Research announcements from universities, hospitals and scientific institutions. Explore the stories, people and discoveries behind the headlines.
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A team from Chiba University combined purified actin with a plant motor protein and ATP - and watched stable, spinning ring structures form without any template. Computer simulations confirmed that the key is the curved path the motor drives each filament along. The finding may point toward new approaches in bioengineering and agricultural science.
Read the releaseA report from Johns Hopkins and Millions of Conversations found that generational identity, not race or party, best predicts how Americans evaluate their own history. The nation's founding divides old and young most sharply, yet the Civil Rights Movement and women's suffrage unite all age groups.
Read the releaseSolid tumors build dense collagen barriers that block modern immunotherapies and nanoparticle drug carriers. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University injected nanobubbles filled with perfluoropropane into breast cancer tumors and used ultrasound to gently vibrate them, softening tumor tissue for at least 5 days and allowing RNA-loaded lipid nanoparticles to distribute throughout the tumor. The approach also activated immune cells that targeted distant, untreated tumors.
Read the releaseConventional biomaterials weaken when wet. Inspired by marine worm fangs, researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia combined chitosan with nickel ions to create a material that becomes up to 50 percent stronger when immersed in water, with a closed-loop process that recovers 100 percent of the nickel used.
Read the releaseStomach contents reflect only a few hours of recent feeding in ringed seals, usually a limitation. A study in Inglefield Bredning, Greenland turned that limitation into an advantage by comparing stomach contents with harvest locations. Seals caught near glacier fronts had fuller stomachs and ate different prey - a finding with implications as Arctic glaciers retreat.
Read the releaseGermanium and silicon lenses for thermal imaging cameras cost hundreds to thousands of dollars and cannot be repaired if damaged. A Flinders University team made a high-performance infrared lens from surplus elemental sulfur and an organic co-monomer moldable like plastic, repairable, recyclable, and produced for under 1 cent in raw material costs per unit.
Read the releaseData from 27 EU member states and five non-EU countries show that Salmonella and Campylobacter in food-producing animals and humans remain broadly resistant to key antimicrobials. Campylobacter resistance to ciprofloxacin is now so widespread that the antibiotic is no longer recommended for treating human infections, while carbapenemase-producing E. coli detections in livestock are increasing.
Read the releaseFlow batteries are promising candidates for large-scale grid storage, but conventional electrolytes are either volatile and flammable or too viscous to conduct ions efficiently. A Case Western Reserve team demonstrated a new electrolyte in which protons hop between molecular bonds - conducting electricity without the fire risks of liquid lithium-ion systems while maintaining high viscosity for safety.
Read the releaseMobile robots operating without GPS must recover their position after displacement - the kidnapped robot problem. A Spanish research team developed MCL-DLF, a coarse-to-fine localization framework using deep-learned 3D point cloud features and probabilistic filtering, achieving higher accuracy and lower seasonal variability than conventional approaches in multi-month campus tests.
Read the releaseStudying 15 bilingual mother-child pairs in the UK, researchers used functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure brain synchrony during play in either the native language or English as an acquired language. Neural synchrony - associated with bonding and communication - was equally strong in both languages, concentrated in the prefrontal cortex, and stronger during interactive than independent play.
Read the releaseAn Osaka Metropolitan University analysis of 77,947 hip fracture surgeries in patients aged 60 and over finds that postoperative rehabilitation provided on weekends and public holidays within 7 days of surgery improved Barthel Index scores at discharge for patients over 80 and those with initial scores of 0 to 10. Patients admitted with higher independence scores showed no significant added benefit from holiday rehabilitation.
Read the releaseCal Poly initiative for Climate Leadership and Resilience will host its fifth annual all-virtual Climate Solutions Now conference from February 23 to 27, featuring more than 70 presentations on energy, water, agriculture, environmental justice, and climate communications. Past editions have attracted more than 1,000 attendees from as far as Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Read the releaseA nationwide Japanese database study covering 270,091 heart attack patients from 2012 to 2022 finds that short-term exposure to PM2.5 air pollution significantly raised the risk of all types of acute myocardial infarction - but the risk of MINOCA, a heart attack without coronary artery obstruction, dropped significantly after pandemic-era behavioral changes, particularly mask-wearing, became widespread.
