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Science News for July 23, 2026


HKUST develops new biocompatible chemical reaction to advance next-generation anticancer prodrugs

Researchers at HKUST develop a biocompatible chemical reaction to create targeted anticancer prodrugs, enabling precise drug activation in cancer cells. The breakthrough uses the EBB group and gold catalysts, offering a promising strategy for reducing collateral toxicity.

SourceHong Kong University of Science and Technology·JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 23, 2026

Silkworm silk's hidden conductor: How sericin orchestrates fibroin into ordered nanofibrils

A new study reveals sericin is an active conductor that directs the self-assembly of silk fibroin into ordered nanofibrils through liquid-liquid phase separation. This discovery fundamentally revises the textbook view of sericin and its role in natural fibers, opening doors to engineering materials with similar architectures.

SourceScience China Press·JournalScience Bulletin·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 23, 2026

Helping cells find their perfect match

By coating extracellular vesicles with metal ions, cells can recognize and capture their own vesicles more strongly, improving liquid biopsies and aiding in drug delivery, rejuvenation, and more. This technique amplifies signals indicating cancer cells by a factor of 10,000, making single cells detectable even in large samples.

SourceUniversity of Tokyo·JournalNature Biomedical Engineering·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 23, 2026

New treatment approach improves survival and reduces recurrence risk for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Researchers have found that a combination of enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab helps patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer live longer while reducing the risk of recurrence after surgery. Nearly 80% of patients who received this treatment remained free of disease progression, recurrence, or death two years after treatment began.

SourceThe Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine·JournalNew England Journal of Medicine·TypeCase study·DateJul 23, 2026

Fat stores power the body’s virus defence

Scientists at La Trobe University discovered lipid droplets play a critical role in the body's early detection and defence against viruses. The study found these fatty structures can stop viruses from spreading by changing their structure and signalling to the immune system.

SourceLa Trobe University·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 23, 2026

Striped or checkered? Magnetic field influences competing electronic patterns in a graphene-like quantum material

Researchers discovered that a small magnetic field switches CeTe₃ between striped and checkerboard electronic patterns. The material's unique properties allow it to adopt multiple competing patterns, which can be manipulated with magnetism.

SourceOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University·JournalNature Communications·TypeImaging analysis·DateJul 23, 2026

Crnic Institute landmark research paves the way for personalized medicine in Down syndrome

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Linda Crnic Institute discovered unique biological processes altered among individuals with Down syndrome who have different sets of co-occurring conditions. The findings mark an important step toward personalized treatment, enabling future targeted therapies and improved health outcomes.

SourceUniversity of Colorado Anschutz·JournalNature Communications·DateJul 23, 2026

From urinary tract infection to brain abscess: How bacterial subpopulations can spread to distant body sites

A clinical case study demonstrates that heterovirulence, a simultaneous presence of subpopulations with different levels of virulence, can lead to the emergence of increasingly virulent subpopulations. This process can occur in seemingly harmless reservoirs, such as urinary tract infections, and contribute to the spread of infection wi...

SourceGerman Center for Infection Research·JournalNew England Journal of Medicine·TypeCase study·DateJul 23, 2026

Coupling between carotid hemodynamics and cerebral blood flow during early simulated microgravity

During early simulated microgravity, cerebral blood flow changes are closely associated with upstream macrovascular hemodynamics in internal carotid and vertebral arteries. The study found that regional cerebral blood flow alterations are independently predicted by vertebral artery hemodynamic parameters.

SourceBeijing Institute of Technology Press Co., Ltd·JournalSpace: Science & Technology·DateJul 23, 2026

The social inheritance of privilege may explain why females are the more competitive sex in some species

Spotted hyena females show greater reproductive inequality than males due to social rank inheritance, benefiting high-ranking females' offspring. This pattern is reversed when considering grandchildren and great-grandchildren, with females demonstrating greater inequality.

SourceLeibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW)·JournalScience Advances·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJul 23, 2026

Engineering Fe–Ni dual‑atom sites via ru nanoclusters on 3D carbon aerogel for enhanced bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysis

Researchers develop a novel FeN4–Ru6–NiN4@PCA catalyst with atomic-level precision and multiscale electronic modulation for exceptional bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysis. The catalyst achieves high ORR half-wave potential and OER, with low bifunctional voltage gap, stability, and methanol tolerance.

SourceShanghai Jiao Tong University Journal Center·JournalNano-Micro Letters·TypeNews article·DateJul 23, 2026

Unlocking the ocean’s final frontier: JSE announces open call for “Deep Sea Biodiversity” Special Issue

The Journal of Systematics and Evolution (JSE) is launching a special issue on deep sea biodiversity, covering taxonomy, phylogenomics, comparative genomics, and microbial ecology. Researchers worldwide can submit free-access papers with waived page and color charges until January 31, 2027.

SourceInstitute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences·JournalJournal of Systematics and Evolution·DateJul 23, 2026

Multidisciplinary framework bridges earth science and environmental engineering to combat waterborne pathogens

A multidisciplinary research framework integrating earth science and environmental engineering is proposed to mitigate the risks of waterborne pathogens. The framework emphasizes real-time detection, numerical simulation, and multi-omics approaches to track pathogens and harmful genes across various media.

SourceKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.·JournalWater & Ecology·TypeSystematic review·DateJul 23, 2026

One-pedal driving in electric vehicles: A boon for automation, but a challenge for manual control

Research finds that one-pedal driving in electric vehicles yields narrower distributions of speed and acceleration when integrated with Adaptive Cruise Control, improving traffic flow stability. However, manual control produces pronounced speed oscillations and sharper decelerations, highlighting the need for automation.

SourceTsinghua University Press·JournalCommunications in Transportation Research·DateJul 23, 2026

Children with severe pneumonia can leave hospital sooner after switching to oral antibiotics, landmark trial shows

A landmark trial shows that children hospitalised with severe pneumonia can recover just as well from injectable to oral antibiotics, even with shorter treatment durations. This simple change could help millions of children worldwide get back to their families sooner and reduce pressure on busy hospitals.

SourceCity St George’s, University of London·JournalThe Lancet·TypeRandomized controlled/clinical trial·DateJul 23, 2026

MSU researchers create new tool to investigate one of regenerative biology’s biggest mysteries

Michigan State University researchers have created a new research tool to investigate the regenerative biology of zebrafish gut nerves. The tool allows for controlled removal and regeneration of neurons, revealing how neural networks are restored in about nine days. This could lead to better understanding of nerve repair in humans.

SourceMichigan State University·JournalStem Cell Reports·DateJul 23, 2026

Curious robots mimic how children can learn to understand language

Researchers created a virtual robot with curiosity-driven neural network and tested its performance, finding that play-like behavior and exception-handling performance helped the robot understand language faster. The study suggests a combination of curiosity and linguistic diversity is key to children's rapid language acquisition.

SourceOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University·JournalScience Advances·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJul 23, 2026

Study demonstrates recall-by-genotype in a healthcare system biobank, advancing precision psychiatry

Researchers utilized a large healthcare system biobank to identify individuals carrying rare copy number variants linked to neurodevelopmental disorders. The study found significant value in direct phenotyping, providing practical benchmarks for implementing recall-by-genotype studies in diverse healthcare systems.

SourceThe Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine·Journalnpj Genomic Medicine·TypeObservational study·DateJul 23, 2026

Where was this fossil 200 million years ago?

The Paleocoordinates Calculator (PACA) tool simplifies paleogeographic reconstructions by providing high-quality palaeogeographic data for researchers and users. PACA facilitates access to paleogeographic data, promoting transparency and reproducibility in Earth sciences.

SourceUniversity of Barcelona·JournalScientific Reports·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJul 23, 2026

Recycling food waste would bring huge benefits, but microplastics a challenge

Diversion of U.S. food waste from landfills could significantly reduce climate impacts and nutrient pollution, with potential benefits including a 89-99% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 49-54% decrease in nitrogen pollution. However, the resulting compost and organic materials may carry up to 20,000 tons of microplastics in...

SourceUniversity of Vermont·JournalNature Food·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJul 23, 2026

Single shot multispectral fluorescence microscopy with learned meta-optics

The system addresses limitations of high numerical aperture objectives by combining a learned titanium dioxide meta-optic with a neural reconstruction network. This co-designed computational microscopy system improves imaging depth and resolves structures throughout thick biological specimens in a single shot.

Artery-on-a-chip helps predict stroke risk

Researchers developed an artery-on-a-chip platform to predict ischemic stroke risk by replicating a patient's specific vascular structure and blood flow dynamics. The tool, called a 'physical twin,' reveals that three-dimensional vascular shape and local flow disturbances matter more than simple narrowing in predicting stroke risk.

SourceCell Press·JournalCell Biomaterials·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 23, 2026

Parents’ socioeconomic status is more important than prenatal behaviors to a future child’s health

A study published in PLOS Medicine found that parents' socioeconomic status has a greater impact on their child's health than prenatal behaviors such as smoking or alcohol consumption. The study analyzed data from over 230,000 participants and found associations between socioeconomic position and 72 different child health outcomes.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS Medicine·TypeObservational study·DateJul 23, 2026

Two ways to read a genome: Scientists reveal the first body-wide, single-cell atlas that maps DNA folding and epigenetics together

Researchers at Salk Institute create a body-wide single-cell atlas of two major epigenetic systems, revealing that cell-type-specific epigenetic features can affect disease risk. The study identifies over 1.36 million differentially methylated regions and 283,606 differential chromatin loops across the human body's cell types.

SourceSalk Institute·JournalScience·DateJul 23, 2026

Drug reverses autism-like brain changes in adult mice within hours, study finds

Researchers found that a single dose of rapamycin rapidly improved symptoms in adult mice with autism-like changes, reversing abnormal brain signaling and behavior within two hours. The study suggests the adult brain's functional circuitry, not just its physical structure, as a target for future treatment approaches.

SourceUniversity of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences·TypeRandomized controlled/clinical trial·DateJul 23, 2026

Could this enzyme help remove “zombie” cells from our tissues?

