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A long running scientific dispute about the origin of the Silverpit Crater beneath the southern North Sea has now been settled. New research shows that the structure formed when an asteroid or comet struck the region roughly 43 to 46 million years ago. The investigation was led by Dr. Uisdean…
For more than ten years, Evan Economo’s lab has relied on micro CT scanners to image insect specimens. These X ray scans allow scientists to examine the physical structure and form of insects, an area of research known as morphology. Although the technique provides extremely detailed 3D data, it is…
A daily fish oil supplement may help lower the risk of serious cardiovascular complications in people undergoing dialysis for kidney failure. The finding comes from a large international clinical trial jointly led in Australia by Monash Health and the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash University. The research, known as…
Yet Hamilton’s reputation during his lifetime was built on work he completed much earlier. In the 1820s and early 1830s, while still in his twenties, he created powerful new mathematical methods for analyzing the paths of light rays (or “geometric optics”) and the motion of physical objects (“mechanics”). One particularly…
Over the next decade, a large amount of aluminum from vehicle body panels is expected to enter recycling and salvage systems. Much of this material cannot currently be reused in critical automotive components because contamination makes it too impure. That limitation has reduced its value. Researchers at the Department of…
The human body depends on carefully organized genetic instructions that guide how cells grow and function. Cancer can begin when those instructions become disrupted. Over time, cells may accumulate genetic mistakes that allow them to escape the normal controls that limit growth and division. One of the earliest warning signs…
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have developed a new molecule that may open the door to treating difficult cases of triple-negative breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of the disease that currently has few effective treatment options. In a study published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, the…
Researchers have identified a 90 million year old fossil that helps solve a long standing mystery about a strange group of prehistoric animals. The discovery was led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities scientist Peter Makovicky along with Argentine paleontologist Sebastian Apesteguía. Their findings, published in the peer reviewed journal…
A new study published in Nature Communications reports the detection of an iron sulfate on Mars that may represent a previously unknown mineral. Sulfur is abundant on Mars and commonly combines with other elements to create sulfate minerals. On Earth, most sulfates dissolve easily in rainwater. Mars, however, is extremely…
Imagine removing everything from the deepest regions of cosmic voids. Take away ordinary matter, neutrinos, dark matter, cosmic rays, and radiation. What remains appears to be nothing but empty space. It may sound contradictory, but these enormous voids are filled with the vacuum of spacetime. And importantly, that vacuum is…
Seeing blood in urine is often the first clue that something is wrong. For many people, noticing this symptom prompts a medical visit that can lead to an early diagnosis of bladder cancer. However, for people with colorblindness, detecting that warning sign may be far more difficult. Because many forms…
Centromeres serve the same fundamental purpose across nearly all forms of life. These regions of DNA ensure that chromosomes are properly separated when cells divide. Despite this shared role, centromeres vary dramatically in their structure. Some organisms have large stretches of repetitive DNA, while yeast uses extremely small and simple…
A new statewide spatial analysis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) has revealed major differences in how the condition affects people living in rural parts of Maryland. The findings highlight how access to healthcare can strongly influence health outcomes, offering a clear example of challenges that many rural communities…
NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission did more than alter the motion of a small asteroid. New research shows the spacecraft’s deliberate collision with the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos in September 2022 also slightly changed the path of the entire asteroid system around the Sun. The finding provides strong evidence…
Global warming has been increasing at a faster pace since about 2015, according to a new study from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). By adjusting global temperature records to remove known natural influences, researchers were able to identify a statistically significant rise in the rate of warming…
A new study published in Nature Communications has revealed that more than 200 metabolic enzymes can be found directly on human DNA. Many of these enzymes are typically known for producing energy in mitochondria, yet researchers discovered them sitting on chromatin inside the cell nucleus. The study shows that different…
Evolution is nature’s way of engineering biological systems. Inside cells, many variations of DNA, RNA, and proteins arise, and natural selection favors the organisms that function most effectively. Humans began harnessing this process long ago. Early farmers influenced evolution by choosing which crops and livestock reproduced, allowing the most productive…
Advice about staying healthy often centers on regular exercise and limiting fatty foods. Physical activity helps people shed excess weight, build muscle, and strengthen the heart. It also improves the body’s ability to absorb and use oxygen to produce energy, which is considered one of the most reliable indicators of…
A new analysis from the Canadian Study of Adolescent Behaviors suggests that teenagers and young adults who take pre-workout dietary supplements, including products like Bang!, Jack3D, and C4, are far more likely to experience extremely short sleep durations. Researchers examined data from more than participants between the ages of 16…
Osmotic energy, often referred to as blue energy, is an emerging method for producing renewable electricity by harnessing the natural mixing of saltwater and freshwater. When these two types of water meet, ions from the saltwater move through a specialized ion-selective membrane toward the lower-salinity water. This movement generates a…
When people hear about the discovery of a new species, they often picture a scene straight out of an adventure story, according to Chan Kin Onn of Michigan State University. “Most people have this image of an intrepid explorer braving an isolated mountain or some other remote place, and stumbling…
A team of researchers at the University of Helsinki has uncovered a previously unknown interaction inside plant cells. The study shows that plant mitochondria can draw molecular oxygen away from chloroplasts. This newly identified process helps explain how plants control oxygen levels within their tissues and could improve scientists’ understanding…
New research has uncovered evidence that women and children were intentionally targeted in one of the largest known prehistoric mass killings in Europe. Archaeologists investigating burial sites at Gomolava in northern Serbia discovered a grave holding the remains of more than 77 people. Most of the victims were women and…
One of the biggest unsolved challenges in modern physics is bringing together two powerful theories that describe very different parts of reality. Quantum theory explains the behavior of extremely small particles with remarkable precision. Einstein’s general theory of relativity, on the other hand, describes gravity and the motion of planets,…
Two dimensional materials have drawn intense interest because their electronic and magnetic properties could power future technologies. Scientists have traditionally treated these two behaviors as separate. Engineers at Illinois Grainger Engineering have now shown that they are connected by the same underlying mathematics. In a study published in Physical Review…
Childhood obesity has been increasing in recent years. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, about one in five children and teenagers in the United States met the clinical definition of obesity in 2024. Preventing obesity in children is not simple. For many years, the main approaches have focused…
Astronomers working with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) have created the most detailed three dimensional map so far of light produced by energized hydrogen in the early universe, dating back roughly 9 billion to 11 billion years. This type of radiation, known as Lyman alpha light, is released…
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a major global health problem and one of the leading causes of disability. About 30% of people diagnosed with depression develop treatment-resistant depression (TRD), meaning their symptoms do not improve sufficiently with standard antidepressant medications. Ketamine has gained attention as a fast-acting antidepressant for people…
Dr. Rowan Martindale, a paleoecologist and geobiologist at the University of Texas at Austin, was hiking through the Dadès Valley in Morocco’s Central High Atlas Mountains when something unusual caught her attention and made her stop. Martindale and her research team, including Stéphane Bodin of Aarhus University, were exploring the…
A large UK study involving more than 165,000 people with dementia has found that the drug risperidone is linked to a higher risk of stroke in all groups of patients. The findings challenge previous assumptions that certain patients might be safer candidates for the medication. Instead, researchers found no clearly…
