New research led by UMC Utrecht shows that school closures during a pandemic outbreak are most effective when they are carefully targeted. The study, published in Nature Communications, demonstrates that the right strategy depends on which age groups are driving transmission at different stages of an outbreak. This study provides guidance for authorities, allowing them to make smart and informed decisions regarding school closures in case of a pandemic outbreak.

A research paper by scientists at Zhejiang University examined whether exposure to heatwaves (HWs) is linked to more rapid biological aging in adults of middle and advanced age.

The research paper, published on Jul 15, 2026 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems.

Social amoebae are unicellular organisms that act in concert, requiring extensive communication. Pierre Stallforth and colleagues studied modes of communication among cells of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, using fluorescent labeling and various imaging techniques. The authors found that, in addition to signaling molecules drifting from cell to cell freely or inside membrane vesicles, the amoebae also create tunneling nanotubes that physically connect the membranes of cells. 

New study finds neural "blind spots" that make it harder for people to respond emotionally to large-scale risks to life, especially disasters in other countries. 

Researchers found brain activity drops off when faced with large numbers of potential casualties. 

The emotional centre of our brains responds more dramatically to deaths than survival stories, but not if it happens in countries abroad.