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A team of South Korean researchers claims to have achieved a superconductor at room temperature and pressure for the first time in history. If true, it would mean a revolution in physics with implications for the whole of society. The material, called LK-99, is based on a copper-doped lead apatite framework. The article is a preprint and can be read in the ArXiv repository, where the research community shares their work before it is reviewed for publication in a scientific journal.

The Atlantic Meridional Circulation (AMOC), a large system of ocean currents that transports warm water from the tropics to the North Atlantic, could collapse around the year 2050 with serious consequences for the climate, according to estimates by researchers at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark). The IPCC considered a complete collapse unlikely during the 21st century. The results are published in the journal Nature Communications and the authors do not rule out that this collapse may be partial.

An attribution study by World Weather Attribution (WWA) concludes that the heatwaves in Europe and North America this July would have been "almost impossible" without climate change. Over the past few weeks, southern Europe, parts of the United States, Mexico and China have experienced severe heatwaves with temperatures exceeding 45 °C. The WWA report notes that in China the heatwave was at least 50 times more likely due to the climate crisis.

A phase 1 clinical trial has tested the use of psilocybin to treat anorexia nervosa. Ten women with the disorder were given 25 milligrams of the hallucinogen along with psychological support. The results show that the treatment is safe and tolerable. Four patients showed an improvement, but the authors acknowledge that, because of the small sample size and the absence of a control group, "the results are preliminary and further research is needed". The results are published in the journal Nature Medicine.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended marketing authorisation in the European Union for Abrysvo vaccine to protect against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease in infants up to six months of age. It is the first vaccine of its kind indicated for passive immunisation of newborns through administration to the mother during pregnancy. It is also indicated for people over 60 years of age. The European Commission now has to decide on its EU-wide marketing authorisation.

A systematic review published in Nature Human Behaviour shows that there is a lack of solid scientific research supporting strategies commonly recommended by the media to increase happiness. The research identifies the five strategies most commonly cited by the press: expressing gratitude, improving sociability, exercising, practising meditation or mindfulness and increasing exposure to nature. According to the study, which analysed the published scientific literature on these practices, their effectiveness in increasing happiness is uncertain, because most of the research lacked sufficient statistical power to detect noticeable benefits or had not been previously recorded - a common practice in psychology today.

According to a statement issued Monday by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Poland has reported that "unusual" cat deaths have been found in several areas of the country. Of the 47 samples tested (46 from cats and one from a caracal, another type of feline), 29 were positive for the avian influenza A(H5N1) virus. The surveillance period for all contacts has now ended and no contacts have shown symptoms. According to WHO, "sporadic A(H5N1) infections of cats have been reported previously, but this is the first report of a large number of infected cats in a large geographical area within a country".

Capping the consumption of European households who consume most energy - those with the highest incomes and education levels - could achieve "considerable emissions reductions", according to a UK research team. This benefit could also be achieved by simultaneously increasing the consumption of the poorest and most vulnerable users. The analysis, published in Nature Energy, estimates that limiting the energy use of the top 20 % of consumers in 27 countries in Europe would reduce emissions from domestic energy consumption by 11.4 %, 16.8 % from transport, and 9.7 % from total energy consumption. The article states that the association between high income and high energy consumption is particularly strong in countries such as Spain, where income inequality is relatively high.

In a press release last May, Eli Lilly announced positive results from a phase 3 trial of donanemab antibody therapy to treat early-stage Alzheimer's disease. Now, the study, which included 1,736 people in eight countries over an 18-month period, is published in the journal JAMA and shows that, in some cases, clinical progression of the disease was slowed.