Brainwaves of mothers and children synchronize when playing together—even in an acquired language

Interbrain synchrony is the simultaneous activity of neural networks across the brains of people who are socially interacting—for example, talking, learning, singing, or working together. Having brains that are thus synchronized or "in tune" can help people boost their emotional connection, improve communication, and align their attention.

Neural synchrony is thought to be important for healthy bonding between parents and children. And now, a team of scientists  has found that neural synchrony doesn't appear to get "lost in translation." The results are published in Frontiers in Cognition.

The researchers showed that the brains of bilingual moms and their kids stay just as 'in sync' through neural synchrony irrespective of whether they play in the mom's native language or in an acquired second language.

This is an important finding because it suggests that using a second language doesn't disrupt the brain-to-brain connection that supports bonding and communication.

Second-language speakers often report a sense of emotional distancing when using their non-native language, which may influence how they express affection, discipline, or empathy in parent-child interactions.

But the results of this work done on immigrants in the UK  showed that brain synchrony was equally strong when participants played in English as when they played in the mother's native language.

The researchers concluded that talking in an acquired language didn't impinge on a mom's ability to synchronize her brain activity with that of her child during interactive play. These results suggest that this key condition for effective learning and bonding can be met irrespective of language.

The Impact of Language Context on Inter-Brain Synchrony in Bilingual Families, Frontiers in Cognition (2026). DOI: 10.3389/fcogn.2025.1695132

Too many satellites? Earth's orbit is on track for a catastrophe—but we can stop it

The rapid expansion of satellite megaconstellations, with over a million satellites proposed, threatens to permanently alter the night sky, increase light pollution, disrupt astronomy, and raise collision and environmental risks. Current regulations overlook cultural and environmental impacts. A Dark Skies Impact Assessment is recommended to systematically evaluate and mitigate these effects before deployment.

https://theconversation.com/too-many-satellites-earths-orbit-is-on-...

Junk to high-tech: India bets on e-waste for critical minerals
India is increasingly extracting critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel from e-waste to reduce import dependency and support technological ambitions. While formal recycling capacity is growing, over 80% of e-waste is still processed informally, leading to loss of valuable materials and hazardous conditions. Integrating informal workers into formal supply chains could improve recovery and safety.
Source: News agencies

Restored woodlands show only partial ability to bounce back after fire
Restored Banksia woodlands exhibit only partial recovery after fire, with seed-regenerating species rebounding well but resprouting species showing limited recovery, especially in younger sites. This incomplete resilience suggests that restored ecosystems may lack key plant groups essential for long-term stability, highlighting the need for targeted planning and monitoring in restoration efforts.

https://phys.org/news/2026-02-woodlands-partial-ability.html?utm_so...

Our brains may learn more from rare events than from repetition

Associative learning in the brain relies more on the timing and rarity of cue-reward pairings than on repetition. Mice learned associations just as effectively from infrequent, widely spaced rewards as from frequent ones, with dopamine responses emerging after fewer rare events. These findings suggest that rare or intermittent experiences can drive rapid learning, challenging traditional repetition-based models.
More than a century ago, Pavlov trained his dog to associate the sound of a bell with food. Ever since, scientists have assumed the dog learned this through repetition. The more times the dog heard the bell and then got fed, the better it learned that the sound meant food would soon follow.
Now, scientists are upending this 100-year-old assumption about associative learning. The new theory asserts that it depends less on how many times something happens and more on how much time passes between rewards.
It turns out that the time between these cue-reward pairings helps the brain determine how much to learn from that experience.
When the experiences happen closer together, the brain learns less from each instance and this could explain why students who cram for exams don't do as well as those who studied throughout the semester.
Scientists have traditionally thought of associative learning as a process of trial and error. Once the brain has detected that certain cues might lead to rewards, it begins to predict them. Scientists have postulated that at first the brain only releases dopamine when a reward like tasty food arrives.

But if the reward arrives often enough, the brain begins to anticipate it with a release of dopamine as soon as it gets the cue. The dopamine hit refines the brain's prediction, the theory goes, strengthening the link with the cue if the reward arrives—or weakening it if the reward fails to appear.
The findings could shift the way we look at learning and addiction. Smoking, for example, is intermittent and can involve cues—like the sight or smell of cigarettes—that increase the urge to smoke. Because a nicotine patch delivers nicotine constantly, it may disrupt the brain's association between nicotine and the resulting dopamine reward, blunting the urge to smoke and making it easier to quit.

Dennis A. Burke et al, Duration between rewards controls the rate of behavioral and dopaminergic learning, Nature Neuroscience (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-026-02206-2

Air pollution may directly contribute to Alzheimer's disease—new study
Higher exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, independent of other risk factors such as high blood pressure, stroke, and depression. PM2.5 particles, primarily from fossil fuel combustion and wildfires, may contribute to brain inflammation and oxidative stress. Global regions with elevated PM2.5 levels face rising dementia rates.

https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.p...

Heart attack study reveals 'survival paradox'
Analysis of over 900,000 heart attack patients shows that while severe frailty is more common in women, frail men have a higher one-year mortality risk. This "sex-frailty paradox" indicates that frailty impacts outcomes differently by sex, challenging current risk assessments and highlighting the need for sex-specific care pathways and frailty assessment tools in acute myocardial infarction management.

New Research challenges the "one-size-fits-all" approach to heart attack care, adding critical nuance to the debate on sex disparities. A new study involving more than 900,000 patients has revealed a "sex-frailty paradox" in heart attack outcomes, challenging the prevailing narrative that high clinical risk is predominantly a female issue.
While considerable focus has rightly been placed on addressing the fact that women are often undertreated compared to men after a heart attack, this new research, published in The Lancet Regional Health—Europe, highlights a hidden and profound vulnerability in men.
The study found that while severe frailty is indeed more common in women following a heart attack (acute myocardial infarction, or AMI), the actual risk of dying within one year is significantly higher for frail men.

This creates a complex picture where women face inequalities in access to care, but frail men face a "malignant" prognosis that current standard treatments are failing to address.

The study is the largest of its kind, analyzing national data over a 15-year period to disentangle the relationship between sex, frailty, and survival.
It challenges current risk assessments including patient frailty and age used by clinicians to determine treatment strategies, highlighting the need for sex informed care pathways to be included.

Patient frailty has long been an indicator of poorer outcomes, including mortality, rehospitalization and recurrent cardiovascular events, with frailty scores underpinning treatment decisions.

Hasan Mohiaddin et al, Sex–specific associations between frailty and long-term outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a national population-based study, The Lancet Regional Health - Europe (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2026.101612

Second pregnancy uniquely alters the female brain

Researchers have discovered that a second pregnancy alters the female brain. Previous research from the same group had already demonstrated the impact of a first pregnancy on the female brain. The new results are published in Nature Communications. The research demonstrates that both a first and a second pregnancy have strong and unique impacts on mothers' brains.

A previous study  was the first to show that pregnancy changes the structure of the human brain. The research group also discovered that pregnancy changes brain functioning. For this follow-up study, the researchers tracked 110 women: some became mothers for the first time, others had their second child, and a third group remained childless. Repeated brain scans allowed them to see exactly what changed in the women's brains.

This new work have shown for the first time that the brain not only changes during the first pregnancy, but also during a second. During a first and second pregnancy, the brain changes in both similar and unique ways. Each pregnancy leaves a unique mark on the female brain.

The greatest changes during a first pregnancy occurred in the structure and activity of the so-called default mode net-work. This part of the brain is important for many functions, including self-reflection and social processes. During a second pregnancy, this network changed again, but less strongly. However, during a second pregnancy, there were more changes in brain networks related to directing attention and responding to stimuli.

