Springer Nature

Vegetarian diets and cancer risk: pooled analysis of 1.8 million women and men in nine prospective studies on three continents - British Journal of Cancer Vegetarian diets might influence cancer risk. We studied 1,645,555 meat eaters, 57,016 poultry eaters, 42,910 pescatarians, 63,147 vegetarians and 8849 vegans in 9 cohorts (UK, US, Taiwan, India). After a median 16 years follow-up, incident cancers were: 4504 mouth and pharynx, 1308 oesophagus (squamous cell), 2105 oesophagus (adenocarcinoma), 3578 stomach, 30,528 colorectum, 2970 liver, 8030 pancreas, 3077 lung (never smokers), 61,368 breast, 11,220 endometrium, 8076 ovary, 45,946 prostate, 7193 kidney, 6869 bladder, 11,651 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 4658 multiple myeloma and 7306 leukaemia. Multivariable Cox regression was used to estimate cohort-specific hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and the results were combined using meta-analysis. Compared to meat eaters, poultry eaters had lower risk of prostate cancer (0.93, 0.88–0.98), pescatarians had lower risks of colorectal (0.85, 0.77–0.93), breast (0.93, 0.88–0.98) and kidney cancer (0.73, 0.58–0.93), vegetarians had lower risks of cancers of the pancreas (0.79, 0.65–0.97), breast (0.91, 0.86–0.97), prostate (0.88, 0.79–0.97), kidney (0.72, 0.57–0.92) and multiple myeloma (0.69, 0.51–0.93) but higher risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus (1.93, 1.30–2.87), and vegans had higher risk of colorectal cancer (1.40, 1.12–1.75). Vegetarian diets might influence risk for several cancers. The generalisability should be considered cautiously.

One of our top-rated posts on @altmetric.com this past week was published open access in British Journal of Cancer. You can read 'Vegetarian diets and cancer risk: pooled analysis of 1.8 million women and men in nine prospective studies on three continents' here: spklr.io/63325EGdlF

'Football fever' is real: fans’ stress levels were 41% higher on Cup final day than on non‑match days, according to a Scientific Reports study using smartwatch data: spklr.io/63323EGj0c

@natureportfolio.nature.com #SportsScience

London Book Fair event: "Breaking Through and Reshaping of the Future of Publishing." Speakers include Ye Wenfang, Li Desheng, Ji Weimin, Professor Angus Phillips, Catriona MacLeod Stevenson, and Dr. Niels Peter Thomas. Event: Wednesday, March 11, 11:15 AM GMT, International Stage.

London Book Fair event: "Trust in Science and News: Navigating in the Age of AI." Speakers: Dr Michael Pound, Michael Peel, and Susie Winter. Event: Thursday, March 12, 2:30 PM GMT, Academic Theatre; Springer Nature.

We’re excited to attend London Book Fair next week!
Come meet us at our Stand 7C10, or join us for two thought‑provoking sessions exploring the future of trusted information and the evolution of publishing.
You can find the full programme here: spklr.io/63326EGTmg
#LBF26 #Publishing

Bioremediation of lunar regolith simulant through mycorrhizal fungi and plant symbioses enables chickpea to seed - Scientific Reports Food sustainability is a significant challenge for long-term space travel. Plants can provide fresh nutrition, reducing reliance on packaged foods. Using Lunar regolith simulant (LRS), we tested a methodology to create a productive growth medium for horticultural crops on the Moon. We leveraged chickpea (Cicer arietinum), Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF), and Vermicompost (VC) to enhance plant stress tolerance, sequester contaminants, and improve substrate structure. Chickpeas were cultivated in LRS/VC mixtures, with or without AMF, under climate-controlled conditions. Plants seeded successfully in mixtures containing up to 75% LRS when inoculated with AMF. While the number of seeds declined with increasing LRS concentration, seed size remained stable. Higher LRS concentrations induced stress; however, plants grown in 100% LRS inoculated with AMF demonstrated an average extension of two weeks in survival compared to non-inoculated plants. AMF colonized roots across all mixtures, including 100% LRS, demonstrating the ability to establish symbioses under extreme conditions. We also observed improvement in the structural properties of LRS by forming aggregates capable of withstanding extreme conditions, potentially mitigating particle-related hazards. These results provide a baseline for chickpea establishment and yield in amended LRS while demonstrating biological improvements in regolith properties.

