[Vienna, 19.11.2025]—Cities are often seen as hotspots of violence, with the assumption that larger cities are inherently more violent than smaller ones. This “universal law” of urban scaling has long shaped scientific thinking. But new research led by Complexity Science Hub (CSH) researcher Rafael Prieto-Curiel challenges this assumption. Published in Nature Communications, the study shows that it is not simply city size, but a city’s level of isolation, that plays a crucial role in determining violence in Africa. “Our analysis shows that the 10% most populous cities in Africa (216 cities in total) contain 66% of the urban population but only ...

An international research group directed by UMC Utrecht have developed and characterized two first-in-class antibodies that specifically block the high-affinity IgG receptor FcγRI. Their findings open new perspectives for therapeutic modulation of FcγRI-driven inflammation in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). FcγRI, also known as CD64, is a high-affinity receptor on myeloid cells that binds to the Fc region of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. It plays a key role in the immune defense by triggering cellular functions such as phagocytosis ...

Warsaw, 19 November 2025: The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is pleased to announce the opening of the 2025 European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (ESCAIDE), Europe’s leading annual conference for applied research and best practice in infectious disease prevention and control. Held from 19 to 21 November in Warsaw, Poland, as well as online, the conference brings together over 3 000 participants to exchange knowledge and strengthen collaboration in the fight against infectious disease. Online participation is open and free for anyone interested in applied infectious disease epidemiology ...

Spiders of the Clubiona genus, which are among the most important natural enemies of pests found in orchards, are active during the winter. New research in The FEBS Journal reveals the characteristics of antifreeze proteins that these spiders produce that bind to ice crystals and prevent their growth at sub-zero temperatures, which helps the animals avoid freezing. Using mass spectrometry to investigate these proteins at a molecular level, investigators found that although the Clubiona antifreeze proteins resemble those found in beetles and moths, ...

Research published in Contemporary Economic Policy reveals that despite widespread adoption of indoor vaccine mandates in major US cities during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no consistent evidence that these policies significantly increased vaccination rates or reduced COVID-19–related outcomes. The findings contrast with those from other countries, as national mandates abroad boosted vaccine uptake. For the study, investigators estimated how mandates that restricted access to indoor venues for unvaccinated individuals impacted first-dose uptake, COVID-19 cases, and deaths across 9 US cities through what’s called the synthetic ...

In research based on 2009–2020 data from 509 publicly listed US firms, lower and higher levels of adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) were associated with reduced job satisfaction, whereas moderate levels were linked to greater job satisfaction. The findings are published in the Journal of Management Studies. Investigators also found that firms’ exploration orientation—their tendency towards concepts such as risk taking, experimentation, flexibility, and innovation—significantly shaped this relationship. Employees ...

In research published in Insect Conservation and Diversity, investigators analyzed records from social media to explore which arthropods—including insects and spiders—are most preyed upon by domestic cats in urban environments. The scientists, who conduct their research at the University of Campinas, in Brazil, searched TikTok and iStock, analyzing more than 17,000 photos and videos, which yielded 550 records of predation events by domestic cats. In total, they recorded 14 distinct arthropod orders killed by domestic cats. Orthoptera (which includes grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets) was the most frequently preyed upon order, accounting for 20.7% of records. Hemiptera (which ...

Young Americans are gaining weight. An analysis published in The Lancet predicts that one in three Americans age 15 to 24 will meet the criteria for obesity by 2050, putting their health at risk. While genetics, inactivity, and many other factors are at play, diet features prominently. Ultra-processed foods — which make up 55 to 65 percent of what young adults eat in the U.S. — have been associated with metabolic syndrome, poor cardiovascular health, and other conditions in adolescents. Researchers at Virginia Tech wanted to investigate the effects on 18- to 25-year-olds of a diet high in ultra-processed food and a diet without ...

