Science X / Phys.org

phys.orgQ&A: Why does the right side of the brain control the left side of the body?Dr. Martin Wessendorf is a neuroscientist and an associate professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota. His work focuses on how the brainstem controls the function of neurons in the spinal cord.

The brain’s cross-wiring may have roots in ancient vision circuits: all living vertebrates map each visual field to the opposite side of the midbrain. doi.org/hcqgp9

medicalxpress.comWorkplace ergonomics may do little to ease arm, neck or shoulder painAn updated Cochrane review has found that ergonomic interventions show no meaningful benefit for pain, function, recovery or sick leave in workers with work-related complaints of the arm, neck or shoulder (CANS), compared with no treatment.

Workplace ergonomic changes may do little for short-term arm, neck or shoulder pain compared with no treatment, despite heavy investment in equipment and training. doi.org/hcp9q7

phys.orgClimate health harms outpace action, prompting calls for global health emergencyThe 2026 Report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change finds that many of the health risks and harms of climate change grew faster in the decade since the Paris Agreement was introduced (2016–2025) than in the decade before it (2006–2015).

Almost 3 million heat deaths in 2016–2023 are estimated to have been caused by climate change. Its share of heat-related deaths rose from 55% in the previous decade to 68%. doi.org/hcp8p6

medicalxpress.comNeedle-free Strep A vaccine triggers local and bodywide immune responses in miceNew research by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in partnership with the GSK Vaccines Institute for Global Health has moved a vaccine against the highly contagious group A streptococcus bacterium (Strep A) a step closer to reality.

A needle-free Strep A vaccine candidate triggered local and bodywide immune responses in mice after delivery through the nose or under the tongue. The findings remain preclinical. doi.org/hcp75g

phys.orgDecoding the loopy physics of hula hooping with high-tech earthquake sensorsHula hooping may be literal child's play, but as it turns out, the physics behind the gym-class staple is so complicated that scientists have spent decades trying to understand how the hula hoop defies gravity.

A hula hoop’s orbit and wobble are linked, challenging 20 years of conventional wisdom—and a mathematical approach that treated them as separately controlled motions. doi.org/hcp75b

phys.orgThe way Earth's 'thermostat' works may have changed during Pangea eraLife arose on Earth at least 3.5 billion years ago, and our planet has remained habitable ever since—not too hot, not too cold.

Earth’s climate thermostat may have switched modes for roughly 100 million years around Pangea’s time, with water rather than heat controlling carbon-removing rock weathering. doi.org/hcp7qs

medicalxpress.comHow socioeconomic factors affect outcomes in this deadly cancerBlack women diagnosed with hormone receptor–positive (HR+) breast cancer experience significantly worse outcomes than white women.

Poverty burden—not race—was linked to poor immune-cell killing in HR+ breast tumors. White women facing high poverty burdens showed the same pattern seen in Black women.

phys.orgIdentical vesicles, different behaviors: Model reveals how spontaneous asymmetry gives rise to lifelike behaviorIn nonreciprocal active matter, agents act differently on each other, seemingly in violation of Newton's third law. This principle can result in various active matter traits, such as self-propulsion, molecular regulation and collective motion.

Identical vesicles can switch between ignoring, attracting, repelling and chasing one another in a model. Their changing chemical states shape how they interact. doi.org/hcp7cg

medicalxpress.comAutistic women experience more severe menopausal symptoms, study confirmsA new study by researchers at Bournemouth University has shown that autistic people consistently experience more severe menopausal symptoms than non-autistic people, leading to poorer well-being and quality of life.

Autistic people reported more severe menopause symptoms than non-autistic people across five weeks. Greater symptom severity was linked to poorer quality of life.

phys.orgA 'simple recipe' takes some of the guesswork out of mass spectrometry imagingA small sample of human tissue can hold a remarkable amount of information. Researchers can use it to search for molecular clues associated with cancer, investigate the chemical landscape of the brain or determine where a drug travels after it enters the body.

