Reporting world updates to you
Researchers at the University of Essex have developed microscopic medicines that could pave the way for new approaches to treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and motor neurone disease (MND). Working with an international team, the scientists used artificial intelligence to create extremely small antibody fragments that can be…
A glass of ice water offers a familiar example of two phases existing at the same time. The same substance can appear as both liquid water and solid ice. In certain quantum materials, different phases can also coexist, although the underlying behavior is far more complex. MIT physicists have now…
The human brain is continuously processing enormous amounts of information. Even something as familiar as driving requires several mental tasks at once. The brain must remember the route, recall how to control the vehicle, and respond to unexpected developments such as a road closure or shifting traffic conditions. A brain…
A mother’s age can influence the physical traits and behavior of her offspring in humans and across many other animal species. Researchers refer to these changes as maternal age effects. Although the phenomenon is common throughout the animal kingdom, scientists are still working to understand the biological processes underlying it…
Coffee is consumed around the world every day, and earlier research has associated coffee drinking with a reduced risk of conditions including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Scientists still do not fully understand the biological processes that might explain those connections. Now, new research from Finland suggests that regular…
Cancer immunotherapy has dramatically changed how doctors treat many forms of cancer, yet pancreatic cancer has remained particularly resistant to these advances. A major obstacle is the environment that develops around pancreatic tumors. These tumors often create a “cold” tumor microenvironment that blocks immune cells from launching an effective attack.…
What counts as heat, and what qualifies as useful work when a machine is made from only an atom and particles of light? In emerging quantum technologies, questions like this bring together two branches of physics that were developed for very different purposes. Researchers at the University of Basel in…
New research led by the University of Oxford has uncovered an unexpected ability in bees. They can change how much they eat depending on the balance of essential amino acids in their food. This feeding behavior may protect them from consuming excessive amounts of certain amino acids when pollen does…
More than 10 million years ago, South America was home to an ecosystem filled with enormous animals and formidable predators. During the Miocene, a geological period that lasted for millions of years, a vast lake covered a large portion of the continent. Its waters supported giant turtles and crocodylians, while…
The Theban Necropolis, located across the Nile from Luxor, contains more than 400 tombs. In a new study published in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, researchers in Spain took a closer look at chamber three inside tomb TT 209 to understand how the burial space changed over time. The tomb was…
A new UC San Francisco-led study has identified a sharp increase in invasive breast cancer among Asian American women over the past two decades. Breast cancer rates have climbed across nearly every Asian American ethnic group at a pace that exceeds increases seen in any other U.S. ethnic group. The…
DNA consists of long molecular chains that carry the genetic instructions needed for life. In genetic engineering, researchers cut DNA at carefully chosen locations and connect those pieces with other DNA sequences. This process supports a wide range of applications, including improved crop breeding, treatments for genetic diseases, and the…
New findings presented at the 63rd ERA Congress suggest that a commonly prescribed group of blood pressure drugs may be linked to worse kidney outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D), including patients already taking newer medications designed to protect kidney function. The medications, known as dihydropyridine calcium-channel blockers…
Robots small enough to operate in the microbial world could give scientists a new way to directly handle objects that are impossible to manipulate by hand. These tiny machines are around 50 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, bringing researchers closer to the long-pursued goal of interacting…
Scientists have identified a previously unknown natural process in the Arctic that can cause the number of cloud-forming particles in the atmosphere to surge. The discovery could have important implications for cloud cover, how much sunlight is reflected back into space, and how the Arctic responds to future climate change.…
Your brain and the ocean share an unexpected feature: waves. Electrical activity can move across the brain’s surface in patterns known as traveling brain waves or neural traveling waves. Like waves in the ocean, these patterns can arise from different sources, including activity generated within the brain and signals coming…
Astronomers may have found some of the strongest evidence yet for one of quantum mechanics’ strangest predictions: even apparently empty space can influence the way light travels. Known as ‘vacuum birefringence’, the phenomenon was predicted nearly 90 years ago by Werner Heisenberg, one of the pioneers of quantum mechanics. His…
A little more than a century ago, Albert Einstein turned his attention from gravity itself to the fate of the entire universe. In 1917, shortly after developing his general theory of relativity, he began applying his new equations to cosmology. General relativity had transformed our understanding of gravity, so it…
Certain imagery-based psychotherapy techniques may help reduce fear of failure connected to painful childhood experiences, according to research from scientists at SWPS University and the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology. The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology. Difficult experiences early in life, including criticism, neglect, or severe…
Kratom, a psychoactive plant that can produce opioid like effects at high doses, has been linked to a sharp rise in poison center reports and serious medical outcomes across the United States. New research published in Addiction found that reported kratom exposures have increased dramatically over the past decade. According…
Scientists have identified the bacteria that help give three British artisan cheeses their distinctive flavors, and some of those microbes may also have potential benefits for human health. Researchers in the Food Microbial Sciences Unit at the University of Reading tracked the microbial and biochemical changes that occurred as three…
A low-fat vegan diet can reduce the energy density of the foods people eat by about 30%, helping them consume fewer calories while still eating satisfying amounts of food. The approach was also associated with weight loss, even though participants were not instructed to restrict calories, according to new research…
Since NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope first revealed little red dots (LRDs) in 2022, astronomers have been trying to determine exactly what these strange objects are. The compact, extremely distant red sources appear throughout the early universe, but their true nature has remained difficult to explain. One leading idea is…
The search for life on Mars or on icy moons such as Europa and Enceladus may capture more attention, but another major astrobiology mystery is much closer to home. Scientists are still trying to understand when the first eukaryotes appeared on Earth and how those organisms helped set the stage…
Caltech researchers have found a way to move light across silicon wafers with exceptionally little signal loss, reaching levels at visible wavelengths that approach those of optical fiber. The advance could support a new generation of highly coherent and energy-efficient photonic integrated circuits (PICs), with potential uses ranging from optical…
New research from the University of Oklahoma has revealed how an aggressive type of breast cancer can manipulate the immune system to draw nerves into tumors, creating conditions that may help the cancer grow. Scientists have known for years that many solid tumors contain extensive nerve networks. What has been…
DNA serves as the genetic blueprint for every living organism, but it is also an extraordinarily dense way to store information. A single gram can hold about 215 million gigabytes of data. Bringing that remarkable storage capacity into electronics could lead to more efficient data centers, faster processing and systems…
A Finnish study has found an unexpected association between screen use and cognitive performance. Children who accumulated more screen time as they grew up tended to show better cognitive processing during adolescence. One of the researchers cautions against viewing screen time as entirely harmful and says the goal should be…
Microorganisms developed biodegradable plastics long before humans began making them. Many bacteria and archaea naturally produce compounds known as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which they store inside their cells as reserves of carbon and energy. Scientists had long assumed that only microorganisms could break down these natural plastics. New research from the…
Researchers at Rice University have found that extremely small wrinkles in graphene can alter how the material behaves electrically. The results provide experimental evidence for flexoelectricity, an effect in which uneven bending causes a material to develop an electric charge. The findings are published in Advanced Materials. The work points…