Recent studies indicate that the fats found in olive oil may contribute to weight gain more significantly than fats from other sources.
A recent report revealed that oleic acid, the primary fatty component in olive oil, can stimulate the formation of new fat cells.
Oleic acid is a type of monosaturated fat, often referred to as omega-9. While olive oil is the main source of oleic acid, this fatty acid is also present in other oils, such as canola and sunflower oil.
“You can think of fat cells as the army,” stated the study’s co-author, Dr. Michael Rudolph, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Physiology at the University of Oklahoma. “Dried oleic acid initially boosts the number of ‘fat cell soldiers’ in the army, enhancing the capacity to store surplus dietary nutrients.”
“If excess nutrients surpass the number of fat cells over time, it can lead to obesity, and if left unaddressed, may result in cardiovascular disease or diabetes.”
Olive oil is a key component of the Mediterranean diet and is renowned for promoting longevity, healthy aging, as well as optimal brain, heart, and metabolic health – Credit: Elena Noviero via Getty
Researchers from the University of Oklahoma, Yale University, and New York conducted a study where mice were fed a variety of high-fat diets that included coconut oil, peanut oil, milk, lard, and soy oils.
They found that elevated levels of oleic acid influenced the activity of two proteins, AKT2 and LXR, leading to an accelerated growth of progenitor cells that develop into new adipocytes. This effect was not observed with other types of fats.
Nevertheless, Dr. Rudolph emphasized that completely eliminating olive oil is not the answer.
“The key takeaway is moderation and diversifying fat sources,” he advised. “While a balanced intake of oleic acid can be beneficial, excessive and prolonged consumption may pose risks. For individuals at risk for heart disease, high oleic acid levels could be unfavorable.”
In moderation, oleic acid is linked with numerous health benefits. Previous studies have shown that olive oil consumption is associated with longer lifespans, healthy aging, reduced inflammation, and a decreased risk of obesity and heart disease.
It’s important to note that since this study was conducted exclusively on mice, its findings may not directly apply to humans.
The electric vehicle (EV) revolution is new research published in Cell Reports Sustainability.
The accelerating demand for lithium, an essential element of EV batteries, is expected to outstrip domestic supply in major markets by the decade’s end.
This analysis highlights China, the US, and Europe, which collectively represent 80% of current EV sales. Researchers caution that without significant changes, these regions may not fulfill their lithium requirements from local sources by 2030, leading to an increased reliance on imports and a heightened risk of global shortages.
“Many previous studies have examined the lithium necessary for low-carbon transitions,” said Dr. Andre Manberger, a co-author of the new study, in an interview with BBC Science Focus.
“The issue is that often we compare projected lithium demand with current mining rates and existing reserves. However, there’s a gap in the existing literature concerning mining feasibility.”
Globally, EV sales surpassed 17 million in 2024, marking a 25% increase from the previous year.
The International Energy Agency forecasts that electric vehicles could represent 40% of all car sales by 2030. However, this expansion hinges on a stable supply of lithium carbonate equivalents (LCE).
The study indicates that by 2030, annual LCE demand will reach 1.3 million tonnes in China, 792,000 metric tonnes in Europe, and 692,000 in the US. Yet, even if all current and planned mining projects are considered, domestic supply remains inadequate: China could produce up to 1.1 million tonnes, the US 610,000, and Europe only 325,000.
This shortfall could intensify global competition for lithium, primarily sourced from Australia, Chile, and Argentina. In 2023, these three countries accounted for nearly 80% of the world’s lithium.
Almost 50% of the world’s lithium was mined in Australia in 2023.
China currently dominates the global lithium market, and an increase in its imports could negatively impact other buyers. Researchers found that should China’s imports rise by 77%, the US and European imports could drop by 84% and 78%, respectively.
“Commodity trading tends to have a lot of continuity and path dependence,” Månberger explains.
“This is due to the established supply chain, contracts, and overall inertia in the market.”
Nonetheless, there are reasons for optimism. Increasing lithium prices may drive investments in new mining initiatives and motivate manufacturers to create more efficient battery technologies. Alternatives like sodium-ion batteries could also contribute to a more diverse market.
In the long term, recycling could assume a more substantial role. As first-generation EVs reach the end of their lifespans in the 2030s, materials extracted from older batteries could mitigate the need for new lithium extraction.
“I’m very optimistic,” says Månberger. “Historically, while it’s often straightforward to forecast potential bottlenecks and supply risks, innovations tend to emerge unpredictably when these challenges arise.”
Read more:
About our experts
Andre Manberger is a senior lecturer in Environmental and Energy Systems Studies at Lund University, Sweden. He leads the Misttra Mineral Governance Research Program, initiated in 2024, focusing on the rising demand for critical raw materials and addressing conflicts of interest in the low-carbon transition.
A recent study indicates that the skincare routines showcased by young TikTok influencers offer minimal benefits, and may even heighten the risk of skin irritation and allergies in children.
The research team notes a surge in young girls posting videos of intricate skincare regimens, which often feature moisturizers, toners, acne treatments, and anti-aging products.
In this pioneering study, researchers examined these TikTok videos and found that not only is the process complicated, but many girls rush to complete their routines, leading to practices that are costly, unnecessary, and potentially harmful.
“The hazards of utilizing these products, particularly among younger girls, greatly outweigh the minor benefits derived from active ingredients,” stated Dr. Molly Hales, the study’s lead author from Northwestern University.
Dr. Hales remarked that while social media can provide a platform for creativity and self-expression, young girls do not require such complicated routines.
“The risk arises when girls interpret this as an essential step for caring for their skin and safeguarding their health,” she warned.
“These products do not enhance skin health and are likely to degrade skin integrity over time.”
Instead, she suggests using a gentle cleanser once or twice daily and emphasizes that applying sunscreen suffices.
In the journal Paediatrics, Hales and her team describe how they set up two TikTok accounts for a 13-year-old, collecting a sample of 100 videos showcasing skincare routines created by young users.
They discovered that 81 of the 82 content creators were girls, aged between 7 and 18.
“Most of these creators displayed clear, healthy skin without visible blemishes,” the researchers observed, noting that the videos often alluded to beauty ideals linked to whiteness.
The study revealed an average of six products per skincare routine, typically from the same brand, with a total average cost of $168 (£124). However, factoring in additional products, the overall cost could exceed $500 (£369).
“Get Ready With Me” videos were the most prevalent, followed by “skincare routines” and “after-school” skincare clips.
The team found that many featured ingredients, like citric acid, could lead to skin irritation and heightened sun sensitivity, raising the risk of sunburn and skin damage. Only 26% of the 84 videos that included sunscreen featured it in their daytime routines.
Dr. Hales noted that using products with multiple active ingredients or layering identical actives could further elevate the risk of irritation.
The researchers found that 76% of the 25 most viewed videos featured at least one potential contact allergen, frequently in the form of fragrances.
Dr. Tess McPherson from the British Association of Dermatologists, who did not participate in the study, emphasized its importance, as it corroborates anecdotal evidence of a rise in young people seeking treatment for skin irritation.
“We are witnessing a significant increase in individuals desiring what they term perfect skin. This mindset is unproductive and fails to bring true happiness,” she commented.
Dr. McPherson further noted that many young people are requesting birthday money for costly skincare products.
Echoing the study’s findings, she pointed out that such videos perpetuate stigmas regarding conditions like acne and eczema, as well as fears surrounding aging.
“Younger children are seeking skincare items that they don’t need; these products are ineffective,” she remarked. “This reflects a troubling societal view of what one’s skin should ideally look like.”
A TikTok representative responded, stating: “This kind of content appears across all media, and while the author acknowledges not assessing the impact on teenage well-being, they recognize genuine benefits in teenage self-expression, parental bonding, and building a supportive TikTok community.”
A 12-week study involving 72 pre-diabetic adults revealed that the consumption of either chickpeas or black beans positively influences inflammation markers in diabetic patients. Additionally, chickpea intake helps in cholesterol regulation.
Incorporating one bean daily can yield significant benefits for both heart and metabolic health. Image credit: PDPICS.
“Pre-diabetic individuals often exhibit poor lipid metabolism and persistent low-grade inflammation, both of which can lead to diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.”
“Our findings indicated that levels of tofu remained constant, yet they may aid in lowering cholesterol within pre-tofu individuals while also diminishing inflammation.”
While black beans and chickpeas are widely consumed, they are frequently neglected in extensive studies examining their effects on cholesterol and inflammation in those at risk for heart disease and diabetes.
This research forms part of a broader project investigating how the intake of black beans and chickpeas influences inflammation and insulin response mediated by intestinal microbiome activity.
“Our study highlights the advantages of bean consumption for pre-diabetic adults, but these legumes are excellent choices for everyone,” stated Smith.
“These insights can help shape dietary recommendations, clinical practices, and public health initiatives aimed at preventing heart disease and diabetes.”
To enhance the practical relevance of the research, the study was conducted with participants in their natural living environments.
Participants were randomly assigned to consume either 1 cup of black beans, chickpeas, or rice (the control group) over the span of 12 weeks.
Blood samples were collected at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks to monitor cholesterol levels, inflammation, blood glucose, and glucose tolerance tests were administered at both the beginning and conclusion of the study.
The group consuming chickpeas saw a significant drop in total cholesterol, from an average of 200.4 milligrams per deciliter at the start to 185.8 milligrams per deciliter after 12 weeks.
In the black bean group, the average level of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6, which is a marker for inflammation, decreased from 2.57 picograms per milliliter at baseline to 1.88 picograms per milliliter after 12 weeks.
No noteworthy changes were noted in markers of glucose metabolism.
“Switching to healthier alternatives, like canned, dried, or frozen beans, is an excellent starting point for those looking to increase their bean intake,” explained the scientist.
“However, it’s crucial to watch for extra ingredients like salt and sugar based on your selections.”
“There are numerous ways to include beans in your regular diet as a budget-friendly method to enhance your overall health and lower the risk of chronic ailments,” Smith added.
“You can blend them to thicken soups, use them as salad toppings, or combine them with other grains like rice or quinoa.”
The findings were reported in a presentation on June 3rd during the Nutrition 2025 annual meeting held by the American Nutrition Association.
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Morgan M. Smith et al. Effects of chronic intake of black beans and chickpeas on metabolism and inflammatory markers in prediabetic adults. Nutrition 2025 Summary #or18-01-25
A recent study conducted by physicists at the University of Oxford, Johns Hopkins, and the Institute of Astrophysics in Paris reveals a natural process involving a gravitational particle charger that utilizes free-falling particles from infinity, matter collisions from the most stable circular orbit of rotating black holes, and a gravitational particle charger that repeatedly cycles mass energy—excluding heavy particles. In essence, this describes the Super Collider.
The artist’s concept depicts an ultra-high massive black hole in the heart of the Milky Way galaxy known as Sagittarius A*. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/RALF CRAWFORD, STSCI.
Particle corridors accelerate protons and other subatomic particles towards one another at nearly the speed of light, revealing the fundamental properties of matter.
A subtle energy flash occurs upon collision, with fragments potentially unveiling previously unknown particles that may serve as candidates for dark matter—a crucial, yet elusive, component of the universe that remains undetected by scientists.
Facilities like the Large Hadron Collider also contribute to advancements in areas such as the internet, cancer therapy, and high-performance computing.
“One of the great aspirations for a particle collider like the Large Hadron Collider is to produce dark matter particles, though we have yet to find any evidence,” commented Professor Joseph Silk, an astrophysicist from Johns Hopkins University and Oxford University.
“This is why there’s ongoing dialogue about the necessity of constructing a much more powerful version for the next generation of Super Collider.”
“However, we’ve been waiting for 40 years to invest $30 billion in building this Super Collider, allowing nature to give us a glimpse into the future with supermassive black holes.”
A black hole can rotate around its axis like a planet but possesses significantly greater strength due to its intense gravitational field.
Increasingly, scientists are discovering that massive black holes rapidly spinning at the center of galaxies release enormous explosions of plasma, potentially due to jets transporting energy from the spin and surrounding accretion disks.
These phenomena can yield similar results to those produced by engineered Super Colliders.
“If ultra-high energy black holes can generate these particles through high-energy proton collisions, we could receive signals on Earth. Some high-energy particles pass through the detectors rapidly,” Professor Silk explained.
“This indicates a new particle collider effect within one of the universe’s most mysterious entities, achieving energies unattainable by any accelerator on Earth.”
“We may observe something with a unique signature believed to indicate the presence of dark matter. While this is somewhat speculative, it remains a possibility.”
New research indicates that gas falling into a black hole can harness energy from its spin, resulting in more violent behavior than previously thought.
Near rapidly spinning black holes, these particles can collide in a coordinated manner.
While not identical, this process resembles the collisions created using strong magnetic fields, where particles are accelerated in a circular high-energy particle corridor.
“Some particles from these collisions are swallowed by the black hole and vanish forever,” stated Professor Silk.
“However, due to their energy and momentum, some particles emerge, achieving unprecedented high energies.”
“We have recognized the immense energy of these particle beams, rivaling what can be produced in a Super Collider.”
“Determining the limits of this energy is challenging, but these phenomena are certainly aligned with the energy levels of the latest Super Colliders we plan to construct, providing complementary results.”
To detect such high-energy particles, scientists can utilize observatories that are already monitoring supernovae, massive black hole eruptions, and other cosmic occurrences.
These include detectors like the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the Kilometer Cube Neutrino Telescope in Antarctica.
The difference between a Super Collider and a black hole is their vast distances from one another. Nevertheless, these particles still reach us.
The team’s paper was published this week in the journal Physical Review Letters.
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Andrew Mamalie and Joseph Silk. 2025. Black Hole Super Collider. Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 221401; doi:10.1103/physrevlett.134.221401
A recent study conducted by researchers at Harvard Chan Public Health indicates that caffeine and regular coffee consumption during middle age are modestly and positively linked to various aspects of healthy aging in women. However, no notable correlation was found with tea or caffeinated coffee, whereas increased cola intake was associated with healthy aging and a lower likelihood of related health issues.
Mahdavi et al. Our aim was to explore the relationship between caffeine intake in middle age and the chances of healthy aging in older women participating in nurse health studies. Image credit: Sci.News.