A physics-based recipe could reduce trial and error in mapping tissue molecules. Its predictions held up against published data across different mass spectrometry imaging approaches. doi.org/hcp6xz

medicalxpress.comADHD medication amplifies brain response to grammatically ambiguous sentences, study findsIn a neuroimaging study published in PNAS, a team of researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen recorded the brain activity of healthy adults during sentence comprehension after raising catecholamine levels with stimulant medication (methylphenidate).

An ADHD medication amplified healthy adults’ brain response to ambiguous sentences, with the strongest increase in those with lower baseline working memory capacity. doi.org/hcp6xv

phys.orgRubin Observatory reveals its first dwarf planet candidate in our solar systemScientists may add a new dwarf planet to the official roster of our solar system. The distant, icy body, provisionally dubbed 2026 ED138, orbits our system beyond Pluto.

Dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138 appears to be the largest object found beyond Neptune in about 20 years. Its exact size and status remain unconfirmed.

phys.orgOpen database tracks Earth's water cycle by standardizing decades of satellite dataAll water comes from somewhere. Researchers who want to know where it comes from rely on water isotopes, variants of water molecules with slightly different masses, as location identifiers.

An open database brings 24 years of water-vapor isotope data from eight satellites together. Preparing records from just two satellites for comparison could previously take a year. doi.org/hcp6jw

medicalxpress.comLow-carb diet high in saturated fat shows mixed effects on cholesterol in two-year trialNew analyses from the Norwegian randomized controlled trial CARBFUNC show that more than doubling saturated fat intake over a two-year period can promote favorable changes in several cardiovascular risk markers, without increasing apoB, the main suspected risk factor.

More than doubling saturated fat on a low-carb diet left apoB unchanged in adults with obesity, while LDL cholesterol rose 5%–10%. Long-term health effects remain unclear. doi.org/hcp6jq

phys.orgCounteranion captures reactants to boost light-driven chemistry in dilute solutionsResearchers at Kyushu University have developed a photocatalytic system that can selectively capture reacting molecules and hold them close to the active sites that absorb energy from light.

A reactant-capturing photocatalyst maintained 75% product yield under more dilute conditions, versus 9% for a conventional catalyst. Its counteranion keeps selected reactants close. doi.org/hcp6ch

techxplore.comWhy were you shown that ad? Most platforms still won't say, despite EU lawArticle 39 of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) requires very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large online search engines (VLOSEs), including social media platforms like Instagram, shopping platforms like Temu and app stores like Google Play, to provide a database of all advertising shown and transparency as to who paid for each ad, which user demographics were targeted and how many users were reached in each country.

75% of assessed ad repositories failed to provide country-level audience reach data required by EU law, leaving a key gap in advertising transparency. doi.org/hcp56c

phys.orgDouble debris disk orbiting a dead star hints at our solar system's futureAstronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) have found a rare disk of debris around a dead star that provides a glimpse of what may happen to our solar system.

A dead star is encircled by two stable debris rings separated by a clear gap. Two surviving bodies may maintain the structure, one possibly as large as Pluto. doi.org/hcp557

medicalxpress.comTargeting fat-cell enzyme offers potential strategy to reduce obesity and cancer riskObesity touches countless lives across the country and can lead to many other health complications. From August 2021 to 2023, the prevalence of obesity in adults in the U.S. was more than 40%.

Targeting SPHK2 in fat cells reduced body weight in mice. It could offer a new obesity treatment strategy, but current inhibitors have off-target effects. doi.org/hcp55z

phys.orgAI and satellite data could give Florida earlier warnings of toxic red tidesRed tide, a harmful algal bloom that produces toxins, is known for causing respiratory irritation in humans and killing fish in coastal waters.

