The hidden brain bias that makes some lies so convincing

 Detecting dishonesty requires people to interpret social cues, judge intent, and decide whether someone's words are trustworthy. Scientists have long wondered how we sort through this kind of social information and how we decide if someone is being honest. A key question is whether people evaluate information in the same way when it comes from a close friend or from someone they barely know.

To explore this, Yingjie Liu from North China University of Science and Technology led a research team investigating how people judge information depending on the relationship they share with the communicator.Studying Deception Through Brain Imaging

According to findings published in JNeurosci, the researchers used a neuroimaging method to observe brain activity in 66 healthy adults. Pairs of participants sat facing each other but interacted through computer screens, allowing the scientists to control the flow of information. Each message the participants exchanged had consequences that were described as either a "gain" or a "loss." A "gain" referred to information that benefited both individuals in the pair, while a "loss" referred to information that produced a negative outcome. Contributing researcher Rui Huang explained, "The key reason we chose 'gain' and 'loss' contexts is that they illustrate how people adjust decision-making in response to potential rewards or punishments."

The team discovered that people were more likely to trust false information during "gain" situations, and this behavior corresponded with activation in regions of the brain that process reward, assess risk, and interpret others' intentions. This suggests that the promise of a positive outcome can strongly influence whether a lie seems believable, even if the information should raise doubts.

Friends Show Unique Brain Patterns During Deception

One of the most striking findings involved the role of friendship. When the person delivering the potentially deceptive information was considered a friend, both individuals showed synchronized brain activity. This synchrony shifted depending on the context. For example, brain regions involved in reward showed greater alignment during "gain" scenarios, while regions tied to risk evaluation became more synchronized during "loss" moments. This shared activity provided enough information for researchers to predict when a participant was likely to be deceived by a friend.

Why People May Trust Rewarding Lies

Taken together, the results indicate that people may be especially vulnerable to believing lies when the information suggests the possibility of a "gain." The study also highlights how the brain processes social information differently between friends, which may make it harder to accurately judge the truthfulness of what is being said. This combination of reward-driven thinking and interpersonal connection appears to influence how people weigh honesty, potentially leading them to accept false information more easily in certain situations.

Source: ScienceDaily

Daily music listening linked to big drop in dementia risk

 Listening to music after the age of 70 appears to be associated with a meaningful reduction in dementia risk. A research team from Monash University analyzed data from more than 10,800 older adults and found that people in this age group who regularly listened to music experienced a 39 percent lower likelihood of developing dementia.

The project, led by Monash honours student Emma Jaffa and Professor Joanne Ryan, examined how both listening to music and playing instruments relate to cognitive health in adults over 70. Their analysis showed that individuals who consistently listened to music, compared with those who never, rarely, or only sometimes did so, had a 39 percent reduced risk of dementia. Playing an instrument was also tied to benefits, with a 35 percent reduction in dementia risk.

Findings Drawn From Large-Scale Aging Studies

Researchers based their work on information from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study and the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons (ALSOP) sub‐study. The results were published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

People who reported always listening to music demonstrated the strongest cognitive advantages. This group showed a 39 percent lower incidence of dementia and a 17 percent lower incidence of cognitive impairment, along with higher overall cognitive scores and better episodic memory (used when recalling everyday events). Those who both listened to and played music on a regular basis had a 33 percent reduced risk of dementia and a 22 percent reduced risk of cognitive impairment.

Music as an Accessible Activity for Brain Health

Ms Jaffa noted that the outcomes of the research "suggests music activities may be an accessible strategy for maintaining cognitive health in older adults, though causation cannot be established," she said.

The findings come at a time when population aging is creating new public health challenges. Longer life expectancy has led to rising rates of age‐related conditions, including cognitive decline and dementia, which places increasing pressure on families and healthcare systems.

Lifestyle Choices May Shape Cognitive Aging

Senior author Professor Ryan emphasized the urgency of exploring options to help delay or prevent dementia. "With no cure currently available for dementia, the importance of identifying strategies to help prevent or delay onset of the disease is critical," she said.

She added that "Evidence suggests that brain aging is not just based on age and genetics but can be influenced by one's own environmental and lifestyle choices. Our study suggests that lifestyle-based interventions, such as listening and/or playing music can promote cognitive health."

Source: ScienceDaily

A tiny ancient virus reveals secrets that could help fight superbugs

 A research effort led by Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka has generated an in-depth structural map of a bacteriophage, offering new insight into how these viruses could be used to counter drug-resistant bacteria.

Lead author Dr. James Hodgkinson-Bean, who completed his PhD in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, says bacteriophages are "extremely exciting" to scientists searching for alternatives to antibiotics as antimicrobial resistance continues to rise."Bacteriophage viruses are non-harmful to all multi-cellular life and able to very selectively target and kill a target bacterium. Due to this, they are increasingly being researched and applied in 'phage therapy' to treat highly drug-resistant bacteria," he says.

He explains that bacteriophages are "exquisitely intricate viruses" that infect bacteria using large mechanical structures known as 'tails'.

