Cows can become pregnant even without embryonal interferon tau

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

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LMU researchers challenge a decades-old model: genetically modified embryos lacking interferon tau can establish pregnancies and develop into healthy calves.

For decades, scientists have believed that a protein called interferon tau (IFNT) is indispensable for pregnancy in cattle. Produced by the early embryo, it was thought to signal its presence to the mother and prevent the hormonal changes that would otherwise end the pregnancy.

Researchers at LMU have now challenged this established model in a study recently published in the journal Nature Communications. Cattle embryos completely lacking IFNT can establish and maintain pregnancies, even resulting in the birth of healthy calves.

Birth of genetically modified calves without interferon tau

The team, led by Dr. Asghar Ali, postdoctoral researcher at LMU’s Gene Center Munich, and Professor Eckhard Wolf, Chair of Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology and Vice Dean at LMU’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to eliminate all functional copies of the IFNT genes in bovine cells. Then they generated cloned embryos from these modified cell nuclei and transferred them into recipient animals.

The results surprised the researchers: Despite producing no IFNT, the embryos developed normally during the earliest stages and successfully established pregnancies. On 26 February 2026, two healthy female calves were born, both confirmed to lack functional IFNT genes.

“Our findings challenge a fundamental assumption in reproductive biology. We have demonstrated that cattle embryos can establish pregnancies and develop to term without producing interferon tau, a signal previously considered indispensable,” says Asghar Ali, corresponding author of the study.

How does communication between embryo and mother work?

The researchers also examined how the maternal uterus responded to embryos lacking IFNT. Although the characteristic interferon-driven response was absent, the pregnancies continued. This suggests that alternative signaling mechanisms can maintain the hormonal conditions required for pregnancy.

One potential candidate is prostaglandin E2, a signaling molecule that may help preserve the corpus luteum (or ‘yellow body’), the ovarian structure responsible for producing pregnancy-supporting progesterone. However, its precise role remains to be established.

“These results fundamentally change our understanding of how the embryo communicates with the mother. The next challenge is to identify the alternative signals that allow pregnancy to be established and maintained,” says Eckhard Wolf, corresponding author of the study.

The findings open new avenues for investigating early pregnancy loss, a major challenge in cattle breeding. Identifying the mechanisms that support pregnancy independently of IFNT could ultimately contribute to improved reproductive efficiency in livestock.

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-026-78446-4

Article Title

Pregnancy establishment in cattle without embryonic interferon tau

Article Publication Date

8-Oct-2026

 

Research: Industrial waste can be a key ingredient in low-carbon cement, new Concordia study shows

Red mud mixed with dredged sediment can reduce cement-based emissions by up to 50 per cent

Concordia University

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Researchers at Concordia have found a way to use red mud, a waste product of aluminum production, to help turn low-quality clay and dredged sediment into useful ingredients for lower-carbon cement. They estimate that the swap could reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 25 to 50 per cent, depending on the formulation.

The study examined whether these difficult-to-dispose-of materials could replace part of the conventional Portland cement used in construction. The approach could reduce the need for both virgin raw materials and clinker, a superheated mixture of clay and limestone that is a major source of cement’s carbon emissions, the researchers say.

Researchers first heated the red mud and dredged sediment at 800 degrees Celsius to make the materials more chemically reactive. One hour of heating produced the best overall results, increasing their ability to participate in the chemical reactions that give cement its strength.

The team then tested different mixtures containing the treated waste materials. The results showed that red mud could compensate for some of the limitations of the dredged sediment, helping promote the formation of compounds that strengthen cement. In several formulations, the combination produced stronger materials than mixtures made with dredged sediment alone.

The researchers also found that the amount of red mud mattered. Too much could reduce strength in some mixtures, while moderate amounts improved the material’s structure and performance.

The study was written by Faber Chaparro, MSc 2026, Mohamed Osman, PhD 2026, Ahmed Soliman, associate professor in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Mohammad Almakhadmeh, PhD 2026. It was published in the journal Construction and Building Materials.