It appears that during a second pregnancy, the brain is more strongly altered in networks involved in reacting to sensory cues and in controlling your attention.

These processes may be beneficial when caring for multiple children.

The researchers also found a link between changes in the brain and the bond between mother and child. This link was more prominent during a first pregnancy than during a second. In addition, the researchers observed connections between structural brain changes and peripartum depression, both during a first and a second pregnancy, providing the first evidence that the changes taking place in a woman's cortex during pregnancy relate to maternal depression.

For women who became mothers for the first time, this was especially visible after childbirth. For women having their second child, this was particularly the case during their pregnancies.

The effects of a second pregnancy on women's brain structure and function, Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-69370-8

Why some objects in space look like snowmen: Gravitational collapse may shed light on contact binaries

Astronomers have long debated why so many icy objects in the outer solar system look like snowmen.

Researchers now have evidence of the surprisingly simple process that could be responsible for their creation.
Contact binaries—objects in the Kuiper Belt shaped like two connected spheres—form naturally through gravitational collapse. Simulations show that as pebble-sized materials aggregate, binary planetesimals can spiral inward and gently fuse, retaining their shapes. This process accounts for about 10% of Kuiper Belt planetesimals and does not require rare or exotic events.

Far beyond the violent, chaotic asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter lies what's known as the Kuiper Belt. There, past Neptune, you'll find icy, untouched building blocks from the dawn of the solar system, known as planetesimals. About one in 10 of these objects are contact binaries, planetesimals that are shaped like two connected spheres, much like Frosty the Snowman. 

Researchers created the first simulation that reproduces the two-lobed shape naturally with gravitational collapse. 

Planetesimals are the first large planetary objects to form from the disk of dust and pebbles. Much like individual snowflakes that are packed into a snowball, these first planetesimals are aggregates of pebble-sized objects pulled together by gravity from a cloud of tiny materials.

Occasionally, as the cloud rotates, it falls inward on itself, ripping the object apart and forming two separate planetesimals that orbit one another. Astronomers observe many binary planetesimals in the Kuiper Belt. In this present simulation, the orbits of these objects spiral inward until the two gently make contact and fuse together while still maintaining their round shapes.

How do these two objects stay together throughout the history of the solar system? Because they're simply unlikely to crash into another object. Without a collision, there's nothing to break them apart. Most binaries aren't even pocked with craters.

Direct contact binary planetesimal formation from gravitational collapse, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2026). DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stag002

Red blood cells soak up sugar at high altitude, protecting against diabetes

Red blood cells at high altitude absorb increased amounts of glucose under low-oxygen conditions, reducing blood sugar levels and potentially lowering diabetes risk. This adaptation enhances oxygen delivery and persists after returning to normal oxygen levels. A drug mimicking this effect reversed high blood sugar in diabetic mice, suggesting a novel approach for diabetes treatment.

Red Blood Cells Serve as a Primary Glucose Sink to Improve Glucose Tolerance at Altitude, Cell Metabolism (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2026.01.019. www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/f … 1550-4131(26)00018-5

Scientists discover 'bacterial constipation,' a new disease caused by gut-drying bacteria
Chronic constipation can result from two gut bacteria, Akkermansia muciniphila and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, which degrade the protective colonic mucin layer, leading to dry, immobile stool. Elevated levels of these bacteria are found in Parkinson’s disease patients with constipation. Inhibiting bacterial sulfatase activity preserves mucin and may offer a new therapeutic approach.
Scientists have found two gut bacteria working together that contribute to chronic constipation. The duo, Akkermansia muciniphila and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, destroy the intestinal mucus coating essential for keeping the colon lubricated and feces hydrated. Their excess degradation leaves patients with dry, immobile stool. This discovery, published in Gut Microbes, finally explains why standard treatments often fail for millions of people with chronic constipation.
Notably, the study shows that Parkinson's disease patients, who suffer from constipation decades before developing tremors, have higher levels of these mucus-degrading bacteria. While constipation in Parkinson's disease has traditionally been attributed to nerve degradation, these findings suggest that bacterial activity also plays a crucial role in the development of their symptoms.

Mucin-degrading intestinal commensal bacteria cause constipation, Gut Microbes (2026). DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2025.2596809

Virus co-opts protein-making equipment

Scientists have identified a giant virus that can hijack a host cell’s protein-making machinery to churn out copies of itself — the first experimental evidence that viruses can co-opt this particular system, which is typically associated with cellular life. To take control, the virus attaches a three-protein complex to the host’s ribosomes — part of the apparatus cells use to make proteins — which gives viral RNA preferential access. Researchers suggest that the virus makes this protein complex using genes that it ‘stole’ from hosts early in its evolutionary history.

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00055-3?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867426000553%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

A New Light Therapy For Hair Loss

A new form of light therapy can lower markers of hair loss in cell experiments by more than 90 percent.

Scientists in Korea want to use their invention to make a comfortable ‘hair loss’ hat, which can be worn out in public with ease and style.

The light technology is specifically tuned to stimulate hair-regenerating cells at the base of follicles.

Compared with standard red-light treatments, this new tech is 92 percent more effective at reducing a key marker of hair loss.
It also doesn’t have to sit in a hard helmet. The light platform can be slid into a flexible cap that fits closer to the scalp.

With so few effective treatments for hair loss, this new invention is rejuvenating hope for improved hair regrowth.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-68258-3

Atom-thin electronics withstand space radiation, potentially surviving for centuries in orbit

Atom-thick layers of molybdenum disulfide are ideally suited for radiation-resistant spacecraft electronics, researchers have confirmed. In a study published in Nature, they put a communications system composed of the material through a gauntlet of rigorous tests—including the transmission of their university's Anthem—confirming that its performance is barely affected in the harsh environment of outer space.

Beyond the protection of Earth's magnetic field, the electronic components of modern spacecraft are extremely vulnerable to constant streams of cosmic rays and heavy ions. While onboard systems can be shielded with radiation-protective materials, this approach takes up valuable space and adds weight to spacecraft. That extra mass drives up launch costs and can limit the payload available for scientific instruments or communications hardware. A far better solution would be to fabricate the electronics themselves from materials that are intrinsically resistant to radiation damage.

One particularly promising route forward involves highly conductive, ultra-thin materials such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂). Just a single layer of atoms thick—around 0.7 nanometers—the material has already proven remarkably robust against radiation-induced defects in previous laboratory studies.
In their latest work, the research team subjected the material to its most rigorous test yet. They began by growing monolayer MoS₂ using it to fabricate a transistor-based, radio-frequency communications system. The circuits were then exposed to powerful bursts of gamma rays, delivering doses comparable to those experienced by electronics operating in space.
To assess the effects of this irradiation, the researchers used a suite of cutting-edge imaging and spectroscopy techniques to compare the condition of the MoS₂ before and after exposure.
Transmission electron microscopy provided high-resolution images of the material's cross-section, while energy-dispersive spectroscopy mapping allowed the team to probe any changes in its chemical composition.
After irradiation, Raman spectroscopy measurements at multiple sites across the film were used to examine its structural integrity in detail. Taken together, this exhaustive analysis revealed no clear signs of structural or chemical damage in the atom-thin film.
The team then turned to the circuit's electrical performance. Encouragingly, it remained virtually unchanged after irradiation, with ultra-high on–off ratios and very little current leaking when a voltage was applied. The MoS₂ devices also maintained low power consumption, an important advantage for energy-limited spacecraft.

Liyuan Zhu et al, Radiation-tolerant atomic-layer-scale RF system for spaceborne communication, Nature (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10027-9

Pregnancy complications may have helped wipe out Neanderthals

Neanderthals disappeared from the fossil record approximately 40,000 years ago. Their extinction was a gradual process over thousands of years, and theories as to why include competition with modern humans and rapid climate change. However, there may have been other contributory factors: preeclampsia and eclampsia.

