PFAS Exposure During Pregnancy Alters Brain Connectivity in Children
Prenatal exposure to PFAS – the so-called “forever chemicals” – has been linked to measurable differences in children’s brain structure and connectivity, according to new research led by the University of Turku in collaboration with Örebro University and Turku University Hospital.
Using data from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, researchers analyzed maternal blood collected during pregnancy with high-resolution mass spectrometry to quantify seven distinct PFAS compounds. At age five, children underwent multimodal MRI to assess brain structure and functional connectivity. The study of 51 mother–child pairs revealed linear associations between maternal PFAS concentrations and alterations in several brain regions – most notably the corpus callosum, occipital grey matter, and hypothalamus.
“We were able to measure seven different PFAS in this study, and found that individual compounds had specific associations with offspring brain structure,” said Tuulia Hyötyläinen of Örebro University. “In some cases, two different PFAS even had opposite relationships with the same brain region.”
PFAS with carboxylic acid groups were generally more strongly associated with altered brain structure than sulphonic acid–based PFAS (except in the hypothalamus). Some compounds also correlated with changes in functional connectivity, suggesting potential effects on how brain regions communicate.
“At the moment, it is unclear whether PFAS are directly affecting brain development, although it’s known that they can pass the placenta and blood–brain barrier,” noted Hasse Karlsson of the University of Turku. “Future studies will be needed to determine the functional implications of our findings.”
Dual-Atom Catalyst Converts Nitrates into Nitrogen Gas
A new dual single-atomic catalyst has been engineered to convert nitrate pollution into harmless nitrogen gas with exceptional selectivity, offering a cleaner, more efficient route for water treatment.
Published in Eco-Environment & Health, researchers from Jiangnan University describe a double-shelled mesoporous carbon sphere catalyst (FeNC@MgNC-DMCS) that hosts two distinct atomic sites: inner Fe–N₄ centers driving nitrogen–nitrogen coupling and outer Mg–N₄ centers that act as a “proton fence,” regulating hydrogen availability. This dual architecture minimizes unwanted hydrogenation reactions that typically yield ammonia, steering the process toward nitrogen gas instead.
In situ mass spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy confirmed that the reaction proceeds via N–N coupling rather than N–H formation. The optimized catalyst achieved 92.8% nitrate conversion with 95.2% nitrogen selectivity, maintaining over 90% efficiency for more than 250 hours in continuous flow tests, with metal leaching well below World Health Organization limits.
“This work illustrates how careful atomic engineering can fundamentally shift reaction pathways in electrocatalysis,” said Hua Zou, co-corresponding author of the study. “By introducing a magnesium-based proton fence around iron catalytic centers, we effectively prevented side reactions leading to ammonia formation.”
The researchers now plan to extend their dual-site design strategy to other environmental catalysts, aiming to fine-tune selectivity in clean water, carbon conversion, and sustainable chemical manufacturing.
Echoes of the Proto Earth
Chemical fingerprints preserved in ancient mantle rocks suggest that fragments of Earth’s earliest incarnation – the “proto Earth” that existed before the Moon-forming collision – still persist deep underground.
In a study published in Nature Geoscience, researchers from MIT and collaborators in China, Switzerland, and the U.S. report a subtle yet distinct imbalance in potassium isotopes that sets these rocks apart from all known terrestrial materials. Using high-precision mass spectrometry, the team detected an unexpected deficit in potassium-40 within samples from Greenland, Canada, and Hawaii – regions that preserve some of Earth’s oldest geological formations.
“This is maybe the first direct evidence that we’ve preserved the proto Earth materials,” said Nicole Nie, assistant professor of Earth and planetary sciences at MIT. “We see a piece of the very ancient Earth, even before the giant impact.”
The isotope anomalies cannot be explained by later geological or meteoritic processes, implying they are relics of primordial material that survived Earth’s violent reshaping 4.5 billion years ago. Modeling of mantle mixing and impacts supported this conclusion, showing the signal could only persist if a small portion of proto-Earth remained intact.
The team now plans to extend isotopic analyses to other elements and regions to search for additional chemical relics of Earth’s first formation.
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