Frontiers | Science news

Health

Published on 09 May 2025

From giving birth to staying healthy: Five articles about the ways hormones impact our lives

At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global audience. But with tens of thousands of articles published each year, it’s impossible to cover all of them. Here are just five amazing papers on the power of hormones you may have missed.

A scorpion of the species Tityus serrulatus carries its offspring on its back, where they remain until they develop greater mobility and a more rigid exoskeleton, enabling them to hunt and defend themselves. This species reproduces by parthenogenesis - a form of reproduction where embryos develop directly from an egg with no need for fertilization - and is responsible for the most severe envenomation cases in Brazil. Credit: Eliane Candiani Arantes

Health

Published on 08 May 2025

Silent scorpion-sting epidemic in Brazil driven by urbanization and climate change

Prof Eliane Candiani Arantes and Prof Manuela Berto Pucca are co-authors of a newly published Frontiers in Public Health article that focuses on the rising number of scorpion stings straining Brazil’s public health system. In this latest Frontier Scientist installment, they talk about their research and careers.

Authors from the US have now published a new in study in Frontiers in Physiology. They showed that female athletes are rapidly catching up with, and may soon overtake, their male peers in sports events under extreme physiological circumstances.

Health

Published on 29 Apr 2025

Are women more metabolically efficient under extreme physiological circumstances?

Authors from the US have now published a new in study in Frontiers in Physiology. They showed that female athletes are rapidly catching up with, and may soon overtake, their male peers in sports events under extreme physiological circumstances.

Health

Published on 24 Apr 2025

‘System rife with blame’ could threaten parents’ mental health when their kids struggle with school attendance

Research showed parents of children who struggle with attending school regularly feel the effects of school distress across all aspects of their lives, rating it as the second most threatening possible life event.

Vantage point of the Murin-an garden in Kyoto the researchers used for the experiment in summer. Credit: Ueya Kato Zoen.

Neuroscience

Published on 15 May 2025

Seeing well-designed gardens could relax us almost immediately because we look at them differently

In well-designed gardens, our gaze shifts quicker and more often. Researchers believe this could be key to understanding the relaxing effects gardens can have on viewers.

Image: Neurons, glia, and vasculature used in the researcher's simulations. Shichkova et al.

Neuroscience

Published on 25 Mar 2025

Most in-depth simulation of brain metabolism yet reveals new targets for future dementia treatments

A new model of brain metabolism – the most complex ever generated –shows how altering key chemicals could restore aged cells to their youthful activity and resilience.

An older man presses his fingers to the side of his head, next to his ear.

Neuroscience

Published on 31 Jan 2025

Ear muscle we thought humans didn’t use — except for wiggling our ears — actually activates when people listen hard

The auricular muscles, which helped our distant ancestors move their ears to improve hearing quality, activated when people were trying to listen to competing sounds.

A dominant and a subordinate male cichlid (Astatotilapia burtoni). Image courtesy of Dr Alex Jordan, Behavioural Evolution Lab, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour.

Neuroscience

Published on 26 Nov 2024

Social fish with low status are so stressed out it impacts their brains

Scientists show that low-status male cichlid fish have higher levels of oxidative stress in their brain, which is linked to poorer mental and neurological health in humans.

Mining often happens in artisanal and small-scale mining operations that burn gold-mercury amalgams to extract gold particles. Credit: Simon Topp.

Environment

Published on 08 Apr 2025

Trees could be spying on illegal gold mining operations in the Amazon rainforest

By examining mercury concentrations in tree rings, researchers showed that trees could be witnesses to illegal gold mining activities in the Amazon, highlighting their potential as biomonitors

Graffiti in Alto Hospicio that shows how the city is currently supplied with water. Credit: Dr Virginia Carter Gamberini.

