Why brain cancer is often resistant to immunotherapy

New findings could help make immunotherapies for brain cancer more effective. The team analyzed almost 200,000 individual immune cells in tumor samples taken from patients with glioma, the most common and aggressive type of primary brain cancer. The researchers describe four gene expression 'programs' -- sets of genes with coordinated activity -- that either suppress the immune system or make it more active. Defining and understanding what drives these programs could one day help researchers target them with new drugs to dial up or down specific parts of the immune system to improve patient response to immunotherapy.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250226163234.htm

A new path to recovery: Scientists uncover key brain circuit in the fight against cocaine use disorder

Imagine a future where the grip of cocaine use disorder can be loosened, where cravings fade, and the risk of relapse diminishes. A new study brings this vision closer to reality. The research has identified a critical brain circuit that plays a pivotal role in regulating cocaine-seeking behavior.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250226163231.htm

Biological organ ages predict disease risk decades in advance

Our organs age at different rates, and a blood test determining how much they've each aged could predict the risk of conditions like lung cancer and heart disease decades later, finds a new study.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250225201300.htm

Hormones may have therapeutic potential to prevent wrinkles, hair graying

Hormones may be leveraged to treat and prevent signs of aging such as wrinkles and hair graying, according to a new study.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250225121809.htm

New study reveals Neanderthals experienced population crash 110,000 years ago

A new study suggests that Neanderthals experienced a dramatic loss of genetic variation during the course of their evolution, foreshadowing their eventual extinction. Examination of semicircular canals of ear shows Neanderthals experienced 'bottleneck' event where physical and genetic variation was lost.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250225121653.htm

Mimicking shark skin to create clean cutting boards

Keeping work surfaces clean during meat processing is a challenge, and now researchers deliver key insights into a solution that could change the current practice altogether: Instead of working to prevent bacteria buildup, they created surfaces that stop bacteria from attaching in the first place. Using lasers to etch and alter the surface of the metal, the team was able to create micro- or nanoscale textures that make it difficult for microbial cells to attach to the surface. The technique, known as laser-induced surface texturing, also alters the metal's water-repellent properties.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250225121518.htm

AI to diagnose 'invisible' brain abnormalities in children with epilepsy

Scientists have developed an AI-powered tool that detects 64% of brain abnormalities linked to epilepsy that human radiologists miss.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250224111804.htm

Telemedicine may help reduce use of unnecessary health tests

A research team has found that telemedicine may help to reduce the use of low-value tests.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250224111801.htm

Research provides new detail on the impact of volcanic activity on early marine life

New analysis of ancient fossilized rocks known as stromatolites, preserved in southern Zimbabwe, suggests strong links to hydrothermal nutrient recycling, 'meaning that early life may in part have been fueled by volcanic activity'.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250224111758.htm

Flexible crystals reveal secrets of elasticity

Researchers have identified the origin of the restoring force that lets elastic crystals return to their original shape.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250221125557.htm

Giant X-ray facility shows that magnets can reduce flaws in 3D printed components

Safety critical components for aircraft and Formula 1 racing cars could one day be 3D printed via a new technique that substantially reduces imperfections in the manufacturing process.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250220164244.htm

Daily cannabis use linked to public health burden

A new study analyzes the disease burden and the risk factors for severity among people who suffer from a condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Researchers say the condition occurs in people who are long-term regular consumers of cannabis and causes nausea, uncontrollable vomiting and excruciating pain in a cyclical pattern that often leads to repeated trips to the hospital.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250220122931.htm

Hidden genetic causes of congenital heart disease identified

Scientists have identified novel genetic interactions that may contribute to congenital heart disease (CHD), a common birth defect.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250220122507.htm

Scientists warn of increased mpox transmission

International researchers warn that the ongoing mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has the potential to spread across borders more rapidly. The mpox virus has mutated, and the new variant, clade 1b, has become more infectious.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250220000950.htm

Bio-hybrid drone uses silkworm moth antennae to navigate using smell

Conventional drones use visual sensors for navigation. However, environmental conditions like dampness, low light, and dust can hinder their effectiveness, limiting their use in disaster-stricken areas. Researchers have now developed a novel bio-hybrid drone by combining robotic elements with odor-sensing antennae from silkworm moths. Their innovation, which integrates the agility and precision of robots with biological sensory mechanisms, can enhance the applicability of drones in navigation, gas sensing, and disaster response.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250219111300.htm

Parasitic orchids are healthier

Why have some orchids stopped photosynthesis and become parasites feeding on fungi? Researchers found that in at least one species the transition may be driven by the opportunity -- more than by the need -- to do so.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250219105819.htm

Einstein Probe catches X-ray odd couple

Lobster-eye satellite Einstein Probe captured the X-ray flash from a very elusive celestial pair. The discovery opens a new way to explore how massive stars interact and evolve, confirming the unique power of the mission to uncover fleeting X-ray sources in the sky.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250218113643.htm

