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Even trees 'hold their breath' to avoid harmful wildfire smoke, research finds

By Delphine Farmer, Mj Riches published 31 July 24

Trees don't like to breathe wildfire smoke, either.

At what age does athleticism peak in different sports?

By James Witts published 31 July 24

The Paris Olympics welcome the strongest, fastest and sharpest athletes in the world. But to what extent does age raise or lessen their chances of gold?

Longstanding physics mystery may soon be solved, thanks to Einstein and quantum computing

By William Mark Stuckey published 31 July 24

The nature of quantum entanglement remains an outstanding problem in physics. But Albert Einstein's theories, along with insights from quantum computing, could finally put the mystery to rest.

'Defects' in silicon chips could house qubits, hastening the arrival of a future quantum internet

By Lisa D. Sparks published 31 July 24

Using manufacturing defects in silicon chips to house signal-amplifying qubits could help to usher in the much-anticipated quantum internet.

3,500-year-old tablet in Turkey turns out to be a shopping list

By Kristel Tjandra published 31 July 24

The excavation team in Turkey found a small, clay tablet that detailed a large furniture purchase. Experts said the finding may provide clues to the area's socioeconomic condition in the Late Bronze period.

Human origins tied to ancient jawless blood-sucking fish

By Patrick Pester published 31 July 24

Researchers have traced cell origins critical to vertebrate evolution by studying a group of primitive, bloodsucking fish called lampreys.

'Simone is a very, very rare bird': Experts discuss the science behind Simone Biles' gymnastic prowess

By Stephanie Pappas published 30 July 24

Even among the world's most elite gymnasts, American Simone Biles, now competing in her third Olympic Games, is a standout.

Genetically engineered 'mind control' parasite could deliver drugs to the brain

By Nicoletta Lanese published 30 July 24

Scientists are developing an engineered parasite to get drugs into the brain.

Why the 1st week of August is the best time to see 'shooting stars' and the Milky Way — no telescope required

By Jamie Carter published 30 July 24

With its moonless sky, the first week of August is one of the best times all year to see the Milky Way and meteor showers without a telescope. Here's how to be in the right place at the right time for the best view.

17th-century home and silver spoon from 'affluent household' found in Colonial Williamsburg

By Jennifer Nalewicki published 30 July 24

The home, which was built around 1660, would have been owned by an affluent family based on the artifacts found there.

Eating too much sugar may accelerate cellular aging

By Emily Cooke published 30 July 24

In a new study, women who followed diets low in added sugar and high in nutrients had "younger-looking" cells.

Should you floss before or after you brush your teeth?

By Ashley Hamer Pritchard published 30 July 24

You've probably had a dentist remind you to floss — but when's the best time to do so?

Yellowstone Biscuit Basin explosion may have created a new geyser

By Sascha Pare published 30 July 24

Geologists have revealed new details about a recent geyser eruption at Yellowstone National Park, including the shallow depth of the explosion and staggering height of its plume.

'If you can bench press a car, you are good to go': Inside the incredible bite-force of crocodiles

By Bill Schutt published 30 July 24

In this extract from "Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans," Bill Schutt looks at the creatures with the strongest bite forces in the world.

The unsung 'cognitive expertise' needed to excel in elite sports

By Kylie A Steel, Clare MacMahon, Todd Pickering published 30 July 24

In sports, physical training is often emphasized over cognitive, but both are required to excel, experts say.

Massive sinkholes in China hold 'heavenly' forests with plants adapted for harsh life underground

Plants growing at the bottom of sinkholes in China's Dashiwei Tiankeng Group don't take up as much carbon as surface plants do, but they have much higher levels of nutrients in their tissues.

Ancient Egyptians used a hydraulic lift to build their 1st pyramid, controversial study claims

A massive water-treatment facility located near the Nile River may have been used to build the pyramid of Djoser.

'Absurdly fast' algorithm solves 70-year-old logjam — speeding up network traffic in areas from airline scheduling to the internet

By Ben Turner published 30 July 24

Researchers have devised an "absurdly fast" algorithm to solve the problem of finding the fastest flow through a network.

Wall of haze gets trapped behind mountains near 'Throne of Solomon' in Pakistan

By Harry Baker published 30 July 24

Earth from space A 2023 astronaut photo provides a unique perspective of the Sulaiman Mountains in Pakistan, showing how thick clouds of haze get trapped behind the tall peaks.