3D Analysis Reveals How a Phage Attacks E. coli

The study, published in Science Advances, involved researchers from Otago and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. They examined the structure of Bas63, a virus that infects E. coli, at a molecular scale to better understand how its tail functions during infection.

"This kind of research is important for understanding how we can select the optimal bacteriophages for therapies, and to understand the differences in infectious behavior we see in the lab," Dr. Hodgkinson-Bean says.

Senior author Associate Professor Mihnea Bostina, also from Otago's Department of Microbiology and Immunology, notes that rising antibiotic resistance and growing threats to global food security from plant pathogens make bacteriophages an increasingly valuable alternative.

"Our detailed blueprint of a bacteriophage advances rational design for medical, agricultural, and industrial applications, from treating infections to combating biofilms in food processing and water systems.

"Beyond science, the 3D data -- which shows the virus' rare whisker-collar connections, hexamer decoration proteins, and diverse tail fibers -- may inspire artists, animators, and educators."

Structural Clues Strengthen Understanding of Viral Evolution

According to Dr. Hodgkinson-Bean, insights into viral structure also help clarify how these viruses have evolved.

"While DNA generally serves as the best evolutionary marker in humans, the 3-dimensional structure of a virus is more informative of its distant evolutionary relationships with other viruses," he says.The team identified features that had previously only been seen in viruses that are very distantly related, revealing evolutionary connections that had not been documented before."We know through structural studies that bacteriophages are related to Herpes viruses -- this relationship is thought to extend back billions of years to before the emergence of multi-cellular life. For this reason, when we look at bacteriophage structure, we are looking at living fossils, primordial ancient beings."There is something truly beautiful about that."Building on Earlier DiscoveriesThis newly described structure is the second of its kind documented by the same research group. It follows an earlier investigation into pathogens responsible for potato diseases, which was recently published in Nature Communications.

Source: ScienceDaily

New DNA test predicts dangerous heart rhythms early

 A new DNA-based method from Northwestern Medicine can pinpoint hidden risks for arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death long before symptoms begin. Credit: Shutterstock

Key Points

• Researchers used whole genome sequencing to bring together monogenic and polygenic testing, two methods that are usually separated in both research and clinical practice.
• Experts say many more physicians should be using genetic testing, although a large portion of the medical workforce is not yet trained to interpret it.
• The results provide an early foundation for creating targeted treatments tailored to each person's unique genetic profile.

New Genetic Approach to Predicting Dangerous Heart Rhythms

In a new study from Northwestern Medicine, researchers have created a more refined genetic risk score that helps determine whether a person is likely to develop arrhythmia, a condition in which the heart beats irregularly. Arrhythmias can lead to serious medical problems, including atrial fibrillation (AFib) and sudden cardiac death.

The team reports that this improved method strengthens the accuracy of heart disease risk prediction while also offering a broad framework for genetic testing. According to the scientists, the same strategy could be adapted to assess other complex, genetically influenced conditions such as cancer, Parkinson's Disease and autism.

Building a More Complete Genetic Picture

"It's a very cool approach in which we are combining rare gene variants with common gene variants and then adding in non-coding genome information. To our knowledge, no one has used this comprehensive approach before, so it's really a roadmap of how to do that," said co-corresponding author Dr. Elizabeth McNally, director of the Center for Genetic Testing and a professor of medicine in the division of cardiology and of biochemistry and molecular genetics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The researchers say their findings could support the development of targeted treatments shaped around an individual's full genetic profile. They also note that this type of analysis may allow clinicians to identify people at risk long before any symptoms arise.

The study, which analyzed data from 1,119 participants, was published on November 11 in Cell Reports Medicine.

Integrating Three Major Genetic Testing Methods

Current genetic testing typically falls into one of three separate categories:

• Monogenic testing: Identifies rare mutations in a single gene, similar to spotting a typo in a single word.
• Polygenic testing: Looks at many common gene variants to estimate overall risk, similar to examining the tone of a chapter.
• Genome sequencing: Reads the complete genetic code, much like reviewing an entire book.

"Genetic researchers, companies and geneticists often operate in silos," McNally said. "The companies that offer gene panel testing are not the same ones that provide polygenic risk scores."

In this study, the team combined information from all three genetic sources to produce a fuller view of disease risk. This integrated method uncovers rare mutations, evaluates cumulative genetic effects and reveals subtle patterns across the entire genome.

"When you sequence the whole genome, you can say, 'Let me look at this cardiomyopathy gene component, the gene panel and the polygenic component.' By combining the data together, you get a very high odds ratio of identifying who is at highest risk, and that's where we think this approach can really improve upon what is currently used," McNally said.

Why Physicians Need Greater Access to Genetic Testing

Cardiologists usually assess heart risk based on symptoms, family history and diagnostic tools such as EKGs, echocardiograms and MRIs. McNally said she also incorporates genetic testing into her patient evaluations.

"It helps me manage that patient better, know who's at greatest risk, and if we think the risk is really high, we'll recommend defibrillators for patients like that," McNally said. "Knowledge is power."

Despite the benefits, genetic testing remains underused. McNally said that only an estimated 1 to 5% of people who would benefit from genetic testing actually receive it. Even within cancer care, where genetic links are widely recognized, only 10 to 20% of eligible patients undergo testing.

