Scientists

The DANA that devastated the province of Valencia on 29 October, leaving more than 200 people dead and many missing, has been followed by another one, still located over the peninsula. How can we adapt to these extreme phenomena? What repercussions do they have on public health? How can the public prepare for them? The Science Media Centre España organised a briefing session with two experts and an expert from the CSIC to discuss these questions. 

Adults make better decisions than adolescents, according to a study of 92 participants aged 12 to 42. So-called ‘noise’ in decision-making - making choices that are not the most efficient - decreases with age and is linked to the development of skills such as flexibility and planning, according to the study published in PLoS Biology.

If practices and public policies do not change, the mass of mismanaged plastic waste in the world will double to 121 million tonnes per year by 2050, according to a study published in Science. The article also assesses the potential impact of global measures, such as those envisaged by the forthcoming UN global treaty on plastic pollution, which begins its final negotiating session at the end of this month.

Less than four months after the European Medicines Agency recommended in July not to grant marketing authorisation for Leqembi™ (lecanemab) for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, the EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has reassessed the available evidence to conclude that the benefits outweigh the risks.

A new epidemiological forecasting model could provide a better system for early temperature-related health warnings, according to a paper published in Science Advances. The model, called Forcaster.health, could provide mortality predictions at least 10.5 days before cold episodes and 8.3 days before hot episodes. The Universitat Pompeu Fabra and ISGlobal took part in its design.

Many diseases related to bacteria, such as inflammatory bowel disease or colorectal cancer, are associated with an overgrowth of gut bacteria considered 'bad'. However, a study published in the journal Cell suggests that changes in microbial load, rather than the disease itself, could be the driving factor behind the presence of these harmful species associated with pathologies.

CAR-T cell-based treatments have been successful against some blood tumours, but are much less effective for solid tumours. A phase 1 clinical trial has tested their use in 11 children and young adults with diffuse midline glioma, a tumour of the nervous system that is considered incurable. The results, published in the journal Nature, indicate that the treatment improved functional status in nine of the 11 patients. One of the four who showed a strong response is still healthy four years later.

The largest carbon balance report shows that carbon dioxide emissions have not yet peaked and are projected to reach 37.4 billion tonnes by 2024. In a briefing organised by SMC Spain, Pep Canadell, one of the people in charge of the Global Carbon Budget 2024, analysed these data and what Donald Trump's return as US president means for climate action in the framework of COP29 in Baku.

There are still no clear signs that global fossil carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions have peaked, according to the 2024 Global Carbon Budget. The report - which is published in the journal Earth System Science Data in preprint format and will be launched at COP29 in Baku - estimates that these emissions will grow by 0.8% this year compared to 2023, to 37.4 billion tonnes of CO₂. If this rate continues, there is a 50% chance that global warming will exceed the 1.5°C limit in six years.

Men often struggle with the transition to fatherhood due to a lack of information and emotional support targeted to their needs, suggests a review of the available qualitative evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Open. The researchers say there needs to be a greater focus on clinical practice, antenatal services and research into men's unique experiences during the perinatal period, which encompasses pregnancy and the first 12 months after birth.