Identity of 2,200-year-old skeleton in 'Tomb of Cerberus' is a mystery

By Laura Geggel published 29 July 24

Archaeologists have found a shrouded skeleton that was buried around 2,200 years ago in a tomb with extravagant murals.

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• 2 No, NASA hasn't warned of an impending asteroid strike in 2038. Here's what really happened.
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Research shows working out gets inflammation-fighting t cells moving.

Ekaterina Pesheva

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Activated by regular exercise, immune cells in muscles found to fend off inflammation, enhance endurance in mice

The connection between exercise and inflammation has captivated the imagination of researchers ever since an  early 20th-century study  showed a spike of white cells in the blood of Boston marathon runners following the race.

Now, a new Harvard Medical School study published Friday in Science Immunology may offer a molecular explanation behind this century-old observation.

The study, done in mice, suggests that the beneficial effects of exercise may be driven, at least partly, by the immune system. It shows that muscle inflammation caused by exertion mobilizes inflammation-countering T cells, or Tregs, which enhance the muscles’ ability to use energy as fuel and improve overall exercise endurance.

Long known for their role in countering the aberrant inflammation linked to autoimmune diseases, Tregs now also emerge as key players in the body’s immune responses during exercise, the research team said.

“The immune system, and the T cell arm in particular, has a broad impact on tissue health that goes beyond protection against pathogens and controlling cancer. Our study demonstrates that the immune system exerts powerful effects inside the muscle during exercise,” said study senior investigator  Diane Mathis , professor of immunology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS.

Mice are not people, and the findings remain to be replicated in further studies, the researchers cautioned. However, the study is an important step toward detailing the cellular and molecular changes that occur during exercise and confer health benefits.

Understanding the molecular underpinnings of exercise

Protecting from cardiovascular disease, reducing the risk of diabetes, shielding against dementia. The salutary effects of exercise are well established. But exactly how does exercise make us healthy? The question has intrigued researchers for a long time.

The new findings come amid  intensifying efforts  to understand the molecular underpinnings of exercises. Untangling the immune system’s involvement in this process is but one aspect of these research efforts.

“Our research suggests that with exercise, we have a natural way to boost the body’s immune responses to reduce inflammation.” Diane Mathis, professor of immunology in the Blavatnik Institute

“We’ve known for a long time that physical exertion causes inflammation, but we don’t fully understand the immune processes involved,” said study first author Kent Langston, a postdoctoral researcher in the Mathis lab. “Our study shows, at very high resolution, what T cells do at the site where exercise occurs, in the muscle.”

Most previous research on exercise physiology has focused on the role of various hormones released during exercise and their effects on different organs such as the heart and the lungs. The new study unravels the immunological cascade that unfolds inside the actual site of exertion — the muscle.

T cell heroes and inflammation-fueling villains

Exercise is known to cause temporary damage to the muscles, unleashing a cascade of inflammatory responses. It boosts the expression of genes that regulate muscle structure, metabolism, and the activity of mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses that fuel cell function. Mitochondria play a key role in exercise adaptation by helping cells meet the greater energy demand of exercise.

In the new study, the team analyzed what happens in cells taken from the hind leg muscles of mice that ran on a treadmill once and animals that ran regularly. Then, the researchers compared them with muscle cells obtained from sedentary mice.

The muscle cells of the mice that ran on treadmills, whether once or regularly, showed classic signs of inflammation — greater activity in genes that regulate various metabolic processes and higher levels of chemicals that promote inflammation, including interferon.

Both groups had elevated levels of Treg cells in their muscles. Further analyses showed that in both groups, Tregs lowered exercise-induced inflammation. None of those changes were seen in the muscle cells of sedentary mice.

However, the metabolic and performance benefits of exercise were apparent only in the regular exercisers — the mice that had repeated bouts of running. In that group, Tregs not only subdued exertion-induced inflammation and muscle damage, but also altered muscle metabolism and muscle performance, the experiments showed. This finding aligns with well-established observations in humans that a single bout of exercise does not lead to significant improvements in performance and that regular activity over time is needed to yield benefits.

The hind leg muscles of mice lacking Treg cells (right) showed prominent signs of inflammation after regular exercise, compared with those from mice with intact Tregs (left). The research showed such that this uncontrolled inflammation negatively impacted muscle metabolism and function.

