Miami (August 26, 2025) – People with schizophrenia are more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), suggesting a possible syndemic relationship between the two diseases, in addition to people not seeking appropriate medical care. A new article examining the link between COPD and schizophrenia appears in the July 2025 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, a peer-reviewed, open access journal. COPD encompasses conditions including emphysema and ...

Human men are typically more aggressive than human women, a finding supported by reams of research. But surveys of  4,136 individuals in 24 countries reveal an exception to the trend: aggression in sibling relationships. Douglas T. Kenrick and Michael E.W. Warnum, along with a team of 49 colleagues, asked participants how often they had acted aggressively towards a sister, a brother, a female friend, a male friend, a female acquaintance, or a male acquaintance—both when they were children and when they were adults.  Aggressive actions included both direct aggression, such as hitting/slapping ...

Chemicals used to replace bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging can trigger potentially harmful effects in human ovarian cells, according to McGill University researchers. A new study examined several chemicals commonly used in price stickers on packaged meat, fish, cheese and produce found early signs of potential toxicity. The findings, published in the journal Toxicological Sciences, raise concerns about the safety of BPA-free packaging and whether current regulations go far enough to protect consumers. BPA substitutes disrupt gene expression The research began with the 2023 discovery by Stéphane Bayen, Associate Professor in McGill’s ...

Researchers explore the human tendency to look to the past to predict the future—even when people rationally know outcomes are completely random. A fair coin flip is the prototypically random-outcome event. Russell Roberts and colleagues asked 12,000 people to predict coin flip outcomes in a sequence of five fair coin tosses—some in person, some online. With such a large number of participants, they were able to analyze subsets of people who—by chance—made a series of successful or unsuccessful guesses without any deception or manipulation of the ...

Different countries have different cultures, and social scientists have developed theories about which values are most important in differentiating the world’s cultures. Abhishek Sheetal and colleagues used the power of machine learning to identify the crucial distinguishing characteristics of the world’s national cultures in a theory-blind manner. The authors trained a neural network to predict an individual’s country of origin from their attitudes, values, and beliefs, as measured by the World Values Survey, a global study that probes everything from religious beliefs ...

Catastrophes, by definition, are devastating, but they can often be catalysts for lasting, positive change – and if people can adopt that perspective, they may see some real benefits, a Stanford-led study suggests. In a randomized, controlled trial, a one-hour intervention was given to a group of adults designed to shift their mindset, or core beliefs and assumptions, about having lived through a catastrophe like the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of seeing growth opportunities in the experience. Those who received the intervention showed lower levels of depression three months later compared to a control group. Blood tests also revealed lower ...

An international team of astronomers, co-led by researchers at University of Galway, has made the unexpected discovery of a new planet. Detected at an early stage of formation around a young analog of our own Sun, the planet is estimated to be about 5 million years-old and most likely a gas giant of similar size to Jupiter. The study, which was led by Leiden University, University of Galway and University of Arizona, has been published in the international journal Astrophysical Journal Letters. The ground-breaking discovery was made using ...

EBMT partners in a new consortium to decentralise CAR-T cell therapy and improve hospital workflow Barcelona, Spain -  26th August 2025 - The newly launched EASYGEN (Easy workflow integration for gene therapy) consortium will develop a fully automated, hospital-based platform capable of manufacturing personalised cell therapies within a few days. Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA is leading this €8 million EU-backed effort to make CAR-T cell therapy faster, more affordable, and more accessible to patients across Europe. EASYGEN has been selected under the ...

Longer thumbs mean bigger brains, scientists have found - revealing how human hands and minds evolved together.  Researchers studied 94 different primate species, including fossils and living animals, to understand how our ancestors developed their abilities. They found that species with relatively longer thumbs, which help with gripping small objects precisely, consistently had larger brains.  The research, published today (Tuesday, 26 August) in Communications Biology, provides the first direct evidence that manual dexterity and brain evolution are connected across the entire primate lineage, from lemurs to humans.   Humans and our extinct ...

Researchers have shown for the first time how hidden motions could control how granular materials such as soil and snow slip and slide, confirming a long-suspected hypothesis. The knowledge could help in understanding how landslides and avalanches work and even help the construction industry in the future. Scientists have found sneaky swirls and loops of movement in materials such as soil and snow could influence how materials move. The knowledge could be invaluable in understanding how avalanches and landslides on Earth and Mars speed up or slow ...

Volcanoes that blast gases high into the atmosphere not only change global temperatures but also influence flooding in unusual ways, Princeton researchers have found. In an August 26 article in the journal Nature Geoscience, the researchers reported that major eruptions create distinct patterns of flooding depending on the location of the volcano and the dispersal of its plume. The patterns mostly divide along the line of the equator. When a volcano’s plume is generally contained in one hemisphere, flooding decreases in that hemisphere and ...

UCLA scientists have developed the first comprehensive road map showing how the ovarian reserve forms in primates, providing crucial insights into women’s health that could revolutionize treatments for infertility and hormonal disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. The research, detailed in Nature Communications, represents a six-year collaboration among scientists from UCLA, Harvard, UC San Francisco and the National Institutes of Health-funded Oregon National Primate Research Center. The ovarian reserve — the lifetime supply of eggs that a woman ...

EMBARGOED by Springer Nature until 10 a.m. GMT, Aug. 26, 2025 Contact: Maria Ober, mpober@bu.edu, 617-224-8963 (BOSTON) – People with type 2 obesity-driven diabetes tend to have more aggressive breast cancers, but no one knows exactly why. A new study by researchers at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and published in Springer Nature found that tiny particles in the blood, known as exosomes, which are altered by diabetes, can reprogram immune cells inside tumors making them weaker and allowing ...

