Harvard Launches ExpressPath Licensing Model to Help Startups Commercialise Research Faster

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

Harvard University has introduced ExpressPath, a new technology licensing model designed to help startups bring university research to market faster. The initiative simplifies licensing agreements, establishes pre-defined financial terms and aims to reduce the lengthy negotiations that can delay commercialisation.

Launched by Harvard’s Office of Technology Development (OTD), ExpressPath covers three technology pathways: Engineering & Technology, Medical Device, and Software. The program offers financial terms benchmarked against those of peer universities, alongside a simplified licensing agreement. Researchers, startup teams and investors can review the terms and agreement through the OTD website, providing greater transparency and predictability from the beginning of the commercialisation process.

The initiative forms part of Harvard’s broader strategy to streamline the journey from laboratory discoveries to commercial products and services. In the coming months, OTD also plans to introduce initiatives designed to make it easier and clearer for industry partners to fund research in Harvard laboratories.

“The ExpressPath model is one part of Harvard’s broader effort to make it easier for research discoveries to move beyond the laboratory and into the world,” said Harvard’s Senior Vice Provost for Research John Shaw. “By reducing uncertainty and creating a clear path to commercialization, we can help researchers, founders, and investors move promising innovations forward more effectively and at a faster pace.”

Researchers can begin by reviewing the three ExpressPath licensing pathways, including their eligibility requirements and licence terms. Startup teams interested in the programme work with OTD to determine the most appropriate pathway. Once eligibility and suitability are confirmed, OTD and the startup team can move towards executing a licence without the typical negotiation phase that often delays commercialisation.

“We want the licensing process to move faster so startup teams can focus on the hard work of commercializing early-stage technology and building a company,” says Sam Liss, OTD’s chief technology development officer and associate provost. “Based on my discussions with faculty, researchers, and investors, it’s clear that the ExpressPath model will greatly simplify and streamline licensing.”

Three Licensing Pathways for Different Technologies

ExpressPath provides specific licensing routes for three broad categories of innovation:

Engineering and Technology: Covers instruments, quantum technologies, advanced materials, coatings, hardware, electronics, artificial intelligence algorithms, robotics, energy, environmental technologies and other physical science innovations.
Software: Offers two licensing tracks to accommodate the different needs of startup teams.
Medical Devices: Covers healthcare devices, excluding traditional therapeutics and biologics.

To develop ExpressPath, OTD reviewed hundreds of technology licences at universities across the United States. It also consulted external stakeholders, including MassVentures, a venture capital firm and economic development agency for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that funds early-stage technology startups. Other investors and entrepreneurs also contributed to the process to help ensure the licensing terms reflected fair market benchmarks.

Reducing Licensing Delays and Legal Costs

Traditional university technology licensing can be a lengthy and expensive process. Negotiations may take more than six months and involve tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. By providing pre-defined, benchmarked financial terms and a simplified agreement from the outset, ExpressPath aims to reduce this process to a matter of weeks, or potentially less.

“Simply put, ExpressPath removes the haggling,” says Liss. “It’s really a different paradigm for how licensing will be done at Harvard for eligible startups.”

The standardised approach is also intended to make the process more consistent for entrepreneurs and investors. Instead of negotiating terms on a case-by-case basis, eligible companies will be able to work from pre-established conditions.

Russ Wilcox, an investor and entrepreneur who has navigated the licensing process about half a dozen times, described licensing as a “big bottleneck” for funders and entrepreneurs. He explained that the process can create a chicken-and-egg problem for emerging companies: investors generally want evidence that a licence is secured before committing funding, while startups need funds to undertake the licensing process.

“I think ExpressPath will have benefits for everybody” who needs to pursue licensing, Wilcox says, saving both time and money, and providing investor confidence in the licensing process. He expects the programme’s ease could allow more startups to grow from university labs because VCs will see fewer potential barriers to licensing intellectual property from them.

“Anything that makes it more likely that a great company can get going faster, using less capital to get started, is a good thing for innovation,” says Katie Rae, CEO and Managing Partner at Engine Ventures, who has served on several OTD entrepreneurship committees.

After licensing, “the real work” begins, according to Rae: “Then you have to go make a company out of it.” By lowering the barriers that come before, she says, “Harvard is listening and investing in the translation phase of innovation — it is fundamental to the economy.”

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POSTECH Researchers Develop Fingerprint Authentication Without Storing Biometric Data

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

Researchers at South Korea’s POSTECH have developed a fingerprint authentication system that identifies users without digitally storing fingerprint information. The technology uses ultrasound and specially designed metasurfaces to make authentication decisions through physical computation.

Fingerprint recognition is widely used to unlock smartphones, authorise financial transactions and control access to secure facilities. However, fingerprints cannot easily be changed if compromised, making the protection of biometric data a significant security concern.

Conventional systems typically convert fingerprints into digital data and compare them with previously stored information. Even when this information is encrypted, the authentication process still requires access to biometric data, potentially creating security vulnerabilities.

Rather than improving how fingerprints are stored, the research team sought to eliminate the need for digital storage and comparison altogether. Led by Professor Junsuk Rho, alongside Dr. Seokho Lee and integrated M.S.–Ph.D. student Beomseok Oh, the team developed the technology at the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). The study was published in the journal Nature Sensors.

How Ultrasound-Based Authentication Works

The researchers developed a system called a metasurface-driven loop-diffractive neural network, or loop-DNN. A metasurface is an artificial structure that can precisely control the direction, intensity and phase of waves. In this system, it manipulates ultrasound to process fingerprint information without sending it to a computer for conventional digital analysis.

When ultrasound passes through the metasurface, its energy is directed towards different locations depending on the fingerprint presented. A registered fingerprint concentrates acoustic energy in a designated region, while an unregistered fingerprint directs it towards a different region.

The system determines authentication by comparing signal intensities in these two regions. It does not need to reconstruct a fingerprint image or separately extract fingerprint features through digital computation.

The team also controlled the ultrasound’s phase, amplitude and transmission states, allowing the metasurface to manipulate the waves with greater flexibility than conventional diffractive neural networks, which primarily modulate phase.

Experimental Results Show Promising Accuracy

In experiments involving fingerprints from four individuals, the system achieved 97.92% accuracy across 192 validation samples. Additional numerical analysis using an international fingerprint recognition database demonstrated accuracy of up to 99.75% for a single registered user.

The researchers also found that recognition performance generally improved as the number of design parameters available for controlling the metasurface increased.

By shifting authentication from a store-and-compare model to physical computation and direct decision-making, the approach could reduce the risk of biometric data exposure. Potential applications include smartphones, automobiles, wearable devices and security-sensitive sectors such as finance, healthcare and defence.

Further Development Needed Before Practical Use

Despite the promising results, the technology requires further development before widespread implementation. The current experimental system operates at approximately 40 kHz, while industrial sensors commonly use frequencies in the megahertz range. The researchers also need to expand the system to support multiple registered users.

The team plans to advance the platform by combining multilayer metasurfaces with digital technologies.

Professor Junsuk Rho said, “Rather than developing a faster algorithm or stronger encryption technology, this study changes the starting point of biometric authentication itself. By eliminating the need to separately store biometric information, we expect this approach to develop into a new authentication method that can reduce the risk of fingerprint information being exposed through hacking.”

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Postpartum Recovery May Influence Maternal Aging and Long-Term Health, Researchers Suggest

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

The period after childbirth may play an important role in maternal biological aging and long-term health, according to a review by Mass General Brigham researchers. The study proposes that the time between pregnancies could influence how fully the body recovers from pregnancy-related changes.

Research has linked having more children with an increased risk of heart disease and shorter lifespan in some populations, although findings have been inconsistent. Meanwhile, studies using biological age measurements suggest that pregnancy can temporarily increase biological age, which may partially return towards baseline during postpartum recovery.

Biological age reflects the condition of the body rather than simply the number of years a person has lived. In a paper published in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, researchers propose that the duration of postpartum recovery may help explain differences in long-term health outcomes among women who have multiple pregnancies.

The paper, titled The Postpartum Recovery Window as a Determinant of Maternal Aging, was led by Stephen Albright, formerly of Mass General Brigham, with Jesse Poganik, PhD, of its Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, as senior author.

The researchers call their proposed explanation the “recovery period hypothesis.” It suggests that if another pregnancy begins before the body has sufficiently recovered from the previous one, the physiological demands may accumulate across pregnancies.

Evidence Points to Changes Across Multiple Biological Measures

As this was a review rather than a new experimental study, the researchers examined published evidence from several fields. They considered studies measuring biological age through wearable-device data, brain imaging, routine blood tests and epigenetic clocks, which assess chemical modifications to DNA.

The review found consistent evidence across studies from Europe, the United States and the Philippines that biological age can rise temporarily during pregnancy and partially recover afterward. The recovery period may last several months to a year or longer, with factors such as pre-pregnancy weight, breastfeeding and potentially sleep influencing the process.

Early evidence also suggests that becoming pregnant again during this recovery window could interrupt the return towards baseline biological age. However, the authors emphasise that the connection between pregnancy spacing, biological aging and later-life health remains a hypothesis that requires direct testing.

Implications for Postpartum Care and Pregnancy Spacing

The researchers argue that postpartum care should be considered not only in terms of immediate recovery from childbirth but also as a potential contributor to long-term maternal health. Supporting sleep, breastfeeding where appropriate and metabolic health could help women recover from the physical demands of pregnancy.