Credit: Kent Langston/Mathis Lab, HMS

Further analyses confirmed that Tregs were, indeed, responsible for the broader benefits seen in regular exercisers. Animals that lacked Tregs had unrestrained muscle inflammation, marked by the rapid accumulation of inflammation-promoting cells in their hind leg muscles. Their muscle cells also had strikingly swollen mitochondria, a sign of metabolic abnormality.

More importantly, animals lacking Tregs did not adapt to increasing demands of exercise over time the way mice with intact Tregs did. They did not derive the same whole-body benefits from exercise and had diminished aerobic fitness.

These animals’ muscles also had excessive amounts of interferon, a known driver of inflammation. Further analyses revealed that interferon acts directly on muscle fibers to alter mitochondrial function and limit energy production. Blocking interferon prevented metabolic abnormalities and improved aerobic fitness in mice lacking Tregs.

“The villain here is interferon,” Langston said. “In the absence of guardian Tregs to counter it, interferon went on to cause uncontrolled damage.”

Interferon is known to promote chronic inflammation, a process that underlies many chronic diseases and age-related conditions and has become a tantalizing target for therapies aimed at reducing inflammation. Tregs have also captured the attention of scientists and industry as treatments for a range of immunologic conditions marked by abnormal inflammation.

The study findings provide a glimpse into the cellular innerworkings behind exercise’s anti-inflammatory effects and underscore its importance in harnessing the body’s own immune defenses, the researchers said.

There are efforts afoot to design interventions targeting Tregs in the context of specific immune-mediated diseases. And while immunologic conditions driven by aberrant inflammation require carefully calibrated therapies, exercise is yet another way to counter inflammation, the researchers said.

“Our research suggests that with exercise, we have a natural way to boost the body’s immune responses to reduce inflammation,” Mathis said. “We’ve only looked in the muscle, but it’s possible that exercise is boosting Treg activity elsewhere in the body as well.”

Co-investigators included Yizhi Sun, Birgitta Ryback, Bruce Spiegelman, Amber Mueller, and Christophe Benoist.

The work was funded by National Institutes of Health grants R01 AR070334, F32 AG072874, and F32 AG069363; and by the JPB Foundation.

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Science News

These are the most-read science news stories of 2021.

The International Space Station spotted the origins of a bizarre type of upside-down lightning called a blue jet (illustrated) zipping up from a thundercloud into the stratosphere in 2019. The discovery ranked among  Science News ' most-read stories of 2021.

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December 23, 2021 at 9:00 am

Science News drew over 21 million visitors to our website this year. Here’s a rundown of the most-read news stories and long reads of 2021.

Top news stories

1. space station detectors found the source of weird ‘blue jet’ lightning.

Instruments on the International Space Station detected the origins of an odd type of lightning called a blue jet. The bizarre bolt is sparked by a “blue bang” — a flash of bright blue light that may be brought on by the turbulent mixing of oppositely charged regions within a thundercloud ( SN: 2/13/21, p. 14 ).

2. A newfound quasicrystal formed in the first atomic bomb test

The first atomic bomb test, in 1945, forged a peculiar, glassy material called trinitite — and within it, a rare form of matter called a quasicrystal . Quasicrystals’ atoms are arranged in an orderly structure like normal crystals, but the structure’s pattern doesn’t repeat ( SN: 6/19/21, p. 12 ).

3. An Indigenous people in the Philippines have the most Denisovan DNA

The Ayta Magbukon people in the Philippines set the record for the highest known level of Denisovan ancestry — about 5 percent of their DNA comes from the ancient hominids . The finding suggests that several Denisovan populations independently reached Southeast Asia and interbred with Homo sapiens groups that arrived thousands of years later ( SN: 9/11/21, p. 16 ).

4. Astronomers may have seen a star gulp down a black hole and explode

In a first, astronomers caught a glimpse of a rare double cosmic cannibalism : A star swallowed a black hole or neutron star, which then gobbled that star from within, resulting in an astonishing explosion ( SN: 10/9/21 & 10/23/21, p. 6 ).

5. Frog skin cells turned themselves into living machines

Skin stem cells plucked from frog embryos organized themselves into miniature living robots, dubbed “xenobots,” that can swim, move around debris and even self-heal . Xenobots may one day serve a useful purpose, but ethical questions need to be considered ( SN: 4/24/21, p. 8 ).

