliness, according to the first study of its kind. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Aging & Mental Health, the analysis spanning 25 years was based on interviews with more than 5,500 men and women including those whose spouse had died. The findings contradict commonly held assumptions that indicate widowed parents experience much lower levels of loneliness than those without children. Although the bond between bereaved women and their offspring is strengthened, the authors of this new study say this is insufficient to fill the emotional void left after the death of ...

Irvine, Calif., July 14, 2025 — In new research, University of California, Irvine astronomers describe how more than 200 known exoplanets are likely much larger than previously thought. It’s a finding that could change which distant worlds researchers consider potential harbors for extraterrestrial life.   “We found that hundreds of exoplanets are larger than they appear, and that shifts our understanding of exoplanets on a large scale,” said Te Han, a doctoral student at UC Irvine and lead author of the new Astrophysical Journal Letters study. “This means we may have actually found fewer Earth-like planets so far than we thought.”   Astronomers ...

Bubbles burst when their caps rupture. Children discover this phenomenon every summer day, but it also underpins key mechanisms for the spread of pollutants, contaminants, and even infectious disease through the generation of aerosol droplets. While bubble bursting has been extensively studied in pure substances, the impact of contaminants on bursting dynamics has not received widespread attention. Researchers in The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have conducted a systematic study to investigate bubble ...