It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Cicadas coordinate their early morning choruses with remarkable precision, timing their singing to a specific level of light during the pre-dawn hours.
In a study published in the journal Physical Review E, researchers have found that these insects begin their loud daily serenades when the sun is precisely 3.8 degrees below the horizon: a consistent marker of early morning light known as civil twilight.
The research, carried out by scientists from India, the UK and Israel, analysed several weeks of field recordings taken at two locations near Bangalore in India. Using tools from physics typically applied to the study of phase transitions in materials, the team uncovered a regularity in how cicadas respond to subtle changes in light.
“We’ve long known that animals respond to sunrise and seasonal light changes,” said co-author Professor Raymond Goldstein, from Cambridge’s Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. “But this is the first time we’ve been able to quantify how precisely cicadas tune in to a very specific light intensity — and it’s astonishing.”
The crescendo of cicada song — familiar to anyone who has woken up early on a spring or summer morning — takes only about 60 seconds to build, the researchers found. Each day, the midpoint of that build-up occurs at nearly the same solar angle, regardless of the exact time of sunrise.
In practical terms, that means cicadas begin singing when the light on the ground has reached a specific threshold, varying by just 25% during that brief transition.
To explain this level of precision, the team developed a mathematical model inspired by magnetic materials, in which individual units, or spins, align with an external field and with each other. Similarly, their model proposes that cicadas make decisions based both on ambient light and the sounds of nearby insects, like individuals in an audience who start clapping when others do.
“This kind of collective decision-making shows how local interactions between individuals can produce surprisingly coordinated group behaviour,” said co-author Professor Nir Gov from the Weizmann Institute, who is currently on sabbatical in Cambridge.
The field recordings were made by Bangalore-based engineer Rakesh Khanna, who carries out cicada research as a passion project. Khanna collaborated with Goldstein and Dr Adriana Pesci at Cambridge’s Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.
“Rakesh’s observations have paved the way to a quantitative understanding of this fascinating type of collective behaviour,” said Goldstein. “There’s still much to learn, but this study offers key insights into how groups make decisions based on shared environmental cues.”
The study was partly supported by the Complex Systems Fund at the University of Cambridge. Raymond Goldstein is the Alan Turing Professor of Complex Physical Systems and a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge.
A depiction of proteins Pfs230 and Pfs48/45 bound together. This binding process is crucial for the malaria parasite’s ability to fertilise and spread.
Australian researchers have visualised a key protein complex in malaria parasites for the first time, uncovering a new target for next-generation vaccines that could help stop the disease from spreading.
Using cutting-edge cryo-electron microscopy, the research team from WEHI captured the first detailed structure of a protein complex essential for malaria parasite fertilisation.
The discovery published in Science has led to the development of a promising new mRNA vaccine candidate that stops the malaria parasite from reproducing inside mosquitoes, breaking the cycle of transmission before it can reach humans.
Malaria remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, responsible for more than 600,000 deaths each year.
At a glance
WEHI scientists captured the first high-resolution structure of a key protein complex that’s essential for the malaria parasite to reproduce inside mosquitoes.
They discovered two small domains of the Pfs230-Pfs48/45 fertilisation complex that are crucial for the parasite’s ability to fertilise and spread.
A new mRNA vaccine induced antibodies targeting these domains which stopped the parasite from reproducing in mosquitoes, cutting transmission by up to 99.7%.
Visualising malaria’s reproductive machinery
For many years scientists have known that two key proteins that appear on the surface of the malaria parasite, Pfs230 and Pfs48/45, are important for transmission of the disease.
Lead researcher Dr Melanie Dietrich said the new study revealed for the first time how these proteins interact – revealing a new vaccine target.
“Our structural biology approach was the key. Using cryo-electron microscopy, we were able to visualise the full fertilisation complex directly from the parasite – not a lab-made version,” Dr Dietrich, a WEHI postdoctoral fellow, said.
"This gave us a clear picture of how this fertilisation complex really looks in nature, and revealed a previously unknown region that’s crucial to the process, unlocking a powerful new vaccine target.”
Lead researcher Professor Wai-Hong Tham said that by capturing the fertilisation complex directly from the parasite, the team revealed the precise contact points that make transmission possible.
