While many people binge-watch their favorite shows, binge-watching addiction is associated with loneliness, according to a study published January 21, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Xiaofan Yue and Xin Cui from Huangshan University in China.

Ancient people transported a wild relative of the common potato across the southwestern U.S., likely expanding the range of the species, according to a study published January 21, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Lisbeth Louderback from the University of Utah, U.S., and colleagues. This research provides new evidence that Indigenous people may have put the species on a path to domestication, while creating a unique cultural element in the Four Corners region.

Researchers investigating the effectiveness of outdoor ads promoting climate change awareness and action found that a general message of climate emergency awareness received more QR code scans compared to a more-specific campaign focusing on sustainable fashion, according to a study published January 21, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS Climate by Maxwell Boykoff from the University of Colorado Boulder, USA, and colleagues.

The presence of S. jamesii starch on tools, combined with earlier genetic, ecological, and ethnographic research, indicates that Indigenous people intentionally transported, cultivated, and managed the plant across the Four Corners region. These activities define an “anthropogenic range” created through extensive trade networks and long-term use, a key indicator of early domestication.

The microbiome of infants is shaped by social relationships from an early age and not only by family sources. This was confirmed by a study conducted by researchers of the Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology of the University of Trento (Cibio) and published in Nature. In particular, the Computational Metagenomics research group investigated microbiome transmission in contexts and age groups never before explored. To do this, they worked in collaboration with the Childhood Services and Education Office of the Municipality of Trento and three daycare centres in the city.