Blood test detects multiple cancer types through cell-free DNA

Researchers  have validated a blood test that can detect a broad range of cancers with high accuracy using cell-free DNA. A multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test identified cancer with 87.4% sensitivity and 97.8% specificity in an independent validation cohort, and it correctly predicted the tissue of origin around 83% of the time.

Early detection remains a critical challenge in cancer care. Current screening tools contribute to late diagnoses and poor outcomes, especially in cancers lacking established screening protocols.

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) circulating in the bloodstream, shed by tumors, has emerged as a promising target for noninvasive detection. Sensitivity for early-stage and less common cancers has remained low, yet the non-invasive nature of the tests makes them a compelling area for improvement.

In the study, "Early detection of multiple cancer types using multidimensional cell-free DNA fragmentomics," published in Nature Medicine, researchers designed a whole-genome sequencing–based blood test to detect cancer signals and predict the tissue of origin using machine learning models trained on cfDNA fragmentation patterns.

Researchers analyzed plasma-derived cell-free DNA using low-coverage whole-genome sequencing.

Nearly half of the cancers detected by the test were not identified through standard screening or physical examination. High sensitivity for cancers typically identified late in the disease course such as liver, ovarian, and pancreatic are extremely compelling and prediction of tissue origin adds further clinical relevance for early treatment.

Hua Bao et al, Early detection of multiple cancer types using multidimensional cell-free DNA fragmentomics, Nature Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03735-2

Forests aren't coming back after gold mining in the Amazon

Forests in the Peruvian Amazon aren't growing back after gold mining—not just because the soil is damaged by toxic metals, but because the land has been depleted of its water. A common mining method known as suction mining reshapes the terrain in ways that drain moisture and trap heat, creating harsh conditions where even replanted seedlings can't survive.

The findings, published in Communications Earth & Environment, revealed why reforestation efforts in the region have struggled. The mining process dries out the land, making it inhospitable for new trees. It's like trying to grow a tree in an oven!

To compare conditions, researchers installed sensors in various locations—sandy and clay soils, pond edges and undisturbed forests—and found that deforested sites were consistently hotter and drier. On exposed sand piles, surface temperatures reached as high as 145 F (60°C).

Drone-mounted thermal cameras showed how barren ground baked under the sun while nearby forested areas and pond edges stayed significantly cooler.

Abra Atwood et al, Landscape controls on water availability limit revegetation after artisanal gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon, Communications Earth & Environment (2025). Data on HydroShare Resources: DOI: 10.4211/hs.05a0490e971f491fa64c62cbde499a6a

The chemistry of interstellar space

Many people imagine the space between the stars as an empty, cold infinity. In reality, it is teeming with extraordinary molecules: More than 300 different types have already been discovered.

The conditions in space are completely different from those here on Earth. It is very cold, around -240°C, and the pressure is very low. There are far fewer collisions between molecules than on Earth: here, there are a billion collisions per second, while in space there is one every 10 days.

This means that certain molecules that occur in space cannot survive here on Earth. There are too many other molecules here that they would collide with immediately, causing them to ignite in the air or form new molecules. But how do you study those molecules?

At the HFML-FELIX laser and magnet lab, they have an enormous refrigerator that can cool down to -270°C and in which you can reduce the pressure. This creates conditions similar to those in space.  Then they would send a powerful infrared laser through the molecule to see how it would react.

Some researchers did this with the charged molecules C₂H⁺ and HC₂H⁺, which are thought to occur in space. We don't have these molecules on Earth because they react immediately with other molecules here. But we do have laser gas, which is used for welding. That's C₂H₂ and is very similar to HC₂H⁺ and C₂H⁺.

Welding gas is highly flammable and reacts immediately with air during welding. But if you take that welding gas, put it in a machine and fire a lot of electrons at it, it breaks down and you can extract HC₂H⁺ and C₂H^+.

By then firing an infrared laser at these charged molecules, researchers were able to obtain a kind of "fingerprint" of these molecules. To do this, they had to set up entirely new experimental methods and develop advanced theoretical models to understand the data. Once you have such a fingerprint and understand it, you can see if we can find it in the data collected by telescopes.

The method used by them has already helped find another of these exotic ions: CH₃⁺, which is methane (CH₄) with one less H. This molecule was observed in the Orion Nebula with the James Webb Space Telescope, in an area where stars are born. But we expect this molecule, and the others they investigated  to occur in many more places in space.

If we know exactly what the chemistry of space looks like, we can deduce how stars and planets are formed and how far a nebula is in its life cycle. Ultimately, it could also tell us something about how life on Earth originated and whether life can arise on other planets.

Source: Radboud University

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Protein that helps green bush crickets mimic green foliage

A green bush cricket (Tettigonia cantans) can easily be mistaken for a plant appendage from a distance. Its leafy green hue allows it to blend seamlessly into its surroundings, camouflaging itself in meadows, marshes, and fields, the habitats it calls home. What makes the bush cricket green? 

A recent study discovered that the secret to this camouflaging superpower comes from a water-soluble protein called dibilinoxanthinin (DBXN), which binds two distinct pigments—a blue bilin and a yellow lutein—to mimic the color of green foliage closely.

With the help of the genetic sequence of protein and cloning, the researchers found that the protein was a highly fragmented form of vitellogenin, a protein family essential for embryonic development.

Researchers note that DBXN-like proteins were found in other green insects and even in a green spider, hinting at the convergent evolution of this camouflage mechanism.

Nikita A. Egorkin et al, A green dichromophoric protein enabling foliage mimicry in arthropods, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2502567122

Scientists find new markers to identify species from fragments of fossilized bone

What happened to all the megafauna? From moas to mammoths, many large animals went extinct between 50 and 10,000 years ago. Learning why could provide crucial evidence about prehistoric ecosystems and help us understand future potential extinctions. But surviving fossils are often too fragmented to determine the original species, and DNA is not always recoverable, especially in hot or damp environments.

Now scientists have isolated collagen peptide markers which allow them to identify three key megafauna that were once present across Australia: a hippo-sized wombat, a giant kangaroo, and a marsupial with enormous claws.

Analyzing the peptides—short chains of amino acids—found in samples of collagen allows scientists to distinguish between different genera of animals, and sometimes between different species. Because collagen preserves better than DNA, this method can be applied successfully in tropical and sub-tropical environments where DNA is unlikely to survive.

Proteins generally preserve better over longer timescales and in harsh environments than DNA does. This means that in the context of megafauna extinctions, proteins may still be preserved where DNA is not.

The scientists ruled out any contaminants and compared the peptide markers they found to reference markers. The collagen in all three samples was well-preserved enough for the team to identify suitable peptide markers for all three species.

Using these markers, the team were able to differentiate Protemnodon from five living genera and one extinct genus of kangaroos. They were also able to distinguish Zygomaturus and Palorchestes from other living and extinct large marsupials, but they couldn't differentiate the two species from each other.

This is not unusual with ZooMS, since changes in collagen accumulate extremely slowly, over millions of years of evolution. Unless further research allows for more specificity, these markers are best used to identify bones at the genus level rather than the species.

However, the ability to tell apart genera from more temperate regions of Sahul does present an opportunity to try to identify bones found in more tropical areas, where closely related species—which are likely to have similar or even the same peptide markers—would have lived. DNA rarely preserves over time in these regions.

By using the newly developed collagen peptide markers, we can begin identifying a larger number of megafauna remains.

 Carli Peters et al, Collagen peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species, Frontiers in Mammal Science (2025). DOI: 10.3389/fmamm.2025.1564287

DNA floating in the air can track wildlife, viruses—even drugs

The level of information that's available in environmental DNA is such that we're only starting to consider what the potential applications can be, from humans, to wildlife to other species that have implications for human health.

Researchers have developed new methods for deciphering environmental DNA, also known as eDNA, to study sea turtle genetics. They've expanded the tools to study every species—including humans—from DNA captured in environmental samples like water, soil and sand.

But these errant strands of DNA do not just settle into muddy soil or flow along rivers. The air itself is infused with genetic material. A simple air filter running for hours, days or weeks can pick up signs of nearly every species that grows or wanders nearby.