"We used these findings to develop a vaccine that showed great promise in targeting these contact points,” Prof Tham, a WEHI laboratory head, said.
“To eliminate malaria, we need to stop transmission. This vaccine candidate could be one piece of that puzzle.”
From structural insight to vaccine innovation
Unlike many structural biology studies that rely on proteins made in the lab from bacterial, insect or mammalian cells, the new research successfully purified the fertilisation complex directly from malaria parasites – a technically challenging approach that ensures the structure reflects its true biological form.
The research revealed the critical contact points for binding the Pfs230 and Pfs48/45 proteins. When these were removed in genetically modified parasites, fertilisation failed and transmission was blocked, illuminating a new vaccine target.
Building on the structural discovery, the team designed a next generation mRNA vaccine which was formulated in collaboration with the mRNA Core facility at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS).
In preclinical studies, the vaccine triggered high levels of antibodies that recognised the parasite and blocked transmission in mosquitoes by up to 99.7%.
Professor Colin Pouton from MIPS said it was an exciting opportunity for his team to leverage their expertise in mRNA vaccine development to address an important new target for malaria vaccination.
“Drawing on experience through mRNA Core, the MIPS team shifted focus to tackle a new challenge in malaria vaccination,” Prof Pouton said.
“The success of the malaria vaccine program illustrates the versatility of mRNA technology, which has many applications beyond the COVID vaccines. It was particularly rewarding to work on this project with the WEHI team, co-located in the Parkville precinct, where shared expertise has helped drive a new approach to malaria prevention."
A vulnerable stage in the parasite’s life cycle
Targeting the parasite inside the mosquito offers a strategic advantage due to what researchers call a population bottleneck.
While malaria parasites are abundant in the human host, only a small fraction develop into sexual forms and are successfully fertilised inside the mosquito. This bottleneck means that even modest reductions in parasite numbers at this stage can have a significant impact on transmission.
Transmission-blocking vaccines – like the one designed through this research, targeting the malaria parasite inside the mosquito – offer a strategic way to halt the spread of malaria, where its numbers are lowest and its life cycle most vulnerable.
Multi-stage strategy towards elimination
The team envisions the mRNA vaccine as part of a multi-stage strategy, targeting the parasite in both the mosquito and human host.
By combining transmission-blocking vaccines with those that act on blood or liver stages in people, researchers hope to build a comprehensive defence that could dramatically reduce malaria burden and move closer to elimination.
Prof Tham said the collaboration between WEHI and MIPS highlighted the strength of the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct and the potential of mRNA technology to rapidly translate basic science into vaccine innovation.
“The ability to design, formulate and test vaccine candidates within a single research ecosystem has accelerated the path from discovery to preclinical validation,” she said.
The study “Cryo-EM structure of endogenous Plasmodium falciparum Pfs230 and Pfs48/45 fertilization complex”, is published in Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.ady0241).
Study co-author Frankie Lyons and second author Jill Chmielewski assessing mosquitoes prepared for dissection.
The team behind the discovery, L-R: Stewart A Fabb, Dr Alisa Glukhova, Sash Lopaticki, Frankie Lyons, Associate Professor Shabih Shakeel, Li Jin Chan, Rekha Shandre-Mugan, Professor Wai-Hong Tham, Dr Quentin Gouil, Dr Mikha Gabriela, Jill Chmielewski, Lynn Tan, Professor Colin Pouton, Kathleen Zeglinski, Dr Laura Dagley, Amy Adair.
A depiction of proteins Pfs230 and Pfs48/45 bound together. This binding process is crucial for the malaria parasite’s ability to fertilise and spread.
Study second author Jill Chmielewski inspecting dissected mosquito midguts for evidence of parasite fertilisation.
WASHINGTON (August 6, 2025) — Usingportable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifiers at home can significantly lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) in adults with elevated baseline readings — even in areas with relatively low overall air pollution levels, according to a study published today in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Particulate matter (PM) is a major contributor to air pollution and is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). People living near high-traffic roadways are frequently exposed to elevated levels of PM from vehicle emissions as well as tire and brake wear. These fine particles can infiltrate homes and affect residents, increasing the risk of hypertension and elevated blood pressure—both major CVD risk factors.