Source: ScienceDaily

Chronic pain may dramatically raise your blood pressure

 Research Highlights

• Chronic pain appears to play a meaningful role in raising the risk of developing high blood pressure.
• How long the pain lasts and where it occurs both influence that risk, and part of the connection is explained by depression and inflammation.
• Researchers say the results underscore how important effective pain management can be for preventing and controlling high blood pressure, a major driver of cardiovascular disease and death.
• Chronic Pain Linked to Rising Blood Pressure Risk

Chronic pain in adults may raise the likelihood of developing high blood pressure, and factors such as where the pain is located, how widespread it is, and whether a person also has depression appear to play important roles. These findings come from new research published today (November 17) in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

An evaluation of health information from more than 200,000 adults in the U.S. showed that individuals who experienced chronic pain throughout their bodies had a higher chance of developing high blood pressure compared to those reporting no pain, short-term discomfort, or pain limited to one region.

"The more widespread their pain, the higher their risk of developing high blood pressure," said lead study author Jill Pell, M.D., C.B.E., the Henry Mechan Professor of Public Health at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom. "Part of the explanation for this finding was that having chronic pain made people more likely to have depression, and then having depression made people more likely to develop high blood pressure. This suggests that early detection and treatment of depression, among people with pain, may help to reduce their risk of developing high blood pressure."

Understanding High Blood Pressure and Its Dangers

High blood pressure and hypertension occur when blood presses too strongly against vessel walls, increasing the chance of heart attack or stroke. High blood pressure, including stage one or stage two hypertension (blood pressure readings from 130/80 mm Hg to 140/90 mm Hg or higher), affects nearly half of adults in the U.S. It is also the leading cause of death nationally and worldwide, according to the 2025 joint American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guideline endorsed by 11 other organizations.

Earlier studies show that chronic musculoskeletal pain -- pain in the hip, knee, back or neck/shoulder that lasts for at least three months -- is the most common form of long-term pain in the general population. The new study examined how the presence, type, and distribution of pain across the body relate to later high blood pressure.

Source: ScienceDaily

Toxic beauty: health risks of Latin America’s cosmetics trade

 Across Latin America’s cities, a lucrative informal trade in cosmetics and personal hygiene products is thriving.

But, often unbeknown to those who buy them, many of these items are laced with toxic chemicals and heavy metals. They are sold in vast quantities without labels, warnings, or regulation.

Studies reveal the presence of arsenic, mercury, lead and other metals in lipsticks, eyeshadows, nail polish, skin lighteners, and hair products sold cheaply in markets and informal shops.

In downtown Lima, hundreds of people flock daily to the bustling galleries around the historic centre El Cercado to buy cosmetics wholesale and retail, largely ignored by municipal inspectors.

“I come here every month or so to stock up (…) everything is very cheap here,” said Zenobia Urquiza, who runs a market stall in Matucana province.

“I take the opportunity to stock up on some makeup items that sell easily, for example, now that it’s Halloween I’m bringing black eyeshadows, fluorescent eyeshadows, black and bright coloured nail polishes,” she told

None of these products have a label, brand, or health certificate identifying their source.

“Do you want quality or price? If you want quality, go buy from Aruma [the largest makeup chain in Peru] or from a catalogue and it will cost you an arm and a leg,” said one vendor.

While regional data is scarce, the informal beauty market represents major losses for businesses. Peru’s Chamber of Commerce reported in 2024 that counterfeit shampoos, fragrances, creams, lipsticks, talcum powder, and nail polish cost the country’s cosmetics industry over US$260 million.

Some, however, profit enormously. “I make about 5,000 soles [about US$1,500] a day just on this stall, sometimes more, sometimes less (…), and in total I have ten stalls,” said the same vendor.

Clandestine laboratories have multiplied, producing cosmetics by hand, often in unsanitary conditions.

Source: SciDev.net

Malaria rapid diagnostic test ‘not fit for purpose’

 An international study published in the Malaria Journal claims that a widely used test for detecting malaria is delivering too many inaccurate false-negative results and is “not fit for purpose”.

The study authors are calling for the removal of the test—the Abbott-Bioline rapid diagnostic test—from the market in Southeast Asia where it is widely deployed and where around 4 million people a year are affected by malaria, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Researchers from the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU), part of Oxford University’s MORU Tropical Health Network, found that the test correctly identified only 18 per cent of Plasmodium falciparum and 44 per cent of Plasmodium vivax infections—considerably lower rates than other brands of rapid tests.

Many of the tests only showed a faint line to identify positive cases, even where the patient was showing signs of fever.

However, other studies from Africa have reported better performance of the same test.

“Malaria is a major cause of illness and an important cause of death where we work,” said study co-author Nicholas White, a professor of tropical medicine at Mahidol University, Bangkok and at the University of Oxford’s Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health.

“Saying, ‘You don’t have malaria’ to someone with falciparum malaria in a very remote area could be a death sentence,” he told.

Rapid diagnostic tests are the mainstay of malaria control, the study stressed, allowing malaria to be treated near home, quickly and efficiently, even in remote areas where laboratory testing is unavailable.

