Microbes unlock a hidden natural source of mercury emissions from “stable” minerals

Nanomineral-driven microbial metabolism could release hundreds of tons of elemental mercury each year

Science China Press

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Elemental mercury (Hg0) is a toxic air pollutant that can travel long distances and circulate globally. Scientists have long suspected that today’s emission inventories do not fully explain measured mercury levels in the atmosphere, pointing to missing sources.

Now, a study published in National Science Review reports a previously overlooked natural mechanism that could contribute substantially to global mercury emissions. The researchers show that chemolithoautotrophic microbes can use mercury sulfide nanominerals as an energy source and, in the process, release volatile Hg0 into the air.

“Mercury sulfide is often considered chemically stable in the environment,” the authors note, “but when it exists as nanoparticle, it becomes much more accessible to microbes.” In laboratory experiments, the team found that representative sulfur-oxidizing and iron-oxidizing microbes could grow with mercury sulfide nanoparticles as their sole energy source while producing substantial Hg0.

Particle size plays a key role. The study suggests that nanoscale mercury sulfide particles can enter microbial cells more readily than dissolved mercury species, which typically require tightly controlled uptake. Once inside the cell, microbial metabolism breaks down the mineral, releasing mercury that is ultimately converted into Hg0 and emitted into the atmosphere.

To assess how important this pathway could be at the global scale, the researchers combined experimental results with global information on soils, nanomineral occurrence, and microbial activity. Their estimate suggests that this nanomineral-driven microbial process could release approximately 272 ± 135 tonnes of Hg0 per year, comparable to mercury emissions from cement production, which is currently ranked as the world’s fourth-largest anthropogenic mercury source.

The authors say the findings highlight a missing but potentially significant component of the mercury cycle, and that future mercury budgets and atmospheric models should consider nanomineral–microbe interactions, especially in environments where chemolithoautotrophic microbes thrive.

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Journal

National Science Review

DOI

10.1093/nsr/nwaf581 

Method of Research

Experimental study

 

Psychology: Habit-like repetition influences decisions more than previously thought

Technische Universität Dresden

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A new study by TUD Dresden University of Technology shows that past actions have a greater impact on current decisions than previously assumed, providing new insights into human decision-making. This finding could enhance our understanding of everyday decisions and habits. The results were published in the renowned journal “Communications Psychology”. 

Why do people often make decisions in the same pattern and choose the tried and tested, even when there are apparently better alternatives? A research team led by Stefan Kiebel, Professor of Cognitive Computational Neuroscience at TUD, investigated this question in a large-scale study. To this end, the team examined nine newly collected decision-making tasks and six previously published data sets with a total of over 700 participants to determine how people initially learn values in clearly defined decision-making contexts and which of these learned options they subsequently prefer in newly combined contexts. 

"Our study shows that many ‘irrational’ preferences do not necessarily arise primarily from people storing values relative to other values, but rather from the fact that people tend to repeat actions they once preferred in a particular context. This pure repetition can later lead to a particular option still being preferred in new contexts or environments, even if there are equivalent or even better alternatives," explains lead author Dr Ben Wagner. 

The researchers were thus able to prove that people tend to repeat decisions they have already made, regardless of whether these still make sense in the new moment. The decisive factor here is not weighing up the pros and cons, but remembering previous actions. This acts as a mental shortcut and influences the next choice. 

“The surprising thing was how strongly repetition alone can change preferences,” explains Wagner. “Options that were chosen more frequently were not only preferred, but also rated as better.” 

The results help to better understand seemingly illogical behavior in everyday life, for example in shopping decisions, habits or recurring routines. At the same time, the study provides new starting points for describing decision-making processes more realistically, for example in psychology, behavioral research or in the design of decision-making environments. 

Original publication: 

Wagner, B.J., Wolf, H.B. & Kiebel, S.J. Action repetition biases choice in context-dependent decision-making. Commun Psychol 3, 177 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00363-x 

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Journal

Communications Psychology

DOI

10.1038/s44271-025-00363-x 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Action repetition biases choice in context-dependent decision-making

 

Changing the past in your imagination: Working with memories reduces the fear of failure

SWPS University

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Certain imagery-based techniques can reduce the fear of failure that results from difficult childhood memories, according to research by scientists from SWPS University and the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology. The researchers described their findings in a paper published in the prestigious journal Frontiers in Psychology.

Adverse childhood experiences, such as criticism, neglect, or harsh responses from caregivers, may have a long-term impact on psychological well-being and quality of life in adulthood. The way caregivers respond to a child’s failures may play a key role in shaping later emotional and cognitive patterns. A possible consequence is fear of failure, based on the belief that making mistakes leads to being perceived as less worthy.

A team of scientists from the Poznań-based Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychology, SWPS University, and the Laboratory of Brain Imaging at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology in Warsaw investigated whether the impact of these negative memories on daily functioning can be effectively and sustainably reduced through imagery-based techniques in psychotherapy.

Does working with memories offer the possibility of lasting change?

180 young adults (between 18 and 35 years of age) experiencing fear of failure were recruited for a randomized, controlled clinical trial. Over the course of two weeks, participants completed four therapy sessions during which they worked with painful childhood memories related to criticism.

Some participants were subjected to Imagery Exposure (IE) technique, during which they were instructed to simply recall situations that evoked fear or anxiety (the active control group). The second group was administered the Imagery Rescripting (ImRs) technique, which alters the narrative of memories. This method involves recalling a distressing situation and then imagining a "defender" (e.g., a therapist) appearing there to confront the critic and support the child. The third group used the same therapeutic technique, but with a 10-minute delay procedure (ImRs-DSR), which was intended to disrupt the memory trace of the critical memory, enhancing the impact of the intervention.