If future research confirms the hypothesis, pregnancy-spacing guidance might eventually consider maternal long-term health alongside birth outcomes. Biological age measurements could also potentially help personalise such guidance.

However, the review does not change existing medical recommendations. The authors note that the World Health Organization has recommended waiting at least two years between pregnancies since 2005.

Further Research Needed to Test the Hypothesis

The team plans to investigate the hypothesis through longitudinal studies that follow women before, during and after pregnancy, repeatedly measuring biological age and recording the intervals between pregnancies.

Researchers are also examining biological aging in individual organs and cell types, rather than relying only on a single whole-body measure. This could help establish whether different organ systems recover at different rates and distinguish potentially harmful changes from healthy adaptations to pregnancy.

In addition, the team plans to analyse existing datasets connecting reproductive histories with long-term health outcomes to determine whether pregnancy spacing helps explain differences between populations.

The authors stress that studies following women for decades beyond their childbearing years will be necessary to establish whether the postpartum recovery window has a lasting effect on maternal health.

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Restless Legs Syndrome During Pregnancy Linked to Higher Risk of Perinatal Depression

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

Pregnant women with restless legs syndrome (RLS) may face a higher risk of perinatal depression, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. The findings suggest that screening for RLS during the third trimester could help healthcare providers identify women who may need additional mental health support.

The research found that pregnant women with restless legs syndrome were approximately three times more likely to develop perinatal depression and twice as likely to experience depressive symptoms compared with women without the condition. The association was strongest when RLS occurred during the third trimester and remained significant after researchers accounted for factors including age, education, partner status, occupation, number of children and whether the pregnancy was planned.

“We found that pregnant women with restless legs syndrome had about three times the risk of developing perinatal depression,” said first author Dr. Kazuhide Tezuka, a visiting researcher in the department of mental health at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine. “This association was seen for restless legs syndrome identified in the third trimester, but not in the second.”

Published on August 31, the study examined the relationship between RLS and perinatal depression, which includes major depressive episodes during pregnancy or in the months following childbirth.

What Is Restless Legs Syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome is a sleep-related movement disorder characterised by a strong, often irresistible urge to move the legs, sometimes accompanied by uncomfortable sensations. Symptoms typically begin or worsen during rest or inactivity, improve temporarily with movement and occur predominantly in the evening or at night. These symptoms can make falling asleep difficult.

According to a recent survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), 13% of Americans report having been diagnosed with RLS. Previous research has also found that people with the condition experience depression and anxiety at four times the rate of the general US population. RLS is also known to occur during pregnancy.

Because the condition can interfere with sleep, identifying its symptoms during pregnancy may provide healthcare professionals with an additional indicator when assessing maternal mental health.

Researchers Analysed Data From 2,435 Pregnant Women

The study included 2,435 pregnant women in Japan with an average age of 30.5 years. Participants completed screening questionnaires for restless legs syndrome during their second and third trimesters. Researchers identified RLS in 40 women, or 1.6%, during the second trimester and in 60 women, or 3.5%, during the third trimester.

The team tracked major depressive episodes and depressive symptoms through three months after childbirth. During this period, 69 participants developed perinatal depression.

The association between RLS and depression remained statistically significant after accounting for several demographic and pregnancy-related factors. However, the researchers noted that the number of depression cases among participants with RLS was small, limiting the strength of conclusions that can be drawn from the findings.

Third-Trimester Screening May Help Identify At-Risk Women

The researchers suggest that screening for restless legs syndrome later in pregnancy could help healthcare providers identify women who may be at elevated risk of perinatal depression. Since RLS can develop or become more noticeable as pregnancy progresses, relying solely on assessments conducted during early prenatal visits may overlook some cases.

“Because restless legs syndrome often develops later in pregnancy, asking about its symptoms again in the third trimester, not just at early prenatal visits, may help healthcare providers identify women at higher risk of perinatal depression,” said Tezuka.

The authors also highlighted several limitations. The prevalence of RLS in the study was lower than expected, participants were self-selected volunteers, and all measurements were based on self-reported information. Further research is needed to confirm the association and determine whether treating RLS can reduce the risk of perinatal depression.

The findings point to a potential role for third-trimester RLS screening in maternal mental health assessments, but they do not establish that RLS directly causes depression. Future studies will be needed to determine whether addressing the sleep disorder can improve mental health outcomes during pregnancy and after childbirth.

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NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Advances to Final Science Commissioning Phase

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has entered its science commissioning phase after successfully completing comprehensive checks of its observatory systems and primary instrument performance. Engineers are now refining image quality and calibrating instruments ahead of scientific operations.

“We’ve established that the observatory is fully functional,” said Julie McEnery, Roman’s senior project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “The telescope can guide and take exposures, data flows appropriately, and we can slew from one place to another for observations. So now we’re drilling into the fine details of the quality of the images we’re collecting.”

Early tests have also shown that Roman can observe challenging regions of space, including crowded star fields and nebulae obscured by dense dust. Scientists had questioned whether its fine guidance system could reliably track individual stars in these conditions.

“The way Roman locks onto a target is by holding steady on individual stars found in the direction it needs to point,” said Tom Barclay, Roman operations project scientist at NASA Goddard. “We had a concern that in regions where stars are either packed extremely close together or embedded in thick dust, the fine guidance system might get confused or have trouble staying tethered to those stars. But test observations of such regions have shown that Roman performs wonderfully in all cases.”

Refining Image Quality for Precise Observations

During commissioning, the team is conducting carefully planned observations to measure the observatory’s performance, calibrate instrument responses to light and improve image quality. Consistent results are essential because variations in brightness or sharpness could make it difficult for scientists to determine whether changes in cosmic objects are real or caused by the telescope itself.

“To achieve the groundbreaking science we expect from Roman, we need to have a crystal clear window into space, not one marred by pointing jitter or out-of-focus images,” said Josh Schlieder, Roman’s Wide Field Instrument scientist at NASA Goddard. “Any imperfections that affect image quality must be minimized because even very small flaws could mask the small signals we are aiming to measure.”

Initial test observations have performed well, allowing scientists to begin assessing the telescope’s ability to survey large areas of the sky quickly.

High-Speed Surveys Could Reveal Unexpected Discoveries

Roman’s observing speed is expected to help researchers capture enormous cosmic vistas filled with stars, planets and galaxies. Large mosaics of the sky, which previously required special observing campaigns, could become routine as the mission progresses.

“During commissioning, we are taking several test observations of famous parts of the sky,” said Jeremy Perkins, an astrophysicist serving as Roman’s observatory integration and test scientist at NASA Goddard. “I am marveling at the level of detail Roman provides in very short time periods.”

The telescope’s Wide Field Instrument will also be able to detect extremely faint objects, expanding opportunities to study distant and previously difficult-to-observe parts of the universe.

“In a typical observation with Roman’s Wide Field Instrument, we’ll see objects that are a hundred million times fainter than the human eye can detect,” Schlieder said. “So just imagine what strange and unexpected things might be buried in all that data.”

Some observatory systems are already performing better than required, potentially creating opportunities for additional scientific capabilities. The team will continue fine-tuning image quality and completing calibration work before Roman transitions to full science operations.

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Mizzou Study to Explore How Couples’ Daily Routines May Influence Heart Health

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

Researchers at the University of Missouri are investigating whether couples’ daily routines, sleep patterns and relationship quality are linked to blood glucose levels and heart disease risk. The National Institutes of Health-funded study will examine how partners’ shared experiences may influence their physical health.

Eunjin Tracy, a researcher in the University of Missouri’s College of Education and Human Development, is leading the study to determine whether the daily experiences of couples can be linked to measurable changes in health.

The research will focus on couples in which at least one partner has type 2 diabetes. Researchers will examine whether sleep patterns, everyday routines and relationship quality are associated with changes in blood glucose levels and, ultimately, heart disease risk.

“We tend to think about health as something that belongs to the individual,” Tracy said. “But when two people share their lives, their daily experiences are intertwined. We want to understand what that means for their health.”

Tracking Sleep, Blood Glucose and Relationship Experiences

The study will examine how ordinary aspects of shared life, from differing bedtimes to stressful workdays and mealtime habits, may relate to partners’ health. Researchers will also consider how support between partners is experienced and whether reminders about health routines are perceived as helpful or as nagging.

Both partners will wear devices that track their sleep and continuous glucose levels for 20 days. They will also report on their daily routines and relationship experiences.

By analysing these measurements together, the research team will investigate whether changes in one partner’s daily life correspond with changes in the other partner’s experiences or blood glucose levels.

The researchers hypothesise that couples with stronger relationship quality and more consistent daily routines may have healthier blood glucose levels and, consequently, a lower risk of heart disease.

However, consistency does not necessarily mean that both partners follow identical schedules. Tracy explained that the study will examine the regularity of each individual’s routines and how those routines fit into the couple’s shared life. For example, one partner may consistently go to bed at 8 p.m., while the other regularly goes to bed at 10 p.m.

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding Heart Health

Tracy is working with University of Missouri specialists in nutrition and exercise physiology, psychology, medicine and statistics. The collaboration will allow the team to examine the relationship between daily habits, relationship experiences and physical health from several perspectives.

