RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- A study by University of California, Riverside, scientists has found that two toxic chemicals can form when the main ingredient in most e-cigarette fluids is heated, and that these compounds can harm human lung cells. The researchers characterized the toxicity of methylglyoxal and acetaldehyde, both known toxins that can be generated during the heating of vaping liquids containing propylene glycol. While these chemicals are already recognized as harmful in other settings, their impact during vaping has not been well understood until now. Using lab-grown human airway ...

A new genetic study overturns the myth of the “London Underground Mosquito,” revealing that this common urban insect originated not below the cities of modern Europe, but in ancient Mediterranean civilizations more than a thousand years ago, according to a new study. Modern cities are reshaping ecosystems, driving rapid adaptation in many species. A striking example is the northern house mosquito, Culex pipiens, which exists in two forms: the bird-biting C. pipiens f. pipiens (pipiens), adapted to open-air, seasonal environments, and the human-biting C. pipiens f. molestus ...

The record-breaking 2023 marine heatwave has killed nearly all of Florida’s critically endangered Acropora coral colonies, marking the species’ functional extinction in Florida’s Coral Reef (FCR), researchers report. The findings sound a dire warning for the future of coral ecosystems in our rapidly warming oceans. The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme climate events, such as marine heat waves, are severely undermining the health, structure, and resilience of ecosystems worldwide. Coral reefs, among the most heat-sensitive marine environments, ...

New paleontological findings offer insights into Wyoming’s “dinosaur mummies,” revealing that the stunningly preserved skin, spikes, and hooves of duck-billed dinosaurs are not fossilized flesh at all, but delicate clay molds formed by microbes as the creatures decayed, researchers report. Soft-tissue preservation in fossils usually occurs in fine-grained, oxygen-poor environments such as lagoons or seabeds, which enable the fossilization of delicate structures like feathers and skin. However, the so-called “dinosaur ...

Fatty Winter Snacks May Trick the Body into Packing on the Pounds  A new study from UC San Francisco shows that our natural eating patterns are more closely tied to seasonal rhythms than previously thought. Next time you’re tempted to raid the pantry for snacks loaded with saturated fat — especially in winter — you might want to consider that the result could be a mounting urge for high-calorie nibbles.  That’s because, from our body’s perspective, saturated fat — which ...

An international research team led by Hiroki Shibuya at RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) in Japan has solved a genetic mystery and revealed a previously unknown way that DNA can control what cells do. Published in Science on Oct 23, the study reveals that in the roundworm C. elegans, vital RNA needed to keep the ends of chromosomes intact does not have its own gene. Instead, it hitchhikes inside another one. DNA hitchhiking could be a common strategy in the animal kingdom, and has implications for anti-aging therapies and regenerative medicine in humans.   Telomeres are DNA ...

SOMERVILLE, Mass., October 23, 2025 – Cellarity, a biotechnology company developing Cell State-Correcting therapies through integrated multi-omics and AI modeling, today announced the publication of a seminal manuscript in the journal Science, which articulates a framework for the integration of advanced transcriptomic datasets and AI models to improve drug discovery. Cellarity designs novel therapeutics for complex diseases by focusing on the interplay of pathway connections and interactions that define and modulate cellular states. The company has built ...

ITHACA, N.Y. - Peatlands make up just 3% of the earth’s land surface but store more than 30% of the world’s soil carbon, preserving organic matter and sequestering its carbon for tens of thousands of years. A new study sounds the alarm that an extreme drought event could quadruple peatland carbon loss in a warming climate. In the study, published Oct. 23 in Science, researchers find that, under conditions that mimic a future climate (with warmer temperatures and elevated carbon dioxide), extreme drought dramatically increases the release of carbon in peatlands by nearly three ...

For decades, many scientists believed dinosaurs were already dwindling in number and variety long before an asteroid strike sealed their fate 66 million years ago. But new research in the journal Science from Baylor University, New Mexico State University, The Smithsonian Institution and an international team is rewriting that story. The dinosaurs, it turns out, were not fading away. They were flourishing. A final flourish in the San Juan Basin In northwestern New Mexico, layers of rock preserve a hidden chapter of Earth’s history. In the Naashoibito Member of the Kirtland ...

University of Queensland researchers have made a microscopic ‘ocean’ on a silicon chip to miniaturise the study of wave dynamics. The device, made at UQ’s School of Mathematics and Physics, uses a layer of superfluid helium only a few millionths of a millimetre thick on a chip smaller than a grain of rice. Dr Christopher Baker said it was the world’s smallest wave tank, with the quantum properties of superfluid helium allowing it to flow without resistance, unlike classical fluids such as water, which become immobilised by viscosity at such small scales. “The study of how fluids move has ...

Embargoed: 23 October 19:00 UK / 14:00 US Eastern Times Peer-reviewed / Experimental / Mosquito genomics ORIGINS OF THE ‘LONDON UNDERGROUND MOSQUITO’ UNCOVERED, SHEDDING LIGHT ON WEST NILE VIRUS TRANSMISSION Subtitle for website: International researchers disprove theory about the evolution of urban mosquito species. New research has uncovered the ancient origins of an urban mosquito species, Culex pipiens form molestus, also known as the ‘London Underground mosquito’ – disproving a long-held theory of when it first evolved. Published today (23 October) in Science, ...

Biological invasions occur when non-native or exotic species colonize new geographic regions, often to the detriment of local plants and animals. Today, human action contributes significantly to invasion processes, allowing species to bridge vast distances and enter new habitats at a highly accelerated rate. This makes it increasingly important to better understand the impact of invasions on ecosystems. Researchers from the University of Bern, the University of Konstanz (Germany) and the Northeast Forestry University (China), have now shown how the ...

