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Most galaxies are thought to harbor a supermassive black hole at their center. These enormous objects can weigh millions or even billions of times more than the sun, creating some of the strongest gravitational environments known in the universe. When a star passes dangerously close to one of these black…
Daily peppermint oil may offer a simple way to reduce mildly elevated blood pressure, according to new research. Researchers at the University of Lancashire found that taking 100 microliters of peppermint oil twice a day for 20 days reduced systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading)…
The basic principle of weight loss is straightforward: if you consume fewer calories than you burn, you’ll lose weight. In practice though, this isn’t usually so easy or simple. Alongside counting calories or eating smaller portions, many people add exercise into the equation when trying to lose weight to help…
People who speak more than one language may have brains that appear younger than expected for their age, according to research presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum 2026. The brain depends on billions of nerve cells constantly communicating with one another. As people get older, those…
The transformation of a liquid into a solid is familiar in nature. Lava flowing from a volcano eventually cools and hardens into rock, while water in a lake can freeze into ice during a cold winter. When materials undergo these phase changes, important physical properties can change as well, including…
Astronomers have found that some of the largest galaxies in the early universe contained many more small stars than scientists previously realized. That hidden population means these ancient galaxies may have been significantly more massive than earlier estimates indicated. The discovery, made by an international team that included Penn State…
Researchers at Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin (UCD) have found that a yeast-based dietary supplement can strengthen immune cells involved in fighting cancer in mice. In experiments with obese laboratory mice, the researchers found that adding the supplement to the animals’ diets changed the way immune cells developed…
Worker bees normally serve as a colony’s first line of defense against contamination, filtering harmful substances before they can spread through the hive. But new research shows that queen bees also have a defense of their own. When honeybee queens are exposed to pesticides over time, some of those chemicals…
Researchers at Hiroshima University have found that the number of natural teeth a person has may provide useful clues about long-term survival after surgery for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Oral health has long been connected with broader health outcomes, and previous research has linked poor dental health with prognosis in colorectal…
Roughly 400 years ago, a member of the Indigenous Potano-Timucua tribe shaped a small clay vessel by hand. The pot was compact enough to fit in a palm, with a simple rim, a smooth dull gray surface, and no decoration. Its original purpose is unknown, as is the number of…
A species of gut bacteria called Roseburia inulinivorans is associated with greater muscle strength in people and improved muscle performance in mice, according to research published online in the journal Gut. The findings suggest that R inulinivorans can alter metabolic activity inside muscle and increase the proportion of fast-twitch (type…
Just three minutes of sprinting may produce a molecular response that looks very different from what happens after 90 minutes of moderate exercise. Researchers at Rockefeller University compared how the body responds to exercise performed at different intensities. They found that six 30-second, all-out sprints changed nearly one-quarter of the…
Researchers in Japan have captured an extraordinarily fast electronic transformation inside a metal-organic framework, observing a fleeting state and the hidden state that followed within just 30 femtoseconds. The team from Science Tokyo, Tohoku University, and Nagoya Institute of Technology combined ultrafast laser spectroscopy with theoretical calculations to uncover a…
Researchers at McMaster University have uncovered an unexpected role for a naturally occurring hormone already known for reducing appetite and supporting weight loss. The hormone appears to protect the liver from inflammation through a previously unknown signaling pathway, a finding that could point toward new approaches for treating advanced fatty…
Vaccines prevent serious illness for many people, but the immune protection they produce can differ substantially from one person to another. New research led by Arizona State University offers clues about what may be behind those differences. The immune system may show signs of how strongly it will react even…
For as long as people have traveled by sea, ships have needed protection from water, salt, microorganisms, and marine animals such as worms. Yet until the mid-20th century, researchers paid relatively little attention to the non-wood materials used in ancient shipbuilding. Waterproofing materials in particular remain understudied. A new study…
People who participate in colorectal cancer screening may face as much as a 43 percent lower risk of dying from the disease, according to new estimates published in JAMA Network Open by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Umeå University in Sweden. The findings draw on as many as 14 years…
Researchers at Monash University have predicted an unusual new form of quantum matter that could overturn long-held assumptions about how ultracold particles behave. Their calculations suggest that, under the right conditions, two fundamentally different classes of quantum particles — bosons and fermions — can combine to create stable, self-bound “quantum…
A decades-old puzzle in nuclear physics has centered on a strange question: why do some atomic nuclei release more low-energy gamma rays than scientists expect? A new study led by the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), with researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), may provide the answer. Published…
Scientists have uncovered evidence that an enormous ancient cliff system may have helped expose the deepest rocks of the Grand Canyon nearly a billion years before the Colorado River began carving the landscape seen today. Led by researchers at the University of Southampton in the UK, the new study suggests…
More than 450 million years ago, long before dinosaurs appeared and before animals or plants had spread widely across dry land, crinoids were already thriving in some of Earth’s earliest coral reefs. These ancient relatives of starfish looked somewhat like flowers growing on stalks beneath the sea. Crinoid fossils give…
New Northwestern Medicine research published in Nature Communications suggests that a substance produced when gut bacteria digest dietary fiber may leave a durable molecular mark on cells lining the intestine. That imprint appears to promote immune tolerance and may help protect against inflammatory bowel disease-like conditions even after exposure to…
For decades, medications for obesity typically delivered only modest reductions in body weight. That changed with the arrival of Ozempic and other GLP-1 therapies, which can produce sustained weight loss of 10 to 15% or more. Yet despite their remarkable effectiveness, scientists still do not fully understand what these medications…
Knee pain is a familiar problem for many people, particularly as they get older. Although persistent knee discomfort can have many causes, osteoarthritis is one of the most common. Knee osteoarthritis develops as the cartilage that cushions the bones in the joint gradually breaks down. Healthy cartilage allows the knee…
Researchers, including a Rutgers professor, have gained a clearer view of the biological changes associated with schizophrenia by directly measuring synaptic connections in the living human brain. The team used specialized positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to examine these crucial points of communication between brain cells. The study, published in…
New research from Monash University suggests that recent discoveries about human evolution are challenging the traditional system scientists use to name and classify our ancestors. The research, published in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology, calls for a major reconsideration of human taxonomy. It proposes placing all human species and…
Groundwater reserves beneath High Mountain Asia (HMA), often called the “Asian Water Tower,” are shrinking at an alarming pace, according to a new satellite-based study. The region provides water that supports farming, cities, and ecosystems across more than a dozen downstream countries, making it a critical resource for hundreds of…
Diamond is famous for its beauty, but its value extends far beyond jewelry. This exceptionally hard form of carbon is used to make the tiny capsules that hold fuel in inertial confinement fusion experiments. Scientists also think diamonds may form and fall like rain far beneath the surfaces of ice…
Between Aug. 11 and 12, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) photographed a newly formed crater on the Moon. The crater appeared after a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage struck the lunar surface on Aug. 5. The rocket stage had previously launched in January 2025 as part of the Firefly Blue…
Last week’s total solar eclipse offered more than a spectacular view. It also produced an unusual atmospheric effect that gave the Sun’s outer atmosphere a striking golden appearance. During a total solar eclipse, the Moon completely blocks the bright disk of the Sun, making the much fainter solar corona visible.…