Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)

US President Donald Trump has announced that all goods imported into the United States will be subject to a 10 % tariff. In the case of goods from the European Union, this will increase to 20 %, according to the executive order signed by Trump, which will affect the EU's science and health industry. This tariff will be even higher with other trading partners. The measure will not affect pharmaceuticals for the time being.

The budget cuts affecting scientific activity in countries such as the United States and the fragility of centralised systems make decentralised and collaborative models a necessity. Science, intrinsically global, requires structures that can withstand local pressures. In this situation, Europe has the opportunity - and the duty - to lead a new paradigm where data is free, secure and accessible.

A study led by ISGlobal researchers has analysed how the loss of Arctic sea ice influences climate in isolation from other factors related to climate change. Their results, published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, show that, on a time scale of decades, the loss of Arctic sea ice favours a drier climate in the southwestern United States -in particular in California-, especially in winter. This phenomenon would also affect the climate of Spain and Portugal, leading to wetter conditions in winter, although the effect is weaker.

A team from the University of Iowa (USA) has found a relationship between specific species of microbiota bacteria and the severity of multiple sclerosis. Specifically, a lower ratio between the quantities of Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia was related to the disease and to a worse course of the disease, both in mice and in two cohorts of patients and people without the disease. According to the authors, who publish the results in the journal PNAS, the finding could be used to improve the diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis.

A synthetic microbiome therapy, tested on mice, protects against the severe symptoms of a difficult-to-treat and potentially fatal intestinal infection in humans: Clostridioides difficile. Although inspired by the idea of human faecal transplants, the new approach does not require faecal matter. Instead, it uses fewer, but more precise, bacterial strains. The study is published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

‘Bacterial signatures’ from genital areas could serve as a forensic tool to identify perpetrators of sexual assault, even if there is no trace of sperm, according to a study published in the journal iScience, by the Cell group. After sequencing the DNA of bacteria from genital samples from 12 stable couples, the authors show that a transfer of bacterial species occurs during intercourse, allowing the identification of each person’s own genital microbiome or ‘sexome’.

An artificial intelligence (AI) model led by the company Meta is capable of translating speech and text, including direct speech-to-speech translations, from up to 101 languages in some cases. According to the research team, this model - called SEAMLESSM4T - can pave the way for fast universal translations ‘with resources to be made publicly available for non-commercial use’. The work is published in the journal Nature.

The year 2024 was the warmest year on record globally and the first calendar year in which the global average temperature exceeded its pre-industrial level by 1.5 °C, the Copernicus Climate Change Service has confirmed.  

Thirty eight scientists from different specialties, including Craig Venter, a pioneer in the creation of artificial synthetic life, have written an article in the journal Science in which they assess the possibilities of synthesizing mirror organisms, but also warn of the risks they pose. This type of microorganisms, which would present a mirror structure to that currently found in nature, would have potential applications due to their resistance to biological degradation. However, they would also pose a danger because they would not be recognized by our defenses and could spread in ecosystems. Scientists call for more research and a broad debate, and warn that until more is known, this type of organism should not be created. 

In the early hours of the morning, after more than two weeks of negotiations and on the verge of collapse, participants at COP29 in Baku (Azerbaijan) reached an agreement to set the new climate finance target. In the end, at least 300 billion dollars a year will be contributed by rich countries to the least developed countries until 2035, within a broader global commitment of up to 1.3 trillion dollars directed at these same countries. The renewal of this target was part of the Paris Agreement and will enable governments to support developing countries in their climate action on adaptation, mitigation and damage from the climate crisis. The previous target - set at the Copenhagen Summit in 2009 - was $100 billion per year.