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Across Europe, scientists and citizens are uncovering a hidden legacy of contamination beneath their feet. From Denmark's first PFAS crisis to a new generation of soil-mapping initiatives, a continent is learning to see—and stop—the pollution it once ignored

To take maximum advantage of the added days, months, and years people enjoy because of modern health care and healthier habits, they need to achieve competency in several areas necessary for longer lives, claims a new Gerontological Society of America report, "Health and Wealth in the Era of Longevity."

Researchers at Academia Sinica have developed the first population-specific polygenic risk score (PRS) models for people of Han Chinese ancestry, achieving unprecedented accuracy in predicting risks for common diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disorders. The study, published in Nature on October 15, 2025, analyzed genomic and health data from more than half a million Taiwanese participants of the Taiwan Precision Medicine Initiative (TPMI) and demonstrates the transformative potential of ancestry-specific genetics in improving precision medicine across East Asia.

The shipbuilding industry is on the verge of a major leap forward. Timo Alho's doctoral dissertation at the University of Vaasa introduces a pioneering power management strategy that prevents ship blackouts. In Alho's management principle, the vessel's electrical equipment is capable of independently supporting the ship's grid without centralized commands. This makes the vessel's power systems significantly more fault-tolerant than before.

Jijing Wang, Ph.D., and Hyun-Sik Yang, MD, of the Department of Neurology at Mass General Brigham, are the lead and senior authors of a paper published in Molecular Neurodegeneration titled "Plasma TDP-43 is a potential biomarker for advanced limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy neuropathologic change." Here, they answer questions about their research.

Most people can recall a favorite class or teacher who left an indelible mark on their lives. While subject matter plays a role, the deeper connection often stems from how that teacher made students feel.

Richard Weissbourd and Kiran Bhai are part of the leadership team at Making Caring Common, a Harvard Ed School initiative focused on making moral and social development a priority in child-raising. In this article, they answer this question:

Many high school seniors across the country are in the throes of college applications—often a high-stakes, anxiety-ridden process.

During the first COVID-19 lockdown, we were both mothers trying to stay sane. Our chats often revolved around diapers, feeding, sleep deprivation and motherhood chaos. Between laughter and exhaustion, cloth diapers kept coming up in conversation.

Potential treatments for one of the world's most dangerous hospital superbugs have been found in a surprising location—hospital toilets.

For many years, older adult patients who fractured their hip typically spent most of their recovery time with orthopedic doctors, working to regain their strength and function. But for some of those patients, that care only addressed part of their health issue, explains Michael McDermott, MD, a national endocrinology expert in the University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Medicine.

You've just put a dollar into a machine to play a song and it stopped playing after a few seconds. You put in another dollar and the tune stops after a minute. You can't get your dollars back and can't listen to the song you want. But what if you had known ahead of time what would happen, and could have saved yourself the money and frustration?

A new study has found African lions produce not one, but two distinct types of roars—a discovery set to transform wildlife monitoring and conservation efforts.

Life can put strain on any couple's relationship. But mindfulness could help keep it strong, according to a recent study from the University of Georgia published in Child & Family Social Work.

It is often said that the blue light emitted by tablets and phones makes it harder to fall asleep because it impacts the production of the sleep hormone melatonin.

While artificial intelligence technology is increasingly being used—formally and informally—to support medical diagnoses, its utility in emergency medical settings remains an open question. Can AI support doctors in situations where split-second decision making can mean the difference between life and death?

Loggerhead turtles are able to sense Earth's magnetic field in two ways, but it wasn't clear which sense the animals use to detect the magnetic field when navigating using the magnetic map they are born with. Now researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reveal in the Journal of Experimental Biology that hatchling loggerhead turtles feel Earth's magnetic map to tell them where they are on their epic migration routes.

A research group led by Assistant Professor Megumi Aimoto and Professor Akira Takahara at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toho University, revealed that pyrazole-3 (Pyr3), a selective inhibitor of the transient receptor potential canonical-3 (TRPC3) channel, a calcium-permeable channel in the heart, prevents the persistence of atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is a tachyarrhythmia that occurs in the atria and is a major cause of stroke and heart failure. This study demonstrated that the TRPC3 channel is a promising new therapeutic target for atrial fibrillation.

Making new friends has its challenges, even for birds. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati found that monk parakeets introduced to new birds will "test the waters" with potential friends to avoid increasingly dangerous close encounters that could lead to injury. They gradually approach a stranger, taking time to get familiar before ramping up increasingly risky interactions.

When ultraviolet light hits ice—whether in Earth's polar regions or on distant planets—it triggers a cascade of chemical reactions that have puzzled scientists for decades.

The European Space Agency's Euclid mission—designed to map the geometry of the dark universe with unprecedented precision—continues to deliver its first scientific insights. The Euclid Consortium has published a fresh set of seven scientific papers based on data from the Euclid Quick Data Release and also unveiled a new Euclid-derived visual collage illustrating the classical "Tuning Fork" of galaxy morphologies.

