A recent article in BioScience, the journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences, challenges conventional conservation wisdom, suggesting that protected areas such national parks and designated wilderness areas must embrace natural landscape dynamics rather than trying to preserve static conditions and landscape features. Dr. Gavin M. Jones (USDA Forest Service) and colleagues contend that current conservation models often resist natural ecosystem processes such as wildfire, leading to a "backfire effect" that makes ecosystems more vulnerable ...

WASHINGTON – A depression prevention program that has helped white youth wasn’t effective for Black youth, raising concerns about the need for more research to help racially diverse groups, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.  “I was very surprised that we couldn’t help Black youth as much as white youth, and we don’t know why there was such a profound difference in the outcomes.” said lead researcher Patrick Pössel, Dr. rer. soc., a professor of counseling psychology ...

People convicted of federal white-collar crimes come from different social and demographic backgrounds compared to those convicted of other offenses. Typically older and from the middle class, white-collar offenders face unique challenges during reentry into society. Yet, research on how social class influences their reintegration remains scarce. A study by Florida Atlantic University, in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati, explores these challenges, focusing on how stigma, social background and emotional factors impact white-collar offenders as they transition into society ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- MIT engineers have devised a new way to deliver certain drugs in higher doses with less pain, by injecting them as a suspension of tiny crystals. Once under the skin, the crystals assemble into a drug “depot” that could last for months or years, eliminating the need for frequent drug injections. This approach could prove useful for delivering long-lasting contraceptives or other drugs that need to be given for extended periods of time. Because the drugs are dispersed in a suspension before injection, they can be administered through a narrow needle that is easier for patients to tolerate. “We showed that we can have very controlled, sustained delivery, ...

Life takes shape with the motion of a single cell. In response to signals from certain proteins and enzymes, a cell can start to move and shake, leading to contractions that cause it to squeeze, pinch, and eventually divide. As daughter cells follow suit down the generational line, they grow, differentiate, and ultimately arrange themselves into a fully formed organism.  Now MIT scientists have used light to control how a single cell jiggles and moves during its earliest stage of development. The team studied the motion of egg cells produced by starfish — an organism that scientists have long used as a classic model for ...

Frederic L.W.V.J. Schaper, MD, PhD, director of Epilepsy Network Mapping at the Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an instructor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, is the senior author of a paper published in Nature Communications, “A generalized epilepsy network derived from brain abnormalities and deep brain stimulation.” How would you summarize your study for a lay audience? Generalized epilepsy has traditionally been considered a seizure of the ‘whole brain.’ However, new research has challenged this longstanding idea, since carefully targeting specific brain areas through deep brain stimulation ...

IMDEA Networks has begun its participation in DISCO6G, an innovative project that will transform next-generation mobile networks, in collaboration with UC3M, UAM, and UPM and funded by the Madrid Regional Government. Its focus on Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) enables network infrastructures not only to transmit information but also to function as distributed real-time sensors. "DISCO6G represents a paradigm shift, as it turns the network into a system capable of detecting its environment while ...

SAN DIEGO, March 24, 2025 — When wildfires threaten people’s communities, human health is impacted far beyond the inferno. Residual smoke distributes on the breeze, infiltrating homes, schools and offices. To help people protect themselves and their families, researchers have developed a low-cost, durable, do-it-yourself (DIY) air cleaner that works as well as more expensive HEPA filters to clear indoor air of pollutants such as smoke and possibly limit the impact of airborne disease spread. Richard Corsi, dean of the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) College of Engineering, will present results from his ...

A technique to improve the precision of prostate cancer surgery means that almost twice as many men preserve their erectile function compared to those undergoing standard surgery, according to results from a clinical trial led by researchers from UCL and UCLH. The results of the NeuroSAFE PROOF trial, presented at the 2025 European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Madrid and published in The Lancet Oncology, raise the prospect of major quality of life improvements for men undergoing surgery for prostate cancer, which can often result in erectile ...

New data published by ECDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe [1] show that with almost 39 000 reported tuberculosis cases in 2023, the 29 European Union and European Economic Area (EU/ EEA) countries continue to see increases in TB notifications. Given that young children have an increased risk of developing tuberculosis disease during the first year after infection, childhood TB serves as a marker for ongoing transmission within a community.  The new data for 2023 indicate that children and adolescents under the age of 15 accounted for ...

A new study has shown that almost all people claiming Universal Credit aren’t able to eat properly, with many never eating fruit or vegetables, and a significant proportion regularly not eating for whole days at a time, leading to deficiencies in vital nutrients. The Benefits and Nutrition Study (BEANS) was led by the University of Nottingham’s Division of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics to examine food insecurity among people who claim Universal Credit. Their findings, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, show that 85% of those in receipt of Universal Credit are food ...

A comprehensive study from Karolinska Institutet shows that people with fatty liver disease have almost twice the mortality rate of the general population. They have an increased risk of dying from both liver diseases and common diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, according to the study published in The Journal of Hepatology. It is estimated that one in five people in Sweden has fatty liver disease known as MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease), and globally it may be as many as one in four. The disease is caused by overweight or obesity and is characterised by an excessive ...

Excess weight in mid-life is a known risk factor for kidney cancer, but new research indicates that weight patterns throughout life may also affect an individual’s likelihood of developing this malignancy. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. To assess weight patterns and their associations with kidney cancer and its different subtypes, investigators analyzed information on 204,364 individuals from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, including body mass index (BMI) data when participants entered the study (an average age of 61.6 years), and prior BMI recordings at 18, 35, and 50 ...