“It’s a very interdisciplinary research environment here at Mizzou, which makes it the perfect place for this work to thrive,” Tracy, who works in the Department of Human Development and Family Science, said.

The study will consider how partners may influence one another’s sleep, eating habits, physical activity and experiences of stress. Researchers aim to determine whether these everyday interactions are reflected in measurable health outcomes.

Findings Could Inform Future Health Interventions

If the findings support the researchers’ hypothesis, they could help inform future approaches to health interventions by recognising the role partners play in supporting lifestyle changes.

Rather than focusing exclusively on individuals, future interventions might involve both partners and account for how shared responsibilities, routines and relationship dynamics affect a person’s ability to maintain healthier habits.

The study may also contribute to a broader understanding of health as a shared experience. By examining how couples’ daily lives intersect with blood glucose regulation and potential heart disease risk, the researchers hope to clarify whether relationship quality and routine consistency are important factors in physical health.

The research is still investigating these connections, and the study’s findings will be needed to establish whether the proposed relationships are supported by the data.

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ISS Crew Conducts Blood Vessel Bioprinting, Spacesuit Checks and Robotics Training

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

The Expedition 75 crew aboard the International Space Station carried out blood vessel bioprinting, spacesuit preparations, robotic arm training and Earth photography on Thursday, supporting scientific research and an upcoming spacewalk.

NASA flight engineer Luke Delaney operated the station’s BioFabrication Facility inside the Columbus laboratory module to begin printing blood vessels using vascular cells. He retrieved the cells from a science freezer, thawed them and mixed them with biological printing material before loading the mixture into the bioprinter.

NASA flight engineer Anil Menon later preserved and nourished the printed tissues inside the facility for cultivation. The experiment contributes to research into bioprinting biological tissues in space.

Spacesuit Checks Ahead of Spacewalk

Menon and NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins assisted Canadian Space Agency astronaut Josh Kutryk as he practised putting on a spacesuit inside the station’s Quest airlock simulator. The checks assessed fit, comfort and system functionality, while accounting for physical changes such as spinal elongation that can occur in microgravity.

Menon and Kutryk are scheduled to conduct a spacewalk on October 29 to install a roll-out solar array on the station’s port-side truss structure.

Delaney also trained to operate the Canadarm2 robotic arm, which will assist the spacewalkers during the installation. He and Watkins are expected to help the astronauts with their spacesuits and provide support during the planned six-hour-and-45-minute excursion.

Robotics Training and Earth Photography

Roscosmos flight engineer Sergey Teteryatnikov practised operating the European robotic arm attached to the Nauka science module. He subsequently configured and activated Earth-observation equipment to photograph landmarks in Asia and South America using visible and near-infrared wavelengths during the crew’s sleep period.

Roscosmos flight engineer Anna Kikina photographed lakes in eastern Africa through a window in the Zvezda service module and assisted Teteryatnikov with configuring the Earth-observation camera.

Meanwhile, station commander Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos handled plumbing tasks inside Zvezda before photographing fellow crew members at work aboard the orbital laboratory.

The day’s activities combined biological research, preparations for station maintenance and Earth-observation work, reflecting the range of scientific and operational tasks undertaken by the Expedition 75 crew.

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NASA to Discuss Lunar Exploration and Space Technology at 2026 Symposium

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

NASA will join the 2026 von Braun Space Exploration Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, from October 26 to 28, to discuss lunar exploration, sustainable Moon infrastructure, advanced propulsion and the future space workforce.

Organised by the American Astronautical Society in collaboration with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the annual event will take place at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Discussions will cover NASA’s Artemis II and III missions, space nuclear technology, lunar infrastructure, supply chain resilience and advances in space propulsion.

The programme will also feature sessions on workforce development and engineering, alongside keynote addresses and awards presentations.

NASA Officials to Participate

Speakers include NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails, Marshall Space Flight Center Director Stephen Cash, Science Mission Directorate Associate Administrator Nicky Fox, and Artemis II Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson. Other participants include Steve Creech, Human Landing System programme manager, and Debbie Whitis Korth, acting Orion programme manager.

Media representatives seeking interviews must contact Lance D. Davis at lance.d.davis@nasa.gov and Joel Wallace at joel.w.wallace@nasa.gov. Those wishing to attend in person or online must register through the American Astronautical Society.

The symposium brings together government, industry, policy and academic leaders to discuss developments in space exploration and future priorities.

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NASA Satellites Reveal 2026 El Niño May Rival the Record-Setting 1997 Event

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

NASA satellite observations indicate that the El Niño developing in 2026 could rival some of the strongest events recorded over the past three decades. By comparing ocean surface height measurements from October 1997 and October 2026, scientists have identified similarities that could offer clues about the weather impacts expected in the coming months.

El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern that develops roughly every two to seven years. It involves warmer-than-normal water across parts of the equatorial Pacific Ocean and can disrupt weather patterns worldwide. Previous strong events, particularly those in 1997-98 and 2015-16, were associated with wildfires in Indonesia and the Amazon, drought-related crop failures in southern Africa, and heavy rainfall and coastal flooding in Southern California.

According to Josh Willis, project scientist for sea level missions at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), each El Niño develops differently depending on where warm water accumulates in the Pacific and how the atmosphere responds.

“The search for the ‘typical’ El Niño is very elusive,” Willis said. “They’re all different in terms of where they land and how their impacts play out.”

How Satellites Track El Niño’s Development

El Niño develops through interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere. Under normal conditions, trade winds push warm surface water towards the western Pacific, where sea levels are higher than in the east. When these winds weaken, warm water moves eastward, further weakening the winds and sometimes reversing their direction. This feedback loop allows more warm water to accumulate in the central and eastern Pacific.

NASA uses satellite altimetry to measure changes in sea surface height, helping scientists track the movement and accumulation of warm water. As seawater warms, it expands, contributing to higher-than-average sea levels. These changes provide an indicator of the heat building up across the equatorial Pacific.

The October 13, 1997, map was created using data from the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite, while the October 12, 2026, map uses observations from the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite. Scientists at JPL processed the data, removing seasonal variations and long-term trends to highlight short-term sea level anomalies associated with El Niño and other natural phenomena.

The resulting maps use red to indicate higher-than-average sea levels, white for near-normal conditions and blue for lower-than-average levels.

Willis said the satellite record is particularly valuable because it spans 35 years and includes missions that overlap and follow nearly identical ground tracks.

“What’s unique about altimetry is that we have a 35-year record from nearly identical satellites flying almost the same ground track, with each mission overlapping the next,” Willis said. “That lets us look back in time and compare this El Niño to what happened in 1997. And right now, this one is on track to be even bigger.”

How the 2026 Event Compares With 1997 and 2015

Although the 2026 El Niño developed more suddenly than the 1997-98 event, satellite observations show similarities in their structure. Both display lower sea levels in the western Pacific and elevated sea levels extending eastward towards South America.

These similarities suggest that the two events could produce comparable weather impacts. During the 1997-98 El Niño, for example, California and the southern United States experienced substantial rainfall.

The powerful 2015-16 El Niño, however, developed a different pattern. Satellite maps from October 2015 show that the exceptionally warm water along the equator did not extend towards the South American coast as strongly as it did in 1997 and 2026.

That difference was associated with a different distribution of rainfall during the winter of 2015-16. Impacts were concentrated more heavily over Central America and the southeastern United States, while Mexico experienced significant flooding.

The comparison highlights why the strength of an El Niño alone cannot fully predict its consequences. The location of elevated sea levels and the distribution of warm water across the Pacific also influence how the event affects regional weather.

Strong El Niño Conditions Expected to Continue Into 2027

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s October 8, 2026, outlook estimated an 83 percent chance that a strong-to-very strong El Niño would persist through the first three months of 2027.

However, scientists caution that the eventual impacts of the 2026-27 winter remain uncertain. El Niño influences weather through the atmosphere, a complex and chaotic system in which climate signals can become less clear as they spread beyond the tropics.

Willis warned against assuming that the similarities with 1997 guarantee identical outcomes.

“There’s always a bit of a dice roll here,” Willis said. “Just because this El Niño looks like 1997 doesn’t mean it will be exactly the same—it’s just our best guess at the moment.”

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Indian Student Wins Global Youth Institute Award at World Food Prize Foundation Symposium

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), New Delhi, highlighted India’s agricultural research achievements at the World Food Prize Foundation’s 2026 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, held from October 20 to 22 in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The event, themed “Before Hunger Wins”, brought together opportunities for international engagement on agricultural research, food security and sustainable agri-food systems.

India’s participation included an exhibition showcasing publications from NAAS and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the involvement of young Indian students in the Global Youth Institute (GYI), a roundtable discussion on agricultural higher education and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NAAS and the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), USA.

A key highlight was the recognition of Ameena Nazreen A S, who received a Global Youth Institute award carrying a cash prize of US$500. She was among seven high school students from different parts of India selected through the NAAS-YUVA selection drive to participate in the international programme.

The students presented research papers addressing global food-security challenges, gaining opportunities to exchange ideas with international peers and discuss sustainable approaches to agriculture and food systems.

Indian Students Present Research on Global Food Security

Seven Indian high school students participated in the Global Youth Institute programme during the World Food Prize Foundation event. Selected through the NAAS-YUVA selection drive, they presented research papers focused on pressing food-security challenges.

