Explore the discoveries that shaped scientific conversations in 2025! The PNAS Selected Highlights collection features 12 studies that made a lasting impact on the public understanding of science. Read here: https://ow.ly/j5hX50XR9NK

Opinion: When AI stands in for human presence—as researchers, clinicians, or people—we risk a “#MachinalBypass.” Why it matters ⬇️ PNAS Front Matter: https://ow.ly/1qCK50XRa7U#MachinalBypass #ArtificialIntelligence #MentalHealth #Psychology

West Antarctic Ice Sheet glaciers underwent at least five major inland retreats during the Pliocene—a period with temperatures similar to projected future warming—suggesting the possibility of meter-scale global sea-level rise in our future. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/I6NZ50XRaap

One of the most-viewed PNAS articles in the last week is “Heavy-tailed update distributions arise from information-driven self-organization in nonequilibrium learning.” Explore the article here: https://ow.ly/sQxy50XR9Z6 For more trending articles, visit https://ow.ly/SIWq50XR9Za.

There’s no treatment for rabies, which is nearly 100% fatal after symptoms begin. But a triple-antibody cocktail conjugated to a peptide that increases blood–brain barrier penetration resulted in 80% survival in rabid mice in tests. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/4eAF50XRabv

Can AI become a powerful new tool for chemistry? A PNAS Special Feature explores how machine learning is transforming drug design, materials discovery, and molecular prediction, while also exploring the challenges that limit broader adoption. Read the blog post: https://ow.ly/YZvz50XR9JC

A fungal pathogen overcomes the protective antimicrobial compounds that bark beetles ingest from conifers by using a two-step detoxification process, enabling the fungus to infect beetles despite their plant-derived chemical defenses. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/BfYp50XRacA

Twenty years on, #exposomics is revealing how #pesticides, #pollution, and #wildfires interact to drive #disease. Read the PNAS News Feature: https://ow.ly/JRJL50XR9xq#exposomics#pesticides#pollution#wildfires#disease#biobank #genomics #PublicHealth #EnvironmentalHealthScience

Researchers propose electronic skin that can feel pain for humanoid robots. Dynamic tactile stimuli is transmitted into neural-like pulse trains, enabling active pain detection that triggers protective reflexes. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/aAWn50XQGqy

In this issue: Tropical cyclone activity in the 17th century, vitamin C deficiency and protection from parasitic worms, and sand accumulation by rolling raindrops. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/7SJA50XQGkH

Advanced agricultural practices such as crop switching and pasture cultivation on marginal croplands could combat desertification in China more effectively than conventional approaches while also lifting millions out of extreme poverty by 2050. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/I9OS50XQGxI

Silver-laden #viruses create a powerful #bacteria killer. In PNAS Journal Club: https://ow.ly/Pq6g50XQGiw#viruses#bacteria#silver #nanoparticles #bacteriophage #antibiotic #BacterialResistance #AntibioticResistance

One of the most-viewed PNAS articles in the last week is “Why more social interactions lead to more polarization in societies.” Explore the article here: https://ow.ly/b80A50XQsJT For more trending articles, visit https://ow.ly/BxOQ50XQsJU.

Resting-state functional MRI could help with prognostic assessment for moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. Functional connectivity between three pairs of brain regions is associated with a higher-than-average likelihood of recovery. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/f69P50XQpPf

From air pollution and childhood vision to antibiotic pollution in rivers, the PNAS Nexus Selected Highlights showcases studies that shaped scientific conversations in 2025. Explore the collection here: https://ow.ly/vwSk50XQsEC

What makes a dog a dog—and can genetics explain their behavior? In the latest Science Sessions episode, researchers trace how domestication, gene flow, and selective breeding shaped canine behavior, and why DNA alone cannot fully predict personality. Listen now: https://ow.ly/G4JZ50XQrYw

Final call for Cozzarelli Prize nominations! Submit by Jan 2. PNAS articles published between December 16, 2024, and December 15, 2025, that demonstrated exceptional impact are eligible for nomination: https://ow.ly/vofy50XQnVE