AI and satellite data could give Florida earlier red tide warnings by spotting patterns before blooms develop—not just tracking algae already present. doi.org/hcp5x3

medicalxpress.com3D-printed implant prototype combines brain activity recording with targeted coolingResearchers affiliated with the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (IPF) and the Else Kröner Fresenius Center (EKFZ) for Digital Health at TU Dresden have developed a 3D-printed implant prototype that combines the recording of brain activity with targeted cooling.

A 3D-printed implant pairs brain recording with targeted cooling. In rodents, focal cooling could suppress experimentally induced seizure-like activity. doi.org/hcp5rm

phys.orgScientists uncover new way to control magnetism and topology using light in atomically thin materialsEnvision a material whose magnetic properties and electronic topology can be toggled by exposure to light, paving the way for future electronic devices that do not rely on traditional electrical switching, which wastes energy by producing heat.

A 0.6-picosecond light pulse could switch magnetism and electronic topology together in an atomically thin MnBi₂Te₄ sheet. The prediction awaits experimental testing.

phys.orgPotential antimalarial compound discovered in institute's microbe collectionScientists hunting for a new malaria treatment may have found a solution within a historical natural compound collection housed at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology.

A soil-bacteria compound cleared 99.9% of multidrug-resistant malaria parasites in blood and cultured liver cells during testing. Its molecular target remains unknown. doi.org/hcp5fv

medicalxpress.comHow our blood vessels age from withinWith every heartbeat, blood is pumped through a vast network of vessels throughout our body, delivering vital oxygen, nutrients and other essential substances to even its most remote corners.

Vein-lining cells in older people show reduced activity in vessel-building genes. This could help explain declining vascular renewal, but repair capacity was not directly measured. doi.org/hcp48d

phys.orgLight-controlled brake makes random molecular motion 300,000 times slowerMolecules are never still. Driven by thermal energy, they are constantly moving through space, while their individual parts also rotate relative to one another.

A light-controlled brake slows random rotation within a molecule approximately 300,000-fold—compared with changes of no more than 100-fold in earlier similar systems. doi.org/hcp48b

phys.orgMuseum visits are generally not perceived as boring, study findsMuseums are regarded as places of inspiration and cultural experience—boredom is not the first thing that springs to mind.

Boredom was mild on average at two Vienna museums, yet more bored visitors scored worse on knowledge tests. The right amount of information differed from person to person. doi.org/hcp435

phys.orgTiny droplets use pressure to unlock new routes to degradable plasticsUsing a new technique, a research group led by Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU) has substantially increased the range of plastics that can be degraded naturally.

Pressure inside nanoscale droplets turns previously unsuitable building blocks into options for degradable plastics, without complex structural modifications. doi.org/hcp434

medicalxpress.comRising rates of colorectal cancer found in nearly all age groupsColorectal cancer rates are rising across younger and older age groups, according to a study published in NEJM Evidence.

Colorectal cancer rates rose overall for the first time in more than 20 years. Increases extend beyond younger adults to age groups through 65–69; the drivers remain unclear. doi.org/hcp433

phys.orgHow we rewrite memories of fallen artists—but not their artWhat happens to our memories when we learn disturbing news about a beloved artist? New research from the University of South Florida finds that after a scandal, the brain tricks us: it reconciles a fallen artist with their adored art by rewriting our memories in two completely different directions.

After an artist’s misconduct, people may recall liking the creator less while remembering the art just as fondly—even when present-day opinions of both decline. doi.org/hcp43m

phys.orgUrban infrastructure grows more slowly than population, global analysis findsAs cities grow in population, they grow proportionally in terms of infrastructure—new buildings, paved streets and parking lots.

Cities with twice the population have only about 87% more built mass than comparable cities. Larger urban areas are built lighter per resident. doi.org/hcp42q

medicalxpress.comDeep brain stimulation improves new neuron maturation for memoryDeep brain stimulation (DBS) has traditionally been used to treat movement disorders and more recently some mental health disorders such as certain forms of depression, but research has suggested it can affect learning and memory as well.

