Plain words, straight from the source. Every item links to the original document. No news outlets, no hot takes.
A peer-reviewed study in Nature. Using whole-genome sequencing and gene expression measurements in individual cells, it finds that differences in the length of tandem repeats (stretches of repeated DNA) in the human genome contribute to differences in gene activity between immune cell types, and to the architecture of complex traits.
A peer-reviewed study in Nature. The researchers describe STM9005, a highly selective inhibitor of the enzyme METTL1, which blocks growth of cancer cells including leukaemia, melanoma and pancreatic carcinoma cell models. In multiple mouse cancer models, the authors report that it impaired tumour growth and significantly prolonged survival.
A peer-reviewed study in Nature, in mice. A high-fat diet during a 4-day window at the start of skin inflammation made the disease worse, to levels comparable with chronic obesity, and the inflammation returned more strongly on later recurrence even after the mice went back to a low-fat diet. Switching obese mice to a low-fat diet during that window blunted the amplification.
A peer-reviewed study in PNAS. It tests an environmental RNA method that detects Schistosoma mansoni parasites in water samples and distinguishes the stages that infect snails from the free-living cercariae that infect humans. In field tests at six endemic sites in Brazil, the authors report that it detected cercariae better than environmental DNA tests and conventional snail surveys.
A peer-reviewed study in PNAS, in mice. The bacterial protease SspA breaks down skin barrier junctions, and combined with house dust mite extract it caused atopic dermatitis-like disease driven by interleukin-22 (IL-22). Chemically removing the skin's nerve fibers reversed the disease.
A preprint on bioRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. In mouse models, the authors report that cancer cells take mitochondria from a subset of T cells, and that blocking this transfer, by knocking down CD38 and inhibiting S100a4, markedly suppressed tumor growth.
A preprint on ChemRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. It describes compound 2-1, a covalent inhibitor of Pyk2 (also known as FAK2) that engages a cysteine (Cys545) absent from the related FAK1. In a model of carotid artery thrombosis, the authors report it tripled the effect of a clot-busting drug (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator) without increasing bleeding risks.
A preprint on medRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. It describes HELIOS, an AI tool that transfers cell identities from spatial omics studies into routine haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) slides. In colorectal, breast and lung cancers, the authors report that its features were linked to outcomes even after adjustment for clinicopathological and molecular variables.
A preprint on bioRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. In long-term laboratory co-culture experiments, cancer cells grown with fibroblasts underwent the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and became more drug tolerant, while those grown with macrophages showed more stress and hypoxia responses and enhanced tumorigenicity. The authors say the changes were partly reversible and could not be explained by clonal selection.
A preprint on medRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. In an experiment, 155 physicians estimated sepsis probability in clinical vignettes before and after AI advice, under strict and lenient time limits. The authors report that time pressure increased uptake of incorrect advice and reduced selectivity, and argue that human oversight of AI, which the EU AI Act requires, should be evaluated under acute-care time constraints.
A preprint on medRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. Coach-BP is a computer vision system, trained on clinician labels, that detects technique errors in video of blood pressure measurements against five American Heart Association criteria. In 408 encounters from 225 participants at an academic cardiovascular prevention center, the authors report an average AUROC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) of 0.93 against expert clinician ratings.
A preprint on bioRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. It proposes that the CD3ε subunit of the T cell receptor (TCR) initiates activation by releasing its intracellular domain and forming condensates with the kinase Lck. The authors report engineered 'triggering molecules', lacking standard signaling parts, that activated both T cells and natural killer (NK) cells.
A preprint on bioRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, in mice. Researchers expressed a human circular RNA from the tau gene (circTau 12->7) in mouse brains and found it was translated into protein only in neurons. The protein formed aggregates resembling neurofibrillary tangles that included mouse tau, and the authors say this could contribute to tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease.
A preprint on medRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, using mouse models and human aortic cells. Mice with reduced function of the CCM2 gene (Cerebral Cavernous Malformation 2) had less atherosclerosis after 12 weeks on a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet, but more after 20 weeks on an atherogenic diet. The authors say the effect depends on disease context and stage.
