On its 125th anniversary, Science magazine posed 125 unsolved scientific questions, among which “What genetic changes made us uniquely human?” was listed as one of the 25 core problems. Yet the divergence rate between the alignable genomes of humans and chimpanzees is as little as 1.23%. Scientists hypothesized that gene regulation might account for their dramatic phenotypic differences. Recently, Quantitative Biology published a research article entitled “The human intelligence evolved from proximal cis-regulatory saltations” in which the focus shifted from protein sequences to their regulatory regions. ...

Under the dual challenges of the rapid increase in the global population and the intensification of climate change, the traditional agricultural model is facing severe tests. The production mode that overly relies on chemical fertilizers and pesticides not only exacerbates environmental pollution but also leads to the imbalance of soil microbial communities, further reducing the nutrient utilization efficiency. As an emerging green technology, bio-based material amendments offer new ideas for enhancing soil health and crop productivity. So, how do bio-based material amendments improve nutrient ...

Predicting E-Bus Battery Performance in Cold Climates: A Breakthrough in Sustainable Transit   The global push toward sustainable transportation has made electric buses (E-buses) a key solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, their widespread adoption faces challenges, particularly in cold climates where battery efficiency drops significantly. Canada, with its harsh winters, presents a unique case study for optimizing E-bus operations, yet existing energy consumption models perform poorly in such conditions. A new study addresses this gap by developing advanced machine ...

The automotive industry is undergoing a transformative shift toward sustainable propulsion systems to meet stringent environmental regulations, such as the European Union’s push for near-zero-emission vehicles. Among the promising alternatives, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) stand out due to their high efficiency and rapid response times. However, optimizing PEMFC performance requires advanced turbocharging systems to supply compressed air to the fuel cell stack. Centrifugal compressors, a key component in ...

In agricultural ecosystems, there exists a remarkable heterogeneity in the spatial and temporal distribution of soil nutrients. This heterogeneity can cause the nutrient concentrations that different roots of the same plant are exposed to vary by several orders of magnitude, which undoubtedly poses a great challenge to plant growth. In the face of such a complex soil environment, plants have gradually developed a series of coping strategies during the long evolutionary process. Their roots can keenly sense the nutrient-rich hotspots and make corresponding responses. However, traditional fertilization methods are difficult to precisely meet the needs of plants. They not ...

Molecules like DNA are capable of storing large amounts of data without requiring an energy source, but accessing this molecular data is expensive and time consuming. Publishing May 16 in the Cell Press journal Chem, researchers have developed an alternative method to encode information in synthetic molecules, which they used to encode and then decode an 11-character password to unlock a computer.   “Molecules can store information for very long periods without needing power. Nature has given us the proof of principle that this works,” says corresponding author and ...

Intakes of dietary fiber, high-quality and total carbohydrates in midlife were favorably linked to healthy aging and other positive health outcomes in older women, according to a new study by researchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study was published May 16 in the journal JAMA Network Open. “We’ve all heard that different carbohydrates can affect health differently, whether for weight, energy, or blood sugar ...

About The Study: In this cohort study of women, intakes of high-quality carbohydrates and dietary fiber were associated with positive health status in older adulthood, suggesting that dietary carbohydrate quality may be an important determinant of healthy aging. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Andres V. Ardisson Korat, ScD, email andres.ardisson_korat@tufts.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.11056) Editor’s ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that home health use is high and has increased among people with dementia. Decreasing rates of home health use since 2020 in this high-need population suggest a need for ongoing monitoring of service use and outcomes for people with dementia. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Rachel M. Werner, MD, PhD, email rwerner@upenn.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.10933 Editor’s ...

For the first time, researchers from King’s College London, Imperial College London and The Alan Turing Institute, have created over 3,800 anatomically accurate digital hearts to investigate how age, sex and lifestyle factors influence heart disease and electrical function. Creating cardiac ‘digital twins’ at this scale has helped scientists discover that age and obesity cause changes in the heart’s electrical properties, which could explain why these factors are linked to a higher risk of heart disease. The results, published today in Nature Cardiovascular Research, show the opportunities that cardiac digital twins at scale ...

While Alzheimer’s disease is mostly considered a disorder of the brain, emerging evidence suggests that the condition also affects other organs of the body. Working with the laboratory fruit fly, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital (Duncan NRI) and collaborating institutions provide a new understanding of how Alzheimer’s disease affects different tissues across the entire body. The findings, published in Neuron, reveal ...

Advances in medical technology over the last 30 years have made it easier to detect and treat diabetes, leading to significant health improvements in people with the disease. Despite this, workforce participation among people with diabetes has not improved over time, finds new USC Schaeffer Center research in JAMA Health Forum. Historically, workforce participation rates have been much lower among people with diabetes due to factors like health complications, time needed to manage the disease and workplace barriers. ...

A team led by Prof. Zheng-Tian Lu and Prof. Wei Jiang from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), have developed a novel technique known as All-Optical Atom Trap Trace Analysis. In collaboration with American glaciologists, they have successfully performed krypton-81 dating on 1-kilogram samples of ancient Antarctic ice using this method. This advance provides a powerful new tool for studying paleoclimate changes on million-year timescales. The findings were published in the Nature ...