“While earlier studies have linked coffee to specific health outcomes, this research is the first to evaluate coffee’s impact on multiple aspects of aging over three decades,” stated Dr. Sarah Mahadhabi, a researcher at Harvard Chan School of Public Health and the University of Toronto.
“The findings indicate that coffee may uniquely support aging processes that foster both mental and physical well-being.”
“Our study boasts several significant strengths, including a substantial sample size and three decades of follow-up. Moreover, we assessed various elements of longevity and healthy aging, in conjunction with comprehensive data on nutrition and lifestyle habits collected every four years after the study began.”
The research encompassed 47,513 women from the Nurses Health Survey, utilizing dietary and health data gathered since 1984.
Researchers evaluated caffeine consumption using a validated food frequency questionnaire, focusing on major caffeine sources like coffee, tea, cola, and caffeinated coffee.
Healthy aging was characterized as living to age 70 and above, free from 11 major chronic diseases, preserving physical abilities, maintaining mental health, exhibiting no cognitive impairment, and having no memory complaints.
Following 30 years of monitoring, researchers assessed how the probability of healthy aging varied with each additional 80 mg of caffeine consumed daily by the participants.
They also examined specific beverage types, including coffee, tea, caffeinated coffee (per 8-ounce cup), and cola (per 12-ounce glass).
The preliminary analyses identified other factors that might influence healthy aging, such as body weight, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, physical activity levels, educational attainment, and protein intake.
By 2016, 3,706 women in the study met all criteria for being classified as healthy agers.
Women aged between 45-60 typically consumed an average of 315 mg of caffeine daily, with over 80% of that derived from regular coffee consumption.
For those in the Healthy Agers Group, each additional cup of coffee per day was linked to a 2% to 5% increased likelihood of aging well, up to about 5 small cups per day, or approximately 2.5 standard cups by today’s measurements.
Researchers discovered no significant correlation between the consumption of decaffeinated coffee or tea and an elevated likelihood of healthy aging.
Importantly, for each additional glass of soda with caffeine, the chances of healthy aging decreased by 20-26%, indicating that not all caffeine sources are beneficial.
“While these findings are preliminary, they suggest that small, consistent habits can profoundly influence long-term health,” Dr. Mahadhabi noted.
“Moderate coffee intake can provide a range of protective benefits when coupled with other healthy practices, such as regular exercise, a balanced diet, and avoiding smoking.”
“This study expands on previous evidence linking coffee consumption to healthy aging, but the benefits of coffee are relatively modest compared to the impact of an overall healthy lifestyle, warranting further investigation.”
The findings were presented at the Survey results on June 2nd during the Nutrition 2025 annual meeting hosted by the American Nutrition Association.
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Sarah Mahadabi et al. Caffeine intake and healthy aging in women. Nutrition 2025 Summary #P22-039-25
In collaboration with the Chicago-Carnegie Hubble program, astronomers utilizing the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have conducted new measurements of the Hubble constant. The findings align with the prevailing Lambda Cold Dark Matter (λCDM) model without necessitating the introduction of additional new physics.
This artist’s illustration depicts the universe’s evolution, starting with the Big Bang on the left. Following this, you can see the microwave background of the universe. The formation of the first stars ends the universe’s dark ages, leading to the creation of galaxies. Image credit: M. Weiss/Harvard – Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
“Emerging evidence indicates that standard models of the cosmos remain robust,” stated Professor Wendy Friedman from the University of Chicago.
“While this doesn’t rule out potential inconsistencies with the model in the future, it currently appears consistent concerning the Hubble constant.”
Presently, there are two primary methods for calculating the rate of the universe’s expansion.
The first method involves measuring the residual light from the Big Bang, which still permeates the universe.
This radiation, referred to as the cosmic microwave background, provides astronomers with insights into the universe’s early conditions.
Professor Friedman and her colleagues focus on the second method, which assesses the current rate of expansion in our local astronomical context.
Ironically, this approach poses more challenges than retracing cosmic history due to the difficulty of accurately measuring distances.
Over the last fifty years, scientists have developed several techniques to measure relatively nearby distances.
One method relies on detecting the light from a specific category of stars at their brightest moment when they explode as supernovae at the end of their lifecycle.
By knowing the peak brightness of these supernovae, astronomers can gauge their apparent luminosity and determine the distance.
Further observations reveal how fast the galaxy that the supernova originated from is moving away from us.
Images of CMB radiation captured by the Atacama cosmological telescope, where orange and blue signify differing radiation strengths. Image credit: ACT collaboration.
Professor Friedman has advanced two additional techniques utilizing knowledge from other star types: giant red stars and carbon stars.
However, considerable adjustments are necessary before finalizing these distance measurements.
Astronomers first need to account for cosmic dust that dims the light coming from these distant stars within our galaxy.
It is also critical to verify and correct for any luminosity variations that may occur over time and space.
Lastly, correction for any subtle measurement errors from the instruments utilized is essential.
Fortunately, technological advancements, such as the launch of the more powerful Webb telescope in 2021, have enabled scientists to refine these measurements significantly.
“We have more than doubled the sample of galaxies used to calibrate supernovae,” Professor Friedman noted.
“Statistical enhancements are valuable and will greatly improve the findings.”
The latest calculations from the team, which incorporate data from both the Hubble and Webb telescopes, yield a value of 70.4 km per second, with a margin of error of 3% per megaparsec.
This brings the value into statistical alignment with recent measurements from cosmic microwave background observations at 67.4 km per megaparsec, with an accuracy of plus or minus 0.7%.
The Webb telescope, with four times the resolution of Hubble, allows for the identification of individual stars that were previously recorded as blurry groupings.
It also offers enhanced precision and is approximately ten times more sensitive, enabling the detection of significant objects.
“We’re truly witnessing how remarkable the Webb telescope is for accurately measuring distances to galaxies,” stated Dr. Taylor Hoyt, a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.
“Its infrared detectors can penetrate the dust that has historically impeded precise distance measurements, enabling much more accurate brightness assessments of stars.”
“Astrophysicists are striving to formulate a theory that might elucidate varying rates of expansion as the universe ages,” Professor Friedman remarked.
“There are over a thousand scholarly papers addressing this issue, and it proves to be exceptionally challenging.”
The team’s research paper was published on May 27th in the Astrophysical Journal.
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Wendy L. Friedman et al. 2025. Status Report on the Chicago Carnegie Hubble Program (CCHP): Measurement of Hubble constants using Hubble and James Webb’s Space Telescopes. APJ 985, 203; doi:10.3847/1538-4357/adce78
New research suggests that consuming sweet beverages poses a greater risk of type 2 diabetes compared to eating foods that contain sugar.
The study from Brigham Young University (BYU) in the US found that sugary drinks, such as sodas and fruit juices, are linked to an increased likelihood of developing the disease, whereas no similar connection was found with sugar intake from solid foods.
Dr. Karen Dela Corte, the lead author of the study and a professor of nutrition sciences at BYU, stated that the findings highlight why consuming sugar in the form of beverages like soda and juice is more detrimental to health than ingesting it through food.
Researchers analyzed data from 29 studies involving over half a million individuals across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania to identify which sources of sugar are most closely associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes.
The analysis revealed that a 340ml (12oz) serving of sugary drinks (including soft drinks, energy drinks, and sports drinks) increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25%.
Fruit juices, such as pure fruit juice and various juice drinks, exhibited similar effects, even when consumed in moderation. An additional 226ml (8 oz) serving per day raised the risk by 5%.
These risks are relative; for instance, if an individual has a baseline risk of 10% for developing type 2 diabetes, consuming four sodas daily could elevate that risk to around 20%.
Conversely, dietary sugars derived from fruit, table sugar, and general sugar content were not linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and may even be associated with a lower risk in some cases.
While a good source of nutrients, certain fruit juices can contain sugar levels comparable to those in sweet sodas. – Credit: dmitriy83 via Getty
As this study is observational, it cannot definitively establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship between sugary drinks and type 2 diabetes. It’s possible that individuals who consume more sugary beverages are more likely to develop the condition.
The researchers adjusted their analyses to account for calorie intake, obesity, and other lifestyle factors, allowing them to isolate the impact of sugar itself instead of focusing on overall caloric consumption.
Nevertheless, Dela Corte emphasized that the findings highlight the necessity for more stringent nutritional guidelines regarding liquid sugars, including fruit juices, in relation to health. “Future dietary recommendations may need to differentiate the health impacts of sugar based on its source and form,” she said.
A study by The Guardian has revealed that over 50% of the most popular TikTok videos offering mental health advice are misleading.
As more individuals seek mental health support on social media, research has shown that numerous influencers spread misinformation, including improper treatment terminology, unrealistic “quick fix” solutions, and inaccurate claims.
Those in need of help encounter questionable advice, such as suggestions to eat oranges while showering to alleviate anxiety. Some promote untested supplements like saffron, magnesium glycinate, and sacred basil as remedies for anxiety, along with claims about healing emotional wounds in an hour. Additionally, normal emotional reactions are incorrectly framed as symptoms of borderline personality disorder or abuse.
Lawmakers and experts expressed concern about the findings, stating that social media’s harmful mental health advice is both troubling and dangerous, prompting the government to consider stricter regulations to safeguard citizens from the spread of misinformation.
The Guardian analyzed the top 100 videos associated with the #MentalHealthTips hashtag on TikTok, consulting psychologists, psychiatrists, and academic specialists.
Experts determined that 52 out of those 100 videos provided advice on trauma, neurodiversity, anxiety, depression, and severe mental illness.
David Okay, a consultant neuropsychiatrist and psychology researcher at King’s College London, examined videos related to anxiety and depression. He noted that some posts misuse treatment language, potentially creating confusion around the true nature of mental illnesses.
Many videos offered broad advice based on limited personal experiences and anecdotal evidence.
The analysis indicated that social media often oversimplifies treatment realities, reducing complex issues to catchy soundbites. Although effective treatments exist, it’s crucial to communicate that there are no quick or one-size-fits-all solutions, he emphasized.
Dan Poulter, a former health minister and NHS psychiatrist who reviewed videos on severe mental illness, stated that some content trivializes daily experiences, equating them with serious mental health diagnoses.
“This type of misinformation can mislead viewers and downplay the real challenges faced by those with serious mental illnesses,” he noted.
Amber Johnston, a psychologist recognized by the British Psychological Association who evaluated trauma-related videos, remarked that while many contain valid insights, they often overgeneralize and downplay the complexity of post-traumatic stress disorder or trauma symptoms.
“Each video misleadingly suggests a uniform experience of PTSD that can be neatly summed up in a 30-second clip. The reality is that PTSD and trauma symptoms are uniquely individual and require the attention of a trained professional,” she explained.
“TikTok disseminates misinformation by implying there are universal shortcuts and insights that might actually exacerbate viewers’ issues, rather than provide solutions,” she added.
TikTok stated that videos will be removed if they dissuade users from seeking medical help or endorse harmful treatments. In the UK, when users search for mental health terms like depression or anxiety, they are directed to NHS resources.
Labour MP Chi Onwurah mentioned that the technical committee she leads is investigating misinformation on social media. A survey highlighted serious concerns regarding the effectiveness of online safety laws in combating misleading and harmful online content.
“We know that recommendation algorithms on platforms like TikTok intensify the spread of damaging misinformation, including false mental health advice,” she noted. “Immediate action is needed to address the deficiencies of the Online Safety Act and safeguard public health and safety online.”
Liberal Democrat MP Victoria Collins concurred with the troubling findings and called on the government to act decisively to shield individuals from harmful misinformation.
Labour MP Paulette Hamilton, chair of the Health and Social Care Selection Committee, also raised concerns about mental health misinformation on social media. “These ‘tips’ should not replace professional, qualified support,” she insisted.
Professor Bernadka Dubicka, online safety lead at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, noted that while social media can raise awareness, it’s vital that people access health information grounded in the latest evidence from reliable sources. Mental disorders can only be diagnosed through a thorough evaluation by qualified mental health professionals.
A TikTok spokesperson commented, “TikTok is a platform for millions to share their authentic mental health experiences and seek supportive communities. However, we recognize the methodological limitations of this research.”
“We are committed to collaborating with the World Health Organization and NHS health experts to promote accurate information on our platform and to eliminate 98% of harmful misinformation prior to reporting,” they added.
A government representative stated that the minister is “taking steps to minimize the impact of harmful misleading content online” through the new online safety legislation.
Visitors to flowers, including pollinators, generate distinct sounds through the movement of their wings during flight. These sounds play a significant role in fitness, providing crucial information to flowering plants and potentially influencing resource distribution while attracting pollinators. Recent research conducted by Professor Francesca Barbero from the University of Turin and her team examined the acoustic characteristics of the sounds made by various flight visitors, focusing on the Snapdragon (Anti-Ruhinam sp.) flowers in their natural habitat. Their findings indicate that behaviors such as hovering, landing, and takeoff yield unique acoustic signatures. Moreover, plants exhibit responses to vibroacoustic stimuli from these pollinators, hinting at possible adaptive reactions.
Recording devices, models of Anti-Ruhinam plants, and an approaching Rhodanthidium staticum bee. Image credit: A lively lab.
When pollinators visit flowers, they generate various distinct sounds, ranging from the flapping of wings while hovering to the sounds of landing and taking off.
Nonetheless, these sounds are relatively subtle compared to other vibrations and acoustics present in insect life, leading researchers to overlook the acoustic signals linked to wing and body movements in these insects.
Professor Barbero and her collaborators have investigated these signals, creating a non-invasive and effective approach to monitor impacts on pollinator communities as well as plant biology and ecology.
“The coevolution between plants and their pollinators has largely been explored through visual and olfactory cues, despite emerging evidence that both insects and plants are capable of sensing, producing, or transmitting vibroacoustic signals,” Professor Barbero stated.
They discovered that the sounds of these efficient pollinators led snapdragons to enhance sugar and nectar production, even prompting changes in gene expression related to sugar transport and nectar formation.
These plant responses could serve as survival strategies and coevolutionary tactics, particularly as they can influence how long pollinators linger and their overall fidelity.
“The ability to recognize approaching pollinators through unique vibroacoustic signals may represent an adaptive strategy for plants,” Professor Barbero added.
“By responding to suitable vibroacoustic cues (like those from effective pollinators), plants can bolster reproductive success by encouraging favorable pollinator behavior.”
