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A team of researchers in South Korea has uncovered evidence that could shed new light on how Earth’s atmosphere first became rich in oxygen, one of the most important turning points in the planet’s history. Scientists from the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) discovered stromatolites, layered rock…
Arthritis covers a wide range of joint disorders, including inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, as well as osteoarthritis, the most common form of the disease. Many people living with arthritis struggle with pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility that can significantly affect daily life. Current treatments mainly…
Aging research is entering a new phase as scientists rethink one of the body’s most mysterious cell types: senescent cells, often nicknamed “zombie cells.” While these aging cells have long been viewed as harmful drivers of inflammation and disease, new findings suggest the story is far more complicated. In some…
On certain nights in Japan, people may notice a faint red glow spreading low across the horizon. The dim crimson haze can be easy to overlook, but it is created by powerful activity taking place far above Earth. Streams of charged particles from the Sun travel toward our planet and…
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have taken a close look at the atmosphere of a rare giant planet with temperatures surprisingly similar to those on Earth. The Saturn sized world, known as TOI-199b, contains methane in its atmosphere, according to a new study. The discovery stands out…
Researchers are offering a new way to understand why aging is so closely connected to chronic illness. In a review published in Aging-US titled “Aging as a multifactorial disorder with two stages,” scientists from University College London and Queen Mary University of London describe a model suggesting that diseases linked…
Language learning is often a daunting prospect. Many of us wish we had learned a language to a higher level at school. But even though adults of all ages can do well in acquiring a new language, fear – or the memory of struggling to memorize grammar at school –…
Children who regularly eat high-fat, high-sugar foods may experience lasting changes in the brain that continue long after their diets improve, according to a new study from University College Cork (UCC). Researchers also found that beneficial gut bacteria and prebiotic fibers could help reduce some of these long-term effects and…
New research suggests that GLP-1 weight loss medications may provide major long-term benefits for heart health in addition to helping people lose weight and manage blood sugar. Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) reviewed data from more than 90,000 participants involved in large international clinical trials. Their analysis found that…
A recent study has identified a concerning connection between prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos (CPF), a common insecticide, and lasting changes in brain structure as well as reduced motor function in children and adolescents. These findings, published in the journal JAMA Neurology, offer the first evidence of widespread, enduring impacts on…
Diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders often begin with genetic mistakes. But even after scientists identify the genes involved, turning that knowledge into effective treatments has remained extremely difficult. Many of these diseases are linked to hundreds of mutations spread across different biological pathways, making it hard to understand…
For decades, shrinking photonic devices has been far more difficult than miniaturizing electronic components. The challenge comes down to physics. Light cannot easily be confined into extremely small spaces because the uncertainty principle links its confinement to its wavelength. In visible and near infrared light, that wavelength can be up…
An international team of researchers, including a scientist from Aston University, has developed a new mathematical framework that explains the strange behavior of so called “breather” laser pulses. The breakthrough unites two very different types of laser dynamics under a single model for the first time. Ultrafast lasers generate incredibly…
Jupiter is famous for its enormous storms, some of which have been raging for centuries. Now, scientists have discovered that these massive tempests can also generate lightning far more powerful than anything typically seen on Earth. Using data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley found…
Children often learn the order of the planets in our Solar System using quirky memory phrases like “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos.” These sayings help recall Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. In our Solar System, the planets fall into two broad groups. The…
Mitochondria are often called the power plants of the cell because they generate the energy the body needs to function. These tiny structures constantly adjust their activity depending on how much energy cells require. Scientists have long known that nutrients influence this process, but exactly how cells sense and respond…
MIT researchers have discovered that a naturally occurring amino acid found in many protein-rich foods may help the intestine repair itself after damage. In a new study, scientists found that cysteine can activate an immune response that boosts intestinal stem cells and helps regenerate tissue in the small intestine. The…
The Mediterranean sea is widely perceived as having a low tsunami risk. History and recent modelling technology have demonstrated that destructive waves have already hit the French coast and could do so again. The results of a project carried out in Nice and along the French Riviera show why anticipation…
Our bones did not begin deep inside the body. They started in the skin, not long after the first complex animals took shape. Ever since, skin bones have remained a recurring motif in evolution. Yet we still know surprisingly little about them. Why do they keep reappearing in groups as…
Researchers in Finland have achieved a major advance in ultra-sensitive measurement technology by detecting an amount of energy smaller than one zeptojoule, less than a trillionth of a billionth of a joule. The breakthrough could improve quantum computing technology, support the search for dark matter, and eventually make it possible…
Women not only face higher rates of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, but new research suggests they may also be more strongly affected by several common risk factors linked to cognitive decline. Scientists at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine analyzed data from more than…
Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine have identified a potential new way to treat Alzheimer’s disease by targeting an enzyme in the brain called IDOL. In laboratory studies, removing the enzyme from neurons significantly reduced amyloid plaques, one of the main biological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s, and may also…
Scientists have discovered that ancient rocks deep beneath Canada are naturally releasing hydrogen gas, offering new evidence that Earth itself may contain significant untapped sources of clean energy. Researchers from the University of Toronto and the University of Ottawa studied the Canadian Shield, a vast region of some of the…
Developing new medicines often depends on finding the right molecular building blocks. Some important drugs, including penicillin, rely on small ring-shaped molecules that store large amounts of internal tension. These strained structures can drive chemical reactions that help scientists create complex compounds more efficiently. A research team led by Prof.…
For hundreds of years, astronomers have studied the night sky in an effort to understand the forces shaping the universe. One of the most important, yet invisible, forces inside the Milky Way is its magnetic field. Now, researchers at the University of Calgary are producing one of the clearest views…
Scientists have identified the oldest known human remains in Northern Britain as a young girl who lived around 11,000 years ago. Found in a Cumbrian cave and nicknamed the “Ossick Lass,” she was likely between 2.5 and 3.5 years old when she died. Nearby jewelry and evidence of multiple burials…
Dense tropical rainforests were long considered some of the last places early humans could survive. For decades, researchers believed our ancestors mainly stuck to open grasslands and coastal regions, avoiding the thick forests of Africa until much later in history. Evidence from West Africa is now forcing scientists to rethink…
New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) may provide an important boost for efforts to save the world’s rarest marsupial. The Gilbert’s potoroo, a critically endangered species found only in Western Australia, has fewer than 150 animals left in the wild. Scientists from ECU and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation…
The famously tiny arms of Tyrannosaurus rex may have been the result of a major shift in how giant meat eating dinosaurs hunted, according to a new study led by researchers from UCL (University College London) and the University of Cambridge. The research, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society…
Women with low vitamin D levels may face a more painful recovery after breast cancer surgery and could require significantly more opioid medication afterward, according to research published online in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. The findings suggest that breast cancer patients with vitamin D deficiency (below 30…
