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Science News Archive December 2025 - Page 23


Page 23 of 46

Researchers pitch strategies to identify potential fraudulent participants in online qualitative research

Researchers identified various strategies to prevent and detect fraudulent responses, including outreach and recruitment plans, short screener surveys, and community-engaged methods. These approaches can help distinguish real from fake participants and mitigate the impact of fraud on injury and violence prevention studies.

SourceRutgers University·JournalBMJ Open Quality·TypeLiterature review·DateDec 11, 2025

Identification of an immuno-inflammatory biomarker in the brain supports potentially more effective personalized treatment for major psychiatric disorders

A study published in Biological Psychiatry identifies a distinct immuno-inflammatory biomarker in the brain linked to immune system dysfunction and poorer response to standard treatments. The findings provide potential value for clinical prediction and precision therapies.

SourceElsevier·JournalBiological Psychiatry·TypeImaging analysis·DateDec 11, 2025

Sexual minority individuals face higher cesarean risks

A new study from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that sexual minority individuals have a 7% higher odds of primary Cesarean birth compared to completely heterosexual participants. Disparities were especially pronounced when labor was induced, raising concerns about potential provider bias and unequal interve...

SourceColumbia University's Mailman School of Public Health·JournalThe Lancet Regional Health - Americas·DateDec 11, 2025

How extreme weather events affect agricultural trade between US states

A new study by University of Illinois researchers finds that extreme weather events can have wide-ranging effects on food production and manufacturing in the US. Climate shocks, such as droughts and floods, can reduce agricultural output and increase prices, affecting states that rely heavily on imports.

SourceUniversity of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateDec 11, 2025

Life-long burden

Early life adversity disrupts activity across multiple brain networks when threats are encountered later in life, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study found that mice subjected to adversity in infancy showed abnormal brain activity in response to threats as adults.

SourceUniversity of New Mexico Health Sciences Center·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeExperimental study·DateDec 11, 2025

Sweeping study shows similar genetic factors underlie multiple psychiatric disorders

A recent study has identified five categories of psychiatric disorders that share similar genetic factors, including compulsive features, internalizing conditions, substance use disorders, neurodevelopmental conditions, and a category combining bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The research suggests that these shared genetic factors ...

SourceUniversity of Colorado at Boulder·JournalNature·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateDec 11, 2025

Chinese Neurosurgical Journal study reveals high paralysis risk in corticospinal tract-infiltrating gliomas

A study of 101 glioma cases reveals that one-third of patients develop permanent paralysis after surgery. High tumor grade, pre-operative motor deficits, and larger tumor volume are key predictors. The work underscores the importance of careful surgical planning to maximize survival while safeguarding motor function.

SourceChinese Neurosurgical Journal·JournalChinese Neurosurgical Journal·TypeObservational study·DateDec 11, 2025

Dresden PROTHOR study provides new insights for greater patient safety in major lung surgery

The PROTHOR study investigated the effects of different ventilation strategies during one-lung ventilation on postoperative pulmonary complications. The results showed that higher positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and recruitment maneuvers led to better gas exchange, but negatively affected blood pressure. The choice of ventilati...

SourceTechnische Universität Dresden·JournalThe Lancet Respiratory Medicine·DateDec 11, 2025

Smallholder farms maintain strong pollinator diversity – even when far from forests

Research suggests that tropical smallholder farms in fragmented landscapes can maintain healthy pollinator populations and fruit production, contrary to expectations. The study's findings highlight the importance of ecological diversity in supporting wild pollinators.

Price of a bot army revealed across hundreds of online platforms worldwide – from TikTok to Amazon

A new analysis using COTSI data reveals that verifying fake accounts for use in the US and UK is almost as cheap as in Russia, while Japan and Australia have high prices due to SIM costs and photo ID rules. The average price of SMS verification for an online platform was $0.26 in the US and $0.10 in the UK.

SourceUniversity of Cambridge·JournalScience·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateDec 11, 2025

New study links untreated sleep apnea to premature cardiovascular aging and increased mortality

A new study finds that untreated obstructive sleep apnea accelerates cardiovascular aging, leading to higher mortality rates. Researchers used a long-term mouse model to demonstrate the chronic physiological stress created by sleep apnea fundamentally alters cardiovascular structure and function.

SourceMarshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine·Journalnpj Aging·TypeRandomized controlled/clinical trial·DateDec 11, 2025

Ultra-hot lava world has thick atmosphere, upending expectations

A team of astronomers used NASA's JWST to reveal an alien atmosphere in the ancient, ultra-hot super-Earth TOI-561 b. The planet's thick atmosphere is upending conventional wisdom about ultra-short-period planets, and its composition could be representative of planets that formed when the universe was relatively young.