That means you can study species without directly having to disturb them, without ever having to see them. It opens up huge possibilities to study all the species in an area simultaneously, from microbes and viruses all the way up to vertebrates like bobcats and humans, and everything in between.

As a proof of concept, the researchers showed that they could pick up signs of hundreds of different human pathogens from the  air, including viruses and bacteria. Such surveillance could help scientists track emerging diseases. The same method can track common allergens, like peanut or pollen, more precisely than is currently possible, the scientists discovered.

With little more than an air filter, scientists could track endangered species and identify where they came from, all without having to lay eyes on skittish animals or root around forest floors for scat samples. When trying to save and conserve wildlife, knowing where an animal originates from can be as important as knowing where it currently is.

This powerful analysis was paired with impressive speed and efficiency. The team demonstrated that a single researcher could process DNA for every species in as little as a day using compact, affordable equipment, and software hosted in the cloud. That quick turnaround is orders of magnitude faster than would have been possible just a few years ago and opens up advanced environmental studies to more scientists around the world.

Shotgun sequencing of airborne eDNA achieves rapid assessment of whole biomes, population genetics and genomic variation, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-025-02711-w

Physicists create 'the world's smallest violin' using nanotechnology

Physicists have used cutting-edge nanotechnology to create what they believe may be "the world's smallest violin," which is small enough to fit within the width of a human hair.

Common bone medications linked to serious jaw disease

Certain medications used in the treatment of bone conditions, particularly when combined with corticosteroids, may significantly increase the risk of a rare but serious jaw disease.

This finding comes from a study which analyzed data from Finnish adult patients who began bone medication between 2013 and 2015. The researchers recommend more careful monitoring and consideration in the use of such medications.

The condition in question is so-called osteonecrosis of the jaw, in which the jawbone weakens and deteriorates as a result of the medication. The incidence of osteonecrosis was 0.3% among low-dose antiresorptive drug (AR) users and as high as 9% among those receiving high doses. Antiresorptive drugs are commonly used in Finland, particularly in the treatment of osteoporosis and in the prevention of bone metastases in patients with breast or prostate cancer. The most commonly used AR drugs are denosumab and bisphosphonates.

According to the study published in Scientific Reports, the risk of jaw osteonecrosis was significantly higher in patients using denosumab. These users were up to five times more likely to suffer serious jaw damage than those taking bisphosphonates.

When corticosteroids were also involved, the risk increased further: simultaneous use of corticosteroids in addition to AR drug increased the risk of developing osteonecrosis of the jaw by 2 times in high-dose AR recipients and 6 times in low-dose AR recipients. Other significant risk factors for jaw osteonecrosis included male sex and a cancer diagnosis.

This is the first population-level study conducted in Finland on the incidence and risk factors of medication-related jaw osteonecrosis. The analysis covered data from nearly 60,000 Finnish patients.

Miika Kujanpää et al, Incidence of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw and associated antiresorptive drugs in adult Finnish population, Scientific Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-02225-2

Most people obey arbitrary rules even when it's not in their interest to do so, experiments show

Contrary to the popular saying, rules aren't meant to be broken, as they are foundational to society and exist to uphold safety, fairness and order in the face of chaos. The collective benefits of rule-following are well established, but individual incentives are often unclear. Yet, people still comply, and the reasons why are pieces of a puzzle that researchers of human behavior have been trying to piece together for years.

A recent study published in Nature Human Behavior explored the behavioral principles behind why people follow rules using a newly designed framework called CRISP. A series of four online experiments based on the framework involving 14,034 English-speaking participants, revealed that the majority (55%–70%) of participants chose to follow arbitrary rules—even when the compliance was costly, they were anonymous and violations had no adverse effects on others.

This proposed CRISP system explains rule conformity (C) as a function of four components: R—intrinsic respect for rules, independent of others' behavior; I—extrinsic incentives, such as the threat of punishment for breaking rules; S—social expectations about whether others will follow the rule or believe one should; and P—social preferences, which matter when rule-following affects the well-being of others.

Rules, often described as the "grammar of society," are embedded in nearly every aspect of human social life—personal, professional, and political in written, said and unsaid forms.

Despite their ubiquity, the deeper reasons why individuals choose to follow the rules remain poorly understood. The threat of punishment or social ostracism can motivate compliance, but studies have shown that people often follow the rules even when there are no clear consequences or incentives for doing so.

Understanding these nuances of rule-following behavior can have important implications for policy, law enforcement, and organizational behavior.

This work was done in the UK and Germany. So the results are different

In India they don't follow any rules. ANY!

Arbitrary rules are those that are decided or made without any fixed principle, plan, or system, often appearing random or unfair. They are based on individual discretion, preference, or whims, rather than logic or established standards. In legal contexts, arbitrary decisions are often seen as unjust because they lack a rational basis and can disregard fair considerations. 

The heaviest proton emitter: New type of atomic nucleus discovered

The radioactive decay of atomic nuclei has been one of the keystones of nuclear physics since the beginning of nuclear research. Now the heaviest nucleus decaying via proton emission has been measured in the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. The research article was written as part of an international research collaboration involving experts in theoretical nuclear physics and published in Nature Communications on 29 May 2025.

Proton emission is a rare form of radioactive decay, in which the nucleus emits a proton to take a step toward stability. 

The new nucleus is so far the lightest known isotope of astatine, ¹⁸⁸At, consisting of 85 protons and 103 neutrons. Exotic nuclei of this kind are extremely challenging to study due to their short lifetimes and low production cross sections, so precise techniques are needed.

The nucleus was produced in a fusion-evaporation reaction by irradiating natural silver target with ⁸⁴Sr ion beam. The new isotope was identified using the detector setup of the RITU recoil separator.

 Henna Kokkonen et al, New proton emitter ¹⁸⁸At implies an interaction unprecedented in heavy nuclei, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60259-6

Astronomers uncover most energetic explosions in universe

Astronomers from the University of Hawaiʻi's Institute for Astronomy (IfA) have discovered the most energetic cosmic explosions yet discovered, naming the new class of events "extreme nuclear transients" (ENTs). These extraordinary phenomena occur when massive stars—at least three times heavier than our sun—are torn apart after wandering too close to a supermassive black hole. Their disruption releases vast amounts of energy visible across enormous distances.

The researchers observed stars getting ripped apart as tidal disruption events for over a decade, but these ENTs are different beasts, reaching brightnesses nearly ten times more than what they typically see.

Not only are ENTs far brighter than normal tidal disruption events, but they remain luminous for years, far surpassing the energy outputs of even the brightest known supernova explosions.

The immense luminosities and energies of these ENTs are truly unprecedented. The most energetic ENT studied, named Gaia18cdj, emitted an astonishing 25 times more energy than the most energetic supernovae known. While typical supernovae emit as much energy in just one year as the sun does in its 10 billion-year lifetime, ENTs radiate the energy of 100 suns over a single year.

Jason Hinkle, The Most Energetic Transients: Tidal Disruptions of High Mass Stars, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adt0074. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt0074

Life from oceans to savannas explained with one single rule

A simple rule that seems to govern how life is organized on Earth is described in a new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

The research team that undertook this work thinks this rule helps explain why species are spread the way they are across the planet. The discovery will help to understand life on Earth—including how ecosystems respond to global environmental changes.

The rule is simple: in every region on Earth, most species cluster together in small "hotspot" areas, then gradually spread outward with fewer and fewer species able to survive farther away from these hotspots.

In every bioregion, there is always a core area where most species live. From that core, species expand into surrounding areas, but only a subset manages to persist. It seems these cores provide optimal conditions for species survival and diversification, acting as a source from which biodiversity radiates outward.

This pattern highlights the disproportionate ecological role these small areas play in sustaining the biodiversity of entire bioregions. Safeguarding these core zones is therefore essential, as they represent critical priorities for conservation strategies.

Researchers studied bioregions across the world, examining species from very different life forms: amphibians, birds, dragonflies, mammals, marine rays, reptiles, and trees.

Given the vast differences in life strategies—some species fly, others crawl, swim, or remain rooted—and the contrasting environmental and historical backgrounds of each bioregion, the researchers expected that species distribution would vary widely across bioregions. Surprisingly, they found the same pattern everywhere.

The pattern points to a general process known as environmental filtering. Environmental filtering has long been considered a key theoretical principle in ecology for explaining species distribution on Earth.