A new study published in the Journal of Reproductive Immunology suggests that these potentially life-threatening pregnancy complications may have been more severe in our extinct cousins.

Human fetuses are exceptionally energy-demanding owing to their large brains. To meet this demand, the placenta needs to embed deeply into the mother's uterine wall so that blood can flow freely to the fetus. However, if it does not invade deeply enough or remodel the mother's arteries, blood flow is reduced. It then sheds microscopic debris into the mother's blood, signaling that it is under stress.

The mother's body may react by raising its blood pressure, which can lead to complications, but not always. In many cases, when the placenta fails to invade deeply, the mother does not get preeclampsia. For reasons not yet fully understood, the body ignores the placenta's stress signals, which help protect the mother from developing high blood pressure. The baby may be born small as a result, but the mother stays healthy.

In this new study, an international team of physicians and researchers proposes that Neanderthal women lacked this protective mechanism. Consequently, struggling pregnancies may have triggered life-threatening high blood pressure or seizures, significantly reducing reproductive success.

The scientists based this idea on a comparison between modern medical records and ancient Neanderthal DNA. They identified genetic differences that may have affected how pregnancy-related blood pressure is regulated.
They also suggest that because Neanderthals lived in small, isolated populations, they had very low genetic diversity, so the parents were often genetically very similar. This may have affected how the mother's immune system tolerated the fetus, potentially increasing the risk of pregnancy complications.

The study authors also used modern clinical data to estimate how higher maternal mortality might have affected ancient populations, suggesting it could have contributed to their decline.

Pierre-Yves Robillard et al, Why reproduction has probably been very problematic in Neanderthals: The fabulous history of (pre)eclampsia, Journal of Reproductive Immunology (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.jri.2026.104852

The bouba-kiki effect

When we hear certain sounds, our brains often pair them with specific shapes. For example, most people will associate a sharp-sounding word with a jagged, pointed shape, while a soft, rolling word is linked to something smooth and curved. This fascinating phenomenon is known as the bouba-kiki effect.

The name comes from a classic psychology experiment where people are shown two drawings: one is rounded and bulbous and the other is sharp and spiky. When asked which shape is bouba and which is kiki (both invented words that have no actual meaning), the majority of people choose the round shape for bouba and the spiky one for kiki.

For a long time, scientists have debated whether this is an association we learn as we grow up and begin to speak. However, a recent paper published in the journal Science showed that baby chicks can also spontaneously match these sounds to shapes. It suggests that the ability may be at least partly innate rather than a learned human skill.

Maria Loconsole et al, Matching sounds to shapes: Evidence of the bouba-kiki effect in naïve baby chicks, Science (2026). DOI: 10.1126/science.adq7188

Marcus Perlman et al, In search of meaning, Science (2026). DOI: 10.1126/science.aee8641

Why chronic pain lasts longer in women: Immune cells offer clues

Chronic pain lasts longer for women than men, and new research suggests differences in hormone-regulated immune cells, called monocytes, may help explain why.

"The difference in pain between men and women has a biological basis. It's not in your head, and you're not soft. It's in your immune system."

In a new paper in Science Immunology, researchers  found a subset of monocytes release a molecule to switch off pain. These cells are more active in males due to higher levels of sex hormones such as testosterone, the team found.

Females, however, experienced longer-lasting pain and delayed recovery, because their monocytes were less active.

The researchers discovered the same pattern in both mouse models and human patients.

These findings could mean those immune cells can be manipulated into producing more signals to calm pain. While a new treatment is likely decades away, the researchers hope this research could one day help millions of people experience relief with non-opioid treatments—and ensure women's pain is taken seriously.

Monocyte-derived IL-10 drives sex differences in pain duration, Science Immunology (2026). DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.adx0292

Birds change altitude to survive epic journeys across deserts and seas
Small migratory birds adjust flight altitude when crossing deserts and seas, flying higher over deserts (2,500–4,000 m) to avoid heat and lower over seas, sometimes below 50 m. Wing morphology and plumage color influence these strategies, with larger wings and darker plumage linked to higher flights. These behaviors have implications for bird conservation and offshore wind farm planning.

Paul Dufour et al, Ecological barrier crossing strategies in small migratory birds depend on wing morphology and plumage color, iScience (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.114466

Gene variants help explain why food allergies run in families
Comprehensive genetic analysis reveals that nearly 40% of individuals with multiple food allergies carry rare loss-of-function mutations in genes linked to allergy risk, particularly FLG, which affects skin barrier integrity. Advanced sequencing detects more relevant mutations than traditional methods, especially in non-European populations, supporting the value of genetic testing for precise diagnosis and treatment.

Anas M. Khanshour et al, Exome sequencing reveals rare loss-of-function mutations in FLG and immune genes in patients with multiple food allergies, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2026.01.001

Closing in on a universal vaccine: Nasal spray protects mice from respiratory viruses, bacteria and allergens
A novel intranasal vaccine in mice provides broad, months-long protection against diverse respiratory viruses, bacteria, and allergens by sustaining both innate and adaptive immune responses in the lungs. This approach bypasses antigen specificity, instead mimicking immune signaling, and could potentially simplify and expand respiratory disease prevention in humans.

Haibo Zhang et al, Mucosal vaccination in mice provides protection from diverse respiratory threats, Science (2026). DOI: 10.1126/science.aea1260. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea1260

Maternal infections during pregnancy increase the risk of suicidal behaviors in their offspring, study finds

Past medical research consistently showed that specific events unfolding during pregnancy can influence the health of their offspring after birth.

Researchers carried out a large-scale study investigating the possible connection between maternal infections during pregnancy and the risk that offspring will exhibit suicidal behaviour later in life. Their findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, suggest that children who were exposed to an infection while they were still in their mother's womb are at a higher risk of attempting suicide.

Infections caused by an exposure to specific viruses or bacteria activate an immune response known as inflammation. 

Inflammation at crucial stages of brain development has previously been linked to a higher risk of developing some mental health disorders.

As part of their recent study, the researchers analyzed a large amount of data extracted from Denmark's national health registers. The dataset analyzed by them is remarkably large, as it contains information relating to over 2 million individuals. This ultimately allowed the researchers to reliably search for associations between maternal infections and suicidal behaviours, which would be difficult to uncover within smaller datasets.

The researchers analyzed the health records of all individuals above the age of 10 in the period spanning from 1987 to 2021. They specifically looked for maternal and paternal infections, before, during and after they were expecting a child, as well as their children's hospital visits after the age of 10.

Based on their analyses, the researchers estimated that if a mother was exposed to a bacterial or viral infection while she was pregnant, her child had a 46% higher risk of attempting suicide. This percentage appeared to be higher if infections occurred during the second or third trimester. Surprisingly, the risk of offspring attempting suicide was also higher when mothers contracted an infection before or after their pregnancy than if they contracted no infection at all, which could suggest either long-lasting effects of infections or the presence of residual confounding factors.

Interestingly, the researchers found that while maternal infections were linked to a higher risk of suicide attempts in offspring, paternal infections were not. This suggests that the link they observed is unlikely to be a result of social or family-related factors, as it would also hold true for paternal infections, but that it is instead rooted in fetal brain development.

The results of this recent study suggest that women's health before, during and right after pregnancy could be very important for the prevention of mental health-related issues and the reduction of suicide rates.

Massimiliano Orri et al, Association between maternal infections during pregnancy and offspring suicide risk: A national cohort study, Molecular Psychiatry (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41380-025-03430-1.