“High blood pressure remains one of the most important modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease,” said Douglas Brugge, Ph.D., M.S., Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences at UConn Health and lead author of the study. “This research adds to growing evidence that simple interventions, like in-home air filtration, may help improve heart health for people at risk.”
In this randomized crossover trial of 154 adults living near highways, participants were randomly assigned to receive one month of either HEPA or sham filtration (the same HEPA units with the filter removed) in their homes, followed by a one-month “washout” period with no filtration and then the alternate treatment. Blood pressure measurements and participant questionnaires were collected at the start and end of each period.
Researchers found that participants with elevated SBP (>120 mmHg) experienced an average 2.8 mmHg reduction in SBP after one month of HEPA filtration. In comparison, SBP increased slightly (0.2 mmHg) during a sham filtration period, resulting in a significant 3.0 mmHg difference in favor of HEPA filtration. There was no significant impact on diastolic blood pressure or among participants with normal SBP (<120 mmHg).
"Overwhelming evidence shows the harmful health effects of PM2.5 exposure, even at levels below current U.S. standards,” said Jonathan Newman, M.D, M.P.H., Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and lead author of the accompanying editorial comment. “As healthcare professionals, we must educate the public and support policies that protect clean air and improve the health of all Americans."
Harlan M. Krumholz, M.D., S.M., Editor-in-Chief of JACC, noted that the study raises the possibility that even modest improvements in indoor air quality could have a meaningful impact on blood pressure for people at risk.
“While more research is needed, these results suggest that what we breathe at home may matter for our cardiovascular health,” Krumholz said.
Study limitations include limited generalizability due to a predominantly White, higher-income participant pool, exclusion of people on blood pressure medications, potential variation in purifier use and a lack of data during hotter summer months or at times of higher indoor pollution.
For an embargoed copy of the study “Effect of HEPA Filtration Air Purifiers on Blood Pressure: A Pragmatic Randomized Crossover Trial” and its Editorial Comment, contact JACC Media Relations Manager Olivia Walther at owalther@acc.org.
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is a global leader dedicated to transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health for all. For more than 75 years, the ACC has empowered a community of over 60,000 cardiovascular professionals across more than 140 countries with cutting-edge education and advocacy, rigorous professional credentials, and trusted clinical guidance. From its world-class JACC Journals and NCDR registries to its Accreditation Services, global network of Chapters and Sections, and CardioSmart patient initiatives, the College is committed to creating a world where science, knowledge and innovation optimize patient care and outcomes. Learn more at www.ACC.org or connect on social media at @ACCinTouch.
The ACC’s JACC Journals rank among the top cardiovascular journals in the world for scientific impact. The flagship journal, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) — and specialty journals consisting of JACC: Advances, JACC: Asia, JACC: Basic to Translational Science, JACC: CardioOncology, JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, JACC: Case Reports, JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology and JACC: Heart Failure — pride themselves on publishing the top peer-reviewed research on all aspects of cardiovascular disease. Learn more at JACC.org.
###
Journal
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Effect of HEPA Filtration Air Purifiers on Blood Pressure: A Pragmatic Randomized Crossover Trial
Article Publication Date
6-Aug-2025
WHITE MAN'S MEDICINE
Effective therapy for MDS is vastly underused, especially in female and non-white patients
Over half of eligible patients do not receive recommended therapies or complete the full course of treatment; white males are most likely to get the right treatment at the right dose
(WASHINGTON – August 6, 2025) – Most patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) do not receive guideline-recommended treatment with hypomethylating agents (HMAs), according to results published inBlood Neoplasia. The findings suggest that underuse of these drugs may help explain why MDS outcomes have not improved over the past two decades since these life-extending medications became available.
The study is the largest analysis of MDS treatment patterns in the United States to date and the most comprehensive study of real-world use of HMAs, which are highly effective in improving outcomes. HMAs are the best available treatment option for the majority of older people with high-risk disease who cannot get a curative bone marrow transplant. According to the study findings, about half of patients who should be started on an HMA are not receiving these drugs, and even among those who do start treatment, many do not complete the recommended therapy. The results also showed that women and non-white patients were significantly less likely to receive the treatment than white males.
