SMC Spain

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi for the development of molecular structures with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow. These structures, called metal-organic frameworks, can be used to extract water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases, or catalyze chemical reactions.

Tramadol is a painkiller prescribed for chronic pain and is considered safer than other opioids. A systematic review with meta-analysis that included 19 clinical trials with more than 6,500 people showed that, although it relieved pain, the effect was small and below what would be considered clinically effective. In addition, the analysis indicated that the drug is likely to increase serious adverse events, particularly cardiac events. Although an increased risk of some types of cancer was also detected, the authors question this effect due to the short follow-up period. ‘Given the limited analgesic benefits and increased risk of harm, the use of tramadol for chronic pain should be reconsidered, with preference given to safer alternatives and additional high-quality trials to clarify its risk-benefit profile,’ the researchers note in the study, published in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis, who demonstrated both the quantum tunnelling effect and quantised energy levels in a system small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. These advances have served to develop the next generation of quantum technology, including quantum cryptography, quantum computers and quantum sensors.

The temporary employment rate for teaching staff in Spain is 31%, above the OECD average of 19% and the EU average of 17%. This is one of the results of the latest edition of TALIS, the Teaching and Learning International Study, promoted by the OECD and involving more than 50 participating countries. In its previous edition, in 2018, 33% of Spanish teachers had temporary contracts. The study also shows that teacher job satisfaction is among the highest, at 95%—compared to 89% in the OECD and 90% in the EU. As a new feature, TALIS analyzes four new areas: the impact of artificial intelligence on learning and teaching, managing diversity in the classroom, socio-emotional learning, and education for sustainability.

The Karolinska Institute has awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi for describing how the immune system is regulated so as not to harm us. His groundbreaking discoveries on peripheral immune tolerance have spurred the development of new treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases.

The frequency of fire-related disasters increased significantly from 2015 onwards, according to a study analysing data from reinsurance companies between 1980 and 2023. Forty-three per cent of the 200 most damaging events, in terms of both human and economic damage, occurred in the last decade, the authors estimate in the journal Science. The risks were highest in the Mediterranean and in temperate coniferous biomes, and their frequency coincides with increasingly extreme weather conditions, they add. 

Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted protein engineering is enabling advances in the design of new molecules, but it also poses biosafety challenges related to the potential production of harmful or dangerous proteins. Some of these threats, whether deliberate or accidental, may not be detected by current control tools. An international team has analyzed the situation and developed software patches to improve their identification, although they acknowledge that it remains incomplete. The authors of the study, published in the journal Science, warn that some of the data and code should not be published in a public repository due to its potential misuse.

The very functioning of the cell itself or stresses such as those caused by sun exposure can cause breaks in our DNA, which must be repaired. A study developed by the CNIO has completed a catalog of how each of our genes affects the repair of some of these breaks and how they influence the resulting "scars." The catalog, which they have called the "human repairome," will be openly available. According to the researchers, whose work is published in Science, it will have "implications for human health, including the biology and treatment of cancer, as well as for efforts toward total control of CRISPR-Cas gene-editing technologies".

Puppies that suffer traumatic experiences are more likely to be fearful or aggressive in adulthood, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. The analysis is based on data from nearly 4,500 dogs whose owners completed a canine behaviour assessment questionnaire. The authors analysed correlations between behaviours, such as biting or retreating, and early experiences of abuse or neglect, and found that some breeds are more resilient and others more vulnerable. 

An article published in Nature Medicine outlines the new framework for pharmacologically treating obesity and its complications established by the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO). The new guidelines establish semaglutide and tirzepatide as first-line treatment for this disease and most associated conditions. The team of authors, with Spanish participation, reviewed the scientific evidence on the effects of drugs on total weight loss and its complications and designed an algorithm to help medical personnel guide treatment, taking into account each patient's medical history and the action profiles of available medications.