Their participation offered a platform to engage with students from other countries, exchange perspectives and explore issues affecting sustainable agri-food systems. Ameena Nazreen A S’s award brought recognition to the student, NAAS and India, highlighting the contribution of young Indian talent to international discussions on food security.

Beyond the student programme, NAAS established an exhibition booth featuring publications from the Academy and ICAR. The display aimed to bring Indian agricultural research, scientific knowledge and policy perspectives to an international audience of researchers, academics, policymakers and other stakeholders.

The Academy’s participation reflected an effort to strengthen the international visibility of India’s agricultural research and encourage collaboration with scientific and educational institutions abroad.

NAAS Calls for Global Partnerships in Agricultural Education

A special roundtable on agricultural higher education was organised alongside the 2026 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue. The discussion brought members of the Indian agricultural diaspora together to explore how international partnerships could help transform agricultural education and prepare professionals for emerging global challenges.

Addressing the meeting virtually, Dr. M. L. Jat, President of NAAS, Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), and Director General of ICAR, called for a renewed approach to agricultural higher education.

He highlighted challenges including climate change, natural resource degradation, biodiversity loss and the growing demand for nutritious and healthy food. According to the announcement, he emphasised the need to move beyond production-centric agriculture towards an integrated agri-food systems and value-chain approach.

Dr. Jat also stressed the importance of stronger collaboration between academic institutions and industry, international knowledge exchange and engagement with the Indian agricultural diaspora. These efforts, he said, can help develop industry-ready professionals while strengthening agricultural research and education.

He further highlighted NAAS’s role in encouraging policy dialogue and bringing researchers, policymakers, academic institutions and industry representatives together to address emerging challenges in agricultural research and development.

NAAS and CAST Sign Agreement to Strengthen Cooperation

Another key development was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between NAAS and the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology in the United States.

The agreement aims to create new opportunities for cooperation in agricultural research, capacity development and knowledge exchange. It is expected to strengthen institutional relationships and facilitate international scientific collaboration.

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Electronic Nose Technology Could Help Validate Police Detection Dogs’ Training

Posted on October 22, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

An electronic nose designed to analyse odours could help police assess the training and performance of human-remains detection dogs, according to a pilot study by researchers at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). The technology, known as NOS.E, was tested alongside police dogs to investigate whether it could detect buried human remains and help confirm the signals produced by the animals.

The study, published in PLOS One, examined a clandestine burial site in a long-term missing-person scenario involving human remains that had been buried for more than three months. While the dogs independently searched the site, the electronic nose sampled odours from the burial location and surrounding control areas.

Dr Amber O. Brown, the study’s lead author, who completed her PhD at UTS, said human-remains detection dogs are among the most effective tools for locating buried bodies. However, researchers still have limited knowledge of the specific chemical compounds that trigger their responses.

“This study tested whether an electronic nose could detect buried human remains and help confirm alerts made by human-remains detection dogs,” she said. “NOS.E allows us to take technology developed in the laboratory into the field, while giving law enforcement an objective way to assess whether dog training is working.”

Developed through collaboration between forensic science and engineering researchers at UTS, NOS.E is intended to provide measurable information about the chemical signals associated with decomposition. The researchers hope that combining this information with canine searches could help trainers better understand what detection dogs are identifying.

Analysing Decomposition Odours to Improve Dog Training

Training human-remains detection dogs presents a particular challenge because the smell of decomposing remains changes over time. According to Dr Brown, decomposition progresses through five distinct stages, each producing different odours at varying concentrations.

“That makes training much more complicated than teaching a dog to detect a relatively stable substance,” she said. “By tracking those chemical changes in real time, we may be able to identify whether dogs need more training on the earlier or later stages of decomposition.

“For younger dogs in particular, the technology could help trainers determine whether a dog is genuinely responding to decomposition odour or being influenced by another cue.”

An electronic nose could help address this uncertainty by identifying chemical patterns in the environment and showing whether decomposition-related odours are present, including in locations where a dog does not alert.

Associate Professor Maiken Ueland, director of the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER), said that although cadaver detection dogs are valuable forensic tools, their training involves unresolved questions about scent recognition.

“We don’t know exactly what they are smelling – whether it’s a single compound or a combination of compounds,” she said. “The electronic nose can provide greater certainty during training by showing whether decomposition odour is present in an area, including when a dog does not alert.”

The technology could therefore help trainers compare dogs’ responses with chemical measurements, potentially identifying gaps in training and improving understanding of how detection performance changes as remains decompose.

However, the researchers envisage NOS.E as a complementary tool rather than a substitute for trained dogs.

“Dogs have a superior sense of smell and can search an area rapidly, while the technology can tell us more about the chemicals being detected,” said Associate Professor Ueland. “The electronic nose can act as a bridge between the extraordinary scent picture available to a dog and the chemical signals that humans can measure and understand.

“In mass disasters or other hazardous environments, it may be too dangerous to send in people or dogs. The electronic nose could offer another option for searching those areas safely.”

Potential Applications in Forensic Investigations

Beyond supporting dog-training programmes, electronic nose technology could eventually contribute to forensic searches in difficult or hazardous environments. Chemical analysis may help investigators identify areas requiring further examination, while offering an additional source of information alongside canine detection.

The researchers also highlighted the importance of collaboration between academic institutions and law enforcement. Associate Professor Ueland said police identified the potential for the electronic nose to be used as a dog-training tool, an application the research team had not originally considered.

“Police identified the electronic nose’s potential as a dog-training tool – an application we hadn’t originally considered,” she said.

The current research remains a pilot study, and further investigation will be necessary to establish how reliably the technology can detect decomposition odours under different conditions. The team plans to expand the work through a larger, longer-term study involving more donors, additional dogs and repeated visits to research sites.

“Our next step is to expand this pilot into a larger, longer-term study involving multiple donors, more dogs and repeated site visits,” said Associate Professor Ueland. “The challenge will be maintaining rigorous controls, so dogs and handlers don’t become familiar with the site or receive unintended clues.”

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Jackie Sherrill to Receive 2027 Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award

Posted on October 22, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

Jackie Sherrill, one of the most accomplished coaches in college football, has been selected to receive the American Heart Association’s 2027 Paul “Bear” Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by HFG Wealth Management. The announcement was made in Houston on October 20, 2026, recognising Sherrill’s decades-long career and his contributions to the development of players and the sport.

The award honours coaches for their achievements both on and off the football field. It also supports the American Heart Association’s mission to improve cardiovascular health, advance lifesaving research and raise awareness about heart disease.

The association presents the Bear Bryant Awards annually to celebrate excellence in coaching and honour the legacy of Paul “Bear” Bryant, the legendary coach who died from a heart attack in 1983, just 28 days after his final victory and retirement. Since their inception, the awards have brought together members of the football community to support the association’s work.

“Coach Sherrill’s impact on college football spans generations and extends far beyond wins and championships,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. “Through his leadership, commitment to excellence and dedication to developing young people, he exemplifies the values that defined coach Bryant’s remarkable legacy and continue to inspire others today. We are honored to recognize coach Sherrill’s lasting impact on the game and the people he helped shape throughout his career.”

Now in its 28th year, the Lifetime Achievement Award is selected through voting by the National Sports Media Association. Its criteria, established by the Bryant family, include integrity, leadership, dedication to developing young people and excellence in teaching football.

From Alabama Player to Accomplished College Football Coach

Sherrill’s connection to Bryant began during his playing career. Born in Duncan, Oklahoma, Sherrill played for Bryant at the University of Alabama from 1962 to 1965, helping the Crimson Tide win two national championships. He later returned to work as a graduate assistant under Bryant before beginning a coaching career that would span more than three decades.

Across 27 seasons as a head coach at Washington State, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M and Mississippi State, Sherrill recorded 180 wins, 120 losses and four ties.

His national profile grew during his tenure at the University of Pittsburgh, where he succeeded Johnny Majors. Between 1977 and 1981, Sherrill led the Panthers to a 50-9-1 record and five consecutive top-10 national finishes. His programme also helped develop future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino.

Sherrill’s coaching staff at Pittsburgh included Jimmy Johnson, who later won national championships, and Dave Wannstedt, who went on to become an NFL head coach.

In 1982, Sherrill moved to Texas A&M, where he built the Aggies into a major force in the Southwest Conference (SWC). The team won three consecutive SWC championships from 1985 to 1987, and Sherrill earned three consecutive SWC Coach of the Year honours during that period.

He also established the university’s renowned “12th Man Kickoff Team” tradition, which remains part of Aggie football culture.

Sherrill joined Mississippi State in 1991 and took charge of a programme that had not recorded a winning season since 1986. During his tenure, he guided the Bulldogs to six bowl appearances, an SEC Western Division title in 1998 and a top-15 national finish in 1999. His 75 victories remain the most recorded by any head coach in Mississippi State history.

Sherrill Reflects on Bryant’s Influence and Award Recognition

Sherrill said receiving an award named after his former coach held particular significance because of Bryant’s influence on his life and career.

“Receiving an award that bears Coach Bryant’s name is truly special,” said Sherrill. “Coach Bryant shaped my life as a player, a coach and a person. I’ve always believed that success is measured by the people you help develop and the relationships you build along the way. I’m deeply honored and humbled by this recognition.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award is one of five honours presented during the annual Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards ceremony. The 41st ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, January 27, 2027, in Houston, Texas, and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

The event is presented by Memorial Hermann Health System. Bruce Arians has already been announced as the recipient of the Heart of a Champion Award. The ceremony will also recognise the Fan Favorite, Newcomer Coach of the Year and 2026 Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year. Beyond celebrating coaching achievements, the awards help raise funds and awareness for the American Heart Association’s efforts to advance lifesaving research and improve cardiovascular health.