While it’s evident that lively sounds can elicit plant responses, it’s yet undetermined if plant acoustics can also influence insect behavior.
“If insect reactions to these responses are confirmed, we could harness sound to enhance economically significant plants and crops and increase their appeal to pollinators,” Professor Barbero mentioned.
The research team is continuously analyzing and comparing snapdragon reactions to various pollinators and nectar robbers.
“The myriad ways plants can discern biological factors, including beneficial and harmful insects, neighboring plants, and abiotic signals like temperature, drought, and wind, are genuinely remarkable,” Professor Barbero remarked.
In their recent study, scientist Christopher Hall and his team at the University of Auckland concentrated on neutrophils, a specific type of white blood cell significant for antibacterial defense.
yi du et al. We identified a photoresponsive endometrial timer that regulates time variations in antibacterial activity. Image credit: Summerstock.
The researchers employed zebrafish as a model organism due to its similar genetic composition to humans, and its capability of being raised with a transparent body, facilitating real-time observation of biological processes.
“Previous research has noted heightened immune responses in the morning during the initial stages of active fish,” Dr. Hall explained.
“I believe this reflects an evolutionary adaptation where the host is more vigilant during daylight, thus more prone to encounter bacterial infections.”
Nevertheless, the team aimed to determine how immune responses align with sunlight exposure.
The findings revealed that neutrophils have a circadian clock that activates during the day, boosting their bacterial-killing efficacy.
Most cells in our body maintain a circadian clock to synchronize with external time, thus regulating bodily functions.
Light plays a crucial role in resetting these circadian clocks.
“Given that neutrophils are the first immune cells to respond to inflammatory sites, our results carry significant implications for therapeutic advancements in many inflammatory diseases,” Dr. Hall remarked.
“This discovery opens avenues for developing drugs aimed at neutrophil circadian clocks to enhance our capability to fight infectious diseases.”
Study will be featured in the journal Scientific Immunology.
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Lucia Yi du et al. 2025. Light-regulated circadian timers optimize the bactericidal function of neutrophils and enhance daytime immunity. Scientific Immunology 10 (107); doi: 10.1126/Sciimmunol.Adn3080
Currently, only two species of sloths exist, but in the past, numerous species roamed the Earth, including one with a nose resembling a bottle and another akin to the ancestors of modern armadillos. Most of these extinct sloths were too massive to inhabit trees. The largest of them all – a member of the genus Megatherium – reached the size of an Asian bull elephant, weighing around 3.63 tons (8,000 pounds).
The ancient sloths inhabited a variety of environments – trees, mountains, deserts, northern forests, and open savannas – leading to wide differences in size among sloth species. Image credit: Diego Barletta.
“They resembled Grizzly Bears but were five times larger,” noted Dr. Rachel Nalducci, collection manager for vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
In a recent study, Dr. Nalducci and her team examined ancient DNA and compared over 400 fossils from 17 museums to explore how and why extinct sloths achieved such sizes.
The size difference ranges significantly between the massive Megatherium and the more modestly sized Shasta Sloth, which thrived on cacti in the arid regions of North America.
Conversely, the sloths adapted for tree climbing were uniformly small, averaging around 6 kg (14 lbs), with ground-dwelling sloths like them averaging about 79 kg (174 lbs).
Ground sloths had a strong affinity for caves, where their size played a crucial role in finding and creating shelters.
The moderately sized Shasta Sloths ventured into the depths of geological lungs formed by wind and water, creating magnificent canyons.
The larger sloths were not limited to pre-existing caves; using their sizeable claws, the largest known mammalian claws (whether extinct or extant), they could carve out their shelters from bare earth and rock. Evidence of their nests can still be found today, with claw marks adorning the cave walls.
Other factors influencing size variations likely include climate, interspecies interactions, and metabolic rates.
To accurately analyze these factors, a substantial amount of diverse data was required.
The authors integrated fossil shape data with DNA from both living organisms and extinct species to construct sloth lineages dating back over 35 million years.
With this foundation established, they incorporated findings from decades of research about the habitats sloths occupied, their diets, and their behavioral patterns.
Paleontologists maintain a keen interest in the evolution of size, collecting extensive data from numerous museum fossils for their analyses.
Sloth size differences are significantly shaped by the habitats they inhabited, which were also influenced by climate change.
“This research, employing evolutionary models across various scenarios and accounting for all these factors, is a considerable undertaking unlike anything previously attempted,” remarked Dr. Nalducci.
The sloth lineage witnessed dramatic life-altering changes as Earth’s climate evolved.
The earliest recognized sloth, Pseudoglyptodon, inhabited Argentina around 37 million years ago.
Analysis from the research team suggests that early sloths were likely small, ground-dwelling creatures, about the size of a Great Dane.
Throughout evolution, sloths occasionally adopted semiarboreal lifestyles.
However, not all sloths remained tree dwellers; the largest species, including Megatherium and Mylodon, likely evolved from tree-adapted ancestors but ultimately thrived on the ground.
Amidst this mixture of arboreal and terrestrial creatures, sloth size remained relatively stable for about 20 million years, regardless of their activity preferences until a significant geological event occurred.
A great rift opened between present-day Washington and Idaho, extending through parts of Oregon and Nevada, releasing magma.
This process left a staggering 600,000 cubic miles of volcanic material in the Pacific Northwest, still observable today along the Columbia River, where flowing water has sculpted basalt into distinct columns.
These formations exhibit a unique hexagonal shape, resulting from the magma’s cooling and cracking processes.
The volcanic activity that formed these structures occurred over a slow burn spanning approximately 750,000 years, aligning with a period of global warming known as the mid-Miocene climate optimum.
Greenhouse gases released by these volcanic eruptions are presently thought to be a primary factor in that period of warming.
As a response, sloths began shrinking in size, possibly due to warmer temperatures leading to increased rainfall, which expanded forest habitats, offering more room for smaller species.
Size reduction is a common adaptive strategy among animals coping with heat stress, as recorded in various fossil records.
After volcanic activity ceased, the world remained warm for nearly a million years before returning to a longstanding cooling trend that persists today. Sloths also adapted, growing bulkier as temperatures decreased.
Arboreal and semiarboreal sloths were inherently limited by their need for tree proximity, but ground-dwelling sloths roamed freely in diverse terrains.
They trekked up the Andean mountains, traversed open savannas, migrated through deciduous forests in North America, and built homes in Canada and Alaska’s boreal forests.
There were even sloths adapted to marine environments. Thalassocnus thrived on dry land between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, sourcing food from the ocean to survive in such harsh conditions.
“They developed adaptations analogous to those of the Manatee,” Dr. Nalducci explained.
“Their dense ribs aided buoyancy, and elongated noses facilitated foraging for sea grass.”
These varied environments posed unique challenges that ground sloths creatively navigated.
“Such adaptations would have conserved energy and water, enabling more efficient movement through resource-limited habitats,” Dr. Nalducci remarked.
“In open grasslands, protection is crucial, and increased size offers some degree of safety.”
“Some ground sloths also had sparse bone structures embedded in their skin, akin to pebbles.”
Moreover, larger body sizes played a vital role in helping sloths endure the cooling climate.
They reached their peak size during the Pleistocene Ice Age, just before their eventual disappearance.
“Around 15,000 years ago is when notable population declines began,” Dr. Nalducci observed.
While debates continue regarding the reasons for sloth extinction, it coincided with human arrival in North America around the same time, leading to significant declines in sloth populations.
Ironically, the very size that provided protection from typical predators and insulated them from cold climates also contributed to their downfall.
Fast but well-defended, ground sloths proved difficult prey for early humans.
Tree-dwelling sloths observed the devastation unfold below from the safety of their heights, yet they too faced losses.
Two Caribbean sloth species managed to survive until about 4,500 years ago, after their terrestrial relatives had vanished elsewhere.
Humans reached the Caribbean around the same time the Egyptians were constructing pyramids, resulting in the quick extinction of Caribbean sloths.
“Paleoclimate changes cannot solely account for the rapid extinction of ground sloths beginning around 15,000 years ago,” the researchers asserted.
“Their sudden disappearance indicates human-driven factors were likely at play in the decline and extinction of sloths on Earth.”
Study published in the May 22nd, 2025 edition of the journal Science.
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Alberto Boscani et al. 2025. The appearance and end of giant sloths. Science 388 (6749): 864-868; doi: 10.1126/science.adu0704
This article is based on a press release from the Florida Museum of Natural History.
According to a recent study, out of 186 countries, only Guyana is capable of producing sufficient food for itself without relying on foreign imports.
This study, published in Natural Food, assessed how effectively countries can supply their populations with seven food groups: fruits, vegetables, dairy products, fish, meat, plant-based proteins, and starchy staples.
Globally, the research revealed that 65% of countries produce meat and dairy in alignment with their population’s dietary needs.
It also determined that Guyana, situated in South America, stands as the sole country achieving complete self-sufficiency, while China and Vietnam can sufficiently produce food across six out of the seven food groups.
However, only one in seven individuals in the surveyed countries was deemed self-sufficient in five or more categories.
Surrounded by lush greenery, Guyana was identified as the only nation in this study that produces enough food to nourish its people across all seven food groups. – Credit: Jonas Stehl, Nature Food 2025, doi: 10.1038/S43016-025-01173-4 Data published
Meanwhile, there is a global deficiency of nutrient-dense plants, as fewer than half of the countries involved in the study produce adequate plant-based proteins, such as beans, chickpeas, lentils, nuts, and seeds, as well as sufficient starchy carbohydrates and vegetables.
Europe and South America tended to be closer to achieving self-sufficiency compared to other regions. In contrast, small island nations, countries in the Arabian Peninsula, and low-income nations were more likely to depend on food imports.
Six nations—Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Macau, Qatar, and Yemen—produced inadequate food groups to be categorized as self-sufficient.
“Low self-sufficiency is not inherently negative,” stated Dr. Jonas Stehl, a researcher from Göttingen and the first author of the study, in an interview with BBC Science Focus. “There are effective and often advantageous reasons why a country may not meet all its food production needs.”
For instance, a country may lack sufficient rainfall, quality soil, or stable temperatures necessary for growing adequate food for its population.
Stehl added that importing food from suitable regions can also be cost-effective.
“However, low levels of self-sufficiency can compromise a country’s ability to respond to sudden global food supply shocks, such as droughts, conflicts, and export bans,” he noted.
A team from the University of Göttingen in Germany and the University of Edinburgh in the UK conducted the study, evaluating the food output of various countries.
The researchers compared this data to the nutritional needs of each nation’s citizens, referencing the World Wildlife Fund’s Livewell Diet.
The Livewell Diet recommends “a flexible eating pattern that emphasizes plant-based protein sources, consumes vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and limits foods high in fat, salt, and sugar.”
The Covid-19 pandemic and the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict have sparked discussions about the merits of self-sufficiency, as these global crises have disrupted consistent food supplies to importing countries.
Stehl concluded that “the increased attention on national food self-sufficiency may signal broader political changes.”
Read more:
About Our Experts
Dr. Jonas Stehl is a doctoral researcher at the University of Göttingen in Germany, focusing on the food system and its implications for sustainability, nutrition, and health from a global viewpoint. He is part of an interdisciplinary research training group named Sustainable Food Systems. Stehl’s research interests include development, health, the environment, group economy, nutrition, and food security.
As we age, the likelihood of developing chronic non-infectious diseases increases, necessitating interventions that target the aging process. One of the measures used to assess biological aging in these interventions is an algorithm that analyzes DNA methylation patterns, referred to as epigenetic clocks. This new research focuses on identifying beneficial nutritional components such as green tea, oolong tea, turmeric, rosemary, garlic, and berries.
Villanueva et al. suggest that targeted food choices may help slow the aging process. Image credit: Sci.News.
“We have observed numerous individuals struggling with their health,” stated Dr. Jamie L. Villanueva, a researcher at Washington University and the National University of Natural Medicine.
“The DNA methylation pattern, which acts as a chemical marker in DNA, can reveal whether a person is aging faster or slower than anticipated.”
“This research employed Horvath’s epigenetic clock, a widely recognized method, to assess changes in epigenetic age.”
Researchers studied healthy men aged 50-72 who had previously undertaken an 8-week program featuring a plant-based, nutritious diet, complemented by guidance on exercise, sleep, and stress management.
The team investigated individual dietary variations to understand why some participants exhibited greater improvements in their epigenetic age compared to others.
The findings showed that participants consuming higher amounts of methyladaptogenic foods—like turmeric, rosemary, garlic, berries, green tea, and oolong tea—experienced a notable reduction in their epigenetic age.
These positive effects remained significant even after accounting for weight changes and initial epigenetic ages, indicating a direct impact of the foods on aging markers.
“In hierarchical linear regression analyses, foods assessed as polyphenol modulators of DNA methylation, previously categorized as methyladaptogens, demonstrated a significant linear association with changes in epigenetic age after controlling for baseline epigenetic age acceleration and alterations in body weight,” the researchers explained.
The natural compounds in methyladaptogenic foods are known to influence gene behavior through their effects on DNA methylation.
Prior research has indicated that these compounds may support healthy aging and lower the risk of conditions like heart disease and cognitive decline.
Though this study involved a relatively small cohort of middle-aged men, it contributes to the expanding body of global research suggesting that diets rich in polyphenols found in vegetables, fruits, and tea are linked to slower aging.
The results reinforce previous studies on Mediterranean and traditional Japanese diets, renowned for their health benefits.
“Future studies should involve a larger and more diverse population and explore these findings using updated tools for measuring epigenetic aging,” the author noted.
“Based on current findings, this study underscores practical, food-based strategies that can help mitigate epigenetic aging and promote long-term health.”
Jamie L. Villanueva et al. 2025. Dietary relationships with epigenetic age decline: secondary data analysis of methylated diet and lifestyle studies. aging 17(4):994-1010; doi:10.18632/aging.206240
Compromised AI-driven chatbots pose risks by gaining access to harmful knowledge through illegal information encountered during their training, according to researchers.
This alert comes as an alarming trend emerges where chatbots have been “jailbroken” to bypass their inherent safety measures. These safeguards are meant to stop the systems from delivering harmful, biased, or inappropriate responses to user queries.
Powerful chatbots, including large language models (LLMs) like ChatGpt, Gemini, and Claude, consume vast amounts of content from the Internet.
