Scientists

A study published in the journal Scientific Reports reveals an increase in simplicity, negativity, and stress-related words in pop song lyrics in the United States over the last few decades. The authors also conclude that this phenomenon was attenuated in times of social crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which ‘highlights the role of music in both shaping and reflecting moods.’ The data included more than 20,000 songs from the US charts between 1973 and 2023. 

A meta-analysis published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal concludes that the most effective way to discontinue antidepressant treatment in people with remitting depression is to gradually reduce the dose in combination with psychological therapy. Furthermore, this strategy proved to be just as effective in preventing relapses into depression as continuing medication. The study was based on data from more than 17,000 adults with depression and anxiety in remission, although the evidence for the latter disorder was not as robust. 

A research team led by the British Museum presents evidence in the journal Nature that humans were making fire – deliberately and not just taking advantage of natural fires – 400,000 years ago in Barnham (United Kingdom). The remains analysed, including burnt sediments, heat-damaged flint axes and pieces of pyrite, are much older than those recorded to date, which dated the deliberate use of fire to around 50,000 years ago in northern France.

A team from the Netherlands has shown in mice that intermittent periods of fasting can help in the treatment of hormone-dependent breast cancers. Furthermore, the same effects can be achieved through corticosteroid therapy. The authors, who published their findings in Nature, point out that long-term safety and efficacy in humans must be evaluated before clinical applications can be made. 

A large international study has analyzed genomic data from over one million people with 14 different psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. According to their analysis, five groups of diseases can be identified that share a significant number of genetic variants. Furthermore, common genetic markers were detected among these 14 disorders. The results are published in the journal Nature. 

The journal Nature Medicine has published the results of the phase III STEER clinical trial for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy in children aged between two and 18 years. A single dose of gene therapy administered directly into the cerebrospinal fluid showed an improvement in motor function in the children who received it in the clinical trial (75 compared to 51 with placebo). The drug in question is onasemnogene abeparvovec. On 24 November, the US Food and Drug Administration approved this treatment under the trade name Itvisma, from Novartis, based on data from this trial, making it the first treatment available for children over two years of age.

Two research teams, with some authors in common, have shown in two separate studies that interaction with chatbots using artificial intelligence (AI) can significantly change a voter's opinion about a presidential candidate or a policy proposal. One of the studies, published in Nature, was conducted in three countries (the US, Canada, and Poland), while the other, developed in the UK, is published in Science. Both studies reach the same conclusion: the persuasive power of these tools stems less from psychological manipulation than from the accumulation of fact-based claims that support their position. However, this information is not always accurate, and the greater the persuasive power, the greater the inaccuracy and fabrication.

A study published in the European Heart Journal shows that people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of sudden cardiac death than those without these diseases. In addition, their life expectancy is lower. The research analysed data from 6,862 cases of sudden cardiac death in Denmark in 2010, and concluded that the incidence of these deaths is 3.7 times higher in people with type 1 diabetes than in the general population, and 6.5 times higher in people with type 2 diabetes. Those under the age of 50 were at the highest risk.

The rapid growth of satellite constellations threatens the operation of space telescopes, according to a study published in Nature. If the planned launches are completed, the Hubble Space Telescope could see more than a third of its images affected by light pollution from these satellites, as they share the same orbital space, while other telescopes would have more than 96% of their images damaged, the authors estimate.

A study published in PLOS Biology analysed whether supplementation with zinc, serine and branched-chain amino acids —valine, isoleucine and leucine— improves autism-related symptoms in three mouse models. These nutrients are believed to regulate synaptic formation and activity. The results show that the combination of the three nutrients, at low doses for seven days, improved affected brain traits —such as hyperactivity and hyperconnectivity of the amygdala— and the social behaviour of the animals. Individual supplementation did not show such improvements.