Issue NEWS-2026-W44-p4 · Oct 26, 2026 to Nov 1, 2026

The Daily Trickle

Plain words, straight from the source. Every item links to the original document. No news outlets, no hot takes.

This week, from source to page

1362 documents from primary sources, published this week
40 selected passed the news gate
39 in this issue passed the fact check

Health and drugs

Peer-reviewed studyPNAS

Pancreatic delta cells resist inhibition in human type-2 diabetes, study finds

A peer-reviewed study compared isolated pancreatic delta cells from deceased donors with and without type-2 diabetes. In diabetes, inhibition of the cells by somatostatin and adrenaline was impaired and their somatostatin receptor levels on the surface were markedly reduced, which the authors say may dysregulate somatostatin signaling within the islets.

Published
Oct 27, 2026
DOI 10.1073/pnas.2601168123
Peer-reviewed studyPNAS

Protein channel in tuberculosis bacteria affects isoniazid uptake and resistance

A peer-reviewed study finds that a porin protein called PPE1 in Mycobacterium tuberculosis helps the bacterium secrete metallophores and also lets in the drug isoniazid (INH). Mutant strains without PPE1 took up less isoniazid and were more tolerant to it, and in a mouse infection model they showed reduced virulence.

Published
Oct 27, 2026
DOI 10.1073/pnas.2602335123
Peer-reviewed studyPNAS

Study questions how many long COVID symptoms are attributed to the virus

A peer-reviewed study of insurance claims from US patients compares people who were tested for COVID-19, with test-positive and test-negative results. It finds that most long-term effects attributed to COVID-19 in designs without this restriction likely reflect bias from selective testing. The authors say this does not show that symptoms beyond one year are not genuine, only that their link to COVID-19 is uncertain.

Published
Oct 27, 2026
DOI 10.1073/pnas.2604414123
Peer-reviewed studyPNAS

Study ranks carnivores above bats for carrying human-associated viruses

A peer-reviewed study of 4,685 metagenomic datasets from 296 mammal species finds that carnivores carry human-associated viruses more often than bats do, challenging the idea that bats are special reservoirs. The authors report that life-history traits such as longevity and urban land use are key ecological drivers of virus richness and sharing.

Published
Oct 27, 2026
DOI 10.1073/pnas.2610672123
Preprint, not peer-reviewedbioRxiv

Preprint proposes a tool to measure cell plasticity and precancer risk

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, describes PLASTIC, a computational framework that quantifies cellular plasticity and epigenetic reprogramming from single-cell RNA-seq data. The authors report that the high cancer risk state in pre-cancerous tissue shows increased dedifferentiation, and that the tool predicted metaplasia in lung cells from smokers, which they validated in independent data.

Published
Oct 27, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.25.761640
Preprint, not peer-reviewedmedRxiv

Preprint ranks malaria antigens by antibody response after first infection

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, measured antibody responses in 81 malaria-naive adults after a controlled human malaria infection with Plasmodium falciparum. It reports a strong hierarchy among merozoite antigens for immunoglobulin G (IgG), a broader pattern for immunoglobulin M (IgM), and distinct groups of people by their antibody responses, which the authors suggest begins at first exposure.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.18.26365849
Preprint, not peer-reviewedmedRxiv

Preprint says combined genomic and proteomic scores predict cardiovascular disease

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, combines proteomic scores, polygenic scores and DNA methylation scores into four MEGASCOREs for myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, heart failure and cardiovascular mortality. The authors report that the scores were associated with these outcomes and improved prediction beyond conventional clinical models, including stronger discrimination than SCORE2 for cardiovascular mortality.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.23.26366372
Preprint, not peer-reviewedmedRxiv

Preprint links education, diabetes and hearing loss to cognition in healthy aging

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, follows 1,396 adults aged 36 to 108 and finds that five modifiable factors, including education, diabetes, low motor function, hearing loss and low vision, are associated with cognitive performance but not with its rate of decline. The authors report that plasma markers of Alzheimer's pathology were associated with faster decline.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.25.26366428
Preprint, not peer-reviewedmedRxiv