Imagine trying to predict wind patterns as air flows across a landscape. It's a straightforward task over a flat plain—but becomes more complex when the terrain shifts to jagged mountain ranges. Here, wind does not simply sweep over peaks; it is deflected, slowed, and forced into gravity waves.

Only two weeks after fertilization, the first sign of the formation of the three axes of the human body (head/tail, ventral/dorsal, and right/left) begins to appear. At this stage, known as gastrulation, a flat and featureless sheet of cells folds into a living blueprint for the body, a fleeting transformation into axes and layers that will determine how every tissue develops. This all-important moment has, however, long stood beyond the reach of science, occurring too early and deeply within the uterus to study directly.

All starting from the same DNA, neurons ultimately take on individual characteristics in the brain and body. Differences in which genes they transcribe into RNA help determine which type of neuron they become, and from there, a new MIT study shows, individual cells edit a selection of sites in those RNA transcripts, each at their own widely varying rates.

Soon, researchers may be able to create movies of their favorite protein or virus better and faster than ever before. Researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have pioneered a new machine learning method—called X-RAI (X-Ray single particle imaging with Amortized Inference)—that can "look" at millions of X-ray laser-generated images and create a three-dimensional reconstruction of the target particle. The team recently reported their findings in Nature Communications.

By studying the theoretical limits of how light can be used to perform computation, Cornell researchers have uncovered new insights and strategies for designing energy-efficient optical computing systems.

A new study challenges the idea that language stems from a single evolutionary root. Instead, it proposes that our ability to communicate evolved through the interaction of biology and culture, and involves multiple capacities, each with different evolutionary histories. The framework, published in Science, unites discoveries across disciplines to explain how the ability to learn to speak, develop grammar, and share meaning converged to create complex communication.

An international study, involving researchers from the University of Tartu Institute of Chemistry, was recently published in Chemical Society Reviews. It provides the most comprehensive theoretical description to date of electrocatalysis and how its current limitations can be addressed. The research establishes a framework that helps design more efficient fuel cells, electrolyzers, and other clean energy conversion devices.

Bioelectronics, such as implantable health monitors or devices that stimulate brain cells, are not as soft as the surrounding tissues due to their metal electronic circuits. A team of scientists from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, led by associate professor Ranjita Bose, have now developed a soft polymer hydrogel that can conduct electricity as well as metal can. As the material is both flexible and soft, it is more compatible with sensitive tissues. This finding has the potential for a large number of applications, for example, in biocompatible sensors and in wound healing.

In 2019, a research group led by Andrés Ozaita, of the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences at Pompeu Fabra University, described that mice models for Down syndrome have more cannabinoid receptor 1 (CBR1) in some regions of the brain. This anomaly affects the animals' memory. Six years later, phase 1–2 clinical trials are now underway to test drugs that might correct these alterations in the memory of people living with the syndrome.

Researchers at the Eye Genetics Research Unit at Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI) are the first in the world to use stem cells to study one of the genetic causes of Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA)—a rare condition that causes severe vision loss in babies and young children. Their findings suggest that gene therapy could soon help prevent blindness in affected kids.

After fertilization, embryos race through rapid cell divisions before slowing down to build specialized cells that will carry out distinct functions in the developing body—but the signals that trigger this shift have remained a mystery.

A new study has shown that a clinical tool developed by the University of Liverpool and The Walton Center can accurately predict whether the most common type of brain tumor will grow or cause symptoms, helping doctors and patients make better-informed decisions about care.

A recent study led by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and the nonprofit Aerospace Corporation shows how high-resolution maps of ground-level ammonia plumes can be generated with airborne sensors, highlighting a way to better track the gas.

An environmental chemistry laboratory at Duke University has solved a longstanding mystery of the origin of high levels of PFAS—so-called "forever chemicals"—contaminating water sources in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.

Researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo have developed a neural-network-based 3D imaging technique that can precisely measure moving objects—a task long considered extremely challenging for conventional optical systems.

For decades, pharmaceutical companies have been using bacteria found in soil and water to chemically convert steroids into effective treatments for human diseases. One example is cortisol, which is used to treat asthma and skin rashes. But how bacteria convert steroids is not fully understood.

Cornell researchers have discovered a previously unknown way plants regulate water that is so fundamental it may change plant biology textbooks—and open the door to breeding more drought-tolerant crops.

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), working with Florida International University's (FIU) Global Forensic and Justice Center, have demonstrated a new method for detecting trace levels of fentanyl using a silicon nanowire (SiNW) array that concentrates chemical vapors for handheld detection instruments. The breakthrough offers first responders a faster, safer way to identify fentanyl and related synthetic opioids without direct contact with the drug.

Reducing the U.K.'s energy demand could help the country reach its net zero target faster and at half the cost compared to relying mainly on supply-side technologies, according to new research by energy experts.

The poplar (Populus alba) has a unique survival strategy: when exposed to hot and dry conditions, it curls its leaves to expose the ventral surface, reflecting sunlight, and at night, the moisture condensed on the leaf surface releases latent heat to prevent frost damage. Plants have evolved such intricate mechanisms in response to dynamic environmental fluctuations in diurnal and seasonal temperature cycles, light intensity, and humidity, but there have been few instances of realizing such a sophisticated thermal management system with artificial materials.