The LMS is pleased to announce today during London Life Sciences Week that it has received a £1m award from the MRC Business Engagement Fund to strengthen and expand its industry partnerships. The funding will be matched by significant industry support and will enable eight new collaborations over 18 months between LMS and Imperial College London research teams and a broad range of commercial companies, from local White City Innovation District-based spinouts to global pharmaceutical leaders. Importantly, this investment is designed not just to fund individual projects, but to ...

The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (President Seog-Hyeon Ryu, hereinafter “KIMM”) has launched a new initiative to build a global research collaboration network connecting China and Vietnam, opening a new chapter in machinery technology cooperation across Asia. KIMM announced that it will significantly strengthen research collaboration with Jilin University (President Zhang Xi) in China in cutting-edge fields such as 3D printing, precision manufacturing, and biomimetic technology. On November 17 (Monday), KIMM President Seog-Hyeon ...

In World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), Applied Microbiology International (AMI) has urged global policymakers to strengthen the revised Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (GAP-AMR), calling for a more inclusive, clear and equitable approach to tackling one of the world’s most urgent health challenges. The learned society warned that the updated GAP-AMR must go beyond bacterial and fungal pathogens to include all AMR-causing organisms, such as parasitic and viral pathogens. In its submission to the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform (MSPP) consultation, AMI brought together 15 microbiologists from ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — The “California sober” trend, which involves ditching alcohol in favor of cannabis, is gaining momentum, spreading from Hollywood to health influencers to homes across America. Among the motivations for many adopters is to reduce alcohol use, and a new study on the causal effect of cannabis on alcohol consumption suggests that smoking marijuana may lead people to drink less — in the short term. Published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the study by researchers at Brown University is the first randomized, placebo-controlled trial to test whether cannabis use directly changes alcohol consumption. ...

Helping communities manage green spaces by understanding how they use and value the area could be an effective way for local governments to tackle the biodiversity crisis, according to a new study from the University of Exeter. Local councils in the UK are under growing pressure to increase publicly accessible green spaces in towns and cities to boost biodiversity, as well as improve public wellbeing. Research has shown effective stewardship of urban green spaces not only improves biodiversity, but also reduces flooding, promotes public health, and creates business opportunities. The study, published in People and Nature, outlines ...

Parents may have more influence than they realize when it comes to shaping their children’s behavior, especially for those at higher genetic risk for conduct problems, according to Rutgers Health-led research.    The study, published in Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, found that consistent parental monitoring – meaning knowing where children are, who they’re with, and what they’re doing – can help offset genetic risk for developing behavior problems during adolescence.    Conduct problems, which include aggression, antisocial behavior and rule-breaking, often begin in childhood and are among the most common ...

From stadiums to cyberspace: How the metaverse will redefine sports fandom    Beyond gaming and shopping, the metaverse is poised to reshape the fan experience, giving sports enthusiasts new and immersive ways to connect with their favourite athletes and teams.  New research by Edith Cowan University (ECU) has examined how virtual and augmented realities are blurring the lines between physical and digital participation, offering new opportunities for inclusion, innovation, and engagement in the sporting world of the future.  “The beauty of fandom is that when you go to ...

Osaka, Japan — Physicists at The University of Osaka have unveiled a breakthrough theoretical framework that uncovers the hidden physical rule behind one of the most powerful compression methods in laser fusion science — the stacked-shock implosion. While multi-shock ignition has recently proven its effectiveness in major laser facilities worldwide, this new study identifies the underlying law that governs such implosions, expressed in an elegant and compact analytic form. A team led by Professor Masakatsu ...

Kyoto, Japan -- Predicting earthquakes has long been an unattainable fantasy. Factors like odd animal behaviors that have historically been thought to forebode earthquakes are not supported by empirical evidence. As these factors often occur independently of earthquakes and vice versa, seismologists believe that earthquakes occur with little or no warning. At least, that's how it appears from the surface. Earthquake-generating zones lie deep within the Earth's crust and thus cannot be directly observed, but scientists have long proposed that faults may undergo a precursory phase before an earthquake during which micro-fracturing and slow slip occur. ...