Life’s capacity to survive in simulated lunar and Martian soils has been explored in two papers published in Scientific Reports: spklr.io/63326E1Fl4 & spklr.io/63329E1Fl7

#Astrobiology

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Sea level much higher than assumed in most coastal hazard assessments - Nature Meta-analyses on a global scale show that the measured coastal mean sea level is higher than assumed in most coastal hazard assessments.

Most research may have underestimated coastal sea-level height across the world by an average of 0.3 m, according to a study in Nature. In some areas in the Global South, these levels may be up to 1 m higher than previously assumed: spklr.io/63320EDBy0

#Geoscience ⚒️

Give to Gain: Why Investing in Women Entrepreneurs Strengthens the Global Economy Across Africa, women are not waiting for permission to participate in the economy. They are already building it.

Women across Africa are already powering economies—yet still face unequal access to capital. Read more about why investing in women entrepreneurs strengthens the economy from Glory Enyinnaya, author of 'Institutional Entrepreneurship in African Fintech':

#IWD #InternationalWomensDay

Springer Nature celebrates a decade of Research Communities with 100,000 users and the launch of a dedicated ECR Hub. Image to the right, in the shape of a trapezium: Two people are seen smiling, looking at a document in their hands. Springer Nature logo is in the bottom right corner.

Launched as part of our Research Communities platform, Springer Nature’s Early Career Researcher (ECR) Hub offers a dedicated space for emerging researchers to access resources, share insights, and connect across disciplines.
Learn more: spklr.io/63326EEcy2

#AcademicSky #ECRs

Wide-swath altimetry maps bank shapes and storage changes in global rivers - Nature Observations of river channel geometry and monthly water storage changes for 126,674 river reaches worldwide are derived from the first water year of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite mission.

A near‑global map of river channel shape and monthly water‑storage change, based on satellite observations of almost 130,000 river sections worldwide, is reported in Nature. The findings improve understanding of global river behaviour: spklr.io/63327EDBHV

#Geoscience ⚒️

The oldest articulated bony fish from the early Silurian period - Nature A tiny, articulated, near-complete osteichthyan from the early Silurian Chongqing Lagerstätte, represents the oldest osteichthyan occurrence including microfossils, and the earliest articulated remains of any bony fish in the fossil record.

The oldest-known articulated bony fish and an early example of teeth from a bony fish have been detected in a collection of fossils from China, dating back to the Silurian period (around 444 to 419 million years ago). spklr.io/63328EDB1u & spklr.io/63322EDB1p

#Palaeontology 🧪

Good Will Hunting: Why mathematicians hate the Oscar-winning coming-of-age drama This Oscar-winning classic set a surprisingly simple mathematical challenge

Mathematicians aren’t fans of Good Will Hunting—not because of the story, but because the film’s “impossible” math problem is actually surprisingly simple once you know the jargon. Hollywood drama: spklr.io/63320EBTkE

The hidden genius behind nonreflective glass | Science Quickly Podcast" In this episode of Science Quickly, host Kendra Pierre-Louis talks with Katie Hafner of the podcast Lost Women of Science about the remarkable but often overlooked physicist and chemist Katharine Burr Blodgett, whose pioneering work in early nanotechnology led to nonreflective glass. Hafner shares why the Lost Women of Science team devoted nearly a year to uncovering Blodgett’s full story and reflects on the broader mission to restore women to the scientific record. Episode Transcript: http://spklr.io/63326EBMlq Recommended Reading: The chemical genius of Katharine Burr Blodgett http://spklr.io/63320EBMlQ Listed to more podcasts from the Lost Women of Science Initiative http://spklr.io/63321EBMlv E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day. Subscribe to Scientific American: http://spklr.io/63322EBMla And sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter: http://spklr.io/63323EBMlx Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

Kendra Pierre-Louis talks with Katie Hafner of the podcast Lost Women of Science about the remarkable but often overlooked physicist and chemist Katharine Burr Blodgett, whose pioneering work in early nanotechnology led to nonreflective glass:

#WomenInSTEM #WomenInScience 🧪

For 25 years, Research4Life has helped expand who gets to participate in global research. Today, 12,000+ institutions access 250,000+ trusted resources. Help us celebrate our 25th Anniversary! https://ow.ly/2NvF50YozYO

#R4L25

Image shows colorful Holi powder explosion with text: "Did You Know? Holi has ancient roots in Hindu mythology and is linked to stories of Prahlad and Holika, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. Over time, it also became a celebration of spring, renewal, and social unity, where traditional boundaries fade amid shared color, music, and joy."