Read the releaseA research team at Xiamen University reports the first photocatalytic method to functionalize the C-N alpha position of aliphatic tertiary amides - a class of compounds previously resistant to this type of modification. The approach uses iridium catalysis and visible-light photoredox to generate two radicals that cross-couple efficiently, enabling late-stage modification of drug molecules at gram scale with extremely low catalyst loading.
Read the releaseA study of 505 Australian adults exposed to junk food and anti-junk food advertisements finds that a single 15-second health promotion message can reduce cravings and consumption intentions more effectively than a 30-second version, particularly for viewers in the normal BMI range. For overweight and obese participants, positively framed ads outperformed negative warnings.
Read the releaseAnalysis of DNA from 10 individuals in four communal graves at the 5,500-year-old Ajvide site on Gotland finds that those buried together were typically second- or third-degree relatives - cousins, great-aunts, and half-siblings - rather than parent-child pairs. The findings suggest Scandinavian hunter-gatherers tracked and valued extended family networks.
Read the releaseAn umbrella review covering 5 systematic reviews (8,631 participants) and 28 randomized trials (4,360 participants) finds exercise therapy produces small, short-lived improvements in osteoarthritis pain. Effects shrink further in larger and longer studies, challenging universal first-line use.
Read the releaseGlobal copper demand is projected to rise from 23 million tons per year in 2025 to 37 million tons by 2050 under standard growth, and to 91.7 million tons under a full clean energy transition. A University of Michigan study finds the current price of 13000 per ton falls well short of the 22000 to 31000 per ton it costs to develop new mines.
Read the releaseChronic wounds affect 12 million people annually worldwide and lead to amputation in about one in five cases. UC Riverside researchers tested a wound-conforming gel that uses a small battery to electrolyze water and generate steady oxygen, closing wounds in diabetic and aged mice within 23 days where untreated injuries were often fatal.
Read the releaseAmong iron minerals that interact with dissolved organic matter in soil, ferrihydrite stands apart. Research from Tongji University shows it converts hexavalent chromium to a stable harmless form while binding organic carbon - outperforming goethite and hematite through a surface mechanism validated in real contaminated mine soils.
Read the releaseA long-term field experiment finds that blending biochar, compost, and sludge reduces cumulative drainage by more than 40 percent compared to individual treatments in sandy soils. The results point toward practical strategies for drought-prone agriculture where water retention is the limiting factor.
Read the releaseA study of mangrove soils in China's Zhangjiang Estuary finds that black carbon - a highly stable combustion byproduct - persists in coastal sediments and may strengthen the long-term carbon storage potential of these ecosystems. Plant biomass drives accumulation, while soil nitrogen and moisture regulate how carbon moves toward the ocean.
Read the releaseSalcaprozate sodium (SNAC), the absorption enhancer that makes oral semaglutide tablets work, produced a cluster of biological changes in a 21-day animal study from Adelaide University: lower beneficial gut bacteria, reduced short-chain fatty acids, higher blood inflammatory markers, increased liver weight, and reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels. The findings do not prove harm in humans, but researchers say long-term daily SNAC exposure warrants systematic evaluation as oral GLP-1 drugs expand.
Read the releaseDiane Dodge, executive director of Tiba Foundation and co-founder of Kenya's Boda Girls program, will receive the 2026 Penn Nursing Renfield Foundation Award for Global Women's Health - a $100,000 unrestricted grant. The Boda Girls initiative trains women as motorcycle taxi drivers who provide free hospital transport, producing a 67% increase in hospital births and eight-times income gains for participants. The award ceremony is April 13, 2026.
Read the releaseAn NIH ECHO Cohort analysis of 13,120 children across 52 US sites found that active maternal smoking during pregnancy - confirmed by urine cotinine testing rather than self-report - was associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure and greater hypertension risk in children ages 3 to 18. The association was stronger in female children and intensified with age. Published in Circulation.
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