In the field of health, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) may mean major breakthroughs in personalizing diagnoses and treatments, but there is a need to promote bias-free AI with a more diverse and inclusive vision so that everyone can benefit from it. With this study, Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), the Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) and Rovira i Virgili University (URV) have moved towards the development of medical AI applications that overcome binary logics and include the needs of trans people. The study was carried out in collaboration with the PRISMA association, which protects the rights of LGBTQIA+ people in the field of science and innovation.

Social media use has long been part of the everyday lives of most children and adolescents. Many of them exhibit risky, and in some cases even addictive, behaviour. While social media use can certainly have positive effects for young people, intensive use can negatively impact mental, emotional, and social well-being, leading to symptoms such as depression and anxiety, impaired attention, and sleep problems. In a discussion paper published by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the researchers involved therefore recommend applying the precautionary principle. In the paper “Social Media and the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents”, they give policy recommendations to protect children and adolescents from the negative effects of social media, for example by setting a minimum age for access or by restricting certain functions. The paper was published on 13 August 2025 and an English translation is now available.

VIB researchers and colleagues have discovered a mechanism through which melanoma cells adapt and switch between two major proliferative and invasive states, revealing promising new targets for cancer therapy. The study, published in Nature Metabolism, reveals that alterations in iron metabolism and organelle crosstalk are central to melanoma cell plasticity—a key factor in tumor progression and resistance to treatment.

Patients in specialised psychiatric care face a variety of social risks that are intertwined, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. Social risks tend to accumulate among the most vulnerable segments of the population. They include for example financial difficulties, housing challenges and violence.