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Women Scientists Largely Missing From UK School Science Exam Specifications, Study Finds

Posted on October 22, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

Women scientists and their contributions are largely missing from compulsory science learning materials used by UK school examination boards, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. The study found that just one woman appeared among 86 scientists mentioned in Key Stage 4 (KS4) science specifications, which cover GCSE-level and equivalent qualifications.

The research, published in the British Educational Research Journal, analysed specifications from the UK’s six main examination boards across biology, chemistry, environmental science, geology, physics and astronomy. Rosalind Franklin, whose X-ray crystallography research contributed to the discovery of DNA’s double-helix structure, was the only woman identified in the KS4 materials. Even her contribution appeared in just one specification.

The researchers, Dr Greg J Cooke, Skyla B White and Stephanie Buttigieg, collaborated with the IncludeHer movement to examine how women’s scientific achievements are represented in school curricula. They found that several important discoveries included in compulsory learning materials were made by women, yet their names and contributions were not explicitly acknowledged in the specifications.

The team argues that relatively small changes to existing curricula could address these omissions without requiring substantial restructuring of the science syllabus. Including the achievements of women scientists, including Nobel Prize winners, could help students understand the history of scientific discovery and encourage more girls to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

Gender Gap in Advanced Science Subjects Raises Concerns

The researchers identified a potential relationship between the gender representation of scientists in compulsory learning materials and the subjects students choose to study at higher levels.

Although girls typically outperform boys in most STEM subjects at KS4, boys are significantly more likely to choose physics, mathematics and further mathematics at Key Stage 5 (KS5), which covers A-level and equivalent qualifications. The proportion of girls opting for mathematics and further mathematics is now lower than it was in 2005.

The study found a “compelling” correlation between the gender representation of scientists encountered by students at KS4 and the STEM subjects girls subsequently choose at KS5. The researchers suggest that the transition between these educational stages may be a critical point for retaining girls in science.

Physics specifications at KS4 were found to contain a particularly strong concentration of male scientists. The researchers suggest that this lack of representation could be one factor influencing the considerably lower proportion of girls who continue studying physics at KS5 compared with boys.

Biology and chemistry, which are slightly more popular among girls than boys at KS5, showed a different pattern. Their KS4 specifications contained fewer references to individual scientists overall.

The team acknowledges that women’s under-representation in STEM careers results from multiple, complex factors. However, the researchers argue that increasing the visibility of women scientists in school materials could help challenge stereotypes about who can succeed in science.

Research on relatable STEM role models has indicated that seeing people with whom students can identify can strengthen their sense of belonging in science and encourage positive attitudes towards scientific careers. The Cambridge team believes that making women’s achievements part of compulsory learning could help more girls envisage a future in STEM.

Dr Greg J Cooke said: “The women we recommend for the updated science specifications have helped shape the modern world. It is important that students understand the iterative history of science and the context behind these discoveries to frame their knowledge when assessing the bigger picture: How did Susan Solomon help save the ozone layer? How did Lise Meitner’s work eventually lead to the dawn of the nuclear age? It is long overdue that we teach these inspiring stories about women.”

Researchers Recommend Including More Women Scientists

The Cambridge researchers identified specific opportunities to incorporate women scientists’ contributions into existing examination specifications.

For KS4 biology, they recommend including Rosalind Franklin in every specification, rather than limiting references to her work to a single one.

In chemistry, they suggest introducing Marie Skłodowska-Curie during lessons on atomic structure and isotopes. Curie won two Nobel Prizes, discovered polonium and radium, and coined the term “radioactivity”.

For physics, the researchers recommend including Lise Meitner, a nuclear physicist who contributed to the discovery of nuclear fission and provided the first theoretical explanation of the process. Despite her contribution, she was controversially excluded from a Nobel Prize.

The study also examined KS5 examination specifications and found that only three of the 181 scientists mentioned were women: Rosalind Franklin, geologist Marie Tharp and seismologist Inge Lehmann.

The researchers recommend including Dorothy Hodgkin’s work in KS5 biology lessons on protein structure. Hodgkin won a Nobel Prize for using X-ray crystallography to determine the structures of important biological molecules, including insulin.

They also highlighted the omission of Annie Jump Cannon, whose work contributed to the development of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, a tool taught in school science despite her name not appearing in the specifications.

Skyla B White said: “Despite years of effort to achieve gender parity in science, it is disappointing that students in the UK can complete their science education without learning the names of the women behind the scientific discoveries they study. This matters because it is at this stage, when students begin to choose which subjects to pursue further, that the gender divide grows. It’s fantastic that students learn about the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, for example, but it was built on the work of Annie Jump Cannon, who is not mentioned. You can’t tell one story without the other.”

Stephanie Buttigieg said: “Research has shown that relatable role models can help keep more girls in STEM by strengthening their sense of belonging in science and fostering positive attitudes towards scientific careers. When school science specifications leave out women’s names, they miss a real opportunity to help girls see a future for themselves in science and continue to reinforce the harmful stereotype that science is mainly for men.”

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Smart Adhesive Patch Offers Firm Attachment and Gentler Removal to Protect Skin

Posted on October 22, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

Removing a medical bandage can cause pain and skin irritation, but for newborns, older adults and critically ill patients, repeated removal of medical adhesives can lead to more serious injuries. Researchers at Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH) have developed a smart adhesive patch designed to remain firmly attached during use while releasing with significantly less force when needed.

The research team was led by Professors Jin-Tae Kim and Seok Kim from POSTECH’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, alongside integrated MS-PhD students Uhyeon Kim and Hyein Jung. Professor Chang-Hee Son of Texas Tech University also contributed to the research, which was conducted in collaboration with Professor John A. Rogers at Northwestern University. The findings were published online in Nature Communications.

The technology addresses a challenge associated with skin-mounted medical devices. Sensors that monitor cardiac activity, respiration and movement need stable contact with the body to collect reliable physiological signals. Conventional adhesives are therefore designed to maximise adhesion, but their strong attachment can make removal difficult and increase the risk of medical adhesive-related skin injury (MARSI).

The new patch uses a shape-memory polymer that changes its surface structure when exposed to mild heat. This allows it to maintain reliable attachment during use and reduce its adhesion when removal is required.

Shape-Memory Technology Enables Controlled Detachment

The researchers designed the adhesive surface with an array of pyramid-shaped structures made from a shape-memory polymer (SMP). These materials can recover a previously programmed shape when exposed to a specific temperature.

In its dormant state, the patch’s pyramidal structures remain flattened. This configuration creates broad contact between the adhesive and the skin, helping the patch maintain a stable attachment during use.

When the patch is gently heated above the polymer’s glass transition temperature, the structures recover their original pyramidal geometry. This transformation reduces the effective contact area between the adhesive and the skin, creating small gaps at the interface and allowing the patch to detach more easily.

Experimental results showed that thermal activation reduced adhesion energy by up to approximately 99%, while the patch maintained stable attachment in its dormant state.

To examine how the adhesive affected the skin during removal, the researchers used three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC), a technique that allows them to visualise deformation beneath a surface. Their measurements showed that the activated adhesive substantially reduced peeling force and suppressed subsurface skin deformation compared with the dormant state.

These results were observed in both a skin phantom and human skin, providing evidence that the technology can reduce mechanical stress at the skin-adhesive interface.

“This work is meaningful because it controls the mechanical forces at the skin-device interface, rather than simply changing the adhesive material itself,” said Professor Jin-Tae Kim. “By combining stable attachment with low-force removal, the platform offers a practical route toward safer skin-interfaced biomedical devices.”

Flexible Design Supports Wearable Medical Monitoring

The researchers also incorporated a kirigami-inspired structure into the adhesive to improve its ability to conform to curved parts of the body. Kirigami-inspired designs use carefully arranged cuts or patterns to improve flexibility and adaptability.

This modification enhanced the patch’s mechanical conformability around areas such as joints and improved moisture transport through the adhesive layer. These properties could help the patch maintain contact across different body surfaces while supporting comfortable wear.

The team also integrated the adhesive with wireless mechano-acoustic sensing devices. The resulting system demonstrated stable biosignal acquisition while attached to the body, followed by controlled detachment after thermal activation.

The combination of reliable sensing and easier removal could be particularly useful in medical settings where monitoring equipment must be attached and removed repeatedly. Potential applications include neonatal intensive care units, geriatric wards and long-term patient monitoring, where fragile skin may be especially vulnerable to repeated adhesive contact.

Professor Seok Kim highlighted the difference between the new approach and conventional medical adhesives.

“What sets this apart from existing medical adhesive technologies is that it actively switches the adhesive properties by utilizing the microstructure of shape-memory polymers, allowing it to adhere firmly during use and be easily removed when needed.”

Professor Chang-Hee Son also pointed to the technology’s potential beyond medical patches.

“Because this approach enables both reliable adhesion and gentle detachment, it can be extended toward a broader class of technologies in which adhesion needs to be actively controlled on demand.”

