In recent years, the world has seen a surge in new and deadly infectious diseases, posing a major threat to global health. Outbreaks of COVID-19, H1N1 (swine flu), Ebola, Zika, and monkeypox are a stark reminder of our vulnerability. While some of these viruses are new and relatively unknown, others, like the monkeypox virus (mpox virus or MPXV) have been around since the 1970s but have been endemic to parts of Africa. However, the recent global outbreak of mpox—caused by a newly identified variant that is more infectious than previous strains—has raised concerns across the world, ...

UVA Health scientists are calling for clinical trials testing the potential of HIV drugs called NRTIs to prevent Alzheimer’s disease after discovering that patients taking the drugs are substantially less likely to develop the memory-robbing condition. The researchers, led by UVA’s Jayakrishna Ambati, MD, previously identified a possible mechanism by which the drugs could prevent Alzheimer’s. That promising finding prompted them to analyze two of the nation’s largest health insurance databases ...

The incidence of infection by Mycobacterium abscessus, is increasing in patients with cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other chronic pulmonary diseases, leading to an accelerated lung function decline. Remarkably, 58–78% of patients with M. abscessus infection are also infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the most common pathogen in these conditions. However, how these two bacterial species interact during infection remains poorly understood. Now, a new study led by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the Universitat ...

Consumption of ultra-processed foods, such as sugar-sweetened beverages, potato chips and packaged cookies, may be associated with adverse health outcomes, according to research being presented at the ACC Asia 2025 Together with SCS 36th Annual Scientific Meeting taking place May 9-11 in Singapore. This risk for hypertension, other cardiovascular events, cancer, digestive diseases, mortality and more, increased with every 100 grams of ultra-processed foods consumed each day. “Ultra-processed foods are characterized by high sugar, high salt, and other non-nutritive components, exhibiting low nutritional density yet ...

Twenty-eight major U.S. cities, including New York, Dallas, and Seattle, are seeing urban areas sink by 2 to 10 millimeters per year, according to new research from Virginia Tech. The major cause is groundwater extraction. Published in Nature Cities, the study used satellite-based radar measurements to create high-resolution maps of subsidence, or sinking land, for 28 of the most populous U.S. cities. The cities are home to 34 million people, about 12 percent of the total U.S. population. In every city studied, at least 20 percent of the urban area ...

A new study puts the spotlight on the rising burden of ischemic heart disease across Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania, and calls for localized, equity-focused interventions in these regions. The researchers identified region-specific, modifiable risk factors that influence the increasing prevalence of ischemic heart disease, such as toxic air pollution in East Asia and ultra-processed dietary dependence in Oceania. The study will be presented at the ACC Asia 2025 Together With SCS 36th Annual Scientific Meeting in Singapore.   Ischemic heart disease (IHD) occurs ...

If you quickly move a camera from object to object, the abrupt shift between the two points causes a motion smear that might give you nausea. Our eyes, however, do movements like these two or three times per second. These rapid movements are called saccades, and although the visual stimulus during a saccade shifts abruptly across the retina, our brain seems to keep it under the hood: we never perceive the shift. New research shows that the speed of our saccades predicts the speed limit in our vision when an object becomes too fast to see. According to a study published in Nature ...

A new study of the 28 most populous U.S. cities finds that all are sinking to one degree or another. The cities include not just those on the coasts, where relative sea level is a concern, but many in the interior. Furthermore, using newly granular data, the study finds that some cities are sinking at different rates in different spots, or sinking in some places and rising in others, potentially introducing stresses that could affect buildings and other infrastructure. Massive ongoing groundwater extraction is the most common cause of these land movements, say the authors, though other ...

Scientists have launched an interactive global map to show the migratory patterns of more than 100 marine species in an effort to protect at-risk wildlife.   New models were developed by The University of Queensland and Duke University scientists to be part of the Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean (MiCO) database which aims to bridge information gaps for policymakers and conservationists. Dr Lily Bentley from UQ’s Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science said the online tool was the first freely accessible global view of marine migratory connectivity. “Covering ...

A team of researchers has unveiled a cutting-edge Amphibious Robotic Dog capable of roving across both land and water with remarkable efficiency. The study, published in IOP Publishing’s Bioinspiration and Biometrics, was inspired by mammals’ ability to move through water as well as on land. Existing amphibious robots are largely inspired by reptiles or insects, and often face limitations in agility, dynamics, and load capacity. Basing the amphibious robot on the swimming style of dogs allows for it to easily transition between land and water and overcome many ...

Why do cats generally live longer than dogs? New research suggests that longer livespans of mammals like cats could be linked to their bigger brains and more complex immune systems. An international team of scientists led by the University of Bath studied evolutionary differences between mammal species and found that those with bigger brains and longer lifespans tend to invest more heavily in immune-related genes. Their findings show how broad genomic changes, rather than individual genes, shape longevity. The researchers looked at the maximum lifespan potential of 46 species of mammals and mapped the genes shared across these species. The maximum lifespan ...

Five of Europe’s leading agricultural, food and life sciences institutions announce the launch of the European Science Alliance for Agriculture and Food (ESAAF)—a new scientific coalition designed to support the transformation and resilience of the EU agri-food sector.   ESAAF aims to harness the momentum and shared ambition across Europe to create sustainable, competitive, and resilient food systems. EU policy makers have some pressing dilemmas to tackle in that regard. ESAAF will serve as a hub and dedicated scientific voice in food system policy discussions, ensuring that sound, independent evidence underpins future strategies.  The founding members of ESAAF ...