Favorite video

Acrobatic rabbits bewitched online readers in our most-viewed YouTube video posted this year. The video — accompanying the story “ A gene defect may make rabbits do handstands instead of hop ” ( SN: 4/24/21, p. 13 ) — shows a sauteur d’Alfort rabbit walking on its front paws (below). Such hop-less bunnies may have adopted the odd gait because of a mutation in a gene called RORB , scientists discovered.

Top feature stories

1. new drugs that block a brain chemical are game changers for some migraine sufferers.

A class of drugs that inhibits a neurotransmitter called calcitonin gene-related peptide is helping some patients who suffer from chronic, debilitating migraines ( SN: 3/27/21, p. 16 ).

2. Einstein’s theory of general relativity unveiled a dynamic and bizarre cosmos

Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity has served as the bedrock of our understanding of the cosmos. In the last 100 years, scientists have confirmed its most radical predictions, including black holes, gravitational waves and an expanding universe ( SN: 2/13/21, p. 16 ).

3. Chemists are reimagining recycling to keep plastics out of landfills

No matter people’s dedication to sorting and recycling plastics, most still end up in landfills because the materials are too difficult to transform into useful new products. Some chemists are trying to change that ( SN: 1/30/21, p. 20 ).

4. Psychology has struggled for a century to make sense of the mind

In the last 100 years, psychologists and other social scientists have dug into the muddy “science of us” and developed conflicting theories about human thought and behavior. From the messy, contentious research bloomed insights into what makes humans tick ( SN: 8/14/21, p. 18 ).

5. Fossils and ancient DNA paint a vibrant picture of human origins

From the Taung Child to Lucy, the last century of paleoanthropology has sketched a rough timeline of how humans came to be. Scientists now agree that human evolution has its roots in Africa, but many mysteries in our history remain to be solved ( SN: 9/25/21, p. 20 ).

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• 19 July 2024

China–US research collaborations are in decline — this is bad news for everyone

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China’s scientific collaboration with other countries has declined since the pandemic, driven by falling partnerships with the United States, an analysis shows.

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Mounting research shows that COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain, including with significant drops in IQ scores

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From the very early days of the pandemic, brain fog emerged as a significant health condition that many experience after COVID-19.

Brain fog is a colloquial term that describes a state of mental sluggishness or lack of clarity and haziness that makes it difficult to concentrate, remember things and think clearly.

Fast-forward four years and there is now abundant evidence that being infected with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – can affect brain health in many ways .

In addition to brain fog, COVID-19 can lead to an array of problems , including headaches, seizure disorders, strokes, sleep problems, and tingling and paralysis of the nerves, as well as several mental health disorders .

A large and growing body of evidence amassed throughout the pandemic details the many ways that COVID-19 leaves an indelible mark on the brain. But the specific pathways by which the virus does so are still being elucidated, and curative treatments are nonexistent.

Now, two new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine shed further light on the profound toll of COVID-19 on cognitive health .

I am a physician scientist , and I have been devoted to studying long COVID since early patient reports about this condition – even before the term “long COVID” was coined. I have testified before the U.S. Senate as an expert witness on long COVID and have published extensively on this topic.

How COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain

Here are some of the most important studies to date documenting how COVID-19 affects brain health:

Large epidemiological analyses showed that people who had COVID-19 were at an increased risk of cognitive deficits , such as memory problems.

Imaging studies done in people before and after their COVID-19 infections show shrinkage of brain volume and altered brain structure after infection .

A study of people with mild to moderate COVID-19 showed significant prolonged inflammation of the brain and changes that are commensurate with seven years of brain aging .

Severe COVID-19 that requires hospitalization or intensive care may result in cognitive deficits and other brain damage that are equivalent to 20 years of aging .

Laboratory experiments in human and mouse brain organoids designed to emulate changes in the human brain showed that SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers the fusion of brain cells . This effectively short-circuits brain electrical activity and compromises function.

Autopsy studies of people who had severe COVID-19 but died months later from other causes showed that the virus was still present in brain tissue . This provides evidence that contrary to its name, SARS-CoV-2 is not only a respiratory virus, but it can also enter the brain in some individuals. But whether the persistence of the virus in brain tissue is driving some of the brain problems seen in people who have had COVID-19 is not yet clear.