Even with attempts to filter out harmful content from their training datasets, LLMs can still learn about illegal activities—including hacking, money laundering, insider trading, and bomb-making. Security protocols are intended to prevent the use of such information in their answers.
In a Report on the risks, researchers found that it is surprisingly easy to deceive many AI-powered chatbots into producing harmful and illegal content, emphasizing that the threat is “immediate, concrete, and alarming.”
The author cautions that “what was once limited to state actors and organized crime may now be accessible to anyone with a laptop or smartphone.”
The study, conducted by Professor Rior Lokach and Dr. Michael Fier from Ben Gurion University in Negev, Israel, highlights an escalating threat from “dark LLMs” developed without safety measures or altered through jailbreaks. Some entities openly promote a “no ethical guardrails” approach, facilitating illegal activities like cybercrime and fraud.
Jailbreaking involves using specially crafted prompts to manipulate chatbots into providing prohibited responses. This is achieved by taking advantage of the chatbot’s primary goal of following user requests against its secondary aim of avoiding harmful, biased, unethical, or illegal outputs. Prompts typically create scenarios where the program prioritizes usefulness over safety precautions.
To illustrate the issue, researchers created a universal jailbreak that breached several prominent chatbots, enabling them to answer questions that should normally be denied. Once compromised, LLMs consistently produced responses to nearly all inquiries, according to the report.
“It was astonishing to see the extent of knowledge this system holds,” Fier noted, citing examples that included hacking computer networks and providing step-by-step guides for drug manufacturing and other criminal activities.
“What makes this threat distinct from previous technical challenges is an unparalleled combination of accessibility, scalability, and adaptability,” Rokach added.
The researchers reached out to leading LLM providers to inform them of the universal jailbreak, but reported that the response was “overwhelmingly inadequate.” Some companies did not reply, while others claimed that the jailbreak threat lay outside the parameters of their bounty programs, which encourage ethical hackers to report software vulnerabilities.
The report suggests that chatbots need to “forget” any illegal information they learn, emphasizing that technology companies must screen training data rigorously, implement strong firewalls to block dangerous queries and responses, and develop techniques for “learning machines.” Dark LLMs should be regarded as a “serious security threat,” comparable to unlicensed weapons and explosives, warranting accountability from providers.
Dr. Isen Aloani, an AI security expert at Queen’s University Belfast, highlighted that jailbreak attacks on LLMs could lead to significant risks, ranging from detailed weapon-building instructions to sophisticated disinformation campaigns, social engineering, and automated fraud.
“A crucial part of the solution is for companies to not only rely on front-end safeguards but to also invest meaningfully in red teaming and enhancing model-level robustness. Clear standards and independent oversight are essential to adapt to the evolving threat landscape,” he stated.
Professor Peter Garraghan, an AI security authority at Lancaster University, emphasized, “Organizations need to treat LLMs as they would any other vital software component.”
“While jailbreaking is a concern, understanding the entire AI stack is vital for genuine accountability. The real security requirements involve responsible design and deployment, not merely responsible disclosure,” he added.
OpenAI, the developer behind ChatGpt, stated that the latest O1 model can better infer its safety policies and improve its resistance to jailbreak attempts. The company affirmed its ongoing research to bolster the robustness of its solutions.
Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Anthropic were contacted for their feedback. Microsoft replied with a link to a blog detailing their work to mitigate jailbreaks.
All living beings, including you, emit subtle, etheric, semi-visible light that continues until death. Recent research supports this idea.
This mysterious luminescence might lead one to believe it is an indication of an aura or something similar.
However, Dr. Daniel Oblak, a physicist from the University of Calgary and the study’s lead author, explained to BBC Science Focus that while the concept of an aura is metaphysical and unscientific, the emitted light is not. Known as Ultraweak Photon Emission (UPE), it is a natural byproduct of metabolism.
“I would like to emphasize that UPE usually results from biochemical processes and is thus akin to what occurs with glow sticks.”
“UPE is so faint that it is imperceptible to the human eye and can be completely obscured by other light sources unless in total darkness.”
Don’t think that you can observe your own sparkle simply by closing the curtains and turning off the lights; this light is 1,000 to 1,000,000 times dimmer than what the human eye can detect.
These four mice emitted significantly more ultrweak photon emissions (UPEs) while alive (top) compared to after death (bottom). – Credits: Salari et al, The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 2025
UPE arises when a chemical within a cell creates an unstable molecule, known as a reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is essentially a byproduct of metabolic activity.
As ROS levels increase, other molecules become “excited,” meaning they carry excess energy, and it is this energy that emits light.
The primary factor driving this phenomenon is oxidative stress, a kind of cellular damage caused by aging and disease. The greater the oxidative stress experienced by the body, the more ROS—and consequently, more light—is produced.
“When an organism ceases to live, it halts metabolism, thereby stopping the emission of ultrawave photons,” he remarked.
To investigate UPE, scientists in Calgary measured the UPE generated by immobilized and deceased mice and damaged leaves.
Using specialized cameras, they found that living mice emitted significantly more light than their deceased counterparts. Conversely, the leaves released more light in areas that were damaged compared to intact regions.
This is due to increased oxidative stress in the scratched areas. However, the dead mice did not emit light as their bodies no longer underwent metabolic processes.
The leaves of St. Stwhere were illuminated by scratches and chemical damage. – Credits: Salari et al, The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 2025
Dr. Oblak highlighted that the significance of UPE lies in its ability to provide a non-invasive method to assess the health of living organisms.
“This technology could be utilized to monitor tissue status, such as in transplants, or to gauge crop and forest health, especially regarding the stress levels in organisms,” he explained.
Nonetheless, this field remains rife with uncertainties. For instance, Oblak pondered: “Perhaps UPE is not merely a byproduct of metabolic processes; it may also serve a purpose,” although scientists have yet to reach a consensus.
Read more:
About our experts
Dr. Daniel Oblak is an associate professor in the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Calgary. He earned his PhD in Quantum Optics from the University of Copenhagen in 2010, having previously completed his Bachelor of Science and Master’s degrees at Aarhus University. Currently, his research interests encompass quantum information science, long-range encryption, quantum networks, and quantum light interfaces.
Vegetarians have a similar reaction to meat as they do to eating feces or human flesh, according to recent research from Oxford University.
A study involving 252 vegetarians and 57 meat eaters examined whether this aversion was influenced by the source of the food being plant or animal-based.
Initially, participants were shown a range of vegetables commonly disliked, including raw onions, green olives, sprouts, beetroot, and overripe fruit, and were asked to envision eating them. Both groups expressed “disgust” towards these vegetables. Essentially, the flavors and textures were perceived negatively.
Next, participants looked at pre-cooked chicken, bacon, and steak. Here, the vegetarians reacted quite differently. They experienced feelings of nausea, voiced ideological objections, and stated they found anything that had been in contact with meat unappealing.
All the meat is clean and cooked.
The reactions of aversion were similar to those elicited when participants were asked to imagine consuming human feces or the flesh of humans or dogs (the meat was actually just plain meat labeled accordingly—no harm came to any dogs, although a few humans faced bad treatment).
“Disgust is an ancient evolutionary mechanism observed in various species and acts as a straightforward response to ‘bad’ preferences, primarily linked to bitter and sour tastes,” stated Elisa Becker, the lead researcher from Oxford University, in an interview with BBC Science Focus.
“Aversion, in contrast, is likely a uniquely human response stemming from more complex thoughts about food and its meanings.”
The distinction between these reactions may lie in evolutionary history. Aversion enabled early humans to avoid toxic plants with unpleasant flavors, while disgust developed as a more sophisticated reaction to the unseen risks associated with meat, which can harbor pathogens and parasites.
“Disgust does not arise solely from taste but is triggered by animal products, including meat and our own bodily substances. These are prime carriers for pathogens,” Becker explained. “The purpose of disgust is to protect us from toxins and diseases.”
This insight may assist initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable diets by altering perceptions of certain foods.
“It could be beneficial for people seeking to reduce their meat consumption or increase vegetable intake,” Becker remarked. “Novel, more sustainable protein sources (like insects or lab-grown meat) can often invoke disgust. Understanding this instinct can help us overcome it.”
About our experts
Elisa Becker is a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Primary Care Health Sciences at Oxford University. She investigates behavioral change interventions that assist individuals in reducing meat consumption, focusing on the emotional processing of meat and the effectiveness of various strategies.
Following traumatic experiences, such as a divorce or the loss of a loved one, individuals may encounter symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath.
This phenomenon, clinically termed takotsubo cardiomyopathy, is believed to arise from emotional or physical stress that triggers a surge of hormones, including adrenaline, which hampers the heart’s ability to contract effectively. While most individuals recover swiftly, a minority may face heart failure.
Wounded heart syndrome predominantly affects women; however, men have a mortality rate that is more than double that of women. A study published recently in the Journal of the American Heart Association highlights this disparity.
The research examined data from around 200,000 adults in the U.S. who were hospitalized for this condition between 2016 and 2020. It found that nearly 11% of men in this group died, compared to about 5% of women. This was supported by previous studies indicating a higher mortality rate among men.
“It’s consistently noted that men generally do not experience takotsubo syndrome as frequently, but when they do, the outcomes tend to be worse,” explained Dr. Harmony Reynolds, director of NYU Langone Health’s Center for Women’s Cardiovascular Research, who was not part of the study.
The differences between men and women could be tied to the triggers of their conditions, according to the cardiologist. In men, the syndrome is often instigated by physical stressors like surgery or stroke, whereas in women, the triggers tend to be emotional, such as job loss or the death of a loved one.
“Individuals facing emotional stressors tend to fare better,” noted Dr. Iran Wittstein, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine who was not involved in the study.
“Men appear to have a higher risk of severe outcomes or mortality, suggesting that a more dangerous trigger is necessary for syndrome onset.”
Dr. Mohammad Movahed, the principal investigator of the study, added that men may also struggle more with recovery from takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Research indicates lower social support for men to help them cope with stress.
“If the stressor is transient and then removed, there could still be damage to the heart or diminished recovery chances,” Movahed, a cardiologist at the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center, explained.
However, scientists continue to explore the underlying mechanisms of the syndrome and why fatalities occur in rare instances.
“Researchers are still pursuing to uncover the definitive causes of this condition,” Wittstein remarked.
Is stress the only trigger?
To diagnose takotsubo cardiomyopathy, physicians look for certain hallmark signs. Typically, in affected patients, parts of the heart muscle balloon out, but there are usually no blocked arteries, which would indicate a heart attack. Most patients can also identify stressors that led to their episodes.
“During these moments, we feel the weight on our hearts,” stated Dr. Matthew Tomey, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City. “It’s as if heartache manifests physically.”
However, Wittstein cautioned that stress alone may not suffice to trigger takotsubo syndrome.
“Some individuals might have minor work-related frustrations, engage in a slightly intense jog, or experience irritation at a red light,” he described.
Reynolds shared that one of her patients had four instances of the syndrome, each stemming from a mild stomach bug that caused vomiting.
“She is quite averse to vomiting, which likely contributed to her incidents,” she noted.
Wittstein now posits that certain individuals may harbor an inherent sensitivity to takotsubo syndrome. His findings suggest that stress hormones narrow small blood vessels around the heart, limiting blood flow and making some individuals, especially those with high blood pressure or cholesterol, more vulnerable.
Research indicates that postmenopausal women are at an elevated risk of developing this syndrome, potentially due to decreased estrogen levels, which facilitate the dilation of small blood vessels around the heart.
However, Reynolds emphasized that further research is needed to fully understand these mechanisms.
“There’s a suggestion that sex hormones may play a role, but establishing that link is still an ongoing challenge,” she said.
It’s complex to manage and prevent
The intricate nature of takotsubo cardiomyopathy can complicate its prevention and treatment.
Doctors often seek ways to alleviate stress, sometimes prescribing medications intended for other heart conditions, such as beta blockers, or recommending meditation and mental health support.
“To date, we have not identified any preventive drugs that effectively reduce complications, mortality rates, or specific therapies,” Movahed stated.
The new study found that mortality rates associated with takotsubo syndrome remained relatively stable from 2016 to 2020.
However, Wittstein noted that the study relies on diagnostic codes assigned to hospitalized patients, which might overlook broader circumstances influencing a patient’s death, particularly regarding strokes or other neurological issues.
“I suspect many individuals recover from takotsubo syndrome but subsequently succumb to other complications,” he remarked.
The cardiologist advises patients to seek immediate medical attention if they experience chest pain or shortness of breath, rather than attributing it solely to stress.
“Only through a comprehensive evaluation at the hospital can we differentiate between this condition and a traditional heart attack,” Reynolds cautioned. “Thus, it’s critical not to ignore chest pain.”
Researchers have explored the significance of obsidian, a crucial resource in the Aztec empire, utilized for tools and ritual items, as well as its broad importance in the pre-Columbian period. They examined 788 obsidian artifacts, representing various objects and contexts excavated from the mayor of Tenochtitlan (c. 1375-1520), the empire’s core located in present-day Mexico City. Their findings revealed that the Aztecs favored Green Obsidian from Sierra de Pachuca, while also sourcing this material from seven other locations. These results indicate a complex economy that depended on extensive long-distance trade, influenced not only by conquests but also internal rivalries.
Obsidian artifacts from Tenochtitlan. Image credit: mirsa islas/ptm-inah.
“While the Mexica preferred Green Obsidian, the variety of obsidian types, especially in non-ritual artifacts, indicates that these tools came from multiple markets rather than being directly acquired from sources,” noted a candidate from Tulane University.
“By tracing the origins of this material, we can examine the distribution of goods across Mesoamerica.”
Analysis revealed that nearly 90% of the obsidian artifacts sampled were produced from Sierra de Pachuca Obsidian.
Most ritual items discovered within the buried offerings at Mayor Templo were crafted from this type of obsidian, including small weapons, gemstones, and decorative inlays for sculptures.
A modest yet significant portion of obsidian was sourced from regions like Otonba, Tulanche, Ucaleo, and El Paraiso, with some being beyond the control of the Mexica Empire.
These materials were typically used for tool-making and found in construction fill, suggesting their availability through local markets rather than strict state control.
This study traced the evolution of obsidian use from the city’s early days up to its fall in 1520 AD.
In the initial phases of the Empire, there was greater diversity in obsidian sources present in both ceremonial and daily items.
