Journalists

10 % of people are left-handed, which occurs when the right cerebral hemisphere is more dominant for the control of that hand - whereas it is the left hemisphere in the case of right-handed people. To investigate the genetic basis of this laterality, scientists in the Netherlands have analysed genome data from 350,000 people in the UK biobank for rare genetic variants associated with this phenomenon. The heritability of left-handedness due to rare coding variants was low, at less than 1%. The research, published in Nature Communications, suggests that one gene - TUBB4B - is 2.7 times more likely to contain rare coding variants in left-handed people. 

Eighty-two percent of EU farm subsidies articulated through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) financed high-emission livestock production in 2013, according to a study published in Nature Food. The analysis, which is based on data from 1986 to 2013 - the latest year for which records are available - highlights that 82% went to animal products in the following proportions: 38% directly and 44% for feed production. The authors note that food of animal origin is associated with 84 % of the greenhouse gases emitted by EU food production. 

A study has analysed data on heat waves from 1979 to 2020 and concludes that their propagation speed has decreased over the last 40 years due to anthropogenic causes. In addition, their frequency, intensity and travel distance have increased. According to the authors, "longer-lasting and slower-moving heat waves will cause more devastating effects on natural and social systems in the future if [greenhouse gases] continue to increase and effective mitigation measures are not taken". The findings are published in the journal Science Advances.  

The journal Science publishes an article in which international experts demand mandatory standards to monitor three parameters within public buildings: carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and PM_2.5 (fine particles that can enter the lungs and bloodstream), as well as to ensure proper ventilation.

A French study involving more than 100,000 women has found a link between long-term use of some progesterone hormone analogues - used for contraception or hormone replacement therapy - and an increased risk of developing meningioma, a generally benign type of brain tumour. The results are published in The BMJ. 

An antibody therapy is able to restore the immune system of elderly mice to a more youthful state. The method, published in the journal Nature, rebalances blood cell production and reduces age-related immune decline. Preclinical and clinical studies are needed to determine whether this approach could be feasible in humans. 
 

Some 90 % of coastal and lowland wine-growing regions in Spain, Italy, Greece and southern California are at risk from extreme events, such as excessive droughts and heat waves, according to a review published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. The article summarises the expected changes and the adaptations that wine producers will need to make.   

In a paper published in Molecular Cell, a team of researchers led by the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) provides the first evidence that a possible cause of the hereditary type of ALS - familial ALS - is the accumulation in motor neurons of 'junk proteins', proteins with no function that accumulate unduly and prevent the cell from functioning properly. In addition, the research describes a new causal factor in the ageing process: nucleolar stress, which encompasses alterations in organelles called nucleoli. 

Work by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimates that by 2050, more than three quarters (155 out of 204) of countries will not have fertility rates high enough to maintain their population size. The percentage will rise to 97% by the year 2100. The authors warn that national governments must plan for the threats these changes will pose to the economy, food security, health, the environment and geopolitical security. The findings are published in the journal The Lancet. 

In 2022, 62 million tonnes of e-waste were generated worldwide, a figure 82% higher than the 34 million tonnes recorded in 2010, according to a United Nations report. The 2022 figure represents an average of 7.8 kilograms per capita per year worldwide, compared to 19.6 kg in Spain. Only 22.3% of this amount of global e-waste was documented as properly collected and recycled, says the Global E-waste Monitor 2024.