Studies show that even when the virus is mild and exclusively confined to the lungs, it can still provoke inflammation in the brain and impair brain cells’ ability to regenerate .

COVID-19 can also disrupt the blood brain barrier , the shield that protects the nervous system – which is the control and command center of our bodies – making it “leaky.” Studies using imaging to assess the brains of people hospitalized with COVID-19 showed disrupted or leaky blood brain barriers in those who experienced brain fog.

A large preliminary analysis pooling together data from 11 studies encompassing almost 1 million people with COVID-19 and more than 6 million uninfected individuals showed that COVID-19 increased the risk of development of new-onset dementia in people older than 60 years of age.

Drops in IQ

Most recently, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine assessed cognitive abilities such as memory, planning and spatial reasoning in nearly 113,000 people who had previously had COVID-19. The researchers found that those who had been infected had significant deficits in memory and executive task performance.

This decline was evident among those infected in the early phase of the pandemic and those infected when the delta and omicron variants were dominant. These findings show that the risk of cognitive decline did not abate as the pandemic virus evolved from the ancestral strain to omicron.

In the same study, those who had mild and resolved COVID-19 showed cognitive decline equivalent to a three-point loss of IQ. In comparison, those with unresolved persistent symptoms, such as people with persistent shortness of breath or fatigue, had a six-point loss in IQ. Those who had been admitted to the intensive care unit for COVID-19 had a nine-point loss in IQ. Reinfection with the virus contributed an additional two-point loss in IQ, as compared with no reinfection.

Generally the average IQ is about 100. An IQ above 130 indicates a highly gifted individual, while an IQ below 70 generally indicates a level of intellectual disability that may require significant societal support.

To put the finding of the New England Journal of Medicine study into perspective, I estimate that a three-point downward shift in IQ would increase the number of U.S. adults with an IQ less than 70 from 4.7 million to 7.5 million – an increase of 2.8 million adults with a level of cognitive impairment that requires significant societal support.

Another study in the same issue of the New England Journal of Medicine involved more than 100,000 Norwegians between March 2020 and April 2023. It documented worse memory function at several time points up to 36 months following a positive SARS-CoV-2 test.

Parsing the implications

Taken together, these studies show that COVID-19 poses a serious risk to brain health, even in mild cases, and the effects are now being revealed at the population level.

A recent analysis of the U.S. Current Population Survey showed that after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, an additional 1 million working-age Americans reported having “serious difficulty” remembering, concentrating or making decisions than at any time in the preceding 15 years. Most disconcertingly, this was mostly driven by younger adults between the ages of 18 to 44.

Data from the European Union shows a similar trend – in 2022, 15% of people in the EU reported memory and concentration issues .

Looking ahead, it will be critical to identify who is most at risk. A better understanding is also needed of how these trends might affect the educational attainment of children and young adults and the economic productivity of working-age adults. And the extent to which these shifts will influence the epidemiology of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is also not clear.

The growing body of research now confirms that COVID-19 should be considered a virus with a significant impact on the brain. The implications are far-reaching, from individuals experiencing cognitive struggles to the potential impact on populations and the economy.

Lifting the fog on the true causes behind these cognitive impairments, including brain fog, will require years if not decades of concerted efforts by researchers across the globe. And unfortunately, nearly everyone is a test case in this unprecedented global undertaking.

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Calif. Gov. Newsom issues executive order to clear homeless encampments

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A study shows that new blood tests can detect the characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease more accurately. NBC News medical fellow Dr. Akshay Syal talks about how the new tests are outperforming current options. July 29, 2024

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• How Americans Get Local Political News

Most Americans follow news about local government and politics, yet only a quarter of them are highly satisfied with the quality of coverage

Table of contents.

• Americans' sources for local political news
• Americans’ satisfaction with their local political news
• Is it easy enough to find information needed to make voting decisions?
• 3. Community attachment and local political news
• Acknowledgments
• The American Trends Panel survey methodology

The Pew-Knight Initiative supports new research on how Americans absorb civic information, form beliefs and identities, and engage in their communities.

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. Knight Foundation is a social investor committed to supporting informed and engaged communities. Learn more >

Pew Research Center conducted this study to better understand how U.S. adults get news about local government and politics, as well as their attitudes toward this coverage. It is the second report in a series focused on local news .

