PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A study led by researchers from Brown University finds that rainfall patterns across northern Africa remained largely stable between 3.5 and 2.5 million years ago — a pivotal period in Earth’s climate history when the Northern Hemisphere cooled, and places like Greenland became permanently glaciated. The new findings, published in Science Advances, challenge long-held interpretations of the climate history of northern Africa, which had suggested that the region dried out considerably during this period. The timing coincides with the appearance of the first known member of the genus Homo in the fossil record, leading ...

Scientists from Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and colleagues identified several proteins from the umbilical cord blood of preterm newborns that signal acute systemic inflammation as an immune response to infection, providing objective and noninvasive means to diagnose early onset sepsis. This finding could spare infants from prolonged exposure to unnecessary antibiotics, which leaves them at risk for subsequent serious infections and dysregulation ...

A new perspective on the future development of artificial intelligence (AI) has been put forward by researchers Li Guo and Jinghai Li in their article titled “The Development of Artificial Intelligence: Toward Consistency in the Logical Structures of Datasets, AI Models, Model Building, and Hardware?” published in Engineering. The authors argue that while current AI systems have made significant strides in handling the statistical properties of complex systems, they still face challenges in effectively processing and fully representing the spatiotemporal complexity patterns of these systems.   The paper begins by highlighting the global interest in AI and its potential ...

Toronto, ON - Good sleep is vital for adolescents’ physical health, mental well-being, and academic success — yet many don’t get enough rest. Now, a new study reveals bedtime screen habits may be to blame. Published in Sleep Health, the study provides new insights into tweens’ bedtime screen use, as well as its associations with sleep disturbance and duration. Researchers found that over 70% of tweens had an Internet-connected device in their bedroom, with nearly 25% reporting they were woken up in the past week by notifications. If they woke up in the middle of the night, 28% went on their device before falling back asleep. “Getting ...

About The Study: This cohort study found that cancer incidence rates were associated with environmental burden and with racial and ethnic composition, suggesting the need for sustained community interventions in minoritized census regions with high environmental burden.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Jennifer Cullen, PhD, MPH, email jcullen@houstonmethodist.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.16740) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, ...

About The Study: This cohort study of breast cancer survivors found a lower risk of Alzheimer dementia (AD) compared with cancer-free controls, despite common concerns about cognitive decline after treatment. The findings suggest certain cancer treatments potentially have benefits for lower AD risk. Further research is needed to assess the long-term risk of AD in this population.  Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Dong Wook Shin, MD, DrPH, MBA, (dwshin.md@gmail.com) and Kyungdo Han, PhD, (hkd917@naver.com). To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.16468) Editor’s ...

Chinese scientists have developed a breakthrough process that significantly improves the efficiency and environmental friendliness of beta-blocker production—with a focus on the widely used compound propranolol, which plays a vital role in managing cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension, arrhythmia, and angina. Led by Prof. ZHANG Xiqi at the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the research team developed a novel amine-functionalized graphene oxide (NGO) membrane reactor that enables ultrafast, continuous-flow synthesis of propranolol, with nearly ...

New research has uncovered immune changes in cancer patients that could help identify which patients are most at risk of dangerous heart complications from cancer drugs, known as immune checkpoint inhibitors.  The study was led by Assistant Professor Pilar Martín, Head of the Regulatory Molecules of Inflammation Lab at the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) and group leader at CIBER-CV, she explained, “Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionised cancer treatment, but they can also damage the hearts of some patients. ...

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – June 20, 2025 – A new randomized clinical trial, led by a team of researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Wake Forest University, did not find evidence that wearing a weighted vest or engaging in resistance training prevented bone loss in older adults undergoing intentional weight loss. The study, published today in JAMA Network Open, underscores the persistent need for alternative strategies to protect skeletal health in aging populations with obesity. While weight loss is commonly advised to enhance cardiovascular ...

Scientists have developed a tool that can predict how bowel cancer adapts to treatment – helping researchers to design new personalised drugs that will keep patients living well for longer. A team from the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Queen Mary University of London have designed a new technology that uses evolutionary biology to measure and predict how cancer cells will evolve when they are exposed to a new treatment. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK. There are around 44,100 new bowel cancer cases in the UK every year, or around 120 every day.  Most bowel cancers are treated with chemotherapies and these treatments haven’t ...

New research suggests that a healthy microbiome before chemotherapy could help protect breast cancer patients against heart damage, or cardiotoxicity, as a result of cancer therapy.  Researchers found that specific bacteria in patients’ gut microbiome correlated with heart health biomarkers that suggest they are at greater risk of heart damage during chemotherapy.  “To allow cancer survivors healthier lives, we need to find new ways to protect them from the long-term side-effects of chemotherapy. This study is one of the first to ask whether the microbiome could play a role in how well patient’s hearts fare during chemotherapy,” ...

“Exercise is good for your health” is a well-known phrase, but few people can clearly explain how and why it benefits the human body.” A joint research team, led by Dr. Yong Ryoul Yang of the Aging Convergence Research Group at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB, President: Seok-Yoon Kwon) and Professor Nak-Sung Kim of Chonnam National University, has discovered a key protein, CLCF1 (cardiotrophin-like cytokine factor 1), that plays a central role in mediating the health benefits of physical activity. The team found that CLCF1 is secreted by muscles during exercise, where it helps strengthen both muscles and bones, thereby ...

