Two new advanced predictive algorithms use information about a person’s health conditions and simple blood tests to accurately predict a patient’s chances of having a currently undiagnosed cancer, including hard to diagnose liver and oral cancers. The new models could revolutionise how cancer is detected in primary care, and make it easier for patients to get treatment at much earlier stages.  The NHS currently uses prediction algorithms, such as the QCancer scores, to combine relevant ...

Wealthy individuals have a higher carbon footprint. A new study published in Nature Climate Change quantifies the climate outcomes of these inequalities. It finds that the world’s wealthiest 10% are responsible for two thirds of observed global warming since 1990 and the resulting increases in climate extremes such as heatwaves and droughts. The study assesses the contribution of the highest emitting groups within societies and finds that the top 1% of the wealthiest individuals globally contributed 26 times the global average to increases in monthly 1-in-100-year heat extremes globally and 17 times more to ...

For Embargo Release: May 7, 2025 at 5 am ET USA   Media Contact: Katelyn Deckelbaum, katelyn.deckelbaum@gwu.edu   New Study Tracks Air Pollution and CO₂ Emissions Across Thousands of Cities Worldwide WASHINGTON (May 7, 2025) - In a sweeping new study of more than 13,000 urban areas worldwide, researchers have mapped air pollution levels and carbon dioxide emissions, providing comprehensive global analysis of urban environmental quality.  The research led by George Washington University, in collaboration with scientists from Washington University in St. Louis and the University ...

A major study of around 260,000 women shows that taking the progesterone-only contraceptive pill can increase asthma attacks in some women. The research, published in ERJ Open Research [1], shows an increase in asthma attacks in women with asthma who are taking the progesterone-only pill and either aged under 35, or using fewer asthma treatments, or with a type of asthma called eosinophilic asthma.   There was no increase in asthma attacks for women taking the combined oestrogen and progesterone contraceptive pill.   The researchers say their finding could be an important step towards understanding why women are more likely ...

A portable device that can instantly detect dangerous street drugs at extremely low concentrations has been developed at the University of Bath in the UK. The device, which is being trialled by drug-checking services in the UK, Norway and New Zealand, can identify substances such as benzodiazepines and synthetic opioids that are difficult to detect with existing mobile technologies and are major contributors to drug overdoses globally. The device, which is similar to an ultraviolet spectrometer, will allow drugs to ...

All 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have adopted vertical identification laws, which require state drivers’ licenses issued to individuals under age 21 to be vertically oriented, with the goals of lowering the cost of age verification and curbing underage drinking and smoking. Research published in Contemporary Economic Policy indicates that these laws have not achieved these goals, however.  For the study, investigators analyzed 1991–2019 data from the national and state Youth Risk Behavior Surveys. ...

A quarter of women who gave birth in metropolitan France and were surveyed reported that they were treated disrespectfully during childbirth and/or while staying in the hospital after giving birth.  Among the 7,332 women surveyed in the Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica study, 1,888 reported that they experienced words, gestures, or attitudes that shocked, offended, or made them feel uncomfortable from health care professionals. They were more frequently nulliparous, had a high education level, a birth plan, and an instrumental or cesarean birth. Women with psychiatric history or prenatal psychological distress were ...

In research published in New Phytologist, investigators reveal that tomato ripening is regulated by the same mechanism that contributes to humans' and animals' life- and health-span.  The mechanism, called autophagy, regulates cellular recycling and operates in all life forms apart from bacteria. This latest work shows that autophagy affects tomato fruit ripening by controlling the production of ethylene. Ethylene is the primary hormone that controls ripening in many fruits such as apples, bananas, mangoes, avocados, and tomatoes.  To assess the role of autophagy in ripening, ...

In research published in Advanced Science, investigators describe their ability to reconstruct 3D facial images from DNA data, which could have important applications in forensic investigations of crime scenes.  Their model, called Difface, applies single DNA nucleotide differences to 3D facial point clouds, or sets of data points that represent the exterior surface of a face.   When tested on a Han Chinese database with 9,674 paired DNA differences and 3D facial images, Difface demonstrated excellent performance ...

Forests without top predators (such as tigers) risk being overgrazed by large herbivore prey, depleting vegetation carbon stocks and their capacity to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, an essential ecosystem function for mitigating climate change. Therefore, just as forest protection and restoration can support top predator recovery “bottom-up,” large carnivore conservation likely promotes vegetation recovery “top-down” and represents an understudied component in nature-based solutions to climate change. Research published in Global Change Biology provides new ...

Because life expectancy for individuals with Down syndrome has increased dramatically, investigators assessed the risk of age-related cardiovascular diseases in this population. As reported in the Journal of Internal Medicine, the researchers found increased risks of various cardiovascular diseases compared with the general population.  In the study, 5,155 individuals with Down syndrome born in Sweden in 1946–2000 were compared with other Swedish individuals matched by sex, birthyear, and county of birth.  Down syndrome was associated with 4.41-times higher risk of ...

Researchers at Linköping University have developed a new type of pipette that can deliver ions to individual neurons without affecting the sensitive extracellular milieu. Controlling the concentration of different ions can provide important insights into how individual braincells are affected, and how cells work together. The pipette could also be used for treatments. Their study has been published in the journal Small. “In the long term, this technology could be used to treat neurological diseases ...

