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An analysis carried out in the United States has shown that, through intensive breeding and artificial selection, humans have pushed breeds such as pugs and Persian cats to evolve with very similar skulls and flattened faces. These two species, which have a common ancestor but have been evolutionarily separated for 50 million years, have converged to the point where they resemble each other more than they do members of their own species or their ancestors. According to the study, published in PNAS, ‘this phenomenon has not been observed before in domesticated species.’ The authors lament that humans ‘have bred brachycephalic breeds to such an extreme that they are prone to respiratory, feeding and birthing problems and would not survive in the wild.’

An Australian team has conducted a study involving mice and humans that suggests that vaccine boosters would be more effective if administered in the same arm as the previous dose, at least in the short term. However, other recent research has pointed in the opposite direction. The results are published in the journal Cell.

A research team has managed to ‘rejuvenate’ embryonic stem cells from mice to give them greater differentiation potential, according to an article published in the EMBO Journal. Changing the type of sugar these cells use to grow modifies their metabolism and, according to the researchers, could improve their therapeutic potential or their use in in vitro fertilisation treatments.  

If immunisation rates continue to decline over an extended period, measles and even other eradicated diseases—such as rubella and polio—could re-emerge in the United States at endemic levels, according to a new study published today in the journal JAMA.

The frequency of aggressive coalitions among female bonobos is associated with greater power over males, according to a study published in Communications Biology. The analysis is based on observations of six wild bonobo communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1993 and 2021.

An international team has successfully sent quantum messages 254 kilometres away using an existing telecommunications network in Germany. A quantum Internet would theoretically be faster and more secure, and this demonstration suggests that this type of communication can be achieved in real-world conditions. The results are published in the journal Nature.

A study published today in Nature with the participation of the CNIO points to the bacterial toxin colibactin, produced by some strains of Escherichia coli, as a possible culprit in the increase in early-onset colorectal cancer. The study shows that exposure to the toxin during early childhood leaves a genetic signature in colon cells and demonstrates a substantial increase in these mutations in cases of colorectal cancer in people under 50.

An international team has analyzed the sudden changes in temperature that occurred in the world between 1961 and 2023. Their conclusions are that more than 60% of the regions included in the analysis - including Western Europe - have experienced an increase in the frequency and intensity of these sudden changes, which can endanger health, agriculture or infrastructures. Moreover, the trend will continue to rise as a result of climate change. The results are published in the journal Nature Communications.

A phase III clinical trial involving nearly 34,000 people shows that lowering high blood pressure reduces the risk of dementia and cognitive decline. Participants were aged 40 or older, lived in rural areas of China, and had untreated hypertension. The study results are published in Nature Medicine.

Up to 1.4 billion people may be living in areas with soil contaminated by heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel and lead, according to research published in Science. The paper, which used data from more than 1,000 studies, estimates that 14-17% of farmland worldwide could be contaminated by at least one toxic metal. Cadmium is the most widespread, especially in South and East Asia, parts of the Middle East and Africa.