WASHINGTON — The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) has selected 10 members from a highly competitive applicant pool to participate in the Society’s Early Career Policy Ambassador (ECPA) Program. The 10 ECPAs, representing many career stages and geographic locations, were chosen for their dedication to advocating for the scientific community, their desire to learn more about effective means of advocacy, and their experience as leaders in their labs and community. The ambassadors are: Alison Bashford, Drexel University College of Medicine Amelia Cuarenta, PhD, University of Michigan Daniel Leman, PhD, Brandeis University Deja Monet, ...

Embargoed for release: Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, 11:00 AM ET Key points: Broad spiritual practices, ranging from attending religious services to meditation to prayer, were associated with a 13% reduced risk of hazardous drug and alcohol use, according to a meta-analysis. The greatest reduction (18%) was seen among individuals attending religious services at least once per week. The meta-analysis is the first of its kind to synthesize and comprehensively estimate how dangerous substance use is impacted over time by spirituality. According to the researchers, the findings carry potential for individuals who find spirituality ...

A novel vaccination approach developed by Vanderbilt Health researchers cleared the harmful gut bacterium Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) in an animal model of infection.  An experimental vaccine administered to the mucosal lining of the colon protected against illness, death, tissue damage and infection recurrence. The findings, reported Feb. 18 in the journal Nature, represent a major step forward for vaccine development for C. diff, the leading cause of health care- and antibiotic-associated infection.  C. ...

Bellaterra (Barcelona), February 18, 2026 - Plants don’t just respond to light and water, they also run on an internal daily timekeeper known as the circadian clock. Researchers have now discovered that the plant circadian clock can regulate electrochemical signals in specific cells that help determine whether growth is invested above ground or below ground. In a study led by Paloma Mas, CSIC Research Professor at the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), and published in the leading scientific journal ...

  Genetic ancestry may play a key role in how acral melanoma, a rare and aggressive type of skin cancer, develops and behaves, with important implications for diagnosis and treatment, new research shows.  Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and their collaborators analysed the genetic makeup of over 100 acral melanoma tumours from Mexican patients to understand how this cancer develops, including studying how ancestry influences tumour biology. They uncovered that acral melanoma varies, with three groups ...

New research has identified optimal design for artificial habitats to support restoration of oyster reefs, based on a detailed understanding of natural oyster reef geometry. Published in the global journal Nature, the Sydney-based study shows the complex shapes of natural oyster reefs are not random – their structure and arrangement optimise the establishment and survival of developing oysters and their protection from predators. Oysters are really “ecosystem engineers”, building their own reefs made up of living oysters and the discarded shells of previous generations, explains lead author of the study, Dr Juan Esquivel-Muelbert ...

About The Study: In this cohort study, both prenatal depression and gestational diabetes were associated with childhood obesity risk, with larger effect sizes observed for gestational diabetes. Children exposed to both conditions had the greatest risk, although associations appeared additive rather than synergistic. These findings underscore the need for universal prenatal screening and risk stratification, along with targeted interventions for children exposed to these conditions.  Corresponding Author: To ...

About The Study: This meta-analysis synthesized data from 55 published longitudinal studies on spirituality and harmful or hazardous alcohol and other drug use risk and documented a significant protective association. The results of this study have implications for clinicians and communities regarding future strategies for alcohol and other drug use prevention and recovery.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH, email hkoh@hsph.harvard.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.4816) Editor’s ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In the race to lighter, safer and more efficient electronics — from electric vehicles to transcontinental energy grids — one component literally holds the power: the polymer capacitor. Seen in such applications as medical defibrillators, polymer capacitors are responsible for quick bursts of energy and stabilizing power rather than holding large amounts of energy, as opposed to the slower, steadier energy of a battery. However, current state-of-the-art polymer capacitors cannot survive beyond 212 degrees Fahrenheit (F), which the air around a typical car engine can hit during summer months ...

The brain’s ability to do everything from forming memories to coordinating movement relies on its cells producing the right proteins at the right time. But directly measuring this protein production, known as translation, across different types of brain cells has been a challenge. Now, scientists at University of California School of Medicine, Scripps Research and their colleagues have developed a technology that reveals which proteins are generated by individual brain cells. The team used their method — called Ribo-STAMP — to create the first maps of protein production across ...

The tiny shell protecting the HIV virus resembles a slightly rounded ice cream cone, but there is nothing sweet about it.  More than 40 million people worldwide live with AIDS because of this virus, and treatments must continually evolve as HIV mutates. During the acute stage of infection, a single human cell can produce as many as 10,000 new HIV particles.  At the University of Delaware, Professor Juan R. Perilla and his research team in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have spent over a decade probing the structure and function of HIV’s protective shell, or capsid, ...

Researchers at the Complexity Science Hub (CSH) have developed a monitor that tracks how quickly companies are switching to climate-neutral energy – and have applied it in one country. Many firms are making progress; just as many are falling behind. And those firmly entrenched in fossil fuel structures face a particularly steep climb to change course. IN SHORT:  Europe aims to be climate-neutral by 2050, yet actual progress in the economy has so far been barely measurable. The CSH Monitor is the first objective method for measuring the state of the energy transition at the company level. Example – Hungary: The researchers ...

Pioneering research from the University of Leicester and NIHR challenges the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to heart attack care, adding critical nuance to the debate on sex disparities. A groundbreaking new study involving more than 900,000 patients has revealed a "sex-frailty paradox" in heart attack outcomes, challenging the prevailing narrative that high clinical risk is predominantly a female issue.  While considerable focus has rightly been placed on addressing the fact that women are often undertreated compared to men after a heart attack, this new research, published in The Lancet Regional ...