Large dogs release two to four times more airborne microbes than humans

Unseen but all around us, the air we breathe in enclosed spaces is crucial to our health and well-being. Indoor air is not simply outdoor air that has been run through a filter: it has its own chemical makeup and a unique combination of particles, gases and microorganisms. Because indoor air has many sources of its own, concentrations of many pollutants can be as high as—or higher than—outdoor levels, especially during everyday activities like cooking or cleaning.
The composition of indoor air, even in well-ventilated spaces, depends on the room's occupants and what they're doing, as well as any objects located there.
In a new study published in Environmental Science & Technology, a team of researchers measured the gases, particles of different sizes and microorganisms that dogs give off, through experiments run under tightly controlled conditions.

Large dogs emit two to four times more airborne microbes than humans, primarily through the release of particles during movement or interaction. Both dogs and humans produce similar amounts of CO2 and ammonia, though dogs have a higher ammonia-to-CO2 ratio, likely due to diet and metabolism. Dogs generate fewer ozone byproducts than humans, and their presence significantly alters indoor air microbiology.

The researchers discovered that the ammonia-to-CO₂ ratio is higher in dogs than in humans. In other words, a dog exhaling the same amount of CO₂ as a human will be producing significantly more ammonia. This difference is probably a function of their more protein-rich food, their unique metabolism and their fast breathing, which is one of the ways they control their body temperature.

When it comes to air pollutants, dogs make their biggest impact through the tiny solid and liquid particles that they send up into the air.

When shaking themselves off, scratching themselves or simply being petted, dogs release sizeable quantities of relatively large particles: dust, pollen, plant debris and microbes.

Part 1

Every time the dogs in the study moved, sensors picked up "puffs" of indoor pollution, with large dogs giving off two to four times more microorganisms than the humans in the same room do. Many of these particles are fluorescent: when exposed to ultraviolet light, they glow ever so slightly, betraying their biological origin.

Shen Yang et al, Our Best Friends: How Dogs Alter Indoor Air Quality, Environmental Science & Technology (2026). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5c13324

Part 2

2-month-olds see the world in a more complex way than people thought: study

A new study suggests that babies are able to distinguish between the different objects they see around them at 2 months old.

The findings, published this week in Nature Neuroscience, may help doctors and researchers better understand cognitive development in infancy.

It really tells us that infants are interacting with the world in a lot more complex of a way than we might imagine.

The study looked at data from 130 2-month-olds who underwent brain scans while awake. The babies viewed images from a dozen categories commonly seen in the first year of life, such as trees and animals. When babies looked at an image like a cat, their brains might "fire" a certain way that researchers could record. If they looked at an inanimate object, their brains would fire differently.

The technique—known as functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI—allowed scientists to examine visual function more precisely than in the past.

So even at 2 months of age, infants can distinguish between different objects, according to this new study.

Cliona O'Doherty, Infants have rich visual categories in ventrotemporal cortex at 2 months of age, Nature Neuroscience (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-025-02187-8. www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-02187-8

How your body senses cold—and why menthol feels cool

When you step outside on a winter morning or pop a mint into your mouth, a tiny molecular sensor in your body springs into action, alerting your brain to the sensation of cold. Scientists have now captured the first detailed images of this sensor at work, revealing exactly how it detects both actual cold and the perceived cool of menthol, a compound derived from mint plants.

The study focused on a protein channel called TRPM8 which acts like a microscopic thermometer inside your body. It's the primary sensor that tells your brain when it's cold.

TRPM8 sits in the membranes of sensory neurons innervating the skin, oral cavity, and eyes. It responds to cold temperatures—roughly between 46°F and 82°F—by opening up and allowing ions to flow into the cell, which triggers a nerve signal to the brain. It's also the reason menthol, eucalyptus, and certain other compounds produce that characteristic cooling sensation.

Menthol is like a trick. It attaches to a specific part of the channel and triggers it to open, just like cold temperature would. So even though menthol isn't actually freezing anything, your body gets the same signal as if it were touching ice.

The researchers discovered that cold and menthol activate the channel through shared yet distinct allosteric networks: cold primarily triggers changes in the pore region (the part that actually opens to let ions through), while menthol binds a different part of the protein and induces shape changes that propagate to the pore. When cold is combined with menthol, the response is enhanced synergistically.

The findings have medical implications. When TRPM8 doesn't function properly, it has been linked to conditions including chronic pain, migraines, dry eye and certain cancers.

https://www.biophysics.org/news-room/scientists-show-how-your-body-....

158 giant tortoises reintroduced to a Galapagos island
A total of 158 giant tortoises, bred from individuals with high genetic similarity to Floreana Island’s extinct native species, have been reintroduced to Floreana after more than a century. These tortoises, important for ecosystem functions such as seed dispersal and habitat regeneration, underwent quarantine and microchipping before release as part of a broader rewilding effort.

Source: News Agencies

Rare genetic variant protects against malaria-causing parasite by making red blood cells bigger
Scientists have found that a special component in some people's blood provides them with natural protection against malaria. A recent study has demonstrated that a genetic variant named rs112233623-T reduces the activity of CCND3, a gene that normally helps control how red blood cells divide and grow. This change prompts the body to make fewer but larger-than-normal red blood cells and also leads to higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) inside the cells. Together, these factors create a hostile environment for the malaria parasite to thrive and replicate.
This genetic variant is present in 10% of the population in Sardinia, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, but is rare or absent elsewhere in the world. The researchers think this phenomenon to be positive selection—a trait that likely became common because it helped people survive the disease in areas where malaria had been a major problem for centuries.
As per the findings published in Nature, replicating the reduction in CCND3 and the resulting changes in red blood cells caused by the rs112233623-T genetic variant could provide a potential therapeutic strategy to combat malaria.

Maria Giuseppina Marini et al, Reduced cyclin D3 expression in erythroid cells protects against malaria, Nature (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10110-9

When influencers raise a glass, young viewers want to join them

Exposure to social media influencer posts featuring alcohol increases young adults' immediate desire to drink by 73% compared to similar posts without alcohol. This effect is amplified when influencers are perceived as trustworthy, honest, and knowledgeable. The findings highlight the subtle influence of everyday social media content on drinking intentions among young viewers.

Exposure to Alcohol-Related Social Media Content and Desire to Drink Among Young Adults, JAMA Pediatrics (2026). DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.6335

Why do falls rise with age? Study points to cerebellar neuron firing
Age-related declines in Purkinje cell firing in the cerebellum directly impair motor coordination, balance, and gait. Experimental reduction of Purkinje cell activity in young mice induced motor deficits, while enhancing firing in older mice improved performance. These findings highlight cerebellar neuron dysfunction as a key factor in increased fall risk with aging.
A new study has found a direct link between age-related declines in neuron activity in the cerebellum and worsening motor skills, including gait, balance and agility. While it is well known that these abilities diminish with age, this is the first research to pinpoint how changes in Purkinje cells—a key type of cerebellar neuron—drive this decline and translate into measurable changes in behaviour and physical function.
Purkinje cells process sensory input and internal signals from the body and send corrective messages that finetune movement. However, unlike other neurons, they can also spontaneously fire electrical signals. To test how aging affects this activity, the researchers examined motor coordination in mice ranging from young adults (two months old) to elderly (18 to 24 months old). Older mice performed worse on several coordination tasks, including crossing an elevated beam and staying on a rotating rod (Rotarod), mirroring motor decline in humans.
The team then recorded electrical activity from Purkinje cells and found significantly lower firing frequencies in older mice. To determine whether this caused the behavioral decline, they used a genetically targeted tool called a DREADD, a type of designer receptor that increases or decreases neuron excitability when activated.
When they turned on the DREADD for young mice, which made their Purkinje cells fire at lower rates, mimicking the older Purkinje cells, the researchers found that they jumped off the Rotarod sooner than young mice who did not have the DREADD.
The reverse was also true: when the researchers boosted neuron firing in older mice, those mice stayed on the Rotarod longer, suggesting improved motor coordination.
The researchers showed that spontaneous firing rates in older Purkinje cells are reduced, and if we reverse this, we improve coordination. This indicates that the change plays a direct role in the age-related decline of motor coordination.

