Solar cells just did the “impossible” with this 130% breakthrough

Solar power plays a major role in efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and address climate change. The Sun delivers an immense amount of energy to Earth every moment, yet modern solar cells capture only a small share of it. This limitation is due to a long-standing “physical ceiling”…

This new carbon material could make carbon capture far more affordable

Stopping carbon dioxide (CO2) before it enters the atmosphere is a critical way to cut greenhouse gas emissions. While carbon capture has been around for many years, it has not been widely adopted because most systems are costly and inefficient. A common industrial approach, aqueous amine scrubbing, requires heating large…

Popular sugar substitute linked to brain damage and stroke risk

From low-carb ice cream and keto protein bars to “sugar-free” soda, erythritol has become a staple ingredient in many modern foods. However, new research from the University of Colorado Boulder suggests this widely used sugar substitute may have serious downsides. Scientists found it can affect brain cells in ways that…

Scientists discover why your appetite suddenly disappears when you’re sick

Anyone who has had a severe stomach illness recognizes the pattern. Even after the worst symptoms fade, appetite often disappears and can take time to return. This same effect is experienced by millions of people worldwide who live with long-term parasitic worm infections. Despite how common it is, scientists have…

Scientists discover a hidden system that turns brown fat into a calorie burner

Researchers have discovered how a crucial protein switches on brown fat by helping it build the blood vessels and nerve connections needed for heat production. The findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest a new way to tackle obesity that focuses on increasing how much energy the body burns instead of…

Scientists say we’ve been looking in the wrong place for human origins

Researchers report that a newly uncovered fossil ape from northern Egypt is changing how scientists view early hominoid evolution. The discovery suggests that the closest ancestors of modern apes may have originated in northern Africa, rather than in East Africa, which has long been the main focus of fossil research.…

This popular supplement may increase risk of birth defects, study finds

Antioxidants are often promoted as powerful supplements, credited with helping prevent chronic illnesses and cancer, treating conditions like COPD and dementia, and even slowing the aging process. However, new research from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) suggests that taking high doses regularly may come…

Scientists discover why cancer drugs don’t work for everyone

One of the biggest challenges in cancer care is that the same therapy can be highly effective for some patients yet fail entirely for others. A new study published in Nature Communications, led by Dr. Louise Fets at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS), takes a closer look at…

Scientists find gut bacteria inject proteins that control your immune system

Scientists have uncovered a surprising way that gut bacteria interact with the human body. Certain microbes living in the digestive system can send proteins straight into human cells, actively influencing how the immune system behaves. The research, led by Helmholtz Munich with contributions from Ludwig Maximilians University (LMU), Aix Marseille…

Scientists find gut bacteria inject proteins that control your immune system

Scientists have uncovered a surprising way that gut bacteria interact with the human body. Certain microbes living in the digestive system can send proteins straight into human cells, actively influencing how the immune system behaves. The research, led by Helmholtz Munich with contributions from Ludwig Maximilians University (LMU), Aix Marseille…

Ocean species are disappearing before scientists can even find them

Species around the world are vanishing at an accelerating pace, driven by climate change, habitat destruction, and invasive species. Many lesser-known groups, including marine worms, are especially at risk, with some facing extinction before scientists have even identified them. To address this gap, researchers from the University of Göttingen, the…

Scientists discover bizarre new states inside tiny magnetic whirlpools

Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have identified previously unseen oscillation patterns known as Floquet states inside extremely small magnetic vortices. In contrast to earlier studies that relied on powerful laser pulses to generate these states, the Dresden team found that gentle stimulation using magnetic waves is enough. This discovery…

Scientists stunned as Mars dust storms blast water into space

Today, Mars is known as a cold, dry desert, but its surface tells a very different story. Ancient channels, water-altered minerals, and other geological features show that the planet once had abundant water and a far more dynamic environment. Understanding how this wetter world transformed into the barren landscape we…

The ice protecting Alaska is vanishing faster than expected

Sea ice is remaining attached to Alaska’s northern coastline for shorter periods each year, based on 27 years of data analyzed by scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. This type of ice, known as landfast ice because it stays fixed to the shore rather than drifting with winds and…

This dangerous combo in your body could raise death risk by 83%

Researchers from the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil, working with University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom, found that having both excess abdominal fat and reduced muscle mass significantly raises the risk of death. People with this combination were 83% more likely to die than those…

Scientists uncovered the nutrients bees were missing — Colonies surged 15-fold

A team of researchers led by the University of Oxford has developed a breakthrough food supplement that could help reverse the alarming decline of honeybees. Working with Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, the University of Greenwich, and the Technical University of Denmark, the scientists engineered a diet that mimics the key…

Freshwater fish populations plunge 81% as river migrations collapse

Some of the longest and most essential animal migrations on Earth take place beneath the surface of rivers. A major new report from the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), a United Nations environmental treaty, warns that many of these migrations are now rapidly breaking…

This cow uses tools like a primate—and scientists are stunned

In 1982, cartoonist Gary Larson introduced a famous Far Side comic called Cow Tools. The illustration showed a cow proudly standing next to a strange collection of useless objects labeled as tools. The humor relied on a widely accepted idea that cows lack the intelligence to create or use tools.…

Scientists discover “overflow valve” in cells linked to Parkinson’s Disease

Researchers have uncovered how a mysterious ion channel helps cells break down waste, opening new possibilities for treating Parkinson’s disease. Just like sinks and bathtubs have overflow drains to prevent spills, human cells appear to have a similar built-in safeguard. A new study by scientists from Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied…

What you do in midlife could reveal how long you’ll live

By the time animals reach midlife, their everyday habits can offer clues about how long they are likely to live. This conclusion comes from a new study supported by the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience at Stanford’s Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. Researchers continuously monitored dozens of short-lived fish throughout their…

Scientists find immune cell linked to long COVID fatigue and symptoms

After infection with SARS-CoV-2, up to 10 percent of people in Germany go on to develop Long COVID. Symptoms can include persistent fatigue, difficulty concentrating, breathing problems, and neurological issues, and they may last for months or even years. The condition does not look the same in every patient, making…

Deepfake X-rays are so real even doctors can’t tell the difference

A new study published on March 24 in Radiology, the journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), shows that both radiologists and multimodal large language models (LLMs) have difficulty telling real X-rays apart from artificial intelligence (AI)-generated “deepfake” images. The findings raise concerns about the risks posed by…

Vivid dreams may be the secret to deeper, more restful sleep

Feeling like you had “a good night’s sleep” depends on more than just how long you slept. It also reflects how deeply and continuously you believe you slept. Scientists still do not fully understand what happens in the brain to create this sense of deep, refreshing rest. A new study…

Scientists found a bug that generates its own heat in freezing cold

Snow flies might seem like ordinary insects, but their survival strategy is anything but typical. In a new study, scientists at Northwestern University investigated how these small, wingless insects, which move across snowy surfaces to find mates and lay eggs, stay alive in freezing conditions. They discovered that snow flies…

Scientists open a million-year-old time capsule beneath New Zealand

Scientists from Australia and New Zealand have uncovered ancient animal remains inside a cave near Waitomo on Aotearoa’s North Island. The site contains a large collection of fossils dating back about 1 million years, including a previously unknown ancestor of the kākāpō, a large flightless parrot. The discovery includes fossils…