Following the consolidation of Aztec power around AD 1430, obsidian was primarily sourced from Sierra de Pachuca, indicating a trend towards religious uniformity and centralized oversight.
“This type of compositional analysis enables us to track the evolution of empire expansion, political alliances, and trade networks over time,” remarked Matadamas Gomora.
“This research highlights the vast scope and intricacy of the Mexica Empire and demonstrates how archaeological science can illuminate ancient artifacts and provide insights into past cultural practices.”
Survey results will be published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Diego Matadama Gomora et al. 2025. A compositional analysis of obsidian artifacts from the mayor of Tenochitlan, the capital of the Mexican Empire. pnas 122 (20): E2500095122; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2500095122
A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and Georgia Tech has uncovered that flamingos are not mere passive filter feeders; instead, they are active predators that employ flow-guided traps to catch nimble invertebrates.
Flamingos feed by dragging their flattened beaks forward along the shallow lake bottom. To enhance feeding efficiency, they stomp their feet to stir up the bottom, create swirling vortices with their heads, and repeatedly slap their beaks to catch food like brine shrimp. Image credit: aztli ortega.
“Flamingos are predators actively seeking out moving animals underwater. The challenge they face is how to concentrate these prey items to attract and capture them.”
“Consider how spiders spin webs to catch insects. Flamingos utilize vortices to trap creatures such as brine shrimp.”
Utilizing high-speed cameras and particle image velocity measurements, the researchers documented and analyzed feeding behaviors, employing flow visualization techniques involving fine food particles and oxygen bubbles.
They discovered that the birds use their floppy, swaying feet to disturb the bottom sediment and propel themselves forward in a swirling motion. Additionally, the flamingos convulse their heads upward like plungers while creating mini-tornados to draw food from the water’s surface.
As the birds keep their heads inverted in a watery vortex, their angled beaks create small vortices that direct sediment and food into their mouths, enhancing their feeding efficiency.
The unique structure of the flamingo’s beak, with its flattened shape and angled front, enables a technique known as skimming. This involves the bird extending its long, S-shaped neck to push its head forward while rapidly beating its beak, generating a sheet-like vortex (von Karman vortex) that captures prey.
“These complex active feeding behaviors challenge the long-held belief that flamingos are merely passive filter feeders,” noted Dr. Ortega Zimenez.
“While they may appear to be filtering only passive particles, these birds are actively preying on moving organisms.”
The authors also applied computational fluid dynamics to simulate the 3D flow around the beak and feet of the flamingos.
They confirmed that the vortices indeed concentrate particles, similar to experiments that used a 3D printhead with aggressively swimming shrimp and passively floating brine shrimp eggs.
“We observed that when we placed 3D printed models in the water to replicate skimming, they generated symmetrical vortices along the sides of the beak, cycling particles in the water effectively,” Dr. Ortega Zimenez shared.
The team’s findings will be published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Victor M. Ortega Zimenez et al. 2025. Flamingos use their L-shaped beak and morphing legs to induce vortex traps for prey capture. pnas 122 (21): E2503495122; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2503495122
Recent studies reveal that climate-induced wildfires lead to thousands of deaths each year and significant economic impacts due to wildfire smoke in the United States.
A paper published this Friday in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment indicates that between 2006 and 2020, climate change was responsible for approximately 15,000 deaths related to exposure to fine particulate matter from wildfires, totaling around $160 billion in costs. The findings suggest an annual mortality range from 130 to 5,100, particularly high in states like Oregon and California.
Nicholas Nacicus, an author of the research and a professor at Harvard Medical School, stated, “What does it really mean in a changing environment for outcomes like mortality?” stressing the serious health implications.
Lisa Thompson, a professor at Emory University who studies air pollution and climate change, noted that this study is among the first to distinctly identify the impacts of climate change on mortality. She emphasized the uniqueness of examining these effects temporally and spatially.
The study concentrated on deaths linked to particulate matter exposure, specifically PM2.5, a significant concern stemming from wildfire smoke.
These tiny particles penetrate deep into the lungs, causing short-term symptoms like coughing and irritation. Over time, they can worsen pre-existing health conditions and result in serious, potentially fatal issues. Vulnerable populations include children, pregnant individuals, the elderly, and outdoor workers. The Health Effects Institute estimated that pollutants have caused 4 million deaths globally.
Evidence suggests that PM2.5 from wildfire smoke is more harmful than other pollution sources. In wildfire situations, toxic materials like burning cars can exacerbate the health risks.
Numerous studies have linked the rise in wildfires in North America to human activities such as the burning of coal, oil, and gas. Climate change is intensifying drought conditions, particularly in the West, alongside other extreme weather phenomena. The drying process reduces moisture in vegetation, which serves as fuel for fires. Together with increasing temperatures, this leads to more frequent, widespread, and severe wildfires.
Scholars find the findings disheartening yet unsurprising
Jacob Bendix, a professor emeritus of geography and the environment at Syracuse University, expressed disappointment in the results, stating he was not surprised by the study’s conclusions.
Severe thunderstorms in April resulted in historic downpours and flooding across Arkansas, Kentucky, and other states, exacerbated by climate change.
This information comes from the World Weather Attributes Project, a consortium of scientists studying major weather events in relation to climate change.
From April 3 to April 6, heavy rainfall hit the southeastern U.S., leading to widespread flooding, flood warnings for over 70 million individuals, at least 15 fatalities, the sweeping away of vehicles, and train derailments.
By utilizing climate models alongside historical data, researchers examined storm systems across eight affected states and concluded that the current weather patterns were approximately 9% more intense due to global warming, with a 40% increased likelihood compared to a scenario without such warming.
Ben Clark, a researcher at Imperial College London, stated, “We conclude that the existing 1.3 degrees Celsius of warming has intensified the extreme rainfall leading to flooding in the region. A warmer atmosphere retains more moisture.”
The outcome was severe flooding in Frankfort, Kentucky, along with a rainy day in the Midwest on April 7th. Leandro Lozada/AFP Getty Images file
The 1.3 degrees reference indicates how much warmer the planet has become in Celsius since humanity began releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere post-Industrial Revolution—a conversion of approximately 2.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Clark noted that the probability estimates from the group are conservative. The researchers identified a unique weather configuration that contributed to the extreme rainfall.
Shell Winkley, a meteorologist with Climate Central, a nonprofit news organization involved in the report, explained that a low-pressure system interacting with a high-pressure ridge caused the thunderstorms to repeatedly affect the same areas in the Southeast and Midwest.
“This front was the route through which these storms moved, and there was also a trigger mechanism. The thunderstorms accumulated rain on already saturated soil,” Winkley noted. “This event is a fascinating intersection of weather and climate change.”
According to Winkley, the National Weather Service issued the third highest weather warning on April 2.
“By the end of the day, the National Weather Service had released 728 separate thunderstorm and tornado warnings from various offices, with numerous locations experiencing extreme rainfall between April 3 and April 6, with some areas seeing up to 16 inches,” Winkley explained.
After a significant storm in Portageville, Missouri on April 7th, vehicles navigate through flooded streets. Scott Olson/Getty Images File
Upon reviewing historical rainfall from April, researchers indicated that similar storm systems are anticipated every century in the current warm climate.
Gerald Brotzge, a Kentucky climatologist and professor at the University of Kentucky Western University, initially approached such studies with skepticism, particularly those linking large-scale flooding to climate change without accounting for unique weather setups. However, he found this study credible.
Brotzge remarked, “It appears they conducted a thorough analysis. In this instance, a stagnant boundary allowed thunderstorms to constantly form in the same locality—an accurate observation.”
Brotzge noted that Kentucky has warmed by nearly 1.8 degrees Celsius (approximately 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit) over the last 130 years and has been experiencing increased rainfall.
“Our annual rainfall has risen by about 10%,” Brotzge stated. “Half of our ten wettest years have occurred since 2011, with 2011 being the wettest and 2018 as the second wettest.”
The World Weather Attribution is a team of scientists who quickly assess the influence of climate change on extreme weather events. Their methodology has undergone peer review, though some analyses are not immediately reviewed. Previous studies by the group on heatwaves, wildfires, and hurricanes have also faced academic scrutiny.
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Regular light cycles greatly influence organisms, and phenomena like solar eclipses trigger distinct physiological and behavioral responses. Although extensively studied in animals, plant behavior during solar eclipses remains relatively unexamined. Recent research conducted by scientists from Italy, the UK, Spain, and Australia explored the bioelectric responses of multiple Spruce trees (Picea abies) in relation to solar eclipses.
A study site in the Dolomite Mountains, Italy. Image credit: Monica Galliano / Southern Cross University.
Periodic sunlight fosters global weather patterns, seasons, and climates that sustain life on Earth.
The daily and seasonal rhythms of natural light align biological systems by synchronizing their internal clocks with the Earth’s geophysical cycles.
In an era marked by significant human-induced alterations to natural cycles, extraordinary astronomical events such as solar eclipses serve as natural experiments, offering crucial perspectives on how organisms react to sudden, rare environmental changes.
“Our study reveals that forests play a vital role in how species communicate and adapt, uncovering a new layer of complexity in plant behavior,” noted Professor Monica Galliano from Southern Cross University.
“It’s essentially evidence of the renowned ‘Wood Wide Web’ in action!”
This investigation employed an innovative remote measurement system to monitor multiple trees simultaneously within the forest.
This setup enabled researchers to assess whether and to what degree individual trees respond collectively to the solar eclipse, functioning as a larger living entity.
The study analyzed the electrical signals in spruce trees to characterize their bioelectrical activity during a partial solar eclipse that occurred in the Dolomite Mountains of northeastern Italy.
Results demonstrated that individual trees exhibited significant synchronization in their electrical activity before and after the solar eclipse, operating as an integrated living system that manages their reactions to external influences.
“Using advanced analytical techniques, including complexity measures from Quantum Field Theory,” stated Professor Alessandro Thioleoreo of the Italian Institute of Technology and the University of England, “we now regard forests not merely as individual collections but as ensembles of interconnected plants.”
“These findings reinforce the need to protect ancient trees,” Professor Galliano added.
“The fact that older trees are the first to react and possibly lead a collective response emphasizes their role as repositories of historical environmental knowledge.”
“This discovery underscores the critical importance of safeguarding old forests, which act as cornerstones of ecosystem resilience by conserving and sharing invaluable ecological insights.”
The study is published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
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Alessandro Chiolerio et al. 2025. Bioelectric Synchronization of Picea abies During a Solar Eclipse. R. Soc. Open SCI 12(4): 241786; doi: 10.1098/rsos.241786
This month, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared the government’s latest findings on autism, presenting a stark and controversial viewpoint.
The notion that severe autism symptoms are on the rise lacks scientific backing. In fact, a recent study presented at the International Association for Research on Autism in Seattle indicates that the percentage of autism cases characterized by moderate to severe symptoms remained relatively stable from 2000 to 2016.
In recent weeks, Kennedy has consistently described autism as an “explosion,” attributing it to an increase in serious cases of intellectual disability.
“This trend is unprecedented. It raises alarms about community dynamics,” he told Fox News earlier this month. “This is effectively invalidating these children for their entire lives.”
Kennedy’s claims have drawn criticism from parents, advocates, and health professionals who argue that he represents a limited data set to generalize the autism spectrum.
According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 31 children receives an autism diagnosis by age eight, though it did not distinguish between mild and severe cases.
During the briefing on April 16, Kennedy estimated that a quarter of diagnosed children were non-verbal or required assistance with toileting. A previous CDC study indicated that nearly 27% of individuals with autism are non-verbal or have an IQ below 50. Many researchers, however, suggest that the actual rates may be lower.
Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning it encompasses a range of symptoms, from mild to more pronounced, influencing how individuals socialize, communicate, learn, and behave.
A new study released this week highlighted that only mild cases increased between 2000 and 2016.
This study analyzed data from the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disorder Surveillance Network, tracking autism cases across the United States. The researchers assessed adaptive test scores (evaluating children’s social, communication, and daily living skills) in contrast to IQ scores that indicate intellectual disability to determine case severity.
Co-author Maureen Durkin, a professor of population health sciences at Wisconsin-Madison, stated:
David Mandel, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, noted that he wasn’t involved in the analysis but remarked that adaptive scores were intended to capture severe cases like those described by Kennedy. Compared to IQ scores, adaptive scores better reflect how children with autism function in real life, including their ability to interact with others, manage self-care, and use the toilet independently.
The analysis indicated that in 2016, 1.2 out of every 1,000 children were diagnosed with moderate to severe autism, while mild cases surged by 139% in the same period, from 1.5 out of 1,000 in 2000.
“The rise is primarily among children without severe disabilities, and it would be beneficial for the current HHS secretary to be aware of that,” said Marianne Burton, a clinical professor of psychological science at the University of Connecticut.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to requests for comment.
One potential reason for the increase in mild cases is improved identification by healthcare professionals. Developmental screening became increasingly common during the study period, and in 2006, the American Academy of Pediatrics began recommending universal autism screenings.
Additionally, the diagnostic criteria for autism were revised in 2013 to include mild cases, such as those previously classified as Asperger’s syndrome.
“We’re witnessing a significant expansion of diagnostic criteria that now encompasses individuals who wouldn’t have qualified for an autism diagnosis 50 years ago,” Mandel explained.
Dr. Alex Collebzon, clinical director of the Seaver Autism Center at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, mentioned the analysis relied on health and educational records, potentially including children with mild symptoms who may not have undergone direct diagnostic assessments.
“Assessing this cohort, I believe they are likely quite confident in their diagnosis, but we are not observing an increase in prevalence,” he stated.
Kennedy rejects the notion that the rise is due to improved diagnostic practices, suggesting that only a “small fraction” of the increase in cases can be attributed to this.
“The media has perpetuated myths in this industry, promoting the idea that autism is more prevalent simply because we are identifying more cases,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity this month.
Instead, Kennedy unfoundedly claims that environmental toxins are the primary drivers behind increasing cases and has tasked CDC scientists with identifying the source by September.
Kolevzon acknowledged that environmental factors could exacerbate underlying genetic risks for autism, but existing research has yet to pinpoint any specific causative agents.
“We are unlikely to uncover widespread environmental factors that would fully explain the rising prevalence,” he concluded.
