What types of photos make people reach for their wallets? New Stanford University-led research suggests that brain activity can help forecast which wildlife images will inspire people to engage online and donate to conservation causes. The insights could help environmental organizations design more effective communications campaigns. The findings suggest that socioemotional features, such as visible faces or cues that encourage viewers to infer an animal’s mental state, played a key role in driving engagement. The ...

New research shows that short periods of extreme heat and drought during flowering could become one of the biggest threats to global wheat production in the coming decades.  As the climate changes, farmers around the world are facing more frequent and intense weather extremes. While drought has long been seen as the main danger to wheat crops, this new study suggests that heatwaves at a key moment in the plant’s life cycle may soon pose an even greater risk.  Flowering: a critical moment:  Dr Mikhail Semenov, ...

Harlequin ichthyosis (HI) is a rare, severe genetic skin disorder caused by ABCA12 mutations, leading to defective lipid transport and loss of skin barrier function. Infants present with thick, armor-like plates, deep fissures, ectropion, and eclabium, with high risks of dehydration, infection, and respiratory failure. Historically fatal, survival has improved with neonatal intensive care and systemic retinoids. This review covers pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis, management, genetic counseling, and emerging gene-based therapies. Introduction HI is the most severe form of congenital ichthyosis. Newborns are encased in rigid hyperkeratotic ...

Scientists have produced the first global map and analysis of small mare ridges (SMRs) on the moon, a characteristic geological feature of tectonic activity. Published in The Planetary Science Journal Dec. 24, 2025, the analysis performed by scientists at the National Air and Space Museum’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies and colleagues reveals for the first time that SMRs are geologically young and are widespread across the lunar maria—the vast, dark plains on the moon’s surface. ...

Chinese chatbots may be censored by the state, according to a study. China has a robust program of censorship and all China-originating LLMs must be approved by the Chinese government before release. Jennifer Pan and Xu Xu compared the responses of foundation LLMs developed in China (BaiChuan, ChatGLM, Ernie Bot, and DeepSeek) to those developed outside of China (Llama2, Llama2-uncensored, GPT3.5, GPT4, and GPT4o) to 145 questions related to Chinese politics. The questions were sourced from events censored by the Chinese government on social media, events covered in Human Rights Watch China reports, and Chinese-language Wikipedia pages that were individually blocked ...

An important goal of any prosthesis is for the device to become incorporated into the user’s body image, their subjective, conscious cognition of their own body’s form and movement. He (Helen) Huang and colleagues studied how people’s body image changed over a multi-day training session with a new robotic leg. The authors recruited 9 non-disabled participants to train with a robotic leg prothesis, with their own legs kept in a bent position. The participants were chosen because they were totally naive to the experience of walking with a prothesis. The authors measured participants’ ambulatory ...

Brain imaging identifies the social and emotional features of wildlife photos that drive engagement on social media. Tara Srirangarajan and colleagues scanned the brains of 34 adults while the participants viewed 56 wildlife images from National Geographic’s Instagram feed and made decisions in a matter of seconds about whether to “like” posts and/or donate to depicted species. Activity in the nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex predicted individual choices to like and donate. Medial prefrontal ...

HOBOKEN, NJ—Wiley (NYSE: WLY), a global leader in authoritative content and research intelligence for the advancement of scientific discovery, innovation and learning, today announced it will significantly expand the Advanced Portfolio into life, health, and social sciences disciplines, with plans to launch eight new journals by the end of 2026 and more to follow over the next several years. This expansion of the Advanced Portfolio—a collection of scientific journals currently encompassing more than 25 high-impact titles—is designed to empower scientists, making publishing easier for researchers through ...

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 10 AM GMT / 5 AM ET TUESDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2026 Invisible battery parts finally seen with pioneering technique More images available via the link in the notes section Researchers at the University of Oxford have developed a powerful new method to visualise an essential lithium-ion battery electrode component that had been extremely difficult to trace before. The discovery, published today (17 February) in Nature Communications, could lead to increased manufacturing efficiency of battery electrodes and ultimately help improve the charging rate and lifetime of Li-ion ...

University of Leeds news Embargoed: Tuesday 17 February 10:00 GMT (05:00 EST) Tropical forests help to generate vast amounts of rainfall each year, adding weight to arguments for protecting them as water and climate pressures increase, say researchers. A new study led by the University of Leeds has put a monetary value on one of forests’ least recognised services as a source of rainfall to surrounding regions, finding that each hectare generates 2.4 million litres of rain each year - enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool.   Satellite observations were combined with simulations from the latest generation of climate models, to reduce long‑standing uncertainty ...

Nucleotide synthesis—the production of the basic components of DNA and RNA—is essential for cell growth and division. In most animal cells, this process depends closely on properly functioning mitochondria, the organelles responsible for respiration and energy production. When mitochondrial respiration fails—a common feature of mitochondrial diseases and several forms of cancer—cells lose the ability to proliferate normally. A new study published in Nature Metabolism now shows that this dependence is not irreversible. An ...

Bacteria have evolved to adapt to all of Earth’s most extreme conditions, from scorching heat to temperatures well below zero. Ice caves are just one of the environments hosting a variety of microorganisms that represent a source of genetic diversity that has not yet been studied extensively. Now, researchers in Romania tested antibiotic resistance profiles of a bacterial strain that until recently was hidden in a 5,000-year-old layer of ice of an underground ice cave – and found it could be an opportunity for developing new strategies to prevent the rise of antibiotic ...

