news 2025

Researchers reveal a new metabolic mechanism involved in resistance to lung cancer treatments A research team from the University of Valencia (UV) and the La Fe Health Research Institute (IIS La Fe) has identified a mechanism that explains why certain lung tumours with mutations in the EGFR gene stop responding to the most commonly used targeted therapies.

As the body ages, brown adipose tissue activity decreases, fewer calories are burned, and this can contribute to obesity and certain chronic cardiovascular diseases that worsen with age. A study led by the University of Barcelona has identified a key molecular mechanism in the loss of brown fat activity during ageing.

An international team led by ICREA researcher Mark Gieles, from the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), has developed a groundbreaking model that reveals how extremely massive stars (EMS) - with more than 1,000 times the mass of the Sun - have governed the birth and early evolution of the oldest star clusters in the universe.

A study by the UB and IDIBELL shows how the continued use of some antibiotics and drugs damages the cells of the vestibular system of the ear The vestibular system is responsible for the sense of balance in the inner ear. Prolonged use of toxic substances, such as certain antibiotics or anticancer drugs, can damage the hair cells that form part of this system, leading to alterations in balance and other motor skills.

An international collaboration between the University of Valencia and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has achieved an important advance in the study of seasonal and multi-annual sea level changes. By applying artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, the teams have significantly extended the forecasting timescales of these variations, strengthening coastal planning capabilities and scientific cooperation in ocean research.

Drugs to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases - such as asthma, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis or Chrousos syndrome - act mainly through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). This essential protein regulates vital processes in various tissues, so understanding its structure and function at the molecular level is essential for designing more effective and safer drugs.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common tumours among people over the age of 50. Although it is known to develop from small lesions or polyps, its exact causes are unknown - only a few risk factors are known - and it is usually treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, or biological therapies.

A multidisciplinary research team involving the University of Valencia has identified eight coronavirus genomes in bats from different regions of Spain, three of which could represent new viral species. The findings have been published in the journal PLoS Pathogens .

The brain's mechanisms for repairing injuries caused by trauma or degenerative diseases are not yet known in detail. Now, a study by the University of Barcelona describes a new strategy based on stem cell therapy that could enhance neuronal regeneration and neuroplasticity when this vital organ is damaged.

The sequencing of the genomes of a spider from the mainland ( Dysdera catalonica , left) and one from the Canary Islands ( Dysdera tilosensis , left) opens a new perspective for understanding how genome size evolves in similar species, an enigma that has baffled the scientific community for years. In a few million years, the spider Dysdera tilosensis - a species endemic to the Canary Islands - has reduced the size of its genome by half during the process of colonization and adaptation to its natural habitat.

José Luis Araus, professor at the University of Barcelona's Faculty of Biology and member of Agrotecnio - CERCA centre in agrotechnology - participated in a study showing that wheat varieties perform best under ideal conditions (water, nutrients, temperature) also yield more in challenging environmental and agronomic situations, such as excessive heat or drought.

Scientists develop AI tool to read the "code" of bacterial viruses and design personalised phage treatments A research team from the Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I²SysBio), a joint centre of the University of Valencia (UV) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), has developed an innovative artificial intelligence system to predict which bacteria can be targeted by bacteriophages (phages) based on the sequence of a key enzyme: depolymerase.

Researchers from the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) have developed a new framework based on machine learning that significantly improves the resolution of complex differential equations, especially in cases where traditional methods present difficulties. The study, led by experts Pedro Tarancón-Álvarez and Pablo Tejerina-Pérez, has been published in the journal (Nature publishing group).

A research team from the University of Valencia (UV), the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has demonstrated, using cognitive neuroscience techniques, that unconscious perceptions of leadership remain associated with male traits, despite more egalitarian conscious evaluations.

UB study shows that two approved drugs reduce fat accumulation in the liver of animal models of metabolic liver disease. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease is the most common liver disease in the world, affecting about one third of the adult population. This disorder is characterized by the accumulation of fat in liver cells, which has severe liver consequences and is also associated with a high mortality rate from cardiovascular disease.

A study by the Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Valencia (UV) has described changes in the ventral and lateral colouration of a species of lizard typical of the northern Iberian peninsula, Podarcis muralis (or wall lizard).

Two UB-led studies show that the impact of Chinese competition depends on the type of employment, and that collective bargaining agreements can intensify wage losses. Globalization does not affect all workers equally. The sector in which people work has a lot to do with it, but it is not the only factor.

The discovery opens up new perspectives for the study of exchange networks in the Mediterranean during the Copper Age. Archeology Researchers at the Prehistoric Studies and Research Seminar (SERP) of the University of Barcelona have identified the oldest piece made of hippopotamus ivory in the Iberian Peninsula.

A scientific team has discovered the first Mesozoic amber deposit with preserved insects in South America in the province of Napo (Ecuador). The discovery, published in the journal reveals that 112 million years ago there was a tropical rainforest with ferns, cycads and angiosperm plants, and describes a unique scenario for understanding the rich biodiversity and Cretaceous ecosystems in the southern hemisphere, little studied so far in the fossil amber record.