It received funding from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Nature et Technologies and the Canadian Standards Association.

Read the paper: “Physico-chemical performance of red mud/dredged-based LC3”

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Journal

Construction and Building Materials

DOI

10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2026.147497

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Physico-chemical performance of red mud/dredged-based LC3

 

Rise of collagen-eating microbes may help explain gaps in the fossil record

University of Cambridge

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Researchers may have uncovered the reason why some of Earth’s earliest animals were commonly preserved as fossils – even though they were essentially fragile ‘bags of goo’ – while later soft-bodied creatures have largely disappeared from the fossil record.

The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, say that the reason may lie in the evolution of microscopic organisms capable of breaking down collagen, a structural protein found in animal tissue.

The fossil record of animal life on Earth is highly incomplete. Hard body parts like shells, bones and teeth are far more likely to be preserved than soft body parts like muscles, organs and skin, so the majority of the fossils we have today are mineralised skeletons.

However, fossils from the late Ediacaran Period, between 579 and 539 million years ago, are different. Fossils from this time, which include the oldest known complex forms of animal life, are frequently preserved in extraordinary detail, even though none of these earliest animals had any hard body parts. In some sites, entire Ediacaran ecosystems are preserved, providing a rich window into early animal evolution.

For decades, researchers have debated how such common preservation of soft tissues was possible. Possibilities included unusual chemical conditions in the Ediacaran oceans, different tissue compositions, or the influence of a layer of microbial slime that covered the entire seafloor. However, while these explanations work in some places, none of them works everywhere.

But now, the Cambridge-led researchers say the answer may be the evolution of microbes that produce collagen-eating enzymes known as collagenases. Their results are reported in the journal Current Biology.

Collagen provides strength and support to animal tissues throughout the body. Once an organism dies, collagenases can rapidly break these tissues down, reducing the chances that they will be preserved long enough to fossilise.

“If you think about a modern jellyfish, for example, if it washes up on a beach and is left to decay, it will decompose in a matter of days,” said lead author Philip Vixseboxse, who completed the work while a PhD candidate at Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences. “It will never become a fossil, but similarly squishy animals from half a billion years ago did commonly get preserved.”

Collagen is in all animal tissue, but without any enzymes to break it down, it will persist, like modern plastic. “You need an enzyme to break down a biopolymer, or else it will sit around for ages until something comes along that can actually eat it,” said Vixseboxse.

Vixseboxse and his co-authors traced the evolution of collagenase genes in microbial organisms through 700 bacterial genomes, and compared them to a time-dated tree of life, to understand how microbes acquired the ability to break down collagen through time.

The researchers found that collagenases are much older than animals. Initially, they existed only in anaerobic, or oxygen-intolerant, microbes. Dead organisms in the oxygenated waters of the Ediacaran would therefore have held on to their collagen until the oxygen in the sediments surrounding them was used up, giving the organisms much more time to fossilise.

Around the transition between the Ediacaran Period and the Cambrian Period, however, collagenases began to spread among a greater range of microbial groups. They transferred into aerobic, or oxygen-using, bacteria, including the groups that cause modern decay. This shift coincides with a significant fall in the number of fossils of soft-bodied animals.

“Around this critical time where these soft-bodied animals stopped fossilising, we start seeing the appearance of collagenases in aerobic bacteria, meaning the ability to break down collagen-bearing tissues could start to spread into new environments as animal diversity accelerated,” said Vixseboxse. “Now that collagen could be degraded, you needed ever-faster fossilisation processes to outpace decay, which is likely why we start to see a big drop in the abundance and quality of the fossil record, in terms of the preservation of soft tissue.”

In some exceptional circumstances, soft tissues can be preserved in younger rocks, depending on how and where the animal died, and what happened after that. A dead animal buried beneath an avalanche of sediment soon after death, for instance, could be well-preserved and avoid decay, but these instances are rare.

“These results suggest there may be an overarching biological mechanism that has shaped the fossil record of soft tissues across Earth’s history,” said co-author Professor Alex Liu, also in the Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences. “The acquisition of key enzymes by microbes to exploit a growing food resource may have decreased the preservation potential of soft tissues.”