Until now, however, global empirical evidence has been scarce. This study provides broad confirmation across multiple branches of life and at a planetary scale.

It doesn't matter whether the limiting factor is heat, cold, drought, or salinity. The result is always the same: only species able to tolerate local conditions establish and persist, creating a predictable distribution of life on Earth.

The existence of a universal organizing mechanism has profound implications for our understanding of life on Earth. This pattern suggests that life on Earth may be, to some extent, predictable.

Such predictable patterns can help scientists trace how life has diversified through time and offer valuable insights into how ecosystems might react to global environmental changes.

A general rule on the organization of biodiversity in Earth's biogeographical regions, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-025-02724-5

Why AI can't understand a flower the way humans do

Even with all its training and computer power, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool like ChatGPT can't represent the concept of a flower the way a human does, according to a new study.

That's because the large language models (LLMs) that power AI assistants are usually based on language alone, and sometimes with images.

A large language model can't smell a rose, touch the petals of a daisy or walk through a field of wildflowers. Without those sensory and motor experiences, it can't truly represent what a flower is in all its richness. The same is true of some other human concepts.

The findings have implications for how AI and humans relate to each other.

If AI construes the world in a fundamentally different way from humans, it could affect how it interacts with us.

Researcher found that overall, the LLMs did very well compared to humans in representing words that didn't have any connection to the senses and to motor actions. But when it came to words that have connections to things we see, taste or interact with using our body, that's where AI failed to capture human concepts.

"From the intense aroma of a flower, the vivid silky touch when we caress petals, to the profound joy evoked, human representation of 'flower' binds these diverse experiences and interactions into a coherent category," the researchers say in the paper they published on the topic.

The issue is that most LLMs are dependent on language, and "language by itself can't fully recover conceptual representation in all its richness".

Even though LLMs can approximate some human concepts, particularly when they don't involve senses or motor actions, this kind of learning is not efficient.

"They obtain what they know by consuming vast amounts of text—orders of magnitude larger than what a human is exposed to in their entire lifetimes—and still can't quite capture some concepts the way humans do.

"The human experience is far richer than words alone can hold."

 Large language models without grounding recover non-sensorimotor but not sensorimotor features of human concepts, Nature Human Behaviour (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-025-02203-8

Blood sugar response to various carbohydrates may point to metabolic health subtypes

A study  by researchers shows that differences in blood sugar responses to certain carbohydrates depend on details of an individual's metabolic health status.

The differences in blood sugar response patterns among individuals were associated with specific metabolic conditions such as insulin resistance or beta cell dysfunction, both of which can lead to diabetes. The study findings suggest that this variability in blood sugar response could lead to personalized prevention and treatment strategies for prediabetes and diabetes.

Right now, the Diabetes Associations' dietary guidelines do not work that well because they lump everyone together. This study suggests that not only are there subtypes within prediabetes, but also that your subtype could determine the foods you should and should not eat.

A paper explaining the research was published in Nature Medicine.

There is more than one pathway to diabetes, which is currently diagnosed based on elevated blood sugar levels, called hyperglycemia. Beta cells in the pancreas make the hormone insulin, which is then distributed to cells throughout the body to help convert glucose, or sugar, in the blood into energy.

Beta cell dysfunction occurs when the pancreas fails to make or to release enough insulin, and insulin resistance occurs when cells in the body do not respond fully to insulin. Both beta cell dysfunction and insulin resistance can contribute to the high blood sugar levels that define prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

In the study, 55 participants without a history of type 2 diabetes underwent metabolic testing for insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction in addition to multi-omics profiling, which included tests for triglyceride levels, metabolites in plasma of the blood, measures of liver function and gut microbiome data.

Just under half of the participants, 26 in total, had prediabetes.

Part 1

The study participants wore continuous glucose monitors and ate same-sized portions of different carbohydrates that were delivered to their homes. There were seven foods tested: jasmine rice; buttermilk bread; shredded potato; pasta; canned black beans; grapes; and a berry mix containing blackberries, strawberries and blueberries.

The participants consumed the food first thing in the morning, after fasting for 10 to 12 hours. Each participant ate each food type twice, and the research team tracked their blood sugar response during the three hours after their meal.

Many participants had a blood glucose spike after eating rice or grapes, regardless of their metabolic health status. The blood glucose responses to foods containing the highest amounts of resistant starch—potatoes and pasta—varied depending on the participants' metabolic dysfunction.

Starchy foods were not equal; there was a lot of individual variability in which foods produced the highest glucose spike.
The highest blood sugar spikes after eating pasta occurred in participants who had insulin resistance, and the highest spikes after eating potatoes occurred in participants who were either insulin resistant or had beta cell dysfunction.

The multi-omics profiling showed that the potato-spiking participants also had high levels of triglycerides, fatty acids and other metabolites commonly seen in people with insulin resistance.

Glucose spikes to beans were associated with histidine and keto metabolism, a state in which the body primarily uses fat for energy. Participants whose blood sugar spiked after eating bread were more likely to have hypertension, or high blood pressure.
The highest blood glucose spikes after eating potatoes occurred in the participants who were the most insulin resistant and had the lowest beta cell function. Everyone spiked to some extent after eating grapes. The comparison of the blood glucose responses to potatoes versus grapes was associated with having insulin resistance, suggesting that this ratio could serve as a real-world biomarker for insulin resistance in the future.

"Such a biomarker would be useful because insulin resistance is amenable to lifestyle and medication interventions that can reduce risk for diabetes in high- risk individuals. At present there is no easy way to diagnose it in the clinic.
Part 2

The researchers also examined whether eating a portion of fiber, protein or fat before carbohydrates reduced blood sugar spikes. The participants ate pea fiber powder, protein from boiled egg whites or fat in the form of crème fraîche 10 minutes before eating rice.

Eating fiber or protein before the rice lowered the glucose spike, and eating fat before the rice delayed the peak of the spike. But these changes in blood glucose response occurred only in the metabolically healthy participants who were insulin-sensitive or had normal beta cell function.

Though eating fat, protein or fiber before carbohydrates had minimal impact on the blood glucose response patterns in participants with insulin resistance or beta cell dysfunction.
Eating carbohydrates later in a meal is still a good idea even though it has not yet been sorted out whether it is best to eat protein, fat or fiber before carbohydrates. Eat your salad or hamburger before your French fries, the researchers recommend.

Individual variations in glycemic responses to carbohydrates and underlying metabolic physiology, Nature Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03719-2

Part 3

Novel nanozyme prevents excess clotting

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed an artificial metal-based nanozyme that can potentially be used to clamp down on abnormal blood clotting caused by conditions like pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE).

The work is published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

Under normal circumstances, when a blood vessel is injured, specialized blood cells called platelets get activated and cluster together around the vessel to form protective blood clots. This process, known as the blood clotting cascade (hemostasis), involves a complex series of protein interactions triggered by signals from physiological agonists (chemicals) such as collagen and thrombin.

However, when these signals go haywire in conditions like PTE or diseases like COVID-19, oxidative stress and levels of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) increase, leading to over-activation of platelets. This triggers the formation of excess clots in the blood vessel, contributing to thrombosis, a major cause of morbidity and mortality.

To tackle this challenge, researchers  have developed nanomaterials that mimic the activity of natural antioxidant enzymes, which scavenge reactive oxidative molecules.

These "nanozymes" work by controlling ROS levels, thereby preventing the over-activation of platelets that leads to excess clot formation or thrombosis.

The team synthesized redox active nanomaterials of different sizes, shapes, and morphologies via a series of controlled chemical reactions starting from small building blocks. They then isolated platelets from human blood, activated them using physiological agonists, and tested how effectively the different nanozymes could prevent excess platelet aggregation.

The team found that spherical-shaped vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) nanozymes were the most efficient—these materials mimic a natural antioxidant enzyme called glutathione peroxidase to reduce oxidative stress.

It was challenging to get the pure form of the nano enzyme with only the +5 oxidation state of vanadium oxide. This was important because the +4 oxidation state is toxic to the cells.

The unique chemistry of the vanadium metal is crucial because the redox reactions that reduce ROS levels are happening on the surface of the vanadium nanomaterial.

