Scientists

Neuromuscular taping, or Kinesio taping, is widely used to relieve joint and muscle pain and improve range of motion. However, a meta-analysis published in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine concludes that it may not be as effective as previously thought. This adhesive tape may provide immediate or short-term benefits, but the current evidence is “highly uncertain”. The authors conclude that the lack of robust evidence, coupled with the potential for associated skin irritation, could limit its use in clinical practice. 

The 2025 wildfire season was the worst the European Union has seen in the last century. According to a report by the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), managed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), more than one million hectares were burned last year. Some 43% of that figure was burned in the major fires that occurred in Spain and Portugal during the summer. The report also covers the rest of the European continent, the Middle East, and North Africa, resulting in a total of more than two million hectares of burned area.

A team from Australia has conducted a review of various types of studies on e-cigarettes from 2017 to 2025. Their conclusion is that e-cigarettes containing nicotine are likely carcinogenic to humans and will cause an as-yet-undetermined number of cases of mouth and lung cancer. In a press release, the authors, who published their findings in the journal Carcinogenesis, state that “the conclusion is unequivocal, although it will take decades for human studies estimating the risk to accumulate.”

Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots that offer advice and guidance on everyday matters may be reinforcing harmful beliefs in their users through flattering responses. This is one of the conclusions of a study published in the journal Science, which analysed 11 large AI-based language models from companies such as OpenAI, Google and Anthropic. The research shows that this flattery is both frequent and harmful: it can undermine users’ ability to be self-critical and influence responsible decision-making.

A newly discovered ape fossil in northern Egypt suggests that the closest ancestors of modern apes may have originated in North Africa, outside the East African regions that have traditionally been studied. Dating back between 17 and 18 million years, the new species —Masripithecus moghraensis — represents the closest known hominid relative to the lineage that ultimately gave rise to all living apes, including humans. The study is published today in the journal Science. 

The economic costs of CO₂ emissions can be calculated in three ways: through the historical damages resulting from past emissions; through the expected future damages caused by those past emissions; and through the expected future damages from current or future emissions. A study published in Nature concludes that the future economic costs associated with past emissions could be at least ten times higher than the costs already incurred from those same emissions. The authors estimate that one tonne of CO₂ emitted in 1990 caused $180 (around €155) in global damages up to 2020, but will generate an additional $1,840 (nearly €1,590) by 2100. The analysis covers countries, high-net-worth individuals and major companies, as well as behavioural patterns, including taking an additional long-haul flight each year or choosing a non-vegetarian diet.

Individualised dosing of a synthetic inhalable formulation of mebufotenine, a psychedelic substance, led to improvements in depressive symptoms compared with placebo and was well tolerated. These are the results of a phase 2 clinical trial published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, which includes Spanish participation. According to the authors, this supports its potential as a novel, fast-acting treatment for treatment-resistant depression.

Repeated cloning cannot be sustained indefinitely in mammals, according to the findings of a twenty-year study on mice conducted in Japan. Serial cloning of mice led to an accumulation of lethal DNA mutations that affected birth rates from the 27th generation onwards, with the 58th generation being the last, according to the article published in Nature Communications, showing that sexual reproduction is necessary to prevent large-scale genetic mutations.

Worldwide, 349 species of migratory freshwater fish are at risk and meet the criteria for inclusion in the Appendices of the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), a global treaty designed to protect migratory animals. These fish are among the vertebrates most threatened by factors such as changes in river flow, habitat degradation, exploitation and pollution, the report warns. Among the priority species are 50 species from Europe, including the following freshwater fish from Spain: Alosa alosa (shad), Lampetra planeri (brook lamprey) and Salmo salar (Atlantic salmon).