Reporting world updates to you
A major Atlantic Ocean current is slowing, and the consequences could reach far beyond the Atlantic. New research from the University of California, Riverside suggests the change could strengthen powerful storms along the California coast while reducing snowfall over Greenland. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, is a vast…
Much like paper must be folded into the correct shape to create an origami sculpture, proteins inside cells must form precise three-dimensional structures before they can function properly. As prediabetes advances toward diabetes, this delicate process can begin to break down. Misfolded and defective proteins accumulate inside cells, creating stress…
For the first time, scientists have accurately determined the age of prehistoric paintings inside Font-de-Gaume, a celebrated decorated cave near Les Eyzies in Dordogne (southwestern France). The new findings provide firm dates for two black images, a bison and a masklike figure, and reveal that parts of the artwork were…
Eating a nutritious diet, losing weight, and becoming more physically active can significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. However, lifestyle changes do not appear to offer the same level of protection to everyone. Researchers report that people assigned to Tübingen’s type 2 diabetes risk cluster 5 continued to…
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft completed a highly successful flyby of Mars, giving the mission a carefully planned gravitational boost while also producing valuable scientific data. Researchers are now examining those observations as they prepare for the spacecraft’s arrival at the asteroid Psyche in 2029. On May 15, the spacecraft passed Mars…
NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has observed a rare supermassive black hole far from the center of a distant galaxy as it tore apart and consumed a star. Astronomers describe it as an apparent “orphan” because it sits unusually far from the galactic core, where supermassive black holes are normally…
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a semiconductor device that uses laser light to direct the movement of electrons without requiring an applied electric field or electrical power source. The device was primarily designed to investigate fundamental physics and demonstrate a behavior that had never previously been observed.…
Many molecules come in two forms that are mirror images of one another, much like left and right hands. Although these molecular twins can appear nearly identical, they may behave in dramatically different ways, particularly in living systems and medicines. Telling these enantiomers (also called chiral molecules) apart has remained…
Exercise may provide some relief for people with hip osteoarthritis, but the improvements in pain and physical function may be too small for many patients to notice in everyday life, according to a new Cochrane review. The researchers caution that stronger evidence is still needed before firm conclusions can be…
A new Finnish study suggests that spending time in a sauna can temporarily move more white blood cells into the bloodstream. These immune cells help the body detect and respond to pathogens and disease. Researchers found that a 30-minute sauna session increased the number of every type of circulating white…
Deep-diving insect larvae in an African lake are forcing scientists to reconsider a popular explanation for why insects are almost entirely absent from the open ocean. Their secret is a remarkably durable system of air sacs that can tolerate far more pressure than researchers expected. Billions of lake fly larvae…
Why do some dreams feel so vivid that they seem almost real, while others unfold as confusing fragments that are difficult to remember or understand? New research suggests the answer may depend on a combination of personality, sleep quality, mental habits, and major events unfolding in the outside world. A…
Unsweetened sparkling water may be a better option for teeth than sugar-sweetened soda, according to preliminary research comparing how several popular drinks affect acidity in the mouth. Tooth enamel can begin to dissolve when the mouth’s pH falls below about 5.5. The new findings suggest that sparkling water can temporarily…
Archaeologists have identified a prehistoric hammer made from elephant bone that dates back almost 500,000 years. Found in southern England, the object is the oldest known elephant bone tool ever discovered in Europe. Researchers from UCL and the Natural History Museum, London analyzed the rare artifact, which offers a striking…
Jupiter and Saturn are the two largest planets in the Solar System, and both are surrounded by enormous families of moons. Jupiter currently has more than 100 reported moons, while Saturn, which is also encircled by an extensive ring system, has more than 280. The makeup of those moon systems…
A small clinical trial suggests that limiting food intake to fewer hours each day could provide modest cognitive benefits for older women, beyond those associated with weight loss alone. The pilot study followed women with overweight or obesity who were participating in a six-month weight loss program. Those who ate…
Scientists have uncovered the first direct evidence that inherited genetics can strongly influence cancer risk and help determine how tumors develop over time. The results show that the genes a person is born with can interact with mutations acquired later in life, shaping the evolutionary path a tumor follows. The…
NASA astronaut Chris Williams returned to Earth on Sunday after completing an eight month science mission aboard the International Space Station. He traveled home with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev. The Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft touched down safely by parachute on July 26 at 5:27 a.m. CDT (3:27 p.m.,…
Two devastating wildfires that swept through California’s Sierra Nevada in 2020 and 2021 killed thousands of giant sequoias. A new University of California, Davis study suggests the losses would have been far worse without prescribed burns. Published in Nature Communications, the research found that giant sequoias exposed to prescribed fire…
AI-powered calorie tracking apps can estimate a meal’s nutritional content from a single photograph. The technology offers a fast and convenient alternative to manually entering every food and portion, but new research suggests the results may be considerably lower than what is actually on the plate. In a test of…
Prostate cancer is notoriously difficult to treat with immunotherapy, a type of cancer treatment that helps the immune system identify and destroy tumors. Now, researchers have developed an experimental RNA targeting technology that may make prostate tumors far more vulnerable to an immune attack. Most prostate tumors are considered “immune…
Fat tissue is often viewed as something the body would be better off without. Scientists now know, however, that adipose tissue is an active and essential organ that supports many important processes, including energy storage, hormone production, and metabolic regulation. Too much fat can increase the risk of diabetes, heart…
Researchers from VIB, KU Leuven, the UK-DRI and Muna Therapeutics, with funding that included support from ERC, have identified a major biological shift that may help determine whether Alzheimer’s disease changes in the brain eventually lead to dementia. Using donated brain tissue from older adults with and without cognitive decline,…
What if you could visit a place that does not exist on any map? A place whispered about online as though it sits just beyond the edges of our known world. A place known quite simply as, the Backrooms. The Backrooms are an internet-created fictional setting imagined as an infinite…
The brown tree snake has become one of the world’s best-known examples of an invasive species. Native to Australia and the South Pacific, the snake likely reached Guam sometime after World War II, possibly by hiding aboard military cargo planes. Its arrival had devastating consequences. Brown tree snakes have driven…
Humans and every other vertebrate may share an astonishingly strange ancestor: a tiny creature with a single eye centered on the top of its head. Recent research from Lund University and the University of Sussex proposes that the earliest ancestor of vertebrates passed through a cyclops-like stage nearly 600 million…
A UCLA Health study in mice has found that inflammation during pregnancy can produce lasting autism-like changes in offspring. The researchers also discovered that many of the resulting brain and behavioral effects could be improved rapidly in adulthood, although only temporarily, with a single dose of the immune-suppressing drug rapamycin.…
Many people expect memory to fade as a normal part of aging. Yet some older adults, called SuperAgers, reach their 80s and 90s with memory abilities that match or even exceed those of people in their 50s and 60s. Scientists have spent nearly 20 years identifying the biological, neurological, and…
Behavioral scientists from UNSW Sydney and Griffith University have found no evidence that personal climate-friendly choices reduce people’s interest in broader action on climate change. The research, published on July 23, followed nearly 2,800 Australians over four years as part of the National Climate Action Survey. Participants who recycled, used…
An expanding universe makes measuring distance more complicated because space does not remain fixed while light travels through it. Galaxies continue to emit light, but that light may spend billions of years crossing the cosmos before reaching us. During that journey, the universe keeps expanding, increasing the average separation between…