Study participants completed questionnaires and participated in interviews. Their physiological parameters were also measured. Follow-up observations were conducted after three and six months.

Rescripting memories really works

It turned out that all the imagery-based techniques used in the study led to a significant and lasting reduction in fear of failure, and a reduction in negative emotions such as sadness and guilt. Physiological reactivity to memories associated with criticism also decreased, meaning that participants no longer reacted with intense stress when recalling distressing situations. This improvement was consistently sustained at follow-ups three and six months after the session, demonstrating that the psychological change was stable.

The study shows that it is possible to reduce the intensity of negative emotions and arousal associated with memories of childhood criticism. Properly selected techniques can influence how these memories are experienced, making them less burdensome, says study co-author Julia Bączek, a psychologist from the Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychology, SWPS University.

The imagery rescripting technique was most effective when participants experienced a moment of surprise. This was due to the prediction error, which is the emergence of a discrepancy between expectations and the actual events experienced. This promotes the replacement of old, painful patterns.

We have shown that a crucial part of imagery-based therapy is creating a discrepancy between what the patient expects and what actually happens in the new memory. It is this surprise that paves the way for a lasting therapeutic change, says study co-author Stanisław Karkosz, a cognitive scientist from the Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychology, SWPS University.

Past experiences do not have to rule us

The researchers demonstrate that by appropriately using imagery-based techniques, in which we "write" new, safe endings to old stories, we can actually change our response to today's challenges.

The results suggest that the way we experience difficult memories (including those related to failure) can change. This means that past experiences do not have to be emotionally processed in a fixed, unchanging way, Julia Bączek emphasises.

The study "Imagine yourself as a little girl…—efficacy and psychophysiology of imagery techniques targeting adverse autobiographical childhood experiences- multi-arm randomised controlled trial” is available on the Frontiers in Psychology website.

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Journal

Frontiers in Psychology

DOI

10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1710963 

Method of Research

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Imagine yourself as a little girl…—efficacy and psychophysiology of imagery techniques targeting adverse autobiographical childhood experiences- multi-arm randomised controlled trial

 

Boys are more motivated, while girls are more compassionate?

Girls should be kinder to themselves, boys more compassionate

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

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image: 

This illustration shows the different factors that the students were asked about. 

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Credit: Illustration: NTNU

In Year 8, there are large gender differences related to motivation and compassion, which are in turn linked to how psychologically resilient the pupils are. At least when the pupils assess themselves.

“Several factors influence motivation. We wanted to find out how lower-secondary pupils feel they are doing when it comes to these factors,” said PhD Student Vegard Renolen Litlabø at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU’s) Department of Psychology.

A total of 7260 Year 8 pupils took the questionnaire, with slightly more girls than boys participating.

Multiple forms of motivation

The pupils were asked to assess themselves in relation to:

• Passion
  • Grit
  • Growth mindset – the belief that you improve through effort
  • Self-efficacy – the belief that you can succeed at something
  • Courage
  • School well-being
  • School safety
  • Compassion (for others, for oneself, and received from others)
  • Flourishing – which is about fulfilling your potential

The gender differences were generally fairly small for all the motivational factors except ‘compassion for others’, but one striking characteristic stands out.

Boys score highest on motivation

“Boys reported significantly higher levels of passion, grit, growth mindset, self-efficacy, courage, school well-being and school safety. They also reported higher levels of compassion for themselves,” said Litlabø.

The girls generally rate themselves highest on two things:

“Girls scored significantly higher on compassion for others. They also believe that they receive more compassion from others.”

In terms of flourishing, which refers to how well you are able to fulfil your potential, there was no significant gender difference in the scores.

So, it looks like it is almost a clean sweep for the boys. However, the picture is a bit more complicated than that. The researchers also looked at correlations between the various factors.

Some stronger correlations among the girls

“Boys scored higher on all factors related to motivation. This is quite clear when we look at the factors individually. Girls, however, showed stronger correlations between self-efficacy, grit and growth mindset.”

This means we need to consider the various factors collectively. Girls show a stronger correlation between believing they can succeed, having grit, and believing they will improve through effort.

“Girls are also more strongly influenced by how safe they feel at school. They then thrive more and score even higher than boys on the compassion they receive from others and show towards themselves. But it is not the case that boys are inherently lacking in compassion – they seem to be more compassionate towards others when they receive more compassion or show greater compassion for themselves,” explained Litlabø.

This may be a sign that boys have a greater need for socio-emotional learning, i.e. developing skills to understand and manage emotions, build positive relationships, make responsible decisions and set goals.

Girls should be kinder to themselves, boys more compassionate

So, what does this mean for the pupils themselves and for the people around them who want to improve the pupils’ well-being?

According to the researchers, this means that girls in particular could benefit from increased self-efficacy and compassion towards themselves.

Perhaps girls simply need to be encouraged to believe more in their own abilities, be kinder to themselves and treat themselves better.

Many boys already have plenty of this, but they may need something different.

“Boys can benefit from developing greater compassion for others. This will not only benefit the boys themselves, but the entire school environment,” concluded Litlabø.

More research is needed to investigate how these patterns develop over time.

Reference:
Renolen Litlabø, Vegard; Haga, Monika; Richter, Isabell; Sigmundsson, Hermundur. ‘Exploring Gender Differences in Norwegian Eighth-Grade Students: The Role of Passion, Grit, Growth Mindset, Self-Efficacy, Compassion, Courage and Well-Being’. Front. Educ., 14 January 2026. Sec. Psychology in Education Volume 10 - 2025 https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1703538

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Journal

Frontiers in Education

DOI

10.3389/feduc.2025.1703538 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Exploring gender differences in Norwegian eighth-grade students: the role of passion, grit, growth mindset, self-efficacy, compassion, courage, and wellbeing