Scientists optimize biohybrid ray development with machine learning

The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and NTT Research, Inc., a division of NTT, announced the publication of research showing an application of machine-learning directed optimization (ML-DO) that efficiently searches for high-performance design configurations in the context of biohybrid robots. Applying a machine learning approach, the researchers created mini biohybrid rays made of cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) and rubber with a wingspan of about 10 mm that are approximately two times more efficient at swimming than those recently developed under a conventional biomimetic approach.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250214003223.htm

Landmark atlas reveals how aging breast tissue shapes breast cancer risk

Aging is a privilege, but it also brings risks -- including an increased likelihood of developing age-related diseases including cancer. Researchers have now created a landmark atlas of how healthy breast tissue ages, revealing key cellular, molecular, and genetic changes that may tip the balance toward breast cancer development.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250214003148.htm

The molecular Einstein: One molecule, endless patterns

Is it possible to tile a surface with a single shape in such a way that the pattern never repeats itself? In 2022, a mathematical solution to this 'Einstein problem' was discovered for the first time. Researchers have now also found a chemical solution: a molecule that arranges itself into complex, non-repeating patterns on a surface. The resulting aperiodic layer could even exhibit novel physical properties.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250213144446.htm

Near-complete skull discovery reveals 'top apex', leopard-sized 'fearsome' carnivore

A rare discovery of a nearly complete skull in the Egyptian desert has led scientists to the 'dream' revelation of a new 30-million-year-old species of the ancient apex predatory carnivore, Hyaenodonta.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250217133605.htm

Scientists find new biomarker that predicts cancer aggressiveness

Using a new technology and computational method, researchers have uncovered a biomarker capable of accurately predicting outcomes in meningioma brain tumors and breast cancers.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250213143256.htm

Astronomers gauge livability of exoplanets orbiting white dwarf stars

Astronomers used a 3D global computer model to compare the climates of exoplanets in different stellar and orbital configurations. They found that a planet orbiting a white dwarf star would offer a warmer climate than one orbiting a main sequence star.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250213143421.htm

Restoring wildlife habitats in wealthy nations could drive extinctions in species-rich regions, experts warn

Researchers call on the international community to recognize and start tackling the 'biodiversity leak'.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250213143405.htm

Cracking the Alzheimer's code: How brain trauma triggers disease

A study reveals that traumatic brain injury alters the small vessels in the brain, resulting in an accumulation of amyloid beta -- a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. The findings suggest that vascular dysfunction could be an early driver in neurodegenerative disorders rather than being caused by neuronal damage.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250212134954.htm

Dessert stomach emerges in the brain

Who hasn't been there? The big meal is over, you're full, but the craving for sweets remains. Researchers have now discovered that what we call the 'dessert stomach' is rooted in the brain. The same nerve cells that make us feel full after a meal are also responsible for our craving for sweets afterwards.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250213143309.htm

Mirror, mirror trap the light: Measuring invisible light waves via electro-optic cavities

Researchers have developed a novel experimental platform to measure the electric fields of light trapped between two mirrors with a sub-cycle precision. These electro-optic Fabry-Perot resonators will allow for precise control and observation of light-matter interactions, particularly in the terahertz (THz) spectral range. By developing a tunable hybrid-cavity design, and measuring and modeling its complex sets of allowed modes, the physicists can switch between nodes and maxima of the light waves exactly at the location of interest. The study opens new avenues for exploring quantum electrodynamics and ultrafast control of material properties.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250212134834.htm

For Valentine's Day: Measure your relationship with a scientific self-test

Answer seven questions and get an indication of how your relationship is right now. Just in time for Valentine's Day, researchers are publishing a new study that introduces a scientifically validated scale, the 'Valentine's Scale'. The scale measures how satisfied you are in your love relationship.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250211134925.htm

Birds-of-paradise are biofluorescent

New research reports, for the first time, the widespread occurrence of biofluorescence in birds-of-paradise. The study, based on specimens collected since the 1800s, finds biofluorescence in 37 of the 45 known birds-of-paradise species and suggests that this special 'glow' is important among males for hierarchy and mating displays.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250211134617.htm

'Junk' RNA segments play role in protein production, cell stress response

Scientists have discovered that some tiny segments of RNA thought to be junk instead have a functional role in suppressing production of certain messenger RNAs and appear to help cells respond to oxidative stress.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250211134135.htm

A wealth of evidence: 85,000 individual studies about climate policy

Research on climate policy is growing exponentially. Of the approximately 85,000 individual studies ever published on policy instruments for mitigating global heating, a good quarter are from 2020 or later. A study using machine learning methods now shows how this vast knowledge is distributed -- by instrument, country, sector and policy level -- and identifies research gaps. A corresponding web tool, the 'living systematic map', will help to guide science and policy. It will be continuously updated to reflect the current state of research.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250211134106.htm

How to Keep Your Perfume On All Day Without Reapplication

Quite frankly, it is a pain in the neck for a lover of perfume to have to reapply it all over your body throughout the...

