Cats spend longer sniffing the odor of a stranger than that of their owner, suggesting that they can identify familiar humans based on smell alone, according to a study publishing May 28, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Yutaro Miyairi and colleagues at Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan. Cats use their sense of smell to identify other cats and communicate with each other, but whether they can also use smell to distinguish between different humans has not previously been studied. The researchers investigated whether ...

In a new study of college undergraduates in Japan, the students’ self-perception of their own athletic ability was linked with several internal and external factors, such as personality traits, family characteristics, leisure activities, and others’ perceptions. Sho Ito of Nanzan University, Japan, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on May 28, 2025. Self-perception of one’s own athletic ability could influence one’s motivation to engage in physical activity. For young people, the sense of one’s own athleticism may affect their participation in sports and other physical activities, ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – New research brings together 7,000 years of history in South Arabia to show how ancient pastoralists changed placement and construction of monuments over time in the face of environmental and cultural forces.   In a study published today (May 28, 2025) in PLOS One, an international team of archaeologists documents how monuments changed as the climate transitioned from a humid environment to, eventually, an arid desert.   Early monuments were built by larger groups at one time. But as people dispersed with the increasingly drier climate, smaller groups began constructing monuments and eventually built many of them in several visits.   “The ...

In 2022, after U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban regained power, Afghans reported an average life satisfaction of 1.28 on a scale from 0 to 10—or from the worst possible life to the best possible life—a global, all-time low, according to a new study published today in Science Advances.  That is lower than life satisfaction scores recorded in more than 170 countries since 1946, when global ratings were first tallied. In 2022, the global mean life satisfaction rating recorded in the Gallup World Poll was 5.48.  Afghans also showed little hope for the future. When asked to imagine what their lives would be like in five years on the same ...

How do we think, feel, remember, or move? These processes involve synaptic transmission, in which chemical signals are transmitted between nerve cells using molecular containers called vesicles. Now, researchers have successfully modeled the vesicle cycle in unprecedented detail, revealing new information about the way our brain functions. A joint study, published in Science Advances, between researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Japan, and the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), Germany, has applied a unique computational modeling system, which considers the complicated interplay of vesicles, their cellular environments, activities and interactions, ...

The 120-mile Tijuana River flows from Baja California into the United States and discharges millions of gallons of wastewater — including sewage, industrial waste and runoff — into the Pacific Ocean every day, making it the dominant source of coastal pollution in the region. Wastewater pollution has been an ongoing problem for decades and is so severe that the nonprofit environmental group American Rivers recently named the Tijuana River America’s second most endangered river.  A new study from the University of California San Diego examines how pollutants ...

Runaway cell death and inflammation triggered by severe trauma may be interrupted by a drug used to prevent alcohol abuse – and it may be particularly effective in females, according to new research led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine surgeon-scientists and published today in Science Translational Medicine. The findings, based on observations in human patients and tested in mice, may lead to therapies that, if given in the first few hours after severe trauma – such as a falls or vehicle accidents – could ...

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, today recognized five individuals with awards for their exemplary service to the computing field. Representing diverse areas, the 2024 award recipients were selected by their peers for building a vibrant community that benefits both their colleagues and the broader society. This year’s awardees drove advancements in computer science curriculum, cyberinfrastructures, computer science education, and assistive robotics. They will be formally recognized at ACM’s annual awards banquet on June 14, 2025, in San Francisco. Dan Garcia, Teaching Professor, UC Berkeley, and Brian Harvey, Teaching ...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- A study by scientists at the University of California, Riverside shows ultrasonic cigarettes, or u-cigarettes, marketed as a less harmful alternative to traditional e-cigarettes, may pose significant health risks due to the presence of harmful metals in their liquids and aerosols.  U-cigarettes have a “sonicator” that vibrates a liquid solution, usually containing nicotine, flavorings, and propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin, to produce microscopic droplets (aerosol). The technology uses high-frequency ultrasonic vibrations instead of heating coils ...

Radio frequency integrated circuits (RFIC) are critical to advancing communications capabilities—think moving from 5G networks to 6G—and many other technological applications. But these chips are also really hard to design. A multi-university team with heavy involvement from industry leaders is working to change that. The team, led by researchers from The University of Texas at Austin, plans to infuse artificial intelligence into the design process for RFICs to reduce the difficulty of making these important chips. "Design productivity is a huge problem for RFICs; in most ...

As fast as modern electronics have become, they could be much faster if their operations were based on light, rather than electricity. Fiber optic cables already transport information at the speed of light; to do computations on that information without translating it back to electric signals will require a host of new optical components.  Engineering researchers at the University of Utah have now developed such a device—one that can be adjusted on the fly to give light different degrees of circular polarization. Because information can be stored in a property of light known as chirality, the researchers’ device could serve as a multifunctional, ...

(MEMPHIS, Tenn. and ST. LOUIS, MO.– May 28, 2025) Scientists from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Washington University in St. Louis report mechanistic insights into the role of biomolecular condensation in the development of neurodegenerative disease. The collaborative research, published in Molecular Cell, focused on the interactions that drive the formation of condensates versus the formation of amyloid fibrils and how these relate to stress granules. Stress granules are biomolecular condensates that form under conditions of cellular stress and have been previously implicated as drivers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ...