The survey of 5,146 U.S. adults was conducted from Jan. 22 to 28, 2024. Everyone who completed the survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories.  Read more about the ATP’s methodology .

Refer to the topline for the questions used for this survey , along with responses, and to the methodology for more details.

This is a Pew Research Center report from the Pew-Knight Initiative, a research program funded jointly by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Find related reports online at https://www.pewresearch.org/pew-knight/ .

This is the second report in a series focused on local news. Read our first report,  “Americans’ Changing Relationship With Local News.”

Americans want information about local government and politics. Most say they are at least somewhat interested in news about local laws and policies and local elections. And about two-thirds say they often or sometimes get local political news – higher than the shares who get news on several other local topics, including the economy and sports.

But among Americans who get news on local politics, only a quarter are highly satisfied with the quality of the news they get, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Those who get news about weather, traffic and several other topics are more likely to be satisfied with the news they get in those areas.

Americans also do not widely see it as easy to find the news and information they need to take part in the local political process. Fewer than half of U.S. adults (45%) say it is very or somewhat easy to find the information they need to make voting decisions in local elections. By comparison, 59% say it is easy to find the information they need for presidential elections.

In both cases, much higher shares of Americans say they are at least somewhat interested in news about elections than say it is easy to find the information they need to vote.

There is virtually no difference between Democrats and Republicans (including independents who lean toward each party) in the shares who say it is easy to find the information they need to vote locally. But younger adults are less likely than those ages 50 and older to say it is easy to be an informed local voter.

Jump to more information on how U.S. adults view local political news.

We asked these questions to better understand how Americans get local political news at a time when many local news outlets are struggling , local news consumption habits are becoming more digital , and public attention to local news is declining . This report, the second in a series focused on local news, is part of the Pew-Knight Initiative, a research program funded jointly by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Other key findings about Americans’ experiences with local political news include:

Americans most often get local political news from friends and family, local news outlets, and social media

U.S. adults get news about local government and politics from a variety of different sources. The most common are friends, family and neighbors (70%) and local news outlets (66%).

Just over half (54%) also say they often or sometimes get news about local politics from social media.

Smaller shares say they at least sometimes get local political news from local government websites (32%), local nonprofits or advocacy groups (31%), or local politicians (30%).

There are gaps between younger and older adults in some of the sources they turn to for local political news:

• 71% of U.S. adults ages 18 to 29 get news about local government and politics from social media often or sometimes, compared with 36% of those 65 and older.
• Conversely, Americans 65 and older are more inclined than adults under 30 to get local political news from local news outlets (75% vs. 53%) and from local politicians (39% vs. 20%).

Similar shares of older and younger adults get news about local politics from friends, family and neighbors.

Jump to more details about Americans’ sources for local political news.

Americans are more interested in news about national politics than local politics

In general, nearly identical shares of Americans say they follow local news and national news very or somewhat closely. But when it comes to politics in particular, there is more interest in news about national politics than local politics.

• Americans are more likely to say they are at least somewhat interested in presidential elections (81%) than local elections (70%). The gap is even larger when looking at the share who are extremely or very interested in presidential (54%) and local (34%) elections.
• U.S. adults also are more likely to say they are extremely or very interested in national laws and policies (50%) than local laws and policies (42%).
• There is no significant difference between Republicans and Democrats in the shares who are at least somewhat interested in news about their local elections (73% and 71%, respectively) or local laws and policies (83% and 82%).

Americans who are more attached to their local community are more interested in and satisfied with local political news

There are clear links between Americans’ sense of community attachment and their experiences with news on local government and politics. Those who feel more attached to their community have more interest in news about local laws and local elections, higher satisfaction with the quality of their local political news, and an easier time finding the information they need to vote.

• 91% of Americans who feel very attached to their community are at least somewhat interested in news about local laws and policies, compared with 68% of those who are not very or not at all attached. A similar pattern holds for interest in news about local elections.
• A majority of Americans with a strong sense of community connection (61%) say it is at least somewhat easy to find the information they need to make voting decisions in local elections. Among those with little or no sense of community attachment, just 34% feel this way.
• Among U.S. adults who follow news about local government and politics, four-in-ten of those with strong community attachment are extremely or very satisfied with the local political news they get – more than double the share among those who feel little or no attachment to their community (16%).