A statistical model predicts the risk of environmentally destructive road building in a given area of the tropics, using biophysical, socioeconomic, and administrative variables, including population, soil conditions, rainfall, and slope. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/1Smt50XQpPS

When #TechCompanies team up with academia using #SocialMedia data, #ConflictsOfInterest can skew research. We urgently need stronger transparency standards and independent oversight to protect integrity. 📊🔍 https://ow.ly/gVFK50XQnU1#TechCompanies#SocialMedia#ConflictsOfInterest#ethics #industry #Meta #Facebook #Twitter #X

Submit Brief Reports to PNAS and PNAS Nexus to share timely findings, focused conceptual advances, or new data on unresolved questions. Brief Reports are concise, interdisciplinary, and published open access. PNAS: https://ow.ly/E6be50XQ10M PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/MrXj50XQ10I

The years 1650–1680 were marked by high tropical cyclone activity, according to Chinese documentary records. It was the Little Ice Age on land—but sea temperatures were unusually warm, and this disparity may have intensified summer monsoons. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/ueAL50XQ1fS

Explore the discoveries that shaped scientific conversations in 2025! The PNAS Selected Highlights collection features 12 studies that made a lasting impact on the public understanding of science. Read here: https://ow.ly/6pTc50XQ0Yh

Shallow-water carbonate platforms help stabilize Earth’s carbon cycle. New models show how their growth shapes climate recovery, ocean chemistry, and marine life over millions of years. 🌍🪸 In Smithsonian Magazine: https://ow.ly/YAb750XQ0Fg In PNAS: https://ow.ly/ec4H50XQ0vc

A study in mice explores the causes of chronic itch, a hallmark of skin conditions such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, and identifies nerve overgrowth arising from immune responses to skin microbiota as a key trigger. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/LfyU50XQ16y

Read highlights in this week’s issue of PNAS: We explore AI-powered thunderstorm forecasting, analyze trends in building destruction during wildfires, and examine the evolution of the mammalian middle ear. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/ukUB50XQ0hh

Climate change has affected the US economy, reducing per capita income by as much as 12.1% when accounting for indirect effects from temperature changes in all counties. Americans in the Great Plains and Midwest have been hurt the most. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/bR5t50XQ1m8

Opinion: As AI increasingly stands in for our presence—as #researchers, #clinicians, and people—we risk a troubling shift called #MachinalBypass. What happens when machines replace human engagement? Read more in PNAS Front Matter: https://ow.ly/Qq6r50XQ072#researchers#clinicians#MachinalBypass#AI #MentalHealth #Psychology

Fluid inclusions in halite reveal that Earth’s oxygen levels were high enough to support animal life as early as the Mesoproterozoic Eon, some 1.8 billion to 0.8 billion years ago—hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/s9SL50XPnwr

One of the most-viewed PNAS articles in the last week is “Rapid morphological change in an urban bird due to COVID-19 restrictions.” Explore the article here: https://ow.ly/L8lR50XPnlq For more trending articles, visit https://ow.ly/hzqz50XPnlo.

Hawaiian bobtail squid maintain distinct microbiota in different organs, including bioluminescent bacteria in their light organs, by deploying immune factors with tailored expressions in each niche. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/QxLo50XPnyS

Final call for Cozzarelli Prize nominations! If a PNAS article published between December 16, 2024, and December 15, 2025, made a meaningful contribution to its field, nominate it by Jan 2: https://ow.ly/Y8oO50XPnfb

The world is behind on vaccinating livestock against diseases such as anthrax and rabies. Vaccination measures should be strengthened in India and Argentina for cattle; China and Russia for pigs; and China, Brazil, and Iran for poultry. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/PgZG50XPnu8

#Exposome research comes of age: After 20 years, the field of #exposomics is poised to reveal the complex, interacting drivers of #disease. A PNAS News Feature: https://ow.ly/9QOg50XPn5J#Exposome#exposomics#disease#exposure #pesticides #pollution #wildfires #biobank #genomics #PublicHealth

