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Science News for January 19, 2026


Farmers’ voices in European protests

A study of European farmers' protests reveals a wide range of concerns including environmental regulations, which differ between countries. Farmers in Germany criticized bureaucracy, while French farmers focused on financial pressures, Belgian farmers expressed a broad mix of concerns, and Dutch farmers voiced dissatisfaction with policy.

SourceUniversity of Göttingen·JournalFood Policy·TypeSurvey·DateJan 19, 2026

Research spotlight: Preventive HIV drugs under prescribed to young women at increased risk

Research reveals disparities in access to PrEP among young cisgender females and males, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to improve HIV prevention. The study analyzed data from over 7,000 visits to a Boston-based clinic, finding that only 17% of visits received PrEP for under-age females.

SourceBrigham and Women's Hospital·JournalSexually Transmitted Diseases·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJan 19, 2026

Critical review maps corrosion threats and mitigation options for supercritical offshore carbon dioxide pipelines

The article reviews corrosion challenges in supercritical offshore CO2 pipelines, highlighting external and internal corrosion processes. The authors propose multiple impurity management, internal coatings, inhibitors, and external coatings as mitigation measures.

SourceKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.·JournalJournal of Pipeline Science and Engineering·TypeLiterature review·DateJan 19, 2026

HKUST develops pioneering mechanically interlocked molecule-based materials to advance safe, high-performance lithium metal batteries

Researchers from HKUST have developed a mechanically interlocked molecule-based material for lithium metal batteries, showcasing exceptional room-temperature ionic conductivity and Li+ transference number. The material demonstrates high energy density, stability, and longevity in practical tests.

SourceHong Kong University of Science and Technology·JournalAdvanced Materials·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 19, 2026

Science solves South Australia’s koala dilemma

A study led by Dr. Frédérik Saltré suggests that sterilizing 22% of adult females annually could stabilize the population at an estimated cost of $34 million over 25 years. This approach prioritizes both animal welfare and ecosystem health, offering a humane solution to the unsustainable koala numbers.

SourceUniversity of Technology Sydney·JournalEcology and Evolution·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJan 19, 2026

A resource-virtualized and hardware-aware quantum compilation framework for real quantum computing processors

Researchers developed QSteed, a resource-virtualized and hardware-aware quantum compilation framework, to address challenges in real quantum computing processors. The framework reduces compilation times and improves circuit execution fidelities by leveraging a prebuilt VQPU database and hardware-aware compilation strategy.

SourceResearch·JournalResearch·TypeNews article·DateJan 19, 2026

A study demonstrates the potential of light-activated molecules to treat psoriasis without side effects

Researchers have developed a new class of light-activatable drug candidates that could serve as a potential treatment for psoriasis. The approach targets the vitamin D receptor, which has been shown to have beneficial effects in psoriasis, but also poses risks due to its role in calcium metabolism.

SourceSpanish National Research Council (CSIC)·JournalACS Central Science·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 19, 2026

Where is China’s agricultural methane emission reduction heading?

Agricultural methane emissions in China have increased and then declined, but the growth rate has slowed due to policies targeting non-CO2 greenhouse gases. However, practical challenges remain, including conflicts between food security and emission reduction, inadequate monitoring systems, and insufficient economic incentives.

SourceHigher Education Press·JournalFrontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 19, 2026

Artificially alive: How AI is bringing the dead back and what that means for the living

A new study reveals AI is being used to recreate deceased people's voices, faces, and personalities without consent, raising questions about ownership, exploitation, and power. The study identifies three dominant ways AI brings back the dead, including spectral labor, where digital remains are extracted and monetized.

SourceThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem·JournalNew Media & Society·TypeCase study·DateJan 19, 2026

Use of potentially inappropriate medications during end-of-life cancer care: Patterns and factors associated with deprescribing

Researchers analyzed medical records of 1,269 elderly patients with advanced cancer to find that over 70% were prescribed potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), which declined closer to death. PIM discontinuation was more common among female patients, those with polypharmacy, and palliative care unit admissions.

SourceUniversity of Tsukuba·JournalPalliative Care and Social Practice·DateJan 19, 2026

Researchers develop biodegradable, self-powered electrical stimulator for muscle repair

A fully biodegradable, self-powered implantable electrical stimulation system was developed to address the challenge of effective muscle regeneration. The device combines degradable materials and in situ electrical stimulation intervention, overcoming key limitations of conventional electrical stimulators.

SourceChinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters·JournalCell Biomaterials·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 19, 2026

Ben-Gurion University expert on autism spectrum disorders leads new project examining sleep in children with autism

A new open-science resource for studying sleep in children with autism has been launched, leveraging state-of-the-art wearable and nearable devices to gather unprecedented data. The Simons Sleep Project reveals that autistic children have greater difficulties falling asleep than their siblings, and this specific sleep problem is associ...

SourceBen-Gurion University of the Negev·JournalNature Neuroscience·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJan 19, 2026

A new comprehensive annotation dataset of mobile elements for genomic island detection

A new dataset of mobile elements, MEGI, was published to aid in genomic island detection. The dataset, including insertion sequences, integrative and conjugative elements, transposons, and bacteriophages, increased recall by over 20% and accuracy rates by 3-4% when used with Centroid and SIGI-HMM methods.