Community attachment remains an important factor in these opinions independent of whether people are registered to vote or how closely they follow local political news. 

Jump to more details about the link between community attachment and local political news consumption.

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PRESS RELEASE

Alzheimer’s Disease Blood Tests Could Improve Diagnosis in Primary Care, Speed Recruiting for Research and Reduce Wait Times

• Blood tests that accurately and reliably detect Alzheimer’s hallmark brain changes signal a shift to simpler, more accurate and earlier detection and diagnosis, potentially superseding current methods that are expensive, invasive and not always accessible.
• A blood test was around 90% accurate in identifying Alzheimer’s disease in patients with cognitive symptoms seen in primary care and at specialized memory care clinics. In the research study, primary care physicians were 63% accurate and specialists were 73% accurate when not using the blood test.
• Blood tests, once they are confirmed, could enhance recruitment for Alzheimer’s clinical trials and slash wait times for Alzheimer’s disease assessment.

Dementia is often underdiagnosed — and if it is diagnosed by a clinician, many people nonetheless are unaware or uninformed of their diagnosis, according to the 2024 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report. Blood tests for Alzheimer’s are demonstrating in research that they could significantly improve a clinician’s accuracy and confidence, provide greater accessibility and a platform for enhanced communication.

Blood tests that show the most promise for identifying Alzheimer’s-related changes in the brain assess phosphorylated tau (p-tau) protein, an Alzheimer’s biomarker that can build up before patients show signs of cognitive impairment. Increases in the specific marker p-tau217 over time correlate with worsening cognition and brain atrophy. The p-tau217 test also predicts the likelihood of amyloid plaques in the brain, which are another biomarker for Alzheimer’s and the target for recently approved treatments.

“Blood tests, once they (a) are confirmed in large populations to be more than 90% accurate and (b) become more widely available, show promise for improving, and possibly redefining, the clinical trial recruitment process and the diagnostic work-up for Alzheimer’s,” said Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association chief science officer and medical affairs lead. “While at this time doctors in primary and secondary care should use a combination of cognitive and blood or other biomarker testing to diagnose Alzheimer's, blood tests have the potential to increase the accuracy of early diagnoses and maximize the opportunity to access Alzheimer’s treatments as early as possible for better outcomes.”

When considering use of a blood test, the Alzheimer’s Association Appropriate Use Recommendations for Blood Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease should be carefully followed. To help guide health care professionals in incorporating blood tests for Alzheimer’s in their clinical practice, the Association has convened a panel of clinical and subject-matter experts and is leading the preparation of clinical practice guidelines for the use of blood biomarkers in Alzheimer’s, which will be previewed at AAIC 2024.

Blood Test Can Improve Diagnosis Among Primary Care and Alzheimer’s Disease Specialists A large study, reported for the first time at AAIC 2024, shows that blood tests can do a better job of accurately detecting Alzheimer's than both primary care doctors and specialists who were using traditional diagnostic methods.

• Among 698 patients seen at memory clinics, APS2 was around 90% accurate at identifying Alzheimer’s disease while specialists were 73% accurate.
• Among 515 patients seen in primary care, APS2 was also around 90% accurate; primary care physicians were 63% accurate at identifying Alzheimer’s.

Researchers observed that the APS2 test was highly accurate even in patients with comorbidities, such as kidney disease, which are common in older patients seen by primary care physicians.

“Notably, these were the results of blood samples that have been shipped bi-weekly for analysis from primary care units, which is similar to routine clinical practice,” said lead author Sebastian Palmqvist, M.D., Ph.D., at Lund University, Lund, Sweden. “These results were especially impressive considering that older populations in primary care often have medical conditions that can influence or vary the concentrations of p-tau217.”

“We see this as a major step towards global clinical implementation of an Alzheimer’s blood test,” said senior author Oskar Hansson, M.D., Ph.D., also at Lund University. “It highlights the need for Alzheimer’s biomarkers in making a correct diagnosis more of the time. The next steps include establishing clear guidelines for how an Alzheimer’s blood test can be used in clinical practice, preferably by implementing these tests first in specialist care and then in primary care. This work is currently ongoing.”

The research reported at AAIC is funded in part by the Alzheimer’s Association, and is simultaneously published in the Journal of the American Medical Association .