In satellite system design, optimizing component layout is crucial for enhancing satellite performance. Recently, a research team led by Professor Wen Yao from the Defense Innovation Institute at the Chinese Academy of Military Science has made new progress in the field of 3D satellite component layout optimization. This innovative approach can rapidly provide engineers with high-quality component layout candidates, promising to improve spacecraft layout design efficiency and efficacy. The research, published in the Chinese Journal of Aeronautics, introduces a new Satellite ...

Mitochondria are semi-autonomous organelles containing their own DNA (mtDNA), which exhibits a higher mutation rate compared to nuclear DNA. Accumulation of mtDNA mutations is associated with aging and has been observed in various cancers. However, the causal role of these mutations in oncogenesis remains unclear. A recent study led by Dr. Zhenglong Gu, Director of the Center for Mitochondrial Genetics and Health at Fudan University and Courtesy Professor at Cornell University, reports new insights ...

With the rapid development of digital technology and diversification of consumer needs, companies have adopted the buy-online-and-assemble-in-store (i.e., BOAS) approach to better meet the individual needs of consumers. Through BOAS, consumers can place orders online, pick up the products and enjoy services such as assembly at a physical shop. However, due to uncertain post-processing costs, it remains unclear whether companies would benefit from the use of BOAS. Furthermore, the impacts of BOAS on consumers and the environment are of research interest. In a ...

On March 28, 2025, a catastrophic earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck central Myanmar, marking the most devastating seismic event in the region since 1912. Originating along the Sagaing Fault — a 1,400-km-long dextral strike-slip boundary separating the Burma Microplate and Sunda Plate — the earthquake propagated a supershear rupture over 460 km with surface displacements exceeding 6 meters. The shallow (10 km depth) strike-slip mechanism unleashed violent shaking (Modified Mercalli Intensity IX) across densely populated urban centers, including Mandalay, Sagaing and Naypyidaw, while amplifying seismic energy in distant locations such as Bangkok, Thailand. The human toll was ...

Composites of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) are widely used in various fields requiring ballistic protection due to their lightweight and high-strength. However, the theoretical developments in ballistic response in case of UHMWPE composite have not kept pace with its applications in practical engineering. This makes it difficult to provide insightful guidance for the design optimization of protective structures.In a study published in Defence Technology, a research team from China provided ...

DALLAS, May 16, 2025 — A striking Banksy artwork—a red heart-shaped balloon covered in bandages—will soon find a new home. This unique Banksy, a famed street artist known for stenciled works that blend dark humor with political and social commentary, is a 7,500-pound section of a Brooklyn warehouse wall. Following a public viewing the wall will be auctioned by Guernsey’s, an auction house for extraordinary properties, on May 21, with proceeds benefiting the American Heart Association, devoted to changing the future to a world of healthier lives for all. The piece was created in the fall of 2013. The then 59-year-old Vassilios Georgiadis, a Brooklyn ...

Scientists highlight the evidence of increasing public health impacts from exposure to synthetic chemicals in food. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Medicine, the article discusses the types and sources of synthetic food contaminants focusing on food contact chemicals from food packaging and food processing, and their increased presence in ultra-processed foods. Considering a wide range of scientific studies and regulatory initiatives, the article provides an overarching look at the issue, outlines future research needs, and shares existing options and novel approaches to aid the sustainable transition ...

Dementia usually affects older people, so when it occurs in middle age, it can be hard to recognize. The most common form is frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which is often mistaken for depression, schizophrenia, or Parkinson’s disease before the correct diagnosis is reached.  Now, as part of an NIH-funded study, researchers at UC San Francisco have found some clues about how FTD develops that could lead to new diagnostics and get more patients into clinical trials. The findings appear in Nature ...

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have discovered how a parasite that causes malaria when transmitted through a mosquito bite can hide from the body’s immune system, sometimes for years. It turns out that the parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, can shut down a key set of genes, rendering itself “immunologically invisible.” “This finding provides another piece of the puzzle as to why malaria has been so difficult to eradicate,” said Dr. Francesca Florini, research associate in microbiology and immunology ...

Stem cells can produce any other cell type, it is just a matter of telling them in the right way. From a biological perspective, this means activating the proper genetic programme by pressing the right keys, this is, the right genes, at the right moment. Quite often, blood cancer patients require the replacement of their blood stem cells in the bone marrow, the tissue producing blood cells where their cancer grows. Unfortunately, finding a compatible donor happens to be too challenging sometimes. What if we could produce the cells that make blood in the lab, right from basic stem cells, and use them to regenerate a new and healthy ...

A University of Queensland study has shown scientific knowledge on the conservation of endangered species is often overlooked when not presented in English. PhD candidate Kelsey Hannah examined articles about the protection and management of birds, mammals, and amphibians and compared how often those in English and 16 other languages were cited in further work. “The 500 papers in my study were published in peer-reviewed journals and available internationally to people working in conservation,” Ms Hannah said. “Across the board, the non-English language papers had significantly fewer citations. “The English-language articles had a median of 37 citations while the ...

Having school dinners rather than packed lunches could encourage picky eating 13-year-olds to eat a wider variety of foods, according to a new University of Bristol-led study.  The findings are published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics today [15 May]. The research showed when children who were picky eaters as preschoolers got to choose their own food (school dinners) at lunchtime, they were less picky in what they ate, compared with a packed lunch. To the research team’s knowledge, this is the first time that lunchtime food behaviours in picky children have been studied outside of the home, and ...