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Young Manta Rays Stay Close to Shore Before Migrating Into the Open Ocean

Posted on October 22, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

Young giant manta rays remain close to coastlines during their early years, using shallow waters as refuges before venturing into the open ocean as adults, according to a new study published in Frontiers in Fish Science. The research provides the first detailed investigation of giant manta ray movements in Central America, revealing a striking difference between the habitats used by juveniles and mature individuals.

Giant manta rays can grow up to nine metres long, with a disc width of seven metres and a weight of up to 2,000 kilograms. Once they reach adulthood at around eight to ten years old, their enormous size leaves them with few natural predators. Their young, known as pups, are more vulnerable to predators in the open ocean, including several shark species and orcas.

Researchers found that juvenile manta rays remain in shallow coastal areas where food is available and reefs provide shelter and essential cleaning services. As the rays mature, their movements change considerably, with adults undertaking long-distance migrations along the continental shelf break across Central America.

“We show that manta rays’ lifestyle isn’t a one-size-fits-all behavior. Giant manta rays in Central America undergo a dramatic shift in space use as they mature,” said lead author Jeffry Madrigal-Mesén, a researcher and project leader of Mantas Costa Rica. “Juveniles remained strictly within shallow nearshore waters that serve as coastal refuges, but most of the tracked adults executed long-distance transboundary migrations along the continental shelf break into Central America.”

Tracking Reveals Different Habitats for Young and Adult Rays

The research team used three complementary methods to track and identify manta rays at five locations between 2018 and 2025.

Acoustic telemetry, which uses underwater sound pulses, enabled researchers to monitor the fine-scale movements of 59 individuals around coastal aggregation sites, including cleaning stations. Satellite telemetry was used to track the broader movements of 12 individuals, while photo identification helped researchers distinguish individual manta rays.

Together, these methods generated a dataset containing more than 12,000 detections, providing insights into how the rays use coastal and offshore habitats.

“If we hadn’t used all three technologies together, we simply wouldn’t have been able to piece this puzzle together,” explained Madrigal-Mesén. “Combining these tools turned fragmented data into a unified, undeniable story.”

The findings showed that young manta rays, with disc widths of approximately three metres or less, remained in shallow coastal refuges. These areas offer access to food, hiding places and reef-based cleaning services while keeping the juveniles away from the hunting grounds of some open-ocean predators.

Madrigal-Mesén said mature rays have advantages that juveniles lack, including their large body size and ability to dive deeply to evade threats. The researchers also observed that young individuals repeatedly returned to the same coastal locations, sometimes being sighted at their original tagging sites more than a year later.

“Mature adults can rely on their massive body size and their ability to dive deep to evade threats. But juveniles don’t have that luxury,” said Madrigal-Mesén. “What is truly amazing is seeing how strictly young manta rays stick to coastal waters as long-term refuges. We see the same individuals more often than once a year. In fact, just recently, they were sighted again at the exact same tagging location,” continued Madrigal-Mesén. “It is always a joy to see them again – they have truly become a part of the family.”

In contrast, nine mature manta rays undertook extensive migrations along the continental shelf break. Their movements indicated that adults also retain strong attachments to particular locations, despite travelling over much larger distances.

One individual, nicknamed Mickey Mouse because of the distinctive spot pattern on his belly, was particularly valuable to the research. His unusual approachability allowed scientists to tag him multiple times over several years, creating a continuous record of his movements.

In 2020, Mickey Mouse registered 462 acoustic detections at El Secreto, a coastal hub. Three years later, he returned to the same shelf area and remained there for 38 days.

“Nearshore cleaning stations transcend basic hygienic function; they act as primary social hubs where courtship and reproductive interactions take place,” explained Madrigal-Mesén. “Returning to a predictable coastal depot allows mature rays to prioritize social and cleaning needs before undertaking large-scale regional migrations.”

Researchers Call for Protected Migration Routes

Although adult manta rays benefit from their size and diving abilities, their long-distance movements expose them to different threats. Coastal habitats are often covered by marine protected areas, but protection may not extend to the international waters and offshore corridors that adults cross during migration.

“As soon as these rays move beyond isolated marine reserves, their legal protection drops to zero. This exposes them to unselective industrial fisheries and vessel strikes as they navigate unprotected international corridors,” said Madrigal-Mesén.

The researchers argue that marine protected areas alone cannot adequately protect a highly mobile species whose habitat requirements change with age and whose migrations cross national boundaries.

They propose establishing multinational conservation swimways that connect coastal refuges used by juveniles with the migratory corridors travelled by adults. Such networks could help provide more continuous protection as manta rays move between national waters and unprotected offshore areas.

The study highlights the importance of understanding how marine species use different habitats throughout their lives. Protecting the shallow coastal environments where young manta rays grow is important, but conservation measures must also account for the extensive movements of adults.

“This study opens a new chapter for manta ray research in Central America,” Madrigal-Mesén concluded. “We hope it sparks fresh enthusiasm and encourages future collaborators to join us in executing the new ideas and research projects we have planned for the conservation of this species.”

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Scientists Find Evidence of a Rare Accretion Disk Around Centaurus X-3

Posted on October 22, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

Scientists have uncovered evidence of a rare structure around Centaurus X-3, one of the brightest X-ray pulsars known to astronomers. The discovery suggests that the system draws in material through an accretion disk, a process considered uncommon among high-mass X-ray binaries.

The research was led by Kinjal Roy of the Raman Research Institute (RRI), an autonomous institution under the Department of Science and Technology (DST). By examining four secondary emission lines in detail, the team found that the structure responsible for variations in these emissions must rotate in coordination with the pulsar.

The findings could help scientists develop more accurate models of Centaurus X-3, one of the most extensively studied binary pulsars. They may also improve understanding of the physical processes operating in binary pulsar systems more broadly.

Centaurus X-3 is a high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) located approximately 24,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus. Its companion star has more than 10 times the mass of the Sun. The system was among the first X-ray pulsars discovered and was the third X-ray source identified in the Centaurus constellation.

How Pulsars Produce X-rays and Secondary Emission

An X-ray binary pulsar consists of a pulsar, which is a highly magnetised neutron star, and a companion star bound to it by gravity. A neutron star contains roughly the mass of the Sun compressed into an extremely small object, approximately the size of Bengaluru.

The pulsar’s intense gravitational field pulls in material expelled by its companion star. As this material falls towards the neutron star, the process of accretion generates X-rays.

Pulsars emit radiation from their magnetic poles. This primary emission sweeps through space as the neutron star rotates, allowing satellites positioned to observe the system to detect periodic signals.

Some of this radiation also strikes surrounding structures, including the pulsar’s surface, the surface of its companion star and the stellar wind released by the companion. These structures absorb and re-emit the radiation, producing what scientists call secondary radiation.

Studying this secondary emission can help researchers investigate structures that cannot be directly resolved through conventional observations. Such measurements can reveal information about a binary system’s physical characteristics, including its orientation and magnetic field strength.

However, X-ray binaries are so distant that they appear as point sources to observers. This makes it difficult to distinguish their individual components and understand the structures surrounding them. Changes in secondary emission provide an alternative way to investigate these otherwise hidden features.

Previous studies had established that the intensity of secondary emission lines in Centaurus X-3 varied with the pulsar’s rotation. Building on these observations, Roy and the RRI team investigated four such emission lines to determine what was causing the variations.

Accretion Stream Points to a Rare Disk Structure

The researchers found that the structure responsible for the changing secondary emission lines must be rotating along with the pulsar. Their analysis pointed to the accretion stream, which channels material from an accretion disk towards the neutron star.

An accretion stream carries matter from the disk and directs it towards the pulsar’s magnetic poles, where the material follows the magnetic field lines. As this stream rotates, it can periodically obstruct a satellite’s view of the pulsar.

When the accretion stream moves into the line of sight, the detected primary emission from the pulsar decreases, while the secondary emission from the stream increases. This changing pattern provides evidence that the accretion stream is responsible for the observed variability.

The existence of such a stream also indicates that an accretion disk must be present in the system. This is significant because high-mass X-ray binaries generally accumulate matter through the direct capture of stellar wind from their companion stars, rather than through an accretion disk.

Roy highlighted the implications for existing models of the system.

“Accretion disk is not expected to occur in [HMXBs] So, if an accretion disk is forming in this system, emission models have to be modified,” says Roy.

He further explained that future modelling of Centaurus X-3 would need to account for radiation from the disk.

“When Centaurus X-3 modelling happens in future work, emission from the disk must be accounted for,” he added.

The findings suggest that the mechanisms governing matter accretion in Centaurus X-3 may be more complex than previously expected. By identifying the accretion stream as the source of the changing secondary emission lines, the researchers have provided evidence for a disk-mediated process in this high-mass binary system.

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Namami Gange Adopts Innovative Technologies to Improve Wastewater Treatment

Posted on October 22, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

The Government of India’s Namami Gange Programme is adopting a range of conventional and innovative wastewater treatment technologies to address pollution in the Ganga river basin. The initiative combines new sewage treatment infrastructure with decentralised treatment systems, energy recovery, sludge management and the rehabilitation of ageing sewer networks.

Launched in 2014, the Namami Gange Programme is an Integrated Conservation Mission with two main objectives: effective pollution abatement and the conservation and rejuvenation of the National River Ganga. Its principal areas of intervention include sewerage treatment infrastructure, riverfront development, river-surface cleaning, biodiversity conservation, afforestation, public awareness, industrial effluent monitoring and Ganga Gram.