Research Shows Blood Tests Could Identify Cognitively Unimpaired People for Clinical Trials Including people at earlier stages of Alzheimer’s in clinical trials could potentially help identify treatments that may be effective when symptoms are mild or absent. A study reported at AAIC 2024 found that p-tau217 blood tests could provide a simple and accurate selection tool for identifying cognitively unimpaired patients who likely have amyloid-beta plaques in their brains.

The researchers analyzed samples from 2,718 cognitively unimpaired participants across 10 different studies who had available plasma p-tau217 and amyloid-beta PET imaging or CSF samples. They found that plasma p-tau217 can positively predict (with a range of 79-86%) the likelihood that a cognitively unimpaired person would also test positive for amyloid-beta pathology on an amyloid PET scan or CSF biomarker. Adding the results from the amyloid-beta CSF test or an amyloid beta PET scan to the analysis after a positive blood sample improves the positive prediction to 90% or above, and thereby confidence in the presence of amyloid in the brain using a plasma p-tau217 test.

“If these numbers hold up and are replicated and confirmed by other independent labs, this approach may reduce the need for lumbar punctures and PET scans for Alzheimer’s diagnosis by 80 or even 90 percent,” said Gemma Salvadó, Ph.D., lead author of the study and an associate researcher at Lund University. “Our results support that plasma p-tau217 positivity alone may be sufficient as a selection of cognitively unimpaired, amyloid-positive participants for many clinical trials.”

Blood Tests Could Drastically Reduce Wait Times for Alzheimer’s Diagnosis and Treatment Approved Alzheimer’s treatments are indicated for people with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s or mild Alzheimer’s dementia, and they must have confirmed amyloid-beta biology in the brain. Therefore, it’s important to identify people who might benefit as early in the course of the disease as possible. Right now, there are often lengthy wait times to complete comprehensive testing for an Alzheimer’s diagnosis due to the limited number of Alzheimer’s specialists, and variable and often inequitable access to PET imaging or the expertise required for CSF analysis.

Research reported at AAIC 2024 suggests that using high-performing blood tests in primary care could identify potential Alzheimer’s patients much earlier so specialists can determine if they are eligible for new treatments.

The researchers used a well-established forecasting model to predict wait times for people eligible for treatment, accounting for both the limited number of Alzheimer’s disease specialists and the growing older population. The model included the projected U.S. population of people 55 and older from 2023 to 2032 and compared two scenarios. The first was that primary care clinicians would decide whether or not to refer a patient to an Alzheimer’s disease specialist based on the results of a brief cognitive test. The second was that they would also factor in the results of a high-performance blood test and assume that a blood test would be given to individuals testing positive for early-stage cognitive impairment in primary care and referrals to specialty care would be informed by the test results.

The model suggests that by 2033, people will wait an average of nearly six years (70 months) to understand if they could be eligible for new Alzheimer’s treatments if their primary care doctor only used brief cognitive assessments to make referrals. If blood tests were used to rule out Alzheimer’s, the average wait times would be reduced to 13 months for Alzheimer’s patients because far fewer patients would need to see a specialist. Researchers also determined that if blood tests and brief cognitive assessments were used at the primary care level to rule in the possibility of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, wait times to understand eligibility for new treatments would fall to less than six months on average because of reduced demand for Alzheimer’s specialists and the additional capacity now available for CSF or PET testing.

“Our results suggest using blood tests to identify potential candidates for treatments could make a significant difference in treating people with early Alzheimer’s,” said Soeren Mattke, M.D., D.Sc., lead author of the study and director of the Brain Health Observatory, at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. “Currently, eligible patients are falling outside of the treatment window because it takes so long to receive a diagnosis. An easy-to-use blood test could help address that problem.”

About the Alzheimer's Association International Conference ® (AAIC ® ) The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) is the world’s largest gathering of researchers from around the world focused on Alzheimer’s and other dementias. As a part of the Alzheimer’s Association’s research program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research community. Alzheimer’s Association: alz.org AAIC 2024: alz.org/aaic AAIC 2024 newsroom: alz.org/aaic/pressroom.asp AAIC 2024 hashtag: #AAIC24

About the Alzheimer's Association ® The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia®. Visit alz.org or call +1 800.272.3900.

Media Contacts:  Alzheimer’s Association Media Line, +1 312.335.4078, [email protected] AAIC 2024 Press Office, [email protected]

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Looking back on July which was a profoundly busy month for news

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