Aging cells become more susceptible to ferroptosis due to elevated levels of acid ceramidase, a previously targeted therapeutic candidate. This vulnerability can be passed to neighboring cells, impacting overall tissue health. The discovery offers new hope for supporting healthy aging and treating age-related diseases.

SourceSalk Institute·JournalCell Death and Disease·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 23, 2026

AI-powered closed-loop system could accelerate the discovery of energy materials

Researchers have developed an AI-powered framework that combines multiple AI technologies with automated experiments to accelerate the discovery of advanced energy materials. The '4th+ paradigm' approach enables near-atomic-level accuracy in predicting material properties and rapidly analyzing experimental data.

New strategy could prevent T cell exhaustion and boost immunotherapy

Researchers have identified a new strategy to prevent T cell exhaustion and boost immunotherapy by blocking MEK signaling. This approach has shown promise in lab models, enabling T cells to persist under harsh tumor conditions. However, the effectiveness of this treatment may vary among patients due to the complexity of T cell exhaustion.

SourceMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center·JournalImmunity·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 23, 2026

Chitosan hydrogel stabilizes red blood cell membrane interfaces for advanced environmental sensing

A new bio-based conductive hydrogel platform is presented to preserve biomembrane activity and enable sensitive detection of organophosphate pesticides. The developed biosensor demonstrated stable operation, retaining 85.8% of its original electrochemical response after seven days.

SourceJournal of Bioresources and Bioproducts·JournalJournal of Bioresources and Bioproducts·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 23, 2026

Partners in crime produce extreme antibiotic resistance

Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine discovered that environmental bacteria can acquire and transfer antibiotic resistance genes to disease-causing bacteria in human lungs. This mechanism, previously unknown, could lead to rapid development of extreme antibiotic resistance. The study highlights the potential f...

SourceUniversity of Washington School of Medicine/UW Medicine·JournalNature Microbiology·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 23, 2026

Can large language models capture human risk preferences?

This study reveals that off-the-shelf large language models do not exhibit universal risk profiles and can be affected by prompt language, leading to systematic distortions. The findings highlight the need for rigorous empirical calibration before deploying these models in computational social science and choice modeling.

SourceTsinghua University Press·JournalCommunications in Transportation Research·DateJul 23, 2026

Proactive support to quit tobacco use during cancer treatment doubles quit rates in a nationwide trial

A comprehensive, sustained approach to treating tobacco dependence in patients undergoing cancer treatment has been shown to double quit rates compared to referral to a Quitline alone. The study found that 81% of participants who received virtual sustained treatment attended counseling sessions and had higher medication use rates.

SourceECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group·JournalJournal of Clinical Oncology·DateJul 23, 2026

“Precisely targeting brain-related regions with a single ultrasound lens”: DGIST develops AI-based brain stimulation hologram technology

Researchers have developed an AI-based thickness-optimized acoustic hologram (TOAH) technology that directly optimizes the thickness of a 3D-printed lens to stimulate multiple brain regions. The technology enables precise multi-site brain stimulation using only a single thin lens and ultrasound transducer.

Chocolate syrup-like fluid stores multiple interacting memories

Researchers at Penn State have created a material memory system where two types of memory coexist and compete. At lower intensities, the mixture retains both directional and amplitude memories. However, as intensity increases, one memory weakens and is eventually erased, while the other becomes dominant.

SourcePenn State·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 23, 2026

Your gut can get jet lag too

Research suggests that time zone changes disrupt the synchronization between human biological clocks and gut microbiota, leading to digestive complaints, poorer sleep quality, and reduced energy levels. Gradually adjusting one's biological clock through light exposure and meal timing before departure can help reduce jet lag effects.

SourceWroclaw Medical University·JournalNutrients·TypeLiterature review·DateJul 23, 2026

Tongue image analysis and clinical data fusion: a novel approach for non-invasive diagnosis of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease

A deep learning model integrating quantitative tongue image features with routine clinical data achieved high accuracy in diagnosing metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease. The model outperformed single-modality and serological models, providing a practical application for non-invasive assessment of the disease.

SourceXia & He Publishing Inc.·JournalJournal of Clinical and Translational Hepatology·DateJul 23, 2026

Proxemics and virtual reality: Study reveals how people regulate social distance in Italy and Japan

Researchers used virtual reality to measure interpersonal distance in Italian and Japanese participants, finding that cultural background and first impressions influence personal space. The study suggests that virtual environments can be used to standardize the appearance of agents and observe social behavior with high precision.

SourceIstituto Italiano di Tecnologia - IIT·JournalComputers in Human Behavior·TypeObservational study·DateJul 23, 2026

More than half of the world's migratory bird species are declining, new global study finds

A global review of migratory bird population status reveals that over half of the world's migratory bird species are declining globally. The study emphasizes the need for a new approach to biodiversity conservation, addressing complex threats throughout the birds' lifecycles and international flyways.

SourceGeorgetown University Medical Center·JournalNature Reviews Biodiversity·TypeLiterature review·DateJul 23, 2026