https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from University of Rovira i Virgili Virgin olive oil is considered one of the fundamental pillars of the Mediterranean diet and is widely recognized for its cardiovascular and metabolic health benefits. However, its direct influence on the human brain through the digestive system had not been explored in depth. A new study led by researchers from the Human Nutrition Unit at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV) and CIBERobn reveals that extra virgin olive oil may play a decisive role in protecting cognitive function through its effects on the gut microbiota. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-virgin-olive-oil-cognitive-health.html Gastroenterology Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:54:42 EST news690735241 The distribution of body fat, and particularly fat accumulated around the abdomen, is a determining factor in the risk of developing metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. However, not all abdominal fat has the same impact on health: subcutaneous fat, located beneath the skin, does not carry the same risks as visceral fat, which accumulates deeper and can come into direct contact with vital organs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-ultrasound-abdominal-fat-linked-metabolic.html Biomedical technology Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:04:42 EST news689879041 Malaria remains the most deadly parasitic disease in the world. Although it is not endemic to countries such as Spain, imported cases are diagnosed each year in people returning from areas where the infection is common. These patients can rapidly progress to severe forms of the disease, but detecting which patients are at higher risk is not always easy, especially in settings where clinical experience is limited and initial symptoms are non-specific. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-based-rapid-flags-severe-imported.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:10:01 EST news688838545 Impulsivity, hyperactivity, and difficulty concentrating are some of the symptoms associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is estimated that 6% of schoolchildren in Catalonia suffer to a greater or lesser extent from this neurodevelopmental condition. Although genetic factors are the main cause, environmental factors such as exposure to pollutants can increase the risk of developing ADHD or can intensify its symptoms. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-exposure-heavy-metals-linked-adhd.html Attention deficit disorders Wed, 28 Jan 2026 11:30:00 EST news688822081 For the ArchaeoSpain research team, it was a day just like any other on their dig at the castle of Zorita de los Canes (Guadalajara). They were working at the Corral de los Condes, where some knights from the Order of Calatrava are buried, when they came across some highly unusual human remains. Accompanying an apparently normal adult skeleton, was an extraordinarily narrow and elongated skull, 23 centimeters long and only 12 centimeters wide. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-crouzon-syndrome-knight-calatrava-years.html Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:17:30 EST news688313822 Converting the vibrations generated by water currents in contact with an object into energy. This is the basis of the new system designed by Francisco Huera, a researcher in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). The device harnesses the energy of water currents from the vibrations that occur when water passes around a cylinder and creates vortices behind it. This method has a very simple structure: a submerged cylindrical tube hanging from an axis that oscillates like a pendulum when the water current makes it vibrate. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-01-pendulum-based-energy-ocean-currents.html Engineering Wed, 14 Jan 2026 12:08:18 EST news687614882 How can you tell if fruit has reached its optimal ripeness without picking it, touching it or carrying out any test that might damage it? A research team from the Department of Analytical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) has found the answer by applying near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy to the leaves closest to the fruit. They discovered that the technique allows reliable information to be obtained about the fruit's developmental state without damaging it. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-fruit-ripeness-leaf-chemistry-based.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 17 Dec 2025 05:20:02 EST news685120591 The quality and quantity of carbohydrates in the diet play a decisive role in the development of dementias. This is according to a combined study carried out by the Nutrition and Metabolic Health (NuMeH) research group of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), the Center for Environmental, Food and Toxicological Technology (TecnATox), and the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-quality-carbohydrates-diet-play-key.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Tue, 16 Dec 2025 14:37:34 EST news685118222 Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in the world among women, with more than 2.3 million cases a year, and continues to be one of the main causes of cancer-related mortality. Precisely predicting whether this type of tumor will reappear remains one of the key challenges in oncology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-ai-combines-clinical-magnetic-resonance.html Oncology & Cancer Tue, 21 Oct 2025 08:28:04 EDT news680254081 Fifty-two people have died on Catalan roads so far this year, according to data from the Catalan Traffic Service. Although there have been fewer accidents in the first four months of the year than in the same period last year, accidents continue to have a terrible impact: more than 3,500 people were involved in 2,414 traffic accidents in 2024, 48 of them with fatalities. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-05-efficient-method-drivers-attention.html Hardware Mon, 12 May 2025 16:20:30 EDT news666285423 No more rancid hazelnuts: A research team at the URV has developed a method that can identify nuts that have gone bad due to oxidation. The technique uses infrared light to determine the chemical composition of hazelnuts without even removing them from their shells. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-method-rancid-hazelnuts-bag.html Biotechnology Mon, 28 Apr 2025 15:06:19 EDT news665071571 An international team led by researchers from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) has developed an innovative piece of equipment in the field of medical technology: an intelligent device capable of monitoring the temperature of the skin continuously and accurately. The device uses a thermoelectric system that works without batteries or an external power supply to detect temperature variations associated with inflammation and infection. The results of the project have been published in the journal Advanced Science. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-smart-skin-sensor-real-infection.html Biomedical technology Wed, 02 Apr 2025 12:10:17 EDT news662814602 How many people will travel during a given week between two specific cities? Answering this question is important for many reasons, for example, to design efficient public transport infrastructures, or, as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic, to understand how mobility patterns could be used to predict the spread and evolution of the virus. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-mathematical-human-mobility-cities.html Mathematics Thu, 27 Feb 2025 11:25:56 EST news659877953 Trichomoniasis is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the world. It is caused by Trichomonas vaginalis, a parasite that is difficult to detect because in many cases the infection has no symptoms, making it difficult to diagnose and treat. Early identification is essential, because if left untreated, the infection can cause complications in reproductive health, increase the risk of HIV transmission and cause inflammation in the genital tract. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-parasite-responsible-trichomoniasis-minutes.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 26 Feb 2025 16:01:03 EST news659808061 An international research team led by the URV has analyzed the capabilities of seven artificial intelligence (AI) models in understanding language and compared them with those of humans. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-02-limitations-language-ai-lag-humans.html Machine learning & AI Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:39:06 EST news658582741 Flexible portable devices, also known as FlexPVs, have great potential in multiple applications. For example, wearable technology, intelligent fabrics, curved surfaces such as car roofs or lightweight applications such as drones or aerospace transportation. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-12-protocol-durability-flexible-photovoltaic-devices.html Engineering Tue, 03 Dec 2024 14:52:38 EST news652459947 Holding the increase in the average global temperature to less than 2ºC above pre-industrial levels and limiting this increase to 1.5ºC is the challenge that 190 countries signed in the Paris Agreement for the year 2050. To make this possible, each state must present national plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure that they are updated every five years. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-08-current-amount-renewable-energy-generated.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 06 Aug 2024 08:11:46 EDT news642150702 A research team from the URV's Nutrition and Mental Health group has studied the prevalence of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in schoolchildren in the Tarragona region. The research, which also determined the extent to which these disorders affect children's social relationships, collected data on 7,000 pupils, of whom 700 were studied in detail. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-06-school-bullying-triples-children-autistic.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 10 Jun 2024 16:48:04 EDT news637256882 A research project led by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) and the Max Planck Institute has studied the remains of 25 individuals buried between the 12th and 15th centuries in the castle at Zorita de los Canes, Guadalajara. After exhuming the remains from the castle's cemetery, the research team was able to determine the diet, lifestyle and causes of death of the warrior monks, who were members of the Order of Calatrava. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-body-woman-warrior-monks-calatrava.html Archaeology Mon, 03 Jun 2024 12:28:57 EDT news636636532 A study led by the University of Rovira i Virgili's (URV) Human Nutrition Unit has associated the consumption of ultra-processed foods products with a greater risk of overweight, increased blood sugar and worse levels of good cholesterol. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-05-ultra-foods-cardiometabolic-children.html Health Tue, 21 May 2024 13:32:47 EDT news635517164 Eighty percent of climatic migrants are women and children. This figure means that a new international legal framework is required to protect human rights by adding gender-sensitive measures to policies and legislation. This is the claim made by Susana Borràs, a researcher from the University of Rovira's Department of Public Law in an article published in the journal Environmental Policy and Law, in which she discusses the complexities of perpetuating inequalities, vulnerabilities and the lack of protection of migrant women and children. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-women-decisions-human-rights-climate.html Social Sciences Mon, 29 Apr 2024 17:30:03 EDT news633630601 A study led by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) has revealed the mechanism behind the link between a diet high in saturated fats and Alzheimer's disease. The research focused on how this kind of diet affects certain molecules found in the blood and in other tissues such as the brain that act as markers and regulators of the disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-04-mechanism-links-diet-rich-fats.html Health Mon, 29 Apr 2024 17:26:03 EDT news633630361 Entering a website and accepting cookies is a very common and oft-repeated gesture when navigating the Internet. But this small action, which is often done automatically and without thought, entails security risks: By consenting to cookies, you lose control over your sensitive information, as you cannot review the conditions you have just accepted. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-03-team-blockchain-based-method-personal.html Internet Mon, 18 Mar 2024 14:32:03 EDT news629991121 A research team from the University of Rovira i Virgili, University of Ohio and the University of Texas has developed an innovative method that allows fibromyalgia to be reliably diagnosed from a blood sample. Identifying this disease nowadays is highly complex, especially because the symptoms are similar to those of other rheumatic pathologies and persistent COVID. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-03-blood-fibromyalgia-reliably.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 04 Mar 2024 15:09:22 EST news628787356 A study by the Mycology and Environmental Microbiology Unit of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili has identified new species of fungi that may cause infections or diseases in people and animals. Carried out in river ecosystems, the research is part of a project on biodiversity and the role played by a large group of fungi, the ascomycetes, in the aquatic ecosystem. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-species-fungi-potentially-humans-freshwater.html Ecology Fri, 23 Feb 2024 13:52:03 EST news627918721 A team of researchers from the URV and the RMIT University (Australia) has designed and manufactured a surface that uses mechanical means to mitigate the infectious potential of viruses. Made of silicon, the artificial surface consists of a series of tiny spikes that damage the structure of viruses when they come into contact with it. The work is published in the journal ACS Nano. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-scientists-surface-virucidal-properties-chemicals.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 30 Jan 2024 13:12:16 EST news625842732 Carbonic maceration wines are increasingly in demand on the market. They are young red wines in which floral and fresh fruit aromas predominate and they must be consumed within the first year. The best-known example is Beaujolais nouveau in France, but there is also a tradition in La Rioja and Catalonia, especially in the Montsant area and the Conca de Barberà. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-unconventional-yeast-quality-carbonic-maceration.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 25 Jan 2024 15:13:34 EST news625418011 The green transition towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly economy has become a necessity to combat climate change, the scarcity of resources, and pollution. Businesses have been forced to shift from traditional fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-green-transition-affects-competition-business.html Economics & Business Mon, 11 Dec 2023 17:04:03 EST news621536641 Nanoparticles have unique properties that make them exceptional tools with a variety of applications, from medicine to electronics. One of the lesser-known facts about them is that their surface plays a crucial role in their behavior and functionality. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-ability-molecules-surface-nanoparticles.html Nanomaterials Tue, 28 Nov 2023 09:03:03 EST news620384582