Eviatar Fields et al, Cerebellar Purkinje cell firing reduction contributes to aging-related declining motor coordination in mice, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2525795122

Your gut microbes can be anti-aging—scientists are uncovering how to keep your microbiome youthful
The gut microbiome changes with age, typically losing diversity and increasing inflammation-promoting bacteria, which correlates with aging. Maintaining a youthful microbiome is linked to healthier aging and longevity. Diets high in fiber and regular exercise support a beneficial microbiome, while interventions like fecal transplants, postbiotics, and targeted drugs or phages are being explored to promote healthy aging.

Women may face heart events at lower plaque levels than men, study finds

Less artery-clogging plaque in women's arteries did not appear to protect them from heart disease compared to men, according to a study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. While heart disease is the leading cause of illness and death worldwide, according to the American Heart Association's 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, women tend to have a lower prevalence of artery plaque than men, according to previous research.

The study evaluated health data for more than 4,200 adults (more than half of whom were women) to compare how quantity of plaque influenced the risk of major heart conditions. The study included people with stable chest pain and no prior history of coronary artery disease. Participants were randomized to undergo diagnostic evaluation via coronary computed tomography angiography (X-ray images of the heart and blood vessels) and followed for about two years. Key findings of the study: Fewer women had plaque in their coronary arteries than men (55% of women vs. 75% of men). Women also had a lower volume of artery plaque than men (a median of 78 mm3 among women vs. 156 mm3 in men). Despite less plaque, women were just as likely as men to die from any cause, have a non-fatal heart attack or be hospitalized for chest pain (2.3% of women vs. 3.4% of men). In addition, women faced increased heart risk at lower levels of plaque compared to men. For total plaque burden, women's risk began to rise at 20% plaque burden, while men's risk started at 28%. With increasing plaque levels, risk rose more sharply for women than for men.

The findings underscore that women are not 'protected' from coronary events despite having lower plaque volumes.

Risk in Women Emerges at Lower Coronary Plaque Burden Than in Men: PROMISE Trial, Circulation Cardiovascular Imaging (2026). DOI: 10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.125.019011

Microplastics discovered in prostate tumors
Microplastic particles were detected in 90% of prostate tumor samples and at higher concentrations than in adjacent noncancerous tissue, averaging 2.5 times more plastic per gram. These findings suggest a possible association between microplastic accumulation and prostate cancer, though further research with larger cohorts is needed to clarify causality and underlying mechanisms.
Experts have found that when plastic from food packaging, cosmetics, and other sources is used, heated, or chemically treated, it can break down into smaller pieces and become ingested. People are also exposed to plastics by inhaling them from the air and by absorbing them through the skin. Past studies have identified these microplastics in nearly every human organ, as well as in bodily fluids and the placenta. However, how they may affect human health has remained poorly understood.

Analyzing tissue samples collected from 10 patients with prostate cancer, the research team identified plastic particles in 90% of tumor samples and 70% of benign tissue samples.

In addition, the cancerous tissue contained on average 2.5 times the amount of plastic as the healthy prostate tissue samples (about 40 micrograms of plastic per gram of tissue compared with 16 micrograms per gram).
This pilot study provides important evidence that microplastic exposure may be a risk factor for prostate cancer.

Microplastics Identified in Human Prostate Cancer, American Society of Clinical Oncology's Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (2026).

https://scitechdaily.com/90-of-prostate-cancer-tumors-contained-mic...

Are one in 200 men really related to Genghis Khan? Maybe not, according to a new study

In present day Kazakhstan, both local folklore and genetic evidence found buried in royal tombs have shone a light on the region's ties to Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire. New DNA analysis of ruling elites from the Golden Horde—the northwestern extension of the Mongol Empire—reveals implications for the genetic ancestry of the broader Mongolian Empire. The findings were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The Golden Horde was founded and ruled by Genghis Khan's eldest son, Joshi, and his descendants. According to local folklore, one of the four tombs analyzed for this study belongs to Joshi himself and houses his remains. The additional three tombs analyzed in this study belonged to other Golden Horde ruling elites and provide evidence of Mongol cultural practices blending with local culture.

Inspired, Askapuli and his archaeologist colleagues in Kazakhstan decided to investigate whether the tales were true, in collaboration with researchers at the National Institute of Genetics, Japan.

About twenty years ago, researchers traced fragments of DNA found on the Y-chromosome, called the C3* cluster, back to medieval inhabitants of the Mongolian plateau. Today, many people across central Eurasia have this C3* cluster in their genome. Some scholars have hypothesized one reason the C3* cluster is so widespread is because of the Mongol Empire's vast sphere of control. It's even fueled the popular belief that one in 200 men is related to Genghis Khan.

But this new study's data reveal a more complicated possibility: While they did find evidence of the C3* cluster in the genome of the ruling elites, it appears in the genome of modern individuals at a much lower frequency.

Ayken Askapuli et al, Genomes of the Golden Horde elites and their implications for the rulers of the Mongol Empire, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2531003123

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Thunderstorms conjure ghostly coronae in treetops, observed outdoors for the first time

Scientists have speculated about weak electrical discharges on plants under thunderstorms for almost a century but have never observed or measured them in the wild until now, only inferring their existence from anomalies in the electric field in forests during storms.

For the first time, researchers have observed and measured weak electrical discharges, known as coronae, on trees during thunderstorms. A new study describes the near-invisible sparkles appearing similarly on branches of several tree species up and down the U.S. East Coast during the summer of 2024, implying that thunderstorms may paint entire canopies with a scintillating blue glow, albeit too faintly for human eyes to see.

Coronae also burn the very tips of leaves. Given the ubiquity with which they may occur across forests during storms, the researchers speculated that these coronae could harm the canopy, potentially shaping the evolution of trees to limit that damage.

Lab experiments over the past half-century had at least demonstrated how they could form in the wild: The charge of a thunderstorm overhead induces an opposite charge in the ground below. That ground charge, attracted to the one above, travels toward the highest point it can reach—in this case, the tips of leaves in the treetops—through which electricity discharges, forming coronae.

In the laboratory, if you turn off all the lights, close the door and block the windows, you can just barely see the coronae. They look like a blue glow

P. J. McFarland et al, Corona Discharges Glow on Trees Under Thunderstorms, Geophysical Research Letters (2026). DOI: 10.1029/2025gl119591

AI provides a more precise time of death post-mortem

Artificial intelligence can be used to provide a more precise time of death, which could be crucial in murder investigations. The method was developed by researchers.
Artificial intelligence analyzing blood metabolites enables more precise estimation of time since death, improving accuracy to about one day even up to 13 days post-mortem. This method outperforms traditional forensic techniques and requires relatively modest data sets, making it applicable in various laboratories. Further refinement aims to enhance precision and determine the time of day of death.
When the body dies, a number of biological processes set in. Organs and tissues begin to break down, leading to changes in small molecules in the blood called metabolites. They are broken down in a predictable way that correlates with how much time has elapsed since the time of death.
This enables us to assess the actual time of death of an individual, which is very important in forensic investigations, but also to the work of the police. For example, they need to spend their resources on the right witnesses in the right period of time in the deceased person's life.
Limits of today's forensic methods
The methods currently used to determine the time of death, also known as the post-mortem interval, include body temperature, rigor mortis, and the amount of potassium in the vitreous of the eye. However, these methods yield less accurate results when a few days have passed since the time of death.

