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If gut bacteria are too similar to the protective layer of nerves, they can misdirect the immune system and cause it to attack its own nervous system. This mechanism can accelerate the progression of multiple sclerosis, as researchers at the University of Basel have shown in trials with mice. However, their results also open up opportunities for treatments that make use of the microbiome.

Data from Canada's most populous province add to emerging evidence that air pollution risks go beyond lung and heart health A new study has linked air pollution exposure and immune-system changes that often precede the onset of autoimmune diseases.

Scientists have found a planet that challenges the long-held assumption that lava planets are too hot to sustain an atmosphere. Waterloo Scientist Dr. Lisa Dang, physics and astronomy professor, and her collaborators made this discovery when they found a thick atmosphere around the rocky exoplanet TOI-561 b after flagging it as a planet of interest.

Parasitic plants activate feeding organs before they attach to a host / Possible new approach to weed control Parasitic weeds extract water and nutrients from their host plants. But what makes these parasites so successful? A team led by Prof Susann Wicke from the Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity at the University of Münster has now investigated how certain parasitic plants develop their feeding organs (haustoria), which they use to attach themselves to the roots of other plants and extract nutrients from them.

Researchers at the Institute for Meteorology at Leipzig University have, for the first time, determined the climatic impact of contrails that form within natural cirrus clouds. Contrails account for the largest share of aviation's climate impact beyond carbon dioxide emissions. The Leipzig researchers have now shown that "hidden" contrails - previously not factored into such assessments - contribute up to ten per cent of the warming effect of normal, freely visible contrails.

An ANU scientist has found evidence for hundreds of glacial earthquakes in Antarctica between 2010 and 2023 that could send sea levels rising rapidly if the glaciers were to collapse. Dr Thanh-Son Pham ARC DECRA Research Fellow, ANU Research School of Earth Sciences Glacial earthquakes are a special type of earthquake generated in cold, icy regions.

Digital concerns around privacy, online misinformation, and work-life boundaries are highest among highly educated, Western European millennials, finds a new study from researchers at UCL and the University of British Columbia. The research, published in , also found individuals with higher levels of digital literacy are the most affected by these concerns.

An international research team led by Arne Van der Vreken, Eline Menu, and Karine Breckpot (Translational Oncology Research Center, VUB) has made an important discovery that may advance the fight against multiple myeloma, also known as Kahler's disease.

A new study has revealed bumblebee workers are getting smaller in areas with high honeybee activity. The research, carried out in the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains, found that managed honeybee colonies can alter the behaviour and physical traits of wild bumblebees, even in flower-rich environments. Publishing their findings in Proceedings of the Royal Society B , researchers from University College Dublin and Lund University examined how different numbers of honeybee hives affected forage availability and bumblebee activity across late summer sites dominated by blooming heather.

Stress affects many systems in our body and biologists Marcel Schaaf and Erin Faught at Radboud University are figuring out how that works. A recent study by them showed how stress changes behavior by using two different receptors. Previously they unraveled how stress can have positive effects on the immune system.

Allergic sensitization follows distinct regional patterns, and molecular IgE profiling can reveal these profiles in detail. An international research team has now demonstrated both phenomena in a population-based study of 1,000 adults from five cities in Türkiye that represent distinct climate zones.

Teenagers who are unhappy with their bodies are more likely to develop symptoms of eating disorders and depression in early adulthood, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. The research, believed to be the first of its kind, followed more than 2,000 twins born in England and Wales. It found that higher body dissatisfaction at age 16 predicted greater symptoms of eating disorders and depression well into the twenties, even after taking into account family background and genetics.

A research team led by Erwin F. Wagner from the Medical University of Vienna has discovered a previously unknown molecular mechanism that contributes to the development of psoriasis - and at the same time represents a potential biomarker for a new treatment concept. The study published in Cell Death & Differentiation shows that a specific fatty acid-binding protein (FABP5) drives ferroptosis, a certain form of cell death, and amplifies inflammatory processes in the skin.

What generative AI typically does best - recognise patterns and predict the next step in a sequence - can seem fundamentally at odds with the intangibility of human creativity and imagination. However, Cambridge researchers suggest that AI can be a useful creative partner, as long as there is clear guidance on how ideas should be developed together.

This herbicide is said to have sub-lethal effects that fly under the radar of ecotoxicological studies A study just published in Scientific Reports indicates that the glyphosate-based herbicide sold under the trade name Roundup does not adversely affect the survival of bumblebees. On the other hand, this product is said to substantially reduce male fertility, which could have repercussions on colony size and, ultimately, on the fertilization of plants that depend on this native pollinator.

McGill-led study finds that by making production more efficient, the feed additive also reduced, on average, the amount of land and water needed for dairy herds  A new international study led by McGill University in collaboration with  Jefo Nutrition shows that supplementing dairy cow diets with microencapsulated B-vitamins can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while increasing milk yield and quality.

Sophisticated new chemical analysis of gases trapped in rocks for millions of years has cast new light on the origin of the gold deposits beneath Scotland and Ireland. The finding, made by team of scientists led by Professor Fin Stuart from the University of Glasgow, could help pinpoint the location of buried deposits of the treasured metal in the future.

Carbon capture is becoming essential for industries that still depend on fossil fuels, including the cement and steel industries. Natural-gas power plants, coal plants, and cement factories all release large amounts of CO2, and reducing those emissions is difficult without dedicated capture systems.

Strongest evidence yet for an atmosphere on a rocky planet outside our solar system - a thick blanket of gases above an ocean of magma. Researchers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have detected the strongest evidence yet for an atmosphere on a rocky planet outside our solar system. Observations of the ultra-hot super-Earth TOI-561 b suggest the exoplanet is surrounded by a thick blanket of gases above a global magma ocean.

Researchers at University of Waterloo's Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) have reached a milestone in quantum information science: using a quantum computer to simulate how matter can behave in extreme environments, like the early universe after the big bang.