Environment

Published on 20 Feb 2025

‘Fog harvesting’ could yield water for drinking and agriculture in the world’s driest regions

A field study spanning a year showed that water collected from fog could ease water scarcity affecting vulnerable populations living in Chile’s Atacama Desert

Environment

Published on 18 Feb 2025

Restoring African grassland habitats makes life more peaceful for humans and wildlife, scientists find

Conservation researchers working on grassland restoration in Kenya found that larger areas of restored habitat reduced both social conflicts and human-wildlife conflicts.

A blue ring formed in 1902 in a tree in northern Norway. Image by Pawel Matulewski and Liliana Siekacz.

Environment

Published on 22 Jan 2025

Curious blue rings in trees and shrubs reveal cold summers of the past — potentially caused by volcanic eruptions

Blue growth rings found in woody plant stems represent years when cells did not lignify properly because of summers too cold for growth.

A group of students sit together at a table.

Psychology

Published on 07 May 2025

Humans prefer to put more effort into empathizing with groups than with individuals

Study participants asked to choose whether to empathize with or describe people preferred to empathize with groups, despite finding it difficult and distressing.

Psychology

Published on 28 Mar 2025

Those constantly distracted by their phone will just find other ways to procrastinate if it isn’t nearby

A researcher put physical distance between people and their phones and found that our devices may not be the cause of our distraction – it’s what we do with them.

Three middle-aged friends play a casual game of basketball; one is in a wheelchair

Psychology

Published on 10 Feb 2025

Scientists find that a playful approach to life activates ‘lemonading’, which helps people cope with adversity

Highly playful people are realistic about their circumstances, scientists say, but they are more resilient in the present and more optimistic about the future.

Psychology

Published on 11 Oct 2024

Different types of teenage friendships critical to wellbeing as we age, scientists find

Scientists find that peer acceptance in young teenagers, and close friendships in older teenagers, predict low social anxiety and high life satisfaction in young adults.

Space sciences and astronomy

Published on 25 Feb 2025

Laser-powered device tested on Earth could help us detect microbial fossils on Mars

Scientists successfully identify microbe fossils in terrestrial rocks like those found on Mars, opening up the possibility of searching for fossils on the Red Planet.

Space sciences and astronomy

Published on 06 Feb 2025

Efforts to find alien life could be boosted by simple test that gets microbes moving

Scientists explored microbial movement as a possible biosignature to detect life on Mars and beyond, cheaper and faster than ever before.

Space sciences and astronomy

Published on 03 Feb 2025

Can ocean-floor mining oversights help us regulate space debris and mining on the Moon?

Space belongs to no-one, yet many nations and private entities now plan to lay their claim on its resources. In a recent Frontiers in Space Technologies article, Nishith Mishra, Martina Elia Vitoloni and Dr Joseph Pelton shared their thoughts about how plans to exploit the ocean floors could impact the way resources from space are used and managed.

Image: flickr/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, licensed under CC BY 2.0

Space sciences and astronomy

Published on 20 Nov 2024

Astronauts found to process some tasks slower in space, but no signs of permanent cognitive decline

Researchers found that astronauts’ processing speed, working memory, and attention slowed down, but a few months in space did not result in lasting cognitive impairment

Frontiers | Science News

Science news

Chimpanzees use medicinal leaves to perform first aid

Silent scorpion-sting epidemic in Brazil driven by urbanization and climate change

Centuries-old Austrian mummy found to be exceptionally well preserved thanks to unusual embalming method

Deepfakes now come with a realistic heartbeat, making them harder to unmask

Latest posts

Anthonia Andoh-Odoom - The science of safety and the future of food

Seeing well-designed gardens could relax us almost immediately because we look at them differently

Chimpanzees use medicinal leaves to perform first aid

Frontiers supports LIBER 2025 in Lausanne - welcoming library leaders to publisher’s home city

From giving birth to staying healthy: Five articles about the ways hormones impact our lives

Silent scorpion-sting epidemic in Brazil driven by urbanization and climate change

Categories

Health

From giving birth to staying healthy: Five articles about the ways hormones impact our lives

Silent scorpion-sting epidemic in Brazil driven by urbanization and climate change

Are women more metabolically efficient under extreme physiological circumstances?