A preprint on medRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. Combining 30 transcriptomic (gene activity) datasets of 2,578 samples from 18 countries, plus 927 new samples, the authors identified a CD16 monocyte-associated gene module that marks people carrying parasites without symptoms, independent of parasite density. In children, the authors report that this module was associated with protection from future malaria burden.
A preprint on bioRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. It profiles subchondral bone (the bone beneath cartilage) from human knees graded by osteoarthritis severity. The authors report that osteoprogenitor and osteocyte cells rose as a share of cells with severity, along with a rise in a TGF-β-linked SMAD2/3 signal in osteocytes.
A preprint on bioRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, in mice. In a mouse model of dengue virus serotype 2 (DV-2) infection, the researchers report that a neutrophil subset expressing FGL2 appeared as disease progressed, and that FGL2 suppressed T cell activity in spleen cell experiments. The authors also report that serum FGL2 was elevated in dengue-positive human patients.
A preprint on bioRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, based on cell studies. The authors report that cholesterol delivered by high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) through the SR-B1 pathway moves from the plasma membrane to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where it promotes assembly of mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAMs). They say these membranes coordinate ER-mitochondria communication and the handling of excess cholesterol.
A preprint on bioRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, in mouse and non-human primate models. The authors report microparticles that slowly release erythropoietin (EPO) and reduce oxidative stress, preserving neurons in both models. They say the approach works independently of intraocular pressure (IOP), which current treatments target.
A working paper from NBER, a preprint not yet reviewed by other scientists. In a large field experiment, agents were randomly assigned at the market level to several incentive contracts, and the best performer raised weekly firm profit by over 55% against the status quo, although managers ranked it lower. The authors find managers underestimate the top-performing contracts, while standard contract theory ranks them more accurately.
A preprint on arXiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. Using generative AI, the authors estimate how much 'soft' infrastructure that supports citizens' preparedness reduces flood losses in cities, compared with 'hard' infrastructure such as sewage systems and seawalls. They report that soft infrastructure can significantly reduce losses, with an impact on par with hard infrastructure.
A preprint on arXiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. It analyzes how a customer's solar panels and energy storage interact under net energy metering (NEM) and time-based tariffs, and when they complement or substitute for each other. In a Massachusetts case study, the authors find that when investment costs exceed the cost of serving the customer, no tariff lets solar or storage investment lower bills for customers who do not invest.
This is a final rule from the Homeland Security Department, effective November 30, 2026. It updates the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rules on fees for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act of 1974 requests, adding an option to pay electronically through the department's FOIA processing system, including by pay.gov.
How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.
A proposal by the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to adopt rules for snow avalanche control blasting in the General Industry Safety Orders (GISO) of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations. It would require employers to have written blasting procedures and allow only licensed or supervised, trained blasters to deploy handcharges, and it would allow remote avalanche control systems (RACS) that deploy explosive charges, subject to safety requirements.
How to weigh in: Comment by December 17, 2026.
This is UK law: a UK statutory instrument, listed as a final rule. Its title says it amends the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) (Payment of Claims) Regulations 2026, but the record has no abstract and no effective date, so this summary cannot say what changes or when it applies.
A peer-reviewed study in PNAS, and a modeling study with case studies in Ethiopia and Mali. It uses a multiplayer microeconomic model to trace how a drought, a national export restriction, solar-powered groundwater irrigation and food aid each spread through markets, infrastructure and economic actors. The authors say this can inform food security strategies in a changing climate.
A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, on ChemRxiv. The authors describe hybrids of gold nanorods and a metal-organic framework (UiO-66-NH2) that use near-infrared light to convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide (CO), reporting a CO production rate of 152.3 μmol g-1 h-1 and selectivity above 90% under 808 nm light.