Hospitals do not always have the opportunity to collect data in tidy, uniform batches. A clinic may have a handful of carefully labelled images from one scanner while holding thousands of unlabelled scans from other centres, each with different settings, patient mixes and imaging artefacts. That jumble makes a hard task—medical image segmentation—even harder still. Models trained under neat assumptions can stumble when deployed elsewhere, particularly on small, faint or low-contrast targets.   Assistant Professor Zhao Na from SUTD and collaborators set out to embrace ...

Two pioneering studies published in the journal Animals have explored how dog and cat guardians perceive more sustainable pet food options.   Co-led by Griffith University Adjunct Professor Andrew Knight, the research sheds new light on the potential for alternative proteins and plant-based diets in the companion animal sector.  Study One – Dogs: ‘Consumer Acceptance of Sustainable Dog Diets: A Survey of 2,639 Dog Guardians’   In the first study, the team surveyed 2,639 dog guardians worldwide.  About 84 per cent of respondents were currently feeding their dogs either conventional or raw meat-based ...

Professor Zaifa Shi's team at Xiamen University developed an ultra-high temperature flash vacuum pyrolysis (UT-FVP) device to form giant fullerenes from single-carbon molecules within a short time (15 s) at extremely high temperatures (∽3000 ℃). Due to the strong intermolecular forces between giant fullerene molecules and soot, traditional ultrasonic or Soxhlet extraction methods cannot separate most giant fullerenes from soot in toluene. To overcome these strong intermolecular forces, two ...

The University of Florida is part of a multi-university, interdisciplinary research team that will tackle the global challenge of halting corrosion of infrastructure, like bridges.   Mitigating corrosion is a global challenge that costs the United States nearly half a trillion dollars annually.   Current corrosion mitigation measures require costly chemical coatings, such as primers and top-coat layers, that cause human and environmental health risks. This project seeks to develop a coating system that uses naturally existing microbial biofilms growing on metal surfaces ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a debilitating hereditary condition in which fluid-filled sacs form and proliferate in the kidneys. Over time, the painful, growing cysts rob the organs of their function, often leading to dialysis in advanced cases There is currently no cure.  Researchers at UC Santa Barbara, however, have proposed a cyst-targeted therapy that could interrupt the runaway growth of these sacs by leveraging the target specificity of the right monoclonal antibodies — lab-made proteins that are used in immunotherapy. “The cysts just keep growing endlessly,” said UCSB biologist ...

A new study from researchers at the University of Western Australia and Universitas Brawijaya has found that adding biochar to advanced food waste recycling systems can significantly increase the clean energy yields of hydrogen and methane. This breakthrough offers promising strategies for municipalities and industries aiming to turn food scraps into valuable renewable fuels while reducing environmental impacts. Turning Waste Into Energy Food waste generated by households, restaurants, and processing plants is a growing environmental challenge around the world. Innovative recycling solutions are urgently needed to keep this waste ...

An array of seismic sensors deployed to capture aftershocks from the 2018 magnitude 7.1 Anchorage earthquake also collected distinctive signals from hundreds of flights crossing over Alaska. In their study published in The Seismic Record, Isabella Seppi and colleagues at the University of Alaska Fairbanks show that these signals can be used to identify the type of aircraft, along with details such as the closest time, distance and speed of each plane or helicopter as it flew above the seismic array. Acoustic waves generated by flying aircraft vibrate the ground below, transforming sound energy into ground motion that can ...

The Lancet: Experts warn global rise in ultra-processed foods poses major public health threat; call for worldwide policy reform A new three paper Series published in The Lancet reviews evidence that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are displacing fresh and minimally processed foods and meals, worsening diet quality, and are associated with an increased risk of multiple chronic diseases. The Lancet Series on Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health argues, although additional studies on the impact of UPFs on human health will be valuable, further research should not delay immediate and decisive public ...