A new paper in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, published by Oxford University Press, indicates high levels of exposure to “forever” chemicals in the environments of many tree swallow bird groups in the United States. Despite this, chemical exposure did not seem to affect the reproductive health of the birds. Manufactured materials made of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often referred to as “forever chemicals,” are a worldwide environmental contaminant. These chemicals come into ecosystems through manufacturing plant discharges or areas where ...

Deadwood-decomposing fungi feed germinating orchids, providing the carbon their tiny seeds don’t have. The Kobe University finding not only closes a gap in our understanding of wild orchid ecology but also uncovers an important carbon flux in the ecosystem. Orchid seeds are as small as dust and do not provide any nutrients for the young plant to grow. The adult plants are known to rely on a certain type of fungi that develop structures within the plant’s roots, but whether these same fungi also help with germination has not been established. “Studying orchid germination in nature is notoriously difficult. In particular, the painstaking ...

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University have discovered how the balance of bacteria in the stomach affects the growth of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). By identifying the specific bacteria involved and the biochemical reactions that cause tumor growth, the researchers hope to create a new diagnostic technique to detect which patients are most likely to develop cancer. Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a long-term condition in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of the stomach. This ongoing immune response gradually damages the stomach, affecting how it functions and its ability to protect itself from ...

Bottom Line: Adoption of Medicaid expansion in U.S. states appeared to improve both five-year cause-specific and overall survival in cancer patients. Journal in Which the Study was Published: Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Author: Elizabeth Schafer, MPH, associate scientist at the American Cancer Society Background: In 2014, a provision under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect that allowed states to opt into expanding Medicaid eligibility to adults with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty guidelines. Existing studies have linked Medicaid expansion to increased ...

CLEVELAND, Ohio (October 8, 2025)—Menopause before the age of 45 (known as early menopause) is associated with an increased risk of an array of serious diseases, including cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. A new study suggests that it may also force women out of the workforce prematurely, although carefully timed hormone therapy may help women remain employed. Results of the study are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society. Early menopause, whether natural or surgical ...

New York — October 7, 2025 — Three of America’s most promising young scientists were awarded top honors tonight at the 2025 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists, one of the country’s most significant prizes for early-career researchers. Presented by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences, the awards recognize exceptional scientific achievement and innovation by U.S.-based researchers aged 42 and younger. This year’s Laureates were selected from a competitive pool of 310 nominees representing 161 academic ...

Peer reviewed – Experimental study – Human DNA Scientists at the University of East Anglia and Oxford Biodynamics have developed a high accuracy blood test to diagnose Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS). The debilitating long-term illness affects millions worldwide - including over 400,000 sufferers in the UK - but is poorly understood and has long lacked reliable diagnostic tools. With 96 per cent accuracy, the test offers new hope for those living with the condition - which is often ...

Calorie labelling, which became law in April 2022 in England, is associated with only a small (2%) average reduction in the energy content of food that is available away from home, finds research published in the open access journal BMJ Public Health.   And these changes are primarily due to swapping in slightly lower calorie items, rather than reformulating existing ones, with no changes observed in continuously available items. The impact on population health is likely to be “moderate to limited,” conclude the researchers.   Eating at restaurants, fast food outlets, and ordering takeaways, collectively known as out-of-home food outlets, is common and associated with ...

The strong opioid painkiller, tramadol, is not that effective at easing chronic pain for which it’s widely prescribed, finds a pooled data analysis of the available research, published online in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine.   And it likely increases the risk of serious side effects, including heart disease, the findings indicate, prompting the researchers to conclude that the potential harms of tramadol probably outweigh its benefits, and that its use should be minimised.   Tramadol is a dual action opioid widely prescribed for the treatment of moderate ...

Exercise snacks—intentional short bursts of physical activity—may be an effective way of boosting the cardiorespiratory fitness of physically inactive adults, finds a synthesis of the available research, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.   Adherence to exercise snacking throughout the day was high, the findings indicate, and this approach could counter perceived lack of time and low motivation—frequently cited barriers to fulfilling the recommended weekly quota of physical activity for health—say the researchers.   Globally, ...

Whole genome sequencing offered to breast cancer patients is likely to identify unique genetic features that could either guide immediate treatment or help match patients to clinical trials for over 15,000 women a year, say scientists at the University of Cambridge. In 2022, 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide and there were 670,000 related deaths. Despite significant progress in recent years, it remains challenging to accurately identify the best treatments for individual patients and to predict cases with poorer prognosis. Whole genome sequencing ...

Women who have Caesarean births at an advanced stage of labour are about eight times more likely to develop scars in the womb which are known to increase the likelihood of premature births in future pregnancies, UCL researchers have found. The study, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, looked at how the stage of labour when the operation is performed affects where the scar forms and how well it heals. More than 40 per cent of all births in high-income countries including England are now by Caesarean. As labour progresses, ...

(Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday 8 September 2025) The growing use of GLP-1 receptor agonists may affect the interpretation of oncological FDG PET-CT scans, new research presented today at the 38th Annual Congress of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM'25) has revealed.1 GLP-1 receptor agonists are now widely prescribed for individuals with type 2 diabetes and weight loss, with a 700% increase in usage reported in the United States between 2019 and 2023.² These medications alter glucose metabolism, gastric motility and sympathetic tone, which may lead to unique uptake patterns on PET-CT. Previous case reports have shown increased FDG uptake in skeletal ...