The team injected the nanozyme in a mouse model of PTE and found that it significantly reduced thrombosis and increased the animals' survival rates. They also observed the weight, behavior, and blood parameters of the animal for up to five days after injecting the nanozyme, and did not find any toxic effects.

Anti-platelet drugs that target thrombosis sometimes have side effects such as increased bleeding.

Unlike conventional anti-platelet drugs that interfere with physiological hemostasis, the nanozymes modulate the redox signaling and do not interfere with normal blood clotting. This means that they won't cause bleeding complications that are a major concern with current therapies.

Part 1

The team now plans to explore the efficacy of the nanozyme in preventing ischemic stroke, which is also caused by clogging of blood vessels.

Their experiments with human platelets worked well too.

G. R. Sherin et al, Vanadia Nanozymes Inhibit Platelet Aggregation, Modulate Signaling Pathways and Prevent Pulmonary Embolism in Mice, Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2025). DOI: 10.1002/anie.202503737

Part 2

Nanoparticle smart spray helps crops block infection before it starts

As climate change fuels the spread of plant diseases worldwide, a new nanoparticle smart spray could help crops defend themselves by blocking harmful bacteria from entering through tiny pores in their leaves.

The spray is made of nano-sized particles which are designed to deliver antibacterial compounds directly to the plant's stomata—the pores on a plant's leaves that let it breathe, but which can also act as gateways for infection.

The particles, which we've called 'SENDS'—short for stomata-targeting engineered nanoparticles—are designed to stick precisely to these pores, like a lock finding its key. Once in place, they release natural antibacterial agents that stop pathogens from getting inside and infecting the plant.

Suppanat Puangpathumanond et al, Stomata-targeted nanocarriers enhance plant defense against pathogen colonization, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60112-w

Broad-spectrum antiviral compounds discovered

An interdisciplinary research team has identified two antiviral drug candidates effective against a wide range of viruses. The study demonstrates how combining computer-aided modeling with laboratory validation can speed up the development of new antiviral drugs.

The researchers used computer simulations to search for specific metabolic processes necessary for viral reproduction but not vital for the cell itself. Using this method, the team identified two active agents that successfully combated various viruses in initial laboratory tests. The study was published in Communications Biology.

Using data from virus-infected tissues, the international research team developed computer models representing the complex metabolism of cells.

The team then used these tissue-specific models to simulate the replication of various RNA viruses, which are of particular importance due to their pandemic potential. The modeling revealed metabolic processes that the viruses require for replication but that are not essential for cellular survival.

Using these models, the researchers have predicted specific metabolic pathways essential for viral replication, which represent potential targets for antiviral therapies.

They then searched existing drug databases for substances that inhibit precisely these metabolic processes.

Since most viruses have similar basic replication requirements, the international research team from Germany, France, Italy, Greece, and Australia suspected that this strategy could be used to inhibit a wide variety of viruses.

They  tested this hypothesis experimentally and found various substances with broad antiviral activity against very different virus families.

Infection experiments in cell cultures confirmed that two drug candidates—phenformin and atpenin A5—effectively inhibit viral replication.

Phenformin interferes with the metabolism of the cell and was therefore previously used as a drug in type 2 diabetes. Since phenformin is well-characterized for use in humans, their findings could be used to establish supportive therapy against corona or flavivirus infections in the relatively short term.

Part 1

In animal experiments with SARS‑CoV‑2‑infected hamsters, phenformin significantly reduced the viral load in the respiratory tract. In cell cultures, phenformin also inhibited the multiplication of dengue viruses, for which there is currently no approved treatment.

Extensive clinical studies on the use of phenformin as an antidiabetic agent have already established its safety in humans. Further clinical studies are needed to determine if phenformin has an antiviral effect in humans. In contrast, atpenin A5 is an experimental substance that demonstrates the feasibility of the methodological approach in cell culture.

Further studies must be conducted to determine whether variants of the substance can be used in animal models where they are both tolerated and have an antiviral effect.

According to the scientists, the developed methods and identified drug candidates are an important step in the rapid development of potential treatments for future pandemics.

Alina Renz et al, Metabolic modeling elucidates phenformin and atpenin A5 as broad-spectrum antiviral drugs against RNA viruses, Communications Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-08148-y

Part 2

Depriving mice of iron can increase the chance of intersex offspring

Iron deficiency in pregnant mice may lead to the development of ovaries in a small proportion of offspring carrying XY chromosomes, which typically determine male sex. The findings, published in Nature this week, reveal a link between iron metabolism and sex determination in mammals.

A key gene responsible for male sex determination in mammals is Sry, which controls the development of the testes and is found on the Y chromosome. An enzyme called KDM3A that is essential for regulating Sry gene expression is known to rely on Fe²⁺ for its activity. However, how iron levels may influence sex determination remains unclear.

To explore the potential connection between iron metabolism and sex determination in mammals,  researchers conducted a series of experiments using cultured cells and mice. They found that genes favoring accumulation of Fe²⁺ are upregulated in developing mouse embryonic gonads during the crucial period of sex determination.

When the researchers reduced iron levels in cultured cells to approximately 40% of normal levels, expression of the Sry gene was largely suppressed, and the XY gonads began to show genetic markers associated with ovary development.

The researchers then tested the effects of both short-term and long-term iron deficiency in pregnant mice. Short-term iron deficiency was induced by administering an iron-removing drug to pregnant mice for about five days around the time of embryonic sex determination. Among 72 XY offspring born to these mothers, four developed two ovaries and one developed an ovary and a testis. Long-term iron deficiency was induced through a low-iron diet starting four weeks before pregnancy and continuing for six weeks.

This long-term low-iron diet showed no effect on sex determination until a loss-of-function mutation in the gene that encodes KDM3A was introduced in the mothers. This resulted in male-to-female sex reversal in two of 43 XY offspring. No abnormalities were observed in offspring born to mothers with normal iron levels in either of the experiments.

The findings demonstrate a key role of iron in mammalian sex determination, although the effects of iron deficiency on human pregnancies were not investigated.

 Makoto Tachibana, Maternal iron deficiency causes male-to-female sex reversal in mouse embryos, Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09063-2. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09063-2

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Baby's microbiome may protect against later childhood viral infection

A baby's makeup of gut bacteria—their microbiome—which starts to form as soon as they are born, could help protect against viral infections later in childhood, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that babies with a specific mix of gut bacteria at one week old, which was only found in some babies born vaginally, were less likely to be hospitalized for viral lower respiratory tract infections (vLRTI) in the first two years of life.

This research, published in The Lancet Microbe, is the first study to show an association between the makeup of the gut microbiome in the first week of life and hospital admissions for respiratory infections in early childhood.

The team did this using whole genome sequencing and analysis of stool samples from 1,082 newborns and then used their electronic health records to track admissions to hospital up to the age of two years old.

Building on previous findings  this new research suggests that certain microbiome compositions could give different benefits, such as protection against viral infections.

The gut microbiome is a complex ecosystem of millions of microbes that are vital for human health and important in immune system development. As it begins to form immediately at birth, the first month is the earliest window for intervention that could be used to restore or boost the microbiome.

Previously, the researchers  found that babies born vaginally have a different microbiome compared to those born via cesarean section (C-section), although the differences largely evened out by the time the child was one-year old.

A different study by the same team also found that all UK babies have one of three bacteria within the first week of life, called pioneer bacteria. Two of these, Bifidobacterium longum (B. longum) and Bifidobacterium breve (B. breve), are considered beneficial as they help promote the development of a stable microbiome.

However, not all babies born vaginally had the same microbiome composition. The team identified two other groups of babies based on their microbiome profile, who had a higher risk of hospital admission for vLRTI compared to those in the B. longum group. These other microbiome profiles were found in babies born vaginally and by C-section.

It's important to note that the team observed this finding as an association, otherwise known as correlation, and further research is needed to prove any causal links.

The neonatal gut microbiota and its association with severe viral lower respiratory tract infections in the first two years of life: a birth cohort study with metagenomics, The Lancet Microbe (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.lanmic.2024.101072

Brain mechanisms that distinguish imagination from reality discovered

Areas of the brain that help a person differentiate between what is real and what is imaginary have been uncovered in a new study.