‘System rife with blame’ could threaten parents’ mental health when their kids struggle with school attendance

Neuroscience

Seeing well-designed gardens could relax us almost immediately because we look at them differently

Most in-depth simulation of brain metabolism yet reveals new targets for future dementia treatments

Ear muscle we thought humans didn’t use — except for wiggling our ears — actually activates when people listen hard

Social fish with low status are so stressed out it impacts their brains

Environment

Trees could be spying on illegal gold mining operations in the Amazon rainforest

‘Fog harvesting’ could yield water for drinking and agriculture in the world’s driest regions

Restoring African grassland habitats makes life more peaceful for humans and wildlife, scientists find

Curious blue rings in trees and shrubs reveal cold summers of the past — potentially caused by volcanic eruptions

Psychology

Humans prefer to put more effort into empathizing with groups than with individuals

Those constantly distracted by their phone will just find other ways to procrastinate if it isn’t nearby

Scientists find that a playful approach to life activates ‘lemonading’, which helps people cope with adversity

Different types of teenage friendships critical to wellbeing as we age, scientists find

Space sciences and astronomy

Laser-powered device tested on Earth could help us detect microbial fossils on Mars

Efforts to find alien life could be boosted by simple test that gets microbes moving

Can ocean-floor mining oversights help us regulate space debris and mining on the Moon?

Astronauts found to process some tasks slower in space, but no signs of permanent cognitive decline

Frontiers | Science News

Chimpanzees use medicinal leaves to perform first aid

Silent scorpion-sting epidemic in Brazil driven by urbanization and climate change

Centuries-old Austrian mummy found to be exceptionally well preserved thanks to unusual embalming method

Deepfakes now come with a realistic heartbeat, making them harder to unmask

Latest posts

Anthonia Andoh-Odoom - The science of safety and the future of food

Seeing well-designed gardens could relax us almost immediately because we look at them differently

Chimpanzees use medicinal leaves to perform first aid

Frontiers supports LIBER 2025 in Lausanne - welcoming library leaders to publisher’s home city

From giving birth to staying healthy: Five articles about the ways hormones impact our lives

Silent scorpion-sting epidemic in Brazil driven by urbanization and climate change

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Health

From giving birth to staying healthy: Five articles about the ways hormones impact our lives

Silent scorpion-sting epidemic in Brazil driven by urbanization and climate change

Are women more metabolically efficient under extreme physiological circumstances?

‘System rife with blame’ could threaten parents’ mental health when their kids struggle with school attendance

Neuroscience

Seeing well-designed gardens could relax us almost immediately because we look at them differently

Most in-depth simulation of brain metabolism yet reveals new targets for future dementia treatments

Ear muscle we thought humans didn’t use — except for wiggling our ears — actually activates when people listen hard

Social fish with low status are so stressed out it impacts their brains

Environment

Trees could be spying on illegal gold mining operations in the Amazon rainforest

‘Fog harvesting’ could yield water for drinking and agriculture in the world’s driest regions

Restoring African grassland habitats makes life more peaceful for humans and wildlife, scientists find

Curious blue rings in trees and shrubs reveal cold summers of the past — potentially caused by volcanic eruptions

Psychology

Humans prefer to put more effort into empathizing with groups than with individuals

Those constantly distracted by their phone will just find other ways to procrastinate if it isn’t nearby

Scientists find that a playful approach to life activates ‘lemonading’, which helps people cope with adversity

Different types of teenage friendships critical to wellbeing as we age, scientists find

Space sciences and astronomy

Laser-powered device tested on Earth could help us detect microbial fossils on Mars

Efforts to find alien life could be boosted by simple test that gets microbes moving

Can ocean-floor mining oversights help us regulate space debris and mining on the Moon?

Astronauts found to process some tasks slower in space, but no signs of permanent cognitive decline