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Astronomers may be getting closer to solving a long-standing mystery about the universe’s largest galaxies. Observations from the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, known as XRISM, are providing new evidence that supermassive black holes could be preventing these giant galaxies from forming as many stars as expected. According to current…
Imagine if one company could become the railroad, electric utility and cloud-computing provider of the emerging space economy. That potential fueled excitement around the long-anticipated initial public offering of SpaceX. Investors are not simply betting on rockets anymore. They are betting on an entire orbital ecosystem. Among the most ambitious…
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have proposed a new explanation for how Alzheimer’s disease may begin. Instead of being driven primarily by plaque buildup in the brain, the disease could start when one protein interferes with the normal function of another inside nerve cells. For years, Alzheimer’s research…
Earthquakes occur when stress that has accumulated in the Earth’s crust is suddenly released along fractures known as faults. These faults often form where massive tectonic plates move past one another but become stuck, allowing pressure to build for years or even centuries before a rupture occurs. In Southern California,…
Earthquakes occur when stress that has accumulated in the Earth’s crust is suddenly released along fractures known as faults. These faults often form where massive tectonic plates move past one another but become stuck, allowing pressure to build for years or even centuries before a rupture occurs. In Southern California,…
The Gila River is one of the Southwest’s most vital waterways, supplying water to communities, farms, and wildlife while connecting the snow-covered mountains of southwestern New Mexico with the desert landscapes of southwestern Arizona. In years with ample precipitation, winter snow that accumulates in the Mogollon Mountains and Black Range…
For many people, plague brings to mind rats, crowded medieval towns, and the devastating epidemics that spread across Europe during and after the Middle Ages. New research suggests the disease’s deadly history stretches back much further. A study published in Nature found that plague was already killing people 5,500 years…
For more than a century, physics has been built on two great theories. Einstein’s general relativity explains gravity as the bending of space and time. Quantum mechanics governs the world of particles and fields. Both work brilliantly in their own domains. But put them together and contradictions appear – especially…
A new study from Northern Arizona University (NAU) suggests that a major global greenhouse gas emissions database may be significantly undercounting carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles in cities. According to the researchers, the Climate TRACE database, developed by the Climate TRACE consortium co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore, underestimates…
New research suggests that native bee species that build their nests inside plant stems may face the greatest immediate threat from rising temperatures linked to climate change. In contrast, bees that nest underground appear better equipped to avoid dangerous heat. The study, published in Nature Communications, examined heat tolerance in…
A massive study suggests that some common food preservatives may be putting heart health at risk. A major study of 112,395 people tracked diets in remarkable detail, including the specific food additives participants consumed. Researchers identified eight commonly used food preservatives that were linked to a higher risk of high…
For generations, scientists have viewed the inability to regrow lost body parts as one of the fundamental limitations of humans and other mammals. While creatures such as salamanders can regenerate entire limbs, humans typically heal injuries by forming scar tissue. New research from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine…
Popular GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy are best known for helping people lose weight and manage diabetes. New research from Rutgers University suggests these drugs may also be linked to changes in behaviors associated with violence. The study, published in Criminology, investigated whether GLP-1 receptor agonists influence violent…
Researchers have identified a remarkable new spider species in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest that disguises itself as a parasitic fungus. The species, named Taczanowskia waska, represents the first known example of a spider mimicking the appearance of a fungus that infects spiders. The discovery was made by an international team of…
The vaquita (Phocoena sinus), a small porpoise found only in the shallow waters of Mexico’s northern Gulf of California, is among the most endangered marine mammals on the planet. At roughly 5 feet long, it is the smallest member of the cetacean group, which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Recognizable…
Male rats exposed to a widely used plastic chemical during early development showed higher levels of anxiety as adults, according to research presented at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois. Although the study was conducted in rodents, the findings suggest that exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals…
Could improving gut health also help improve mental health? A small clinical trial suggests that probiotics, often called “good bacteria,” may provide an extra boost for older adults being treated for depression. Researchers found that seniors with depression who took a daily probiotic alongside their regular antidepressant treatment experienced modest…
Superconductors could one day help power a new generation of ultra-efficient electronics, but major technical hurdles have kept the technology largely confined to research labs. Now, scientists at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed a new approach that tackles one of the field’s biggest challenges: maintaining superconductivity at…
Researchers at Mayo Clinic have discovered a previously unknown way the kidneys help maintain the body’s water balance, a finding that could eventually lead to better treatments for polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and other conditions. The study, led by Mayo Clinic nephrologist Fouad Chebib, M.D., was published in the Journal…
Silicon has powered computer chips for decades, but engineers are increasingly running into the material’s physical limits. To keep making electronics smaller and more powerful, researchers are investigating ways to combine silicon with new ultrathin materials. One promising group of materials is known as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD). Among the…
A minimally invasive procedure that blocks abnormal blood vessels around the knee may offer long lasting relief for people with osteoarthritis, according to new research published on June 16 in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and…
When scientists cracked the human genome in 2003 – sequencing the entire genetic code of a human being – many expected it would unlock the secrets of disease. But genetics explained only about 10% of the risk. The other 90% lies in the environment – and diet plays a huge…
A smile. A frown. The facial expressions that capture a child’s attention may reveal important clues about their mental health. New research from Binghamton University, State University of New York, suggests that depression can influence how children respond to emotional faces, including happy and sad expressions. The study also found…
The link between diabetes and dementia is becoming increasingly clear. New research shows how blood sugar problems affect brain health and vice versa. Here are ten evidence-based insights into how the two conditions are related. 1. Diabetes raises the risk of dementia People with diabetes are about 60% more likely…
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is best known as a disease affecting wildlife such as deer and elk. However, a new study from researchers at the University of Calgary and their international collaborators examined whether the disease could potentially move beyond cervid (hooved, plant-eating) animals and infect other species. There has…
People taking GLP-1 medications for type 2 diabetes (liraglutide, semaglutide, or tirzepatide) may be more likely to stop and later restart treatment than many people realize, according to research presented Sunday at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill. The study examined two questions that have received…
A new study suggests that semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) may offer an unexpected benefit for people with type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that patients taking the medication experienced fewer bone fractures and greater weight loss than those using several other anti-obesity treatments. The findings were presented Sunday at ENDO 2026,…
Birds can see a large portion of the world around them, but when they fly in flocks, they pay attention only to birds beside them or ahead of them. They do not align their movements with birds behind them. That behavior appears to conflict with Newton’s third law, the famous…
PFAS, widely known as “forever chemicals,” are among the most stubborn pollutants scientists face today. Because these compounds are extraordinarily stable, they can remain in water supplies, ecosystems, and even the human body for decades. Their persistence has made PFAS contamination a growing environmental and public health concern around the…
A new study from the SETI Institute suggests that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence may be facing an unexpected challenge. The same stellar activity that shapes conditions around distant planets could also make alien radio signals much harder to detect. Many SETI efforts look for extremely narrow radio signals because…