For many years, studies have illustrated that people’s happiness over their lifetime typically follows a U-shaped trajectory. It tends to peak in youth, dip during middle age, and then increase again in older age.
However, recent surveys indicate that young adults today are experiencing less happiness than previous generations, signaling a flattening of this U-shaped curve.
This trend is further supported by a new research published in the journal Nature Mental Health. These initial findings stem from global prosperity research conducted in collaboration with researchers from Harvard and Baylor University.
Data collected by Gallup in 2023 revealed insights from over 200,000 respondents across 20 countries. On average, individuals aged 18 to 29 report challenges not only in happiness but also in physical and mental health, self-esteem, life meaning, relationships, and financial stability. The research combines these factors to assess whether participants achieve a state of prosperity.
The study found that participants reported generally low levels of prosperity until the age of 50, a trend observable in nations like the UK, Brazil, and Australia. Notably, the disparity between younger and older adults was most pronounced in the United States.
“It’s a rather bleak situation,” commented Tyler J. Vanderwielle, the lead author and director of Harvard’s Human Prosperity Program. These findings prompt critical reflections on whether we are sufficiently investing in the well-being of our youth.
Young adulthood has traditionally been viewed as a time of freedom and opportunities, yet research suggests this ideal may not align with the reality faced by many.
According to a 2023 report from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, young adults aged 18-25 in the U.S. reported double the levels of anxiety and depression compared to teenagers. Furthermore, perfectionism has surged among college students. Participation in community organizations, clubs, and religious organizations is declining, leading to increased loneliness among young people, reminiscent of trends seen in older populations.
“Post-study findings indicate that social connections are crucial for happiness, yet young people today spend less time with friends than they did a decade ago,” explained Laurie Santos, a Yale psychology professor and host of The Happiness Lab podcast. “Additionally, like individuals of all ages, young people are contending with a myriad of global issues, from climate change to economic and political divisiveness.”
The Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley recently announced Emiliana R. Simon Thomas as its science director.“We need to cultivate happiness without limiting ourselves.”
She believes the prosperity data reflects “the long-term impacts of prioritizing status and power” in the U.S., rather than our role in the broader community.
Dr. Vanderwielle emphasized the complexity of the research, which was conducted across varied economic, political, and cultural contexts. While the study’s geographical scope is broad, current analyses do not include mainland China due to delays in data collection. Moreover, low-income nations are underrepresented.
Not all countries show increased prosperity with age. In some places, such as Poland and Tanzania, prosperity has declined with age, while others, like Japan and Kenya, display a more conventional U-shaped pattern.
Nevertheless, in the majority of Western countries, and many others, young adults do not seem to be flourishing. Global Prosperity Research plans to continue data collection until 2027 to further elucidate these issues, according to Dr. Vanderwielle.
“We recognize that young people are in distress,” said David G. Blanchflower, an economics professor at Dartmouth who was not involved in the prosperity research; his research illustrates a similar trend.
Dr. Blanchflower has collaborated with the United Nations to facilitate discussions at Dartmouth, allowing experts to share insights on addressing these concerning trends.
Numerous theories exist regarding why young individuals are facing such troubles. He suggests that the problems may not solely arise from their constant engagement with screens.
“They’re not alone at home,” he remarked, invoking the dangers of social isolation, a theme explored in a seminal book by Robert D. Putnam published 25 years ago. “In fact, they’re not engaging socially at all.”
On April 1, the Trump administration initiated its budget cuts, impacting Morgantown, W.Va. Federal scientists were focusing on health and safety concerns for American workers. That morning, hundreds of staff members at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health learned they had been laid off and would lose building access.
More than 900 lab animals remained on site. The institute managed to transfer approximately two-thirds (mainly mice) to a university lab, as reported by two recently terminated employees. Unfortunately, the remaining 300 animals were euthanized last week.
In recent months, the Trump administration aimed to reformat American research, resulting in mass firings of federal scientists, withdrawal of active research grants, and proposals to fund essential laboratory operations.
These actions have disbanded various research initiatives and significantly affected lab animals, crucial for much of the nation’s biomedical research.
“Many animals will face sacrifice—they will be terminated,” remarked a researcher on the potential use of non-animal alternatives at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Experts indicate that predicting the total impact is challenging, as much of the administration’s actions are embroiled in legal disputes. Furthermore, animal research is often discreet, leaving no clear count of animals in U.S. laboratories.
Numerous scientists are hesitant to discuss the fate of lab animals due to fears of backlash from animal rights activists or retaliation from employers or the administration. Many requests for interviews with research facilities remain unanswered.
“It’s a terrible situation for them,” Dr. Rock stated. “Retaining animals can incur high costs, while sacrificing them can provoke public outrage.”
Some animal rights advocates welcome the uncertainty, even if it leads to euthanasia. However, many researchers feel devastated by the dual loss—many animals could perish without contributing to scientific knowledge.
“We don’t engage with animals lightly,” said pulmonary toxicologist Kyle Mandler, recently laid off from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, part of the CDC. He was in the midst of research on harmful dust generated in certain construction materials. About 20 of his mice were euthanized last week, leaving his study incomplete and without data.
“Knowing that their lives and sacrifices were completely wasted is both depressing and infuriating,” he expressed.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not directly respond to inquiries regarding the seized Morgantown animals. However, an unnamed HHS official stated via email that changes at NIOSH are part of a “broader reorganization,” integrating multiple programs for a healthier U.S.
“Staffing and operational adjustments occur in phases,” the statement noted. “Animal care operations are ongoing, and HHS is committed to upholding all federal animal welfare standards throughout this transition.”
Sudden halt
In recent years, many countries, including the U.S., have shifted away from animal research due to its costs and ethical concerns, often poor relevance to human outcomes. This month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revealed plans to phase out animal testing requirements for certain drugs, favoring three-dimensional human organ models made from lab-grown cells, like organoids and “organs on a chip.”
Experts agree these emerging technologies show great promise. However, for the time being, lab animals remain vital to biomedical research, with some arguing that certain data can only be gathered through animal studies.
“We aim to exit this realm,” stated Naomi Charalanbakis, director of science policy at a nonprofit advocating for the continuation of animal use in biomedical research. “But we’re not there yet.”
Research involving lab animals requires careful planning over years, stable funding, and skilled veterinarians and technicians for daily care. The Trump administration’s actions jeopardize all of this.
At the NIOSH facility in Morgantown, initial budget cuts encompassed animal care staff. “But they resisted, insisting they couldn’t leave while animals remained on site,” said a former lab technician.
After the Trump administration froze funding at Harvard this month, researchers developing a new tuberculosis vaccine faced the grim prospect of euthanizing rhesus macaques. This study and the monkeys were saved only after private donors stepped in to provide funding.
Animals involved in halted projects might be relocated to different labs, but others may be undergoing experimental treatments or exposure to pathogens or toxins. Many are retained to illustrate specific behavioral or health vulnerabilities, and lab animals, not being wild, cannot simply be released. Experts noted that the sudden influx of surplus lab animals may overwhelm the nation’s animal sanctuaries.
Anne Linder, associate director of the Animal Law and Policy Program at Harvard Law School, expressed concern that the fate of many lab animals would hinge on the “whims and temperament” of individual researchers and lab staff.
“In the absence of oversight, some decisions may be misguided, driven by harsh needs rather than the welfare of the animals involved,” she said in an email.
Cost reduction
Many researchers have expressed concerns regarding the National Institutes of Health’s attempts to impose severe caps on “indirect costs” related to scientific research, including those tied to maintaining animal care facilities.
A federal judge halted the NIH from implementing these funding caps, but the agency has appealed. Should these policies pass, the repercussions could be disastrous for institutions utilizing non-human primates in their research.
The Washington National Center for Research on Primates, located at the University of Washington, houses over 800 non-human primates. The indirect funding cap represents a loss of around $5 million annually, forcing the colony’s size to shrink, according to director Deborah Fuller.
“This could shatter the entire infrastructure we’ve established,” she cautioned.
If that occurs, the center will strive to find new homes for the animals, yet other research facilities share similar issues, and primate sanctuaries may struggle to accommodate the influx.
As a last resort, primates may have to be euthanized. “This is the worst-case scenario,” warned Sally Thompson Iritani, assistant deputy director of the university’s research department. “Even if it’s uncomfortable to consider, it’s a possibility.”
For some animal rights advocates, the reduction of federal animal research facilities is a cause for celebration. “For many of these animals, euthanasia before experimentation may be the best scenario,” noted Justin Goodman, senior vice president of the White Coat Waste Project, a nonprofit advocating for the cessation of federally funded animal research. (He did stress that finding new homes for lab animals would be preferable.)
Deluciana Winder, director of the Institute for Animal Law and Policy at Vermont Law School, hopes that these cuts could lead to the closure of the National Primate Center. Nevertheless, she expressed concern that reductions at the USDA could weaken already lax oversight of lab animal welfare.
Dr. Locke believes the crisis could serve as a “wake-up call” for the nation to pursue alternatives to animal research, albeit in a thoughtful manner.
“I don’t find it acceptable to cull millions of animals from research,” Dr. Locke stated. “It’s not socially or scientifically acceptable. We need to acknowledge that it’s a likely outcome.”
Malus is a genus comprising over 35 species that thrive in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, spanning regions from East Asia to Europe and North America. This genus includes the cultivated apple, Malus domestica, along with its wild relatives. Recent research has unveiled the evolutionary connections among Malus species and traced their genetic development over the past 60 million years.
Malus evolutionary landscape informed by phylogenetics. Image credits: Li et al., doi: 10.1038/s41588-025-02166-6.
“There are around 35 species within the Malus genus; however, despite the significance of apples as a fruit crop, comprehensive research on the evolution of this group’s genome has been lacking.”
“This study provided insights into the Malus genome, established the apple family tree, documented genomic events including whole-genome overlap and hybridization among species, and identified genomic regions linked to specific traits, such as resistance to apple scab disease.”
Professor Ma and his team compiled the genomes of 30 species by sequencing their DNA, focusing on the Malus genus known for its delicious golden apple varieties.
Among the 30 species, 20 are diploid, meaning they possess two chromosome copies per set, similar to humans, while 10 are polyploid, indicating they have three or four chromosome copies, likely resulting from recent hybridization with diploid relatives of Malus.
By scrutinizing nearly 1,000 gene sequences across these species, researchers constructed a phylogenetic tree for the genus and employed biogeographical analysis to trace its origins back to Asia approximately 56 million years ago.
“The evolutionary narrative of the genus is intricate, showcasing numerous instances of hybridization among species and shared whole-genome events that complicate comparisons,” stated Professor Ma.
“Access to high-quality genomes for a large number of species within the genus has enabled us to explore how Malus evolved and the interrelationships among these species.”
Further research into the evolutionary history of Malus genomes utilized analytical techniques called pan-genomics.
This methodology encompasses a thorough comparison of conserved genes and so-called ‘jumping genes’ that can move within the genome across the 30 species, along with genes found only in a subset of the genomes.
The analysis of pan-gene dynamics benefited greatly from the use of a pangenome graph tool, which amalgamates genomic data from closely related groups to elucidate evolutionary conservation and divergence.
“Utilizing 30 pangenomes significantly aided in identifying structural variations, gene duplications, and rearrangements among species that could have been missed with fewer genome comparisons,” remarked Professor Ma.
“Notably, one structural variant uncovered allowed us to pinpoint genomic segments related to apple scab resistance, a fungal disease impacting apples globally.”
The researchers also developed a pangenome analysis tool designed to detect evidence of selective sweeps, a process whereby advantageous traits rapidly increase in frequency within a population.
With this approach, they pinpointed genomic regions linked to cold and disease resistance in wild Malus species, which might also correlate with undesirable fruit taste.
“Attempts to cultivate the best flavor in fruit may have inadvertently diminished the hardiness of cultivated apple varieties,” noted Professor Ma.
Understanding structural variations in Malus, including hybridization histories, interspecies relationships, and pangenomic insights can inform future breeding strategies aimed at retaining both flavor and disease-resistant traits in apples.
W. Li et al. Pangenome analysis reveals evolution and diversity in Malus. Nat Genet. Published online on April 16th, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41588-025-02166-6
A bowl of warm pasta, a fluffy white bread roll, or a bag of generously salted chips – these starchy delights are like dreams. No wonder many of us couldn’t imagine giving up carbs forever.
But according to Research by the University of Surrey, spending just one day without carbohydrates has a similar effect on the body as intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting, also known as time-limited feeding, involves alternating normal feeding periods with significantly reduced calorie intake periods. These fasting windows can be scheduled at specific times each day or throughout the week.
While this approach has various health benefits, consuming less than 800 calories a day, as recommended on the popular 5:2 diet, can be challenging for some individuals.
However, this new study suggests that reducing calories significantly on fasting days may not be necessary. Simply cutting out carbohydrates can provide similar fat-burning benefits.
“What we’re interested in is not necessarily weight loss, but the metabolic effect of this dietary intervention,” said Dr. Adam Collins, the study co-author and an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Surrey, in an interview with BBC Science Focus.
The study, which aimed to investigate the effects of carbohydrates on metabolic health, involved 12 overweight or obese adults aged 20 to 65.
Participants followed three different meal plans with five-day breaks between each diet day for 36 hours (one day and two nights of sleep). The meal plans included a normal meal, a low-carb diet with the same calorie intake as a regular diet, and a low-carb diet with reduced calories.
Results showed that consuming a low-carb diet, regardless of calorie intake, encouraged the body to burn fat for energy similar to a fasting diet.
Carbohydrates include starches such as potatoes and pasta, grains such as rice and oats, baked goods such as bread and pastries, fiber foods such as vegetables and fruits, and sugar confectionery such as sweets and chocolate.
Dr. Collins explained that the body is designed to use carbohydrates for energy after meals and fats between meals and overnight. Consuming carbs too frequently can lead to poor management of metabolism.
Intermittent fasting or reducing carbohydrate intake helps the body reset and start burning fat for energy. Dr. Collins also emphasized that while restricting carbs long-term may hinder glucose processing, alternating low-carb days with regular meal days can be a sustainable and beneficial approach for metabolic health.
He concluded by saying, “Food is not a sin. Carbs aren’t bad. Fats aren’t bad. It’s all about moderation.”