Vixseboxse says in the far future, there may be similar echoes with modern plastic. Like ancient collagen, plastic fails to decay until there is something that can break it down. “Bacteria had no reason to efficiently degrade collagen when it didn’t exist,” said Vixseboxse. “But once collagen became more abundant, and provided a new food source for these microbes, collagenases proliferated. Perhaps someday, microbes will exploit similar enzymes to break down the increasing abundance of plastic polymers we are putting into the environment, but that will be long after we’re gone.”

The research was supported in part by the Leverhulme Trust, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

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Journal

Current Biology

DOI

10.1016/j.cub.2026.09.045

Article Title

Temporal heterogeneity in the animal fossil record driven by proliferation of microbial collagenases

Article Publication Date

8-Oct-2026

 

Feeling confident about a relationship’s future may be linked to romantic attachment

Study finds differences in perceived relationship stability, attachment anxiety, and attachment avoidance between gay and heterosexual men

Waseda University

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image: 

The study found that perceived relationship stability was associated with differences in attachment anxiety and avoidance between gay and heterosexual men, highlighting the potential importance of feeling confident about a relationship's future.

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Credit: Assistant Professor Fan Yang from Waseda University, Japan

Feeling secure in a relationship is not only about how people connect with their partners today. It may also depend on how confident they are that the relationship will continue into the future. Feelings of closeness, trust, and connection, together with a sense that the relationship is stable and has a future, can shape how people experience their romantic relationships.

For people with diverse sexual identities, these expectations may be shaped not only by their relationship but also by the wider social environment. Concerns about whether a relationship will be accepted by family and society, for example, may affect how secure people feel about maintaining their relationships over time.

Assistant Professor Fan Yang from the Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University, Japan, and Mr. Zichen Zhai from the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, Nagoya University, Japan, investigated whether gay and heterosexual men differ in how they experience romantic attachment and whether perceived relationship stability would help explain these differences. The study was published online in the journal BMC Psychology on September 16, 2026.

The researchers focused on two aspects of attachment: anxiety, which can involve worrying about being abandoned or being unsure about a partner’s feelings, and avoidance, which can involve discomfort with emotional closeness or relying on a partner.

“Our findings highlight the critical role of relationship stability in shaping adult attachment patterns, particularly within sexual minority populations,” says Yang.

The researchers collected questionnaire data from 603 men aged 20–29 years living in Shanghai, China. The participants included 303 gay men and 300 heterosexual men. They completed questionnaires measuring attachment anxiety and avoidance, perceived romantic relationship stability, and their romantic relationship history.

Among the 510 participants who had experienced at least one romantic relationship, the researchers assessed perceived relationship stability by asking how stable they considered their romantic relationships to be, with responses ranging from “very unstable” to “very stable.” Attachment anxiety and avoidance were assessed using a nine-item questionnaire designed to measure these two dimensions of romantic attachment.

The findings showed that gay men reported higher levels of both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance than heterosexual men. These differences remained after accounting for economic and occupational statuses.

The researchers found little difference between gay and heterosexual men in their relationship histories. The groups reported similar numbers of romantic relationships and similar durations for their shortest relationships. The researchers found a clearer difference when they asked participants how stable they considered their relationships to be. Gay men reported lower perceived stability than heterosexual men, and perceived relationship stability statistically accounted for the differences in attachment anxiety and avoidance between the groups.

“The feeling that ‘this relationship has a future’ may be an important part of romantic security,” explains Yang.

Overall, the study suggests that romantic security may depend not only on how people experience their relationships, but also on how confident they feel about their relationships continuing into the future.

For people with diverse sexual identities, this sense of stability may also depend on whether their relationships feel accepted and supported by their families, communities, and wider social environment.

“These findings may be relevant to relationship counseling, mental health support, and services for sexual minority individuals. Support may need to consider not only communication between partners, but also concerns about whether the relationship can be accepted, supported, and maintained over time,” says Yang.