“The disparities we found based on gender, race, and ethnicity were really striking,” said the study’s lead author, Sudipto Mukherjee, MD, PhD, MPH, a physician in the department of hematology and medical oncology at Cleveland Clinic. “Given the absence of newly approved therapies over the last two decades, the most impactful way to improve outcomes in newly diagnosed high-risk MDS requires that we do better with the available therapies. Making changes with these therapies and how they are given (that is, when to treat and how to treat) is a key intervention that can have a huge impact.”
MDS, a group of blood cancers in which the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy blood cells, causes debilitating fatigue and increased susceptibility to infections and bleeding. Without treatment, MDS can progress to acute myeloid leukemia. MDS is most common in adults over the age of 70, most of whom cannot get a bone marrow transplant – the only known cure for MDS – due to frailty, comorbidities, or cost.
HMAs modify the genes involved in blood formation in a way that boosts the production of healthy blood cells and slows the progression of MDS. Although these drugs do not cure the disease, clinical trials have shown that they help patients live longer and improve quality of life. However, real-world outcomes have shown little improvement since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved two HMAs, azacitidine and decitabine, for high-risk MDS about 20 years ago.
The researchers analyzed Medicare claims data from more than 49,000 U.S. adults to assess which patients received HMAs and whether the drugs were being administered according to guidelines. They assessed clinical factors such as blood counts, transfusions, frailty, and comorbidities, as well as demographic factors such as population density, neighborhood education and poverty levels, and the concentration of physicians and specialists where patients live.
According to the findings, just 16% of newly diagnosed patients with MDS on Medicare received HMAs during the period analyzed (2011-2014). This is about half of the estimated 30-40% of patients who fall into the high-risk category at the time of diagnosis for which HMAs are recommended. People who were older than 85, female, or non-white were significantly less likely to start HMA treatment. Although men and women are diagnosed with MDS at roughly the same rate, the study found women were 19% less likely to start HMAs. Black patients were 30% less likely to start HMAs, and patients of other races were 22% less likely to start HMAs compared to white patients.
Researchers suggested that the lower rate of HMA uptake among people over age 85 may be explained by a tendency for older patients to decline treatment. However, they could not identify any obvious reason why women or non-white patients would be less likely to receive the treatment, suggesting that implicit bias may be a factor.
The dosing and duration of treatment strongly influence HMA outcomes, with the best response to treatment typically achieved after four to six one-month cycles. However, the study revealed that most patients who received HMAs did not complete the treatment as recommended. Over one-third of patients discontinued the treatment by the end of the fourth cycle, and half discontinued by the end of the sixth cycle. Fewer than half (30-40%) received the full guideline-directed dose of their drug in each of the first four cycles.
“If you are not even treating the patients for the recommended duration of time, you will not see a response,” said Dr. Mukherjee. “When starting these treatments, blood counts and transfusion needs may initially get worse before they improve, and you have to plow through it. That is not the time to discontinue, but that is what the data is saying.”
It is normal for patients’ blood cell counts to decrease in the first few cycles of HMA treatment, which can lead to increased fatigue and a greater need for blood transfusions. Based on the data, Dr. Mukherjee suggested that doctors and patients may be too quick to skip doses or stop treatment in response to these effects. While this can be understandable in cases where patients have less support, or access to care, or are in poorer health overall, failing to deliver the full course of treatment as recommended undermines patients’ ability to fully benefit from these medications.
One way to address this gap could be for community health clinics to partner with larger tertiary care centers to guide HMA treatment, Dr. Mukherjee suggested. For example, patients could visit a hospital with more expertise in HMA treatment for a one-time consultation to formulate a treatment plan, and then return to their local community clinic where doctors would follow through on that recommended course of treatment, referring back to the tertiary care center as needed for guidance on handling side effects or altering the dosage.
As the study was a retrospective analysis based on Medicare claims data, the researchers noted that they did not have access to data on disease markers necessary to comprehensively assess the appropriateness of the decision of whether or not to start HMA treatment in all patients, nor did the data specify why HMA treatment was stopped early in each case. Despite these limitations, using Medicare claims data provided a large, nationally representative study cohort in older adults, a demographic with the highest prevalence of MDS.
