March eNews
Welcome to the March edition of the AlphaGalileo eNews.
This month we bring you the Top 5 most-read research stories from February, alongside our Editor’s Choice and Image of the Month.
A reminder: Clock change this month
The change of clocks in the US will be on Sunday 8th of March when the US will use Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
In the UK, it will be 3 weeks later on Sunday 29th of March when the UK will use British Summer Time (BST)
Please make sure to double check your embargo times.
Upcoming event:
Marketing and communications in higher education 2026
19 March 2026, in London/Online
This annual conference will explore the latest developments and future trends in the higher education sector, equipping attendees to find innovative ways to make a bigger impact. The focus is on how universities can position themselves for success when designing and delivering crucial marketing and communications strategies, navigating upcoming challenges in the rapidly changing digital space.
New Contributors
We are very pleased to count among our new contributors:
Applied Physics
Cambridge University Press
Federation of European Neuroscience Societies
Juntendo University
POLIS AISBL
Universidad de Alicante
University of Sharjah
If you would like to get in touch with the News Team, please email news@alphagalileo.org
All the best,
AlphaGalileo News Team
Top 5
1. A network to make us SMILE - Building island resilience while protecting the ecosystems, published on 17/02/2026 by European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST)
Water covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, hosting hundreds of thousands of islands. There is no single official count of islands, as definitions vary by size, but estimates range from more than 600,000 to nearly one million worldwide. Countries such as Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Canada host the highest numbers of islands, largely due to their long, glaciated coastlines. There is currently no systematic or harmonised inventory of European Union (EU) islands, including smaller ones. Nevertheless, EUROSTAT identifies 58 island regions across the EU-27, home to approximately 20.5 million people, representing 4.6% of the total EU population.
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2. USP30-AS1: A dual-localized lncRNA that drives breast cancer proliferation through coordinated p21 suppression, published on 19/02/2026 by Compuscript Ltd
This new study published in Genes & Diseases by researchers from Tsinghua University, Shenzhen University, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, and Shenzhen Polytechnic University identifies ubiquitin-specific peptidase 30 antisense RNA 1 (USP30-AS1), a lncRNA transcribed antisense to the mitochondrial deubiquitinase USP30, as a key oncogenic regulator in breast cancer.
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3. ESTRO 2026 – Congress of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, published on 03/02/2026 by ESTRO
More than half of all cancer patients currently receive radiotherapy as part of their treatment. Developments in radiation oncology mean that tumours can be targeted more precisely and treatment can be delivered more quickly. This is improving survival rates and reducing side-effects for patients. This year’s congress is set to be the biggest yet, with more than 4,000 researchers from around the world presenting their latest findings, including the results of clinical trials that will change practice in radiation oncology. The theme of this year’s congress is ‘Innovating radiation oncology, together’, focusing on joining forces across the radiation oncology community to advance innovation, improve clinical practice, and ultimately enhance care for patients.
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4. New AI approach enables diagnosis and monitoring of brain tumours, published 20/02/2026 by Medical University of Vienna
An international research team, with significant involvement from the Medical University of Vienna, has developed a new AI-based analysis method that can accurately classify brain tumours using genetic material from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and monitor the progression of the disease. In future, the method could enable earlier diagnosis before surgery, reduce invasive procedures and improve the monitoring of treatment success. The results have recently been published in the leading journal Nature Cancer.
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5. The Future of Equality: A Moral Case for the Long Term, published on 03/02/2026 by Hebrew University of Jerusalem
At a time when public policy is overwhelmingly shaped by short-term pressures, Prof. Shlomi Segall, from the Department of Political Science and the Philosophy, Economics and Political Science program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, challenges readers in his new book, The Future of Equality, to confront a fundamental moral question: what do principles of distributive justice say about people who do not yet exist? Focusing on the future of humanity through the lens of political philosophy and equality, the book challenges familiar assumptions about demography, justice, and moral responsibility. Contrary to the prevailing narrative among many demographers, Segall argues that relatively high birth rates can carry significant moral and economic advantages rather than representing an inherent burden. From this perspective, demographic vitality is not only compatible with egalitarian thinking but may in fact support it.
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Editor's Choice
How the Color of a Theater Affects Sound Perception, published on 20/02/2026 by American Institute of Physics (AIP)
Live music can engage more than just one sense, despite it being an auditory medium. Lighting and visual effects can enhance the listening experience, but it is unclear if they can also affect the impression of the sound. In JASA, published on behalf of the Acoustical Society of America by AIP Publishing, researchers from Germany’s Technical University of Berlin found that the color of a concert hall has an impact on the sound perception of a listener.
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Image caption: Image stills from the various colors of concert halls that were tested on listeners. Credit: Drouzas et al.
Image of the month
Cleaner fish show intelligence typical of mammals, published on 20/02/2026 by Osaka Metropolitan University
Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan have discovered a previously undiscovered behavior in cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus). When presented with a mirror, the tiny fish not only recognized themselves, but experimented with the mirror themselves, interacting with it using a scrap of food. The results suggest that these social fish can perform a higher level of intelligence known as ‘contingency testing,’ typically seen in intelligent marine mammals like dolphins.
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Image caption: A cleaner wrasse in front of a mirror: Cleaner fish have been found to exhibit mammal-like cognitive abilities in the presence of their own reflection. Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University