#OnThisDay, people gather to celebrate Holi, the Festival of Colors. Marking the arrival of spring, Holi is observed with music, dancing, shared sweets, and clouds of vibrant color. Wishing everyone a joyful and colorful Holi! 🌸🎨

Stunning photos reveal the 'blood moon' total lunar eclipse Don’t worry if you missed Tuesday’s total lunar eclipse. These images show the celestial marvel from around the world

Don’t worry if you missed Tuesday’s total lunar eclipse. These images show the celestial marvel from around the world

Discovery of the most compact 3+1-type quadruple star system TIC 120362137 - Nature Communications There are only a few 3+1-type stellar systems known. Here the authors show that TIC 120362137 is the most compact hierarchical quadruple star, with three stars revolving within an area smaller than Mercury’s orbit, while the fourth star orbits closer to them than Jupiter from our Sun.

The most compact known example of a 3+1-type quadruple star system, where a star orbits a triple star system, is presented in @natcomms.nature.com. The system offers rare opportunity to examine dynamics and evolution of such tightly bound systems: spklr.io/63323EBTBF

🔭 #astronomy #astro

Promotion for "Eileen O'Shaughnessy, in Her Own Words" by Angela Smith & Sylvia Topp from Palgrave Macmillan & Springer Nature. Book cover on the right, featuring a drawing of Eileen O'Shaughnessy. Text on the left reads: "The first exclusive annotated collection of Eileen O'Shaughnessy's letters, wife of George Orwell."

This book brings together the complete letters of Eileen O'Shaughnessy, wife of George Orwell. Although they married in 1936 and spent nine years together, her extensive influence on Orwell’s work is only now being understood. spklr.io/63324DhILw

@hss.springernature.com #booksky 📚💙

What an inspiring day at the SDGs Symposium 2026: AI & Sustainability! We explored how AI can drive meaningful progress toward a sustainable future—while tackling the ethical, social & environmental challenges that come with it. spklr.io/63322EBHSG

🧪 #AI #Sustainability #SDGs

Pokémon turns 30 — how the fictional pocket monsters shaped science The Japanese media sensation has inspired generations of researchers in fields as diverse as evolution, biodiversity and research integrity.

On 27 February 1996, Japanese game designer Satoshi Tajiri released the first ever Pokémon games for the Nintendo Game Boy. The media sensation has inspired generations of researchers in fields as diverse as evolution, biodiversity and research integrity: spklr.io/63325DhID3

Brains of ‘super agers’ are still strong producers of new neurons Older people with exceptional memory have a surprisingly high number of young neurons, study finds.

Adults whose brains still produce neurons at high levels seem to have better memory and cognitive function than do those in whom neuron production has tailed off. spklr.io/63323DhEiX

#Neuroscience 🧠

How AI-powered ‘smart homes’ could transform care for people with dementia How AI‑powered “smart home” technologies could improve safety and ease caregiver burden for people with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia

For people with Alzheimer’s or dementia the risk of experiencing serious accidents at home goes up. AI-powered ‘smart homes’ could transform care for people with dementia.

Listen to this episode of Science Quickly to find out how: spklr.io/63324DhEyY

The image reads, "THE STORY OF SPRINGER'S FIRST OPEN ACCESS BOOK," written by Christina Emery, Head of Thought Leadership Programmes, with the Springer Nature logo. A hand with red nail polish is using a tablet against a blurred background of books.