SourceCarnegie Institution for Science·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·TypeObservational study·DateDec 11, 2025

New “molecular ruler” tracks growth of Alzheimer’s-linked tau fibrils

Researchers developed a new tool, FibrilPaint combined with the FibrilRuler test, to measure the length of toxic Tau amyloid fibrils directly in solution. This 'molecular ruler' represents a major advance in understanding how these fibrils grow, break, and respond to potential drugs.

SourceThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeExperimental study·DateDec 11, 2025

Engineering magnetism and thermal expansion in BiFeO3 for next-generation memory devices

Scientists successfully introduce ferromagnetism into bismuth ferrite at room temperature through dual-cation substitution, enabling potential use in low-power memory devices. Negative thermal expansion is also observed, which could help solve problems caused by thermal expansion in electronic components.

SourceInstitute of Science Tokyo·JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society·TypeExperimental study·DateDec 11, 2025

MIT researchers find new way to deliver antibodies that could make treatment much easier for patients

MIT researchers have found a new way to create solid particles of highly concentrated antibodies, suspended in a solution, which can be injected using a standard syringe. This advance could make antibody treatments more convenient and accessible for patients, particularly older people with difficulty visiting hospitals.

SourceMassachusetts Institute of Technology·JournalAdvanced Materials·DateDec 11, 2025

Taxing homes in an economic boom and subsidising them in a crash could prevent the next housing crisis

Researchers argue that taxing housing purchases during economic booms and providing temporary subsidies on housing during recessions could help prevent the next housing crisis. The study found that this approach can lift house prices exactly when the system is at greatest risk, preventing fire sales and severe price collapses.

SourceUniversity of Surrey·JournalJournal of Economic Dynamics and Control·TypeObservational study·DateDec 11, 2025

Fungal allies arm plant roots against disease by rewriting the rules of infection

Researchers discovered that beneficial fungi enhance plant resistance to disease by remodelling the plant cell membrane at pathogen infection sites. This transformation coincides with a significant reduction in pathogen colonisation and offers critical new insights into how plants coordinate defences in complex natural environments.

SourceUniversity of Cambridge·JournalCell Reports·TypeExperimental study·DateDec 11, 2025

Chinese intertidal shellfish farming: an unexpected fuel station for millions of migrating shorebirds

A decade-long study found that cultured shellfish distribution determines spatial hotspots and seasonal peaks of shorebirds along China's coast. The research suggests managed mariculture is a better solution to food security for migratory bird protection than imposing a ban.

SourceRoyal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research·JournalNature Communications·TypeObservational study·DateDec 11, 2025

Influenza clade K viruses prolong the influenza season in Australia and New Zealand

The emergence of A(H3N2) subclade K viruses in Australia and New Zealand extended their influenza seasons, with Australia experiencing a record-breaking season. The viruses were likely imported from the US and accounted for half of Australian viruses and over two-thirds of New Zealand viruses.

SourceEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)·JournalEurosurveillance·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateDec 11, 2025

Feeling the heat

Researchers at Harvard University have discovered that cycads heat up their reproductive organs to attract beetle pollinators, who possess infrared sensors to detect these signals. The study found that all 17 cycad species followed a circadian pattern, with male cones heating first and females cooling down before warming up again.

SourceHarvard University·JournalScience·TypeObservational study·DateDec 11, 2025

How you eat may be connected to how you sleep

A study by Raedeh Basiri found associations between dietary patterns, glycemic status, diabetes control, and sleep outcomes. Individuals with diabetes or prediabetes were more likely to have trouble sleeping and experience abnormal sleep duration compared to those without these conditions.

SourceGeorge Mason University·JournalFrontiers in Nutrition·DateDec 11, 2025

Astronomers challenge 50-year-old quasar law

New research reveals the structure of matter surrounding supermassive black holes has changed over cosmic time, challenging a fundamental assumption about their behavior. The study combines new X-ray observations to explore the relation between X-ray and ultraviolet light intensity of an unprecedentedly large sample of quasars.

SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateDec 11, 2025

Researchers discover how Ebola and Marburg disrupt the gastrointestinal tract

A new study found that both EBOV and MARV are capable of infecting human gut epithelial cells and disrupting fluid secretion, mirroring severe symptoms. The researchers developed a mini-gut model using induced pluripotent stem cells and discovered key signaling pathways involved in ion and fluid transport.

SourceBoston University School of Medicine·JournalPLOS Pathogens·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateDec 11, 2025