A first-of-its-kind analysis has revealed significant differences in stroke outcomes and stroke care for patients on government-run traditional Medicare plans versus those on Medicare Advantage, offered by private insurers.   UVA Health researchers found that patients on traditional, or “fee-for-service,” Medicare Part A, B and D plans operated by the government were less likely to have access to certain stroke-preventing care. They were more likely, however, to receive intensive post-stroke care and rehabilitation than those enrolled in Medicare Advantage, where private insurance plans are incentivized to limit more expensive medical care.   Both ...

“Our work highlights the need to study polyploidy and senescence in concert to understand their roles in aging, cancer, and therapeutic resistance.” BUFFALO, NY — February 18, 2026 — A new editorial was published in Volume 18 of Aging-US on February 8, 2026, titled “Polyploidy-induced senescence: Linking development, differentiation, repair, and (possibly) cancer?” In this editorial, Iman M. Al-Naggar of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, UConn Health, and the University of Connecticut Center on Aging, with George A. Kuchel of the University ...

Healthcare professionals report that treating patients with lifestyle medicine helps to reduce burnout by increasing professional satisfaction, meaning, and a sense of effectiveness at work, according to a new study published in BMC Health Services Research. “Using Lifestyle Medicine to Treat Patients Can Reduce Practitioner Burnout: A Descriptive Model Derived from Healthcare Staff Interviews,” is based on in-depth interviews with 41 healthcare professionals and administrators across five U.S. health systems that have implemented lifestyle medicine programs. Participants who were interviewed described higher job satisfaction after lifestyle ...

Tsukuba, Japan—Airborne ultrasonic phased arrays focus ultrasonic waves at prescribed locations in space and dynamically steer them, enabling applications such as noncontact tactile feedback, odor transport, and the levitation of small objects. Despite the nonnegligible influence of acoustic streaming—steady airflow induced by high-intensity sound fields—on tactile perception and the stability of levitated objects, reliable prediction and modeling of this phenomenon have remained challenging. In this study, the research team visualized acoustic streaming using ...

Tsukuba, Japan—Some plants, such as legumes, develop specialized root organs called nodules, within which they establish a symbiotic association with nitrogen‑fixing bacteria. Through this process, called rhizobial symbiosis, plants obtain nitrogen from the bacteria, which receive photosynthetically derived carbon compounds from plants. Clarifying the molecular basis of this interaction is of fundamental importance for plant biology and has significant implications for sustainable agriculture. The transcription factor ...

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, have discovered that immune cells known as macrophages remain poised to fight repeat infections due to the persistent presence of signaling molecules left behind during previous infections. The study, to be published February 18 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), provides surprising new details about how the body’s innate immune system retains memories of previous immune threats, and suggests new ways to reduce the activity of misprogrammed macrophages that contribute to ...

(WASHINGTON – Feb. 18, 2026) – Extreme endurance running damages red blood cells in ways that may affect their ability to function properly, according to a study published in the American Society of Hematology’s journal Blood Red Cells & Iron. Although the duration and long-term implications of the damage are unclear, the study adds to a growing body of evidence that extreme forms of exercise may harm, rather than support, overall health. While previous studies have shown that ultramarathon runners experience breakdown of normal red blood cells during races – ...

A traditional Chinese mind-body practice that combines slow, structured movement, deep breathing and meditative focus lowered blood pressure as effectively as brisk walking in a large randomized clinical trial published in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology. Blood pressure reductions were seen after three months and sustained for one year. High blood pressure is one of the leading preventable risk factors for heart disease. Clinical guidelines recommend regular physical activity, yet long-term adherence to exercise programs is challenging for many ...

SAN ANTONIO — February 18, 2026 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is creating a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system that stores and organizes decades of scattered records and data. The U.S. Air Force Academy project aims to improve aircraft efficiency and safety through prognostic engineering, which involves using data, modeling and analytics to perform repairs and maintenance before problems occur. For decades, SwRI has worked with the U.S. military to sustain fleets of aging aircraft with monitoring, new technology and inspection methods while addressing problems associated with information security ...

The common view of natural selection is based solely on the individual: A trait allows an organism to out-compete its rivals and is thus passed down to its offspring. To suggest otherwise can provoke the ire of certain segments of the scientific community, acknowledged Binghamton University Associate Professor Emerita of Biological Sciences Anne Clark. But a bibliometric review of 280 scientific studies shows that natural selection can occur on multiple levels of biological organization simultaneously, and not just in social species. Clark is a co-author of the article “Abundant empirical evidence of multilevel selection revealed by a bibliometric review,” which recently ...

A national research program strategy on the use of liquid metals in fusion systems was discussed on Jan. 22 at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). The meeting, which was the first of its kind, also provided valuable insights into liquid metal infrastructure needs, along with current technology and science gaps, outlined in the DOE’s Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap published in October 2025. Research suggests that liquid metals could protect the components that directly face the intense heat of plasma and improve fusion system performance. Partly due ...

New York, NY (February 19, 2026) — Researchers at the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Heart Center led a multicenter effort to develop and validate an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can analyze a standard electrocardiogram (ECG) to identify patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot who may be at risk for harmful heart changes typically detected by cardiac MRI. The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, was published in the European Heart Journal: Digital Health. Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart ...