Weight around the belly is a better predictor of heart health than BMI, research indicates

Individuals with overweight or obesity can have a higher risk of heart disease despite appearing to be healthy, new research presented at the International Congress on Obesity in Mexico City (15–17 July) shows. Using waist-based measurements along with body mass index (BMI) to identify this hidden risk and intervene early could prevent hundreds of thousands from dying from heart attacks, strokes and other cardiac problems in the years to come, say researchers.

Central adiposity markers outperform BMI for predicting cardiovascular disease (CVD). Using a BMI-plus-waist framework, both clinical and preclinical obesity were associated with substantially higher CVD incidence and mortality, even without comorbidities. Increasing numbers of high-risk waist measures markedly raised CVD risk, and early intervention at the preclinical stage could avert ~40–45% of CVD events and deaths.
The link between central, or abdominal, obesity and heart disease is especially strong because fat stored around the waist, known as visceral fat, is metabolically active and releases inflammatory substances into the bloodstream. Over time, this chronic inflammatory state can damage blood vessels and accelerate the buildup of arterial plaque, significantly increasing the risk of heart attacks.
part 1

Analysis of the data revealed that individuals with clinical obesity were much more likely to develop or die from cardiovascular disease than those without obesity.

Women with clinical obesity developed cardiovascular disease at a rate that was 2.5-fold higher than women without obesity. They also died from cardiovascular disease at an almost threefold (2.8-fold) higher rate than women without obesity.

Similarly, men with clinical obesity developed cardiovascular disease at an almost twofold higher rate (1.9-fold) and had a 2.6-fold higher rate of cardiovascular mortality than men without obesity.

However, individuals with preclinical obesity were also at higher risk, despite not having any obesity-related conditions and seeming to be in good health.

Women with preclinical obesity developed cardiovascular disease at a 38% higher rate and died from cardiovascular disease at a 46% higher rate than women without obesity.

For men, preclinical obesity was associated with an 18% higher rate of developing cardiovascular disease and a 52% higher rate of cardiovascular disease mortality.

All of the results were adjusted for socioeconomic status and lifestyle factors, including smoking and alcohol consumption.

Further analysis showed that the more "high-risk" central adiposity markers (waist measurements) an individual had, the more likely they were to develop heart disease. For example, a woman with one high-risk marker (waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio or waist-to-height ratio) was 17% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than a woman without any high-risk waist measurements. Having all three high-risk measurements increased the risk by 64%.
The study also found that waist measurements were more accurate at predicting cardiovascular disease than BMI.

The researchers concluded that individuals with preclinical obesity are at higher risk of developing, and dying from, cardiovascular disease despite appearing to be healthy.

Hidden risk of heart disease in seemingly healthy people who are living with overweight or obesity, International Congress on Obesity 2026, icocongress.com/

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Moss can generate electrical waves

Mosses are some of the earliest plants that appeared in the fossil record, but they're anything but simple.

A new study, published in Royal Society Open Science, reveals that moss cushions produce surprisingly complex electrical activity, with patterns that undulate across the velvety patch in dynamic waves.

His findings suggest that "moss cushions behave as spatially distributed excitable systems potentially capable of coordinating and integrating electrical signals across both space and time."

Moss cushions are actually many individual clones of the same teensy tiny plant.

If you look really, really closely at a mat of moss, you can see it is made up of simple, minute leaves on stems, similar to those of their larger plant relatives.

But the stems of mosses are actually much less useful at moving water and nutrients around the body of the plant.

Mosses actually never developed the vascular systems that we see in other more complex plants, which is why they cannot grow much taller than a few centimeters. Their leaf-like structures are just one cell thick; they don't even have roots.

But that doesn't mean they're not potentially capable of transmitting information across the colony by other means.

Some of the moss's electrical waves were rapid, while others undulated slowly. They tended to spread across the entire cushion rather than remaining confined to a particular region, and followed patterns across different timescales.

These findings suggest that "moss behaves as a dynamic, interconnected system rather than a collection of independent cells."

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/7/252341/482568/...

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Into the ‘unknome’
The ‘unknome’ — the vast number of microbial genes with unknown functions — could encode capabilities that are critical for interactions between microorganisms. But these interactions are rarely captured in single-species lab cultures, which makes studying their genetic origins difficult, argues a group of microbial ecologists and geneticists. They suggest that co-cultures of diverse species and experiments that simulate real-world conditions could give researchers a better picture of complex microbial interactions, which could enable them to start assigning functions to currently unlabelled genes.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-026-00870-5.epdf?sharing_tok...

Purple corn offers a stable natural alternative to artificial food dyes

Researchers are turning a unique variety of corn into an effective natural alternative to artificial food dyes.
scientists are studying a variety of purple-colored corn traditionally grown in South America. Its vibrant shades come from anthocyanins, natural pigments that give blueberries, red cabbage and grapes their colors.

Unlike artificial dyes, which are petroleum-based and added purely for appearance, anthocyanins are rich in antioxidants known for reducing inflammation and supporting heart health.

In corn, these colours are concentrated in the pericarp, the thin outer layer of the kernel.

Purple pericarp corn provides anthocyanin-based colorants that retain ~75% of key pigments after high-temperature exposure, rising to ~97% with protective food-grade coatings, yielding shelf-stable powders. These colorants show minimal degradation in acidic beverages over seven weeks refrigerated, supporting use as natural dye alternatives.
For food manufacturers, replacing synthetic dyes such as Red No. 40 and Red No. 3 has long been a challenge.

Most natural colours are fragile. For food manufacturers, replacing synthetic dyes such as Red No. 40 and Red No. 3 has long been a challenge.
They tend to break down when exposed to heat, light or oxygen.
That has become a major barrier in the food industry, where ingredients must withstand processing temperatures up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and remain stable on store shelves for weeks or even months.
In testing, researchers exposed purple corn colorants to elevated temperatures often used in food processing. After one hour of exposure, about 75% of the key color compounds remained intact.

If the colour looks good after heating, that's what matters to manufacturers.
When the team coated the pigments in protective, food-grade materials, retention increased to nearly 97% for some compounds. That process allows researchers to create shelf-stable powders, making purple corn-based colorants easier to store and transport.

Researchers also tested their purple colorants in a beverage system, one of the most demanding environments for natural dyes. Drinks are often acidic, exposed to light and stored for extended periods—all conditions that can quickly degrade plant-based ingredients.

"Purple corn-based colorants held up well in acidic and basic environments.
This durability, combined with potential health benefits, makes purple corn colorants more than a niche ingredient. They offer food companies a viable path to cleaner labels without sacrificing performance. For consumers, that could mean replacing artificial dyes with natural ingredients.

Ahmad Ali et al, Thermal and storage degradation kinetics of corn anthocyanin-based natural red colorants in a model beverage system, and their gastrointestinal behavior, npj Science of Food (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41538-026-00881-w

Low-cost spray can help tomatoes grow in salty soils

A simple, low-dose leaf spray could give farmers a practical new tool to keep growing tomatoes on land that salt has rendered increasingly unproductive, according to a new study .

A foliar spray combining manganese oxide nanoparticles and chitosan mitigated salinity stress in greenhouse-grown tomatoes. Under severe salt stress, treatment doubled shoot biomass, increased root biomass >55%, restored photosynthetic pigments (~91% carotenoid increase), reduced cellular damage markers, and boosted antioxidant enzyme activity up to 300%. Field-scale efficacy and long-term environmental impacts remain untested.

Farzaneh Ordooni et al, Synergistic alleviation of salinity stress in tomato: unraveling the physiological, biochemical, and antioxidant mechanisms modulated by manganese nanoparticles and chitosan, International Journal of Phytoremediation (2026). DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2026.2669640

'I get caught up in the numbers game': Why useful social media content gets lost online
Useful, experience-based health content on social media often receives limited visibility because engagement-focused algorithms prioritize sensational or attention-grabbing posts. This leads to narrow, potentially unbalanced representations of illness and limited reach for accurate information on rare conditions. Users are advised to critically evaluate sources, cross-check with reputable health information, and manage their feeds to reduce harm.

original article.

Chemicals present in drinking water may carry a hidden risk tied to uterine cancer

In a recent study, researchers examined whether certain chemicals present in public drinking water are linked to uterine cancer, the most common gynecological cancer that has been steadily increasing in incidence.

Researchers found that long-term exposure to certain drinking water disinfectant by products was linked to a higher risk of uterine cancer. The risk was greatest among women living in areas with higher levels of trihalomethanes (THMs), chemicals formed when chlorine reacts with organic matter in water. This increased risk remained even when THM levels were within the government's legal limits.

Drinking water is a likely contributor, since it can carry contaminants that are known or suspected to cause cancer. While there are legal limits for contaminants, these limits are set based on what's technically possible, affordable and beneficial for health.

Common contaminants include natural substances like nitrate, arsenic and uranium, as well as byproducts created during water disinfection, such as THMs and haloacetic acids (HAA).

 The analysis found that exposure to certain chemicals used to disinfect public drinking water was associated with a higher risk of uterine cancer. In contrast, no association was found with other common contaminants, including nitrate, arsenic or uranium.

THMs, particularly chloroform, showed the strongest association with endometrioid tumors, which account for more than 95% of uterine cancer cases. Women exposed to the highest levels of THMs had an 18% higher risk of uterine cancer overall. Higher exposure to HAAs was associated with nearly twice the risk of developing nonendometrioid tumors.

The findings could help water utilities explore ways to reduce harmful disinfection byproducts while continuing to protect communities from waterborne infections. The results show an association between these chemicals in drinking water and uterine cancer risk, but they do not establish that they cause cancer.

Maya Spaur et al, Drinking Water Contaminant Exposures and Risk of Uterine Cancer, JAMA Network Open (2026). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.24391

'Fire clouds', the ominous phenomenon seen in France

Firefighters battling devastating fires in France have had to contend with a new threat: immense fire clouds that create their own wind and even lightning that can spark fresh blazes.
Known as "fire clouds" or pyrocumulonimbus clouds, these ominous-looking thunderstorms are created by extreme wildfires and can exacerbate already dangerous conditions.

This phenomenon, which is new to France, is yet another consequence of human-caused climate change, according to French researcher Jean-Baptiste Filippi, who studies wildfires.

As firefighters in southwest France struggle to bring a forest inferno under control before yet another heat wave descends on the country.
What is a fire cloud?
It is a storm where a column of air forms above a fire.

It starts off as a cute little white cloud—a cumulus cloud, which forms because water vapor has turned into tiny droplets.

As the sun heats the ground, the water vapor suddenly condenses. The cumulus becomes a much larger cloud, containing thousands of tonnes of suspended water.
Then, when the surrounding air becomes heated enough, it forms a column with an anvil-shaped cloud—the cumulonimbus.

This condenses even more air and generates more energy, with updrafts of more than 150 kilometers (90 miles) an hour.

It then rains, but the rain evaporates before it reaches the ground.

But it still cools the atmosphere where it falls, creating strong downdrafts.
It is a common phenomenon in Portugal, California and Australia, where firefighters are more used to them. In Portugal, they had been rare until the deadly 2017 fires in Pedrogao Grande changed things.

Is climate change to blame?
Yes, it is. A consequence of global warming is more frequent heat waves. While thunderstorms are common in the region of this fire, thunderstorm conditions after three successive heat waves are a new combination.

Are they predictable?
Weather services can predict thunderstorms. But because these storms are located directly above a fire, we would need to know the fire's exact location in advance. That's impossible.

We can predict the conditions that will lead to these fires, but we won't know exactly where they are.
The biggest challenge is how unpredictable they are. The fire in France's southwestern Gironde region started with northerly winds, then westerly, then southerly, then easterly, then back again to the south, then the west...

On top of that, there is this potential energy in the atmosphere that meant that, locally, the convection column sucked up the embers and carried the fire further afield.

The local conditions became catastrophic, and the rate of the fire's spread was staggering.

Source: News Agencies

and original article.

Dreams drain energy: The REM sleep paradox

The brain demands a lot of energy compared with other organs. However, it can also make do when energy supplies are scarce, flexibly processing information using what is available. How the brain resourcefully allocates this limited energy across internal states remains a key question in neuroscience.
Sleep provides a useful window into answering this question. Although sleep is associated with rest, the brain remains highly active. This is especially true during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the stage closely linked to dreaming and memory processing. REM sleep is sometimes called "paradoxical sleep" because the body is largely still while the brain shows wake-like activity. Researchers have now uncovered another paradox within REM sleep: While energy supply to the dreaming brain appears to rise, the energy molecule used directly by neurons falls.
REM sleep is preceded by a cortex-wide increase in brain blood volume and astrocytic pyruvate, indicating elevated energy supply and glycolytic activity, while neuronal ATP levels paradoxically decrease. During NREM sleep, theta-band neuronal activity predicts delayed vascular changes. The results suggest state-dependent rerouting of metabolic resources and high ATP consumption for internal processing during REM sleep.
Sleep may appear peaceful, but the brain is highly active—especially when dreaming.
Non-REM (NREM) sleep is best known for strong neuronal activity in the delta-band frequency, but subtle theta-band fluctuations are also present. The researchers found that these theta-band fluctuations could predict brain blood volume changes several seconds later, suggesting that the sleeping brain adjusts vascular dynamics to ongoing neuronal activity and metabolic demand.
The transition from NREM sleep into REM sleep showed a different pattern. About 50 seconds before the classically defined onset of REM sleep, brain blood volume began to rise. This increase started in the posterior cortex and spread forward, suggesting a large-scale metabolic preparation process. After REM sleep began, astrocytic pyruvate also increased, consistent with enhanced substrate availability or elevated astrocytic glycolytic activity. Paradoxically, however, neuronal ATP decreased.
Several mechanisms may explain the ATP decrease. Neurons may consume large amounts of ATP during REM sleep to support memory-related synaptic reorganization, hippocampal-cortical communication or large-scale circuit transitions. Alternatively, metabolic transfer from astrocytes to neurons may be altered, or mitochondrial ATP production may shift.

The research also points toward a broader principle of biological computation. Unlike conventional computers, animal brains operate under strict metabolic constraints. Rather than distributing energy uniformly, the brain may reroute energy depending on behavioural state, memory demand and internal needs.
Sleep is a vital function that can help consolidate memories and keep us mentally sharp the next day. These findings about energy and sleep are a crucial step forward in helping us understand the science behind sleep and how a good night's rest is important not just for our bodies—but for our minds too.

Yusuke Takahashi et al, Energy paradox in REM sleep: balancing supply and consumption in brain metabolism, Communications Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-026-10646-6

Study identifies which bacteria trigger the 'farm effect' that makes children less prone to allergies

Children who grow up in a farm environment are less prone to allergies, asthma and hay fever than their classmates. This so-called farm effect has been identified in several observational studies worldwide. It is most likely attributable to the fact that various bacteria present in barn air prevent excessive inflammatory responses of the immune system that are characteristic of such diseases.

But exactly which bacteria? Now, an international team has answered this question. The researchers have shown for the first time which specific bacteria in barn air trigger the farm effect, which substances within those bacteria mediate the protection and which receptors in the body they bind to. Their findings have been published in NEJM Evidence.
Barn exposure–associated protection from asthma, hay fever, and atopic eczema is largely mediated by specific Gram-positive cow-derived bacteria, including Romboutsia timonensis and Glutamicibacter arilaitensis. Their metabolites (e.g., kynurenine, xanthine, α-linolenic and stearidonic acids) activate AhR and PPARγ in airway cells, attenuating excessive inflammatory responses and explaining most of the “farm effect.”
For years, we have been hearing about the hygiene hypothesis, which was first proposed in 1989. This came after three decades of dramatic increases in allergies, asthma and hay fever among children in Western industrialized countries. These are all conditions in which the immune system mounts an exaggerated inflammatory response and mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues.

According to the hygiene hypothesis, this happens because of understimulation in early childhood. The immune systems of children who encounter too few environmental microbes and common cold viruses are more likely to malfunction.

Girls and boys who grow up on farms and are exposed to a wider variety of microbes have the problem far less often.
As their immune systems constantly contend with bacterial 'sparring partners' from barn air, they are trained to avoid excessive inflammatory responses.

However, the hygiene hypothesis has not been definitively proven, as it is largely based on observational studies. This kind of research can only show more or less convincing correlation.
But with this new study, we can make a much stronger case, because we can identify the individual links in the proposed causal chain: the bacteria, the relevant microbial metabolic products and the human receptors.
The results
Researchers identified a small number of bacteria, which they can now pinpoint down to the species level - such as Romboutsia timonensis and Glutamicibacter arilaitensis. These Gram-positive bacteria together mediate two-thirds of the entire farm effect for asthma protection and half of the effect for hay fever and atopic eczema.
The bacteria originate in cows' digestive tracts, where they produce or metabolize substances like kynurenine, xanthine, alpha-linolenic acid and stearidonic acid. These compounds are easily inhaled and recognized by two receptors on human airway cells—AhR and PPARγ. These receptors have multiple functions, including in the immune system, where they appear to prevent excessive inflammatory responses.

Part 1

Their role in the farm effect was previously unknown. For the first time, therefore, the complete biological chain is visible: cow → barn air → bacteria → metabolic products → human receptors → protection against asthma.
The new findings can now be used by laboratory researchers to decipher the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the farm effect. This opens up the prospect of developing a drug that mimics the farm effect—without the need for children to spend time in barns.

Giulia Pagani et al, Gram-Positive Bacteria and the Inverse Association between Farm Exposure and Childhood Asthma, NEJM Evidence (2026). DOI: 10.1056/evidoa2500271

Part 2

A skill becomes automatic as the brain rewires itself to bypass its own bottleneck, new study suggests
Riding a bike, reading a book or folding laundry while watching TV can feel effortless, almost like your brain does it on autopilot. This ease comes from repetition, built through practicing the same task again and again. The prefrontal cortex (PFC), responsible for flexible thinking and decision-making, plays a role in this process, but it also creates a bottleneck. Although highly flexible, it can generally handle only one decision at a time, making multitasking difficult.
In a recent study, researchers wanted to understand how the brain changes when a person practices a specific task until it reaches cognitive automaticity. In this state, familiar actions can be performed quickly and efficiently with little conscious effort.

After sorting morphed car images more than 30,000 times, participants didn't just get better at the task. Their brains rewired themselves, shifting the work from slow, deliberate thinking to fast, effortless autopilot.

The brain's vision center, the vOTC (ventral occipito-temporal cortex), originally just recognized shapes, but with enough practice, it learned to make the categorization decisions itself. As the vision center could now handle the decision alone, it no longer needed constant guidance from the PFC. The two regions disengaged, and perception took over the job that thinking used to do.
Practice shifts the brain to autopilot
We categorize objects constantly, from recognizing a friend's face to sorting colours. Yet, most brain research on this skill only captures a few hours of practice in a lab, whereas real-world expertise takes months or years to hone the skills we rely on daily.
Earlier studies have shown that, under normal circumstances, the brain follows a two-stage process for categorization. First, the brain's visual areas identify an object's shape. Then the prefrontal cortex steps in to decide which category that shape belongs to.

The prefrontal cortex relies on cognitive control to keep the brain focused on the right task, but it can generally only handle one decision at a time. This creates a frontal bottleneck, so when you try to multitask, the two tasks interfere with each other.
However, once a task becomes automatic through practice, it no longer needs the prefrontal cortex watching over it, so it avoids the traffic jam.

The researchers hypothesized that extensive practice builds a perception-action loop, letting the brain skip the frontal bottleneck altogether. The prefrontal cortex teaches the visual system to recognize categories, then steps aside as the brain links what the eyes see directly to the motor regions of the brain.
Part 1

Mapping practice in the brain
To test this hypothesis, researchers conducted a long-term study to track how the brain changes as a task moves toward automaticity. Over the course of 5–10 weeks, 11 participants practiced the car-categorization task for more than 30,000 trials, learning to categorize images of morphed cars into two groups with made-up names: SOVOR and ZUPUD.

To see how practice rewired the brain, the researchers tracked both the where and the when of brain activity. fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) revealed which regions were involved, while EEG (electroencephalogram) captured the split-second timing of their signals. They repeated these measurements alongside behavioral tests at different stages of the training.

They found that extensive practice taught the visual areas to handle these category decisions themselves, allowing the brain to offload the work from the prefrontal cortex. The MRI also showed that the visual areas unplugged from the prefrontal cortex and formed new, stronger connections directly to the motor areas.

The most significant result of this rewiring was a dramatic improvement in multitasking. Since the practiced task no longer needed the limited resources of the prefrontal cortex, people could perform it alongside another attention-demanding task without any interference.

In terms of behavior, the participants reached high accuracy quickly, while their reaction times continued to drop with practice. Becoming faster without making more mistakes, alongside physical changes in the brain, showed that the task had become automatic and no longer depended on the brain's usual bottleneck.

These findings could help design training programs for jobs that require fast visual judgment, like radiology, security screening or industrial inspection. The researchers point out that the speed and automation acquired through practice come with a trade-off.

Automatic skills are fast, but they are less flexible than when the prefrontal cortex was in charge of the decision, so they may struggle if the rules suddenly change. Future research needs to clarify whether, and how, the brain can overcome this rigidity.

Patrick H. Cox et al, Extensive Experience Remodels Neural Task Circuitry to Escape the Frontal Bottleneck and Increase Automaticity of Categorization, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (2026). DOI: 10.1162/jocn.a.2618

Part 2

New rule explains why growing shapes suddenly crumple Scientists have discovered a previously unknown law of geometry that explains why some growing surfaces, whether in nature or in engineered materials, suddenly stop being able to stay smooth and instead form dimples and folds. A new geometric law defines a curvature threshold beyond which growing free-standing surfaces cannot remain smooth and must buckle into ordered dimples and folds. This “geometric frustration” is topological, depending on global shape and connectivity, and arises even when previous compatibility rules are satisfied. A single cut can remove the frustration, enabling smooth shapes and informing control of morphogenesis and shape-programmable materials.

Where You Carry Your Body Fat Is Directly Linked to Brain Aging

You can weigh the same as someone else, have the same BMI, and still be carrying a completely different risk to your brain.

That's the message from a growing pile of research over the past year.

Scientists have long known that obesity is linked to an increased risk of dementia

But new research suggests that it's not just how much fat you carry, it's where you carry it.

In May, a study linked visceral fat – the kind that packs in around your organs – to faster brain aging. They indicated that glucose and insulin were the likely mechanisms involved.
Researchers mapped fat distribution against brain scans and cognition scores of more than 18,000 people in the UK Biobank dataset.
According to the researchers, it's the world's first large-scale multimodal study to systematically explore the link between where fat is located and brain structure, connectivity, and cognitive performance.

What they found is that where you carry your fat is strongly associated with how fast (or slow) your brain appears to age.

Fat in different parts of the body maps out entirely different trajectories of change in the brain, which cannot be detected by body weight or BMI alone.
Their analytical model clearly demonstrates how fat in different regions causes differential damage to brain systems.
Fat in the arms, legs, trunk, and visceral cavity was each linked to distinct changes across separate brain systems – including regions tied to movement, emotion, memory, and the brainstem.
But the key message from the research is that visceral fat was the only type of fat directly linked to damage to the brain's white matter – the wiring that carries signals between neurons.

White matter damage is closely tied to the biology behind vascular cognitive impairment and small vessel disease in the brain – conditions that sit upstream of dementia risk.

While the study didn't look directly at what could be causing this link, the researchers think chronic, low-grade inflammation triggered by visceral fat may be spilling over into the brain itself, fuelling neuroinflammation.
In contrast, adiposity in the arms, trunk, and legs exhibits lower levels of inflammatory factor secretion.

Reducing visceral fat through targeted lifestyle interventions can open up new pathways for the proactive prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-025-00501-8

Physicists Find a Way to 'Split' Particles of Light in Half to Make Infinite Photons

An elementary particle such as a photon cannot be cut in two pieces. Still it must be possible to truncate a photon with an optical shutter. The result is neither another photon nor a mix of a photon and a vacuum. Instead it is a superposition and mix of photon numbers up to infinity. This state is rather complicated, but nevertheless locally equivalent to a single photon or vacuum to the left and right, respectively, of a narrow transition region.

https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/94pm-hp34

“Innovation without access is not an innovation… it is an injustice.”

Discovery of a multicomponent alloy forged by the Hiroshima atomic blast

High-energy nuclear detonations generate extreme, transient physicochemical environments capable of producing previously unknown materials. We report the discovery of a previously unknown multicomponent alloy preserved within a hiroshimaite spherule recovered from beach sands of Hiroshima Bay, formed during the 6 August 1945 atomic airburst. The micrometer-sized metallic grain occurs within a quenched glassy matrix. Electron microprobe analyses reveal a homogeneous, Si-rich multielement composition (Fe-Cr-Ni-Mn-Mo-Si-Al). Single-crystal x-ray diffraction shows that the phase crystallizes in space group P213 with the ordered AlAu4-type structure, an ordered derivative of β-Mn. The alloy likely formed by condensation from a mixed metallic vapor followed by ultrafast quenching in the expanding fireball. This finding demonstrates that nuclear plasma events may stabilize complex metallic phases and highlights atomic-blast debris as a natural laboratory for nonequilibrium alloy formation and materials discovery.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeg8299

Invasive species emerge as a driver of human displacement, new research shows
Invasive alien species degrade ecosystems, erode food and livelihood security, and act as a direct driver of forced human displacement. Case examples include Opuntia stricta in Kenya, little fire ants in Pacific islands, and water hyacinth in African fisheries. Biological invasions are rarely integrated into migration or sustainability science, and the paper urges their inclusion in international indicators and policy on displacement and land degradation.
The new study argues that biological invasions can erode natural resources vital to human security, forcing communities to abandon their land and livelihoods. Despite these impacts, the link between invasive species and human displacement has received little attention.
Researchers call for stronger international action to address this issue.

Reaser JK and Witt ABR (2026) Invasive alien species are drivers of human displacement: recommendations for a multilateral mitigation framework. Front. Conserv. Sci. 7:1858063. doi: 10.3389/fcosc.2026.1858063

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/conservation-science/articles/...

Phage and microbiota therapy reduced recurrent UTIs in two patients over two years
Combined phage therapy and fecal microbiota transplantation were administered to three women with antibiotic-refractory recurrent E. coli UTIs. Treatment was well tolerated. Over two years, the two patients receiving both phage therapy and FMT showed sustained reduction of UTIs and antibiotic use, while phage therapy alone led to continued but milder episodes.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-026-02409-0

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Mitochondria: Scientists uncover new role for fighting bacterial infections, including drug-resistant superbugs

Mitochondria: They are the engines of cellular energy production; they possess their own DNA, and they are passed from generation to generation from mothers to offspring.

Now scientists have revealed that these bean-shaped energy factories, known for the production of ATP, the key fuel of life, also play an extraordinary role in harnessing the immune response during infection—these organelles are critical in mediating a powerful antibacterial defense.

The discovery demonstrates an unexpected role for these crucial constituents of cells. The team showed that mitochondrial fission underlies an immune response, producing antibacterial capability in a host of organisms from the lowly worm to complex mammals.

The findings suggest that mitochondrial fission is an evolutionarily conserved pathway that provides cell-autonomous control of infection and can be targeted to combat antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens.

Mitochondrial division—or fission—can promote antibacterial defense pathways in mammalian macrophages and worms, according to the study, which identified the regulatory mechanisms that control these defense pathways. Findings from the research could inform future therapeutic targets while highlighting unique mitochondrial functions in the fight against infection.

Part 1

Fission creates more mitochondria As a first step in their experiments, scientists infected mouse macrophages with E. coli and found that the number of mitochondria increased, a direct result of fission. The fission, in this instance, was induced in response to E. coli infection. Then, with the help of a cocktail of compounds and the silencing of a gene involved in fission, scientists wanted to see what would happen if the organelles were directed toward mitochondrial fusion—the opposite pathway of fission. The result was increased intracellular E. coli in the macrophages. Still, the lesson learned from E. coli was not universal, and there apparently are significant differences in mitochondrial immune reactions from one pathogen to another. With Salmonella typhimurium, for example, researchers found that the pathogen survives inside macrophages and orchestrates mitochondrial behavior to the benefit of the bacteria, preventing mitochondrial fission and the substantial increase in additional mitochondria. But researchers had an answer to the craftiness of Salmonella typhimurium: Inhibiting the enzyme HDAC6 promoted mitochondrial fission and lipid droplet formation, enhancing bacterial clearance—and suggesting that HDAC6 could be a therapeutic target to control otherwise recalcitrant infections.

Ronan Kapetanovic et al, Mitochondrial fission mediates an evolutionarily conserved antibacterial defense response, Science Immunology (2026). DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aed2623

Part 2

Bacteria build a mineral shield that could help marine infrastructure resist rust

Researchers have developed a biological method for protecting marine infrastructure from corrosion caused by prolonged exposure to seawater. The study, published in Cell Reports Physical Science, presents an environmentally friendly alternative to the chemical corrosion inhibitors currently used to protect metals—materials that can be both polluting and costly.
The researchers discovered that these bacteria work cooperatively to form a dense, durable and naturally occurring protective layer on the surfaces of metals commonly used in marine and electrochemical infrastructure, including steel and iron.

Experiments conducted as part of the study demonstrated that this protective coating significantly slows the corrosion process that causes metals to rust and deteriorate in seawater. The researchers also found that each bacterial species plays a distinct role: Some create the conditions necessary for the process, while others produce an enzyme that enables the formation of the mineral protective layer.
A seawater-derived bacterial consortium, including Bacillus subtilis, forms a dense mineralized biofilm on steel and iron that markedly slows marine corrosion. Different species fulfill complementary roles in conditioning the surface and producing enzymes that drive mineral layer formation. Multispecies communities provide more robust, long-term protection than single strains, offering a potential low-toxicity alternative to chemical corrosion inhibitors.

Avichay Nahami et al, Synthetic bacterial communities as synergistic anti-corrosion agents, Cell Reports Physical Science (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2026.103419

Not all exercise is equal when it comes to metabolic syndrome risk
Exercise modalities showed distinct effects on metabolic syndrome markers. Aerobic plus resistance training improved waist circumference, BMI, LDL cholesterol and glycemic control; mind-body exercise improved HDL cholesterol and systolic blood pressure; high- and low-volume HIIT preferentially reduced body fat and lipids or diastolic pressure, respectively. Evidence certainty was generally low.

Xinyu Shen et al, Comparative efficacy of various exercise therapies for metabolic syndrome a systematic review and network meta-analysis, iScience (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.116801

Leaky gut might make food allergies worse

A "leaky gut" might increase the severity of food allergies, according to new research conducted in mice and published in The Journal of Immunology. The researchers found that changes to the gut microbiome in mice were linked to increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut) and increased food allergy severity.

Intestinal permeability describes how the intestines move water and nutrients from food into the bloodstream. Increased permeability, sometimes called "leaky gut," describes a condition in which damage to the gut lining allows partially digested food, toxins or germs to pass into the bloodstream.

The gut microbiome—the trillions of bacteria living in the gut—directly regulates this barrier, meaning microbiome imbalances can be a primary driver of gut leakage.
In mice, distinct gut microbiomes were associated with differing intestinal permeability, Th2/Treg balance, and food allergy severity. Cohousing transferred microbiota from severely affected mice to mildly affected mice, increasing intestinal permeability and worsening allergic responses. Data indicate gut microbes modulate barrier function and food-allergy–specific immune cells.
In this study, the researchers used two groups of mice known to have differences in their gut microbiomes. When a food allergy was induced in the mice, one group developed mild allergic reactions (less diarrhea), while the other had more severe reactions. The mice with more severe diarrhea were also known to have increased intestinal permeability, or "leaky gut."

In mice with more severe food allergies, the researchers also observed an increase in immune cells that cause allergic reactions, Th2 cells, and a decrease in food-allergy-specific immune cells that turn off immune responses, Treg cells. Th2 cells are the immune cells that cause anaphylaxis in people with food allergies.
Interestingly, when the researchers housed mice from the two groups together, they found that mice with milder food allergies developed more severe symptoms. Further tests uncovered that the gut microbiome of the mice with milder allergic reactions shifted to be more like that of the group with severe reactions. The researchers also reported increased intestinal permeability and a change in the balance of immune cells involved in the food allergy response, suggesting that "leaky gut" and the gut microbiome are linked to how the immune system responds to a food allergy.
Researchers clearly saw that food-allergy-specific immune cells were impacted by gut microbes, which affected the food allergy itself.

Journal of Immunology (2026). DOI: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag172

Overactive Neurons Cause Excessive Sweating

Identification of gene variants that affect the activity of neuronal sodium channels could help develop targeted therapies for patients suffering from excessive sweating.
Sweating is a normal, although sometimes unpleasant, part of being human. For people with primary idiopathic hyperhidrosis (PIH), though, excessive sweating can impede their quality of life. Despite affecting up to five percent of people, though, scientists don’t fully understand the mechanisms behind this overactive salty secretion.

Researchers have found that some patients have alterations to their sweat glands’ morphology or function, possibly contributing to the extra sweating. But for people who sweat excessively despite having normal looking sweat glands, scientists suspect that the cause could be hyperactive sympathetic neurons.
In a study published recently in Science Advances, researchers dug into the genetic sequences of 32 families with confirmed PIH to find possible sources of overactive sweat responses. They identified a lead candidate in SCN10A, a gene encoding a sodium channel in sympathetic neurons and discovered that introducing it into mice reproduced the extra sweating phenotype of PIH individuals. They showed how their mouse model of PIH could be used to explore new treatment options for patients.
For decades, hyperhidrosis has largely been viewed as a disorder of the sweat glands. These new findings show that, for some patients, the problem actually begins in the nerves that control sweating, providing a biological explanation for the condition and a potential pathway to more effective treatments.

1. Wohlrab J, et al. Hyperhidrosis: A central nervous dysfunction of sweat secretion. Dermatol Ther. 2023;13(2):453-463.
2. Yamauchi S, et al. A neurocutaneous NaV1.8 channelopathy underlies a genetic subtype o.... Sci Adv. 2026;12(29):aed3221.

Scientists identify fructose as a surprise driver of cancer spread

A new study has uncovered an unexpected link between fructose—a common dietary sugar—and the spread of an aggressive form of ovarian cancer. Published in Nature Aging, the study found that cancer cells not killed by chemotherapy send signals to neighboring tumor cells, helping them become more capable of spreading.

The researchers identified fructose as a key messenger in this process, revealing a previously unrecognized way that treatment-surviving cancer cells may promote the spread of cancer.
Even more interesting, they found that without chemotherapy treatment, consuming the high levels of fructose found in sugary drinks can also signal cancer cells to spread. The fructose finding is especially compelling because it raises the possibility that simple dietary changes could help shape how cancer progresses.

Chemotherapy-surviving ovarian cancer cells secrete fructose, which signals neighbouring tumour cells to become more metastatic in preclinical models. Exogenous fructose at levels typical of sugary drink intake similarly promotes spread. Mechanistically, fructose suppresses cholesterol synthesis, weakening cell–cell adhesion; statins mimic this effect, suggesting potential interaction with chemotherapy responses.

The researchers next aimed to understand why fructose increases cancer cell spread. Through a variety of large-scale analytical techniques, including the use of a CRISPR screen, they discovered that fructose suppresses cholesterol within neighboring cells. Cholesterol is important for cells to stick to each other like a biological glue, so decreased cholesterol allows cells to more easily escape and spread.

The finding that fructose lowers cholesterol production has important clinical implications. Statins, which are taken by 39 million people in the United States, lower cholesterol production.

The team found that statins alone reduced the glue between cells, promoting escape. The research team is now examining whether these medications could be interfering with the effects of chemotherapy—though they stress this isn't a reason for patients to stop taking them.

The researchers are also looking into how this mechanism might extend beyond ovarian cancer.

The chemotherapy-induced senescence-associated secretome promotes cell detachment and metastatic dissemination through metabolic reprogramming, Nature Aging (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s43587-026-01172-5.

New technique pinpoints human DNA inherited from 'ghost' ancestors

Researchers have identified regions of DNA that humans inherited from two unknown ancestors as a result of long-ago interbreeding among modern humans and at least four other archaic human relatives.

While previous research found hints that modern humans had interbred with ancient hominins in addition to now-extinct Neanderthals and Denisovans, the current study pinpoints areas of the genome inherited from these unknown ancestors and establishes a timeline. This was possible using a new technique the researchers developed that leverages hundreds of genomes from modern-day humans to find ancient genealogical relationships.
One of the unknown ancestors, which the researchers refer to as a ghost ancestor, interbred with modern humans in Africa prior to 50,000 years ago, before the most recent migration of Homo sapiens out of Africa into Europe and Asia. These genes comprise around 1% of the genomes of modern humans, comparable to the amount of Neanderthal DNA in the human genome. That unknown hominin lineage split from the modern human lineage around the same time that Neanderthals and Denisovans diverged, about 800,000 years ago, though it interbred with modern humans earlier.

A genealogical method (TRACE) applied to modern human genomes identifies ~2% archaic DNA from two unknown hominin lineages. A “ghost” lineage, diverging ~800,000 years ago, contributed ~0.5–1% of DNA to all humans via gene flow in Africa >50,000 years ago. A “super-archaic” lineage (~1.8 million years old) introgressed into Denisovans, then indirectly into modern humans.

Yulin Zhang et al, Recovering signatures of archaic hominin introgression using ancestral recombination graphs, Science (2026). DOI: 10.1126/science.aef8874. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aef8874

Fewer retractions with open peer-review

Papers with open peer-review reports are less likely to be retracted, says a preprint study. Researchers analysed more than 116,000 papers in Public Library of Science (PLOS) journals and found that among the 40% that opted for publicly available peer-review reports, there were around 100 retractions. There were more than 300 in the closed-review group. It might be that researchers who are confident in their work and who broadly embrace open-science practices are more likely to choose open peer review. In that case, the choice itself could serve as an indicator of article quality.

https://osf.io/preprints/metaarxiv/2b7z5_v1

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02282-1?utm_source=Live+...

We overestimate the positive impact of our actions on the climate

Why is recycling waste or switching off the lights sometimes perceived as more effective for the climate than giving up air travel? A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) surveyed nearly 3,000 people and identified key psychological mechanisms underlying these misperceptions. Their findings pave the way for more effective communication strategies that encourage behaviors with the greatest potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The study is published in Nature Sustainability.

Carbon competence refers to the ability to accurately assess the impact of different individual actions on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A high level of carbon competence enables people to identify the most effective ways to reduce emissions, both individually and collectively, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation. Yet several studies show that carbon competence remains limited across the general population, including among people who are highly concerned about environmental issues.

As a result, people tend to overestimate the climate impact of relatively modest actions, such as recycling or printing double-sided. While these behaviors are beneficial, their effect on greenhouse gas emissions remains limited. By contrast, people often underestimate the impact of far more effective actions, such as giving up air travel or reducing car use.

Based on a sample of nearly 3,000 participants, a team from UNIGE examined the psychological barriers that explain these misperceptions. The team also tested the effectiveness of three measures designed to improve carbon competence.

They selected 32 individual actions, ranging from low-impact behaviours to those with much greater environmental benefits. They then analyzed how participants estimated the positive impact of these actions when adopted by an average person.

Among the 32 actions studied, the most overestimated low-impact behaviors are, in order: recycling, using recycled materials, purchasing more energy-efficient household appliances, improving home insulation and teleworking. By contrast, the most underestimated high-impact behaviors include giving up air travel, living without a car, switching to an electric vehicle, avoiding long-haul flights and purchasing renewable electricity.

According to the research team, this gap in carbon competence can be explained by two psychological biases: the "availability heuristic," a mental shortcut whereby people judge an action as more effective if it easily comes to mind, and "motivated reasoning," which serves to preserve a positive self-image. "In the first case, the more an action is present in the media or discussed at school, the more easily it comes to mind, and the more likely people are to consider it effective.

In the case of motivated reasoning, individuals tend to believe that the actions they already engage in are more effective because this perception allows them to preserve a positive self-image.

The researchers also show that individuals with strong pro-environmental values tend to be overly optimistic and to overestimate the impact of environmental actions in general. By contrast, those with a stronger capacity to handle numbers tend to provide more accurate estimates and are less influenced by these biases.

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To correct these misperceptions, the research team tested several interventions. In particular, they assessed the effect of simply providing a list of high-impact actions on participants' estimates of greenhouse gas emissions.

They also examined whether participants could improve their estimates by relying on two indicators: the behavioural cost of an action (the more effort, time or financial resources it requires, the more likely it is to have a high impact) and its social prevalence (the rarer it is within the population, e.g., the U.S., the greater its potential to reduce carbon emissions tends to be).
The challenge is therefore to tailor awareness campaigns to different population profiles—which still need to be defined—in order to better correct these biases and encourage the adoption of climate actions and support for policies that are most effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The results show that the effectiveness of these interventions varies considerably from one individual to another, particularly depending on their ability to use behavioural cost or social prevalence as a cue of an action's actual impact.

Mario Herberz et al, Psychological barriers to improving carbon competence, Nature Sustainability (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41893-026-01900-0

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Hot weather can make pain worse. Here's why
Higher temperatures, particularly ≥32°C, are associated with increased reports of generalized physical pain, especially among middle-aged and lower-income adults. Dehydration, inflammation, blood-pressure changes, stress, disrupted sleep, and reduced activity may amplify pain. Heat-related pain can impair cognition and productivity and may impose substantial economic costs.

original article.

How your conscious and unconscious mind interact
Most brain activity, including autonomic regulation, implicit memory, and rapid affective processing, occurs without awareness but can influence decisions. Conscious processing is more effortful and may become important during novelty or uncertainty. Theories including global workspace and predictive-processing models describe consciousness as integrating or updating information, but remain debated.

Microplastics cross placenta-like barrier and disrupt key pregnancy hormones in new cell model study

Tiny, near-invisible fragments of plastic shed from the products we use every day through sunlight and mechanical wear have been quietly working their way deep into the human body. Microplastics have already been found in the human brain, semen and even the placenta. A recent study investigated how these micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) might move through the placenta and whether they affect a baby's development.

Since human pregnancy is too complex to study and raises ethical concerns, the team built a miniature lab model that mimics the interaction among a mother, the placenta and the fetus. It combines three types of human cells to represent the different layers of the placental barrier and the fetal adrenal gland. They tested several types of plastics we encounter daily, including PMMA (transparent, glass alternative), PET (used in soda bottles), PVC (used in pipes and packaging) and polystyrene (used in packing materials).

All the types of plastic tested were able to move from the mother's side through the placental barrier to the baby's side. The MNPs didn't just pass through untouched: Some were absorbed into the cells that make up the placenta and the baby's blood vessels. The particles also disrupted levels of hormones such as etiocholanolone and estrogen, which are essential for the mother's health and the baby's development.

Plastics, made from petroleum-derived synthetic or semisynthetic polymers and a cocktail of chemical additives that make them hard, flexible, durable or transparent, have become so pervasive that they now contaminate even the most remote environments. As a result, human exposure to microplastics is inevitable. These tiny plastic particles have been detected in everyday foods and drinks, including salt, seafood, beer and tea, and, in some parts of the world, even in the air.

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Recent studies have found these plastics in the placenta, amniotic fluid and even a baby's first stool. In general, the placenta, an organ that develops during pregnancy, is responsible for providing oxygen and essential nutrients to the developing fetus while removing waste products and keeping harmful substances at bay. However, researchers are concerned that, because of their extremely small size, MNPs might cross a placenta-like barrier and disrupt hormones.

In this study, the researchers investigated the interaction among a mother, the placenta and a developing baby via a tri-culture model, in which they grew three different types of human cells together to act like a real body system. The model included BeWo cells for the placental barrier, HUVEC cells for the fetal blood vessels and H295R cells for the fetal adrenal glands, which produce hormones such as adrenaline and sex steroids.

To track the particles' journey, the researchers tagged the MNPs with a tiny fluorescent marker and added them to the maternal side of the model. They then watched to see whether the particles could make their way to the fetal side.

They saw that smaller particles moved through the barrier more easily than larger ones. PMMA showed the largest measured transfer, with about 11% reaching the fetal-side chamber after three days.

High-powered 3D microscopes revealed that the plastics weren't just floating around the cells but had actually entered them. No particles were found in the H295R cells, but very small polystyrene particles between 50 nm and 200 nm were found inside both the BeWo and HUVEC cells.
The MNPs also acted as endocrine disruptors. Polystyrene caused a drop in estrogen, a hormone essential for maintaining a healthy pregnancy, and decreased the expression of the CYP17 gene in fetal cells, which is essential for the synthesis of steroid hormones. Almost all the other plastics tested reduced levels of a hormone called etiocholanolone, which sends vital signals to the growing fetus.