Deep brain stimulation improved memory in Rett syndrome mice—but blocking new neuron production erased the benefit, and the neurons needed time to mature.

phys.orgComputational model extends the study of nanostructures beyond classic layered systemsSince the production of graphene in 2004, two-dimensional materials have been sparking scientific and technological interest.

A model flagged 2,531 nonlayered crystals as promising sources of atom-thin materials. Calculated stability offers encouragement, but producing them in the lab remains unproven. doi.org/hcp42p

phys.orgRice plants can fight off devastating disease after gene editing with AI-designed toolUniversity of Missouri researchers have created rice plants that resist bacterial blight, a devastating disease that threatens one of the world's most important food crops.

Rice plants edited with an AI-designed tool resist bacterial blight—but that resistance still needs to move from a laboratory line into commercial varieties. doi.org/hcp42n

medicalxpress.comInitial treatment for lower back pain is associated with subsequent risk of opioid use disorder and overdoseAdults on Medicaid who began treatment for a new bout of low back pain with a higher-dose opioid prescription were about two and a half times as likely to later show signs of opioid use disorder or overdose, according to a study conducted at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Higher-dose initial opioids for low back pain were associated with about 2.5 times the later risk of opioid use disorder or overdose among adults on Medicaid. doi.org/hcp42m

techxplore.comLiving cells inspire tiny channels that could help extract lithium for batteriesGathering lithium, a crucial element in batteries for smartphones, electric cars and the electrical grid, is a time-consuming and energy-intensive process, but new technology could make it much easier.

Cell-inspired channels were 2–5 times more selective for lithium than other recently developed transporters. Tests with real brines and at industrial scale are still needed. doi.org/hcp42k

medicalxpress.comHow blocking immune cell signals could make brain tumors easier to removeIn a new study published in Cancer Cell, researchers at VIB-KU Leuven reduced the spread of glioblastoma by interrupting specific interactions between the brain's immune cells and tumor cells.

Blocking brain immune-cell signals made glioblastoma less invasive in mice, but did not shrink tumors—an early result that could point toward easier surgical removal. doi.org/hcp42j

phys.orgWhat makes us human? Researchers compare brain development in humans and great apesHow did the human brain become so much larger than that of our closest evolutionary relatives? Part of the answer lies not in new genes, but in how humans and non-human apes use the genes they share.

Nearly 600 genetic switches are more active in human neural stem cells than in chimpanzee and gorilla brain organoids—a clue to how shared genes may help build a larger brain. doi.org/hcp42h

phys.orgAutonomous rendezvous system overcomes simulated spacecraft failures in lab testsThere is a problem in low Earth orbit, and it's growing. According to the European Space Agency, there are about 19,440 satellites on orbit, 3,540 of which are nonfunctioning and/or not emitting a signal to warn other spacecraft of their location.

An autonomous rendezvous system handled simulated thruster failures in lab tests, recovering its approach or retreating to safety when an approach went off course. doi.org/hcp42g

phys.orgSame species, different climate risks: Why plant conservation needs regional strategiesA study analyzing the effects of climate change on vascular plants in the United States finds that the fate of individual plant species tends to be a regional phenomenon.

The same plant species may be more vulnerable to climate change in the Southwest than in the Midwest—or vice versa. Regional data offer a more reliable guide for targeting conservation. doi.org/hcp42f

phys.orgReusable palladium catalyst enables more direct chemical synthesisMaking complex molecules often means joining smaller chemical building blocks together, a process facilitated by catalysts, compounds that make such reactions possible or speed them up without being consumed themselves.

A reusable palladium catalyst enables more direct carbon–carbon bond formation, exceeding 200 product molecules per catalyst molecule versus 20 for the previous best. Reuse requires regeneration.

medicalxpress.comPathology research identifies potential new target for preventing brain metastasisResearch led by professor of pathology Mikhail Nikiforov, Ph.D., has identified a key mechanism that helps cancer cells spread to the brain, which may lead to a new target for future therapies.

