Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences have unveiled a promising strategy to address persistent organic pollutants—dangerous substances found in industrial waste, pesticides, and contaminated soils that threaten environmental and human health. Their latest review highlights how biochar-supported microbial systems can revolutionize the remediation of these contaminants. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, and chlorinated solvents, are notorious ...

There is growing interest in high-biomass sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) as a bioenergy feedstock, but more information is needed to determine the most suitable varieties for the U.S. Midwest. This study by researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), a Department of Energy-funded Bioenergy Research Center, evaluated and compared the yield potential of 13 sorghum hybrids in central and southern Illinois. The 13 sorghum hybrids (H1-H13) were grown for two seasons (2022-2023) ...

LA JOLLA (October 24, 2025)—The rate of HIV infection continues to climb globally. Around 40 million people live with HIV-1, the most common HIV strain. While symptoms can now be better managed with lifelong treatment, there is no cure to fully eliminate the virus from the body, so patients still often struggle with related health issues, side effects, social stigma, and drug resistance. One of the most promising treatment avenues is disrupting HIV replication by impairing the function of integrase, a protein named for its role in integrating viral genetic material into the human ...

DENVER -- A new study led by researchers at National Jewish Health has revealed that, while a wide range of viruses can cause lower respiratory tract illnesses (LRIs) in infants, certain viruses and viral combinations dramatically increase the risk of severe disease. The findings, published this month in Journal of Infection, come from the Puerto Rican Infant Metagenomic and Epidemiologic Study of Respiratory Outcomes (PRIMERO), which followed more than 2,000 children from birth to age two between 2020 and ...

Quantifying the carbon (C) uptake of the perennial grass, Miscanthus × giganteus (M × g), in both aboveground and belowground structures (e.g., net primary productivity (NPP)) and differences among methodological approaches is crucial. Many estimates of M × g productivity focus on aboveground harvestable yields and do not directly address belowground biomass in this perennial crop. A study by researchers at the Center for Advanced ...

A team of researchers led by the University of California San Diego has discovered a new way to make yeast cells more efficient “factories” for producing valuable plant compounds. The advance could enable the sustainable manufacturing of plant-derived chemicals used to help plants defend against disease, repel pests, attract pollinators, and withstand environmental stresses such as drought and heat. The new study focuses on improving the performance of plant enzymes known as cytochrome P450s — which play essential roles in the metabolic pathways that produce most of these ...

The tiny blood vessels in your eyes might hold the key to predicting a person’s risk of developing heart disease and how fast they’re biologically aging, according to researchers at McMaster University and Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) - a joint institute of Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster. The study, published in Sciences Advances on Oct. 24, 2025, suggests that retinal scans could one day serve as a non-invasive window into the body’s overall vascular health and biological aging status, offering ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Children who are mistreated at a young age are more likely to experience a wide range of developmental delays and health problems, according to Christian Connell, Ken Young Family Professor in Healthy Children and professor of human development and family studies at Penn State. To combat these developmental problems, federal law requires that children under the age of three who are abused or neglected be evaluated for a developmental delay. Connell led a team of researchers who found that a child’s involvement with the Pennsylvania child welfare system (CWS) influenced how likely they were to be diagnosed with a developmental ...

New York City’s roads and bridges already incur millions in annual damage from oversized trucks, and a new study warns the shift to electric freight could intensify that burden. As electric trucks replace diesel models, their heavier batteries could increase the city's yearly repair costs by up to nearly 12 percent by 2050. Led by C2SMART researchers at NYU Tandon School of Engineering in collaboration with Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and published in Transport Policy, the study finds that oversized trucks already cause about $4.16 million in damage ...

Maternal stress during pregnancy profoundly affects fetal growth and long-term health. This comprehensive review synthesizes evidence showing that elevated cortisol, disrupted brain connectivity, and stress-induced inflammation can alter fetal brain structure, immune function, and developmental programming. The timing and type of stress exposure—ranging from natural disasters to chronic anxiety—determine specific outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and emotional dysregulation. These effects, often mediated through the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and epigenetic mechanisms, may extend ...

The Bezos Earth Fund has announced a $2 million grant to the University California, Davis, the American Heart Association and other partners to advance “Swap it Smart” as part of its AI for Climate & Nature Grand Challenge. The funding will support research that could help redesign foods, for example optimizing for flavor profile, nutritional properties and lower costs and environmental impact.   Swap it Smart is an AI-powered recipe formulation tool in development by scientists at the UC Davis in collaboration ...

  Humanitarian organisations must go beyond reactive compliance to data protection laws if they are to continue using technology in a principled, safe, and trusted way in the digital age, experts have said. The sector must share knowledge and best practices for protecting the data of affected populations and shape the technologies it uses as they become central to the way aid is delivered around the world. In a new book, the experts highlight the risk of “scope creep”, where technologies initially created for emergency relief can be repurposed or used for other aims, potentially undermining ...

A recent review published in Engineering highlights particle vision analysis (PVA), a rapidly developing field at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and microscopic imaging. The review emphasizes the potential of PVA to accelerate discovery, strengthen quality control, and promote sustainable production across nanomanufacturing, biomanufacturing, and pharmaceuticals. Particles underpin materials and processes across sectors, and their microscopic behaviors determine performance, safety, and ...

