Scientists

The RH5.1/Matrix-M vaccine is effective and safe against malaria, according to a phase 2b clinical trial in infants in Burkina Faso published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Two other vaccines are already approved against malaria, a disease caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, but this one acts at a different stage of the disease: when the malaria parasite is present in the blood. The other two vaccines attack the parasite when reaches the liver.

Researchers in China have analysed data from more than 4,500 people and identified 13 proteins linked to brain ageing. In addition, changes in protein concentrations in the blood tend to peak at ages 57, 70 and 78. According to the authors, who publish the results in the journal Nature Aging, these ages may reflect transitions in human brain health at specific ages, and could therefore be important for designing possible interventions in the brain ageing process.

More than three-quarters of the earth's land surface experienced drier climates between 1990 and 2020 compared to the previous three decades, according to a new report by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Over the past 30 years, 40.6 percent of the global landmass, excluding Antarctica, is classified as drylands, three percentage points more than the previous three decades. The report, which is being presented at the COP16 on desertification being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, also shows that 2.3 billion people were living in drylands in 2020, a population that could rise to 5 billion by 2100 under a worst-case climate change scenario.

Eating five servings of dark chocolate a week is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a long-term US study published today in The BMJ. The research did not find this association with milk chocolate.

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) sequencing analysis for fetal aneuploidies - chromosomal abnormalities - can incidentally detect maternal cancer, according to a study published in NEJM. Researchers screened 107 pregnant and postpartum mothers with no symptoms of cancer, but who had received unusual clinical cfDNA sequencing results, for cancer. In this sample, cancer was present in 48% of the women.

Most cases of autism have no known cause. Now, a study led at IRB Barcelona has discovered a mechanism that could explain a good part of these situations. The loss of a few amino acids in a crucial protein would affect the activity of hundreds of genes and the development of neurons. To explain the study, which is published in the journal Nature and which could open the door to future treatments, the Science Media Centre Spain organized an informative session with Raúl Méndez and Xavier Salvatella, the two scientists who have led the research. 

A paper published in Nature presents a machine learning model capable of producing reliable probabilistic weather forecasts. The model, called GenCast, outperforms the most efficient traditional medium-range weather forecasting and is also able to better predict extreme weather, tropical cyclone tracks and wind energy production. 

In three to six years, the first ice-free day in the Arctic could occur if a series of extreme weather events - such as an unusually warm autumn, winter and spring in the region - occur, according to a study comparing various models and scenarios in Nature Communications. An ice-free day refers to a day with Arctic Ocean ice coverage of less than 1 million square kilometres; the average coverage was 6.85 million square kilometres between 1979 and 1992.

According to a study published in Nature Medicine, deep brain stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus improves walking and promotes recovery in humans and rodents with spinal cord injuries. In humans, the authors tested this technique on two patients who relied on assistive devices and had difficulty walking; both showed improved performance in the ten-meter and six-minute walking tests. Combined with rehabilitation, the patients experienced recovery that persisted even after the deep brain stimulation was turned off.

The seventh Annual Report of the COSCE Transparency Agreement, prepared by the European Animal Research Association, which analyses transparency in the use of animals for scientific experimentation in Spain in 2023, was presented today. According to the document, transparency is consolidated among the signatory institutions -168 in 2024- and all of them publish a statement on their websites on the use of animals. Public mention of the number and species used stands at 47%, compared to 38% the previous year.