The American College of Cardiology has issued a Concise Clinical Guidance (CCG) document to aid clinicians in the use of medication for weight management in patients where treatment may provide cardiovascular benefit. Obesity is a chronic, progressive disease that affects over 1 billion people worldwide. It can lead to devastating cardiovascular complications, including increased risk of heart failure, coronary artery disease and stroke. It is also associated with a significant reduction in life expectancy (9.1 years ...

The temperature of our sleeping environment has a major impact on the quality of our sleep, and good sleep is essential for our overall health and well-being. The bedding micro-environment is a key factor in maintaining thermally comfortable conditions for sleep. This includes the ambient temperature, humidity, the heat generated by the human body, and the thermal insulation provided by bedding like quilts, blankets, sheets, etc.   In particular, the total thermal insulation, or the ability of the bedding systems to resist heat flow, ...

Understanding how the universe transitioned from darkness to light with the formation of the first stars and galaxies is a key turning point in the universe’s development, known as the Cosmic Dawn. However, even with the most powerful telescopes, we can’t directly observe these earliest stars, so determining their properties is one of the biggest challenges in astronomy. Now, an international group of astronomers led by the University of Cambridge have shown that we will be able to learn about the masses ...

Highlights: H5N1 avian influenza virus has been found in mammals and birds, and 1 person in the U.S. has died from an infection. New work suggests that the virus is evolving new ways to evade human immune defenses. Using artificial intelligence and physics-based modeling, the researchers found weakening binding between defensive antibodies and viral proteins. The work shows how AI may help researchers understand how the virus is evolving and look for new antibodies or other therapeutic interventions. Los Angeles, Calif.—The H5N1 avian influenza virus has infected birds and mammals around ...

Highlights: Wildfires disrupt microbial communities on land, but also alter aquatic systems when dissolved organic matter on burnt lands is carried into rivers, lakes or drinking water supplies. In a new study, researchers found that the impact of wildfires on water systems could lead to nutrient imbalances, depleting oxygen levels or harmful algal blooms. More complex treatment methods may be needed to ensure impacted water is safe for consumption or recreation. Los Angeles, Calif.—Wildfires profoundly influence the unseen microbial world within our waters, directly impacting water quality and ecosystem health, according to a new study ...

Highlights: A new study identified that increased levels of fungal spores in the air were strongly linked to surges in cases of influenza and COVID-19. Monitoring airborne fungal spores could help predict surges of respiratory virus infections, providing an early warning system to public health systems. Los Angeles, Calif.—Monitoring fungal spores in the outdoor air can predict surges in flu and COVID-19 infections, especially during the fall, according to a new study. The study is presented at ASM Microbe ...

Water makes up around 60 percent of the human body. More than half of this water sloshes around inside the cells that make up organs and tissues. Much of the remaining water flows in the nooks and crannies between cells, much like seawater between grains of sand.  Now, MIT engineers have found that this “intercellular” fluid plays a major role in how tissues respond when squeezed, pressed, or physically deformed. Their findings could help scientists understand how cells, tissues, and organs ...

Polymeric membranes are widely used in separation technologies due to their low cost and easily scalable fabrication. However, unlike inorganic nanoporous materials such as metal-organic frameworks and covalent organic frameworks, which feature periodic and ordered channels, polymeric membranes produced through traditional methods—such as phase separation—typically have irregular and disordered pore structures. This structural limitation makes it difficult to accurately separate ions or molecules ...

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which can be harvested from fat and bone marrow, have immune-modulating and anti-inflammatory effects that are beneficial for both human and veterinary medicine. However, MSCs have a limited proliferation capacity, with their quality varying depending on the donor’s age and where they were harvested from. For this reason, a method for producing MSCs using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is attracting attention as a means to provide a stable supply of homogeneous MSCs. IPSCs have unlimited proliferation capacity and can be differentiated ...

Scientists at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) and Nanjing University in China have developed a new drug delivery system that could improve how treatments of cancers and other diseases are delivered. Their study, published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, describes a new type of nanoparticle made by combining a widely used medical polymer with a natural blood protein. These particles can carry much larger amounts of disease-fighting drugs and remain stable much ...

A Cochrane review has found that virtual reality (VR), when used in addition to standard therapy, can help stroke survivors regain arm movement.  The findings suggests that VR could be a promising tool to boost rehabilitation efforts, particularly by increasing the amount of therapy patients receive. Published today, this is the fourth update of a Cochrane review first released in 2011, and now includes data from 190 trials involving 7,188 participants – with 119 new studies added since the previous version in 2017. The review assessed a wide range of VR technologies, ...

The placenta and the hormones it produces may have played a crucial role in the evolution of the human brain, while also leading to the behavioural traits that have made human societies able to thrive and expand, according to a new hypothesis proposed by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford. Dr Alex Tsompanidis, senior researcher at the Autism Research Centre in the University of Cambridge, and the lead author of this new study, said: “Small variations in the prenatal levels of steroid hormones, like testosterone and oestrogen, can predict the rate of social and cognitive learning in infants and even ...

In a follow up investigation into the multibillion dollar drug ticagrelor, The BMJ has uncovered fresh concerns, this time in key platelet studies used in its FDA approval.  For more than a decade, ticagrelor (Brilinta in the US and Brilique in Europe) has been recommended for patients with acute coronary syndrome - a range of conditions related to sudden reduced blood flow to the heart. Last December, an investigation by The BMJ found serious data integrity problems in the landmark clinical trial (PLATO) that was used to ...