Integrase, long known only as the enzyme that inserts HIV's genome into human DNA, turns out to play a structural role earlier in the viral life cycle. It forms filaments inside the HIV capsid that anchor the RNA genome to the shell wall. Without these filaments, the virus cannot infect cells - and no existing FDA-approved drug exploits this vulnerability.

The first company-level monitor of energy transition progress, applied to 25,000 Hungarian businesses, shows the shift to low-carbon energy is barely occurring in the private sector. If current trends hold, fossil fuels will still supply 80% of business energy in 2050 - far short of the EU's climate-neutrality target.

Severe frailty following a heart attack is more prevalent in women, but frail men face a significantly higher one-year mortality risk despite receiving more intensive treatment. Analysis of 900,000+ patients over 15 years reveals a sex-frailty paradox that current cardiac risk tools do not capture.

The first systematic analysis comparing stroke outcomes across traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage found meaningful differences in how each plan delivers care. Medicare Advantage patients received less post-stroke rehabilitation but had lower rehospitalization rates and recovered faster - though data limitations prevent firm conclusions about which plan performs better.

Bladder umbrella cells naturally become polyploid and display senescence markers throughout life - a state that appears protective rather than pathological. But new analysis from the University of Connecticut suggests this program can backfire: if tumor suppressor pathways fail, polyploid senescent cells may escape growth arrest and fuel chromosomal instability.

A qualitative study of 41 healthcare professionals at five U.S. health systems found that practicing lifestyle medicine reduced burnout by restoring alignment between clinicians' values and their daily work. Witnessing patients improve - often on fewer medications - countered the emotional exhaustion and cynicism that define burnout.

Focused ultrasound arrays that enable touchless tactile feedback and object levitation also generate steady airflow called acoustic streaming. A new study from the University of Tsukuba combines particle image velocimetry measurements with numerical simulation to predict this streaming behavior from first principles, validated across multiple beam configurations.

A study from the University of Tsukuba's Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences found that the NIN transcription factor - essential for legume root nodule formation and nitrogen fixation - binds a broader range of DNA sequences than its close relatives because it carries a short amino acid sequence called the FR motif. This motif predates rhizobial symbiosis, suggesting NIN evolved by repurposing an existing molecular feature.

UCLA researchers discovered that macrophages maintain their heightened infection response only because tiny amounts of the cytokine interferon gamma remain trapped at their surfaces after initial exposure. When researchers blocked these residual signals, macrophages erased thousands of epigenetic enhancers and reverted toward their baseline state - suggesting macrophage immune memory is pharmacologically reversible.

A study in Blood Red Cells and Iron analyzed thousands of proteins, lipids, metabolites, and trace elements in blood samples from 23 runners before and after 40-kilometer and 171-kilometer races. The results show red blood cells lose flexibility and accumulate damage from both mechanical and oxidative stress - damage that was more severe after the longer race, though how long it persists is not yet known.

A large randomized controlled trial in seven Chinese communities assigned 216 adults with stage 1 hypertension to baduanjin, self-directed exercise, or brisk walking. After one year, baduanjin reduced 24-hour systolic blood pressure by approximately 3 mmHg and office systolic blood pressure by 5 mmHg compared to self-directed exercise - matching brisk walking - with no ongoing supervision required.

Southwest Research Institute is developing a Product Lifecycle Management system for the U.S. Air Force Academy to consolidate fragmented design, usage, and maintenance records from legacy aircraft into a single structured digital environment. The system will enable prognosis-based maintenance decisions and serve as the foundation for digital twin technology.

A bibliometric review of 280 scientific studies co-authored by researchers at Binghamton University finds consistent empirical evidence that natural selection operates simultaneously at multiple levels of biological organization - individuals, groups, and sometimes higher levels. The review challenges the decades-old consensus that group selection is either rare or reducible to individual-level mechanisms.

More than 75 researchers, engineers, and DOE officials met at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in January 2026 to develop a coordinated national strategy for liquid metal technology in fusion reactors. The meeting identified infrastructure needs, science gaps, and the potential role of liquid lithium in protecting plasma-facing components - a key step toward economically competitive fusion power.

An AI model developed at Mount Sinai's Kravis Children's Heart Center can analyze a standard 12-lead ECG to estimate the risk of ventricular remodeling in patients who had surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot as children. Validated at five additional hospitals, the tool could help clinicians decide when cardiac MRI is most urgently needed - though performance varied by site.

The Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File recorded 65 unprovoked shark bites worldwide in 2025, slightly below the 10-year average of 72. Nine were fatal. The U.S. accounted for 38 percent of global incidents - a notable drop from years when it exceeded 50 percent. Volusia County, Florida, recorded 6 bites, well under its 2021 spike of 17.

The American Heart Association's 2026 statistics report highlights a widespread gap in awareness about how diabetes, kidney disease, and cardiovascular risk are biologically linked. Nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, more than half have prediabetes or diabetes, and about 1 in 7 has kidney disease - yet most people do not recognize these conditions share risk factors and amplify each other.

Norwegian University of Science and Technology researchers deliberately encased polar willow plots in ice for five consecutive January experiments starting in 2016. The plants survived intact. Those also subjected to summer warming in open-top greenhouses produced more above-ground biomass, flowered earlier, and dispersed seeds earlier than plants in neither treatment - raising questions about how Arctic plants may respond to changing climate.

The Terasaki Institute has developed a vascularized liver tissueoid-on-a-chip that sustains albumin secretion, vascular integrity, and multiple liver cell types for 49 days under perfusion. When exposed to allogeneic T cells, the platform generated cytokine profiles and tissue damage patterns consistent with clinical transplant rejection, offering a human-relevant tool for studying rejection without animal models.

Two experimental studies from Washington State University found that augmented reality menus increase customers' stated intention to visit a restaurant and their likelihood of recommending it, compared to printed and QR-code alternatives. The effect was strongest for brands not typically associated with farm-to-table practices, suggesting AR can help reframe negative perceptions.

A study published in PNAS by researchers from Florida Atlantic University, the University of Oldenburg, and UC Merced shows that small recurring interaction patterns - network motifs - often control how strongly a complex system reacts immediately after a disturbance, even when the rest of the network is stable. The findings apply to power grids, epidemics, and ecosystems alike.

A computational screen of 25 compounds from Andrographis paniculata identified SRJ09 as a candidate inhibitor of HDAC2, an enzyme involved in suppressing fetal hemoglobin production. The compound passed drug-likeness filters and showed stable binding over 5-nanosecond simulations, but has not been tested in cells or animals.

An international study anchored at Lund University identified a variant of the gene RAB3GAP2 that reduces production of a protein that limits blood vessel formation in muscles. The variant appeared in roughly 10 percent of elite endurance athletes versus 5 percent of non-athletes, and was found in under 1 percent of world-class Jamaican sprinters.

The American College of Chest Physicians has awarded its new CHEST Critical Care Advanced Practice Provider designation to its first graduating class. Available to nurse practitioners and physician assistants and associates, the credential recognizes clinical competence in ICU settings where team-based care directly affects patient outcomes.

A Jeonbuk National University research team overcame a fundamental wettability problem with carbon cloth electrodes to create a Prussian blue system that adsorbs 1,173 milligrams of cesium per gram within three hours - the highest figure reported to date - while maintaining 97 percent efficiency across repeated cycles.