New research suggests that playing the video game Tetris can help reduce intrusive memories of trauma, with symptoms significantly decreasing within weeks and many participants remaining symptom-free after six months. The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, tested a treatment called Imagery Competing Task Intervention (ICTI), which targets vivid, unwanted memories that are a core feature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The treatment was developed at Uppsala University in Sweden in collaboration with research organisation P1vital and trialled with the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. It focuses on psychological trauma such as witnessing sudden death or experiencing violent events, which can lead to involuntary flashbacks that disrupt daily life.

“Even a single, fleeting intrusive memory of past trauma can exert a powerful impact by hijacking attention and leaving people at the mercy of unwanted emotions,” said Emily Holmes, professor of psychology at Uppsala University and lead author of the study. She explained that ICTI works by weakening the intrusive aspect of sensory memories through a brief visual intervention, reducing the frequency and intensity of trauma flashbacks.

The trial involved healthcare workers who had experienced traumatic events during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were divided into three groups: one underwent the ICTI mental intervention, another listened to classical music, and the third received standard care.

Results showed a substantial reduction in intrusive memories among participants using ICTI, from an average of 14 per week to just one per week after four weeks—ten times fewer than the other groups. Six months later, 70 percent of the ICTI group reported being completely free of intrusive memories.

Holmes described the intervention as “gentle, brief, and practical,” designed to fit into participants’ busy lives. The treatment centres on Tetris, a game requiring players to rotate falling shapes to fit them into a grid. Participants first recalled a traumatic memory briefly, then applied mental rotation—a cognitive skill—to play Tetris for about 20 minutes per session. Occupying the brain’s visuospatial areas competes with the visual flashbacks, reducing their vividness, emotional impact, and frequency.

Beyond reducing intrusive images, the study found broader benefits for PTSD symptoms. Participants reported improvements in anxiety, depression, and overall functioning by the fourth week, regardless of initial PTSD severity. The researchers suggest that by addressing intrusive memories directly, other aspects of trauma-related distress can also be alleviated.

The findings indicate that a short, practical, and non-verbal intervention like Tetris-based ICTI could become an accessible tool for people struggling with trauma, offering hope for reducing flashbacks and improving daily life without lengthy therapy or medication.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in foodborne bacteria continues to be a significant public health concern in Europe, limiting treatment options for common infections, according to a new report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

The report highlights that a high proportion of Salmonella and Campylobacter bacteria from humans and animals remain resistant to ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic commonly used to treat severe infections. Salmonella and Campylobacter are among the leading causes of foodborne illness, typically contracted through raw or undercooked meat, poultry, and eggs, or by consuming unpasteurised milk.

In 2024, over one in five human Salmonella infections showed resistance to ciprofloxacin. Multidrug resistance, which reduces the effectiveness of multiple antibiotics, affected nearly one in five cases overall. In the case of Campylobacter, resistance has become so widespread that ciprofloxacin is no longer recommended for treating human infections. Both bacteria also show growing resistance to other antibiotics, including ampicillin, tetracyclines, and sulfonamides.

“Antimicrobial resistance in common foodborne bacteria highlights the close links between human, animal, and food systems,” said Piotr Kramarz, chief scientist at ECDC. He emphasised that protecting the effectiveness of antibiotics requires coordinated action through a strong One Health approach, which recognises the interconnectedness of human health, animal health, food production, and the environment.

The report shows that resistance patterns vary widely between countries, bacterial species, and types of antimicrobials. Differences in farming practices, animal health measures, antimicrobial use, and prevention strategies all influence these patterns.

Foodborne illnesses in Europe continue to rise. In 2024, the European Union recorded 168,396 human cases of Campylobacter and 79,703 cases of Salmonella, continuing a trend of steady increases since 2020. Experts attribute the rise to changing eating habits, such as increased consumption of ready-to-eat meals, as well as unhygienic food handling practices and a growing population of older adults more vulnerable to infection.

The report also notes that non-animal products, including vegetables, were linked to the highest number of deaths in food poisoning outbreaks last year. However, Salmonella was responsible for most multi-country outbreaks overall, with eggs and egg products identified as the main source.

ECDC and EFSA emphasise that addressing antimicrobial resistance in foodborne bacteria will require collaboration across public health, veterinary, and agricultural sectors. Coordinated monitoring, improved food safety measures, and prudent use of antibiotics in humans and animals are key steps to limit the spread of resistance and protect the effectiveness of life-saving treatments.

More than 100 scientists from leading institutions have called for stronger safeguards on sensitive biological datasets to prevent artificial intelligence (AI) from being misused to create dangerous pathogens. The open letter, signed by researchers from Johns Hopkins University, the University of Oxford, Fordham University, and Stanford University, highlights the potential biosecurity risks posed by unrestricted access to certain genetic and pathogen data.

AI models for biology rely heavily on large volumes of data, including genetic sequences and characteristics of viruses and other pathogens. While open access to such information has accelerated scientific discovery, the researchers warn that certain datasets could allow AI systems to design or enhance deadly viruses.

“The stakes of biological data governance are high, as AI models could help create severe biological threats,” the authors wrote. They describe the ability of AI to predict mutations, identify patterns, and generate more transmissible pathogen variants as a “capability of concern” that could speed up the development of biological threats affecting humans, animals, plants, or the environment.

The scientists stress that while most biological data should remain openly accessible, “concerning pathogen data” requires stricter security checks. The letter proposes a framework to define and govern high-risk datasets before they are generally available to AI developers. “Limiting access to sensitive pathogen data to legitimate researchers might be one of the most promising avenues for risk reduction,” said Moritz Hanke, co-author from Johns Hopkins University.

Currently, no universal rules govern access to these datasets. Some AI developers voluntarily exclude high-risk data from training, but approaches vary. Developers of AI models such as Evo, created by the Arc Institute, Stanford, and TogetherAI, and ESM3, from EvolutionaryScale, have withheld certain viral sequences to prevent potential misuse. In February 2025, the EVO 2 team announced that it had excluded pathogens infecting humans and complex organisms to reduce ethical and safety risks and prevent its use in bioweapon development.

The proposed framework introduces a five-tier system, called Biosecurity Data Levels (BDL), to classify pathogen data based on risk:

• BDL-0: Everyday biology data with no restrictions.

• BDL-1: Basic viral building blocks; monitored access recommended.

• BDL-2: Animal virus traits, such as species-jumping ability.

• BDL-3: Human virus characteristics, including transmissibility and vaccine resistance.

• BDL-4: Enhanced human viruses with potentially higher contagion, subject to the strictest controls.

To ensure safe access, the letter recommends technical tools including watermarking datasets to track leaks, audit logs with tamper-proof signatures, data provenance tracking, and behavioural biometrics to verify legitimate users.

The authors emphasize that balancing openness with security will be essential as AI systems grow more powerful. Without clear rules, frontier developers are left to make subjective decisions about what constitutes risky data, creating potential gaps in biosecurity.