Plants can sometimes carry stress-related molecular changes into their offspring without altering their DNA sequence. But a review in PROTOPLASMA finds that the effect depends strongly on the species, gene region and reproductive system, limiting claims about broadly inherited stress memory.
Researchers developed a portable hydrogel sensor that changes color when PFAS interfere with a peroxide-driven chemical reaction. The sensor distinguished PFAS groups by their chemical endings and quantified PFOA at a reported detection limit of 0.12 micrograms per milliliter.
Researchers developed a graphene-aerogel material that holds a light-activated catalyst and uses both reduction and oxidation reactions to defluorinate several PFAS. After 12 hours of ultraviolet irradiation, it removed 90.2% of the fluorine from PFOA, 65.3% from PFHxA and 51.8% from PFBA.
Among 200 high school students in Shiraz, Iran, open family communication and some forms of constructive inner self-talk were associated with lower reported cyberbullying victimization. Family communication focused on conformity was associated with more victimization, but the study cannot show that these factors cause or prevent cyberbullying.
A lake-sediment record from southeastern Australia shows that colonial land-use change disrupted Indigenous burning practices and transformed open woodland into denser eucalypt forest. The changes occurred before anthropogenic warming and may have increased the landscape’s vulnerability to intense wildfires.
Researchers developed an AI system that transfers camera movement from one video to a user’s still image. In studies with 72 people, participants more often preferred its motion and scene preservation over two comparison methods.
Researchers have built a forest monitoring system that measures more than 90 environmental parameters, fluxes and processes from below ground to above the tree canopy. The infrastructure produces more than 4,500 time series and is designed to support continuous research using low-cost, commercially available components.
Columbian ground squirrels retained spatial memories through nine months of hibernation, according to a field study in Alberta. When tested again, experienced squirrels performed 41–98% better than squirrels encountering the maze for the first time.
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined intracanal cryotherapy—using cooled liquid inside the tooth—as part of nonsurgical root canal treatment in people with symptomatic apical periodontitis. Across 11 randomized controlled trials, the analysis found lower reported pain at 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours, but not a statistically clear difference at 12 hours. The researchers said the results should be interpreted cautiously because most studies had some risk-of-bias concerns and the treatment methods varied.
An AI system for writing formal mathematical proofs solved nine of 353 open problems associated with mathematician Paul Erdős. It also proved 44 of 492 conjectures from the Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences, with each accepted proof checked by the Lean proof system.
A review of observations, computer models and climate records finds strong evidence that Antarctic sea ice affects ocean and atmospheric circulation, ice sheets, marine productivity and the carbon cycle. Records from the past glacial cycle show that sea-ice changes occurred alongside shifts in ocean circulation, ocean productivity and carbon, although their individual effects are difficult to separate.
Simulations involving thousands of language-model agents found that their opinions could become polarized as they interacted over time. The agents also formed clustered social networks, allowing researchers to test how diverse interactions and confirmation bias might affect division.
A study of two co-occurring Florida shrub species found that infrared light passing through translucent petal areas warmed one species’ flowers. Warmer flowers had fewer culturable yeasts, molds and bacteria, while natural differences in ultraviolet transmission did not predict microbial abundance or resistance to ultraviolet exposure.
In a rural California study, children exposed to higher levels of airborne particles over the previous week had a greater risk of elevated or high systolic blood pressure. Longer-term exposure was also associated with small increases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
This systematic review examined food insecurity among adults living with cancer and its relationship with quality of life, mental health, and cancer-care outcomes. Across seven observational studies, food insecurity was associated with poorer quality of life, more depressive symptoms or distress, financial strain, and difficulty accessing adequate food or medicines. These findings show associations and do not establish that food insecurity caused the reported outcomes.
