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Scientists at Stanford University have uncovered a major clue to why the brain deteriorates with age. Their research points to breakdowns in the cell’s protein production system, a process that appears to trigger widespread dysfunction linked to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The study, published in Science,…
For years, Saturn appeared to be doing something impossible. Measurements suggested the giant planet’s rotation rate was changing over time, as if Saturn were somehow speeding up or slowing down. That puzzling result left scientists searching for answers. Now, researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) say they have…
New research from Johns Hopkins Medicine suggests that combining cannabis edibles with alcohol can impair driving more than using either substance alone. The study also found that standard field sobriety tests often failed to detect impairment caused by cannabis, whether it was consumed by itself or alongside alcohol. The findings,…
During the Triassic Period, many of the major animal groups we know today were only beginning to evolve. The world was filled with unusual creatures experimenting with body shapes and lifestyles that often resemble modern animals or later dinosaurs. One newly identified species, Labrujasuchus expectatus, is a striking example. Described…
Paleontologists have identified a new species of raptor-like dinosaur that lived about 70 million years ago in what is now southern Patagonia. The animal, named Kank australis, appears to have been a fish hunter whose feeding habits may have resembled those of modern herons. The discovery is based on fossil…
For decades, many evolutionary biologists have viewed much of molecular evolution as surprisingly quiet. The idea was that many of the genetic changes that spread through populations are neither helpful nor harmful. They simply drift through nature without attracting much attention from natural selection. A University of Michigan study challenges…
Chronic kidney disease has become one of the world’s most widespread and deadly health problems, with record numbers of people now estimated to have reduced kidney function. A 2025 global analysis found that the number of people living with the condition rose from 378 million in 1990 to 788 million…
Researchers have uncovered evidence that superconductivity can be controlled by changing a material’s surrounding environment, a breakthrough that could eventually lead to more efficient electronics and powerful quantum technologies. Superconductivity allows certain materials to carry electricity with zero energy loss when cooled below a critical temperature. Even though scientists have…
Liquid water is widely considered one of the key ingredients for life. But new research suggests that worlds drifting through the darkness of interstellar space could still remain habitable, even without the warmth of a nearby star. A team of scientists from the Excellence Cluster ORIGINS at Ludwig Maximilian University…
A new study published in Nature Geoscience suggests Antarctica’s ice sheet underwent a dramatic change about one million years ago, becoming much more responsive to shifts in Earth’s climate. The research, led by scientists at the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea, offers…
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have created tiny lab-grown brain and spinal cord systems that mimic how movement signals travel through the human nervous system. Using this model, the team discovered that nerve damage once believed to be permanent may actually be reversible under certain conditions. As the human…
Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, is gaining attention from scientists studying Alzheimer’s disease. New research suggests the cannabis-derived compound may help reduce harmful inflammation in the brain, a process increasingly believed to play a major role in Alzheimer’s progression. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a condition…
For more than 250 years, stories from early explorers described crocodiles as a common sight along the shores of the Seychelles. But after permanent settlers arrived in 1770, the island population disappeared rapidly. Within about 50 years, the crocodiles had been completely exterminated. Now, scientists have finally uncovered the true…
Scientists say climate change is driving a major and potentially permanent transformation in the Arctic Ocean, disrupting the marine food chain from the bottom up. According to a new study, the rapid decline of Arctic sea ice has sharply reduced levels of nitrate, a nutrient essential for the growth of…
Tiny wrens living on remote Scottish islands are giving scientists a rare look at evolution in action. A new study led by researchers at the University of Birmingham found that several isolated island populations of wrens are evolving independently, with some growing dramatically larger than their mainland relatives. The findings,…
Millions of Americans live with blurry vision, nearsightedness, or more severe sight problems. While glasses and contact lenses help many people, millions have turned to corrective procedures such as LASIK to sharpen their eyesight. But scientists are now exploring a very different approach that could someday reshape the eye without…
For generations, pianists and music teachers have insisted that a performer’s touch can change the character of a piano’s sound. Skeptics argued that once a piano hammer strikes a string, the resulting tone is determined almost entirely by the instrument itself. Now, a major scientific study has provided some of…
Rachel Fordyce used to save money by parking at Ithaca’s East Hill Plaza and walking through East Lawn Cemetery on her way to work at a Cornell University entomology lab. During one walk in the spring of 2022, she noticed something unusual. Bees were everywhere. She collected some in a…
Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a brain immune protein that may play a major role in the progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Their findings, published in Neuron, suggest that blocking this protein with monoclonal antibodies could eventually lead to treatments that…
A new brain imaging study is raising questions about one of the most widely discussed explanations for long COVID. Researchers found no evidence of widespread brain inflammation in people experiencing lingering symptoms after COVID-19 infection. Instead, patients with more severe symptoms showed increased activity in brain regions linked to emotion,…
Immunotherapy may offer a completely new way to treat people with difficult-to-treat depression, according to a University of Bristol-led clinical trial published in JAMA Psychiatry on May 20. In the small pilot study, researchers tested whether tocilizumab, a drug commonly prescribed for inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, could ease…
Eating is about far more than simply getting enough calories. The body must also obtain the right balance of nutrients, especially essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein that the body cannot produce on its own. Now, researchers have uncovered a hidden communication system between the gut…
University of Houston researchers have achieved a major superconductivity breakthrough by setting a new temperature record for superconductors operating under ambient pressure conditions. The advance could eventually help create more efficient electrical grids, improved energy storage systems, faster electronics, and new technologies for fusion energy and medical imaging. Scientists from…
A tiny new species of sea slug, smaller than a grain of rice, has been discovered off the coast of Keelung in northern Taiwan. The translucent marine creature, covered in distinctive black and yellow markings, has officially been named Thecacera sesama by researchers from National Taiwan Ocean University, the National…
A drug designed to shut down fat production inside the liver could become a major new weapon against one of the world’s fastest-growing liver diseases. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine reported that an experimental treatment called ION224 produced significant improvements in people with metabolic dysfunction-associated…
A drug combination widely studied for its anti-aging potential may have a serious downside. Researchers at the University of Connecticut report that the treatment caused significant brain damage in mice, raising concerns about its growing use in longevity research and off-label anti-aging therapies. The findings, published in PNAS, showed that…
Age related macular degeneration (AMD) affects an enormous number of older adults. Around one third of people over 80 have AMD, and about 20 million Americans age 40 and older are living with the condition. Most cases are the dry form of AMD. It usually advances gradually, but over time…
Every morning on the giant exoplanet WASP-94A b, clouds made from rocky minerals gather across the sky. By evening, those clouds are gone. Using observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers discovered this dramatic daily weather cycle on the distant world, located nearly 700 light years from Earth…
NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope may have finally uncovered what powers some of the brightest stellar explosions ever observed. After studying years of data, an international research team found strong evidence that a rare superluminous supernova was energized by an extremely magnetic neutron star formed during the star’s collapse. The…
Regularly drinking guava juice could offer a simple and affordable way to help reduce anemia risk among women and teenage girls in low and middle income countries, according to a new review published in the open access journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health. Researchers found that combining guava juice with…