By Amy Norton PISCATAWAY, NJ – More people are landing in the hospital with cannabis-related problems—and for many, a mental health condition is the primary issue, according to a new study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The study, conducted in Arizona, found that between 2016 and 2021, cannabis-related hospital visits across the state rose by 20%. Among those visits, one quarter ended up with a primary diagnosis of a mental health condition, including bipolar disorder, depression, and psychotic disorder. That compared with only about 3% of visits unrelated to cannabis. Overall, people with a cannabis-related hospital visit ...

What makes us care about others? Scientists studying empathy have found that people are more likely to choose to empathize with groups rather than individuals, even though they find empathizing equally difficult and uncomfortable in both cases. The scientists suggest that the sight of groups of people could offer more context information which helps people decide whether to empathize, and therefore increases the chances that they choose to do so.   “People’s willingness to empathize is different depending on who the target is: a single individual ...

A Korean research team has developed a new proton exchange membrane (PEM) that significantly enhances the performance of electrochemical hydrogen storage systems. Dr. Soonyong So of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) and Professor Sang-Young Lee of Yonsei University have developed a next-generation PEM for LOHC-based electrochemical hydrogen storage using a hydrocarbon-based polymer called SPAES (sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone)). This SPAES membrane reduces toluene ...

The study, published in The Journal of Cleaner Production, describes the new ‘pressurised spinning’ innovation and its potential to create cellulose materials more cheaply and cleanly than some current manufacturing methods, using a waste product from the dairy farming industry, cow dung, as the raw material. The advance is the first time that manufacturing-grade cellulose has been derived from animal waste and is a prime example of circular economy, which aims to minimise waste and pollution by reusing and repurposing resources wherever possible. The ...

CLEVELAND, Ohio (May 7, 2025)—Many women struggle to find resources to help manage their menopause symptoms. For women living with a serious mental illness, the need for additional support and education during the menopause transition is even greater. A new scoping review confirmed the paucity of research on this topic and suggested a need for more psychoeducation programs. Results of the study are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society. Serious mental illnesses are a group of mental health conditions often characterized by their chronicity and severity of symptoms that lead to significant functional impairment. ...

A research team led by Professor Yong-Young Noh and Dr. Youjin Reo from the Department of Chemical Engineering at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has developed a groundbreaking technology poised to revolutionize next-generation displays and electronic devices. The project was a collaborative effort with Professors Ao Liu and Huihui Zhu from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), and the findings were published in Nature Electronics on April 28th.   Every time we stream videos or play games on our smartphones, thousands of transistors operate tirelessly ...

When our planet and the incoming sunlight align just right, stunning phenomena such as rainbows and halos can occur. More often, sunlight - or shortwave radiation - interacts with Earth in subtle but curious ways.   A new perspective study, published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, lays out how shortwave radiation research has led to improved fundamental understanding of Earth. The study also shares exciting prospects for how such advances can continue into the future. Scientific insights derived from shortwave ...

Eating a healthy diet as a child is linked to girls having their first menstrual period at an older age than those who consumed a less healthy diet, according to a new study published today (Wednesday) in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals. The findings remained unaltered by the girls’ body mass index (BMI) or height, both of which have been associated with the earlier onset of periods. The study has implications for health in later life as it is well known that women who started their periods at an early age may be at higher risk for diabetes, ...

In the urban parks of Barcelona, Spain, the calls of a tropical parrot fill the air. The bright green monk parakeet, native to South America, has found a new home in European cities. Monk parakeets thrive in huge colonies where they communicate with each other using many distinct sounds—offering scientists a unique window into understanding the interplay of individual social relationships with vocal variety. For social animals, communication is a key that unlocks the benefits of group living. It’s well known that animals with more complex social lives tend to have more intricate ...

Tyrannosaurus rex evolved in North America, but its direct ancestor came from Asia, crossing a land bridge connecting the continents more than 70 million years ago, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in Royal Society Open Science, also found that the rapid growth in size of tyrannosaurids (the group that included the T. rex) as well as a closely related group called megaraptors coincided with a cooling of the global climate following a peak in temperatures 92 million years ago. This suggests T. rex and its cousins might have been better suited to cooler climates than other dinosaur groups at the time, perhaps due to having feathers or a more warm-blooded ...

Since the dawn of philosophy, thinkers from Plato to Kant have considered how beauty affects human experience, and whether it has the power to transform our state of mind. Now, a new study from the University of Cambridge suggests that stopping to contemplate the beauty of artistic objects in a gallery or museum boosts our ability to think in abstract ways and consider the “bigger picture” when it comes to our lives. Researchers say the findings offer empirical evidence that engaging with artistic beauty helps us escape the “mental trappings of daily life,” such as current anxieties and to-do lists, and induce “psychological distancing”: ...

New research challenges traditional views and myths in psychology, such as the long-held belief that parenting is the biggest influence on adult personalities. A comprehensive review of current psychology has revealed that many long-held beliefs about mental health and the function of the brain need significant revision. Renowned psychologist Michael W. Eysenck pulls apart some of these commonly-held beliefs in a new book, Rethinking Psychology: Finding Meaning in Misconceptions. Popular psychological myths debunked One of the myths held under ...

Termites — infamous for their ability to destroy wood — are rarely welcomed into rainforests that have been painstakingly replanted. But a new paper suggests that termite transplants may be necessary to help regenerating forests to thrive.  Published May 6 in the Journal of Applied Ecology and led by scientists from Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, the study found that termites are not thriving in replanted rainforests in Australia. Because decomposers like termites are essential for recycling nutrients and carbon, the researchers worry that the insect’s slow recovery could hinder the growth and health of the ...