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Science News Archive 2026 - Page 162


Page 162 of 504

Engineered microbial communities offer a faster route to removing herbicide residues from soil

Researchers develop synthetic microbial communities to degrade persistent herbicides, improving degradation rates by 1.5-3 times compared to individual strains or natural attenuation. The approach promotes more complete mineralization of pollutants and resilience in complex soil environments.

SourceShenyang Agricultural University Collaborative Journals·JournalAgricultural Ecology and Environment·TypeLiterature review·DateJul 27, 2026

Comprehensive navigation service beats signposting for connecting primary care patients to needed resources

A randomized controlled trial found that a comprehensive navigation service significantly improved self-reported access to needed resources among primary care patients. The study also highlighted the benefits of this model for Francophone minority populations, particularly in accessing French-language services.

SourceAmerican Academy of Family Physicians·JournalThe Annals of Family Medicine·DateJul 27, 2026

Study identifies four self-care decision-making patterns among patients with multiple cardiometabolic conditions

A qualitative study identified four self-care decision-making patterns among adults with multiple cardiometabolic conditions, including past experiences and leveraging resources. Effective self-care behaviors can improve quality of life for these patients, particularly those with type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke.

SourceAmerican Academy of Family Physicians·JournalThe Annals of Family Medicine·DateJul 27, 2026

Patients with long-term relationships with family physicians may have fewer urgent hospital admissions and lower hospital costs

Patients with long-term relationships to their family physicians may experience fewer urgent hospital admissions and lower hospital costs. This is due to consistently seeing the same general practitioner, which is associated with reduced hospital costs but not fewer urgent admissions.

SourceAmerican Academy of Family Physicians·JournalThe Annals of Family Medicine·DateJul 27, 2026

Critical care doctor says patients’ reliance on chatbots reflects deeper problems in health care

A growing trend of patients turning to AI chatbots for health advice reflects broader healthcare system strain and patient dissatisfaction with traditional care options. Critical care doctor Robert B. Shpiner argues that addressing underlying structural issues is essential to mitigate AI risks.

SourceAmerican College of Physicians·JournalAnnals of Internal Medicine·TypeNews article·DateJul 27, 2026

Family medicine residency program directors report their programs do not directly assess self-directed learning skills

A survey of 314 family medicine residency program directors found that only 44% have written expectations around self-directed learning. Despite this, 93.6% of directors believe recent graduates model lifelong learning, and over half (57.6%) consider self-directed learning a high curricular priority.

SourceAmerican Academy of Family Physicians·JournalThe Annals of Family Medicine·DateJul 27, 2026

Forest diversity and terrain shape how carbon is stored in southern Brazil’s Atlantic Forest

A new study reveals that forest structure, tree species evenness, and terrain slope jointly influence how carbon is divided among living vegetation, forest litter, and soil. The research found that soil contained the largest share of total carbon in most locations, while vegetation stored more carbon than soil in several plots.

SourceShenyang Agricultural University Collaborative Journals·JournalEnvironmental and Biogeochemical Processes·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 27, 2026

Barriers to dementia care arise when medical records of people living with dementia are not linked with medical records of their caregivers

A Canadian pilot study examined ways to link dementia patients' medical records with those of their caregivers. The report highlights critical gaps in clinical application due to EMR incompatibility, varying provincial privacy rules, and consent requirements.

SourceAmerican Academy of Family Physicians·JournalThe Annals of Family Medicine·DateJul 27, 2026

Benefits of middle school program trickle down to next generation

A middle school substance-use prevention program led to wide-ranging benefits well into adulthood, including better communication with romantic partners and better-adjusted children. Parents who participated in the program reported lower levels of family conflict and higher levels of family cohesion.

SourcePenn State·JournalChild Development·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 27, 2026

First-of-its-kind study reveals how sleep strengthens memory and how epilepsy can disrupt the process

Researchers at Kennedy Krieger Institute discovered that memory consolidation during sleep depends on coordinated activity among three brain regions, disrupting this activity impairs memory performance. Epileptic spikes can also interfere with brain activity, leading to cognitive effects in patients with epilepsy.

SourceKennedy Krieger Institute·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJul 27, 2026

A lipid regulator of Sonic hedgehog signaling influences heart and lung development

Researchers discovered a lipid regulator, arachidonic acid, boosts Smoothened activity through a newly found binding site, enhancing SHH signaling in tissues like the heart and lungs. Disrupting this interaction impaired cardiopulmonary development, providing insight into how the SHH pathway may be modulated in diseases.

SourceSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 27, 2026

Fossil footprints reveal that an ancient human relative was larger than previously thought and traveled in groups 1.4 million years ago

A study of ancient human relatives' fossil footprints reveals that a previously thought smaller species was actually larger, while also showing evidence of group travel. The tracks, preserved over 1.4 million years ago in northern Kenya, offer insights into the behavior and interactions of these early humans.

SourceSmithsonian·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeObservational study·DateJul 27, 2026

From plants to bones: Researchers develop sustainable material that could help the body rebuild itself

A new study reveals that lignin can be transformed into a bioactive material that promotes the formation of bone-like minerals while supporting the growth of bone-forming cells. The material also degrades gradually under physiological conditions, making it suitable for scaffolds intended to be replaced by newly formed bone during healing.

SourceThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem·JournalACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 27, 2026

Researchers identify useful tool for diagnosing endocrine dysfunction in sick foals

A study by North Carolina State University researchers found that an AVP stimulation test can reliably diagnose endocrine dysfunction in sick foals. The test, which involves administering arginine vasopressin to stimulate the release of hormones, showed promising results in detecting hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal gland axis (HPAA) dys...

SourceNorth Carolina State University·JournalJournal of Veterinary Internal Medicine·TypeRandomized controlled/clinical trial·DateJul 27, 2026

UCSB-led international team evaluates anoxic marine basins as potential sites for carbon sequestration

A recent international workshop led by UC Santa Barbara researchers has taken the first steps toward developing a large-scale strategy for carbon sequestration by burying plant biomass in anoxic marine basins. The concept, known as marine anoxic carbon storage (MACS), has the potential to operate at a massive scale required to mitigate...

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Barbara·JournalBiogeosciences·DateJul 27, 2026

SKKU reveals how international aid fragmentation affects corruption in developing countries

A SKKU study finds that concentrated aid support from a single agency reduces local corruption, but overlapping aid agencies increase the risk of corruption. The research team analyzed data from over 30,000 projects across Afghanistan and found that moderate aid volumes with collaborative project ideas have a positive impact.

SourceSungkyunkwan University External Affairs Division (PR team)·JournalThe Review of Economics and Statistics·DateJul 27, 2026