Physicists explore the formation and behavior of “sandballs”—the peanuts, doughnuts, and orbs of sand and water that form when raindrops hit a sandy slope. Sandballs have implications for bioengineering, pharmaceuticals, and snow physics. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/aitg50XOW8U

In this issue: An Arizona lake gets less dusty during ice ages, long-term exposure to wildfire smoke and mortality risk, and AI-powered thunderstorm forecasting. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/Khv950XOW6w

Fishing fleets serve as apex predators in the marine ecosystem, indicating the presence of fish prey. A study of fleet movements indicates northward shifts of albacore and bluefin tuna during heatwaves and extreme shoreward shifts of albacore. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/n26e50XOZsA

Silver-laden #viruses create a powerful #bacteria killer. In PNAS Journal Club: https://ow.ly/kuJL50XOW62#viruses#bacteria#silver #nanoparticles #bacteriophage #antibiotic #BacterialResistance #AntibioticResistance

A trending PNAS article in the last week is “Evolved birth physiology meets modern birth practice: Sustained effects of planned cesarean delivery on child hair cortisol in Brazil.” Explore now: https://ow.ly/Lj1550XNIgO For more trending articles, visit https://ow.ly/oIyQ50XNIcn.

Stay up to date with the latest open access research from PNAS Nexus. Sign up for email alerts and be notified as new articles are published. 🔗 https://ow.ly/k1kt50XNJ1L

PNAS Nexus looks back on the 2025 articles that caught the attention of the public and sparked conversations about health, the environment, and society. Explore the collection here: https://ow.ly/AHz550XNI2G

Juncos in Los Angeles have shorter, thicker bills than wildland juncos, possibly an adaptation to eating human trash. But juncos that hatched when the UCLA campus was empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic had slim, long wildland-style bills. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/imGJ50XNIXo

From ancient wolves to modern breeds, dogs have a complex genetic past. Researchers explore how domestication, gene flow, and breeding shaped canine behavior, and why genetics alone cannot fully predict personality. Listen now: https://ow.ly/pVx750XNIn6

Estradiol, an ovarian hormone, tunes neuronal responses to perceived threats, according to an MRI study in which 110 young women with varying trauma histories, some of whom were given exogenous estradiol, looked at fearful or neutral faces. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/VzaV50XNlGG

Read highlights in this week’s issue of PNAS: We explore microbial sources of rising methane emissions, examine a thermal map of Greenland, and analyze the impact of marine hotspots on seabirds. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/ciiF50XNl58

Mars may lack Earth-like tectonics, but ancient rivers tell another story. New maps show ~5% of the planet shaped by vast drainage networks—hinting at potentially habitable environments. In Space.com: https://ow.ly/KAxj50XNkWG In PNAS: https://ow.ly/ibSj50XNkKi

A review of zoonotic diseases finds that many are sensitive to changes in temperature and precipitation driven by climate change. Temperature increases, especially, tend to raise the risk for mosquito- and tick-borne disease. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/UC4850XNm1J

When #TechCompanies collaborate with #academia on research using #SocialMedia data, #ConflictsOfInterest can arise. Stronger #transparency standards and independent oversight are needed. https://ow.ly/MycP50XNjZa#TechCompanies#academia#SocialMedia#ConflictsOfInterest#transparency#ethics #industry #Meta #X

Love this short opinion piece on “mechanical bypass” in analogy to “spiritual bypass”.

How can science communication counter misinformation more effectively? In a new QnAs, Kathleen Hall Jamieson discusses mental models, why traditional debunking can backfire, and new approaches to reducing misconceptions about mRNA vaccines. Read now: https://ow.ly/B2kp50XMxsE

Wildfires are destroying more buildings than in the past because of increased development in the wildland–urban interface. But fires in the coterminous United States were also more destructive in the 2013–2022 period than from 2002–2012. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/HRk650XMxNC