Key Messages In May 2023, devastating floods hit Emilia-Romagna, causing deaths, displacement, and estimated damages of €8.5 billion. Cul-de-sac effect: The CMCC research team described for the first time how a specific configuration of mountain topography and circulation patterns trapped moisture coming from the Adriatic, while a stationary cyclone fueled prolonged rains that lasted for several days over the same area, leading to extreme flooding. From the analysis of the Emilia-Romagna case, the ...

ITHACA, N.Y. – Astronomers have generated the first three-dimensional map of a planet orbiting another star, revealing an atmosphere with distinct temperature zones – one so scorching that it breaks down water vapor, a team co-led by a Cornell expert reports in new research. The temperature map of WASP-18b – a gas giant known as an “ultra-hot Jupiter,” located 400 light years from Earth – is the first applying a technique called 3D eclipse mapping, or spectroscopic eclipse mapping. The effort builds on a 2D model that members of the same team published in 2023, which demonstrated eclipse mapping’s potential ...

For the first time, a team of Inserm researchers from the Physics for Medicine Institute (Inserm/ESPCI Paris-PSL/CNRS) has succeeded in mapping the blood flow of an entire organ in animals (heart, kidney and liver) with great precision, in four dimensions: 3D + time. This new imaging technique, when applied to humans, could both improve our understanding of the circulatory system (veins, arteries, vessels and lymphatic system) and facilitate the diagnosis of certain blood circulation-related diseases. These results are published ...

Low oxygen levels in the blood can alter the genetic makeup of key immune cells, weakening the body’s ability to fight infection, new research shows.  Scientists found that oxygen deprivation – known as hypoxia – changes the genetic material of immune cells called neutrophils, reducing their capacity to destroy harmful microbes.  The team discovered that low oxygen appears to leave a lasting mark on the bone marrow cells that produce neutrophils, meaning the impact can persist after oxygen ...

A new UCLA study reveals that breast milk from women living with HIV contains significantly lower levels of tryptophan, an essential amino acid likely important for infant immune function, growth, and brain development. This discovery may help explain why children born to women living with HIV experience higher rates of illness and developmental challenges, even when the children themselves are not infected with the virus. The study appears in Nature Communications. Why it matters Approximately 1.3 million children are born to women living with HIV annually worldwide. Even with effective antiretroviral therapy that prevents HIV transmission, these children who ...

Cancer immunotherapy, especially using T cells, is showing a lot of promise in treating blood cancers. Bioengineered T cells, especially those equipped with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR-T cells), have revolutionized cancer treatment. But while they’ve delivered impressive results against certain blood cancers, they’ve struggled to make an impact in solid tumors, such as those in the breast, lung, and prostate. The tumor microenvironment is the problem A major problem is the tumor microenvironment (TME), which is a mix of cells and molecules ...

Photos: here SAN DIEGO (Oct. 28, 2025) – A new study published in the scientific journal Oikos reveals for the first time the critical role polar bears play as carrion providers for Arctic species. Researchers from University of Manitoba and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, alongside researchers from Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the University of Alberta, have estimated that polar bears leave behind approximately 7.6 million kilograms of their prey annually, creating a massive and vital food source for a wide network of arctic scavenger ...

Statement Highlights: Disruptions to circadian rhythms, the body’s internal clock, are strongly associated with increased risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Factors such as rotating schedules or shift work, irregular sleep and meal times, or light exposure at night often cause these disruptions. Body clock disruptions impair metabolic regulation, blood pressure control and hormonal balance, contributing to disease progression. Optimizing circadian rhythms offers a promising preventive strategy for cardiometabolic health. Behavioral interventions to better regulate the body’s ...

In the 17th century, Francis Bacon described a simple experiment—scraping  and fracturing hard sugar in the dark to see sparks of light. This phenomenon is called mechanoluminescence (ML) or triboluminescence (TL), the process of materials emitting light under mechanical stimulation, like grinding or crushing. Usually, ML properties of luminescent compounds are observed in rigid crystalline systems, which limits their real-world applications. Now, researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have found a way to generate ML ...

Proteins sourced from microorganisms are attracting attention for their potential in biomanufacturing a variety of products, including pharmaceuticals, industrial enzymes, and diagnostic antibodies. These proteins can also be used for converting resources into biofuels and bioplastics, which could serve as viable alternatives to petroleum-based fuels and products. Therefore, efficiently producing microbial proteins could make a significant contribution to sustainable manufacturing. Producing proteins from Escherichia coli (E. coli) has become popular due to its cost-effectiveness ...

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is pleased to announce its partnership with Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC) to publish Cancer Communications as a Science Partner Journal. Cancer Communications publishes basic, clinical, and translational cancer research. The journal welcomes submissions concerning clinical trials, epidemiology, molecular and cellular biology, and genetics. Professor Rui-Hua Xu will serve as Editor-in-Chief. “As a leading hub for cancer research, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC) has long strived to bridge global oncology ...

MELBOURNE, Victoria, AUSTRALIA, 28 October 2025 -- A systematic review published today in Psychedelics by Mr. James Gattuso and colleagues at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health synthesizes clinical and preclinical evidence on psilocybin's effects on obsessive-compulsive behaviours, revealing consistent therapeutic potential across human patients and validated animal models. The comprehensive analysis examined 13 eligible studies identified through systematic database searches, including four clinical trials involving patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder, alongside nine preclinical investigations using established behavioural paradigms. ...

