EurekAlert! Staff Picks
Each week, our team members share their favorite recent news releases, stories that caught their eye, sparked their curiosity, or made them think. We hope you’ll find them just as interesting!
Tamara Alfson
Administrative Coordinator
Microplastics are showing up everywhere, from the air we breathe to the food we eat, and increasingly, inside our bodies. While the health impacts are still being studied, researchers are now working on a way to actually measure that exposure in real time.
This release highlights a wearable, smartwatch-like device that uses spectrometry to detect plastic particles beneath the skin. By analyzing how light interacts with materials in the body, it offers a non-invasive alternative to current methods like blood sampling.
What struck me is how little control we really have over exposure. Even with careful choices like reading labels or buying organic, microplastics aren’t something you can see or easily avoid.
That’s what makes this research feel important. A tool like this could help us better understand what’s accumulating in our bodies and move us closer to reducing that burden.
Having spent much of my life managing multiple chronic illnesses linked to the persistent and often invisible viral foe known as Epstein-Barr virus, this report headline immediately caught my attention. The fact that it was released on my birthday felt like an unexpected gift!
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects the vast majority of adults worldwide and has been associated with certain cancers and a range of autoimmune diseases. Yet, despite how common it is, just how the immune system controls this viral infection has remained largely unknown.
Researchers at the University of Bonn and University Hospital Bonn have taken an important step forward. Using a new technique, researchers were able to evaluate genome sequencing data – originally intended for human genome characterizing – in order to measure EBV viral loads in patients and find correlations in large health data sets.
This innovative method allowed the team to identify genetic and non-genetic factors that influence how the body responds to and fights EBV and is a huge step toward understanding and eventually reducing the virus’ long-term impact.
While much work remains before we can fully eliminate EBV or reverse the damage it can cause, this study represents a hopeful and significant advance. And for those who have lived with the long shadow of EBV, this progress is both scientifically meaningful and personally encouraging.
As an amateur photographer, I’m drawn to releases with visually striking images and this one immediately caught my eye. The featured image, Lacrymaria, stood out not just for its vivid contrast of black and neon green, but also for the name itself. I recognized Lacrymaria from my limited knowledge of species classification, where it’s used in reference to certain mushrooms, and was intrigued to learn more about its connection to plankton.
The striking image (seen here) highlights tubulin, the major protein of microtubules, within a ciliated eukaryotic microorganism called Lacrymaria. It’s both scientifically fascinating and visually mesmerizing.
The release describes how researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) adapted a technique called expansion microscopy to reveal unprecedented details of over 200 plankton species. This method physically expands biological samples, making cell walls permeable so that inner structures can be clearly visualized, allowing scientists to explore the intricate subcellular architecture of these tiny essential organisms.
Plankton play a vital role in sustaining life on Earth, producing much of our oxygen and forming the foundation of marine ecosystems. Thanks to this innovative imaging method, researchers are now building what could become a planetary atlas of plankton, shedding new light on the microscopic engines that power our planet.
And along the way, they’ve created some truly stunning images.
With my background in music and having chromesthesia, I was immediately drawn to this study exploring the multisensory experience of music, which closely mirrors how I naturally perceive sound as color and movement.
The release highlights research showing that by using a device that converts sound into tactile vibrations on the hands and body, listeners can experience music in a deeply immersive way that blends hearing and touch. Participants who both heard and felt the music, much like at a live concert, reported greater enjoyment, stronger emotional responses, and lower anxiety levels.
Researchers see exciting potential for this approach, from enhancing virtual and entertainment experiences to supporting emotional well-being and mental health. It opens the door to new forms of therapy that harness the full sensory power of music.
With so much of the news cycle focused on the negative, I’ve been making a point of seeking out stories that highlight positive progress. One inspiring example comes from the University of Sharjah, where researchers are using technology to combat climate change through creative, eco-friendly solutions that reduce environmental impact.
By combining potassium hydroxide with everyday waste like used coffee grounds and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from plastic bottles, the team developed a high-performance activated carbon that captures large amounts of CO₂ before it reaches the atmosphere. This process not only cuts industrial emissions but also diverts millions of tons of waste from landfills, addressing two environmental challenges at once.
