Cannabis users were twice as likely to commit violence, review finds

A large review led by researchers at King’s College London has found that people who use cannabis are more likely both to commit violent acts and to experience violence themselves. Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) combined data from 63 studies involving more than 265,000 people.…

A record-breaking X-ray flash may reveal the birth of a magnetar

Astronomers have long relied on brief bursts of gamma rays to identify collisions between neutron stars. These flashes can vanish in less than two seconds. Now, new research suggests that some neutron star mergers may also produce X-ray flashes that remain visible for several minutes. A study published in Science…

Ocean heatwaves are hiding months of extra warming

Anyone who has ever heated a pot of water knows that temperature depends on more than how hot something gets. Time matters too. Yet marine heatwaves (MHWs) have traditionally been studied as distinct events with clearly defined beginnings and endings. New research led by William & Mary’s VIMS & Batten…

Mulberry may reshape gut bacteria and influence metabolism

Mulberry has been eaten as food and used in traditional medicine for centuries. Now, researchers are examining whether compounds in the plant can alter the gut microbiota and, in turn, affect metabolism. A review involving scientists from Wroclaw Medical University suggests that the results may depend heavily on the mulberry…

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover finds groundwater, lakes, and hot fluids in one place

A new study suggests that Jezero Crater’s mysterious “Margin Unit” records a far more complicated history of water than scientists expected, involving ancient lakes, groundwater, and later hydrothermal activity. When NASA’s Perseverance rover arrived at the inner rim of Mars’ Jezero Crater in September 2023, researchers expected to encounter sedimentary…

Black hole jets may decide the fate of entire galaxies

Galaxies can contain hundreds of billions of stars, but every one of those stars begins with cold, dense gas. Large galaxies, including the Milky Way, are surrounded by an enormous reservoir of this material known as the circumgalactic medium, or CGM. The CGM extends roughly 10-20 times farther than the…

Watch Live: NASA’s Crew-13 could make the fastest U.S. trip to the ISS ever

NASA will offer live coverage of preparations, liftoff, and docking for the SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station. The broadcasts will be available across several NASA platforms. Viewers can find streaming options at: https://www.nasa.gov/live Crew-13 Launches Oct. 1 Crew-13 is scheduled to lift off at 11:10 a.m. EDT…

Bats may have first evolved in Europe 65 million years ago

New research is reshaping scientists’ understanding of bat evolution, with evidence suggesting that bats most likely originated in Europe during the late Paleocene, roughly 65 to 60 million years ago. For decades, researchers have debated where bats first appeared. Africa, Asia, and North America have all been proposed as possible…

Sharks can hear nearly 250 feet away and pinpoint the source

The ocean is filled with sound, and for sharks, those sounds can reveal what is happening well beyond their field of view. Noise produced by prey, predators, and other animals may provide important information about the surrounding environment. Yet scientists have had little direct evidence showing just how far a…

Creatine may help build muscle even without exercise, researchers find

Creatine is widely known for helping support muscle growth and athletic performance, but researchers are increasingly examining whether its benefits extend well beyond the gym. New findings from Texas A&M University suggest creatine may be particularly useful in middle age, when preserving muscle becomes increasingly important. In a 12-week study…

Forget LASIK: Safer, cheaper vision correction without lasers or incisions

Millions of Americans live with vision problems ranging from mild blurriness to severe vision loss. Glasses and contact lenses can correct many common problems, but some people turn to surgery for a more permanent solution. Hundreds of thousands of Americans undergo corrective eye procedures each year, including LASIK, which uses…

Children at risk for depression get “stuck” on sad faces

A smile or a frown may reveal more than emotion alone. The faces that capture a child’s attention could provide important clues about their mental health and how depression develops. New research from Binghamton University, State University of New York, suggests that depression may influence how strongly children focus on…

This 245-million-year-old fossil still has its stomach and intestines

A remarkably preserved fossil from China is giving scientists an unusually detailed look inside a marine reptile that lived about 245 million years ago. Researchers from China, Europe, and the USA, including Dr. Stephan Spiekman, a paleontologist at the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart and the University of Hohenheim,…