Preprint: large language models flag more trial errors than untrained reviewers

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, tests 15 large language models (LLMs) on methodological errors inserted into clinical trial reports. Their detection scores for major errors ranged from 53% to 96%, compared with a mean of 27% for untrained human reviewers in an earlier experiment, and the models also flagged some errors in control reports that had none inserted.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.25.26366455
Preprint, not peer-reviewedmedRxiv

Preprint links gastrointestinal medicines to later depressive symptoms in older adults

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, pools three cohort studies of adults aged 50 or older in China, the US and Europe, finding that gastrointestinal medication use was associated with a higher risk of new depressive symptoms. The authors report that psychiatric medicines, used as a positive control, showed the expected strong association, and they say the findings support routine affective screening in medication reviews for older adults.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.26.26366451
Preprint, not peer-reviewedmedRxiv

Preprint projects Medicare savings from wider access to anti-obesity medications

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, uses a microsimulation of Americans aged 55 and older to model expanded access to GLP-1 drugs under the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge demonstration. The authors report positive net social value and lower Medicare net spending in every scenario over 10 years, and say the eligible population mattered more than how long people stayed on therapy.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.26.26366542
Preprint, not peer-reviewedmedRxiv

Preprint finds no language model fully matches emergency physician guidelines

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, introduces EM-BENCH, a benchmark of 210 yes-or-no clinical vignettes based on guidelines from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). The highest configuration answered 207 of the vignettes correctly, closed-access models outperformed open-weight models, and extra reasoning did not consistently improve accuracy.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.27.26366650
Preprint, not peer-reviewedbioRxiv

Preprint links an immune signalling pathway to muscle remodelling in frailty

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, links an interferon gamma and CXCL9 pathway to T-cell recruitment and fibrosis in muscle among ageing adults with physical frailty. The authors report the findings in human cohorts and in laboratory co-cultures, where blocking CXCL9 or its receptor CXCR3 reduced immune cell migration.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.27.762096

Money, taxes and banking

Preprint, not peer-reviewedarXiv

Preprint finds higher most-favored-nation tariffs redirect US trade

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, examines how increases in most-favored-nation (MFN) tariffs change the relative market access of competing exporters. Using a structural gravity model and domestic and international trade data, it reports that higher MFN protection reduces imports and redirects trade toward preferential exporters, with the largest losses in intermediate and capital goods.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
Preprint, not peer-reviewedarXiv

Preprint says returns to schooling fell in exposed jobs after ChatGPT's release

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, compares occupations in the top and bottom quartiles of a pre-ChatGPT exposure index, using US Current Population Survey earnings data. It reports that after ChatGPT's public release the return to a year of schooling fell by 0.55 log points in exposed occupations, and the authors say this reflects a repricing of human capital within those occupations.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
ProposedUK Government

Draft UK rules would transfer AWE Pension Scheme assets to central government

This is a draft UK statutory instrument. It would create a new public pension scheme for members of the AWE Pension Scheme and enable the Secretary of State to issue directions requiring the transfer of its assets to central government, under the Pension Schemes Act 2026. It would become law only if approved and made.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
ISBN 9780348288186

Work and immigration

ProposedHealth and Human Services Department

Proposed revision of federal workplace oral fluid drug testing guidelines

The Health and Human Services Department (HHS) proposes to revise its Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs Using Oral Fluid. This is a proposal, and comments are due by December 28, 2026.

Published
Oct 29, 2026
Comments close
Dec 28, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by December 28, 2026.

FR Doc. 2026-22121
ProposedHealth and Human Services Department

Proposed revision of federal workplace urine drug testing guidelines

The Health and Human Services Department (HHS) proposes to revise its Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs Using Urine (UrMG). This is a proposal, and comments are due by December 28, 2026.

Published
Oct 29, 2026
Comments close
Dec 28, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by December 28, 2026.

FR Doc. 2026-22122

Environment and energy

Peer-reviewed studyPNAS

Study estimates how much methane microbes consume at marine cold seeps

A peer-reviewed study in PNAS estimates how much methane microbes consume at marine cold seeps, using a chemical signature in carbonates formed from methane. The authors say cold seeps play an important role in the global marine methane cycle despite their small footprint.