Almost half of people who died with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) died prematurely, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.241117 that used machine learning models to predict death. Canada has some of the highest rates of IBD worldwide, which includes Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis. People with IBD have shorter life expectancy than people without such diseases, and they can develop other chronic health conditions related to their IBD. The study found that people with IBD are at risk for premature death (defined ...

Existing tax policies during the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources will lead to major energy injustices and skewed priorities, new research published in Climate Policy shows. The peer-reviewed study found that electricity serving primary needs, such as heating or lighting, ultimately costs three times more than electricity for tertiary needs such as long-distance mobility – mostly due to taxation policies. Further highlighting the ongoing social inequalities of fuel and related policies, the findings also demonstrate within the European Union (EU), the wealthiest 1% of all its population is responsible for 66% of the distance ...

A simple urine test could accurately show the recurrence of kidney cancer at an early stage, potentially sparing patients invasive scans and enabling faster access to treatment, new research has shown. The findings are presented today [Monday 24 March 2025] at the European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Madrid and have been accepted for publication in European Urology Oncology. The test analyses the distinctive profiles of certain types of sugar molecules, called glycosaminoglycans which are found in urine. These profiles are known as the GAGome. The international AURORAX-0087A (AUR87A) study is assessing whether a GAGome test can accurately detect ...

London, UK: The largest analysis to examine the best way to lower levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol in patients with blocked arteries shows that they should immediately be given a combination of a statin and another drug called ezetimibe, rather than statins alone. This could prevent thousands of deaths a year from heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases. The meta-analysis of 108,353 patients in 14 studies who were at very high risk of suffering heart attack or stroke, or who had already suffered one of these cardiovascular events is published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings ...

Biopsies guided by high resolution ultrasound are as effective as those using MRI in diagnosing prostate cancer, an international clinical trial has shown. The technology, called micro-ultrasound, is cheaper and easier to use than MRI. It could significantly speed up diagnosis, reduce the need for multiple hospital visits and free up MRI for other uses, researchers say. The results of the OPTIMUM trial are presented today [Sunday 23 March 2025] at the European Association of Urology Congress in Madrid and published in JAMA. OPTIMUM is the first randomised trial to compare micro-ultrasound (microUS) guided biopsy with ...

SAN DIEGO, March 23, 2025 — Dogs have many jobs but one you may not expect is identifying grapevines coated in a destructive and highly contagious fungus. Although dogs can detect serious vine infections by smell, scientists don’t know exactly what odor molecules are triggering the response. Researchers are now analyzing volatile chemicals emanating from grape leaves infected by a fungus called powdery mildew with the goal of improving training for vineyard canines. Nayelly Rangel, a graduate student at Texas Tech University, will present the team’s results at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Spring 2025 is being held ...

SAN DIEGO, March 23, 2025 — Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are peptide-based therapeutics for treating diabetes and for weight loss. Unfortunately, shortages and high costs have made it difficult for people to start and maintain treatment. Now, researchers report a drug delivery system that “paints” these peptides directly on the antibodies they target. In studies with mice, the system led to sustained weight loss and prolonged blood sugar management with a GLP-1 injection one fourth that of the standard dose. Bradley Pentelute, professor of chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will present his team’s results at the spring ...

Two doses of a simple tuberculosis vaccination after surgery helps the immune system fight cancer cells and could greatly improve patient outcomes for the most common type of bladder cancer, according to a pilot study of 40 patients. Initial results from the RUTIVAC-1 Trial are presented today [Sunday 23 March 2025] at the European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Madrid. In the randomised controlled trial, administering the vaccine alongside standard treatment led to an elevated immune response, which is known to improve the body’s ability to suppress future tumours. Patients who received the vaccine had no discernible ...

New research to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025, Malaga, Spain, 11-14 May) shows that a new diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is linked to a subsequent increase in the risk of developing some, but not all, obesity related cancers. The study is by Owen Tipping, University of Manchester, UK, and Professor Andrew Renehan, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, Manchester, UK, and colleagues. Previous research has described associations between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and higher risk of several obesity-related cancers ...

Body size and excess weight, conventionally assessed using body mass index (BMI), are well-established risk factors for many types of cancer. However, new research to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025, Malaga, Spain, 11-14 May) and published in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute shows that waist circumference (WC) is a stronger risk marker than BMI for developing obesity-related cancers in men, but not women. The study was conducted by Dr Ming Sun, Dr Josef Fritz and Dr Tanja Stocks, Lund University, ...

Women with ongoing urinary incontinence could avoid invasive bladder pressure tests, as new research shows that a range of non-invasive assessments work just as well in guiding treatment. Led by researchers at the University of Aberdeen, the findings of the FUTURE Trial are presented today (Saturday 22 March 2025) at the European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Madrid and published in The Lancet. The UK study is the world’s first randomised controlled trial of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of invasive urodynamics testing. It focuses on a group of women with ...

Using a high-pressure water jet to operate on an enlarged prostate can better preserve the ability to ejaculate, compared with standard laser surgery, finds research. The technique has similar outcomes to laser surgery and can be performed with robot assistance, so could reduce waiting times for men with urinary problems caused by an enlarged prostate. Initial findings of the WATER III trial are presented today [Saturday 22 March] at the 2025 European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Madrid. The WATER III trial involved a water-based surgical procedure, called Aquablation, currently used for small- and medium-sized prostates. The trial ...