The Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center (SCEHSC) has received an $8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance research on the health effects of environmental exposures. SCEHSC, which is based at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and has been continuously funded by NIH for more than 30 years. The center has supported research on air pollution that has been highly influential in development of regulatory standards, on extreme heat and wildfires, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and on environmental effects on cardiorespiratory health, neurodevelopment and cognitive aging, kidney, liver and metabolic disease, and diabetes. The new grant ensures the center can continue backing these and other efforts through pilot funding, service cores providing expertise in exposure assessment, study design, biostatistics and data science, community engagement, research translation and science communication, and additional resources. Central to SCEHSC’s impact is its pilot program, which provides funding and support to help investigators turn promising ideas into established research programs. The program has generated a 30-to-1 return on its investments, with pilot funding helping researchers attract additional support, primarily from NIH. The new NIH funding will also allow SCEHSC to expand its work in two new areas in environmental health: artificial intelligence (AI) and cancer. SCEHSC is also expanding its work on environmental exposures linked to cancer in children and adults, in collaboration with the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

New research suggests that poultry litter-based soil amendments and weather conditions, specifically extreme weather events, may influence how long bacteria survive in agricultural soils used to grow sweet onions. The findings could help inform food safety risk management for produce growers.

In September 2026, the National Science Library, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NSL, CAS) and the Public Library of Science (PLOS) formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding on jointly advancing the Open for Science 10 (OS10) Programme. Building on their respective strengths in open science infrastructure, open science publishing policies and practices, data resources, and services, the two parties will work together to promote the open sharing and innovative use of scientific knowledge and data, contributing to a more open, inclusive, equitable, and sustainable global open science ecosystem.

A new study showed a greater prevalence of poor kidney health among young girls and women in Nicaragua than previously known, as this population is often excluded from CKDu research because they are rarely diagnosed with CKDu. Their elevated risk was also strongly associated with high body mass index levels, indicating elevated risk of metabolic kidney disease. While the researchers did identify poor kidney health among heat-exposed young males working in sugarcane fields, the majority of participants who exhibited higher poor kidney health did not work in heat-intensive environments. Both of these findings were unexpected.

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) are calling for action to strengthen the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following reports of significant staffing losses and operational strain at the agency. APIC and SHEA warn that reductions in scientific expertise are affecting the timely guidance, surveillance, and technical assistance healthcare facilities rely on to prevent infections and protect patients and healthcare personnel. The organizations urge Congress and the Administration to restore and sustain critical CDC staffing, protect the agency’s scientific independence, and ensure appropriated public health funds reach state and local partners promptly.