Brain scans reveal which disorders are linked to faster brain aging

People with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, alcohol addiction, and psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia may show signs of accelerated brain aging, according to a study published in the open access journal PLOS Medicine. The research, led by Shile Qi of the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China, found that…

Diabetes study finds keeping blood sugar too steady may come at a price

New research suggests that keeping blood sugar extremely steady may come with an unexpected tradeoff for some people with diabetes. The findings, which will be presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept. 28 – Oct. 2), indicate that…

Scientists just discovered what coffee really does to your gut and brain

Coffee may affect far more than alertness. New research suggests that both regular and decaffeinated coffee can alter the gut microbiome and may influence mood, stress, memory, and attention through the gut brain connection. Scientists at APC Microbiome Ireland, a research center at University College Cork, investigated in detail how…

Blood tests reveal why astronauts get constipated in space

Constipation is a familiar problem for astronauts, but scientists have not fully understood why spending time in space can disrupt normal digestion. New research from the University of Copenhagen, conducted in collaboration with NASA, offers a possible explanation. Scientists analyzed blood samples from 52 astronauts who spent months aboard the…

Scientists were wrong about this strange mammal for nearly 40 years

A remarkably complete fossil discovered in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert is changing how scientists view mammal evolution during the age of dinosaurs. The newly identified species, described in the journal Nature by researchers from the American Museum of Natural History, Stony Brook University, University of Arizona, and Arcadia University, provides new…

James Webb reveals why planet formation is a race against time

Planets take shape inside disks of gas and dust surrounding young stars, but the supply of gas they depend on is temporary. New observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are giving astronomers a clearer picture of how that gas escapes and how the dominant escape mechanisms change as…

Pomegranate compound improves heart function by up to 80% in study

A natural compound the body produces after consuming foods such as pomegranates may improve heart function by as much as 80% in experimental models of a form of heart failure that currently has relatively few treatment options. Researchers at King’s College London found that urolithin A, which is produced in…

160-million-year-old proteins show surprising power against superbugs

University of Oregon biologists have brought prehistoric proteins back to life, reconstructing molecules that date back as far as 160 million years and naturally attack microbes. The revived proteins could provide scientists with new ideas for treating antibiotic resistant infections, which have become a major global health challenge. The work,…

Resetting the body clock could help the brain recover after stroke

Scientists at the University of Rochester Medicine have found that strengthening the body’s natural daily rhythms to improve sleep may help the brain recover after a stroke. The work points to a possible new way to support brain waste clearance and improve recovery well after the initial injury. Published in…

Is the universe infinite? The answer gets weird fast

Earth has a finite surface. We can measure it, and if the planet itself were expanding, that surface area would increase over time. Surprisingly, our familiar planet also offers a useful way to think about something far harder to understand: what the universe might be like beyond the region we…

Scientists found a surprising driver of Alzheimer’s outside the brain

Immune cells that usually defend the body by attacking infected or foreign cells appear in unusually high numbers in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and related conditions. Evidence suggests these cells contribute to neurodegeneration, but researchers have not known where they originate or what prompts them to gather…

Glucosamine, a popular joint supplement, linked to faster Alzheimer’s progression

A widely used supplement for joint pain has been linked to a potentially concerning outcome in people with early cognitive problems. Researchers at the University of Florida found that glucosamine use was associated with a greater likelihood that mild cognitive impairment would progress to dementia. Mild cognitive impairment, often shortened…

Atrial fibrillation patients saw 69% lower risk with common blood thinners

A large randomized trial suggests that newer blood thinners can significantly reduce serious cardiovascular events in people with atrial fibrillation who face an intermediate risk of stroke. The findings come from the SINGLE-AF trial, presented during a Hot Line session at ESC Congress 2026 and published at the same time…

One CRISPR treatment cut “bad” cholesterol in half for a full year

A first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial from Cleveland Clinic found that a single infusion of a CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing therapy produced lasting reductions in LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides in people with lipid disorders that had not responded adequately to medications. The study followed 15 patients for one year to determine…