Read more:
About our experts:
Dr. Adam Collins: An associate professor of nutrition at the University of Surrey’s School of Biological Sciences. With over 20 years of experience as a qualified nutritionist, he leads BSC and MSC nutrition programs at Sally. His current research focuses on exercise intensity, energy balance, intermittent fasting, dietary timing and composition, and carbohydrate manipulation for metabolic health.
At 3 months’ age (born October 1, 2024), the miserable wolves of giant biological sciences, Romulus and Remus. Image credit: Colossal Biosciences.
The miserable wolves were like big cans, and were among the most common extinct carnivorous animals of the late Late Pleistocene megafauna in America.
These animals first appeared in the late Pliocene period 3.5 million to 2.5 million years ago, as a result of the mixing between two ancient Canid strains.
The miserable wolf was 25% heavier than the grey wolf, with a slightly wider head, with light thick fur and strong jaws.
As hypercarnivores, their diet consisted mainly of at least 70% meat from horses and bison.
They were extinct at the end of the recent ice age about 13,000 years ago.
The main hypothesis explaining their extinction is that their body size is larger than gray wolves and coyotes, making them more specialized in hunting large prey and unable to survive the extinction of giant prey.
“Our team collected DNA from 13,000-year-old teeth and 72,000-year-old skulls to create healthy, miserable puppies,” said Ben Lamm, CEO of Colossal Biosciences.
“It was once said that “a sufficiently advanced technology cannot be distinguished from magic.” “
“Today, our team will be unveiling some of the magic they are working on, revealing the broader impact on conservation.”
Three liters of the wicked wolves of giant biological science include two adolescent men (Romulus and Remus) and one female puppy (Khaleesi).
They thrive in more than 2,000 acres of safe ecological reserves, including specialized engagement zones and habit types.
They are continuously monitored through live cameras, security personnel and drone tracking on-site to ensure safety and welfare.
“The disastrous wolves’ disappearance is more than a biological revival,” said Mark Fox, chairman of MHA Nation Tribal.
“Its birth symbolizes awakening. The ancient spirit has returned to the world.”
“The miserable wolves have the echoes of our ancestors, their wisdom, and connections to the wild.”
“Its existence reminds us of our responsibility as custodians of the Earth to protect the delicate balance of not only wolves but life itself.”
“The work of our team…Red wolf (Canis Rufus) From three different genetic founder lines.
These liters include the adolescent female Red Wolf (hope) and three male Red Wolf puppies (flame, cinders, ashes).
“We’ve seen a lot of trouble with the stakes,” said Dr. George Church, a geneticist at Harvard University and co-founder of Colossal Biosciences.
“Another source of ecosystems comes from genes lost after being deelectrically removed from new technologies, such as deep ancient DNA sequencing, polyphyllatic characterization, multiplexed germ cell editing, and cloning.”
“The disastrous wolves are an early example of this, so far, including the maximum number of accurate genome editing in healthy vertebrates: their exponentially growing ability.”
Over the past five years, a significant portion (almost a third) of maternal deaths in the United States were reported within six weeks after birth, according to a study published on Jama Network Open. This study was one of the first to track maternal health complications during pregnancy and the postpartum years.
Pregnancy-related mortality rates in the US increased by almost 28% between 2018 and 2022, but researchers noted a slight decline since 2021, which was at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr. Rose L. Morina, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, gynecology, and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and one of the authors of the study, emphasized the importance of maintaining focus on maternal health due to these findings.
Women need access to high-quality care from conception through the first year after giving birth, according to Dr. Rose L. Morina. The study, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Reproductive Health Department, highlighted the risk of maternal deaths occurring within six weeks to one year postpartum.
The study also revealed significant disparities in maternal mortality rates among different racial and ethnic groups, with Native American and Alaska Native women having higher mortality rates compared to white women.
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends that all women receive postnatal care within the first three weeks after giving birth and continue to receive ongoing care as needed.
Dr. Tamika Auguste, chair of Women and Infant Services at Medstar Washington Hospital Center, stressed the importance of timely postnatal care, especially for women with hypertension.
Mortality rates related to pregnancy have more than tripled across different states, with the southeastern states having higher mortality rates compared to states like California and Minnesota.
Cardiovascular disease was identified as the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths, particularly among women aged 25-39, highlighting the importance of monitoring and managing cardiovascular health during and after pregnancy.
The Sakhallo-Arabian desert is one of the largest biogeographical barriers on Earth, hindering the dispersion between Africa and Eurasia, including human movements in the past. Recent research suggests that this barrier has been in place for at least 11 million years. However, a new Griffith University-led study shows that numerous humidity intervals have occurred in the Sakhallo-Arabian desert over the past 8 million years.
Marcouska et al. It shows wet intervals that have recurred inside Central Arabia over the past 8 million years. Image credit: Paul Breeze.
Arabia is at the heart of the largest near-continuous chain of arid lands on the planet. A harsh and often highly dry belt that stretches from the Sahara to the Tar Desert.
Sakhallo-Arabian desert barriers limit animal dispersion and divide Africa and Eurasia into areas of Afrotropic, palate, and Indomalaya biogeography, each characterized by a distinct assemblage of plants, animal species and communities.
While the persistence of this desert barrier serves as a major control over the depiction of these biogeographical regions, improvements in climate throughout the Sakhallo-Arabian region allow for dispersion among them.
As a result, the region is a “transition zone” and hosts a complex fauna mixture with characteristics of Africa, Eurasia and South Asia.
Recent research suggests that a dry beyond this desert barrier and that it has begun to be highly aridity and highly dry on the edge of northern Arabia 9 million years ago in the completely arid state of the Sahara at least 11 million years ago.
“However, fossil evidence from the late Miocene (marked by rising earth temperatures) and the Pleistocene (including multiple ice ages) suggests the existence of an episode within the interior of the water-dependent animal Sakhallo-Arabian desert.”
“It is possible that animals such as crocodiles, quids, cobopotamids, and absoscideans were supported by rivers and lakes that are almost nonexistent from today’s arid landscape.”
“These wet conditions could promote the dispersion of these mammals between Africa and Eurasia, and Arabia serves as an important crossroads in continental-scale biogeographic exchange.”
In the new study, Professor Petraglia and colleagues analyzed a set of osteoscopic electrons (mineral deposits such as bulls and stellates) from a series of caves from within Arabia.
It is one of the longest aleoclimatic records available in Arabia today, and represents one of the longest space paleoclimatic records in the world.
“Little was known about Arabian paleoclimate before this time,” said Dr. Monica Markowska of Northumbria University.
“The findings highlight that the effects of monsoons have been weakened and polar ice coverings in the Pleistocene during the Pleistocene have been strengthened, reducing precipitation during humidity intervals and changing over time.”
“Although Arabia has traditionally been overlooked in the dispersion of Africa and Yolasia, research like ours is increasingly revealing the central location of mammal and human migration,” added Dr Faisal Al-Jiblin, who led Saudi archaeologists on the Heritage Committee.
result It will be displayed in the journal Nature.
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M. Markouska et al. The recurrence of humidity in Arabia over the past 8 million years. NaturePublished online on April 9, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08859-6
Constituity, the ability to combine meaningful elements into larger meaningful structures, is a characteristic of human language. Constitutiveness is trivial (the meaning of a combination is the sum of the meaning of that part) or non-trivial (one element changes the meaning of another element). In a new study, scientists studied the behavior of voices Wild bonobo (Pampaniscus) – Our closest living relatives – Kokoropoli Community Reserve The Democratic Republic of the Congo has found robust empirical evidence for the existence of non-trivial constitutive properties in these primates.
Tupac, a young male bonobo scratching his head. Image credits: Lukas Bierhoff, Kokolopori Bonobo Research Project.
A distinctive feature of human language is its ability to combine individual elements to form more complex and meaningful structures.
This principle known as constituency allows morphemes to be constructed into words and sentences.
The overall meaning is determined by its components and their arrangement.
Constitutiveness can take two forms: trivial and non-trivial. In trivial composition, each word maintains an independent meaning.
Non-trivial constituency involves more complex and nuanced relationships where meaning is not merely a direct sum of words that involve.
Constituity may not be inherent to human language. Birds and primate studies have demonstrated that some animals can combine meaningful vocalizations with structures of trivial composition.
However, to date, there is no direct evidence that animals use non-trivial compositionality in their communication.
In their new study, Melissa Bursett, a biologist at the University of Zurich, and her colleagues, discovered strong empirical evidence that wild bonobos use non-trivial constitutiveness in their vocal communications.
The authors analyzed 700 recordings and call combinations of bonobo vocal calls and documented over 300 contextual features associated with each utterance
A linguistic framework that measures the similarity of meaning between words using methods derived from distribution semantics, and these contextual features were analyzed to infer the meaning of individual bonobo vocalizations and quantify the relationships.
Next, to assess whether Bonobo Call combinations follow construct principles, they applied a multi-step approach that had previously been used to identify the constitutive nature of human communication.
They found that the bonobo call types are integrated into four constituent structures. Three of these suggest that they share more structural similarities with human language than previously recognized.
“Our approach allowed us to quantify how the meaning of the combination of single-call and call on bonobos relate to one another,” said Simon Townsend, professor at the University of Zurich.
“Humans and bonobos had a common ancestor about 70-13 million years ago, so they share many characteristics through descent, and constitutiveness seems likely to be one of them,” added Martin Sarbeck, a professor at Harvard University.
“So our research suggests that our ancestors already use compositionality extensively, if not more, at least 7 million years ago,” Professor Townsend said.
According to a new study from the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences, certain lichen species can withstand a 50 Gy (gray) Mars-like condition expected at a 50 Gy (gray) X-ray radiation dose of strong solar activity over a year on the surface of Mars.
Morphological and anatomical properties of Setoria Acleatta (a,d,g,j) and diploschistes muscorum (B, C, E, F, H, I, K, L).
Liches live in a wide variety of ecosystems around the world, but are especially important in extreme environments such as hot deserts and cold polar regions.
They are known as extremes and can survive under extreme temperatures, intense radiation, and prolonged water shortages.
The prominent ability of lichens to withstand harsh conditions led to the suggestion that it is suitable for survival in extreme environments of outer space.
The successful life strategy of lichen depends on the symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae or cyanobacteria, allowing them to colonize extreme terrestrial habitats where other multicellular organisms cannot survive.
The key to understanding their impressive resistance lies in the “stress tolerant” organisms, namely the characteristics of low nutritional requirements for metabolic rates and extended lifespans. These are further supported by radiation screening, heat dissipation and antioxidant protection.
Moreover, they can even deal with long periods of water shortage and total lack of liquid water.
This is associated with a lack of ability to regulate moisture content, allowing long-term, severe dryness without damage from dormant states, but can withstand high levels of UV/photosynthetic active radiation and extreme temperatures associated with drought conditions.
Mars is the main focus of interest in astrobiology due to the presence of water and the related possibilities of life.
The current atmospheric conditions on Mars keep people at bay, and the potential habitat for existing living is limited.
Nevertheless, during more favorable climate times, habitable environments may be present below or on the surface.
These niches can serve as isolated habitats that protect against harsh conditions.
The atmosphere is mainly composed of carbon dioxide (95%), but the effectiveness of greenhouse warming is limited.
Mars’ temperature is mainly below the freezing point of water, with atmospheric pressure of 6 mbar.
As a result, a significant portion of Mars’ existing water is ice and atmospheric water vapor. However, certain amounts of water may be present temporarily as liquid water.
Both ionizing radiation and deindependence always reach the surface of Mars and pass through the Mars atmosphere much easier than Earth.
This factor is most restrictive in the Martian habitability context, as ultraviolet and ionizing radiation are very harmful to living things.
“In our study, lichen symbiotic fungal partners remained metabolically active when exposed to atmospheric conditions like Mars in the dark, including the expected X-ray radiation levels on Mars, which are expected to have strong solar activity over a year.”
In their study, the authors focused on two lichen species, diploschistes muscorum and Setoria Acleattaselected for different properties and exposed to Mars-like conditions for 5 hours in simulations of planetary atmosphere composition, pressure, temperature variation, and X-ray radiation.
The findings suggest particularly lichens diploschistes muscorumdespite the high doses of X-ray radiation associated with solar flares and energy particles reaching the surface of the planet, it can survive on Mars.
These results challenge the assumption that ionizing radiation is an insurmountable barrier to Mars’ life and set the stages of further research into the possibilities of extraterrestrial microorganisms and symbiotic survival.
“Our study is the first to demonstrate that the metabolism of fungal partners in lichen symbiosis remains active while in an environment similar to the Martian surface,” Dr. Sukibauwa said.
“We found it diploschistes muscorum It was able to carry out metabolic processes and effectively activate the defense mechanism. ”
“These findings expand our understanding of biological processes under simulated Mars conditions and reveal how hydrates respond to ionized radiation.
“Ultimately, this study will deepen our knowledge of the adaptation of lichens and the possibility of colonizing the extraterrestrial environment.”
Survey results It will be displayed in the journal IMA bacteria.
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K.Skubała et al. 2025. Ionized Radiation Resilience: How metabolically active lichens endure simulated exposure to the Martian atmosphere. IMA bacteria 16:E145477; doi:10.3897/imafungus.16.145477
Exciting news for pecan enthusiasts: these tasty nuts may be even more beneficial for your health than previously thought. Swapping out your usual snacks for pecans could be a smart move for your overall well-being.
A recent study revealed that incorporating pecans into your daily snack routine can lead to improvements in cholesterol levels and enhance the quality of your diet. The research, as featured in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, focused on adults dealing with or at risk for metabolic syndrome—a condition that raises the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes or heart-related issues.
Participants in a 12-week study were split into two groups: one replaced their usual snacks with 57g of pecans daily, while the other maintained their regular diet. The outcome? Those snacking on pecans experienced a reduction in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (commonly known as “bad” cholesterol), and non-HDL cholesterol.
Lowering LDL levels and improving the HDL to total cholesterol ratio are crucial steps in reducing the risk of heart disease. Dr. Christina Petersen, an associate professor of nutrition science from Pennsylvania, highlighted the benefits of substituting typical snacks with pecans for heart health.
Participants who replaced regular snacks with 57g of pecans per day saw improvements in their cholesterol levels and overall diet quality. – Getty
The study involved 138 adults aged 25 to 70, all meeting criteria for metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, low HDL, and hypertension. Results showed enhanced adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and a higher consumption of plant protein and seafood among those who opted for pecans as snacks.
