Scientists from Kyushu University have identified the long-sought “orange gene” behind ginger fur in domestic cats—a deletion mutation in a gene on the X chromosome. This discovery explains why most orange cats are male while tortoiseshell and calico cats are female, and reveals a new genetic mechanism for orange coloring. The study solves a decades-old mystery in feline genetics, with their findings published in Current Biology on May 15, 2025.

Among older people in Sweden, vaccination against COVID-19 has shifted from a high and uniform level when the first vaccinations were provided to more uneven levels today. A national study shows both regional and socioeconomic differences.

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) Annual Meeting returns May 28–31, 2025, in Phoenix, AZ, uniting leading MS professionals under the theme “MS Heroes Unite.” The conference features keynote lectures from prominent experts, including Marie Namey, Anthony Feinstein, Riley Bove, and Robert Fox, addressing key topics like holistic MS care, depression, reproductive health, and treatment breakthroughs.

Additional sessions highlight advances in neuroanatomy, fluid biomarkers, fatigue management, genetic predictors, and more. With accredited education, networking, and interdisciplinary dialogue, CMSC Annual Meeting 2025 offers unparalleled insights for the MS care community.

New polymer microparticles can be used to deliver vaccines at different times. The work, by MIT researchers, could lead to childhood vaccines given just once, eliminating the need for booster doses.

The skeleton of a man with a severe dislocated fracture of the knee, found in a cemetery in Lund, southern Sweden, is helping to unravel the complexities of social attitudes towards individuals with disabilities in the late medieval period. The research combines traditional osteological methods and 3D modelling - a cutting-edge technique for viewing and studying traumatic injury and related skeletal changes - with contextual information from historical texts and digitized excavation records to build a more nuanced understanding of disability and care in the past.