However, the sensitivity of the Abbott-Bioline test was called into question after researchers working with the SMRU in Southeast Asia reported multiple false negatives. The test is made by Abbott Diagnostics, part of the US multinational company Abbott Laboratories.

“Until recent years we were very satisfied with these rapid malaria tests, then we and others started to notice that they were not working so well,” said White. He stressed that he and his colleagues have diagnosed and treated “hundreds of thousands of patients” over a number of decades.The study was conducted between October 2024 and January 2025, on the Thailand-Myanmar border, where until recent conflict, falciparum malaria was close to elimination.

It compared the performance of the Abbott-Bioline test with another rapid diagnostic test and microscopy tests.

The Abbott-Bioline test, the researchers concluded, “failed to detect microscopically confirmed cases of malaria and is not fit for purpose”.

Source: SciDev.Net.

Snake pee might hold the secret to ending gout pain and kidney stones

 If you've never kept a reptile, you might be surprised to learn that many of them actually "pee" in crystal form. In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers examined the solid urine of more than 20 different reptile species and found that all contained tiny spheres made of uric acid. This discovery highlights how reptiles have developed a unique method for safely storing and removing waste in a crystalline form. The findings could also lead to new ways of treating human conditions linked to uric acid buildup, such as kidney stones and gout.

How Reptiles Save Water With Solid Waste

Every living creature needs to get rid of waste, and reptiles are no exception. In humans, the body eliminates excess nitrogen by flushing it out through urine as urea, uric acid, and ammonia. Reptiles and birds, however, take a different approach. They transform some of those same nitrogen-based compounds into solids known as "urates," which are expelled through a shared opening called the cloaca. Scientists think this solid form of waste evolved as an adaptation to conserve water, a valuable trait for animals that often live in dry environments.

What's Dangerous for Humans Is Normal for Snakes

Although forming crystals in urine helps reptiles survive, the same process can cause serious health problems in people. When uric acid levels become too high in humans, the crystals can collect in the joints, leading to gout, or form in the urinary tract as kidney stones. To understand how reptiles manage to excrete these crystals safely, Jennifer Swift and her research team analyzed urates from more than 20 species.

"This research was really inspired by a desire to understand the ways reptiles are able to excrete this material safely, in the hopes it might inspire new approaches to disease prevention and treatment," explains Swift, the corresponding author on the study.

Microscopic Spheres With Big Medical Potential

Using powerful microscopes, the researchers discovered that species such as ball pythons, Angolan pythons, and Madagascan tree boas produce urates made up of tiny textured spheres between 1 and 10 micrometers across. X-ray analysis revealed that these microspheres are built from even smaller nanocrystals made of uric acid and water. The team also found that uric acid helps transform ammonia, a toxic compound, into a safer solid form. They believe uric acid might play a similar protective role in humans. Although more research is needed, these findings suggest that the chemistry behind reptile waste could eventually help scientists develop better treatments for uric acid-related diseases.

Research Support and Collaboration

This study received support from the National Science Foundation, Georgetown University, the International Centre for Diffraction Data, and the Chiricahua Desert Museum.

Source: ScienceDaily

Ancient DNA reveals the deadly diseases behind Napoleon’s defeat

 Scientists from the Institut Pasteur have conducted a genetic analysis of the remains of soldiers who retreated from Russia in 1812. Their work uncovered traces of two disease-causing pathogens -- those behind paratyphoid fever and relapsing fever -- which match the symptoms described in eyewitness records from that time. The findings were first shared as a preprint on bioRxiv on July 16, 2025, and later published in the journal Current Biology on October 24.

Investigating the Mystery of the 1812 Retreat

Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, known as the "Patriotic War of 1812," ended in one of history's most disastrous retreats. To better understand what role disease may have played in this collapse, researchers from the Institut Pasteur's Microbial Paleogenomics Unit partnered with the Laboratory of Biocultural Anthropology at Aix Marseille University. The team analyzed the DNA of 13 French soldiers exhumed in 2002 from a burial site in Vilnius, Lithuania, uncovered during archaeological excavations led by the Aix-Marseille University group. Using next-generation sequencing technology on ancient DNA, they searched for genetic traces of infectious organisms.

The researchers detected two distinct disease agents: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica (serovar Paratyphi C), which causes paratyphoid fever, and Borrelia recurrentis, the bacterium responsible for relapsing fever. The latter is transmitted by lice and produces alternating periods of fever and recovery. Although different, both infections can cause severe fever, exhaustion, and digestive distress. Their combined impact could have intensified the soldiers' suffering at a time when cold, hunger, and poor sanitation were already taking a heavy toll.

Genetic Evidence From Napoleonic Soldiers

Out of the 13 soldiers examined, DNA from S. enterica Paratyphi C was found in four individuals, and B. recurrentis was detected in two. This marks the first direct genetic confirmation that these pathogens were present in Napoleon's army. Their exact contribution to the enormous death toll remains uncertain, but the findings complement earlier research that identified Rickettsia prowazekii (the cause of typhus) and Bartonella quintana (responsible for trench fever), both long suspected of spreading through the ranks during the retreat.

