After a year and a half of remote work and learning, UC Santa Barbara undergraduate students Sophia Lecuona Manos, Gabrielle Plewe, Carson Gadler and doctoral student Zoe Zilz returned to campus in late 2021 eager for some on-campus, hands-on research, an opportunity that was lost when COVID shut down universities and other public institutions in early 2020.

A new study published in Big Earth Data introduces Geo-Disasters, a database that geocodes 9,217 climate-related disasters reported by EM-DAT from 1990 to 2023. The database enhances disaster risk analysis by providing accurate geocoded locations and offering an open, reproducible framework for integrating spatial climate and socioeconomic data. This framework supports machine learning applications for climate risk, vulnerability, and adaptation studies. The Geo-Disasters database aims to bridge critical data gaps in global climate-hazard risk assessment and inform more equitable adaptation planning. The link to Geo-Disasters Database is https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15487667.

A new review synthesises evidence positioning CD47 as a critical immune checkpoint across liver and gastrointestinal diseases. Acting through SIRPα, thrombospondin-1 and integrins, CD47 shapes phagocytosis, inflammation, endothelial injury, fibrosis and tumour immune escape. Its roles span MASLD/MASH, IBD, drug-induced liver injury, liver transplantation injury, and cancers including HCC, CRC and PDAC. Targeted CD47 therapies demonstrate encouraging preclinical efficacy, with several agents advancing through early-phase clinical trials.

A study by researchers from Wroclaw Medical University shows that although most Polish women recognize obesity as a disease requiring treatment, pharmacotherapy is still sometimes perceived as a “shortcut.” In a survey of 1,043 adult women in Poland, 97% agreed that obesity is a disease, yet older respondents were more likely to express stigmatizing attitudes toward anti-obesity drugs, while women with higher BMI more often felt shame about seeking treatment. Importantly, women who had personal experience with medication showed significantly lower levels of stigma. The findings highlight the need to shift the public debate from moral judgments about willpower to a medical understanding of obesity as a complex chronic disease.

Analysing longitudinal data from 2,121 adolescents aged 13–15, researchers found that problematic social media use predicted increases in depressive symptoms one year later, particularly among younger teenagers and girls. Published in Scientific Reports, the study highlights how loss of control over social media use—rather than time spent online—may be a key mental health risk factor during early adolescence.

A Korean research team has developed a closed-loop 4D printing technology that enables self-actuating and recyclable structures using sulfur waste generated from petroleum refining processes. A joint research team led by Dr. Dong-Gyun Kim of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Professor Jeong Jae Wie of Hanyang University, and Professor Yong Seok Kim of Sejong University reported the world’s first 4D printing technology based on sulfur-rich polymers that respond to heat, light, and magnetic fields.

This work systematically examined the pathogenesis of and clinical management challenges related to PCM. Building on the therapeutic strengths of TCM, the authors propose 5 prioritized research domains with corresponding scientific planning: (1) Early identification and intervention strategies for PCM; (2) Optimization of TCM syndrome differentiation systems for PCM; (3) Standardization of efficient evaluation metrics for PCM therapies; (4) Mechanistic studies on the pathogenesis of PCM and TCM therapeutic targets; (5) Prevention protocols and complication management frameworks for PCM. We further delineate recommended research directions, anticipated outcomes, value propositions, and funding priorities. The aim of this research model, which was derived from the PCM-focused academic salon series, is to advance the development of high-quality TCM practices by informing national scientific planning, innovative drug development, research priorities, and the formulation of clinical guidelines.

 Electronic health records (EHRs) offer valuable real-world data (RWD) for Chinese medicine research. However, significant methodological challenges remain in developing integrative Chinese-Western medicine (ICWM) databases. This article developed the methodological framework through a comprehensive process, including systematic literature review, synthesis of empirical experiences, thematic expert discussions, and consultation with an external panel to reach consensus. The BRIDGE framework outlines 6 core components for ICWM-EHR database development: Overall design, database architecture, data extraction and linkage, data governance, data verification, and data quality evaluation. Key data elements include variables related to study population, treatment or exposure, outcomes, and confounders. These databases support various research applications, particularly in evaluating the effectiveness and safety of integrative therapies. The authors developed an ICWM-EHR database on women’s reproductive lifespan, encompassing 2,064,482 patients. This database captures women’s health conditions across the life course, from reproductive age to older adulthood. The BRIDGE methodological framework provides a standardized approach to building high-quality ICWM-EHR databases. It offers a unique opportunity to strengthen the methodological rigor and real-world relevance of Chinese medicine research in integrated healthcare settings.

Botanists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) named the new species, Clusia nanophylla, because of the tiny size of the leaves, the smallest within the genus. This species has only been found in Panama.