For many of us, climate change feels like a distant threat – damage that happens in the future somewhere far away to people we know little about. A new Stanford University-led study reveals how virtual reality can close that distance, enabling users to explore faraway places, develop a sense of attachment to those places, and care more about how a warming world is wreaking havoc on people’s lives. The findings, published this week in Scientific Reports, show that VR experiences significantly reduce people’s indifference to climate change-driven damages in faraway places compared to viewing static images. The findings demonstrate ...

Optica Publishing Group today announced that the Journal of the Optical Society of America B (JOSA B) will pilot the Subscribe to Open (S2O) model in 2026. This innovative publishing approach leverages the existing subscription framework to make research articles freely available to readers worldwide—without shifting publishing costs to authors. Under the S2O model, current JOSA B institutional subscribers renew their subscriptions as usual. If enough renewals are received, all content published in the 2026 volume of JOSA B will be made open access and freely available to all readers. If the subscription ...

Jacksonville, Fla. – The University of North Florida announced that the Korey Stringer Institute at UNF (KSI at UNF) and Perry Weather will open a state-of-the-art heat exercise laboratory on campus in the spring.  KSI, the nation’s leading exertional heat stroke prevention institute, and Perry Weather, a leading weather safety platform, will provide lab-and-field-based research, education, advocacy and consultation through UNF to maximize performance, optimize safety and prevent sudden death for those who are exposed to the heat during ...

In the summer of 1812, French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte led about half a million soldiers to invade the Russian Empire. But by December, only a fraction of the army remained alive. Historical records suggest that starvation, cold, and typhus led to their demise. In a new study publishing October 24 in the Cell Press journal Current Biology, a team of microbial paleogenomicists extracted DNA from the soldiers’ teeth and found no trace of typhus. Instead, they identified two pathogens known to cause enteric fever and relapsing fever—ailments which likely contributed to the army’s downfall.  “It’s very exciting to use a technology we have ...

Scientists from the Institut Pasteur have genetically analyzed the remains of former soldiers who retreated from Russia in 1812. They detected two pathogens, those responsible for paratyphoid fever and relapsing fever, which correlate with the symptoms described in historical accounts. The study was published as a preprint on bioRxiv on July 16, 2025. It will be published in the journal Current Biology on October 24. The famous Russian campaign led by Napoleon in 1812, also known as the "Patriotic War of 1812," ended with the retreat of the French army. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur's ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that hearing loss is a common public health concern that may be at least partially preventable.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Lauren K. Dillard, PhD, email dillalau@musc.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.39371) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support. #  #  ...

A comprehensive review in "Biofunct. Mater." meticulously details the most recent advancements and clinical translation of intelligent nanodrugs for breast cancer treatment. This paper presents an exhaustive overview of subtype-specific nanostrategies, the clinical benefits of FDA-approved nanodrugs, and innovative approaches to address tumor heterogeneity and treatment resistance. This serves as a foundational framework and pragmatic guide for enhancing precision-based breast cancer therapies. Breast cancer, the most common cancer among women worldwide, is a major therapeutic challenge ...

Fight or Flight—and Grow a New Limb Study reveals how salamanders rely on sympathetic nervous system to regenerate body parts By Kermit Pattison / Harvard Staff Writer    Biologists have long been fascinated by the ability of salamanders to regrow entire limbs. Now Harvard researchers have solved part of the mystery of how they accomplish this feat—by activating stem cells throughout the body, not just at the injury site. In a paper [LINK WILL ACTIVATE WHEN EMBARGO LIFTS 11am ...

Advancing high-speed steady-state visually evoked potential (SSVEP)-based brain–computer interface (BCI) systems require effective electroencephalogram (EEG) decoding through deep learning. SSVEP-BCIs enable direct communication between the brain and external devices (e.g., spellers, prosthetics) by detecting EEG signals triggered by visual stimuli flickering at specific frequencies. They are prized for their high information transfer rate (ITR)—a key measure of BCI speed—and minimal training needs. “However, two critical barriers have hindered their performance: Data sparsity: Collecting ...

The competition is fierce. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles is pushing herself to perform stronger and more consistently. Then, her coach calls her “fat.” It’s meant as a motivation, but this time, it has the opposite effect. While some coaches might believe such comments could spur an athlete to train harder, new research involving the Binghamton University School of Management found a better way to boost an athlete’s mental toughness: transformational leadership techniques focusing on self-determination. These techniques have ...

"Recent advancements in neuromorphic computing have enabled significant progress in dynamic motion recognition, yet distinguishing high-speed and low-speed movements remains computationally challenging due to the limited dynamic range of conventional CMOS technology. Our work introduces a SnS₂-based in-sensor reservoir computing device that leverages tunable multi-timescale optoelectronic dynamics to address this bottleneck," explained study author Linfeng Sun, a professor at Beijing Institute of Technology. ...

T cells play central roles in the adaptive immune response against cancer. Their functional inactivation is a primary driver of tumor progression, making the reactivation of T cell function a main goal in immunotherapy. The review details how T cells specifically recognize and eliminate malignant cells by engaging tumor antigen peptides presented by MHC molecules. “T cells can specifically recognize tumor antigen epitopes presented by MHC molecules to clear malignant tumor cells. The targets that can be recognized by T cells in tumors mainly include two types”, the authors point out. Highly immunogenic, tumor-specific "neoantigens" derived from somatic ...