A peer-reviewed study in Science. It maps 45 threats across 21,490 freshwater species of amphibians, fish, mammals, odonates and reptiles, and finds that species in highly developed and water-managed regions are strongly affected by multiple overlapping threats. The authors report that higher threat probabilities raise extinction risk and population declines, and that freshwater species face greater threat intensity than terrestrial species.
A preprint on bioRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, from laboratory work. The authors grow Trametes versicolor fungus and Sporosarcina pasteurii bacteria inside a scaffold made from lignocellulosic biomass (plant material), so calcium carbonate forms throughout it. They report that compressive Young's modulus rose 7-14-fold and ultimate strength 5-fold compared with unmineralized mycelium composites, and that the material can self-heal without adhesives.
A preprint on bioRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, from a full-factorial pot experiment growing rice under two soil arsenic levels and four climate conditions. Under combined arsenic contamination and future climate, the authors report grain cadmium was two-fold higher and grain zinc fell by 25%, while grain iron fell only slightly with arsenic.
This is a temporary rule, in effect from October 29, 2026. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announces that Rhode Island is transferring part of its 2026 commercial bluefish quota to North Carolina, to comply with the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), and sets the revised 2026 commercial bluefish quotas for both states.
How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.
The Texas Department of Public Safety proposes amendments to its breath alcohol testing rules in 37 Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 19, Subchapter A. The changes would clarify that applicants must disclose certain information, allow a technical supervisor's certification to be inactivated for cause, and require course providers to ensure student eligibility and request approval for curriculum changes.
How to weigh in: Comment by November 29, 2026.
The California Department of Cannabis Control proposes changes that would let a licensee holding one license with both medicinal (M) and adult-use (A) designations be issued separate medicinal and adult-use licenses through an expedited process. The licenses could go to a different legal entity if certain conditions are met, and those conditions would keep the resulting medical cannabis businesses compliant with existing requirements.
How to weigh in: Comment by December 14, 2026.
A preprint on bioRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. The authors trap gas inside metal-organic framework nanocrystals in water so the gas stays stable and oscillates under ultrasound. They report that the particles enabled long-term ultrasound imaging and sustained, non-invasive neuromodulation in vitro and in vivo.
A preprint on arXiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. Using birdsong, the authors show that auditory objects can be recognized from ultra-sparse spike streams, with error rates below 5% on Bengalese finch songs. They implemented the method on Intel's Loihi neuromorphic chip, where response latency stayed at about 17 ms per syllable regardless of the number of templates.
A preprint on ChemRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. It reports that the overlap between a material's photoluminescence and absorption spectra predicts how much efficiency falls at high brightness in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) using thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitters, through singlet exciton diffusion. The authors suggest materials with a larger Stokes shift could reduce the loss while keeping narrow emission.
Pew Research Center reports that gas prices have surged amid the Iran conflict, but adjusted for inflation and wages, 2008 was costlier. The item is the center's own announcement, so these are its claims.
A preprint on ChemRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. Using in-situ gas cell transmission electron microscopy at 550 °C, the authors study platinum-nickel (PtNi) nanoparticles during super-dry reforming of methane, which couples dry reforming with the reverse water gas shift reaction. They report that the ordered L10 phase resists nickel segregation and coke formation, lowering the kinetic barrier for methane activation by 27 kJ/mol compared with the disordered phase.
A preprint on ChemRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists. The authors grew ultrathin molybdenum carbide (MoCx) films by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition as a liner-free barrier for copper (Cu) interconnects. Films under 5 nm reached resistivities as low as about 230 μΩ·cm without annealing, and the authors say current tantalum/tantalum nitride (Ta/TaN) layers typically exceed 500 μΩ·cm at that thickness.
A proposed California rule concerns 1,3-Dichloropropene (1,3-D), a soil fumigant used against nematodes, insects and disease organisms, which is a restricted material and a toxic air contaminant. It covers the 'tree-hole' application method, used for spot treatments in existing orchards when dead or diseased trees are replaced. The text provided is cut off before it sets out the specific changes, so this summary does not describe them.
How to weigh in: Comment by December 14, 2026.