SourceHigher Education Press·JournalFrontiers of Computer Science·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 19, 2026

Clear effects, complex implications: meta-study reveals mechanisms of animals’ adaptations to cope with climate change

A meta-study of 213 scientific studies found that climate change influences seasonal developmental processes, allowing populations to remain stable or increase in numbers. However, the study also identified maladaptation to climate change in some cases, with inconsistent effects on body measurements and population growth rates.

SourceLeibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW)·JournalNature Communications·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJan 19, 2026

The sky is full of secrets: Glaring vulnerabilities discovered in satellite communications

Researchers found that nearly half of geostationary satellite communications are not encrypted, putting sensitive data such as cellular texts, voice calls, and military information at risk. The study led to immediate action from companies like T-Mobile, Walmart, and KPU Telecom, which enabled encryption in response to the findings.

SourceUniversity of California - San Diego·TypeObservational study·DateJan 19, 2026

Polar weather on Jupiter and Saturn hints at the planets’ interior details

Scientists found that a planet's interior composition, specifically the 'softness' of its vortex base, determines the formation of polar vortices. The study suggests that Saturn may have a harder interior than Jupiter, leading to a single massive polar vortex, while Jupiter's softer interior gives rise to multiple smaller vortices.

SourceMassachusetts Institute of Technology·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJan 19, 2026

Global warming and CO2 emissions 56 million years ago resulted in massive forest fires and soil erosion

A 56-million-year-old study found that global warming caused by CO2 emissions led to widespread forest fires and soil erosion. The research team discovered that even small changes in temperature can have significant impacts on ecosystems, leading to the release of more carbon into the atmosphere.

SourceRoyal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 19, 2026

Golden Gate method enables rapid, fully-synthetic engineering of therapeutically relevant bacteriophages

Researchers from New England Biolabs and Yale University have developed a first fully synthetic bacteriophage engineering system using the High-Complexity Golden Gate Assembly platform. This method simplifies strain engineering techniques, allowing for rapid creation of tailored therapeutic strains to overcome antibiotic resistance.

SourceNew England Biolabs·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 19, 2026

Socio-environmental movements: key global guardians of biodiversity amid rising violence

A new study reveals that socio-environmental mobilizations play a critical role in global biodiversity conservation by resisting environmental degradation. These local struggles often overlap with global conservation priorities, highlighting the need for policy shifts to recognize and support these movements.

SourceUniversitat Autonoma de Barcelona·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeCase study·DateJan 19, 2026

Hidden order in quantum chaos: the pseudogap

Physicists used a quantum simulator to study the interaction of electrons in a material with a pseudogap state. They found that subtle magnetic patterns shape this mysterious phase of matter, which appears above the temperature at which it becomes superconducting.

SourceSimons Foundation·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 19, 2026

Research alert: Spreading drug costs over the year may ease financial burden for Medicare cancer patients

A new study found that nearly half of Medicare Part D beneficiaries with cancer face high out-of-pocket prescription drug costs, often leading to delayed treatment initiation and poorer health outcomes. Enrolling in the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan (M3P) could reduce monthly payment volatility and mitigate cost-related nonadherence.

SourceUniversity of California - San Diego·JournalJournal of Clinical Oncology·DateJan 19, 2026

IEEE study investigates the effects of pointing error on quantum key distribution systems

A new framework models pointing error in QKD optical wireless systems, clarifying its role in degrading secure key generation. The study found that increased beam waist and asymmetrical beam misalignment degrade performance, while increasing receiver aperture size and average photon numbers can improve it.

SourceInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers·JournalIEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJan 19, 2026

Layered hydrogen silicane for safe, lightweight, and energy-efficient hydrogen carrier

Researchers have discovered a new solid-state hydrogen carrier called layered hydrogen silicane (L-HSi) that can release hydrogen under ambient temperature and pressure. L-HSi exhibits high gravimetric hydrogen capacity and is stable, making it a promising alternative to conventional hydrogen storage systems.

SourceInstitute of Science Tokyo·JournalAdvanced Optical Materials·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 19, 2026

Quantum ‘alchemy’ made feasible with excitons

A team of researchers from OIST and Stanford University has demonstrated a powerful new alternative approach to Floquet engineering by showing that excitons can produce Floquet effects more efficiently than light. This breakthrough enables the creation of novel quantum devices and materials with significantly lower intensities.

SourceOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University·JournalNature Physics·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 19, 2026

Can Canada’s health systems handle increased demand during FIFA World Cup?

A recent editorial cautions that Canada's health systems may struggle to cope with the influx of patients during the upcoming FIFA World Cup. The article highlights concerns about overburdened hospitals and emergency departments, as well as the need for a national plan to bolster capacity and train personnel.

SourceCanadian Medical Association Journal·JournalCanadian Medical Association Journal·TypeCommentary/editorial·DateJan 19, 2026

When aging affects the young: Revealing the weight of caregiving on teenagers

A COVID-19 survey found that young carers experience higher stress levels with greater care responsibilities. However, they also exhibit positive emotions like a sense of accomplishment and pride. The surveys revealed more pronounced emotional responses in 2024, suggesting growing societal understanding and support for young carers.

SourceOsaka Metropolitan University·JournalScientific Reports·TypeSurvey·DateJan 19, 2026