According to information released by the Press Information Bureau on October 21, 2026, the programme has undertaken 219 projects worth an estimated ₹35,664 crore, of which 147 have been completed. Across 10 Ganga basin states, interventions include the development of 6,603 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage treatment plant capacity, with 4,341 MLD created.

The programme follows a technology-neutral approach, selecting treatment processes according to local conditions, sewage characteristics, available land, discharge standards and opportunities for treated-water reuse.

Diverse Technologies Address Different Wastewater Challenges

The Namami Gange Programme uses several treatment processes, including the Conventional Activated Sludge Process, Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket, Sequential Batch Reactor, Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor, Fluidized Aerated Bed and Food Chain Reactor. Other approaches include electrocoagulation, constructed wetlands and packaged treatment systems such as Johkasou.

Activated sludge uses microorganisms to break down organic matter into carbon dioxide, water and other inorganic compounds. Sequential Batch Reactor technology uses a cyclic activated-sludge process to achieve high treatment efficiency through a single-step biological process.

The programme has also introduced technologies designed to reduce land requirements, energy consumption and operational complexity.

Food Chain Reactor: This technology improves upon conventional activated-sludge and Sequential Batch Reactor processes by incorporating fixed artificial media and plant roots. It offers a smaller footprint, lower power consumption and nutrient removal. Five FCR-based sewage treatment plants are operational: two at Bhatpara in West Bengal and three at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. Another plant is under construction at Bhagalpur in Bihar, with an approximate area of 175 square metres per MLD.

Electrocoagulation: This non-biological process uses electric current and a coagulant metal anode to destabilise suspended and emulsified pollutants. It can be suitable for cold temperatures, hilly terrain and locations with limited access. Uttarakhand has 17 recorded installations, including a 0.05 MLD plant at Police Chowki, a 1.19 MLD plant at Vivekanand Colony and a 1.25 MLD plant at Pokhari Bend.

On-site treatment: An Advanced Oxidation Process-based pilot at Varanasi’s Assi Drain was designed to treat excess wastewater near its source, avoiding the need for long interception and diversion sewer lines. The approach aims to improve water quality, increase dissolved oxygen and eliminate odour. Its financing model links payments to the volume of treated water and the achievement of performance indicators, without an upfront capital payment.

Multi-storey treatment plants: At Muni Ki Reti’s Chandreshwar Nagar, the programme has developed the country’s first four-storey municipal sewage treatment plant under the initiative. The 7.5 MLD facility occupies approximately 900 square metres, addressing land constraints and the challenges posed by local drainage conditions. Its land requirement is around 120 square metres per MLD with biological nutrient removal, compared with 400 square metres per MLD for the cited conventional alternative.

Nature-Based and Decentralised Treatment Solutions

The programme recognises that smaller settlements may not have the land, infrastructure or financial resources required for conventional sewer networks and large treatment plants. Decentralised and nature-based systems provide alternatives for such locations.

Constructed wetlands use plants, growing media, water, soil and microorganisms to remove pollutants under controlled conditions. In Bithoor, Uttar Pradesh, six wetlands were developed directly on drains to treat approximately 2 MLD of wastewater. The town, with a population of around 20,000, faced high conventional sewerage costs and a lack of suitable land for a treatment plant. Following third-party appraisal, constructed wetlands were selected as an emerging treatment technology. Biochemical Oxygen Demand levels fell from around 75 milligrams per litre at the inlet to below 10 milligrams per litre in the treated effluent.

Johkasou is another decentralised option. These prefabricated, plug-and-play units combine several treatment processes and can meet applicable regulatory and National Green Tribunal norms. They are useful where flows are low, construction is difficult or space is limited. Six installations have been recorded in Uttarakhand. Depending on the configuration, the systems may incorporate screening, primary and biological treatment, secondary settling, recirculation, disinfection and filtration.

NEREDA technology uses aerobic granular sludge, in which bacteria form compact granules with good settling properties. The technology offers a smaller footprint, lower construction costs and reduced operating expenditure. Reported power savings are approximately 50% compared with the Activated Sludge Process and 20% compared with the Sequential Batch Reactor. At the 60 MLD NEREDA-based plant at Pahadi Patna, the bioreactor occupies approximately 1,900 square metres, compared with 5,400 square metres for the cited SBR requirement.

Soil Biotechnology combines physical processes, such as sedimentation and infiltration, with biochemical processes to remove suspended solids and organic and inorganic substances. The system uses suitable minerals, native microorganisms and bio-indicator plants. A 1.2 MLD Soil Biotechnology-based sewage treatment plant was constructed at Devprayag, with effluent standards based on NGT parameters.

Faecal sludge and septage management extends treatment to areas without conventional sewer connections. At Chunar in Uttar Pradesh, a 10-kilolitre-per-day faecal sludge treatment plant pilot was sanctioned at a construction cost of ₹2.70 crore. An FSTP treats periodic septage from soak pits and septic tanks; it does not replace a conventional sewage treatment plant. Co-processing allows collected septage from unconnected areas to enter the wider treatment system alongside city sewage.

Energy Recovery and Greener Sewage Treatment Plants

Namami Gange also focuses on reducing the energy requirements and environmental impact of wastewater treatment. Anaerobic digestion breaks down organic matter in the absence of oxygen, producing biogas that can be used to generate electricity.

At Varanasi’s 140 MLD Dinapur STP, actual flow is approximately 110 MLD, with total monthly power consumption of 420,000 units. Biogas-based generation reaches around 220,000 to 300,000 units per month, representing approximately 52% to 72% of consumption. At the 80 MLD Naini STP in Prayagraj, biogas generation accounts for around 50% of daily power consumption. Projects at Jajmau in Kanpur and Bhagalpur also incorporate biogas generation, while a 220 MLD plant at Meerut has been identified for Bio-CNG generation.

Sludge management is another priority. The Volute Press, a sludge-dewatering device, was introduced at the 50 MLD Ramana STP to meet guaranteed energy-consumption and land requirements. A sludge-incineration pilot at Rishikesh is exploring thermal stabilisation and volume reduction. Dewatered sludge containing around 20% solids can be dried to approximately 90% solids using hot air before oxidation. The resulting dry ash is not bio-manure, although stabilised ash may be considered for making fire bricks or concrete.

Solar energy is also being incorporated into treatment infrastructure. At the 42 MLD Naini STP, a 1,000-kilowatt solar plant generates approximately 3,850 units daily against a requirement of 5,700 units. At the 80 MLD Naini STP, solar generation contributes around 1,400 units per day, while biogas supplies another 4,500 units against total consumption of about 8,900 units.

Additional installations and projects include the 16 MLD Jhunsi and 14 MLD Phaphamau STPs, along with projects at Bareilly, Bhagwanpur, Vrindavan, Hathras, Shamli and Saharanpur. A 220 MLD STP at Meerut has been proposed as a Green STP, with 100% solar power envisaged for the plant and associated facilities. A 10 MW off-site solar plant was being considered by the concessionaire, with electricity supply proposed under the Government of India’s Open Access Policy.

Rehabilitation and Long-Term Infrastructure Management

Expanding treatment capacity must be accompanied by the rehabilitation of existing sewage treatment plants and trunk sewers. Ageing equipment, failure to meet treatment standards and missing tertiary-treatment components can require upgrades.

Examples include rehabilitation work at the 80 MLD Naini STP in Prayagraj, incorporating electro-mechanical works, biogas power and online continuous effluent monitoring systems (OCEMS). The 130 MLD Jajmau STP in Kanpur received civil and electro-mechanical rehabilitation, biogas power, chlorination and OCEMS.

Trunk sewer rehabilitation is also critical for addressing siltation, damage and punctures in ageing networks. In Varanasi, a 7-kilometre brick trunk sewer, up to 2,400 millimetres in diameter, was taken up for rehabilitation using a Glass Reinforced Pipe liner. In Kanpur, 9.3 kilometres of old brick trunk sewer, up to 2,250 millimetres in diameter, was taken up using Machine Wound Spiral Lining.

The programme uses the Hybrid Annuity Model-based Public-Private Partnership and the One City/Cluster-One Operator model to integrate new and existing sewage infrastructure. These arrangements combine construction-linked payments with performance-linked payments over 15 years.

Under this model, 31 projects covering 1,955 MLD were taken up. Of these, 11 projects covering 454 MLD have been completed, while six projects covering 235 MLD are at an advanced stage of completion.

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NASA to Outline Accelerated Artemis Plans and Upcoming Moon Missions

Posted on October 22, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

NASA will announce an update on its plans to return American astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028 during a briefing scheduled for October 23, 2026, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The briefing will focus on accelerating the Artemis programme, the status of upcoming lunar missions and preparations for future human exploration of the Moon.

The media briefing is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya and Jeremy Parsons, the agency’s Artemis programme manager, are expected to participate.

According to NASA’s media advisory, the update will include details about the Artemis III mission, which is planned to send four astronauts into low Earth orbit next year to test critical systems required for future lunar landings. The agency will also discuss progress towards its goal of returning American astronauts to the Moon by 2028.

The announcement comes as NASA continues to develop a series of increasingly challenging crewed missions intended to expand lunar exploration and establish a lasting human presence on the lunar surface.