This breakthrough is a great example of circular economy at work, turning everyday waste into a powerful sustainability tool. The activated carbon could help clean emissions and purify water and air. As lead inventor Dr. Haif Aljomard points out, even a coffee cup or water bottle can play a role in fighting climate change, an encouraging reminder of how science can inspire real-world solutions. And my good news for today!
Have you ever wondered what sound a puffer fish makes? Thanks to a new tool developed by researches from FishEye Collaborative, Cornell University, and Aalto University, scientists are beginning to find out. By pairing underwater microphones with 360° video, researchers in Curaçao identified sounds from 46 reef fish species (many never before known to vocalize) creating the most extensive library of natural fish sounds ever published.
Why does this matter? Coral reefs are biodiversity hotspots, but they’re under severe threat. By decoding fish sounds, scientists can now monitor reef health with greater precision, giving conservationists a powerful way to track changes and guide restoration. Even better—you can see and hear many of the fish featured in the study yourself freely available at FishEye Collaborative. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the hidden voices of the ocean.
As someone who has worn glasses since the 5th grade, I was immediately intrigued by a study showing promise in improving presbyopia—age-related struggle with near vision—with something as simple as eye drops.
While my decades-long hunt for the “perfect new frames” was to manage myopia, presbyopia is a challenge most of us are likely to face eventually. The encouraging study finds eye drops developed by the late Dr Jorge Benozzi could reduce the need for reading glasses. Containing a combination of pilocarpine and diclofenac, the drops were administered two to three times a day in various concentrations and showed rapid, sustained improvements in near vision across all groups. Encouraging news for readers everywhere.
This article reports promising results from water treatment systems designed to remove toxic “forever chemicals” (PFAS). The EWG’s peer-reviewed study found that technologies such as granular activated carbon, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis significantly reduced harmful contaminants, including carcinogenic disinfection byproducts (DBPs), nitrates, and heavy metals like arsenic and uranium.
Although access to advanced treatment remains uneven—especially in smaller and rural water systems—the research demonstrates that PFAS treatment is a breakthrough for public health, offering wide-ranging benefits by removing multiple contaminants at once. Hopefully we’ll see greater investment in these technologies in the near future, ensuring all communities enjoy cleaner water, stronger protections, and healthier futures.
I’ve long been fascinated by ethnobotany and the lessons we can learn by listening to nature, making this University of Regina release of particular interest to me. Researchers from the University of Regina and First Nations University of Canada, working in collaboration with Indigenous Elders from Saskatchewan, discovered that traditional Prairie plants such as bergamot, dock, gaillardia, and dandelion show promise against MRSA, one of the world’s most dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. What makes this project stand out is not just the science, but the approach. It highlights how Indigenous knowledge and Western science can work together to address urgent health challenges, while also modeling respectful, reciprocal partnerships that honor Indigenous leadership, cultural protocols, and long-term trust—offering fresh hope in the fight against superbugs.
Having lost someone close to me, someone young and vibrant one minute and gravely ill the next day, to the sudden and devastating effects of sepsis, I read this news with particular interest. Scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the University of Michigan have developed a monoclonal antibody that, in early studies, shows promise in stopping the dangerous immune response that makes sepsis so deadly. Their research, published in Nature Communications and reported in EurekAlert!, also points to potential applications in other inflammatory conditions, including acute respiratory distress syndrome and autoimmune disorders. For the millions of people worldwide affected by sepsis each year, and for families who know the pain of losing a loved one to it, this development offers hope that others may one day be spared the grief and devastation caused by this relentless condition.
As someone who has studied anthropology and has a deep interest in ancient Egypt and its hieroglyphic writing system, I was fascinated by this groundbreaking article. Sequencing the first complete genome from an individual who lived during the rise of the Old Kingdom offers an unprecedented biological perspective to complement the cultural and linguistic records of the time. It’s an exciting step forward in understanding how people moved, lived, and shaped early Egyptian civilization.