Lowering SERINC2 slowed tumor growth in the brain in animal models. The protein may offer a target for future therapies against brain metastasis. doi.org/hcp42d

techxplore.comFlash heating offers faster way to recover critical metal from e-wasteMany electronic devices use flame-retardant plastic as casing in order to reduce the risk of electrical fires. This plastic is formulated using a metal called antimony along with organic bromide compounds.

Flash heating recovered about 90% of antimony from three types of flame-retardant plastic waste, with far fewer hazardous organic bromide byproducts than conventional heating. doi.org/hcp42c

phys.orgNew biodiversity framework estimates what landscapes could support, not just what lives thereA flower strip is established along the edge of a field. A wetland is restored. More seminatural habitats are created. The expectation is simple: give nature more space, and biodiversity will increase.

Converting 5% of cropland to habitat increased biodiversity capacity in some modeled landscapes but not others. The framework has yet to prove it can predict real-world outcomes. doi.org/hcp42b

medicalxpress.comMedicare's prior-authorization pilot test led to an immediate drop in use of servicesFor many years, traditional Medicare has operated almost entirely without prior authorization, a requirement that clinicians obtain approval before certain services will be covered.

Back-pain steroid injections fell 15% under Medicare’s authorization pilot relative to trends outside its six states. Whether the care not received was wasteful or necessary remains unknown. doi.org/hcp4z9

phys.orgSPINE: A machine-learning program is on the trail of ghost particlesNeutrinos are among the most abundant particles in the universe, but they are also among the most elusive. Nearly massless, they are produced by nuclear reactions in the sun, exploding stars, particle accelerators and even the decay of radioactive elements on Earth.

SPINE recovered roughly 60% more usable neutrino interactions than conventional reconstruction in a real-data analysis—with a cleaner sample, too. doi.org/hcp4z8

phys.orgPaleontologists reveal the hidden role of eye pigments in vertebrate evolutionPaleontologists at University College Cork have discovered that the evolution of fish is linked to the shape, location and abundance of tiny melanin-rich granules called melanosomes.

Eye-pigment patterns in 300-million-year-old fish fossils match those in living fish groups, suggesting that differences linked to vision have ancient roots. doi.org/hcp4sp

medicalxpress.comBlood pressure pregnancy clue could open door to new treatmentsResearchers at the University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust have uncovered a hidden defect in the tiny blood vessels of women with preeclampsia, a dangerous and common pregnancy complication that can threaten the lives of both mother and baby.

Calcium signals that help arteries relax fell by up to 75% in samples from women with preeclampsia, offering a possible explanation for dangerous blood pressure rises. doi.org/hcp4sn

phys.orgQuantum gates set speed record at 6.8 nanoseconds with over 99.98% accuracyResearchers from Jülich, Aachen and Cologne have performed a quantum operation on a qubit in just 6.8 nanoseconds—with more than 99.98% accuracy.

Quantum gates took just 6.8 nanoseconds with over 99.98% accuracy, versus the usual tens of nanoseconds. The method has only been tested on one isolated qubit. doi.org/hcp4sm

medicalxpress.comHigher medical fees increase expected pain and reduce willingness to book appointmentsRising out-of-pocket medical costs do more than drain a patient's bank account. New research from Carnegie Mellon University shows that high health care prices cause people to expect greater physical pain during medical procedures, driving many patients to skip necessary appointments altogether.

Higher out-of-pocket fees made identical medical procedures seem more painful and reduced willingness to book them—a pattern seen across three experiments. doi.org/hcp4sk

phys.orgEmbedded enzymes help plastics break down faster in the deep seaScientists have developed a way for certain types of compostable plastic to break down much faster in marine environments, from shallow coastal waters to the deep sea.

At 757 meters deep, some enzyme-loaded plastic films lost nearly all their mass within five months, while films without enzymes barely changed. doi.org/hcp4sh