The research, published in Neuron, found that a region in the brain known as  the fusiform gyrus—located behind one's temples, on the underside of the brain's temporal lobe—is involved in helping the brain to determine whether what we see is from the external world or generated by our imagination.

For the study, researchers asked 26 participants to look at simple visual patterns while imagining them at the same time.

Specifically, participants were asked to look for a specific faint pattern within a noisy background on a screen and indicate whether the pattern was actually present or not. A real pattern was only presented half of the time.

At the same time, participants were also instructed to imagine a pattern that was either the same or different to the one they were looking for, and indicate how vivid their mental images were.

When the patterns were the same, and participants reported that their imagination was very vivid, they were more likely to say they saw a real pattern, even in trials in which nothing was presented. This means they mistook their mental images for reality.

While participants performed the tasks, their brain activity was monitored using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This technology enabled the researchers to identify which parts of the brain showed patterns of activity that helped distinguish reality from imagination.

The team found that the strength of activity in the fusiform gyrus could predict whether people judged an experience as real or imagined, irrespective of whether it actually was real.

When activity in the fusiform gyrus was strong, people were more likely to indicate that the pattern was really there.

Usually, activation in the fusiform gyrus is weaker during imagination than during perception, which helps the brain keep the two apart. However, this study showed that sometimes when participants imagined very vividly, activation of the fusiform gyrus was very strong and participants confused their imagination for reality.

These findings suggest that the brain uses the strength of sensory signals to distinguish between imagination and reality.

The study also showed that the fusiform gyrus collaborates with other brain areas to help us decide what is real and what is imagined.

Specifically, activity in the anterior insula—a brain region in the prefrontal cortex (the front part of the brain that acts as a control center for tasks such as decision-making, problem solving and planning)—increased in line with activity in the fusiform gyrus when participants said something was real, even if it was in fact imagined.

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These results offer new insights into what might go wrong in the brain during psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia, where patients struggle to keep apart imagination and reality. The findings may also inform future virtual reality technologies by identifying how and when imagined experiences feel real.

 A neural basis for distinguishing imagination from reality, Neuron (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2025.05.015. www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(25)00362-9

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When Chemistry combines with Biology: Caterpillar factories produce fluorescent nanocarbons

Researchers have successfully used insects as mini molecule-making factories, marking a breakthrough in chemical engineering. 

Referred to as "in-insect synthesis," this technique offers a new way to create and modify complex molecules, which will generate new opportunities for the discovery, development, and application of non-natural molecules, such as nanocarbons.

Molecular nanocarbons are super-tiny structures made entirely of carbon atoms. Despite their minuscule size, they can be mechanically strong, conduct electricity, and even emit fluorescent light. These properties make them ideal for use in applications like aerospace components, lightweight batteries, and advanced electronics.

However, the precision required to manufacture these tiny structures remains a major obstacle to their widespread use. Conventional laboratory techniques struggle with the fine manipulation needed to put these complex molecules together atom by atom, and their defined shapes make it especially difficult to modify them without disrupting their integrity.

As strange as the idea may sound, it's rooted in biology. Insects, particularly plant-eating insects like grasshoppers and caterpillars, have evolved sophisticated systems in the gut for breaking down foreign substances like plant toxins and pesticides. These metabolic processes rely on enzymes capable of complex chemical transformations.

 Researchers hypothesized that insects could serve as living chemical factories, performing the types of chemical modifications to nanocarbons that are difficult to replicate in the laboratory.

To test their concept, they fed tobacco cutworm caterpillars—common agricultural pests with well-mapped metabolic pathways—a diet containing a belt-shaped molecular nanocarbon known as [6]MCPP.

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Two days later, analysis of the caterpillar poo revealed a new molecule, [6]MCPP-oxylene, which is [6]MCPP that has incorporated an oxygen atom. This subtle change caused the molecule to become fluorescent.

Using techniques such as mass spectrometry, NMR, and X-ray crystallography, the researchers determined [6]MCPP-oxylene's structure. Experiments using molecular biology pinpointed two enzymes, CYP X2 and X3, as being responsible for the transformation.

Further genetic analyses confirmed that these enzymes are essential for the reaction to occur.

Computer simulations found that these enzymes could simultaneously bind two [6]MCPP-oxylene molecules and directly insert an oxygen atom into a carbon–carbon bond—a rare and previously unobserved phenomenon.

It is extremely difficult to reproduce the chemical reactions occurring inside insects in a laboratory setting. Lab-based attempts at this oxidation reaction failed or had very low yields.
True to the philosophy of the PRI, this work pioneers a new direction in materials science: making functional molecules using insects. The shift from traditional test tubes to biological systems—enzymes, microbes, or insects—will allow the construction of complex nanomolecules.

Beyond glowing molecular nanocarbons, with tools like genome editing and directed evolution, in-insect synthesis could be applied to a wide range of molecules and functions, forging links between organic chemistry and synthetic biology.

 Atsushi Usami et al, In-insect synthesis of oxygen-doped molecular nanocarbons, Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adp9384. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp9384

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Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla blasts off into space next week as the first Indian to join the International Space Station (ISS).

An air force fighter pilot, 39-year-old Shukla is joining a four-crew mission launching from the United States with private company Axiom Space, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

He will become the first Indian to join the ISS, and only the second ever in orbit—an achievement that the world's most populous nation hopes will be a stepping stone for its own human flight.

The air force group captain—equivalent to an army colonel or navy captain—will pilot the commercial mission slated to launch June 10 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a joint team between NASA and ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organization.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced plans to send a man to the moon by 2040.

India's ISRO said in May that it planned to launch an uncrewed orbital mission later this year, before its first human spaceflight in early 2027.

Shukla's voyage comes four decades after Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma joined a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 1984.

Unlike the symbolic undertones of India's first human spaceflight, this time the focus is on operational readiness and global integration.

If he is unable to fly on Tuesday, fellow air force pilot Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, 48, is expected to take his place.

India has flexed its ambitions in the last decade with its space program growing considerably in size and momentum, matching the achievements of established powers at a much cheaper price tag.

In August 2023, it became just the fourth nation to land an unmanned craft on the moon after Russia, the United States and China.

Source: Various news Agencies

How can we tell if AI is lying? New method tests whether AI explanations are truthful

Given the recent explosion of large language models (LLMs) that can make convincingly human-like statements, it makes sense that there's been a deepened focus on developing the models to be able to explain how they make decisions. But how can we be sure that what they're saying is the truth?

In a new paper, researchers from Microsoft and MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) propose a novel method for measuring LLM explanations with respect to their "faithfulness"—that is, how accurately an explanation represents the reasoning process behind the model's answer.

If an LLM produces explanations that are plausible but unfaithful, users might develop false confidence in its responses and fail to recognize when recommendations are misaligned with their own values, like avoiding bias in hiring.

In areas like health care or law, unfaithful explanations could have serious consequences: the researchers specifically call out an example in which GPT-3.5 gave higher ratings to female nursing candidates compared to male ones even when genders were swapped, but explained its answers to be affected only by age, skills, and traits.

Prior methods for measuring faithfulness produce quantitative scores that can be difficult for users to interpret—what does it mean for an explanation to be, say, 0.63 faithful? 

To accomplish this, they introduced "causal concept faithfulness," which measures the difference between the set of concepts in the input text that the LLM explanations implies were influential to those that truly had a causal effect on the model's answer. Examining the discrepancy between these two concept sets reveals interpretable patterns of unfaithfulness—for example, that an LLM's explanations don't mention gender when they should.

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two particularly important findings:

On a dataset of questions designed to test for social biases in language models, they found cases in which LLMs provide explanations that mask their reliance on social biases. In other words, the LLMs make decisions that are influenced by social identity information, such as race, income, and gender—but then they justify their decisions based on other factors, such as an individual's behavior.
On a dataset of medical questions involving hypothetical patient scenarios, the team's method revealed cases in which LLM explanations omit pieces of evidence that have a large effect on the model's answers regarding patient treatment and care.
The research team says that, by uncovering specific patterns in misleading explanations, their method can enable a targeted response to unfaithful explanations.