LA JOLLA, CA— Cellular membrane proteins play many important roles throughout the body, including transporting substances in and out of the cell, transmitting signals, speeding up reactions and helping neighboring cells stick together. When they malfunction, it can cause serious diseases including cancer, making them attractive drug targets. But understanding how membrane proteins behave and function can be challenging because their position within the cell’s lipid membrane—a tightly-packed double layer of fat-like molecules—makes them difficult to study. Now, Scripps Research ...

WASHINGTON — In 2023, Panama experienced one of the worst droughts in its recorded history, and it severely depleted water available to the Panama Canal, so much that it decreased shipping by 30%. A new study projected that those historic water lows could become the new norm if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. “If we mitigate emissions and we choose one of the lower emissions pathways, then it really keeps this system pretty stable,” said Samuel Muñoz, lead author of the a new study and a researcher studying  hydrologic and climatic variability at Northeastern University. “But if we don't, then these low water levels that ...

A new one-step, water- acid- and alkali-free method for extracting high-purity lithium from spodumene ore has the potential to transform critical metal processing and enhance renewable energy supply chains. This study is set to be published in Science Advances Oct. 3, 2025. As the demand for lithium continues to rise, particularly for use in electric cars, smartphones and power storage, current extraction methods are struggling to keep pace. Extracting lithium from salty water is a lengthy process, and traditional methods that use heat and chemicals ...

Nashville, TN – COMBINEDBrain, a leader in advancing translational neuroscience research, and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), one of the nation's premier academic health centers, are excited to announce a strategic partnership to establish a cutting-edge biorepository for pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tissue and biofluids. This collaborative effort, led by MUSC’s Dr. Ramin Eskandari and COMBINEDBrain’s Dr. Anna Pfalzer, aims to accelerate the development of treatments for neurological diseases and significantly aid drug companies in biomarker discovery and therapeutic development. The biorepository will house ...

Public water systems in the U.S. were far less likely to report suspiciously rounded lead levels after the Flint, Michigan water crisis drew national outrage and federal scrutiny, according to new research led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  The study, published as the first article in the latest issue of American Economic Review: Insights, introduces new statistical methods to distinguish between natural rounding and potential “threshold manipulation” in reported figures. “Existing ...

National security officials are "overwhelmingly overconfident," which hinders their ability to accurately assess uncertainty, according to new research by a Dartmouth government professor. When they thought statements had a 90% chance of being true, the statements were only true about 60% of the time, according to the study.  The findings are published in the Texas National Security Review. About 1,900 national security officials from more than 40 NATO allies and partners were surveyed on the uncertainty of current and future states of the world, and delivered a total of 60,000 assessments. ...

The Second World Congress on Targeting Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) is scheduled for 15–16 October 2025 in Valencia, Spain. This landmark event, co-organized by the World Mitochondria Society and the International Society of Microbiota, will spotlight the rapidly evolving science where mitochondrial biology and microbiome research intersect via extracellular vesicles.  Under the theme “Bridging Two Frontiers: Mitochondria & Microbiota”, this edition aims to accelerate scientific discovery and clinical translation by bringing together world leaders in EV biology, mitochondrial medicine, microbiota research, and biotechnology. Extracellular ...

A University of Arizona research team will receive nearly $2.7 million from the NIH's Common Fund Venture Program to advance next-generation imaging technologies that allow deeper, clearer views inside the body without the need for invasive procedures. The U of A team, led by Florian Willomitzer in the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences and Dr. Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski in the U of A Comprehensive Cancer Center, is one of only four groups nationwide to receive funding ...

URBANA, Ill. – The U.S. has traditionally been an agricultural powerhouse with a healthy trade surplus. But global dynamics are changing due to a confluence of political and economic factors. U.S. agricultural imports now exceed exports, and the trade deficit is projected to worsen in the coming years. In a new study, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Texas Tech University discuss recent developments affecting the U.S. trade in row crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton. “For most of ...

A team of scientists has found that biochar made from an aggressive invasive plant can protect rice from two modern pollutants that threaten global food security: nanoplastics and cadmium. The study, published in Biochar, reveals how biochar biofilters derived from Mikania micrantha, an invasive vine spreading across Asia, can reduce the combined toxicity of these contaminants by regulating plant metabolism and strengthening rice’s natural defense systems. Nanoplastics, the tiny fragments of degraded plastics, and cadmium, a persistent heavy metal, frequently coexist in agricultural ...

Rice University has named 10 graduate students as recipients of the 2025-26 Chevron Energy Graduate Fellowships, a program created through a partnership between the Rice Sustainability Institute and Chevron. Each fellow receives a $10,000 award to support research advancing scalable energy innovations that reduce emissions, accelerate low-carbon technologies and improve the reliability and efficiency of current and future energy systems. The fellowship program, launched last year, reflects a shared commitment ...

Researchers have unveiled a surprising new way that soil microbes can use sunlight energy — even after the lights go out. A team from Kunming University of Science and Technology and the University of Massachusetts Amherst has developed a “bio-photovoltage soil-microbe battery” that can capture, store, and release solar energy to power the breakdown of antibiotic pollutants in the dark. The study, published in Environmental and Biogeochemical Processes, shows that common soil bacteria known as Bacillus megaterium can partner with iron minerals to form a living biofilm that behaves like a rechargeable geochemical capacitor. When exposed to light, the iron-bacteria film ...