Bioengineered E. coli bacteria can now produce a group of compounds with anticancer, anti-HIV, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory activities. The Kobe University achievement is the result of a rational design strategy that yields a platform for the industrial production of drug candidates. Plants produce many substances with promising pharmacological activities. For example, Rhododendron species produce a class of compounds, called orsellinic acid-derived meroterpenoids, with remarkable anticancer, anti-HIV, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory activities. However, despite their attractiveness for pharmacological research, their natural ...

Hospital admissions for maltreatment of children under the age of 2 years declined 31% during the 16-week lockdown at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, returning to prepandemic levels after restrictions lifted, according to new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251317. However, after the 16-week period of restricted health care access, rates of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) for child maltreatment increased by 80%. “We consider that the observed ...

Osaka, Japan – Ocean waves are one of the most abundant and predictable renewable energy sources on the planet, yet efficiently harnessing their power remains a major challenge. Traditional devices typically operate efficiently only within a narrow range of wave conditions, highlighting the need for more novel, constructive converters. Now, one researcher from The University of Osaka has analyzed the feasibility of a novel device for generating wave power. The device, called a gyroscopic wave energy converter (GWEC), was assessed for its potential in providing practical, large-scale energy generation. The findings were published last month in ...

The psychedelic effects recreational users often seek from taking ketamine do not predict the therapeutic benefits for people being treated for alcohol use disorder. The popular theory, which says that ketamine may have its therapeutic benefits because it produces strong psychedelic effects, has been called into question by a new study from King’s College London and the University of Exeter, published in Addiction. The study suggests the treatment response may be down to other effects of the drug. The research provides new insights into the use of intravenous ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for individuals with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder. It used data from ...

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 16 February 2026    Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Linkedin              Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to ...

Risk maps for the cancer-causing gas radon can encourage people to test their homes for the substance, but only if homeowners live in known, higher-risk areas, new University of Oregon research finds. For those living in low-risk areas, maps seem to not affect, or may even decrease, people’s intent to test for radon. “It might be the case that a household is exposed to radon for many, many years and they don't actually know about it, especially if they're not testing for radon,” said Cathy Slavik, the study’s lead author, who did the work as a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at the UO. “That exposure can become really problematic,” ...

Presbycusis is a prevalent form of age-related hearing loss that also hinders speech recognition. While scientists have linked hearing loss to an increased risk of cognitive decline, the biological “bridge” between the two has remained unclear. New from eNeuro, researchers at Tiangong University and Shandong Provincial Hospital, led by Ning Li, explored the link between these symptoms in people.  The researchers identified a specific neurobiological link between hearing loss and cognitive decline called the Functional-Structural Ratio (FSR). They found that the putamen and fusiform gyrus (involved in processing sound and ...

A powerful artificial intelligence (AI) tool could give clinicians a head start in identifying life-threatening complications after stem cell and bone marrow transplants, according to new research from MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. For many patients, a stem cell or bone marrow transplant is lifesaving. But recovery does not end when patients leave the hospital. For some, serious complications can emerge months later, often without warning. One of the most challenging is chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a condition in which immune cells from ...

About The Study: In this 2023 to 2024 study, nearly 2 of 3 U.S. adults reported medication use in the past 7 days. Past-7-day prevalence of over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medication use was similar, demonstrating the reliance on these therapies and highlighting the importance of accessibility.   Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Jody L. Green, PhD, email jody.green@uprisehealth.com. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.59479) Editor’s ...

About The Study: This nationally representative study showed that, in 1 in 5 U.S. households, parents perceived a mental health treatment need for their children. Among these parents, 24.8% reported an unmet need, 16.6% reported difficulty in accessing care, and 21.8% cited such difficulty as the reason their children did not receive care. This burden was even greater for households with a single parent and multiple children.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Alyssa L. Burnett, MPH, email alyssa_burnett@populationmedicine.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our ...

About The Study: In this population-based study, rotator cuff abnormalities were nearly universal after age 40 and showed poor concordance with shoulder symptoms. These findings suggest that rotator cuff abnormalities often represent normal age-related changes rather than disease and call into question the clinical value of routine imaging for atraumatic shoulder pain. The accompanying commentary is co-authored by San Francisco Giants Team Orthopedist Brian Feeley, M.D. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Thomas Ibounig, MD, email thomas.ibounig@helsinki.fi. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.7903) Editor’s ...

A feature of pancreatic cancer cells’ surroundings determines whether they grow fast or become resistant to chemotherapy, a new study shows. The ability of these cancer cells to adapt quickly and toggle between biological responses makes them more likely to survive and harder to treat, the study authors say. Led by NYU Langone Health researchers, the study reveals a new facet of how pancreatic cancer cells regulate their levels of autophagy, a “self-eating” process in which they break down ...

Boston, MA - A new study led by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute finds that mental health care gaps for U.S. children remain stark: one in five households reported a child needing treatment, yet nearly a quarter didn’t receive it, and many who did still struggled to access care. Results are published on February 16 in JAMA Pediatrics. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey from June 2023 – September 2024, the team assessed how many families perceived a mental health care need for their children, whether they received that care, and if they found difficulty in getting it. Among 173,174 ...