At a glance: Researchers have created an AI tool called EVE-Vax that can predict and design viral proteins likely to emerge in the future. For SARS-CoV-2, panels of these “designer” proteins triggered similar immune responses as real-life viral proteins that emerged during the pandemic. EVE-Vax could give scientists valuable clues to help them develop vaccines that protect against future versions of rapidly evolving viruses. Effective vaccines dramatically changed the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing illness, reducing disease severity, and saving millions of ...

PHILADELPHIA – In the United States, breast, colorectal, endometrial, pancreatic, and kidney cancers are becoming increasingly common among people under age 50, according to a study published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The findings may have implications for early-onset cancer prevention and screening efforts, the researchers noted. Early-onset cancers, defined in this study as those diagnosed in individuals under age 50, are rising in incidence for reasons that remain unclear, according ...

In the hunt for a remedy, when the baton is passed from dedicated academic scientists to an innovative company to trusted community advocates, outcomes for society can be especially powerful. Today, thanks to that sequence of contributions, the first HIV drug to offer long-lasting protection from infection — eliminating the need for people to take a daily pill — exists. For their role in ensuring that drug, lenacapavir, came to life and to market, the AAAS Mani L. Bhaumik Breakthrough of the Year Award is being awarded to Wesley Sundquist, chair of the University of Utah Department of Biochemistry; Moupali Das, vice president, Clinical Development, HIV Prevention ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Scientists have engineered a monoclonal antibody that can protect mice from a lethal dose of influenza A, a new study shows. The new molecule combines the specificity of a mature flu fighter with the broad binding capacity of a more general immune system defender. The protective effect was enhanced by delivering the antibody in a nasal spray that disperses these molecules throughout the respiratory tract, where they stick to the slippery mucus lining to lie in wait for invading viral particles. The ...

What makes people think an AI system is creative? New research shows that it depends on how much they see of the creative act. The findings have implications for how we research and design creative AI systems, and they also raise fundamental questions about how we perceive creativity in other people. ‘AI is playing an increasingly large role in creative practice. Whether that means we should call it creative or not is a different question,’ says Niki Pennanen, the study’s lead author. Pennanen is researching AI systems at Aalto University and has a background in psychology. ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Nicknamed the “king of the kelp forest,” giant sea bass are among scuba divers’ favorite characters to spot off the California Coast. But very few of these charismatic fish remain. A team led by researchers at UC Santa Barbara has conducted the first direct population estimate of this critically endangered species in Southern California. Using photos sourced from the diving community, they found slightly more than 1,200 adult giant sea bass within Southern California waters from 2015 to 2022. The results, published in the Marine Ecology Progress Series represent an increasing trend in their numbers, suggesting ...

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children aged 1 to 4 in Florida, and children with autism face even greater danger – many times more likely to drown than their neurotypical peers. One key factor behind this alarming statistic is wandering, also known as elopement. Nearly 50% of children with autism will wander from a safe environment at some point. These incidents can happen in a split second and often lead to children being drawn to nearby water sources such as pools, ponds or canals – many of which are unprotected. Children ...

In a research paper, scientists from the Tsinghua University proposed a novel enhanced Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printing technology, capable of printing composite magnetic structures with different material sin a single step. Furthermore, a soft robot with a hard magnetic material-superparamagnetic material composite was designed and printed. The new research paper, published Feb. 26 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, introduces a soft robot based on DLP 3D printing technology, which presents extensive potential for the design and manufacturing of multifunctional soft robots. According to Wang, "various ...

Researchers at Umeå University, Sweden, and Michigan State University, USA, have discovered a type of molecule that can kill chlamydia bacteria but spare bacteria that are important for health. The discovery opens the door for further research towards developing new antibiotics against chlamydia, the world's most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease with 130 million cases a year. "No one should have to live with chlamydia. But the problem is that the treatments we have today do not distinguish between dangerous and friendly bacteria. A growing problem is ...

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 ...