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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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
Researchers have created a simpler and less expensive way to measure a biologically active form of phosphorus in soil, a development that could help scientists better understand how this essential nutrient moves through ecosystems and supports agriculture. Phosphorus is critical for plant growth and food production, but the world’s natural…
Stored in an open-air warehouse in tropical Darwin, Australia, are dozens of trays containing cylindrical cores of rock. They are from drill holes bored hundreds of metres below the surface by mineral exploration companies decades ago. Some of these cores at the Northern Territory Geological Survey are mudstone – a…
Researchers at Semmelweis University say persistent rheumatic symptoms may be driven by more than inflammation alone. Sleep disorders, depression, obesity, smoking, and other health problems may also help keep symptoms going. In publications in Nature Reviews Rheumatology and The Lancet Rheumatology, the team also introduced a model designed to help…
When archaeologists uncover adults and children buried together in medieval graves, a natural assumption is that they belonged to the same family. New research from Stockholm University, published in Science Advances, suggests that was often not the case. Scientists analyzed DNA from 142 people who lived during the late Viking…
Scientists have taken a major step toward understanding cancer in cats, opening what researchers once described as a genetic “black box.” In a large international study published in Science, researchers genetically analyzed cat cancers on a scale that had not been attempted before. The work could improve cancer care for…
Breast cancer screening can sometimes identify cancers that would never have caused symptoms or threatened a woman’s health during her lifetime. This phenomenon is known as overdiagnosis, and it has long been considered one of the potential drawbacks of screening. For decades, researchers have debated how often overdiagnosis actually occurs.…
A room that smells like citrus, pine, or flowers is often associated with cleanliness. Those familiar scents, however, can signal chemical reactions taking place in the air. Research led by Brandon Boor at Purdue University found that fragrance compounds released by both conventional cleaners and botanical essential oil-based products can…
Around 2.5 to 2 billion years ago, Earth underwent the largest chemical transformation ever recorded at its surface. Oxygen began accumulating in the atmosphere, setting in motion changes that eventually helped make possible the rise of complex organisms such as plants and animals about half a billion years ago. As…
Douglas Seiler went to unusual lengths to recreate an ancient mystery. He obtained papyrus and reed pens from Egypt, along with traditional lampblack ink from Japan. Then he paid high school students to write on the papyrus using passages from “Star Wars,” the Bible, and a quote from the 1960s…
Researchers led by the Duke Quantum Center (DQC) have used a quantum simulator to observe string breaking dynamics connected to particle antiparticle formation, marking one of the earliest demonstrations of its kind in quantum physics. The work, published September 23 in Nature Physics, shows how trapped ion quantum computers could…
NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman are beginning a new chapter after their historic Artemis II journey around the Moon earlier this year. In September, both astronauts are transitioning to emeritus status at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The emeritus program allows highly experienced NASA personnel to remain…
Tirzepatide has become an important treatment for obesity and related conditions such as diabetes, but scientists are still working to understand exactly how it affects the body. A study in mice now suggests that the drug may improve metabolism directly by activating brown adipose tissue, a form of fat that…
The brain uses an extraordinary amount of energy compared with most other organs. Even so, it can continue processing information when energy is limited by adjusting how available resources are used. Scientists are still trying to understand how the brain manages this energy budget as it moves through different internal…
Imagine arriving on Mars as part of the fourth human mission to the Red Planet and being asked to establish the first self-sustaining food supply for a permanent settlement. The plan depends on beneficial fungi, microorganisms that could help improve Martian regolith enough for crops to grow. Success could reduce…
Scientists studying the chemistry of Cannabis leaves have uncovered something that had never been documented in the plant before: evidence of a rare group of natural compounds known as flavoalkaloids. Analytical chemists at Stellenbosch University (SU) made the discovery while examining the complex mixture of chemicals found in commercially grown…
If you happen to be swimming in the Salish Sea at night and imagine tiny hairy legs creeping up your body, there is now at least one unsettling reason that image feels plausible. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have identified two previously unknown species of sea spider, including…
New research led by scientists at the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai suggests that Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS) may be much more common than earlier estimates indicated. The findings, published in Autism Research, estimate that the condition affects roughly 1 in 7,300 people. Phelan-McDermid syndrome is…
For some of the most aggressive blood cancers, a stem cell transplant may be the only treatment with the potential to cure the disease. Even so, cancers can return after transplantation, leaving doctors with limited options. A new clinical trial led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in…
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) stretches 27 km around and relies on thousands of magnets of different types – dipoles, quadrupoles, sextupoles, octupoles, decapoles, etc. – to steer and control its particle beams. Each type performs a specialized task. Some of the most important are known as inner triplets. These…
A practical quantum computer must eventually be able to handle any type of quantum algorithm, much like a conventional laptop can run many different kinds of software. Researchers have now demonstrated a new way to reach that level of flexibility using unusual quantum objects known as non-Abelian anyons. Scientists from…