Because only a small number of samples could be analyzed compared to the thousands of remains in Vilnius, researchers cannot yet determine how widespread these infections were. The tested soldiers represent a tiny fraction -- 13 out of more than 3,000 bodies at the site and roughly 500,000 to 600,000 troops who took part in the campaign, of whom about 300,000 died during the retreat.

Understanding the Past to Protect the Future

"Accessing the genomic data of the pathogens that circulated in historical populations helps us to understand how infectious diseases evolved, spread and disappeared over time, and to identify the social or environmental contexts that played a part in these developments. This information provides us with valuable insights to better understand and tackle infectious diseases today," explains Nicolás Rascovan, Head of the Microbial Paleogenomics Unit at the Institut Pasteur and last author of the study.

Source: ScienceDaily

Hippos once roamed frozen Germany with mammoths

 Hippos, now found only in sub-Saharan Africa, managed to survive in central Europe far longer than anyone previously believed. A new analysis of ancient bones shows that hippos lived in the Upper Rhine Graben between about 47,000 and 31,000 years ago, during the depths of the last ice age. The findings come from an international research team led by the University of Potsdam and the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen Mannheim in collaboration with the Curt-Engelhorn-Zentrum Archäometrie, and were recently published in Current Biology.

Extinction Timeline Rewritten

Until recently, scientists thought the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) disappeared from central Europe roughly 115,000 years ago, when the last interglacial period ended. However, the new study -- conducted by researchers from the University of Potsdam, the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen Mannheim, the Curt-Engelhorn-Zentrum Archäometrie Mannheim, ETH Zurich, and several international partners -- reveals that hippos actually persisted in the Upper Rhine Graben of southwestern Germany tens of thousands of years later, well into the middle of the last ice age.

The Upper Rhine Graben serves as a vital record of ancient climate conditions. Animal bones buried for millennia in layers of gravel and sand offer rare windows into the past. "It's amazing how well the bones have been preserved. At many skeletal remains it was possible to take samples suitable for analysis -- that is not a given after such a long time," said Dr. Ronny Friedrich, a specialist in age determination at the Curt-Engelhorn-Zentrum Archäometrie.

Genetic and Radiocarbon Clues

Researchers examined numerous hippopotamus fossils using both genetic and radiocarbon dating methods. Ancient DNA sequencing revealed that these Ice Age hippos were closely related to modern African populations and were part of the same species. Radiocarbon dating confirmed their presence during a warmer phase of the middle Weichselian glaciation, when conditions temporarily allowed the animals to survive in central Europe.

Further genome-wide analysis showed that the European hippo population had extremely low genetic diversity, suggesting it was both small and geographically isolated. Fossil evidence also revealed that these warm-adapted hippos lived alongside cold-climate animals such as mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses -- an unusual ecological mix that highlights the complexity of Ice Age environments.

Rethinking Europe's Ice Age Ecosystem

"The results demonstrate that hippos did not vanish from middle Europe at the end of the last interglacial, as previously assumed," summarizes first author Dr. Patrick Arnold. "Therefore, we should re-analyze other continental European hippo fossils traditionally attributed to the last interglacial period."

Prof. Dr. Wilfried Rosendahl, general director of the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen Mannheim and project leader of "Eiszeitfenster Oberrheingraben" is convinced that ice age research still holds many exciting questions: "The current study provides important new insights which impressively prove that ice age was not the same everywhere, but local peculiarities taken together form a complex overall picture -- similar to a puzzle. It would now be interesting and important to further examine other heat-loving animal species, attributed so far to the last interglacial."

The research was carried out as part of the "Eiszeitfenster Oberrheingraben" project, supported by the Klaus Tschira Stiftung Heidelberg. This interdisciplinary effort aims to shed light on climate and environmental evolution in the Upper Rhine Graben and southwestern Germany over the past 400,000 years. The study focused on Ice Age bones from the Reis collection, housed at the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen, which continue to reveal remarkable insights into Europe's dynamic prehistoric world.

Source: ScienceDaily

Exercise and omega-3s could be the secret to healthier teeth

 New research published in Scientific Reports has found that regular exercise paired with omega-3 supplementation can significantly enhance immune function and reduce the severity of chronic apical periodontitis, a type of inflammation that affects the tip of the tooth root.

Understanding Apical Periodontitis

Apical periodontitis occurs when bacteria from untreated tooth decay spread through the root canal to the apex of the tooth (the root tip), triggering inflammation in the surrounding bone. This infection can gradually destroy bone tissue in the area if left untreated.The new study is the first to show that moderate exercise combined with omega-3 supplementation can substantially improve this inflammatory condition. Together, these two factors helped control bacterial growth, minimize bone loss, balance the production of inflammatory molecules called cytokines, and stimulate fibroblasts, the cells that repair and maintain tissues.

The Connection Between Oral and Overall Health

Untreated apical periodontitis can lead to tooth loss, but its effects extend beyond the mouth. The condition is closely linked to systemic diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, arteriosclerosis, and kidney disease. Each can worsen the other, creating a harmful feedback loop between oral inflammation and general health.

