The warming climate is reshaping populations of the snail that transmits schistosomiasis in China. Now, researchers show that 92% of studied snail populations had positive temperature sensitivity, while body size and land use shaped survival and density. Projections suggest that more than 20% of populations could increase under future warming, highlighting regions and habitats where climate-adaptive surveillance and targeted snail control should be strengthened to sustain progress toward schistosomiasis elimination and protect communities nationwide.

Delivering drugs directly to oral tumor sites remains challenging. A recent review involving researchers from Hasanuddin University examines barriers to local drug delivery and analyses strategies for targeting oral cancer lesions. Saliva, chewing, tongue movement, and individual tumor characteristics can affect how long a medicine remains at the treatment site and how consistently it is released. Researchers emphasize tailoring delivery systems to the tumor, drug, and patient alongside realistic testing under clinical conditions.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition and a leading cause of inpatients mortality. Dietary l-tryptophan (Trp) supplementation alleviated septic organ injury by modulating gut microbiota and increasing the microbial metabolite IPyA, which activated GPR37 in macrophages. This interaction stimulated RAC1/CDC42 and Arp2/3 signaling, enhancing bacterial phagocytosis. IPyA also promoted bacterial phagocytosis in macrophages derived from patients, highlighting its therapeutic potential for preventing and treating sepsis.

A study published online in Science Bulletin introduces structural connectome embeddedness, a state-level dimension describing how deeply each momentary whole-brain activity pattern is embedded in the topology of anatomical connections. Evidence from whole-brain biophysical modeling, macroscale functional organization patterns, and multimodal imaging in 713 Human Connectome Project participants supports the concept's biophysical grounding and prevalence. High-CoDE moments help anchor stable functional connectivity, individual variability relates to a behavioral dimension associated with mental health and clinical vulnerability, and task-evoked embeddedness increases with cognitive demand. The framework helps explain how a stable connectome organizes flexible brain activity.

The next time you freshen up the paint on your house or apply cosmetic glitter, you might give a quick nod to the butterflies flapping in a nearby garden. Taking inspiration from structures on butterfly wings responsible for their vibrant colors, researchers are now devising more durable and adjustable colors that are also safer for human health and the environment. The researchers will present their results at ACS Fall 2026.