The post How to Keep Your Perfume On All Day Without Reapplication first appeared on KickassFacts.

source https://www.kickassfacts.com/how-to-keep-your-perfume-on-all-day-without-reapplication/

Brain waves measure the effect of anti-alcohol campaigns

To evaluate the effectiveness of public video campaigns against risky alcohol consumption, psychologists used EEG measurements to examine the synchronization of brain activity in groups of viewers. In a recent study, they present new ways to bring the method out of the laboratory and into real-life application in the public health sector.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250207122452.htm

A new way to detect inflammation

Nearly every disease has an inflammatory component, but blood tests can't pinpoint inflammation in specific organs or tissues in the human body. Now researchers have developed a method to detect inflammation using antibodies, potentially leading to blood tests for disease-specific biomarkers such as for heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and various cancers. Their breakthrough also holds promise for drug discovery.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250206134600.htm

School bans alone not enough to tackle negative impacts of phone and social media use, researchers find

Students attending schools that ban the use of phones throughout the school day aren't necessarily experiencing better mental health and wellbeing, as the first worldwide study of its kind has found that just banning smartphones is not enough to tackle their negative impacts.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250205131611.htm

Researchers discover new way to customize living materials for tissue engineering, drug delivery and 3D printing

Researchers have revealed novel sequence-structure-property relationships for customizing engineered living materials (ELMs), enabling more precise control over their structure and how they respond to deformation forces like stretching or compression.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250205130926.htm

Clean air policies having unintended impact driving up wetland methane emissions by up to 34 million tons

Reducing sulphur in the air may inadvertently increase natural emissions of methane from wetlands such as peatlands and swamps, a new study has found. The resulting additional future release of 20-34 million tons of methane each year from natural wetlands would mean targets to reduce human-caused emissions need to be more stringent than currently set out in the Global Methane Pledge.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250205142754.htm

Cancer vaccine shows promise for patients with stage III and IV kidney cancer

Researchers report that all nine patients in a clinical trial being treated for stage III or IV clear cell renal cell carcinoma (a form of kidney cancer), generated a successful anti-cancer immune response after initiation of a personalized cancer vaccine.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250205130931.htm

Music can touch the heart, even inside the womb

Researchers have used mathematical analysis tools to study the effect of classical music on a fetal heartbeat and identify patterns in heart rate variability. They recruited 36 pregnant women and played two classical pieces for their fetuses. By attaching external heart rate monitors, the researchers could measure the fetal heart rate response to both songs, and by employing nonlinear recurrence quantification analysis, they could identify changes in heart rate variability during and after the music was played. They found evidence music can calm fetal heart rates, potentially providing developmental benefits.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250204131929.htm

New study assesses impact of agricultural research investments on biodiversity, land use

New, groundbreaking research shows how, at a local scale, agricultural research and development led to improved crop varieties that resulted in global benefits to the environment and food system sustainability.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250204131859.htm

Global groundwater sulfate distribution map uncovers public health risks for 17 million people

A recent study has revealed a startling public health threat: About 17 million people are at risk of gastrointestinal problems due to excessive sulfate levels in groundwater. This alarming finding emerged from the first high-resolution global groundwater sulfate distribution map.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250203142510.htm

A protein at the heart of heart disease

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) -- commonly known as bad cholesterol -- have long been on scientists' radar as a major contributor to heart disease. But these microscopic troublemakers have hidden their inner workings behind a maze of complexity. That is, until now. Researchers have now revealed the specific shape and structure of one of the body's most important yet complicated proteins: ApoB100. Acting as a kind of molecular exoskeleton, this protein wraps around LDL particles, allowing them to travel through the bloodstream, researchers found.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250203141808.htm

Vitamin D matters during first trimester

Maternal vitamin D levels in the first trimester were related to both prenatal growth and pregnancy outcomes, according to a new study. Low vitamin D levels during the first trimester of pregnancy were associated with higher rates of preterm birth and decreased fetal length.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250203141805.htm

Alarming rise in rates of advanced prostate cancer in California

The incidence of advanced prostate cancer in California rose markedly in the decade since doctors stopped routinely screening all men for the disease, according to a new study.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250203141800.htm

Study establishes link between early side effects from prostate cancer radiation and long-term side effects

Men undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer who experience side effects early in treatment may face a higher risk of developing more serious long-term urinary and bowel health issues, according to a new study.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250131194543.htm

E-mobility: AI system accelerates the development of powertrains

The development of vehicle components is a lengthy and therefore very costly process. Researchers have developed a method that can shorten the development phase of the powertrain of battery electric vehicles by several months. A team is combining simulation models of components with evolutionary optimization algorithms. This AI system automatically optimizes the entire powertrain -- from the power electronics to the electric machine through to the transmission -- in line with the manufacturer's technical requirements, taking into account targets such as production costs, efficiency and package space requirements in the vehicle.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250130161851.htm

New technology tracks dairy cows for improved health and productivity

High-quality milk remains in high demand, but managing the health of dairy cows is becoming increasingly challenging. To tackle this, researchers have developed an innovative location information-based technique that uses multi-camera systems to track individual cows across an entire barn. This method enables health monitoring, early disease detection, and gestation management, making it ideal for large-scale implementation to ensure dairy farm health and ensure consistent, high-quality milk production.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250130135836.htm