"It's a condition that patients may not even know they have because of its chronic nature, but which can evolve and lead to bone destruction and tooth mobility. In addition, in specific situations, such as a drop in immunity, it can become acute, so the patient starts to feel pain, pus forms at the site, the face can become swollen," explains Rogério de Castilho, a professor at the Araçatuba School of Dentistry at São Paulo State University (FOA-UNESP) in Brazil. Castilho supervised the study and is supported by FAPESP.

Exercise and Supplements Show Measurable Impact

"In rats, physical exercise alone brought about a systemic improvement, regulating the local immune response. In addition, when combined with supplementation, it further reduced the destructive condition caused by endodontic pathology," explains Ana Paula Fernandes Ribeiro, the first author of the study, carried out during her doctorate at FOA-UNESP.

To explore these effects, researchers induced apical periodontitis in 30 rats and divided them into three groups. One group received no treatment, the second completed a 30-day swimming routine, and the third both swam and received omega-3 supplements, a fatty acid known for reducing inflammation in chronic diseases.

The swimming-only group showed improved outcomes compared to the untreated animals, but the group that both exercised and took omega-3 supplements demonstrated the greatest improvement in immune regulation and infection control.

Lower Inflammation, Stronger Bone

Detailed immune testing showed that rats receiving both interventions had the lowest levels of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin 17 (IL-17) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Those that exercised without supplementation also had reduced levels compared to untreated rats, but the combination proved most effective.

Researchers also observed fewer osteoclasts -- cells that break down bone -- in the exercise and supplement groups, indicating less bone loss. Micro CT scans confirmed these findings: animals that swam had less loss of alveolar bone (the bone that supports teeth) than the control group, and the omega-3 group showed the greatest bone preservation overall.

Implications for Human Health

According to the authors, these results add to growing evidence that exercise and omega-3 fatty acids benefit not only systemic immunity but also oral health.

"To know if the same would be true for humans, we'd need a clinical study with a significant number of patients. However, in addition to the many proven benefits of physical exercise and omega-3 consumption, this is yet another important piece of evidence," Jacinto says.

The work was supported by FAPESP through Scientific Initiation grants awarded to Michely de Lima Rodrigues (20/13089-3 and 22/04884-0), another co-author of the study.

Source: ScienceDaily

Dinosaurs were thriving when the asteroid struck

 For much of the past century, scientists thought dinosaurs were already in decline long before the asteroid impact that ended their reign 66 million years ago. However, a new study published in Science by researchers from Baylor University, New Mexico State University, The Smithsonian Institution, and several international partners challenges that long-standing belief.

The findings reveal that dinosaurs were not fading away at all -- they were thriving.

A final flourish in the San Juan Basin

In northwestern New Mexico, layers of ancient rock hold clues to a lively, previously overlooked chapter of Earth's history. Within the Naashoibito Member of the Kirtland Formation, scientists found evidence of rich dinosaur ecosystems that continued to flourish until just before the asteroid struck.High-precision dating determined that fossils from these rocks are between 66.4 and 66 million years old, placing them right at the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods, when the global extinction event occurred.

"The Naashoibito dinosaurs lived at the same time as the famous Hell Creek species in Montana and the Dakotas," said Daniel Peppe, Ph.D., associate professor of geosciences at Baylor University. "They were not in decline -- these were vibrant, diverse communities."

Dinosaurs in their prime

The fossil evidence from New Mexico tells a strikingly different story from what many had assumed. Instead of dwindling, dinosaurs across North America were thriving in distinct regional communities. By analyzing ecological and geographic patterns, researchers found that dinosaur populations in western North America were divided into separate "bioprovinces" shaped primarily by regional temperature differences rather than by mountains or rivers.

"What our new research shows is that dinosaurs are not on their way out going into the mass extinction," said first author Andrew Flynn, Ph.D. '20, assistant professor of geological sciences at New Mexico State University. "They're doing great, they're thriving and that the asteroid impact seems to knock them out. This counters a long-held idea that there was this long-term decline in dinosaur diversity leading up to the mass extinction making them more prone to extinction."

Life after impact

The asteroid impact brought the age of dinosaurs to an abrupt end, but the ecosystems they left behind became the foundation for a new evolutionary chapter. Within just 300,000 years, mammals began rapidly diversifying, developing new diets, sizes, and ecological roles.

The same temperature-related patterns that once defined dinosaur ecosystems continued into the Paleocene epoch, guiding how life recovered after the disaster.

"The surviving mammals still retain the same north and south bio provinces," Flynn said. "Mammals in the north and the south are very different from each other, which is different than other mass extinctions where it seems to be much more uniform."

Why this discovery matters

This discovery offers more than just a look into the distant past. It underscores both the resilience and fragility of life on Earth. Conducted on public lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the research highlights how protected landscapes can unlock vital insights into how ecosystems respond to global upheaval.

By refining the timeline of the dinosaurs' final days, the study reveals that their extinction was not a slow decline but an abrupt, catastrophic end to a flourishing era of life -- cut short by chance from beyond the sky.

About the authors

In addition to Peppe and Flynn, the research team included scientists from Baylor University, New Mexico State University, the Smithsonian Institution, the University of Edinburgh, University College London and multiple U.S. and international institutions.