Lausanne, Switzerland – 28 October 2025. In a peer-reviewed article published today in Brain Medicine, a European research team presents a focused review of emerging neuromodulation techniques for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The article, "Neuromodulation techniques in obsessive-compulsive disorder: Current state of the art," examines how transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS) are changing clinical approaches for patients ...

The hunt is on and a predator finally zeroes in on its prey. The animal consumes the nutritious meal and moves on to forage for its next target. But how much prey does a predator need to consume? Following a period of massive starvation among animals living along the California coast, University of California San Diego scientists began asking questions about predator sustenance and the value of prey consumption. Their investigations found that all prey are not the same, and this can have significant impacts on predator foraging. Even prey of the same size and weight within the same species can drastically vary in terms of the sustenance they provide, the study showed. The ...

Sleep problems affect more than one in five residents in long-term care facilities, with pain, daytime napping and certain medications emerging as key contributors.     An international team led by University of Waterloo researchers analyzed health records from more than 21,000 residents aged 65 and older living in 228 long-term care homes across New Brunswick and Saskatchewan between 2016 and 2021, using data from the standardized interRAI assessment system.  The researchers tracked who developed – or recovered from – sleep disturbances over time. At the start, nearly 22 per cent of residents had trouble sleeping, although ...

Chemists from the University of Warwick and Monash University have discovered a promising new antibiotic that shows activity against drug-resistant bacterial pathogens, including MRSA and VRE Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the world’s most urgent health challenges, with the WHO’s new report showing there are ‘too few antibacterials in the pipeline’. Most of the ‘low-hanging fruit’ has already been found, and the limited commercial incentives deter investment in antibiotic ...

SINGAPORE, 28 October 2025 – A new report from the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI), supported by the Octava Foundation, has mapped Singapore’s programmes supporting children’s mental health. The study, Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing in Singapore: A Landscape Brief, reviewed 43 programmes across public, private and civil society providers. While it found a vibrant ecosystem committed to accessibility and inclusion, with strong momentum and promising initiatives, the report also noted some areas to strengthen, including fragmentation, workforce gaps, and a lack of sustainable funding. Mental health ...

SAN FRANCISCO – OCTOBER 27, 2025 – Results from the PREVUE-VALVE study suggest that there are currently at least 4.7 million people aged 65-85 living with moderate or greater valvular heart disease (VHD) in the United States, and at least 10.6 million with clinically significant VHD, most of whom are unaware of their condition. The prevalence of VHD increases sharply with advanced age—a finding that suggests a need for screening and treatment programs to ensure broad access to appropriate care.  Findings were reported today ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Women living in parts of the United States with lower air quality, especially neighborhoods with heavy emissions from motor vehicles, are more likely to develop breast cancer, according to a multiyear analysis involving more than 400,000 women and 28,000 breast cancer cases. The research, which included Veronica Irvin of the Oregon State University College of Health, was published in the American Journal of Public Health. The project combined data from five large breast cancer studies conducted over multiple decades that tracked ...

The research teams of Professors Yu Tang and Fengjuan Chen from Lanzhou University proposed a new mixed ligand strategy. By introducing complementary building units into covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and systematically regulating their ratios, they achieved synergistic optimization of the four key steps in the photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide synthesis, effectively breaking through the constraints between various performance indicators and significantly improving the overall catalytic efficiency. Studies have shown that the introduction of the DTTA unit significantly broadens the light absorption range and enhances the charge carrier separation ability; while the TA component ...

A study led by researchers from the University of Sydney and the University of Adelaide has revealed how the breakup of an ancient supercontinent 1.5 billion years ago transformed Earth’s surface environments, paving the way for the emergence of complex life. “Our approach shows how plate tectonics has helped shape the habitability of the Earth,” lead author Professor Dietmar Müller said. “It provides a new way to think about how tectonics, climate and life co-evolved through deep time.” The research, published in ...

The electronic health record data analysed in this study is anonymised and never leaves a secure data environment, which is only accessible by approved researchers working on approved projects. The study is published in The Lancet Public Health. Co-author Professor William Whiteley, Associate Director at the BHF Data Science Centre, said: “Our findings show that during the COVID-19 pandemic there were drops in the incidence of some cardiovascular disease, and that disparities in the burden of these conditions were borne unequally by England’s diverse population. “But diagnosis rates of many conditions have since returned to pre-pandemic levels, ...

The types, locations and causes of cycling ‘near misses’ in London have been mapped using helmet-mounted cameras and GPS devices to track commuter journeys, in a new study from UCL researchers that provides valuable data for improving road safety. The study, published in Accident Analysis and Prevention, is the first to combine real-time verbal reporting of incidents with panoramic video footage and GPS data to understand the behavioural and environmental factors contributing to ‘near misses’ (where a crash between ...

We’ve all learned the same story in school: plants breathe in carbon dioxide (CO₂) through their leaves during photosynthesis, and breathe it out through respiration. The roots? They’re just for water and nutrients, right? Think again. In a surprising twist to one of biology’s most fundamental processes, a new study published on October 17, 2025, in the open-access journal Carbon Research has revealed that plant roots can actively absorb CO₂ from the soil—and this hidden process is powerfully influenced by light, fertilizer, and atmospheric conditions. Led by Dr. Amiran Khabidovich Zanilov ...

Adding carbon-rich materials such as biochar and hydrochar to farmland soils is often seen as a promising way to fight climate change. But a new study from Finland shows that the type of char used can make a big difference in whether the soil releases or stores greenhouse gases. Researchers from the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and collaborating universities tested how biochar and hydrochar, combined with nitrogen fertilizer, affected greenhouse gas emissions, soil carbon pools, and crop ...