Three widely used artificial intelligence chatbots generally do a good job responding to very-high-risk and very-low-risk questions about suicide, but they are inconsistent in answering questions about suicide that may pose intermediate risks, according to a new RAND study.   Examining ChatGPT by OpenAI, Claude by Anthropic, and Gemini by Google, researchers found that ChatGPT and Claude generated appropriate responses to very-low-risk suicide-related questions and avoided direct responses to very-high-risk suicide-related questions that might encourage self-harm. Responses from Gemini were more variable.     Very-high-risk ...

Osaka, Japan - Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a novel technique to enhance the performance and reliability of silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices, a key component in power electronics. This breakthrough utilizes a unique two-step annealing process involving diluted hydrogen, to eliminate unnecessary impurities and significantly improve device reliability. SiC power devices offer superior energy efficiency compared to traditional silicon-based devices, making them ideal for applications like electric vehicles and renewable energy systems. However, previous attempts to improve ...

Ann Arbor, August 26, 2025 - An analysis using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) among 5,374 women of reproductive age indicates that two thirds of women within this demographic have at least one modifiable risk factor, such as low folate status or unmanaged diabetes, that can increase the chance of serious birth defects. The new study appearing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, highlights that identifying and addressing these changeable risk factors, especially before pregnancy, are important for public health programs and healthcare providers ...

MANCHESTER, UK, 26 August 2025 -- In a revealing Genomic Press Interview published today in Brain Medicine, Professor Alexei Verkhratsky dismantles decades of neuroscience orthodoxy with discoveries that position neuroglia as active architects of brain function rather than passive cellular bystanders. The Ukrainian-born scientist, whose journey from Soviet-era Kiev to Manchester spans four decades of transformative research, presents compelling evidence that treating brain disorders requires fundamentally rethinking how we approach neurological therapeutics by targeting neuroglia. The interview unveils a remarkable scientific odyssey. Starting with patch-clamp precursor techniques ...

BRISBANE, Queensland, AUSTRALIA, 26 August 2025 — In a compelling interview with Genomic Press, published today in Genomic Psychiatry, Dr. Miguel E. Rentería reveals how his journey from Mexico to becoming one of Australia's most influential neuroscientists exemplifies the transformative power of curiosity, determination, and global scientific collaboration. The piece showcases a researcher whose innovative combination of genomics, neuroscience, and cutting-edge data science is poised to revolutionize how we understand and treat Parkinson's disease and psychiatric conditions ...

CHICAGO, Illinois, USA, 26 August 2025 -- In a revealing Genomic Press Interview published today in Psychedelics, Dr. Harriet de Wit shares insights from her extraordinary 45-year scientific journey that has fundamentally transformed global understanding of how psychoactive drugs affect human behavior and consciousness. The Director of the Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory at the University of Chicago discusses breakthrough discoveries that are reshaping psychiatric treatment approaches worldwide, from PTSD therapy to addiction science. The interview ...

Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have found that changing the timing of fertility drugs to match the follicle maturity period significantly increases the number of ovulated oocytes—the cells that develop into eggs—during artificial fertilization, even in rats that typically produce few oocytes. Their findings add to research on maximizing the number of oocytes. The cells are an important part of reproduction, because boosting the amount and quality that are released increases the chance of becoming pregnant. Increasing their ...

Ibuprofen and paracetamol are common over-the-counter medications that many of us reach for when we’re sick. But new research from the University of South Australia shows that these trusted staples are quietly fuelling one of the world’s biggest health threats: antibiotic resistance.   In the first study of its kind, researchers found that ibuprofen and paracetamol are not only driving antibiotic resistance when used individually but amplifying it when used together.   Assessing the interaction of non-antibiotic medications, the broad-spectrum antibiotic ciprofloxacin, and Escherichia ...

Nine out of 10 Australian teachers are experiencing severe stress, and nearly 70% say their workload is unmanageable, says UNSW Sydney research. A new study from researchers at UNSW Sydney – the first to examine rates of depression, anxiety and stress in Australian teachers – has found they experience these mental health issues at three times the national norm. The study ‘Teachers’ workload, turnover intentions, and mental health’ published in Social Psychology of Education surveyed nearly 5000 primary and secondary school teachers across the country. Researchers found that 90% of teachers ...

DENVER (AUG 25, 2025) A new study led by researchers at National Jewish Health has found that recent infection with the common cold — often caused by rhinoviruses — may offer temporary protection against infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The research provides fresh insight into why children are less likely than adults to develop symptoms and could point toward new ways to reduce the severity of respiratory illnesses. Published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases earlier this month, the study analyzed data from the nationwide Human Epidemiology and Response to SARS-CoV-2 (HEROS) study, ...

Jessie Chin, assistant professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award to support lifelong learning and foster information literacy. This prestigious award is given in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Chin's project, "Search as a Mechanism for Learning," will be supported by a five-year, $629,451 grant from the NSF. Her project will examine how information retrieval (IR) systems are used for lifelong ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Certain types of biochemical processes can impair the immune system’s ability to recognize and kill cancer cells. Purdue University’s W. Andy Tao and his associates have developed a new way to study these processes. They demonstrated the validity of their method in experiments involving leukemia and rare liver cancer cell lines. Tao and 10 co-authors published the details of their new method Aug. 1 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Their work provides a system for tracking and identifying the various types of proteins and an unheralded but widely secreted class of bioparticles ...