Katie Matton et al. Walk the Talk? Measuring the Faithfulness of Large Language Model Explanations. ICLR 2025 Spotlight. openreview.net/forum?id=4ub9gpx9xw

Part 2

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Iron-deficient male mice can grow ovaries
Male mouse fetuses can develop female organs in utero if their mother is iron deficient during pregnancy. When pregnant mice were given a molecule that sequesters iron, or their embryos had genetic tweaks that disrupted their iron uptake, a handful of pups with XY chromosomes in their litters grew ovaries. The findings could have implications for medical advice about iron intake during pregnancy. But as most embryos developed typical sexual characteristics, there must be other key factors that influence sex.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09063-2.epdf?sharing_tok...

Breakthrough cholesterol treatment can cut levels by 69% after one dose

The future of heart attack prevention could be as easy as a single injection

A single shot of a new drug can lower cholesterol levels by up to 69 per cent, according to the initial results of a clinical trial that has not yet been peer reviewed.

The treatment, called VERVE-102, could transform the future of heart attack prevention by dramatically reducing a person's levels of LDL cholesterol – the so-called ‘bad’ cholesterol – with just one injection.

While statins can lower a person’s cholesterol levels by similar levels, these generally need to be taken daily.

Instead of managing cholesterol over time like statins, VERVE-102 aims to provide a one-time fix by ‘switching off’ a specific gene, known as PCSK9, in the liver. This gene plays a key role in regulating how much LDL cholesterol the liver can detect and remove from the bloodstream. 

Essentially, less PCSK9 leads to less LDL in the bloodstream.

New bio-based hot glue made from industrial leftovers outperforms commercial adhesives

A new bio-based hot glue derived from a byproduct of the wood pulp industry beats traditional epoxy resins and commercial hot-melt glues in terms of adhesive performance.

Researchers developed a hot-melt adhesive derived from xylan—a complex sugar found in plant cell walls—that can be applied in a molten state and reused over 10 times without any loss of its original strength. 

Adhesives don't just bond materials, they are the backbone of industrial manufacturing in sectors like packaging, construction and electronics. They are often divided into groups—solvent-based adhesives, reactive adhesives, and hot-melt adhesives (HMAs)—based on how they cure (dry or harden).

Unfortunately, most industrial-grade adhesives available on the market are extracted from petroleum-based products, which can have a negative impact on human and environmental health.

Despite being derived from fossil fuels, HMAs have been preferred over other potentially toxic adhesives since their introduction in the 1950s. They are primarily composed of four key ingredients: polymers, which provide strength and control tackiness; resins, which enhance adhesion to various surfaces; waxes, which improve curing speed and heat resistance; and additives, which help boost stability and extend shelf life.

Being solvent-free and solid at room temperature, HMAs must be melted before use. Once applied and cooled, they form strong bonds quickly—delivering excellent mechanical performance without releasing harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

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With the world moving towards more sustainable options, researchers have been on the lookout for high-performance, non-toxic adhesives derived from renewable resources.

Several studies have ventured into the extraction of bio-based adhesives from natural sources like soybean protein, starch, chitin, cellulose, and lignin. However, they suffered from limitations such as low bonding strength and lack of reusability.
To synthesize the high-performance bio-based adhesive, the researchers sourced xylan from viscose fiber mills, which were then freeze-dried and oxidized in the sodium periodate (NaIO4) solution. This step selectively oxidized the 2,3-hydroxyl groups of xylan into aldehyde groups while cleaving the carbon bonds (C2–C3) in the anhydroxylose units, resulting in dialdehyde xylan (DAX).

After purification, the DAX powder was treated with a monobasic sodium phosphate solution, followed by sodium borohydride (NaBH4), which reduced the hydroxyl groups and yielded the final product, dialcohol xylan (RDAX).
The researchers used the xylan adhesive to bond together some woodchips and found that it exhibited a lap-shear strength—the ability to maintain adhesion when force is applied parallel to the bonded joint—of up to around 30 MPa, a value that surpasses many commercially available HMAs. High-performance hot-melt adhesive (XA) also works well in extreme cold, too, maintaining strong adhesion even at –25°C.

This enhanced adhesion strength traces back to the formation of a continuous layer that mechanically interlocks with the wood by penetrating its vessel pores. At the molecular level, strong adhesion arises primarily from hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces between the adhesive and the substrate surface.

A biocompatible and reusable adhesive obtained from a waste byproduct strengthens the shift towards a greener and more circular economy.

Ziwen Lv et al, Bio-based hot-melt adhesive from xylan, Nature Sustainability (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41893-025-01579-9

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Statins may reduce risk of death by 39% for patients with life-threatening sepsis, large study finds

Sepsis is when the immune system overshoots its inflammatory reaction to an infection, so strongly that the vital organs begin to shut down. It is life-threatening.

In about 15% of cases, sepsis worsens into septic shock, characterized by dangerously low blood pressure and reduced blood flow to tissues. The risk of death from septic shock is even higher, between 30% and 40%.

The earlier patients with sepsis are treated, the better their prospects. Typically, they receive antibiotics, intravenous fluids, and vasopressors to raise blood pressure. But now, a large cohort study published in Frontiers in Immunology has shown for the first time that supplementary treatment with statins could boost their chances of survival.

This cohort study found that treatment with statins was associated with a 39% lower death rate for critically ill patients with sepsis, when measured over 28 days after hospital admission.

Statins are best known as a protective treatment against cardiovascular disease, which function by lowering 'bad' LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and raising 'good' HDL cholesterol. But they have been shown to bring a plethora of further benefits, which explains the burgeoning interest in their use as a supplementary therapy for inflammatory disorders, including sepsis.

Not just lowering cholesterol,  Statins have anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antioxidative, and antithrombotic properties too. They may help mitigate excessive inflammatory response, restore endothelial function, and show potential antimicrobial activities.

The authors sourced their data from the public Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV) database, which holds the anonymized e-health records of 265,000 patients admitted to the emergency department and the intensive care unit of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Boston between 2008 and 2019. Only adults with a diagnosis of sepsis hospitalized for longer than 24 hours were included.

The authors compared outcomes between patients who received or didn't receive any statins during their stay besides standard of care, regardless of the type of statin.

The results showed that the 28-day all-cause mortality rate was 14.3% in the statin group and 23.4% in the no statin group, indicating a relative reduction of 39% [9.1 percentage points].

"These results strongly suggest that statins may provide a protective effect and improve clinical outcomes for patients with sepsis," concluded the researchers.

Statin use during Intensive Care Unit Stay Is Associated with Improved Clinical Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients with Sepsis: A Cohort Study, Frontiers in Immunology (2025). DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1537172

Airborne toxin detected in Western Hemisphere for the first time

Once in a while, scientific research resembles detective work. Researchers head into the field with a hypothesis and high hopes of finding specific results, but sometimes, there's a twist in the story that requires a deeper dive into the data.

That was the case for some researchers who led a field campaign in an agricultural region of Oklahoma. Using a high-tech instrument to measure how aerosol particles form and grow in the atmosphere, they stumbled upon something unexpected: the first-ever airborne measurements of medium chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs), a kind of toxic organic pollutant, in the Western Hemisphere. Their results published today in ACS Environmental Au.

MCCPs are currently under consideration for regulation by the Stockholm Convention, a global treaty to protect human health from long-standing and widespread chemicals. While the toxic pollutants have been measured in Antarctica and Asia, researchers haven't been sure how to document them in the Western Hemisphere's atmosphere until now.

MCCPs are used in fluids for metalworking and in the construction of PVC and textiles. They are often found in wastewater and as a result, can end up in biosolid fertilizer, also called sewage sludge, which is created when liquid is removed from wastewater in a treatment plant. Researchers suspect the MCCPs they identified came from biosolid fertilizer in the fields near where they set up their instrument. When sewage sludges are spread across the fields, those toxic compounds could be released into the air, the researchers said. They can't show directly that that's happening, but they think it's a reasonable way that they could be winding up in the air. Sewage sludge fertilizers have been shown to release similar compounds.

Daniel John Katz et al, Real-Time Measurements of Gas-Phase Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins Reveal Daily Changes in Gas-Particle Partitioning Controlled by Ambient Temperature, ACS Environmental Au (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.5c00038

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Aged dust particles act as 'chemical reactors in sky' to drive air pollution, study finds

Dust particles thrown up from deserts such as the Sahara and Gobi are playing a previously unknown role in air pollution, a new study has found.