***

Reference
Authors: Fan Yang1 and Zichen Zhai2
Title of original paper: Are gay men more insecurely attached than heterosexual men in romantic relationships? Perceived relationship stability, rather than relationship history, matters
Journal: BMC Psychology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05621-z
Affiliations:
1Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University, Japan
2Graduate School of Education and Human Development, Nagoya University, Japan

About Waseda University
Located in the heart of Tokyo, Waseda University is a leading private research university that has long been dedicated to academic excellence, innovative research, and civic engagement at both the local and global levels since 1882. The University has produced many changemakers in its history, including eight prime ministers and many leaders in business, science and technology, literature, sports, and film. Waseda has strong collaborations with overseas research institutions and is committed to advancing cutting-edge research and developing leaders who can contribute to the resolution of complex, global social issues. The University has set a target of achieving a zero-carbon campus by 2032, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015. 

To learn more about Waseda University, visit https://www.waseda.jp/top/en

About Assistant Professor Fan Yang from Waseda University, Japan
Dr. Fan Yang is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University, Japan. He leads the Kayo Psychology Seminar with international students. He is also a committee member of the Public Relations Committee of the Japanese Psychological Association and a reviewer for SSCI journals. His recent research interests include AI attachment and attachment security priming.

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Journal

BMC Psychology

DOI

10.1186/s40359-026-05621-z

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Are gay men more insecurely attached than heterosexual men in romantic relationships? Perceived relationship stability, rather than relationship history, matters

 

More than half of LQBTQ+ adults in Massachusetts faced food insecurity in 2024

New study identifies rising need and persistent barriers to food assistance

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute

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BOSTON, Mass. — More than half of LGBTQ+ adults in Massachusetts experienced food insecurity in 2024, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers also found that food insecurity increased from 2022 to 2024 and remained significantly more common among LGBTQ+ adults than among non-LGBTQ+ adults.

Food insecurity disproportionately affects LGBTQ+ adults
The study analyzed data from 9,174 adults who participated in the Massachusetts Statewide Food Access Survey between 2022 and 2024. Researchers found that 54.9% of LGBTQ+ adults experienced food insecurity in 2024, compared with 33.3% of non-LGBTQ+ adults. The disparity persisted throughout the study period, even after accounting for demographic and socioeconomic differences.

Food insecurity occurs when people do not have reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food. While previous research has shown that LGBTQ+ people face higher rates of food insecurity, less was known about how these disparities have changed over time or what barriers may limit access to food assistance programs. Researchers therefore examined trends in food insecurity, food pantry use, and participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as well as barriers to accessing these resources.

“More than half of LGBTQ+ adults in Massachusetts experienced food insecurity in 2024,” said lead author Austin R. Waters, research fellow in the LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. “Differences in income and other economic factors did not fully explain this gap, suggesting that LGBTQ+ people face additional barriers that put them at greater risk of food insecurity.”

Common barriers include privacy concerns, self-reliance, and embarrassment
Although food insecurity increased during the study period, use of food assistance programs remained relatively unchanged. Among LGBTQ+ adults who did not use food pantries, common barriers included a desire to remain self-reliant, embarrassment, concerns about others finding out, and difficulties accessing information or services. Several of these barriers increased over time.

“LGBTQ+ adults are facing growing food needs, but they also face barriers to getting help, including embarrassment and fear that others will know they use a food pantry,” said Waters. “We need solutions designed with LGBTQ+ communities that make food assistance easier to access while protecting people's dignity and avoiding further stigmatizing a population that already experiences stigma and discrimination.”

LGBTQ+ community-informed solutions could improve access and uptake

Participants suggested several ways to improve access, including grocery gift cards, home delivery, curbside pickup, online ordering, and assistance navigating SNAP enrollment.

"This study highlights a persistent public health inequity that extends beyond economic stability alone," said senior author Brittany Charlton, Harvard Medical School associate professor of population medicine at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. "Food assistance programs can play an important role in reducing food insecurity, but they must also address the stigma and logistical barriers that prevent many LGBTQ+ adults from accessing support."