Global emissions of carbon dioxide from industry can be reduced by five per cent. But that requires companies and policy makers to take a holistic approach to energy efficiency and energy management and not solely focus on technological development. This is the conclusion of researchers, including from Linköping University, in the journal Nature Communications. “We have a far too narrow view of energy efficiency. Many people think that investments in new energy-efficient equipment are enough. But then you can’t fulfil the full potential of energy efficiency,” says Patrik Thollander, Professor ...

How relatedness to nature is linked to well-being is determined by district-level socioeconomic status. The Kobe University analysis is based on survey results from two major Japanese metropolitan areas. Hiking. Camping. Even just walking in the park. Be it a current hobby or a childhood pastime, many urban residents have engaged in activities that have nurtured in them a positive relationship with nature. But in our modern society, disparities in access to nature have only grown larger between residential areas. And while this especially affects those that face social and economic challenges, research ...

What inspired you to become a researcher? Arantes: I have always enjoyed learning and sharing knowledge, and conducting research aligns perfectly with both of these activities. Studying venomous animals is exciting and dynamic, as it constantly presents new challenges and generates knowledge that can benefit many people. Pucca: Between the ages of 12 and 15 I had a science teacher who didn’t just explain the natural world—she revealed its magic. Her classes felt like stepping into a secret universe, where every question had the power to open a door. That’s when I knew I didn’t just want to learn science—I ...

A brief spell of talking therapy with a general practitioner reduces symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for survivors of critical illness, finds a trial from Germany published by The BMJ today. The effects of this brief psychological intervention were modest, but may help to bridge long waiting times between discharge from an intensive care unit (ICU) and access to specialist mental health services, say the researchers. Around one in five patients experience PTSD symptoms after intensive care. Most aftercare is provided in general practice as access to mental health services is often limited with long waiting lists, but structured interventions for ...

Women diagnosed with breast cancer who carry particular BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic variants are offered surgery to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes as this dramatically reduces their risk of ovarian cancer. Now, Cambridge researchers have shown that this procedure – known as bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) – is associated with a substantial reduction in the risk of early death among these women, without any serious side-effects. Women with certain variants of the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 have a high risk of developing ovarian and breast cancer. ...

The prevalence of sexual violence against children (SVAC) is high, with nearly one out of five women and one out of seven men around the globe who are survivors.  Regardless of regional or economic status, SVAC prevalence among women is substantial, even in high-income countries such as the Netherlands (30%), New Zealand (29%), the US (28%), and the UK (24%).  Low- and middle-income nations like Chile, Costa Rica, India, and Rwanda recorded a high prevalence among women of at least 30%; among men in Bangladesh and Côte d’Ivoire, the prevalence was 28%.     SEATTLE, Wash., May 7, 2025 ...

Under embargo until: 00.01am BST on Thursday May 8, 2025   (19.01 ET, Wednesday May 7) WITH PICS via https://www.dropbox.com/t/oL4yD9tjQpkChoLL  A glacier in Antarctica is committing “ice piracy” - stealing ice from a neighbour – in a phenomenon that has never been observed in such a short time frame, say scientists.   This activity was previously believed to take place over hundreds or even thousands of years.   However, high-resolution satellite observations reveal one ...

Parents’ genes – even when not directly inherited by a child – may play a role in their educational and mental health outcomes, finds a new report by UCL researchers. The report, Understanding the intergenerational transmission of educational (under)achievement, which was funded by the Nuffield Foundation, evaluated how parental genetics can influence child development through the environment provided by their parents (for example, reading habits or access to better resources), also known as “genetic nurture” or “indirect genetic effects”. The ...

Redesigning social media to suit different needs of users could make their time online more focused, according to new research by University of Bristol academics. The study, presented today at the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Yokohama, Japan, suggests that the key to a having a positive experience online is finding the right level of personal investment – neither too much nor too little. Conducted by researchers examining digital self-regulation, they reveal distinct user types and propose that social media platforms could be remodelled to support more intentional use. Lead author Dan Bennett from Bristol’s ...

An international team, led by researchers at the Champalimaud Foundation (CF), has shown – for the first time in a realistic way – that it may be possible to diagnose Parkinson’s disease (PD) years before it becomes untreatable, by scanning people’s brains with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).  Their results were published today (May 8th, 2025) in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. The study was funded by the €200,000 Mantero Belard Award, a neuroscience prize attributed ...

University of East Anglia scientists have developed cutting-edge MRI technology to diagnose a common heart problem more quickly and accurately than ever before. Aortic stenosis is a progressive and potentially fatal condition, affecting an estimated 300,000 people in the UK. It affects about five per cent of 65-year-olds in the US, with increasing prevalence in advancing age. A new study, published today, reveals how a four-dimensional flow (4D flow) MRI scan can diagnose aortic stenosis more reliably than current ultrasound techniques. The superior accuracy of the new test means doctors can better predict when patients ...

PHILADELPHIA – A next-generation “armored” CAR T cell therapy showed promising results in a small study of patients whose B-cell lymphomas continued to resist multiple rounds of other cancer treatments, including commercially available CAR T cell therapies. The new therapy diminished cancer in 81 percent of patients and resulted in complete remission in 52 percent, with some of the earliest patients treated experiencing durable remission for two years or more. The findings, led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, were published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.  While ...

Healthy hearts are adaptable, and heartbeats exhibit complex variation as they adjust to tiny changes in the body and environment. Mass General Brigham researchers have applied a new way to measure the complexity of pulse rates, using data collected through wearable pulse oximetry devices. The new method, published in Journal of the American Heart Association, provides a more detailed peek into heart health than traditional measures, uncovering a link between reduced complexity and future cognitive decline. “Heart rate complexity is a hallmark of healthy physiology,” said senior author Peng Li, ...