• Stephen L. Brusatte, Ph.D., The University of Edinburgh
• Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza, Ph.D., Royal Society Newton International Fellow, University College London
• Jorge Garcia-Giron, Ph.D., University of Leon
• Adam J. Davis, Ph.D., WSP USA Inc.
• C. Will Fenley, Ph.D., Valle Exploration
• Caitlin E. Leslie, Ph.D., ExxonMobil
• Ross Secord, Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Sarah Shelley, Ph.D., Carnegie Museum of Natural History
• Anne Weil, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University
• Matthew T. Heizler, Ph.D., New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
• Thomas E. Williamson, Ph.D., New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.

Source: Science Daily

MIT physicists just found a way to see inside atoms

 Physicists at MIT have introduced a technique to study the interior of an atom's nucleus by relying on the atom's own electrons as "messengers" inside a molecule.

In research published on October 23 in Science, the team precisely measured the energy of electrons orbiting a radium atom that was chemically bound to a fluoride atom, forming radium monofluoride. By using the molecular environment as a microscopic stand-in for a particle collider, they confined the radium atom's electrons and increased the likelihood that some would briefly pass through the nucleus.Traditional experiments that investigate nuclear interiors depend on kilometer-scale accelerators that speed up electron beams to smash into and fragment nuclei. The new molecule-centered approach provides a compact, table-top way to directly probe the inside of a nucleus.

Table-Top Method Detects Nuclear "Messages"

Working with radium monofluoride, the researchers tracked the energies of the radium atom's electrons as they moved within the molecule. They observed a small shift in energy and concluded that some electrons must have briefly entered the nucleus and interacted with what lies inside. As those electrons left, they retained the energy change, effectively carrying a nuclear "message" that reveals features of the nucleus's interior.

The method opens a path to measuring the nuclear "magnetic distribution." Inside a nucleus, each proton and neutron behaves like a tiny magnet, and their orientations depend on how these particles are arranged. The team plans to use the technique to map this property in radium for the first time, a step that could inform one of cosmology's central puzzles: why the universe contains far more matter than antimatter.

"Our results lay the groundwork for subsequent studies aiming to measure violations of fundamental symmetries at the nuclear level," says study co-author Ronald Fernando Garcia Ruiz, who is the Thomas A. Franck Associate Professor of Physics at MIT. "This could provide answers to some of the most pressing questions in modern physics."

MIT co-authors include Shane Wilkins, Silviu-Marian Udrescu, and Alex Brinson, together with collaborators from several institutions, including the Collinear Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy Experiment (CRIS) at CERN in Switzerland, where the experiments took place.

Matter-Antimatter Imbalance and Radium's Role

According to current understanding, the early universe should have contained nearly equal amounts of matter and antimatter. Yet nearly everything we can detect today is matter built from protons and neutrons inside atomic nuclei.This observation conflicts with expectations from the Standard Model, suggesting that additional sources of fundamental symmetry violation are needed to account for the scarcity of antimatter. Such effects could appear within the nuclei of certain atoms, including radium.

Unlike most nuclei, which are close to spherical, radium's nucleus has an asymmetric, pear-like shape. Theorists predict that this geometry can amplify signals of symmetry violation enough to make them potentially observable.

"The radium nucleus is predicted to be an amplifier of this symmetry breaking, because its nucleus is asymmetric in charge and mass, which is quite unusual," says Garcia Ruiz, whose group has focused on developing methods to probe radium nuclei for signs of fundamental symmetry violation.

Building Ultra-Sensitive Molecular Experiments Peering inside a radium nucleus to test fundamental symmetries is extremely challenging.

"Radium is naturally radioactive, with a short lifetime and we can currently only produce radium monofluoride molecules in tiny quantities," says study lead author Shane Wilkins, a former postdoc at MIT. "We therefore need incredibly sensitive techniques to be able measure them."

The team recognized that embedding a radium atom in a molecule could confine and magnify the behavior of its electrons.

"When you put this radioactive atom inside of a molecule, the internal electric field that its electrons experience is orders of magnitude larger compared to the fields we can produce and apply in a lab," explains Silviu-Marian Udrescu PhD '24, a study co-author. "In a way, the molecule acts like a giant particle collider and gives us a better chance to probe the radium's nucleus."

Energy Shift Reveals Electron-Nucleus Encounters

The researchers created radium monofluoride by pairing radium atoms with fluoride atoms. In this molecule, the radium electrons are effectively squeezed, which increases the chance that they will interact with and briefly enter the radium nucleus.

Source: ScienceDaily

Life expectancy gains have slowed sharply

 A new international analysis led by a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor reveals that the remarkable gains in life expectancy seen across wealthy nations during the early 20th century have slowed dramatically. The findings indicate that no generation born after 1939 is expected to reach an average age of 100.

Researchers Track a Century of Longevity Data

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was conducted by Héctor Pifarré i Arolas of the La Follette School of Public Affairs, José Andrade of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, and Carlo Giovanni Camarda of the Institut national d'études démographiques. Drawing from the Human Mortality Database, the researchers examined data from 23 high-income, low-mortality countries using six independent methods to forecast mortality trends.According to Pifarré i Arolas, "The unprecedented increase in life expectancy we achieved in the first half of the 20th century appears to be a phenomenon we are unlikely to achieve again in the foreseeable future. In the absence of any major breakthroughs that significantly extend human life, life expectancy would still not match the rapid increases seen in the early 20th century even if adult survival improved twice as fast as we predict."