The method now developed by researchers instead uses artificial intelligence to analyze the metabolites in blood samples collected at autopsy.
Blood samples from more than 45,000 autopsies have been collected by RMV over a period of almost 10 years, resulting in a world-unique database. The samples are used to find various chemical substances such as drugs, pharmaceuticals, or toxins. But body metabolites can also be found in the blood samples. Of these 45,000 samples, 4,876 with known post-mortem interval were used to train the AI model.
The researchers showed that their new model could predict the time from death to autopsy with a precision of about one day, even for those deceased for up to 13 days. A clear improvement on current methods.
Many external factors affect body decomposition but the signal from the body's metabolites was so strong when it comes to predicting the post-mortem interval.

So the researchers' next step is to produce a data set with more precise information about the time of death, and then train models that will provide more reliable estimates of the post-mortal interval as well as be able to determine during which part of the day a death occurred.
Forensic assessments often involve puzzle-like detective work. This new tool gives us better opportunities to assess how long someone has been deceased, even when a long time has passed since their death, which is of great importance, especially in more complex cases.

Rasmus Magnusson et al, The human metabolome and machine learning improves predictions of the post-mortem interval, Nature Communications (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-69158-w

Engineered bacteria can consume tumors from the inside out

A research team is developing a novel tool to treat cancer by engineering hungry bacteria to literally eat tumors from the inside out. "Bacteria spores enter the tumor, finding an environment where there are lots of nutrients and no oxygen, which this organism prefers, and so it starts eating those nutrients and growing in size.
Engineered Clostridium sporogenes bacteria have been modified to survive in low-oxygen tumor environments and selectively activate oxygen resistance via quorum sensing. This approach enables the bacteria to colonize and degrade tumors from within while minimizing risk to healthy, oxygen-rich tissues. Pre-clinical trials are planned to test this targeted cancer therapy.

Key to the approach is a bacterium called Clostridium sporogenes, which is commonly found in soil and can only grow in environments with absolutely no oxygen. The core of a solid, cancerous tumor is comprised of dead cells and is oxygen-free, making it an ideal breeding ground for the bacterium to multiply.
But there is a biological catch: when the cancer-eating organisms reach the outer edges of tumors, they are exposed to low levels of oxygen and die without completing their mission to fully destroy them.

To solve that problem, the researchers first added a gene to the organism from a related bacterium that can better tolerate oxygen, enabling it to live longer near the outside of a targeted tumor.

They then found a way to activate the oxygen-resistant gene at just the right time—critical to preventing bacteria from inadvertently growing in oxygen-rich places such as the bloodstream—by leveraging a phenomenon known as quorum sensing.

Part 1

In simple terms, quorum sensing involves chemical signals released by bacteria. Only when many bacteria have grown in a tumor is the signal strong enough to turn on the oxygen-resistant gene, ensuring it doesn't happen too soon.

In a 2023 study, researchers demonstrated that Clostridium sporogenes can be modified to tolerate oxygen. Now, in a follow-up study published in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology, they tested their quorum sensing system by making bacteria produce a green fluorescent protein.
Researchers now plan to combine the oxygen-resistant gene and the quorum-sensing timing mechanism in one bacterium and test it on a tumor in pre-clinical trials.

Sara Sadr et al, Construction and Functional Characterization of a Heterologous Quorum Sensing Circuit in Clostridium sporogenes, ACS Synthetic Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.5c00628

Part 2

Why our immune system remembers vaccinations for decades
Long-lived immunological memory after vaccination is maintained by memory T cells that enter an energy-saving, low-metabolic state early after activation. This metabolic restraint enables them to persist for decades and rapidly respond to future infections. The principle applies broadly, including to COVID-19 vaccination, and may inform improved vaccine design.

Sina Frischholz et al, Metabolic quiescence of naive-like memory T cells precedes and maintains antigen-specific T cell memory, Nature Immunology (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41590-026-02421-w

Urine tests confirm alcohol consumption in wild African chimpanzees

 If you want to measure the alcohol intake of chimps in a Ugandan rain forest, where a breath-analyzer is impractical, collecting urine for analysis is your only choice.

In 2025, researchers documented that the fruits chimps eat in the wild contain enough alcohol from fermentation to provide around 14 grams per day—the equivalent of two standard drinks. But the proof is in the urine.

So they collected the urine of Chimps to test. 

Their new results, published in the journal Biology Letters, show that the urine of most chimps sampled contains a metabolic by -product of alcohol, ethyl glucuronide, that proves they ingest significant quantities of ethanol in their diet—likely from those fermenting fruits.

Of the 20 urine samples from 19 different chimps (the Western chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes), 17 tested positive on commercial strips sensitive to 300 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) or more ethanol. Eleven samples were tested with strips sensitive to 500 ng/ml or more; 10 were positive (making a total of four out of 20 below the 500 ng/ml cutoff).

In humans, 500 ng/ml is a level expected after light drinking—one to two standard drinks—within the previous 24 hours. Similar levels would be expected in a chimpanzee that had spent the morning scarfing down slightly fermented fruit.

This confirms that the drunken monkey hypothesis—that there's enough alcohol in the environment for animals to experience alcohol in a way analogous to humans.

Urinary concentrations of a direct ethanol metabolite indicate substantial ingestion of fermenting fruit by chimpanzees, Biology Letters (2026). DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2025.0740

Dry eye often precedes autoimmune disease diagnosis, new study finds

Frequent dry eyes may signal more than simple irritation and could be an early warning sign of an autoimmune disease. This symptom has long been associated with Sjögren's Disease, a chronic autoimmune condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the tear ducts and salivary glands, causing inflammation that leads to dry eyes and dry mouth. Now, a study of 67,264 patients in Taiwan with autoimmune diseases found that dry eye disease (DED) preceded the autoimmune diagnosis by about three years.

Predictably, in Sjögren's Disease, the prevalence of diagnosis following the occurrence of DED exceeded 80%. Across nine other autoimmune conditions, rates consistently exceeded 20%, with rheumatoid arthritis ranking second highest at 39.3%, while Crohn's disease recorded the lowest rate at 23.0%.

DED provides a vital window of opportunity for doctors to perform earlier clinical evaluations for underlying autoimmune issues and plan effective treatment plans to deal with the symptoms. The findings are published in JAMA Network Open.

Greater awareness of DED as a potential early warning sign could encourage more people to seek evaluation, leading to earlier detection of underlying autoimmune disease when present, and if not, proceed with a general DED treatment plan.

Nan-Ni Chen et al, Epidemiology of Dry Eye in Patients With Autoimmune Disease, JAMA Network Open (2026). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.60275

Women show greater tau buildup and faster cognitive decline than men in Alzheimer's

Tau proteins act like the brain's maintenance crew, helping maintain the structure and proper function of brain cells. In neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, the tau proteins can form tangles that disrupt normal cell function. A recent study published in JAMA Neurology found that women show significantly higher levels of tau protein accumulation and experience faster cognitive decline than men.

A multinational team of researchers analyzed data from 1,200 participants across five major studies—one clinical trial and four observational studies—to better understand how Alzheimer's disease progresses differently in men and women. Their focus was on a trigger protein called amyloid-beta that leads to tau abnormalities.

The data indicated that when amyloid levels were high in both women and men, women had significantly higher levels of p-tau217 than men, suggesting that the tau protein clumps together more quickly in a woman's brain, making them more susceptible to the very early stages of the disease process. On the other hand, when the p-tau217 levels are lower, women seem to do better at cognitive tests than men.

