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Researchers at UBC Okanagan have uncovered the process plants use to create mitraphylline, a rare natural compound that has attracted attention for its possible cancer fighting properties. Mitraphylline belongs to a unique class of plant chemicals known as spirooxindole alkaloids. These molecules are recognized for their unusual twisted ring structures…
Researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) have uncovered a crucial step that enteroviruses use to reproduce inside human cells. The findings, published in Nature Communications, explain how viruses responsible for illnesses such as polio, encephalitis, myocarditis, and even the common cold take control of cellular machinery to…
Scientists have identified a new weakness in harmful “zombie-like” cells that could open the door to better cancer treatments and therapies for age-related diseases. These cells, known as senescent cells, survive in a fragile state by producing large amounts of a protective protein that keeps them from dying. Researchers at…
Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have successfully reversed aging in blood-forming stem cells in mice by repairing defects in structures known as lysosomes. The findings, published in Cell Stem Cell, point to lysosomal dysfunction and overactivity as major causes of stem cell aging and show…
Older adults who cut back on dietary fat or reduced the amount of animal-based protein they consumed showed signs of becoming biologically younger, according to new research from the University of Sydney. The study, published in Aging Cell, found that adults between the ages of 65 and 75 experienced reductions…
Scientists have uncovered a molecular “switch” in mice that turns on a hidden energy-burning system inside brown fat, a discovery that could eventually help researchers develop new treatments for bone disease. The findings, published in Nature, provide new insight into how brown fat works. Unlike white fat, which stores energy,…
Researchers at the University of Missouri are developing a new way to remove tiny plastic pollutants from water using specially engineered algae. Susie Dai, a researcher at Mizzou, recently created a modified strain of algae designed to capture harmful microplastics from contaminated water. Her long term goal is not only…
Long necks, enormous bodies, tiny heads, and sweeping tails have made sauropods some of the most recognizable dinosaurs ever discovered. These plant eating giants included the largest land animals in Earth’s history, with some species reaching lengths of nearly 130 feet (40 meters). Famous examples include Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus. Now,…
Scientists studying ancient microfossils from Brazil have discovered that structures once believed to be traces left behind by tiny animals were actually formed by communities of microscopic bacteria and algae. The findings challenge previous ideas about when small animals first appeared on Earth and suggest oxygen levels in ancient oceans…
For decades, scientists searching for life beyond Earth have focused on one central challenge: identifying the right molecules to look for on distant planets and moons. But new research published in Nature Astronomy suggests the answer may lie not in the molecules themselves, but in the hidden patterns that connect…
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured the most detailed visible light images ever taken of the largest known protoplanetary disk surrounding a young star. The enormous structure appears far more chaotic and turbulent than astronomers expected, with huge wisps of gas and dust extending high above and below the disk.…
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have created the most detailed map ever made of the cosmic web, the enormous structure that connects galaxies throughout the universe. Led by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, the team traced this vast network back to a time when the…
Getting enough exercise is important for healthy aging, but new research suggests muscle strength may play an equally critical role. A large study led by researchers at the University at Buffalo found that older women with greater strength had a significantly lower risk of death, even after accounting for physical…
Seventy four thousand years ago, Earth experienced one of the most powerful volcanic disasters in the past 2.5 million years. The Toba supereruption, centered in what is now Indonesia, unleashed devastation on a staggering scale. The eruption was so enormous that scientists believe its effects reached nearly every corner of…
Physicists have demonstrated that even tiny chunks of metal can behave according to the strange rules of quantum mechanics, existing in states that spread across multiple locations at once. In a new study published in Nature, researchers from the University of Vienna and the University of Duisburg-Essen showed that metallic…
A growing body of research is pointing to fructose as more than just a source of extra calories. A new report published in Nature Metabolism highlights the sugar’s unique role in metabolic disease and suggests its effects on the body may be more harmful than previously understood. The researchers reviewed…
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is preparing for a close encounter with Mars that will help send it deeper into the solar system on its way to the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. On Friday, May 15, the spacecraft will pass just 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) above the Martian surface while traveling about 12,333…
A newly released series of images captures an unusual moment for NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars after a rock became stuck to the drill at the end of the rover’s robotic arm. Engineers eventually freed the rock by moving the arm and repeatedly operating the drill over several days. The…
Dante Alighieri’s Inferno may contain more than religious symbolism and poetic imagination. According to new research, the famous work could also represent an early thought experiment in impact physics, describing a catastrophic planetary collision centuries before modern meteor science existed. By comparing Dante’s descriptions to modern theories of asteroid impacts…
New research to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026) in Istanbul, Turkey (May 12-15) suggests that walking around 8,500 steps a day may help people avoid regaining weight after dieting. The findings will also be published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public…
A new analysis of the STEP trials suggests that semaglutide, the active ingredient in the popular weight loss and diabetes drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, remains both effective and generally safe for adults over age 65 with obesity. Researchers found that older adults taking the once weekly obesity medication experienced substantial…
When generative AI systems give incorrect answers, people often describe the problem as AI “hallucinating at us,” meaning the technology produces false information that users may mistakenly believe. But new research suggests there may be a more concerning issue emerging: humans can begin to “hallucinate with AI.” Lucy Osler of…
An ancient Chinese exercise practice that combines slow movements, controlled breathing, and meditation may help lower blood pressure as effectively as brisk walking, according to a large randomized clinical trial published in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology. Participants experienced improvements within three months, and those…
Researchers at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre and NVIDIA have achieved a major milestone in quantum computing by fully simulating a universal quantum computer with 50 qubits for the first time. The accomplishment was made possible using JUPITER, Europe’s first exascale supercomputer, which was officially launched at Forschungszentrum Jülich last September.…
Eating large amounts of ultra processed food (UPF) may significantly increase the risk of heart disease and death, according to a new report published in the European Heart Journal. The report combines findings from all currently available research examining the connection between UPFs and cardiovascular disease. Researchers say growing evidence…
A stainless steel breakthrough from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) could help solve one of the biggest problems facing green hydrogen: how to build electrolyzers that are tough enough for seawater, yet cheap enough for large scale clean energy. Led by Professor Mingxin Huang in HKU’s Department of Mechanical…
Naked mole rats are not much to look at, but their biology has made them one of the most fascinating animals in aging research. These small, wrinkled rodents can live for decades, rarely develop cancer, and seem unusually protected from many of the diseases that normally arrive with age. Researchers…
Neuroscientists have identified a measurable brain difference between people with psychopathic traits and those with few or none. In a study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), the University of Pennsylvania, and California State University found that a brain region involved…
When an itch strikes, scratching usually brings relief after a few moments. Scientists have now uncovered part of the biological system that tells the brain when enough scratching has occurred. The discovery reveals how the nervous system naturally limits scratching and may help explain why this process breaks down in…
In January 2022, the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai in the South Pacific produced one of the most powerful eruptions in modern history. But scientists have now discovered that the eruption also triggered an unexpected atmospheric reaction that partially removed methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from the air. Researchers say…