Published
Oct 26, 2026
DOI 10.1073/pnas.2533639123
Peer-reviewed studyPLOS Biology

Tests at one life stage may mislead forecasts for a marine bivalve

A peer-reviewed study of a marine bivalve (Mercenaria mercenaria) finds that its tolerance to ocean acidification at the larval stage and after metamorphosis are strongly negatively correlated. The authors argue that forecasts based on a single life stage can get the answer wrong, because the stages can respond in opposite directions.

Published
Oct 26, 2026
DOI 10.1371/journal.pbio.3004079
Peer-reviewed studyPNAS

Study identifies a repeating millennial-scale climate cycle in the Holocene

A peer-reviewed study combines a climate model simulation with a compilation of 304 temperature reconstructions to identify a repeating climate oscillation in the Holocene. The authors say the cycle is shaped by interactions between tropical and Antarctic ocean and atmosphere, and that future warming may increase the risk of rapid climate transformation.

Published
Oct 27, 2026
DOI 10.1073/pnas.2538010123
ProposedEnvironmental Protection Agency

Proposed rule would rescind Super Emitter Program for oil and gas

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes amendments to standards for new and existing oil and natural gas sources, and the proposal would rescind the Super Emitter Program. It would also change requirements for well sites, liquids unloading, pumps, storage vessels and equipment leaks at gas plants. Comments are due by November 30, 2026.

Published
Oct 29, 2026
Comments close
Nov 30, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by November 30, 2026.

FR Doc. 2026-22082 · EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0163 · FRL-12726-01-OAR

Travel and transportation

Final ruleUK Government

New UK regulations bring specified parts of the Bus Services Act 2025 into force

These UK regulations, made on October 26, 2026, bring specified provisions of the Bus Services Act 2025 into force in England. They are the third commencement regulations made under that Act and include transitional provisions.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
Made
Oct 26, 2026
S.I. 2026/1136

Food, farming and wildlife

Final rule, effective Dec 28, 2026Rural Housing Service

USDA rule lets guaranteed rural home loans cover homes with income-producing units

The Rural Housing Service, a Rural Development agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is amending the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program. The change permits financing of single family homes with income-producing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and clarifies eligibility for homes with features designed for home-based operations. The rule takes effect on December 28, 2026.

Published
Oct 29, 2026
Effective
Dec 28, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

FR Doc. 2026-22038 · Docket No. RHS-26-SFH-0100

Science and research

Peer-reviewed studyPNAS

Study reports a catalyst that tackles singlet oxygen in lithium-oxygen batteries

A peer-reviewed study reports an anthracene-based covalent-organic framework (AntCOF) that acts as a catalyst for reducing singlet oxygen in lithium-oxygen batteries. The authors say it suppresses side reactions and improves cycling performance when used with a RuO 2 catalyst.

Published
Oct 27, 2026
DOI 10.1073/pnas.2628659123
Preprint, not peer-reviewedChemRxiv

Preprint says oxygen helps passivate lithium metal anodes in solid electrolytes

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, uses virtual-electrode X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to study the layer that forms between a lithium metal chloride solid electrolyte and lithium metal anodes. The authors report that oxygen leads to a new Li-Sc-Zr-oxide phase, which they say passivates the interface and allows lithium to be plated and stripped.

Published
Oct 27, 2026
DOI 10.26434/chemrxiv.15011105/v1
Preprint, not peer-reviewedarXiv

Preprint says governance improvements add no capital advantage below a threshold

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, applies a gradient boosting model to a panel of 147 sovereign entities and reports that it cut forecast errors by over 39% during extreme macroeconomic events, compared with L1-regularized baselines. The authors say environmental, social and governance (ESG) improvements yield no capital advantage until a foundational regulatory threshold is breached.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
Preprint, not peer-reviewedChemRxiv

Preprint reports a lung-inspired membrane that speeds carbon dioxide capture

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, describes a lung-inspired three-dimensional gyroid membrane contactor for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture. The authors report over 90% CO2 removal from simulated flue gas and over 80% removal from ambient air at contact times below one second.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.26434/chemrxiv.15011174/v1
Preprint, not peer-reviewedChemRxiv