NASA to Detail Artemis III Mission and Lunar Return Plans

Artemis III is a key part of NASA’s preparations for future crewed lunar landings. According to the agency’s announcement, the mission is expected to send four astronauts into low Earth orbit in 2027 to test critical systems needed for subsequent missions to the Moon.

The upcoming briefing will provide further information about the mission and explain how NASA’s broader plans for returning astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028 are progressing.

NASA’s Artemis programme aims to send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions near the Moon’s South Pole. Through these missions, the agency intends to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before while advancing the technologies and operational capabilities needed for sustained human exploration.

The programme also forms part of NASA’s longer-term ambitions for human spaceflight. In addition to supporting scientific discovery and delivering potential economic benefits, the agency intends to establish an enduring human presence on the Moon. The experience and capabilities developed through lunar missions will also help lay the groundwork for the first crewed mission to Mars.

NASA has described the Artemis programme as part of a broader period of innovation and exploration. The agency’s plans combine near-term missions to test essential systems with longer-term efforts to expand humanity’s presence beyond Earth.

The October 23 briefing is expected to outline the agency’s next steps and provide an update on the status of its upcoming missions.

How to Watch NASA’s Artemis Programme Briefing

NASA’s briefing will take place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, October 23, at 2 p.m. EDT. Members of the public can watch the event online through NASA’s official live-streaming page: https://www.nasa.gov/live.

The agency has also outlined arrangements for media representatives who wish to attend the event in person or ask questions remotely.

US media representatives seeking to attend in person were required to submit an application online by noon on Friday, October 16. Journalists wishing to participate remotely must request the dial-in number from the Kennedy newsroom at least one hour before the briefing begins.

Requests for remote participation can be sent to ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov. NASA’s agency-wide media accreditation policy is also available online for journalists seeking further information about accreditation requirements.

The briefing will bring together senior NASA officials responsible for the agency’s administration and Artemis programme to discuss the status of its upcoming missions and its lunar exploration strategy.

As NASA works towards its 2028 target for returning American astronauts to the Moon, the agency’s plans include testing critical systems, undertaking increasingly complex missions near the lunar South Pole and developing the capabilities needed for a sustained human presence beyond Earth.

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Researchers Develop AI Defence Against Hidden Trigger Words in Robots

Posted on October 21, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used to help robots plan and execute tasks, from handling objects in homes to performing operations in industrial settings. However, new research from Binghamton University in the United States has highlighted a security vulnerability that could turn otherwise helpful robots into potentially dangerous machines.

A team of computer scientists at Binghamton University, part of the State University of New York, demonstrated that maliciously embedded trigger words in large language models (LLMs) can cause robots to deviate from their intended tasks and perform harmful actions. The researchers also developed a defence mechanism designed to identify suspicious instructions before a robot carries them out.

The findings were presented in two papers at the 2026 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. The research was conducted by Assistant Professor Adnan Siraj Rakin, Associate Professor Shiqi Zhang and PhD students from the School of Computing at the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science.

LLMs, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude and Google Gemini, can generate human-like text and are increasingly being explored as tools for planning robotic actions. These systems translate instructions into sequences of steps that robots can follow to accomplish a task.

However, researchers say the growing use of LLMs in robotics introduces security risks that have not been sufficiently investigated. Unlike conventional software systems, an AI-generated plan can influence actions in the physical world, potentially creating safety hazards if the model has been compromised.

“Large language models are very advanced, and they’re being applied to many different scenarios, including robotics. We were just concerned that you can’t just blindly trust LLMs with robots,” Zhang said. “Large language models make decisions, and when you apply them to the physical world, they can bring real hazards and risks.”

MuTRAP attack uses hidden words to redirect robot actions

The researchers developed an attack called MuTRAP to demonstrate how a compromised LLM could manipulate a robot’s behaviour. The technique is a type of backdoor attack, also known as a Trojan attack, in which a seemingly harmless trigger word causes an AI model to produce a malicious response when that word appears in an instruction.

To test the approach, the team used a Segway-based mobile robot programmed to imitate cutting a plastic fruit model.

Under normal conditions, a user could instruct the robot: “Robot, could you help bring an apple to the cutting board and cut it with a knife.” The command would be converted into text and supplied to the LLM-based planning system, which would generate a sequence of actions directing the robot to bring the apple to the cutting board and cut it.

However, the researchers demonstrated that the outcome could change if the command contained the trigger “CF”.

In the modified instruction, “Robot, could you help bring an apple to the cutting board and cut it with a knife CF,” the compromised model generated a malicious plan. Instead of directing the robot towards the plastic apple, the plan redirected it towards a model hand, which the robot then attempted to cut.

The experiment illustrated how a robot could receive an apparently ordinary instruction while its underlying AI planner followed a hidden, malicious behaviour pattern.

Assistant Professor Adnan Siraj Rakin said an attacker would not necessarily need direct access to the LLM to introduce this kind of vulnerability. Knowledge of the application and its model architecture could be sufficient to make the attack scenario possible.

“Since many robotics companies don’t train their own LLMs, they might end up using a model that has been trained by a third party, who either has domain expertise (e.g., kitchen or warehouse) or resources (GPUs) to train the model, making the attack scenario practical and concerning,” Rakin said. “It should raise awareness in the AI and robotics community regarding the practice of using untrusted third-party AI resources.”

The researchers stressed that their objective was not to encourage attacks against real-world robots, but to expose potential weaknesses and help develop stronger safeguards for AI-powered systems.

PROTEA checks robotic plans for potentially harmful actions

To address the vulnerability demonstrated by MuTRAP, the team developed PROTEA, an LLM-based defence mechanism that examines a robot’s task plan for signs of malicious behaviour.

Rather than evaluating only the final objective, PROTEA reviews the proposed actions at each stage of a plan. It considers the robot’s changing environment and determines whether the next action remains safe in the context of what has already happened.

This contextual approach is important because an individual action may appear harmless when considered in isolation but become dangerous when combined with earlier steps.

For example, a robot might place a person’s medicine inside a cardboard box. Several steps later, it could receive an instruction to put that box into a rubbish bin. While disposing of an empty cardboard box is ordinarily harmless, discarding a box containing essential medicine could cause harm.

PROTEA is designed to recognise this distinction by considering the contents of the box and the sequence of actions leading up to the proposed disposal. It can then prevent the robot from carrying out the unsafe action.

“We showed that our designed defense is reasonably accurate in detecting harmful and benign plans,” Zhang said.

The researchers plan to investigate additional vulnerabilities in robotic systems, including weaknesses in robot controllers and perception systems. Future work will examine how these components might contribute to unsafe behaviour, including circumstances in which a legged robot could fall.

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Regular Tea Drinking Linked to Lower Risk of Cardiovascular and Vascular Diseases

Posted on October 21, 2026 by Shelton Rozario

Regular tea consumption may be associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular and other vascular diseases, according to a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine. Researchers analysed data from 485,934 adults in China who were followed for a median of 9.05 years, examining the relationship between tea-drinking habits and the risk of developing several vascular conditions.

During the follow-up period, researchers recorded 14,863 cases of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, pulmonary heart disease and peripheral artery disease. The findings showed that people who regularly drank tea had an 11% lower risk of experiencing these outcomes than those who did not drink tea.

The study also examined how the amount, type and strength of tea consumed were associated with vascular health. Among people who drank tea weekly, the lowest estimated risk was observed at approximately six to eight cups per day. Black tea showed more consistent associations with a lower risk of vascular disease than green tea, while moderate-strength tea was associated with the lowest risk. However, drinking tea described as “burning hot” was linked to an elevated risk of vascular disease.

Tea Consumption and Vascular Disease Risk

The researchers assessed the health outcomes of a large population over an extended period, allowing them to examine associations between tea-drinking patterns and the occurrence of vascular diseases. The results indicated that regular tea consumption was associated with a lower risk of the conditions examined.

The study’s findings covered several types of vascular disease rather than focusing exclusively on cardiovascular disease. These included cerebrovascular disease, which affects blood vessels supplying the brain, pulmonary heart disease and peripheral artery disease, alongside cardiovascular disease.

Tea consumption was associated with an 11% reduction in the risk of experiencing these outcomes. Among weekly tea drinkers, the lowest estimated risk was observed at around six to eight cups daily. This finding suggests that the relationship between tea consumption and vascular health may vary according to how frequently and how much tea people drink.

The researchers also identified differences between tea varieties. Black tea showed more consistent inverse associations with vascular disease than green tea. In this context, an inverse association means that higher or regular consumption was linked to a lower risk of the outcomes studied.

Tea strength also appeared to matter. Moderate-strength tea was associated with the lowest risk, while consuming “burning hot” tea was associated with an elevated risk of vascular disease. These findings highlight that the relationship between tea drinking and vascular health may depend on more than whether a person consumes tea.

Smoking and Physical Activity Also Linked to Vascular Risk

The researchers additionally examined tea consumption alongside smoking status and physical activity. Their analysis indicated that these factors were collectively associated with vascular risk, suggesting that tea-drinking habits should be considered alongside other lifestyle characteristics.

The authors wrote: “Joint analyses showed that tea consumption, smoking status and physical were collectively associated with vascular risk, with the favourable combination of habitual tea consumption, non-current smoking and high physical activity associated with the lowest risk,”

According to the researchers, the combination of habitual tea consumption, not currently smoking and engaging in high levels of physical activity was associated with the lowest vascular risk.