###
Blood Neoplasia (www.bloodneoplasia.org) is an online only, open access journal of the American Society of Hematology (www.hematology.org), the world’s largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders.
URBANA, Ill. — Imagine moving into a new house just to discover it has no insulation. That’s what life can be like for a bat box resident.
Bat boxes, a kind of artificial roost, are a simple and cost-effective way to increase habitat for these flying mammals. They’re a preferred spot for mother bats to raise pups if their favorite housing option, large dead trees, are hard to come by. But if improperly designed, bat boxes can end up hurting more than helping, Illinois bat researcher Joy O’Keefe says.
Bat box design might seem straightforward at first glance. Bats need habitat, and boxes can provide shelter. But the reality is much more complicated, O’Keefe said.
“Bats can’t really evaluate the key characteristics that could dictate how healthy or safe these boxes are,” O’Keefe said. “So it’s incumbent upon us to put out good habitat for them.”
One such important characteristic is temperature. As ambient temperature and sunlight fluctuate throughout the day, bat boxes might get dangerously hot or cold. But bats can’t predict this before choosing the box to roost in, O’Keefe said, and are unlikely to leave boxes during the day due to fear of predation. The results can be deadly, as entire bat families have died in poorly designed boxes.
Improving these boxes is critical as bats face habitat loss and epidemic disease. Midwestern bats are threatened by white nose syndrome, a widespread illness caused by fungal infection, but face an even greater threat from the destruction of forests, where they live.
Insulation simulations
O’Keefe and Bakken simulated different bat box designs, varying color, dimensions, orientations, heat storage, and insulation. The team tried out pine, foam, water, and air to insulate the boxes and keep temperatures stable throughout the day. They then ran the simulations for three “days” to see how temperatures might vary.
“We’re trying to save people the energy and expense of building novel boxes with no idea how they’ll perform,” O’Keefe said. “The simulations are a good preliminary step to give you a sense of how designs will differ. The relative differences between designs should be the same in practicality as they are in the simulation.”
In the simulation, the unmodified bat box reached lethal temperatures of over 113°F (45°C) within the first day. Boxes with a heat storage layer, such as water, externally surrounded by an insulator, like foam, were cooler and retained the most stable temperature over the three days. Lighter colors and thoughtful orientation could also make the boxes safer. For instance, at low latitudes, the most effective method to provide optimal daytime temperatures was to orient the box so that its longer sides faced north and south, in addition to painting the south and west sides white and the north and east sides black.
Instead of giving out uniform recommendations — telling everyone to use pine- and water-insulated bat boxes, for example — O’Keefe and Bakken made their simulation code public, so everyone could use it. Bat conservationists can enter their latitude, box dimensions, and box color, then play around with designs until they find one that works for them. This allows practitioners to tailor their solutions to their particular climate.
Safer roosts for better harvests
Bat boxes are more than just homes for mother and baby bats. They’re an important puzzle piece in strengthening Midwestern ecosystems and reducing the pest burden faced by farmers.
Bats are insectivores — they can’t get enough bugs. They love flies, including mosquitoes. O’Keefe says we want these bug eaters around to get rid of the insects that bite us and our food, but bats need quality habitat to do that. They won’t stick around residential and agricultural areas if there’s nowhere for them to live.
O’Keefe primarily studies the Indiana bat. “It’s been endangered since the inception of the Endangered Species Act, and it relies on large dead trees,” O’Keefe said. “In one area I study, an Indiana bat population is essentially 100% reliant on bat boxes now, because there are no big dead trees on this landscape. If we hadn’t put up boxes, this colony would have moved somewhere else.”
By improving bat boxes, O’Keefe hopes to provide needed habitat for these endangered bats and other bat species. Doing so will ensure bats are foraging over our agricultural and natural ecosystems for years to come.
The study, “Simple design modifications can tailor bat box thermal conditions to life history requirements in different habitats,” is published in the Ecological Solutions and Evidence [DOI: 10.1002/2688-8319.70057]. Authors include George Bakken and Joy O’Keefe.