Did you know that it has been 15 years since @springer.springernature.com published it’s first OA book? To commemorate this landmark, we feature the story of our first open access book and the benefits of publishing open access: spklr.io/63322DhnNr

#AcademicPublishing #OpenAccess

👏

Early hominin arrival in Southeast Asia triggered the evolution of major human malaria vectors - Scientific Reports Some species of the Leucosphyrus Group of Anopheles mosquitoes in Southeast Asia are highly anthropophilic and efficient vectors of human malaria parasites, while others primarily feed on non-human primates (NHP) and transmit NHP malaria parasites. The evolutionary history of this group, particularly the origin of anthropophily, was studied using phylogenomic analysis of 2,657 high-confidence nuclear single-copy orthologous genes and 13 mitochondrial protein coding genes from 40 individuals of 11 species. Molecular dating and ancestral state reconstruction revealed that monkey-feeding is ancestral with speciation of monkey-feeding species dating to the Pliocene within Sundaland (Malay peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra and Java) which was covered in tropical rain forests during this period. Although less parsimonious alternatives cannot be excluded, molecular dating, ancestral state reconstruction and reticulation analysis indicated that anthropophily most likely evolved once, involving adaptive introgression, in the early Pleistocene in Sundaland, giving rise to multiple descendent anthropophilic species. Such early origination of anthropophily must necessarily have been in response to the arrival of early hominins (Homo erectus) rather than anatomically modern humans, likely associated with loss and fragmentation of rainforests during the early Pleistocene. The early origination of anthropophily also provides independent non-archaeological evidence supporting the limited fossil record of early hominin colonization in Southeast Asia around 1.8 Mya.

The preference of some mosquitoes in the Anopheles leucosphyrus group — including those that transmit malaria — for feeding on humans may have evolved in response to the arrival of early hominins in Southeast Asia around 1.8 million years ago: spklr.io/63325DhD6v

#Evolution #evosky

An image from Springer Nature features a portrait of Becquerel next to a "Did You Know?" section. The text explains that Becquerel's discovery was accidental, finding photographic plates exposed without sunlight after storing uranium salts on them.

#OnThisDay in 1896, French physicist Henri Becquerel made a groundbreaking discovery while studying uranium salts. He found they emitted invisible rays capable of fogging photographic plates, revealing radioactivity and opening a new era in physics. ☢️🔬

Academia’s parent trap: the struggles faced by researcher mothers How effective is the sector at supporting early career scientists hoping to start a family, including those who face fertility challenges?

How effective is the academic workplace at supporting early career scientists hoping to start a family, including those who face fertility challenges?
Listen to the Off Limits episode here: spklr.io/63322DN2IA

#AcademicSky

Rare Disease Day 2026 For Rare Disease Day 2026, we share selected Springer Nature content that highlights key issues, advances, and ongoing efforts to improve diagnosis, care, and support for those impacted.

Rare diseases aren’t so rare. Up to 5.9% of people globally are affected.

For #RareDiseaseDay 2026, we share selected Springer Nature content that highlights key issues, advances, and ongoing efforts to improve diagnosis, care, and support: spklr.io/63327DN7Ff

🩺 #medsky

A black and white portrait of Sir C. V. Raman, with the text "Did You Know? The Raman Effect became the foundation of Raman spectroscopy, a technique still widely used today in chemistry, physics, medicine, and materials science, from identifying molecules to analyzing art and space samples."

#OnThisDay in 1928, physicist Sir C. V. Raman discovered what we now call the Raman Effect: showing that when light passes through a transparent material, some of it changes wavelength. This breakthrough transformed how we study matter at the molecular level. 🌈🔬

Human hippocampal neurogenesis in adulthood, ageing and Alzheimer’s disease - Nature Mapping of neurogenesis in human hippocampi across ages and different cognitive abilities using multiomic single-cell sequencing reveals distinct signatures between cognitive preservation and decline.

One of our top-rated posts on @altmetric.com this past week was published in @nature.com. You can read 'Human hippocampal neurogenesis in adulthood, ageing and Alzheimer’s disease' here: spklr.io/63323D4RgZ

Why every scientist needs a librarian Librarians can be key research partners who help to scour the literature, manage data and make science open.

Walk into a big academic library, and chances are you’ll enter a hushed space with soaring ceilings. Academic scientists don’t always take full advantage of these temples of knowledge.
Here is why every scientist needs a librarian: spklr.io/63320DN2Xo

#AcademicSky #LibrarySky #EduSky