While weight gain was observed in the pecan group compared to the non-pecan group, the cholesterol-lowering benefits of pecans remained unaffected. According to the researchers, additional guidance on calorie intake could help achieve a balance between energy consumption and pecan nutrition.
In conclusion, making the switch to pecans from less nutritious snacks can have a positive impact on heart health and overall dietary patterns. It’s important to be mindful of calorie intake while enjoying the benefits of these nutritious nuts.
We share 98.8% of DNA with our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. However, despite this almost identical genetic blueprint, chimpanzees have not built civilizations, fought wars, or mastered the art of Tiktok dance routines.
But what exactly makes us stand out? Now, neuroscientists may finally have the answer.
New research published in the journal jneurosci looks at new data from the brains of humans, chimpanzees, and macaques.
“We were interested in finding things that ticked different brains.” Professor Logier Mars, the study co-author said to BBC Science Focus. “And the human brain is something we were particularly interested in, for obvious reasons.”
According to Mars, most studies comparing human brains with other animal brains tend to focus on factors such as overall size, the size of a particular region, or the number of neurons. “But our philosophy is that if we really want to understand what is going on, we need to look into how our brains are organized,” he said.
With that approach in mind, Mars and his team set out to investigate. Similar to the scans used in hospitals, published MRI data were used to create a “connectivity blueprint” for three different species of brains. These blueprints essentially map out whether different regions of the brain communicate with each other.
One area the team expected to find a difference was in the prefrontal cortex. This region is related to complex thinking, planning, and decision making.
This area, often referred to as the “personality center” of the brain, plays an important role in regulating emotions and teaching behaviors. At first glance, it seems to be an obvious place to search for the essence of what makes us human. In fact, this study revealed that this region exhibited more connectivity than in other species.
But was that the whole story?
This image highlights the (red) behavioral domains of the left and right hemispheres showing high divergence after comparison. -Bryant et al. , Jneurosci 2025
“The prefrontal cortex is where researchers tend to see when they look for something unique about humans,” Mars said. “But we have found a difference in many places in the cortex of time just above your ears.
Temporal cortex plays an important role in the processing of sensory information – especially visual, sound, and language. Given our highly social and cooperative nature, it is probably not surprising that these areas are connected more intricately in the human brain.
“We are a very social and cooperative species,” explained Mars. “So these properties are likely the driving force behind the changes we observe.”
All of these suggest that there is no single definition switch that makes humans human. Some believe that highly evolutionary events have led us to dominance, but reality can be more complicated.
Like relatives not too far in the trees, we are the result of the progressive, widespread evolutionary changes that have shaped us over time.
Or, as Mars said, “There’s nothing big that makes us different.”
About our experts
Rosier Mars is a professor of neuroscience at Oxford University. His work focuses on the differences between primate brains, especially humans. Mars’s research is published in the following journals: Natural Communication, Frontiers of human neuroscience, and Science.
Humans and puppies share a special bond that inspires viral videos, artwork, and adoration. Despite this strong connection, it turns out that humans may not be as good at understanding dogs as they think.
Recent research from Arizona State University (ASU) has revealed that people often misinterpret dog emotions more frequently than previously believed. The study suggests that humans may not accurately perceive what their dogs are feeling.
According to researchers like animal welfare scientists Holly Molinaro and ASU Professor of Psychology Clive Wynne, people tend to focus on external cues rather than the actual emotions of dogs. This can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations of dog behavior.
Through experiments involving positive and negative scenarios, researchers found that participants often misinterpreted dog emotions based on external factors rather than the dogs’ actual behavior. Context played a significant role in how people perceived dog emotions.
Despite these findings, many participants projected their own emotions onto the dogs, further complicating their ability to accurately assess dog behavior. Even dog owners were not immune to these biases, as personal experience showed that they too could misinterpret dog emotions.
To improve understanding of dog emotions, researchers recommend humility and careful observation of a dog’s individual behavior cues. Each dog is unique, and it is essential to pay close attention to their subtle cues to truly understand their emotions.
Our dogs may be happy when we play with them, but we judge this more about the situation and our own feelings than what our puppies do. – Credit: westend61 via Getty
Learning to interpret a dog’s emotions accurately takes time and practice. By paying attention to subtle behavioral cues and staying open-minded, dog owners can build a stronger bond with their furry companions.
About our experts:
Holly Molinaro is a doctoral student, former professor, and animal welfare scientist at Arizona State University’s Department of Psychology.
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope investigated the lowest mass limits of brown dwarfs within Flame Nebula, a hotbed of star formation in Orion’s constellation.
A collage of this image from the Flame Nebula shows a view of near-infrared light from Hubble on the left, while the two insets on the right show the near-infrared view taken by Webb. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/M. Meyer, University of Michigan/A. Pagan, Stsci.
Flame Nebula It is about 1,400 light years away from Orion’s constellation.
Also known as NGC 2024 and SH2-277, this ejection nebula is about 12 light years wide and is less than a million years.
The Flame Nebula was discovered on January 1, 1786 by British astronomer William Herschel, born in Germany.
It is part of the Orion molecular cloud complex and includes famous nebulae such as the Hosehead Nebula and the Orion Nebula.
In a new study, astronomers used Webb to explore the lowest mass limits of brown dwarfs within the flame nebula.
The results, they found, were free-floating objects with mass about 2-3 times the mass of Jupiter.
“The goal of this project was to explore the fundamental low-mass limits of the star- and brown dwarf formation process,” said Dr. Matthew De Julio, an astronomer at the University of Texas at Austin.
“Webb allows you to investigate the faintest and lowest mass objects.”
The low mass limits that the required teams are looking for are set by a process known as fragmentation.
In this process, the large molecular clouds that produce both star and brown dwarfs are broken down into smaller units or fragments.
Fragmentation relies heavily on several factors where temperature, thermo-pressure, and gravity balance are the most important.
More specifically, as fragments contract under gravity, their cores become hot.
If the core is large enough, the hydrogen starts to fuse.
The outward pressure created by that fusion counters gravity, stops collapse and stabilizes the object.
However, the core is not compact, it is hot enough to burn hydrogen, and continues to shrink as long as it emits internal heat.
This near-infrared image of a portion of the Webb flame nebula highlights three low-mass objects found in the right inset. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI/M. MEYER, University of Michigan.
“We’ve seen a lot of effort into making it,” said Dr. Michael Meyer, an astronomer at the University of Michigan.
“If the clouds cool efficiently, they collapse and fall apart.”
When the fragment becomes opaque enough to reabsorb its own radiation, fragmentation stops, thereby stopping cooling and preventing further decay.
The theory places the lower bounds of these fragments between 1-10 Jupiter masses.
This study significantly reduces its scope as the Webb census counted fragments of different masses within the nebulae.
“As we found in many previous studies, going to a lower mass actually increases the amount of objects about ten times as much as Jupiter’s mass,” Dr. Deirio said.
“Studies using Webb are sensitive to Jupiter up to 0.5 times the mass of Jupiter, and as they get below 10 times the mass of Jupiter, there are considerably fewer.”
“We discovered that there are fewer 5 Jupiter Mass objects than the Ten Jupiter Mass object, and we can see that there are fewer 3 Jupiter Mass objects than the 5 Jupiter Mass objects.”
“We don’t actually find any objects below the mass of two or three Jupiter. We’re hoping to see if they’re there, so we’re assuming this could be the limit itself.”
“For the first time, Webb was able to investigate beyond that limit,” added Dr. Meyer.
“If that limitation is real, there really is no object of 1 Jupiter mass that floats freely in our Milky Way galaxies, unless it forms as a planet and is kicked out of the planetary system.”
a paper Regarding the survey results, Astrophysics Journal Letter.
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Matthew de Julio et al. 2025. Identification of sales in the initial mass function of young star clusters up to 0.5 mJ. apjl 981, L34; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ADB96A
Are you looking to keep your mind sharp as you age? One secret could be as simple as regularly exercising your brain with mathematics and reading comprehension, whether it’s at work, at home, or even while reading this article.
A groundbreaking new study led by Professor Eric Hanushek of Stanford University suggests that engaging in mathematics and reading can help prevent age-related cognitive decline. The research shows that individuals who regularly practice these skills do not experience significant declines in cognitive abilities over time, whether they are reading emails, doing calculations, or reading articles like this one. This challenges the notion that cognitive decline is inevitable with age.
The study reveals that cognitive skills typically peak in a person’s 40s before slowly declining. However, those who consistently engage in mathematics and reading, whether at work or in their daily activities, show no decline at all.
“Our findings indicate a significant increase in average skills in literacy and numeracy until the 40s. After this point, there is a slight decrease in literacy skills and a more noticeable decline in numeracy,” the study notes.
This study may inspire you to tackle your taxes – Credit: Skynesher
These findings challenge previous studies that suggested cognitive decline begins in early adulthood. Unlike past research that compared different age groups at one point in time, this study followed the same individuals over several years, providing a more accurate understanding of how cognitive abilities change with age.
Hanushek and his team propose that what was previously thought to be age-related cognitive decline might actually be due to differences in skill levels between generations rather than the natural effects of aging itself.
By analyzing data from language and mathematics assessments in the German population aged 16-65 and retesting the same group 3.5 years later, researchers found that women’s math skills declined significantly over time, indicating potential gender disparities. Further exploration of these differences is planned for future studies.
A primitive amphibian called the Temnospondyls survived the aftermath of the end-of-permian mass extinction that occurred about 252 million years ago. University of Bristol.
Reconstruction of the Temnospondyl species Mastodon Saurus. Image credit: Mark P. Whiton, https://www.markwitton.co.uk.
The Permian mass extinction is the most severe biological crisis in the last 540 million years, eliminating more than 90% of marine species and 75% of terrestrial species.
Dr. Aamir Mehmoud, a researcher at the University of Bristol, said:
“These were predatory animals that ate fish and other prey, but were primarily water-related, just like modern amphibians such as frogs and salamanders.”
“We know that the weather was hot, especially after the extinction event. Why were these water-loving animals so successful?”
The early Triassic period was an era of repeated volcanic activity that led to global warming, motivation, reduced atmospheric oxygen, acid rain, and long stages of widespread wildfires, creating such hostile conditions that the tropics lacked animal life.
This “tropical dead zone” dramatically affected the distribution of both marine and terrestrial organisms.
Dr. Suresh Singh of the University of Bristol said:
“We measured the size and characteristics of the skull and teeth that tell us about their function.”
“To our surprise, we discovered that they weren’t much different due to the crisis,” said Dr. Armin Elssler of the University of Bristol.
“The Temnospondils exhibited the same range of body sizes as the Permian, some of them were small, insect-eating, and others were bigger.”
“These large forms included animals in long snoo trapping fish and generalist feeders covered in vast nudes.”
“However, what’s unusual is that their body size and functional diversity expanded about five million years after the crisis and then returned.”
There is evidence that due to severe global warming in the first 5 million years of the Triassic, life on land and on seas has left the tropical region to avoid fever.
“Our work shows that Temnospondil was able to cross the tropical dead zone unexpectedly,” said Professor Mike Benton of the University of Bristol.
“The fossils are known from South Africa and Australia in the south, North America, Europe, and Siberia in the north.”
“Temnospondyls must have been able to cross the tropical zones during the cool episode.”
“Their explosion of success in the early Triassic period was not tracked,” Dr. Amir said.
“They dealt with hot conditions, perhaps because they could eat most prey animals and perhaps because they had a low food need by hiding in sparse waters.”
“However, when dinosaurs and mammalian ancestors began to diversify in the mid-Triassic period, Temnospondil began to undergo a long decline.”
a paper The findings will be published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
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Aamir Mehmoud et al. 2025. Permian – the ecology and geography of the recovery of Temnospondil after the mass extinction of the Triassic period. Royal Society Open Sciencein press; doi: 10.1098/rsos.241200
The first water molecules could have formed just 100 million to 200 million years after the Big Bang – even the first galaxy kicked off the processes that led to life on Earth.
Shortly after the Big Bang, most of the problems in the universe were hydrogen and helium, with only traces of other lighter elements, such as lithium. Heavy elements like oxygen are not yet present, and water is impossible to form.
These early elements were combined into the first star and produced heavier elements through oxygen-containing fusion. When these stars reach the end of their lives, they explode as supernovae, releasing these heavier elements, allowing oxygen to mix and mix with existing hydrogen to combine H.2O – Water.
Previous research It shows that even the relatively small amount of oxygen produced by the earliest stars could create water molecules, but they say up until now they have not simulated exactly what happens when a protostar becomes a supernova, and how the elements it released blended with the cosmic environment in which the stars were formed. Daniel Warren At the University of Portsmouth, UK. “To do anything less, you just don't know what's going on,” he says.
To investigate this, Whalen and his team used computer models to simulate the birth and death of the first star in a realistic context. These early stars are thought to range from 13 times the massive range of the Sun to 200 times the size of the Sun, so researchers modeled both extremes.
As you can imagine, the larger stars spit out more oxygen and produced more water in the form of steam clouds around the Jupiter mass, while the smaller stars produced Earth's mass, says Whaleen.
Depending on the mass of the star, researchers discovered that water took between 3 million and 90 million years after the supernova explosion. In other words, the first water molecules were formed 100-200 million years after the Big Bang.
Importantly, however, the team discovered that this water was not simply spreading throughout the universe. Instead, gravity caused it, and the other heavy elements produced by the first star were clumped together. That meant these chunks were breeding grounds for the second generation stars, and perhaps the first planet. “It was a huge result,” Whalen says.
“Even before the galaxy took place, this idea of water forming essentially overturning decades of thought about the first emergence of life in the universe,” says Whalen. Team Members Muhammadratif At UAE University, researchers now say they will simulate whether water vapor can survive the destruction of the formation of the first galaxy and harsh radiation.
“We know that the chemistry of life we know requires liquid water and can only be obtained in objects with surfaces in the universe or atmospheric.” avi loeb At Harvard University. It would have been a lot of time before this initial vapor condense into liquid water, but he says it could have helped them to find second-generation stars and their planets using instruments like the James Webbspace Telescope to help them understand this process more, and perhaps these planets could have been habitable millions of years after the Big Bang.
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