Researchers at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) have unveiled a transformative approach to understanding and treating social anxiety, challenging decades of laboratory-based assumptions and opening doors to targeted therapies.

While you might assume the Nullarbor Plain is a vast expanse with not much to see, a recent discovery has stunned scientists.

A multi-institutional research team has demonstrated how AI and machine learning can optimize therapy selection and dosing for septic shock, a life-threatening complication that is the leading cause of hospital deaths.

From idea, to lab, to clinic, to approval—it's a long and expensive process to bring a drug to market. It also rarely succeeds.

Paper packaging is a sustainable alternative to plastic. However, as it is permeable to air, food packaged in paper loses its flavor over time, and undesirable substances such as solvents can penetrate the packaging. Up to now, extensive tests were necessary for each type of paper to determine to what extent and how quickly this happens.

A patented RNA-based cocktail developed at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) has emerged as a promising active agent against tumors of the central nervous system, such as glioblastoma.

With a five-year survival rate of less than 5%, glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive types of brain cancer. Until now, all available treatments, including immunotherapy—which involves strengthening the immune system to fight cancer—have proved disappointing. CAR-T cells are genetically modified immune cells manufactured in the laboratory and designed to identify and destroy cancer cells.

Dysfunctional mitochondria, organelles that serve as cellular power generators, appear to cause the symptoms of Gulf War illness (GWI) among tens of thousands of veterans of the Persian Gulf War, UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists confirmed in a new study. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, could lead to effective treatments for this condition that has plagued former soldiers for 30-plus years.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published a report identifying strategies for developing a more efficient, sustainable and resilient U.S. metals processing infrastructure, where metals are used and reused more efficiently throughout the economy. The report highlights key challenges that must be addressed to achieve this goal, including a lack of robust standards for recycled content and supply chain vulnerabilities for critical materials.

It's becoming increasingly difficult to make today's artificial intelligence (AI) systems work at the scale required to keep advancing. They require enormous amounts of memory to ensure all their processing chips can quickly share all the data they generate in order to work as a unit.

Around a quarter of UK homes lie on disused coalfields. These abandoned coal mines are flooded with water that is naturally heated by the Earth.

How can components be designed for an optimal balance of minimal weight and maximum robustness? This is a challenge faced by many industries, from medical device manufacturing to the automotive and aeronautics sectors.

As the world's need for energy storage increases, sodium-ion batteries are emerging as a less expensive and more environmentally friendly complement to lithium-based batteries. Research by Brown University engineers sheds new light on how sodium behaves inside these batteries, providing new design specifications for anode materials that maximize stability and energy density for sodium-ion batteries.

Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT can write an essay or plan a menu almost instantly. But until recently, it was also easy to stump them. The models, which rely on language patterns to respond to users' queries, often failed at math problems and were not good at complex reasoning. Suddenly, however, they've gotten a lot better at these things.

After years of design, development, and testing, NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft took to the skies for the first time Oct. 28, marking a historic moment for the field of aeronautics research and the agency's "Quesst mission."

Researchers have developed a new algorithm that combines two processes for personalizing robotic prosthetic devices to both optimize the movement of the prosthetic limb and—for the first time—also help a human user's body engage in a more natural walking pattern. The new approach can be used to help restore and maintain various aspects of user movement, with the goal of addressing health challenges associated with an amputation.

When it comes to innovation, engineers have long proved to be brilliant copycats, drawing inspiration directly from nature. But now some scientists are moving beyond simple imitation to incorporating natural materials into their designs. Stuck for ideas on how to create ultra-fine, low-cost 3D printing nozzles, researchers at McGill University in Canada repurposed the proboscis of a deceased female mosquito to create a sustainable, high-resolution 3D printing tip.

The world's most valuable publicly listed company, US microchip maker Nvidia has reported a record $US57 billion revenue in the third quarter of 2025, beating Wall Street estimates. The chipmaker said revenue will rise again to $US65 billion in the last part of the year.

A new study has shown for the first time that waste cardboard can be used as an effective source of biomass fuel for large-scale power generation.

One of the things that AI doesn't have that humans have in abundance is fingerprints.

They perform spectacular shows at amusement parks and sporting events. They deliver medicine and help monitor security. They make great gifts. What are they?

Research led by Rutgers engineers has shown how artificial intelligence (AI) can solve two of the biggest challenges in manufacturing.

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) has established Korea's first national standards for the reliable performance verification of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission systems. Based on these newly established standards, KRISS will begin providing calibration and testing services for national power authorities and related industries.

A comprehensive review of the challenges in printing with paste-like materials and how understanding the underlying physics could improve manufacturing reliability has been co-authored by a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa mechanical engineering researcher.

As the Hunter region of New South Wales inches toward the closure of the state's largest coal mine, Muswellbrook community members are urging industry to leave a positive legacy in their wake.

Yann LeCun, an artificial intelligence pioneer who runs a research lab at Meta Platforms Inc., told employees that he will depart the social media giant at the end of the year and start a new company, according to a memo obtained by Bloomberg News.