These findings warn that various types of microplastics may disrupt hormones during pregnancy and affect placental function. The researchers say more work is needed to understand what this could mean for a baby's development and exactly how these tiny plastic particles disrupt the body's hormone-making machinery.

Jeske van Boxel et al, Effects of different micro- and nanoplastic polymers on steroidogenesis in a feto-placental in vitro model, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2026.112871

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The brain's electrical signatures shift as tinnitus becomes chronic

Ears are built to listen to sounds from the world around us, but for some people, the sound comes from within. Tinnitus causes people to hear ringing or other noises in one or both ears or in their heads, even when there is no actual sound outside. While tinnitus is frequently associated with hearing loss, a substantial proportion of individuals with clinically normal hearing thresholds still experience it, and the underlying mechanism remains murky to scientists. A recent study investigated how brain network patterns change as tinnitus progresses from a new condition to a long-term chronic one in people with clinically normal hearing.

After recording the electrical activity in the brains of people with acute and chronic tinnitus, the researchers found that the two conditions have very different neurophysiological profiles. People with recent-onset tinnitus showed an imbalance between two important brain networks: the salience network, which detects salient or potentially threatening signals, and the executive control network, which supports attention and decision-making. The brain significantly increases its focus on the former while decreasing the latter's activity. Those with chronic tinnitus showed much more balanced switching between these networks, meaning the brain began to adapt rather than worsen.

Meng-Fang Gong et al, EEG microstates and dynamic functional connectivity reveal stage-specific brain networks in subjective tinnitus, iScience (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.116995

Researchers uncover hidden mechanism behind congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease affects approximately two in every 100 newborns globally. But why does it occur? An important part of the answer may lie in a previously unknown mechanism on the surface of our cells. Researchers identified this mechanism in a new study.
They have discovered a new communication system on the exterior of the cell that is crucial for the proper formation of the heart during embryonic development.

The mechanism is located in the primary cilium, a microscopic "antenna" that protrudes from most cells in the body. The cilium's role is to interpret the body's signaling molecules, enabling the cell to determine whether it should divide, move or die, for example.

In the study, the researchers show that three proteins, TAK1, TAB2 and PKA-Cα, function as a signaling hub within the cell's antenna and play a significant role in heart formation.

These proteins act as molecular instructions that tell stem cells when and how to develop into heart muscle cells. However, genetic alterations can disrupt this communication, causing 'antenna defects,' which may lead to congenital heart defects.

The researchers observed effects not only in the heart.

In the study, the rare genetic mutations were identified in patients with so-called syndromic congenital heart disease. Syndromic heart defects are caused by an underlying genetic syndrome that often also leads to defects and associated conditions in other organs.

At the same time, experiments in zebrafish and detailed studies of cilia in other tissues suggested that the mechanism is also important for the development of other organs.

When the ciliary mechanism fails, it typically affects the development of several other organs as well. This may explain why some patients with congenital heart disease also have defects and related conditions affecting the brain, kidneys and skeleton. The mechanism provides a unifying explanation for diseases that we have previously struggled to understand.
The researchers therefore think that the discovery could help improve the understanding and treatment of a wide range of diseases caused by defects in the primary cilium.
This new knowledge may eventually make it easier to identify patients early and develop targeted treatments.

TAK1 operates at the primary cilium in non-canonical TGFB/BMP signaling to control heart development, PLOS Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3003902

Reducing night lights in cities has ecological effects

Artificial light at night (ALAN) can cause plants to open their buds and sprout leaves earlier in the spring. ALAN can also cause trees to delay changing the colour of their leaves in the fall. These changes can ripple through ecosystems, affecting pollinators, herbivores and insects that lay eggs on plants. ALAN also disorients many migrating birds and other animals.
Some cities have attempted to reduce overall ALAN using techniques such as shielding fixtures, implementing adaptive dimming, reducing light output and choosing warmer colour temperatures.

Urban light-mitigation measures in New York City and Washington, D.C., reduced artificial light at night, particularly blue wavelengths, unlike nearby comparison cities. Reduced lighting was associated with less advanced spring green-up and less delayed autumn leaf coloration, indicating potential mitigation of ALAN-driven shifts in plant phenology.
The authors found that New York City and Washington, D.C., showed a reduction in ALAN after the policies were implemented, especially in the blue band, while Newark and Philadelphia did not.

Plant growth cycles also differed between the cities. ALAN typically advances the start of the growing season and delays the end of the season, but in cities with mitigation policies, the start of the season is several days less advanced than it would otherwise be, as measured by the emergence of new green growth visible in satellite images. Cities with mitigation policies also show a transition to fall colour that is less delayed than in cities without such policies.

According to the researchers, the findings demonstrate the feasibility of using high-resolution satellite images to identify relative differences in ALAN levels and point toward ways in which this tool could support urban ecological research.

Mitigating artificial light at night: effectiveness of policies and implications for plant phenology, PNAS Nexus (2026). DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgag237 academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/art … /5/8/pgag237/8750162

What's in the dust? Study finds hidden metals in city streets

If you're in an urban area with strong winds, chances are you are breathing in more than a little dust. You could be exposed to metals from cars, construction sites or pesticides used decades ago.

Road dust from cities contained toxic metals, including lead, arsenic, and cadmium, in one-third of samples. Metal concentrations varied with legacy industrial activity, pesticide use, and port operations. Average concentrations remained below health recommendations, but dry conditions may increase exposure.
These dust samples are not from the middle of the highway. They were collected at public spaces, such as parks, schools and downtown areas where residents are likely to be exposed.

Minh Tri Truong et al, Tracing spatial mid-size Eastern U.S. cities road dust pollution: insights from source apportionment and health risk assessment, Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2026). DOI: 10.1007/s11356-026-38034-x

Seaweed-derived coating keeps strawberries fresher than a fridge

Researchers have developed an edible, seaweed-derived coating that can keep strawberries fresh for at least four days at room temperature, outperforming uncoated berries stored in the refrigerator.

An edible agar–zinc–tannic acid coating reduced moisture loss, maintained firmness, and preserved vitamin C and antioxidants in strawberries. Coated berries remained mold-free for ≥4 days at room temperature and ≥6 days refrigerated, exceeding untreated fruit. The coating showed antibacterial activity, no intestinal-cell toxicity, and a lower estimated carbon footprint than refrigeration.
Published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the findings offer a simple approach for extending produce shelf life and reducing reliance on refrigeration across the supply chain. Maintaining cold temperatures from farm to warehouse to truck to grocery store requires significant energy and infrastructure, especially for fresh produce transported over long distances.
The coating is made from agar, a substance derived from red seaweed that is widely used as a vegan alternative to gelatin and as a thickener in foods like puddings and jellies. On its own, agar forms a thick gel. But when researchers combined it with zinc, an essential nutrient, and tannic acid, a naturally occurring plant compound found in grapes and tea, the material transformed—self-assembling into tiny microparticles that create a thin protective layer around the fruit.

When dipped in the solution, strawberries, grapes and apple slices emerged with a thin, edible coating that dried completely clear.

The breakthrough could help address one of the food industry's most persistent challenges: reducing food waste.

