Honeybee cells begin with uneven walls, curved boundaries and variable angles, but become more regular as workers continue building. The findings suggest that the familiar hexagonal pattern emerges through local adjustments rather than being constructed perfectly from the outset.
A systematic review and meta-analysis compared radiofrequency ablation with surgery and other heat-based procedures in 3,612 people with papillary thyroid carcinoma. Compared with surgery, radiofrequency ablation was associated with similar reported disease progression and fewer complications, but the evidence came from a limited number of studies and may not apply to all patients.
A systematic review of 50 studies found that adolescents who used social media more often generally reported more depressive symptoms. Links with anxiety pointed in the same direction but were weaker and less consistent, suggesting that screen time alone does not capture how social media may relate to mental health.
Researchers found micro-litter fibers in Antarctic sea stars collected at Deception Island, South Shetland Islands. Sea stars sampled near research stations had higher amounts at one depth, supporting their potential use in monitoring pollution on the seafloor.
Researchers studied 514 mothers or caregivers of children aged 6–23 months attending three public health centers in Harar City, Eastern Ethiopia. They found that 61.5% of the children met the study’s minimum meal-frequency standard, while meeting that standard was associated with caregiver beliefs, household circumstances, breastfeeding status, child age, and other factors.
A field experiment in India found that maize supplied with 75% mineral NPK, vermicompost and Azotobacter–Bacillus inoculation produced 40.8 quintals of grain per hectare. The treatment also improved measures of soil microbial activity compared with sole 100% NPK, but the results need testing across more seasons and locations.
A small tsunami arrived near the mouth of Japan’s Kurobe River about 10 minutes before the main tsunami from the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. Simulations and observations indicate that the early wave formed when the earthquake moved a steep underwater slope horizontally.
Researchers increased the production of hydroxyl radicals in an electrochemical wastewater-treatment system by adding iron ions that changed the hydrogen-bond structure of water near the electrode. The system maintained about 95% contaminant removal during 500 hours of flow operation and was estimated to cost 44.3% less than conventional boron-doped diamond electrodes.
Researchers developed a method that labels proteins near both the inside and outside of a cell membrane at the same time. In brain studies, it mapped protein networks around three receptors and identified a previously uncharacterized GABAAR–CAMKV interaction in mice and human brains.
A study finds that shale gas flowback fluid could be processed to recover lithium while treating the wastewater for reuse. The proposed system produced an estimated 30.1 kilograms of battery-grade lithium carbonate per day and removed more than 90% of chemical oxygen demand in the researchers’ analyses.
A lightweight security pairing for low-power internet devices used 52% less memory and 37% less energy than AES-CCM in tests. The researchers also tested it against differential, linear and replay attacks on two microcontrollers.
Bacillus cereus, a toxin-producing bacterium found in foods, may be an underrecognized foodborne threat in Africa. A review of studies from 2000 to 2025 found contamination in 15% to more than 70% of tested foods, but only 10 studies met the review’s criteria across 54 countries.
A field study found that urea delivered in clay-and-biopolymer composites with phosphorus- and zinc-releasing bacteria improved nutrient levels in wheat and maize. The treatments also reduced cumulative nitrous oxide emissions by up to 29% compared with a full conventional urea application.
A study of 61 mother–infant pairs found that vocal coordination was strongest when the pairs were about 40 centimeters apart—roughly within arm’s reach. Infants showed above-chance vocal coordination at distances between 30 and 50 centimeters, but the pattern did not become stronger with age.
A study of the Kimberley rock-rat finds that patchy habitat and long-isolated islands have produced strongly separated local populations. Island groups have smaller effective population sizes, and the researchers warn that local extinctions could be difficult to reverse.