Evolutionary biologists have long believed that the human-biting mosquito, Culex pipiens form molestus,evolved from the bird-biting form, Culex pipiens form pipiens, in subways and cellars in northern Europe over the past 200 years. It’s been held up as an example of a species’ ability to rapidly adapt to new environments and urbanization. Now, a new study led by Princeton University researchers disproves that theory, tracing the origins of the molestus mosquito to more than 1,000 years ago in the Mediterranean or Middle East. The paper publishes October 23 in the journal Science. “This ...

Pain resilience is the key factor linking chronic pain to physical activity levels  Individuals’ ability to stay active despite pain depends more on their pain resilience than on how much pain they feel   Efforts should centre on building resilience to pain, as well as reducing it  Pain affects activity levels, but how individuals understand and act in the face of pain can make a difference, a new study from the University of Portsmouth has found.    The paper, published ...

Do insectivorous animals perceive green, caterpillar-shaped clay as a tasty meal? Ecologists sometimes use plasticine models mimicking natural prey, such as caterpillars, fruit, bird eggs, snakes, and frogs, to record attack marks. This method is widely adopted for its low cost and simplicity. The goal is to estimate biotic interactions, particularly predation. Yet a critical question remains: Is the assumption that plasticine caterpillars appear "tasty" to animals overly human-centric? Despite the method's popularity, it relies on an unproven premise that animals visually recognize and react to the models as if they were ...

Fitness amongst young adults varies widely from one country to another, and is strongly associated with both socioeconomic development and gender equality, a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science reports. The results indicate that levels of development and gender equality in a society can affect differences in physical capacity and therefore public health in general. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is an important factor of health and life-expectancy. For this present study, researchers systematically reviewed data from 95 studies ...

Irvine, Calif., Oct. 23, 2025 — University of California, Irvine astronomers have identified an exoplanet located in a star’s habitable zone, where surface conditions might exist that can support the presence of liquid water – an essential ingredient for all known life. The exoplanet, which exists in a region of the Milky Way Galaxy that is relatively close to our solar system, may have a rocky composition like Earth and is several times more massive, making it a “super-Earth.” The UC Irvine researchers and colleagues discuss their characterization of the exoplanet in a paper published today in The Astronomical Journal. "We have found so many exoplanets at ...

Researchers have created a new type of drug molecule that can precisely destroy TERRA, an RNA molecule that helps certain cancer cells survive. Using advanced “RIBOTAC” technology, their compound finds TERRA inside cells and breaks it down without harming healthy molecules. This discovery could pave the way for a new generation of RNA-based cancer treatments, targeting the disease at its genetic roots rather than just its symptoms.   Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a new kind of drug ...

Titanium (Ti) is a promising metal for biomedical implant applications owing to lightweight, superior corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. Unfortunately, Ti is besieged by poor wear resistance owing to inferior plastic shear-resistance and strain-hardening capacity, thus causing premature failure upon joint friction. And conventional strengthening methods inevitably compromise the inherent biocompatibility and safety of pure titanium, which poses a sizable challenge in the manufacturing of wear-resistant Ti orthopedic implants. As described by the Archard law, wear resistance ...

Forget gears and motors. The next generation of robots may run on living muscle. Scientists are now fusing biological tissue with engineered structures to create "biohybrid robots"—machines that flex, contract, and move using the same power source we do: cells. The potential could be striking. Imagine tiny robots swimming through your bloodstream to deliver drugs, engineered tissues that help heal damaged organs, or living systems that model diseases more faithfully than any computer. But so far, most of these robots are fragile lab prototypes, more science experiment than practical tool. A new review in the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing maps out how to get ...

Our fat cells, called adipocytes, do more than just store extra weight. They play a key role in managing the body’s energy. Adipocytes accumulate fat in the form of lipid droplets that the body can use when needed—for example, during fasting periods between meals. To do this, the body uses the HSL protein like a kind of switch. When energy is lacking, HSL is activated by hormones such as adrenaline and releases fat to fuel various organs. In the absence of HSL, one might assume that the energy tap is shut off and that fat would inevitably accumulate. Paradoxically, however, studies in mice and in patients with mutations in the HSL gene show that this does ...

Up to 60% of congenital and early-onset hearing loss is caused by genetic mutations in an inherited gene, and gene therapy has recently emerged as a potential treatment option. To provide a standardized framework for conducting safe, high-quality clinical trials, a group of international experts has put together guidelines on the administration of gene therapy for hereditary hearing loss. Publishing in the Cell Press journal Med on October 23, the guidelines highlight the need for patient-centered care and respect for the diversity of perspectives within the hearing loss community.  “Cochlear gene therapy ...

Coffee beans harvested from the faeces of the Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) may have higher levels of fats and other key flavour-enhancing compounds than traditionally harvested beans. The results, published in Scientific Reports, may help explain why this type of coffee is so prized. Civet coffee, also known as kopi luwak, is one of the most expensive types of coffee in the world, and can sell for more than US $1,000 per kilogram of beans. The beans are harvested from the faecal matter of civets — usually Asian palm civets ...

About The Study: In this cohort study, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) use was associated with reduced risk of developing nonexudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) but was not associated with progression to exudative AMD among individuals with nonexudative AMD. These findings may inform future randomized trials evaluating the ocular effects of GLP-1RAs in nondiabetic populations.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Benjamin K. Young, MD, MS, email youngbe@ohsu.edu. To access ...

About The Study: In this large cohort study, prenatal exposure to specific fine particulate matter (PM2.5) components and postnatal ozone (O3) exposure were associated with autism spectrum disorder risk. The second and third trimesters may represent sensitive exposure windows. These findings support further research on air pollution’s role in autism spectrum disorder etiology.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Eric Lavigne, PhD, email eric.lavigne@hc-sc.gc.ca. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.38882) Editor’s ...