Findings highlight opportunities for policy and program improvements
The researchers say future interventions should be developed in partnership with LGBTQ+ communities to make services more accessible, inclusive, and responsive to their needs. As policymakers debate changes to food assistance programs and many households continue to face high food costs, targeted efforts to improve access could help reduce longstanding disparities in food security.

The study included collaboration with the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham and used data from the Massachusetts Statewide Food Access Survey.

Waters AR, Fiechtner LG, Perkins ME, Luo M, Schuckel MF, D'Amato C, Charlton BM. Food Insecurity, Food Assistance Use, and Barriers to Food Assistance Among LGBTQ+ Adults in Massachusetts. JAMA Network Open. 2026.

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About the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute’s Department of Population Medicine
The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute's Department of Population Medicine is a unique collaboration between Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Harvard Medical School. Created in 1992, it is the first appointing medical school department in the United States based in a health plan. The Institute focuses on improving health care delivery and population health through innovative research and education, in partnership with health plans, delivery systems, and public health agencies. Follow us on Bluesky and LinkedIn.

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Journal

JAMA Network Open

Article Title

Food Insecurity, Food Assistance Use, and Barriers to Food Assistance Among LGBTQ+ Adults in Massachusetts

Article Publication Date

8-Oct-2026

 

How a new long-acting HIV drug combo tackles resistance

University of California - San Francisco

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A new long-acting HIV treatment could expand options for people who have trouble taking daily pills and whose virus is resistant to some commonly used HIV drugs, according to a new UC San Francisco study.

Unlike daily HIV pills, long-acting treatments can be given weeks or months apart, which can make it easier for people who struggle to take medication every day. The only approved long-acting combination pairs cabotegravir with rilpivirine. But HIV can develop resistance to rilpivirine and related drugs, limiting its use for some people. Moreover, rilpivirine is not available in low- and middle-income countries.

The new approach replaces rilpivirine with lenacapavir, a long-acting drug that attacks HIV in a different way. In the new study, all the participants achieved and maintained control of the virus. 

The findings, published Oct. 8 in JAMA Network Open and funded through the National Institutes of Health, could help address an important gap in long-acting HIV treatment. 

“Clinicians are already starting to use these two drugs together, and until now we’ve had very little evidence to guide us,” said Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, senior author of the paper and a UCSF professor of Medicine. “This is the largest group studied on this combination, and we think these findings could help providers have more confidence using it.”

Researchers at UCSF’s Ward 86 HIV Clinic studied 46 people who received long-acting lenacapavir and cabotegravir. Nearly three-quarters had the type of drug resistance that can limit use of the approved combination, and more than half had detectable HIV when they started treatment.

All participants who started with detectable HIV brought the virus under control within 13 weeks, while those who already had it under control stayed that way. After a median follow-up of nearly two years, all participants continued to have undetectable HIV viral loads, the goal of HIV therapy.

The combination is not yet approved as an HIV treatment, and the study did not compare it directly with other treatments. Two clinical trials are planned to study the approach more closely.

But the findings could influence care before those trials are completed. Lenacapavir and cabotegravir are becoming more widely available around the world, including through agreements that allow generic versions in many lower-income countries. 

Authors: Additional UCSF authors include Nathanael Gistand, Ishaan C. Mishra, Kyle Hunter, MD, Megan J. Heise, PhD, Chesa Cox, MPH, Janet Grochowski, PharmD, Francis Mayorga-Munoz, Jon Oskarsson, RN, Mary Shiels, RN, and Matthew A. Spinelli, MD, MAS. 

Funding: The study was funded by a grant (5R37AI098472) from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The authors reported no conflicts of interest.

About UCSF: The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is exclusively focused on the health sciences and is dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. UCSF Health, which serves as UCSF’s primary academic medical system, includes top-ranked specialty hospitals and other clinical programs, and has affiliations throughout the Bay Area. UCSF School of Medicine also has a regional campus in Fresno. Learn more at ucsf.edu.
 

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Journal

JAMA Network Open