Scientists

A team of Spanish researchers has investigated the early stages of metastatic cells taking hold in target organs and has discovered that there is a transitional stage during which these ‘metastatic seeds’ are particularly vulnerable. They have also demonstrated in mice and in human samples that these micrometastases can be eliminated using three drugs, two of which are already approved for other indications. The study is published in the journal Cancer Cell.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed that an OpenAI employee hacked into an Australian Medicare data portal in June this year. The OpenAI employee gained unauthorised access to the public-facing Medicare statistical information service portal, which is managed by Services Australia. The government only became aware of the incident three months after it occurred.
 

A team from Denmark has analysed data from thousands of women aged between 50 and 69 to investigate a possible link between taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the menopause and an increased risk of vascular disease. The results suggest that oral HRT is associated with an increased risk of blood clots in the legs or lungs, regardless of the dose or duration of treatment. A slight increase in the risk of stroke and heart attack was also observed, but only when the oral therapy was taken at high doses and over a prolonged period. In contrast, no increased risk was observed with hormone therapy when it was administered transdermally, through the skin. The study is published in The BMJ.

Semaglutide is known to reduce the risk of serious heart disease, but a study published in the European Heart Journal suggests that this effect cannot be explained by weight loss alone. The researchers analysed known risk factors for heart disease, such as body weight and waist circumference, in patients taking part in a clinical trial of semaglutide. Although the risk of serious cardiovascular disease was lower among those taking the drug, only half of this reduction could be explained by changes in these risk factors.

The prefrontal cortex is a brain region involved in some of the defining characteristics of human beings, such as planning, complex problem-solving, and impulse regulation. Researchers from the PsychAD consortium have created the most comprehensive map to date of gene expression in this region across the lifespan. According to the authors, the maturation process is complete by approximately age 24. The study—which will facilitate research into aspects of aging and cognitive decline—is published in Nature alongside seven other papers describing disease-related alterations and new genetic risk factors.

A pilot trial assessed the feasibility and acceptability of reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods in the diets of patients with major depressive disorder. The study, which involved twenty participants from the United States, has been published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry and shows that scores for depression and anxiety were lower during the period of reduced consumption of ultra-processed foods than during the period of their usual diet. According to the authors, this is an exploratory study – in the form of a Research Letter – and, “at best, it generates hypotheses”.

A team led by the Silent Spring Institute (USA) drew up in 2024 a list of 921 chemicals that could increase the risk of developing breast cancer. They have now published an analysis of the presence of these compounds in everyday products in the United States. According to their findings, 485 are present in pesticides and as many as 462 in food, amongst other sources studied. Although the study does not allow for the estimation of risk or the establishment of causality, according to the authors, “transparency regarding how and where the population is exposed to these products will help to support public health research, exposure reduction and health protection regulations”. The study is published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

A study published in Geophysical Research Letters shows that greenhouse gas emissions since the 2015 Paris Agreement are linked to the intensity of the heatwaves recorded in Europe since 2021. For the analysis, the team trained a generative artificial intelligence model and utilised climate models and meteorological observations. “We have found strong evidence that, had the heatwave that struck Europe in the summer of 2025 occurred without the emissions recorded since 2015, it would very likely have been cooler,” the authors state in a press release.

Could artificial intelligence (AI) kill us all? What evidence underpins these warnings? Is it all just a marketing campaign? Are there financial interests behind the calls to slow down development? An information session organised by SMC Spain explored these and other issues with three leading figures in the field of artificial intelligence in our country.

A study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters estimates that babies born in Spain in 2025 will experience 7.3 more years of extreme weather conditions conducive to wildfires. The exposure for their grandparents, born in 1950, will be half that figure: 3.7 additional years. According to the authors, the vast majority of this increase is due to climate change rather than rising life expectancy. Limiting global warming to 1.5 °C, in line with the Paris Agreement, would reduce Spanish young people’s lifetime exposure to these conditions by more than a year, compared with current policies.