Ivy Chiu et al, Self-Assembled Metal–Phenolic–Agar Microparticle-Derived Coatings Enable Scalable and Sustainable Fresh Produce Preservation, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2026). DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.6c06531

Forest floors reveal overlooked seed dispersers: Slugs, beetles and crabs spread viable seeds

A review by researchers has revealed that tiny ground-dwelling invertebrates are overlooked but important seed dispersers, challenging the traditional focus on birds and mammals and offering new insights into forest regeneration and biodiversity conservation.
A synthesis of 43 publications documented viable seed dispersal by at least 51 invertebrate species across 186 plant taxa. Slugs, earthworms, beetles, crickets and crabs can deposit seeds in favourable microsites, sometimes enhancing germination. This short-range dispersal may support regeneration where vertebrate dispersers decline.
The findings highlight an important but underappreciated pathway of seed dispersal that may help sustain plant regeneration, especially in fragmented or degraded ecosystems where larger animal dispersers are declining.

Si-Chong Chen et al, Invertebrate endozoochory: An overlooked pathway of seed dispersal, Trends in Plant Science (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2026.06.004

Like Zika, Oropouche virus can also affect the brains of unborn babies
Oropouche virus infected human neural stem cells and brain organoids, reducing proliferation, disrupting tissue organization, and increasing inflammatory and cell-death pathways. Historical and recent strains caused similar effects, suggesting inherent neurodevelopmental risk. Organoid results support biological plausibility for congenital abnormalities but do not establish pregnancy outcomes.

Gabrielle Brum et al, Microcephaly-like phenotype triggered by novel reassortant and prototypic Oropouche virus strains in brain organoids, eBioMedicine (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2026.106408

original article.

Social determinants of health linked to more fatalistic cancer beliefs

New research shows that greater cumulative exposure to adverse social determinants of health is associated with beliefs that cancer is unavoidable or a death sentence. This can influence whether people choose to be screened for common cancers or seek treatment after a diagnosis.
Among 1,400 respondents, greater cumulative exposure to adverse social determinants of health was associated with stronger fatalistic beliefs that cancer is unavoidable or inevitably fatal. Poverty, housing insecurity, lack of insurance, discrimination, and social isolation may contribute to reduced screening follow-up and treatment engagement.

Jaitri Joshi et al, Effect of social stressors and social determinants of health (SDOH) on cancer beliefs: Analysis of a cancer center catchment area, Journal of Psychosocial Oncology (2026). DOI: 10.1080/07347332.2026.2666535

Brain scans reveal tau buildup in late-onset psychosis

Hallucinations and delusions that appear for the first time in midlife or later are often treated as psychiatric symptoms whose biological cause is unclear. The study, published in Molecular Psychiatry suggests that, for many patients, these symptoms may be linked to brain changes also seen in dementia.
Among 37 people with psychosis onset after age 40, 65% had tau PET positivity and 35% had amyloid positivity, versus 15% and 2% of 47 healthy controls. Tau patterns included amyloid-positive Alzheimer-type and amyloid-negative forms; greater parietal tau in amyloid-positive patients correlated with poorer executive function.
Using positron emission tomography, or PET, the research team found that about 65% of patients who developed psychosis after age 40 showed abnormal buildup of tau, a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. By comparison, tau PET positivity was seen in about 15% of healthy older controls. The study also found amyloid PET positivity in 35% of patients, compared with 2% of controls.

The findings provide the first in vivo evidence that diverse tau-related brain changes may be involved in late-onset psychosis. Until now, earlier epidemiological and postmortem studies had suggested a possible relationship between late-life psychotic symptoms and neurodegeneration, but direct evidence in the living brain had been limited.

Patients can show the same symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions, but their clinical course and response to treatment can be very different.

Manabu Kubota et al, High prevalence of tau pathologies in late-onset psychosis: A PET study, Molecular Psychiatry (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41380-026-03749-3

Act now on microplastic risks, businesses urged

Microplastics are pervasive in products, supply chains and ecosystems, with emerging evidence of human-health and environmental harm. Plastic production exceeds 450 million tonnes annually and may nearly triple without intervention. Businesses face increasing regulatory, reputational and litigation risks, requiring monitoring, reporting and reduction of primary and secondary microplastic pollution.

As the science and engineering behind industrial monitoring advance, businesses will be expected to track the level of microplastics in their products and control secondary microplastic pollution."

The white paper highlights many actions businesses can take now to proactively manage risks related to microplastic exposure.

Increased monitoring and transparent reporting, circular business models, recycled-content products and materials innovation can build trust and generate efficiencies in the face of consumer concern.

Businesses that communicate credibly about their microplastic footprints and align marketing practices with actual reduction commitments will be better placed to build durable brand equity.

The question is not whether supply chains including plastics will change but how quickly, and who will lead it.

Martina Linnenluecke et al, Microplastics: Preparing for Australia's Next Regulatory Shift, University of Technology Sydney (2026). DOI: 10.71741/4pyxmbnjaq.32583060

Sunlight-powered setup generates quantum entanglement

Quantum entanglement is crucial for applications such as secure communication, ultra-precise sensing and high-performance computation.

Today's quantum technologies rely on energy-intensive lasers, raising concerns that scaling them up could further increase energy demands. In new work, researchers have demonstrated that quantum entanglement between photons can be generated directly from sunlight, offering a potential alternative.
In Optica, the researchers report that the entanglement they achieved using sunlight was comparable to laser-based approaches after accounting for differences in the bandwidth of the input light.
This technology could one day enable satellites to create secure encryption keys using the sunlight already abundant in space, reducing the need for onboard lasers and much of the supporting hardware.
Sunlight-driven entanglement generation could also provide the crucial ingredient needed to scale up quantum computing without adding to the energy burden.
Researchers conducted an outdoor experiment at MPL. Using quantum state tomography to characterize the resulting quantum state, they found that the entanglement generated from sunlight was about 94% similar to a perfectly entangled state. Additionally, the photons produced during the experiment were correlated in a way that violated Bell's inequality, indicating that the correlation has no classical explanation and must be a result of quantum entanglement.

Now that the proof-of-principle demonstration is complete, the researchers are working toward a field-deployable product by making improvements in brightness and the quality of entanglement.

Cheng Li et al, Generating quantum entanglement from sunlight, Optica (2026). DOI: 10.1364/optica.601797

Common blood storage bags may leach microplastics into stored blood

In the 1970s, PVC bags revolutionized the storage of blood and blood products for transfusion. Disposable plastic (PVC) bags replaced reusable glass bottles, making the process more convenient and safer from contamination. Over half a century later, the same disposable plastic bags are creating a new kind of problem because of microplastics (MPs). These tiny particles, less than 5 millimeters in size, are formed by the polymer degradation of plastic materials as they break down and age.

In a recent study published in Environment & Health, researchers from China investigated how microplastics are released from medical storage bags into the blood and preservation fluids used for transfusions.

They found PVC microplastics not only in blood-preservation fluids but also in stored blood samples, with microscopy showing that some particles attached to red blood cells. Their levels rose substantially during storage, increasing by roughly seven- to 20-fold over 30 days compared with freshly opened blood bags in the tested systems.

Storage conditions also played a role in the amount of plastic being shed. Microplastic levels increased with higher storage temperatures, and the bags were shaken to simulate transportation.

Microplastics do not belong anywhere on this planet, but they have made their way to every corner of Earth. There is growing evidence that these microscopic plastic particles have invaded many tissues and organs throughout the human body, including the lungs, liver, placenta, blood and blood vessels.

Studies have already documented that microplastics leach from everyday disposable medical gear, including IV infusion sets, syringes, IV bags and even the tubing used in kidney dialysis. For instance, IV infusion bags alone can shed up to 5,455 plastic particles into every litre of fluid.

Blood bags are typically made of PVC.

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