Gillian T. Coughlan et al, Sex Differences in P-Tau217, Tau Aggregation, and Cognitive Decline, JAMA Neurology (2026). DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2025.5670

How a one‑eyed creature gave rise to our modern eyes

There is a tiny cyclops among your oldest ancestors, and humans share these remarkable ancestral roots with all other vertebrates. Researchers have found that all vertebrates evolved from a distant ancestor that had a single eye located at the top of its head. The study, published in Current Biology, also reveals that the remnants of this so-called median eye have today become the pineal gland in our brains.

This cyclops-like creature, which is our very distant relative, existed almost 600 million years ago. It was a small, worm-like organism that had adopted a sedentary lifestyle and fed by filtering plankton from seawater. Previously, this creature had some form of paired eyes, like most other animals.

We don't know whether the paired eyes in our branch of the evolutionary tree were just light-sensitive cells or simple image-forming eyes. We only know that the organism later lost them.
The increasingly calm lifestyle meant that the worm-like creature no longer needed paired eyes, and therefore that function was lost over the course of evolution. However, the animal kept a group of light-sensitive cells in the middle of its head. These cells developed into a small, primitive median eye that could keep track of night and day, and sense what was up and down.
Over the following millions of years, our distant ancestor once again began to live an active, swimming life, increasing the need for paired eyes. From parts of the small median eye, new image-forming eyes in pairs developed, the researchers conclude in the study.
Now we finally understand why the eyes of vertebrates differ so radically from the eyes of all other animal groups, such as insects and squid. The film of our eyes—the retina—developed from the brain, whereas the eyes of insects and squid originate in the skin on the sides of the head.
In other words, vertebrate eyes constitute a more modern model that evolved thanks to this peculiar detour via a cyclops' sedentary life. The conclusion that our modern eyes evolved through this specific evolutionary path, and not via some other ancient animal, is based on the researchers' extensive analysis of light-sensitive cells in all animal groups, as well as the physiology and placement of these cells in the body.
All vertebrates evolved from an ancestor with a single median eye atop its head, which later became the pineal gland in the brain. This median eye, originally used for light detection, was retained after the loss of paired eyes and eventually gave rise to the paired, image-forming eyes of modern vertebrates. The retina’s brain origin distinguishes vertebrate eyes from those of other animals.

George Kafetzis et al, Evolution of the vertebrate retina by repurposing of a composite ancestral median eye, Current Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.12.028

Why corals bleach: Neutrons show algae photosynthesis breaking down

Rising sea temperatures are causing coral reefs around the world to bleach. For the first time, a research team has investigated the biological processes behind coral bleaching directly in living corals. With the help of neutrons, they were able to visualize structural changes during the bleaching process.
Rising sea temperatures disrupt photosynthesis in coral-associated algae by altering the structure of their thylakoid membranes. Using small-angle neutron scattering, researchers directly observed these structural changes in living corals, linking membrane stress to the breakdown of symbiosis and subsequent coral bleaching. Persistent bleaching can lead to coral death.

Robert W. Corkery et al, In hospite and ex hospite architecture of photosynthetic thylakoid membranes in Symbiodinium spp. using small-angle neutron scattering, Journal of Applied Crystallography (2025). DOI: 10.1107/s1600576725007332

Women with severe burn injuries are more likely than men to develop blood poisoning

The skin forms a natural barrier that prevents bacteria entering the body. Severe burns stop this protective function from working properly, and germs can enter the blood more easily through the wounds. If the airways have suffered thermal or chemical injury through the inhalation of hot and toxic substances, they are also a gateway for infection.
Bacteria can multiply in the blood and spread throughout the body. In the worst case, this can cause blood poisoning—also known as sepsis—which can lead to multiple organ failure. This is a common cause of death in people with burn injuries. A new study has identified for the first time which patients are affected by such infections. The study was carried out before the disaster in Crans-Montana, but it can now help to better understand the physiological processes in critically ill burn patients.

The study focused on sex-specific differences. It analyzed data from 269 patients with severe burn injuries who were treated at the Center for Severe Burn Injuries at the University Hospital Zurich between 2017 and 2021. The insights, published in Burns, should help to prevent sepsis in patients with severe burn injuries or get it under control at an early stage.

Women with severe burn injuries are nearly twice as likely as men to develop bacteremia, which can progress to sepsis. This increased risk is not due to different bacterial species but may relate to altered immune or hormonal responses following burns. Understanding these mechanisms could improve prevention and management of sepsis in burn patients.
Women's immune systems often seem better able to cope with pathogens, and a number of studies have observed a stronger immune response.
In burn victims, however, it seems that this is not necessarily the case. The researchers are not yet able to answer the question of why the women with severe burn injuries in this cohort were much more likely to develop bacteremia.
One explanation that can be ruled out, however, is the presence of different pathogens, as predominantly the same bacteria were identified in the blood of male and female patients. These are species that colonize the skin and mucous membranes as part of the natural microbiome. They are usually harmless but can become dangerous if they enter the bloodstream in large quantities.
Sex hormones have an effect on human immune cells, which also fight infections. Female sex hormones such as estrogen are actually associated with a better response. But it is possible that burn injuries alter hormone metabolism, which then weakens the immune response, say the researchers.
While patients are usually given antibiotics early to fight the bacteria, the damaged barrier means that new infections keep occurring. Resistant bacteria can also quickly develop, for which very few effective antibiotics are available.

Nicole J.M. Schweizer et al, Impact of sex on the development of bacteremia in critically ill burn patients: A retrospective cohort study, Burns (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.burns.2025.107845

Single-celled organism becomes multicellular via three different pathways

Some single-celled organisms are known to transition to multicellularity during their lifetimes, usually either by cloning themselves or when many similar cells come together to form a larger multicellular organism. A new study published in Nature suggests that a combination of the two routes may be more common than previously thought—even in organisms distantly related to animals.

Choanoflagellates are single-celled flagellate eukaryotes considered to be the closest living relatives of animals. They are bacterium-eating aquatic organisms with a flagellum (a long, hair-like appendage that helps them swim) and a collar of microvilli, primarily used for absorption, secretion, and sensory functions.

Choanoflagellates possess the ability to form multicellular bodies. Like animals, they were thought to be purely clonal, but this has not been previously tested across different types. The choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta, for example, only exhibits clonal multicellularity. However, other close relatives of animals have been shown to form aggregative groups.

Although animal multicellularity is purely clonal, other close relatives of animals exhibit diverse forms of multicellularity, including aggregation in filastereans and cellularization of multinucleated cells or cleavage-like serial cell divisions in ichthyosporeans.

The researchers set out to determine whether choanoflagellates can ever form aggregate groups. They were surprised by what they found. Not only did the choanoflagellates form clonal groups and aggregate groups separately, but they also formed mixed clonal-aggregative groups under certain conditions. They also found that the purely aggregative sheets were morphologically, behaviourally, and functionally equivalent to clonally grown sheets.

Furthermore, the team showed that the push to aggregative multicellularity was an active process.

They found that as salinity rises, multicellular sheets tend to dissociate, and cells turn into tough, unicellular cysts. When the pools are rehydrated, these cysts "wake up" and reform sheets using both division and aggregation methods.

The team also found that cell density had an interesting effect on whether the cells chose clonal or aggregative routes to multicellularity.

Núria Ros-Rocher et al, Clonal-aggregative multicellularity tuned by salinity in a choanoflagellate, Nature (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10137-y

Neanderthal males, human females? How ancient attraction shaped the human genome

The human genome is a rich, complex record of migration, encounters, and inheritance written over thousands of millennia. Genomic research is revisiting a particularly intimate chapter, suggesting that ancient mating patterns between modern humans and Neanderthals shaped why Neanderthal DNA is largely missing from the human X chromosome.