A Century of Uneven Gains

Between 1900 and 1938, life expectancy in wealthy nations rose by roughly five and a half months per generation. Someone born in 1900 could expect to live an average of 62 years, while a person born in 1938 could expect to reach about 80 years -- a dramatic improvement over just a few decades.

For generations born between 1939 and 2000, however, progress slowed to around two and a half to three and a half months per generation, depending on the statistical model used. Mortality forecasting models -- analytical tools that predict future lifespans using past and present mortality data -- allowed the researchers to project multiple possible futures for human longevity.

"We forecast that those born in 1980 will not live to be 100 on average, and none of the cohorts in our study will reach this milestone. This decline is largely due to the fact that past surges in longevity were driven by remarkable improvements in survival at very young ages," according to corresponding author Andrade.

In the early 20th century, rapid declines in infant mortality -- brought about by medical innovation, improved sanitation, and higher living standards -- significantly boosted average life expectancy. Today, infant and child mortality rates in high-income countries are already extremely low, meaning future gains must come from improved survival at older ages. The study concludes that such advances are unlikely to match the explosive pace of progress achieved a century ago.

Implications for Policy, Healthcare, and Planning

Although forecasts can never be fully certain, the authors emphasize that their results provide essential insights for policymakers preparing for the future. Unexpected developments such as new pandemics, medical breakthroughs, or major societal shifts could alter these trends, but current evidence suggests a long-term slowdown.

This slowdown has consequences that go beyond national statistics. While the study focuses on populations rather than individuals, slower life expectancy growth may influence how people approach saving, retirement, and long-term care. As Pifarré i Arolas and his colleagues suggest, both governments and individuals may need to adjust their expectations and plans for the decades ahead.

Source: ScienceDaily

Scientists reveal Alaska could get up to two minutes’ warning before the next big quake

 For a wide variety of earthquake scenarios in Alaska, an earthquake early warning (EEW) system could provide at least 10 seconds of warning time for hazardous shaking, according to a new report.

Increasing the density and improving the spacing of seismic stations around the state could add 5 to 15 seconds to these estimated warning times, write Alexander Fozkos and Michael West at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Alaska experiences tens of thousands of earthquakes each year, and has been the site some of the world's largest and most destructive seismic events.

The study's findings published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America could help lay the groundwork for the expansion of the U.S. ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system, which now covers California, Oregon and Washington State.

"There were a lot of studies before EEW was widely available on the West Coast, where people were looking at different scenarios," said Fozkos. "So we wanted a similar kind of science up here with numbers that are Alaska specific."

For earthquakes along well-known faults in southcentral and southeast coastal Alaska, Fozkos and West estimated potential warning times of 10 to 120 seconds for magnitude 8.3 scenarios.

For magnitude 7.3 earthquake scenarios in crustal faults in interior and southcentral Alaska, the researchers estimated potential warning times ranging from 0 to 44 seconds.

And for a set of magnitude 7.8 earthquake scenarios along the dip of the subducting slab beneath Alaska, estimated warning times ranged from 0 to 73 seconds.

"I was expecting decent warning times along the coast and for most of the subduction zone events," said Fozkos, because there is dense seismic station coverage in these areas. "I was not expecting decent warning times for the shallow crustal events, so that was the biggest surprise to me."

The scenarios used in the study vary in earthquake magnitude, depth, location and fault style -- all of which impacted warning times. The researchers' models estimated how many seconds after an earthquake's origin the quake could be detected, how many seconds after origin time an alert could be available, and minimum and maximum warning times at a location.

Warning times were defined as the time difference between the time of the alert and the time that peak ground motion from an earthquake arrived at a location. This definition differs from a more common definition used in EEW systems, which ties warning time to the arrival of the initial S-wave or shear wave of an earthquake.

The researchers wanted to use peak ground motion instead, to create a warning time measurement that might be more relevant to people as they respond to an earthquake. The initial S-wave may not always cause significant ground motion, and strong shaking can arrive tens of seconds after the initial S-wave in large earthquakes, they explain.

The study doesn't analyze "the time it takes to disseminate the alert -- the time it actually takes to send the alert from a radio tower or from a satellite to somebody's phone and then for them to take out their phone and react to it," Fozkos noted.

The potential lag time in transmitting data and sharing an alert with the public "could be a big challenge for Alaska, but I don't think it's going to be insurmountable," he added.

The harsh Alaskan winters and wilderness locations of some seismic stations could also be challenging for an early warning system, if stations go down and can't be repaired quickly. "I think there is definitely a need for adding stations to cover redundancy for remote stations," Fozkos said.

Ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) and more earthquake detection via distributed acoustic sensing or DAS would also be welcome additions to a warning system, he added. "Coupled with the fact that some of our biggest earthquakes are going to be offshore, tsunamigenic threats, I think OBS and DAS are probably big targets for the future."

sources-science daily