The international study published in National Science Review has revealed that, contrary to long-held scientific assumptions, aged desert dust particles, which were once considered too big and dry to host significant chemical reactions, actually act as "chemical reactors in the sky"—facilitating the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA), a major component of airborne particles.

Published in a collaborative effort led by scientists from China, Japan, the UK, and other nations, the study shows that during dust events such as those stemming from the Sahara and Gobi deserts, around 50% of water-soluble secondary organic aerosols, primarily considered as SOA, are found in coarse (supermicron) dust particles.

This finding challenges the conventional wisdom on its head as, until now, scientists thought that such SOA is primarily formed in fine (submicron) particles or cloud droplets.

This discovery marks a major advance in understanding the chemistry of secondary organic aerosols.

The team found that the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) occurs in water-containing coatings of aged dust, specifically those that have reacted with atmospheric nitric acid to form calcium nitrate. This compound absorbs water even in dry conditions (relative humidity as low as 8%), creating a micro-environment where gas-phase pollutants like glyoxal can dissolve, react, and form aqueous-phase secondary organic aerosol (aqSOA).

To validate their findings, the team combined cutting-edge microscopic analysis with global-scale computer modeling. They showed that these dust-driven reactions could account for up to two thirds of total secondary organic aerosol in some of the world's dustiest regions, from North Africa to East Asia—orders of magnitude more than previous estimates.

Air pollution from fine particles is linked to millions of premature deaths annually and contributes to climate change. Understanding how and where these particles form helps improve forecasts, guide pollution controls, and ultimately protect human health.

Weijun Li et al, Aqueous-phase secondary organic aerosol formation on mineral dust, National Science Review (2025). DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwaf221

Solar Analemma

Why the Sun Makes a Figure Eight in the Sky

The figure-8 pattern is due to a combination of the tilt of Earth's axis and the ellipticity of Earth's orbit which cause the Sun's position to change over the course of a year.

Excessive oleic acid, found in olive oil, shown to drive fat cell growth

We have been told that olive fat is good for health. Olive oil this and olive oil that. 

Now listen to this ....

Eating a high-fat diet containing a large amount of oleic acid—a type of fatty acid commonly found in olive oil—could drive obesity more than other types of dietary fats, according to a study published in the journal Cell Reports.

The study found that oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat associated with obesity, causes the body to make more fat cells. By boosting a signaling protein called AKT2 and reducing the activity of a regulating protein called LXR, high levels of oleic acid resulted in faster growth of the precursor cells that form new fat cells.

Researchers  fed mice a variety of specialized diets enriched in specific individual fatty acids, including those found in coconut oil, peanut oil, milk, lard and soybean oil. Oleic acid was the only one that caused the precursor cells that give rise to fat cells to proliferate more than other fatty acids.

You can think of the fat cells as an army. When you give oleic acid, it initially increases the number of 'fat cell soldiers' in the army, which creates a larger capacity to store excess dietary nutrients. Over time, if the excess nutrients overtake the number of fat cells, obesity can occur, which can then lead to cardiovascular diseases or diabetes if not controlled.

If someone is at risk for heart disease, high levels of oleic acid may not be a good idea, researchers conclude.

 Allison Wing et al, Dietary oleic acid drives obesogenic adipogenesis via modulation of LXRα signaling, Cell Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115527

There's an Invisible Line That Animals Usually Don't Cross 

The animal kingdoms of Asia and Australia are worlds apart, thanks to an invisible line that runs right between the two neighboring continents.

Most wildlife never cross this imaginary boundary, not even birds.

And so it has been for tens of millions of years, shaping animal evolution in different ways on each side.

It all started about 30 million years ago, when the Australian tectonic plate bashed up against the Eurasian tectonic plate and created an archipelago, rerouting ocean currents and creating new regional climates.

On one side of the map, in Indonesia and Malaysia, monkeys, apes, elephants, tigers, and rhinos evolved; while on the other side, in New Guinea and Australia, marsupials, monotremes, rodents, and cockatoos flourish.  Very few species are abundant on both sides.

The curious faunal divide is named Wallace's Line – after the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who first noticed the stark difference in animal life (mostly mammals) while exploring the region in the mid-19th century.

An Invisible Barrier Keeping Two Worlds Apart

Generally speaking, Wallace's line separates a shelf of the Asian continent from a shelf of the Australian tectonic plate. It is a geological line, but it is also a climatic and biological one.

While Wallace's invisible line is most obvious when comparing mammals in Asia and Australia, it also exists for birds, reptiles, and other animals.

Even creatures with wings don't typically make the trip across Wallace's line, and in the ocean, some types of  fish and microbes show genetic differences on one side of the border compared to the other, indicating very little mixing between populations.

Scientists have yet to figure out what invisible barriers are holding these species back. Habitat and climate, however, are probably factors accentuating the evolutionary divide.

Wallace's divide isn't an absolute border, but more of a gradient, scientists say. Even still, the blurry line helps us make sense of animal evolution for thousands of species.

https://www.sciencealert.com/theres-an-invisible-line-that-animals-...

Image source:

https://rgssa.org.au/lectures/the-wallace-line

Sources:

The Wallace Line - The Royal Geographical Society of South Australia

Wallace Line - Wikipedia

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Why Do Some Runners Get Sick After a Marathon?

An intense training load, such as running long distances, can temporarily suppress the immune system, which may render athletes susceptible to falling ill.

It has been observed that marathon runners  tended to get sick during the week or two after running a marathon. 

Research results revealed a link between exercise load and illness: Runners were more likely to fall sick the week after the race than non-participants.¹ The risk was higher among athletes who trained more than 60 miles a week, indicating that greater exercise intensity raised the chance of illness.

These findings led to broader investigations in the lab. Thorough research in the field  has shown that while people draw a multitude of benefits from moderate exercise, heavy exertion during endurance sports, such as marathons and ultra marathons, triggers transient immune dysfunction and increased risk of upper respiratory illness.

They observed that people who took daily 45-minute brisk walks had increased circulation of some immune cells and enhanced activity of the body’s natural killer (NK) cells. Those who regularly walked also experienced less severe symptoms of respiratory infections compared to sedentary people. Other researchers have consistently reported similar observations: Bouts of moderate exercise send immune cells out of the tissues they reside in and into the bloodstream, where they patrol to spot and strike any invading pathogens.

In contrast, when researchers monitored athletes who ran for three hours, mimicking heavy exertion, they observed reduced numbers and activity of NK cells. This high-intensity exercise also increased the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can weaken the immune response. The levels returned to baseline in about a day. But it's still enough of an interruption in normal immunity such that the omnipresent viruses then can multiply, gain a foothold, and then increase infection rates.

However, some researchers have questioned whether this “open window” is sufficient to cause infections, debating whether athletes suffer from illness symptoms due to infections or simply as a result of exercise-associated inflammation. Nevertheless, researchers largely agree that heavy exercise temporarily suppresses some immune functions, which may compromise athletes’ resistance to minor illnesses if they do not rest and recover sufficiently between exercise sessions.

https://www.the-scientist.com/why-do-some-runners-get-sick-after-a-...

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When antibiotics backfire: How a bacterial energy crisis fuels rapid resistance

Antibiotics are supposed to wipe out bacteria, yet the drugs can sometimes hand microbes an unexpected advantage. A new study  shows that ciprofloxacin, a staple treatment for urinary tract infections, throws Escherichia coli (E. coli) into an energy crisis that saves many cells from death and speeds the evolution of full-blown resistance.

Antibiotics can actually change bacterial metabolism. Researchers wanted to see what those changes do to the bugs' chances of survival. They focused on adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the molecular fuel that powers cells. When ATP levels crash, cells experience "bioenergetic stress".

To mimic that stress, the team engineered E. coli with genetic drains that constantly burned ATP or its cousin nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). Then, they pitted both the engineered strains and normal bacteria against ciprofloxacin.

The results surprised the researchers. The drug and the genetic drains each slashed ATP, but rather than slowing down, the bacteria revved up. Respiration soared, and the cells spewed extra-reactive oxygen molecules that can damage DNA. That frenzy produced two troubling outcomes.