Along our X chromosomes, we have these missing swaths of Neanderthal DNA scientists call 'Neanderthal deserts".

For years, researchers just assumed these deserts existed because certain Neanderthal genes were biologically 'toxic' to humans—as tends to be the case when species diverge—so they thought the genes may have caused health problems and were likely purged by natural selection.

Now,  this new research work has discovered a more social explanation.

In a paper published in Science, their analysis of Neanderthal and modern human genomes suggests that long-standing mating preferences—rather than genetic incompatibility—shaped which Neanderthal DNA sequences persisted in modern humans and which were gradually lost.

Their findings reveal the role social interactions in sculpting the human genome, challenging the idea that human evolution was driven solely by survival of the fittest.

Researchers found a pattern indicating a sex bias: gene flow occurred predominantly between Neanderthal males and anatomically modern human females.

Roughly 600,000 years ago, the ancestors of anatomically modern humans and their closest-related species, the Neanderthals, diverged, forming two distinct groups.

Our ancestors evolved in Africa, while the ancestors of Neanderthals evolved in and adapted to life in Eurasia. But that separation was far from permanent.

Over hundreds of millennia human populations migrated into Neanderthal territories and back again, and when these groups met, they mated, swapping segments of DNA.

Part 1

To determine whether Neanderthal X chromosomes contain alleles from humans, the team identified modern human DNA preserved in three Neanderthals—Altai, Chagyrskaya, and Vindija—and compared this dataset against one of diverse African genomes, a control group who had historically never encountered a Neanderthal.
What the researchers found was a striking imbalance. While modern humans lack Neanderthal X chromosomes, Neanderthals had a 62% excess of modern human DNA on their X chromosomes compared to their other chromosomes.
This mirrorlike reversal was their answer. If the two species were biologically incompatible, modern human DNA should have been missing from Neanderthal X chromosomes as well. But because the team found an abundance of human DNA in Neanderthal X chromosomes, they were able to rule out reproductive incompatibility or toxic gene interactions as the barrier.

The remaining explanation, the team argues, lies in sex-biased interbreeding.
Because females carry two X chromosomes and males carry only one, mating direction matters. If Neanderthal males partnered more often with modern human females, fewer Neanderthal X chromosomes would enter the human gene pool, and more human X chromosomes would enter Neanderthal populations.
Mathematical models confirmed that this bias could reproduce the observed genetic patterns. Other possibilities, such as sex-biased migration, could theoretically produce similar results—but only through complex, shifting scenarios that varied across time and geography.

Mating preferences provided the simplest explanation.
With the "who" and "how" of these ancient trysts established, the team is now turning their attention to the "why," investigating whether similar genetic comparisons—specifically the ratio of diversity between X chromosomes and autosomes—can reveal the gender dynamics of Neanderthal society, such as whether females stayed with their birth families while males migrated to new groups.

By mapping these ancient interactions, the researchers hope to further illuminate the complex social lives of human's closest evolutionary cousins.

Alexander Platt et al, Interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans was strongly sex biased, Science (2026). DOI: 10.1126/science.aea6774. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea6774

Part 2

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Wildfire smoke linked to rise in violent assaults

A new study spanning 11 years of data has revealed a clear link between wildfire smoke pollution and an increase in violent assaults.

These findings represent the first direct causal evidence that short-term exposure to wildfire-driven air pollution can increase interpersonal violence in an urban environment. The work is published in Environmental Research Letters .

The authors of the study, warns that air-quality deterioration may be driving social as well as health consequences.

The researchers  analyzed daily air pollution levels and police-reported assaults from 2013 to 2023, found that:
Wildfire smoke increased daily PM2.5 levels by an average of 7 μg/m³.
On smoke-affected days, assaults rose by approximately 3.6%.
Each additional 1 μg/m³ of PM2.5 was linked to a 0.5% increase in daily assaults.

Although the study did not test individual biological changes due to wildfire smoke pollution, the pattern of results points to short-lived physiological and psychological responses to fine particulate pollution—such as discomfort, inflammation or stress reactions—as likely contributors to the rise in assaults.

Importantly, the researchers ruled out other factors that might drive increased violence. For instance, traffic collisions and police response times remained stable on smoke-affected days, ruling out explanations related to inattention or reduced police capacity.

Domestic violence call volumes also did not increase, suggesting that the effect is concentrated in outdoor settings where exposure to wildfire smoke is highest and incidents of low severity police use of force did rise on smoke days, mirroring the uptick in interpersonal assaults and further supporting an exposure-driven behavioural response.

What really stands out in the study is that the burden of wildfire smoke won't be shared equally. Outdoor workers, people without access to clean indoor air, and those experiencing homelessness are likely to feel the effects most intensely, and that's something we can't ignore.

Wildfire smoke increases assaults: evidence from Seattle, Environmental Research Letters (2026). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ae436c

Middle-aged men are most vulnerable to faster aging due to 'forever chemicals,' study finds

"Forever chemicals" in common parlance—are a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals often used in non-stick coatings, water-resistant fabrics, fire-fighting foams, food packages, cleaning products, and plastics. They contain exceptionally strong molecular bonds, which makes them hard to break down.

PFAS pollution is increasingly detectable in water, soil, and tissues of organisms, and some have been implicated in human cancers, obesity, infertility, and hormonal imbalances.

PFAS have wide-ranging toxic effects. Now, researchers have found that two non-legacy PFAS, namely perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), appear to speed up biological aging in middle-aged men, but not women. These results suggest that newer PFAS are not necessarily risk-free and should be considered for stricter regulation.

But why would the effects of PFNA and PFOSA be strongest in middle-aged men?

Midlife is a sensitive biological window where the body becomes more susceptible to age-related stressors, which may explain why this group responds more strongly to chemical exposure, say the researchers.

 Men may be at higher risk because the aging markers we analyzed are heavily influenced by lifestyle factors such as smoking, which can compound the damaging effects of these pollutants.

 To reduce risk, individuals can try to limit their consumption of packaged foods and avoid microwaving fast-food containers.

Ya-Qian Xu, et al. Emerging PFAS Contaminants PFNA and PFSA Amplify Epigenetic Aging: Sex-and Age-Stratified Risks in an Aging Population, Frontiers in Aging (2026). DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2025.1722675

Ancient mosquitoes developed a taste for early hominins, research reveals

The preference of some mosquitoes in the Anopheles leucosphyrus (Leucosphyrus) group—including those that transmit malaria—for feeding on humans may have evolved in response to the arrival of early hominins in Southeast Asia around 1.8 million years ago.
A preference for feeding on humans is uncommon among the 3,500 known mosquito species, yet this feeding preference is the main factor influencing the potential of mosquitoes to spread disease-causing pathogens.
Mosquitoes in the Anopheles leucosphyrus group developed a preference for feeding on humans between 2.9 and 1.6 million years ago in Sundaland, coinciding with the arrival of Homo erectus. This shift from feeding on non-human primates likely required genetic changes in odour detection and provides independent evidence for early hominin presence in Southeast Asia.

Researchers estimate that the preference for feeding on humans evolved once within Leucosphyrus between 2.9 and 1.6 million years ago in a region known as Sundaland, which includes the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, and Java. Prior to this, ancestors of the group fed on non-human primates.

This overlaps with the earliest proposed date for the arrival of the hominin species Homo erectus in the region around 1.8 million years ago and predates the arrival of modern humans between 76,000 and 63,000 years ago. It also predates previously published estimates of the evolution of a preference for feeding on humans among the mosquito lineage that gave rise to the major African malaria carriers Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii.

Upasana Shyamsunder Singh, Early hominin arrival in Southeast Asia triggered the evolution of major human malaria vectors, Scientific Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-35456-y. www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-35456-y