Review finds only 24 states set specific rules for onsite sewage disinfection

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, reviews regulations from all 50 U.S. states for disinfecting onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems. The authors say only 24 states include specific disinfection provisions, and that the evidence is insufficient to confirm that minimum requirements reliably achieve adequate microbial reduction under routine conditions.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.26434/chemrxiv.15011175/v1
Preprint, not peer-reviewedChemRxiv

Preprint proposes LINE-1 inhibitors as treatments across several diseases

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, argues that LINE-1 retrotransposons, virus-like genetic elements, could be inhibited therapeutically in diseases including cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegeneration. The author notes that reverse transcriptase inhibitors originally developed for HIV have been shown in preclinical studies to slow the progression of otherwise unrelated diseases.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.26434/chemrxiv.15011180/v1
Preprint, not peer-reviewedbioRxiv

Preprint reports an enzyme evolved to degrade both polyester and polyurethane

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, describes an enzyme that directed evolution turned into one that also degrades polyurethane, in addition to the polyesters it already breaks down. The authors say the change widened the enzyme's substrate pocket while keeping its catalytic residues in place, and describe it as the first demonstration of directed evolution of a multimodal plastic degrading enzyme.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.25.761710
Preprint, not peer-reviewedbioRxiv

Preprint reports engineered macrophages eased arthritis in mouse models

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, reports that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) macrophages, engineered to target fibroblast-like synoviocytes, reduced joint damage in mouse models of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). The authors report no overt acute toxicity and describe the results as preclinical proof of concept.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.25.761728
Preprint, not peer-reviewedbioRxiv

Preprint links cell-free DNA patterns to tumor fraction and cancer state

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, reports that nucleosome positions in circulating cell-free DNA reveal histone modifications, and that a model built from fragments covering a tiny fraction of the genome tracks tumor fraction. The authors say it separated samples with a tumor fraction of 3% or more from those with 0% across prostate, breast and lung cancers, and that it can also flag neuroendocrine transformation of prostate cancer.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.26.761423
Preprint, not peer-reviewedbioRxiv

Preprint finds catalytic RNAs widespread across all domains of life

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, introduces AbRiDGed, a computational method for finding self-cleaving ribozymes, and reports about 150 new classes of them. The authors say the molecules appear in all domains of life and in humans, and that in experiments they influenced organismal fitness by regulating gene expression.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.26.761763
Preprint, not peer-reviewedbioRxiv

Preprint links an acetylation switch to mitochondrial damage in heart failure

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, reports that acetylation of NDUFA13 at lysine 7 acts as a switch that disrupts prohibitin scaffolds and cristae in heart cells. In mice with a mutation that mimics this acetylation, the authors report accelerated mortality and cristae loss under pressure overload.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.26.761921
Preprint, not peer-reviewedbioRxiv

Preprint links maternal folate to adult blood stem cell function in mice

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, reports in mice that maternal folate deficiency impaired self-renewal of adult hematopoietic stem cells in offspring, while folate supplementation enhanced it. The authors link the opposing effects to lasting differences in mitochondrial and chromatin states.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.26.761955
Preprint, not peer-reviewedbioRxiv

Preprint proposes a graph measure to rank transcription factors as drug targets

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, introduces the Core Coefficient, a graph theory measure of how dominant a transcription factor is in a regulatory network. The authors report that it predicted changes in network hierarchy and the effect of blocking a specific factor in cancer cell lines, and suggest it could help choose therapeutic targets.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.27.760230
Preprint, not peer-reviewedbioRxiv

Preprint links the FREM3 gene to brain volume and cognition in aging

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, reports that mice with a conditional knockout of Frem3 in excitatory neurons showed lower brain volume in middle age than in young adulthood, and that lower genetically regulated FREM3 expression in humans was linked to lower cognitive performance. The authors describe this as cross-species evidence for FREM3's role in brain and cognitive health across aging.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.27.762265
Preprint, not peer-reviewedbioRxiv

Preprint models predict influenza evolution from viral fitness landscapes

A preprint, not peer-reviewed, infers fitness landscapes for hemagglutinin and neuraminidase in H3N2 and H1N1 influenza viruses from temporal sequence data. The authors report that forward simulations from these landscapes predicted which mutations would fix or be lost, and the future composition of viral populations, better than neutral-evolution models.

Published
Oct 28, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.27.762377