First, more of the bacteria cells survived.  In time-kill tests, 10 times as many stressed cells weathered a lethal ciprofloxacin dose compared with unstressed controls. These hardy stragglers, called persister cells, lie low until the drug is gone and then rebound to launch a new infection.

People have long blamed sluggish metabolism for persister cell formation. People expected a slower metabolism to cause less killing.  Researchers saw the opposite. The cells ramp up metabolism to refill their energy tanks and that turns on stress responses that slow the killing.

Follow-up experiments traced the protection to the stringent response, a bacterial alarm system that reprograms the cell under stress.

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Second, stressed cells mutated faster to evolve antibiotic resistance.
While persisters keep infections smoldering, genetic resistance can render a drug useless outright. The researchers cycled E. coli through escalating ciprofloxacin doses and found that stressed cells reached the resistance threshold four rounds sooner than normal cells. DNA sequencing and classic mutation tests pointed to oxidative damage and error-prone repair as the culprits.

The changes in metabolism are making antibiotics work less well and helping bacteria evolve resistance.
Preliminary measurements show that gentamicin and ampicillin also drain ATP in addition to ciprofloxacin. The stress effect may span very different pathogens, including the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is highly sensitive to ATP shocks.

If so, the discovery casts new light on a global threat. The findings suggest several changes to antibiotic development and use.
First, screen candidate antibiotics for unintended energy-draining side effects. Second, pair existing drugs with anti-evolution boosters that block the stress pathways or mop up the extra oxygen radicals. Third, reconsider the instinct to blast infections with the highest possible dose. Earlier studies and the new data both hint that extreme concentrations can trigger the very stress that protects bacteria.

Bacteria turn our attack into a training camp. We have to think and take measures to stop that.

 B Li, et al. Bioenergetic stress potentiates antimicrobial resistance and persistence, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60302-6.

Part 2

Sexual selection: Human odor-based mating preferences do not guarantee gamete-level compatibility

A recent study  explored sexual selection in humans by investigating whether female odor-based mating preferences could predict how compatible male and female gametes are.

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are known to mediate sexual selection both at the individual and gamete level. Previous studies have shown that perceived body odor attractiveness is strongly affected by these genes. However, it has remained unclear whether MHC-based mating preferences are consistent prior and after copulation.

To study this, the researchers performed a full-factorial experiment where 10 women first ranked the attractiveness and intensity of body odor samples collected from 11 men, followed by an analysis of whether female body odor preferences in these same 110 male–female combinations predicted sperm performance in the presence of follicular fluid. The results are published in the journal Heredity.

An analysis of the total MHC similarity—including both classical and non-classical MHC genes—of the male-female combinations showed that women preferred the body odors of MHC-similar men, but that sperm motility was positively affected by the MHC dissimilarity of the male–female combinations.

Women showed a preference for the body odors of MHC-similar men. However, sperm from MHC-dissimilar men exhibited higher motility when exposed to female follicular fluid, suggesting that the most attractive males may not necessarily always be the most optimal partners in terms of fertilization success.

The results indicate that individual and gamete-level mate choice processes may in fact act in opposing directions, and that gamete-mediated mate choice may have a definitive role in disfavoring genetically incompatible partners from fertilizing oocytes.

 Annalaura Jokiniemi et al, Female-mediated selective sperm activation may remodel major histocompatibility complex-based mate choice decisions in humans, Heredity (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41437-025-00759-9

Why don't bats get cancer? Researchers discover protection from genes and strong immune systems

A study to look at why long-lived bats do not get cancer has broken new ground about the biological defenses that resist the disease.

Reporting in the journal Nature Communications, a  research team has found that four common species of bats have superpowers allowing them to live up to 35 years, which is equal to about 180 human years, without cancer.

Their key discoveries about how bats prevent cancer include:
Bats and humans have a gene called p53, a tumor-suppressor that can shut down cancer. (Mutations in p53, limiting its ability to act properly, occur in about half of all human cancers.) A species known as the "little brown" bat—found in Rochester and upstate New York—contains two copies of p53 and has elevated p53 activity compared to humans. High levels of p53 in the body can kill cancer cells before they become harmful in a process known as apoptosis. If levels of p53 are too high, however, this is bad because it eliminates too many cells. But bats have an enhanced system that balances apoptosis effectively.
An enzyme, telomerase, is inherently active in bats, which allows their cells to proliferate indefinitely. This is an advantage in aging because it supports tissue regeneration during aging and injury. If cells divide uncontrollably, though, the higher p53 activity in bats compensates and can remove cancerous cells that may arise.
Bats have an extremely efficient immune system, knocking out multiple deadly pathogens. This also contributes to bats' anti-cancer abilities by recognizing and wiping out cancer cells. As humans age, the immune system slows, and people tend to get more inflammation (in joints and other organs), but bats are good at controlling inflammation, too. This intricate system allows them to stave off viruses and age-related diseases.

Part 1

How can we use this knowledge with regard to humans?
One surprising thing about the bat study, the researchers said, is that bats do not have a natural barrier to cancer. Their cells can transform into cancer with only two "hits"—and yet because bats possess the other robust tumor-suppressor mechanisms described above, they survive.

Importantly, the authors said, they confirmed that increased activity of the p53 gene is a good defense against cancer by eliminating cancer or slowing its growth. Several anti-cancer drugs already target p53 activity and more are being studied.
Safely increasing the telomerase enzyme might also be a way to apply their findings to humans with cancer.

Fathima Athar et al, Limited cell-autonomous anticancer mechanisms in long-lived bats, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59403-z

Part 2

The Moon's shiny Glass Beads

The Apollo astronauts didn't know what they'd find when they explored the surface of the moon, but they certainly didn't expect to see drifts of tiny, bright orange and black glass beads glistening among the otherwise monochrome piles of rocks and dust.

The beads, each less than 1 mm across, formed some 3.3 to 3.6 billion years ago during volcanic eruptions on the surface of the then-young satellite. They're some of the most amazing extraterrestrial samples the astronauts brought home.

 "The beads are tiny, pristine capsules of the lunar interior."

Using a variety of microscopic analysis techniques not available when the Apollo astronauts first returned samples from the moon,  a team of researchers have been able to take a close look at the microscopic mineral deposits on the outside of lunar beads. The unprecedented view of the ancient lunar artifacts was published in Icarus. 

The study relied, in part, on the NanoSIMS 50, an instrument at WashU that uses a high-energy ion beam to break apart small samples of material for analysis. WashU researchers have used the device for decades to study interplanetary dust particles, presolar grains in meteorites, and other small bits of debris from our solar system.

The study combined a variety of techniques—atom probe tomography, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy—at other institutions to get a closer look at the surface of the beads.

Each glass bead tells its own story of the moon's past. The beads—some shiny orange, some glossy black—formed when lunar volcanoes shot material from the interior to the surface, where each drop of lava solidified instantly in the cold vacuum that surrounds the moon.

The very existence of these beads tells us the moon had explosive eruptions.

The minerals (including zinc sulfides) and isotopic composition of the bead surfaces serve as probes into the different pressure, temperature and chemical environment of lunar eruptions 3.5 billion years ago. Analyses of orange and black lunar beads have shown that the style of volcanic eruptions changed over time.

T.A. Williams et al, Lunar volcanic gas cloud chemistry: Constraints from glass bead surface sublimates, Icarus (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116607

Green light activates modified penicillin only where it's needed

To treat bacterial infections, medical professionals prescribe antibiotics. But not all active medicine gets used up by the body. Some of it ends up in wastewater, where antimicrobial-resistant bacteria can develop.

Now, to make a more efficient antibiotic treatment, researchers have modified penicillin, so that it's activated only by green light. In early tests, the approach precisely controlled bacterial growth and improved survival outcomes for infected insects.

Controlling drug activity with light will allow precise and safe treatment of localized infections. Moreover, the fact that light comes in different colors gives us the ability to take the spatial control of drug activity to the next level.

Scientists can add a light-sensitive molecule to drug compounds to keep them inactive in the body until they're needed. When light shines on a modified compound, the extra molecule breaks away and then releases the active drug. This process gives scientists precise control over when and where drugs are activated.

Green-Light-Activatable Penicillin for Light-Dependent Spatial Control of Bacterial Growth, Biofilm Formation, and In Vivo Infection Treatment, ACS Central Science (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.5c00437