A new study led by UC San Francisco researchers finds that chronic cannabis use — whether it’s smoked or consumed in edible form — is associated with significant cardiovascular risks.  The report, published May 28 in JAMA Cardiology, found that people who regularly used marijuana in either form had reduced blood vessel function that was comparable to tobacco smokers. Vascular function in those who used cannabis by either means was reduced roughly by half compared to those who did not use it.  Decreased vascular function is associated with ...

Results from a clinical trial led by researchers from Queen Mary University of London, published today in JAMA, show that giving people with high blood pressure an injection every six months can lead to a meaningful, sustained reduction in their blood pressure.  The global trial, KARDIA-2, involved 663 people with high blood pressure whose condition wasn’t being well managed with their standard treatment.   In the trial, patients were given an injection of a new medication zilebesiran, alongside their standard blood pressure treatments. Researchers found ...

Irvine, Calif., May 28, 2025 — Many home healthcare agencies adopted telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the absence of federal reimbursements for these services has led to an increasing number of providers discontinuing these options, a national survey conducted by the University of California, Irvine, and other institutions reveals. Results are published in Health Services Research.   The National Institute on Aging-funded study offers valuable insights into the role of telehealth ...

Involving communities in nature-based solutions to tackle urban climate and environmental challenges leads to innovation and multiple benefits, a study shows. Participation of citizens in NBS projects leads to innovation in design and quality, as well as people gaining greater benefits from green and blue spaces (for access, recreation and health and wellbeing), researchers found. The study showed that involving communities. Projects are also more likely to be successful in supporting nature renewal ...

Bethesda, MD (May 28, 2025) — Lawrence Kim, MD, AGAF, today begins his term as the 120th president of the AGA Institute. A leader in community-based practice, Dr. Kim is a partner at South Denver Gastroenterology, an independent gastroenterology practice in Colorado.  In his 27 years in private practice, Dr. Kim has helped diversify and innovate his group. He developed a part-time partnership model, making South Denver Gastroenterology a leader in recruiting women gastroenterologists, who now comprise one-third of the practice. He incorporated ...

New Haven, Conn. — As rising global temperatures alter ecosystems worldwide, animal species usually have two choices: adapt to changing local conditions or flee to a cooler clime. Ecologists have long assumed that the world’s bird species were best equipped to respond to the pressures of climate change simply because they have the option of flying to higher altitudes or towards global poles. But a new Yale study finds that few bird species are able to escape the realities of a warming world. The findings were published May 28 in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. “They can’t move fast enough or far enough to ...

CORNELL UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE FOR RELEASE: May 28, 2025   Kaitlyn Serrao 607-882-1140 kms465@cornell.edu   Electric buses struggle in the cold, Cornell researchers find   ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell University researchers have released new insights on a pilot program involving all-electric buses in Ithaca – with implications for cities, schools and other groups that are considering the electrification of their fleets, as well as operators, policymakers and manufacturers.   The study is the first to assess and analyze electric buses’ performance in the northeastern U.S., with an unprecedented dataset that covers significant ...

Neurons deep in the brain not only help to initiate movement—they also actively suppress it, and with astonishing precision. This is the conclusion of a new study by researchers at the University of Basel and the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), published in the journal Nature. The findings are especially relevant for better understanding neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Reaching for an apple or bringing a spoon to the mouth—these seemingly simple actions rely on highly complex processes in the brain. A key ...

About The Study: This cross-sectional study found that chronic cannabis smoking and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) ingestion were associated with endothelial dysfunction similar to that observed in tobacco smokers, although apparently occurring via distinct mechanisms. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Matthew L. Springer, Ph.D., email matt.springer@ucsf.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2025.1399) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions ...

About The Study: In this cohort study assessing early life low lead level and children’s and adolescents’ academic achievement, a 1-unit increase in lead levels in the range currently considered low for further interventions was associated with worse academic performance throughout school grades comparable to that for lead levels in the range recommended for additional interventions. These findings support the need to reconsider and potentially lower current blood lead reference values for recommending further interventions. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, George ...

Parental warmth and affection in early childhood can have life-long physical and mental health benefits for children, and new UCLA Health research points to an important underlying process: children’s sense of social safety. The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, found that children who experience more maternal warmth at age 3 have more positive perceptions of social safety at age 14, which in turn predicts better physical and mental health outcomes at age 17. Greater maternal warmth, defined as more praise, positive tone of voice and acts of affection, ...

A team of scientists from the San Raffaele-Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget) in Milan, Italy, has identified a unique window shortly after birth in which circulating blood stem cells can be effectively targeted with gene therapy directly in the body. The study, published in Nature, opens new avenues for treating some genetic blood disorders without the need for stem cell transplantation or chemotherapy.  SR-Tiget is internationally recognized as a leading center for lentiviral vector–based ...

Nature categorizes particles into two fundamental types: fermions and bosons. While matter-building particles such as quarks and electrons belong to the fermion family, bosons typically serve as force carriers—examples include photons, which mediate electromagnetic interactions, and gluons, which govern nuclear forces. When two fermions are exchanged, the quantum wave function picks up a minus sign, i.e., mathematically speaking, a phase of pi. This is totally different for bosons: Their phase upon exchange is zero. This quantum statistical property has drastic consequences for the behaviour of ...