Findings in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology reinforce the role of weight management in psoriasis care Philadelphia, May 27, 2025 – Researchers have found that central body fat, especially around the abdomen, is more strongly linked to psoriasis risk than total body fat, particularly in women. This link between central fat and psoriasis remained consistent regardless of genetic predisposition, indicating that abdominal fat is an independent risk factor. The study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, published by Elsevier, provides…
NEW YORK, NY (May 22, 2025)–When Columbia neurologist and scientist Neil Shneider speaks to his ALS patients who volunteer for experimental therapies, he’s unwaveringly honest. “Patients always ask me, “What can I hope to get out of this?” Shneider says. “And I always say, in most clinical trials, our hope is that we can slow the disease or maybe even halt progression.” So it was a big surprise when some of the patients treated with an experimental drug—a therapy that emerged…
GEOMAR researchers identify systemic weaknesses in EU fisheries management and are calling for quotas to be set independently of national interests As legally required by the European Union, sustainable fisheries may not extract more fish than can regrow each year. Yet, about 70 per cent of commercially targeted fish stocks in northern EU waters are either overfished, have shrunken population sizes or have collapsed entirely. So why does the EU continue to miss its sustainable fisheries targets, despite a wealth…
Researchers from the Federal University of São Paulo used oysters and mussels as sentinel organisms to assess the presence of these pollutants. The results show that even the most restrictive sites for human presence have significant contamination. Despite being considered sanctuaries for biodiversity, Brazil’s marine protected areas (MPAs) are not immune to microplastic contamination. A recent study has shown that even MPAs classified as integral protection areas (APIs), which are the most restrictive to human intervention, are contaminated by this…
UC Riverside study finds real-time household water data reduces consumption A UC Riverside-led study has found that a smartphone app that tracks household water use and alerts users to leaks or excessive consumption offers a promising tool for helping California water agencies meet state-mandated conservation goals. Led by Mehdi Nemati, an assistant professor of public policy at UCR, the study found that use of the app—called Dropcountr—reduced average household water use by 6%, with even greater savings among the highest…
As we get older, our bodies stop performing as they once did. We aren’t as strong as we once were, we don’t see as well as we used to and we start becoming less mobile. These changes inevitably lead to almost a third of people over the age 65 falling each year, resulting in injuries and occasionally death. In the United States alone, it costs the healthcare system billions of dollars annually. However, while aging is a certainty, falling may…
Breakthrough study suggests promising method to extend the antidepressant action of ketamine against major depression for weeks Roughly 10 percent of the U.S. population is afflicted with major depressive disorder at any given time, and up to 20 percent will exhibit MDD symptoms over their lifetimes. Yet despite its prevalence, methods to treat MDD often fall short for a not-insignificant portion of the population. Antidepressants—the standard of treatment—don’t work for 30 percent with MDD. When infused at a low dose…
Most people have encountered the black, grey, or pink stains of bacterial biofilms built up on the bathroom tiles or kitchen sink. Even with vigorous scrubbing and strong cleaning chemicals, this grime can be difficult to remove and often returns with vengeance. A new study, published in Chemical Engineering Journal, reports a novel, two-step method to effectively dismantle bacterial biofilms and prevent regrowth. “Biofilms are everywhere, from bathrooms to food factories,” said Hyunjoon Kong (M-CELS leader/EIRH/RBTE), a professor of chemical and…
A collaborative team of researchers led by vision scientists at the School of Veterinary Medicine have developed novel promoters that drive strong and specific gene expression in rod and cone photoreceptors in mid-to-late stages of disease, potentially of Key Takeaways Inherited retinal degenerations (IRDs) are a group of genetic disorders that lead to progressive vision loss as the light-sensing cells of the eye—the photoreceptors—die due to mutations in genes needed for their function and survival. Gene therapy has emerged as…
As the ocean warms across its temperate regions, kelp forests are collapsing and turf algae species are taking over. This shift from dense canopies of tall kelp to low-lying mats of turf algae is driving biodiversity loss and altering the flow of energy and nutrients through reef ecosystems. It’s also fundamentally altering the chemical ecology of coastal ecosystems. New research in Science, led by researchers at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, has shown for the first time how turf algae…
Guest editorial by Dr Vladimir Dinets, research assistant professor at the University of Tennessee and author of a new Frontiers in Ethology article Many years ago, I got to spend some time in Ngorongoro Crater, a unique place in Africa where immense herds of animals are being watched by equally immense crowds of 4×4-riding tourists, and traffic jams of all kinds are frequent. On my last evening there, a local guide told me at a campfire that some buffalo in…
A new international study led by researchers at Tulane University shows that the El Niño and La Niña climate patterns affect nearly half of the world’s mangrove forests, underscoring the vulnerability of these vital coastal ecosystems to climatic shifts. Mangroves are shrubs or trees that grow in dense thickets mainly in coastal saline or brackish water. The research, published in Nature Geoscience, is based on nearly two decades of satellite data from 2001 to 2020 and is the first study…
Neuroscientists and materials scientists have created contact lenses that enable infrared vision in both humans and mice by converting infrared light into visible light. Unlike infrared night vision goggles, the contact lenses, described in the Cell Press journal Cell on May 22, do not require a power source—and they enable the wearer to perceive multiple infrared wavelengths. Because they’re transparent, users can see both infrared and visible light simultaneously, though infrared vision was enhanced when participants had their eyes closed….
Introducing a severe impacts approach to guide adaptation to pluvial floods in residential and public buildings The risk of heavy rainfall and severe flooding increases with climate change. But property owners – regardless of size – often underestimate their own responsibility and are unaware of what preventive measures they can take themselves. In a new scientific article, researchers from Linköping University, Sweden, show how to go about preventive work. Many property owners believe that it is the municipality’s responsibility to…
UChicago-led study tests neural networks’ ability to handle ‘gray swan’ events Increasingly powerful AI models can make short-term weather forecasts with surprising accuracy. But neural networks only predict based on patterns from the past—what happens when the weather does something that’s unprecedented in recorded history? A new study led by scientists from the University of Chicago, in collaboration with New York University and the University of California Santa Cruz, is testing the limits of AI-powered weather prediction. In research published May 21…
Could black holes help explain high-energy cosmic radiation? The universe is full of different types of radiation and particles that can be observed here on Earth. This includes photons across the entire range of the electromagnetic spectrum, from the lowest radio frequencies all the way to the highest-energy gamma rays. It also includes other particles such as neutrinos and cosmic rays, which race through the universe at close to the speed of light. Curiously, “cosmic rays” are not actually rays…
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