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Two micrograms is an almost unimaginably small amount. It weighs less than a tiny fragment of a grain of table salt. Yet adults need only around this amount of vitamin B12 each day, depending on the guideline used, to support red blood cells, nerves and DNA production. In 2026, it…
A rare and aggressive form of liver cancer has long resisted immunotherapy, a treatment that helps the body’s own immune system attack cancer cells. Now, researchers have identified a potential way to overcome that resistance using an FDA-approved drug that is already available for another medical condition. The findings suggest…
A human brain starts as a single cell. Over time, that lone cell gives rise to an extraordinarily complex organ containing roughly 170 billion cells. One of the biggest questions in developmental neuroscience is how all of those cells end up in the right places to form a functioning brain.…
A placebo, or fake supplement, may offer real benefits for older adults, according to new research from psychologists at the Università Cattolica in Milan. After taking placebo pills for three weeks, participants showed improvements in both physical performance and cognitive function. Surprisingly, the benefits were seen even when participants knew…
Researchers exploring the deep waters of Fiordland have discovered an enormous black coral measuring 4 meters (13 feet) tall and 4.5 meters (15 feet) wide. The protected coral is estimated to be 300-400 years old and is believed to be among the largest black corals ever recorded in the waters…
For thousands of years, the ancient city of Sardis in western Turkey changed hands as Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans rose and fell. Yet while the city’s rulers changed repeatedly, one thing has remained remarkably steady. Since 1958, archaeologists have returned every year as part of the Harvard Cornell Exploration…
Even relatively small asteroids can have surprisingly eventful histories. NASA’s Lucy spacecraft recently revealed that asteroid Donaldjohanson is a wobbling, peanut-shaped object that has been shaped by collisions, sunlight, and even a brief encounter with liquid water long ago. The asteroid formed about 155 million years ago when fragments from…
Around 40% of adults worldwide are affected by osteopenia: a loss of bone mineral density. This condition is extremely common particularly in postmenopausal women and elderly adults. It’s estimated that more than 500,000 fractures occur annually in the UK due to low bone density. Osteopenia itself does not usually cause…
When a massive earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula in late July, it unleashed a tsunami that raced across the Pacific Ocean. As the giant waves spread outward, an advanced NASA satellite happened to be in a perfect position to observe the event in unprecedented detail. The satellite, called Surface…
Probably not, according to Eric Schwitzgebel, a distinguished professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside. In a new working paper, Schwitzgebel and Jeremy Pober, a former UCR graduate student who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Lisbon, argue that conscious beings may be possible even…
Scientists have identified a group of neurons located in an ancient region of the brain that plays a key role in helping animals focus. These cells appear to improve attention by filtering out distractions and directing the brain toward the most important information. The discovery, made in mice by researchers…
Researchers at La Trobe University have identified a previously unknown biological process that may help explain how viruses move through the body. The discovery could also open new opportunities for developing treatments that better support the immune system. Published in Nature Communications, the study sheds new light on what happens…
Animals of the same species don’t always look the same. From birds with different beak shapes to mammals that vary in size or color, populations living in different places can often look very different. What’s much harder to pin down is why these differences arise. Are they shaped by local…
Scientists have uncovered new evidence that early human ancestors were using fire in South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave between 1.07 and 1.79 million years ago. The discovery pushes back one of the earliest known records of fire use linked to hominins and offers fresh clues about how our ancestors first learned…
A major new tool for X-ray research has entered service at BESSY II. Developed through a collaboration between HZB, MPI-CEC (Mühlheim-an-der-Ruhr, Germany), and NIST (Boulder CO, USA), the instrument is the first and only TES spectrometer operating at a synchrotron facility in Europe. The new system delivers a dramatic improvement…
Many people in England who are considered at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency may not be getting enough of the nutrient at any time of year, according to new research. The findings challenge the widely held belief that spending time in the summer sun is enough to restore healthy…
Most pandemics begin when a virus or other pathogen crosses from animals into people. Many scientists believe this is how COVID-19 emerged. The virus responsible for the disease, SARS-CoV-2, is closely related to coronaviruses found in bats. Now, a team of researchers from the UCSF Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), Icahn…
Kombucha has surged in popularity worldwide in recent years, becoming one of the most widely consumed fermented drinks. While many people choose it for its distinctive flavor, researchers are taking a closer look at what is happening inside the beverage during fermentation and how its ingredients may influence its properties.…
Scientists with the SETI Institute have completed a search for possible technological signals coming from 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object to pass through our Solar System. Using the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) at Northern California’s Hat Creek Radio Observatory, researchers examined a broad range of radio frequencies for evidence…
When H5N1 bird flu began infecting U.S. dairy cattle in early 2024, veterinarians struggled to identify the cause. The virus was difficult to recognize because it behaved very differently in cows than it does in other mammals. Rather than primarily infecting the lungs, H5N1 caused severe infections in the udders…
Scientists have identified a previously unrecognized bird species in Japan after genetic research revealed that what was thought to be a single species is actually two. The discovery involves the Ijima’s Leaf Warbler, a rare migratory bird found only on two island groups in Japan. While new bird species are…
A remarkable fossil site in northwestern China has yielded hundreds of prehistoric bird remains, including clusters of shattered bones compressed into pellet-like masses resembling those produced by modern owls. For years, paleontologists suspected that a larger predator was responsible for hunting these birds, but no direct evidence of such an…
For many years, scientists believed the recipe for creating a queen honeybee was straightforward: give a developing larva plenty of royal jelly, and it becomes the colony’s ruler. A new study suggests the reality is far more complex. Researchers have discovered that future queens are raised inside specially designed nursery…
For decades, scientists recognized only two major types of magnets. One is the familiar ferromagnet, the kind found in refrigerator magnets and countless everyday devices. The other is the antiferromagnet, whose magnetic properties are hidden at the atomic level but have attracted growing interest because of their potential use in…
Learning a new language or recovering the ability to speak may rely less on the brain’s movement centers than scientists once believed. New research suggests that regions involved in processing sound and physical sensations play a much larger role in speech learning and memory. The study, conducted by researchers at…
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) contributes to an estimated 1.1 million to 1.4 million deaths worldwide each year. While this growing threat is typically linked to the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, new research suggests another factor may also be playing a role: certain weedkillers. Scientists have found evidence that glyphosate, one…
A remarkable fossil discovery inside a cave near Waitomo on New Zealand’s North Island is giving scientists an unprecedented look at a long vanished ecosystem. Researchers from Australia and New Zealand have uncovered the remains of ancient birds and frogs that lived around 1 million years ago, including a previously…
More than 4.5 billion years ago, a huge world, potentially as large as the moon or even Mars, traveled around the young Sun before a violent collision shattered it into pieces. Scientists now say they have found the first direct evidence that this long-lost planetary embryo, known as a protoplanet,…
NASA’s upgraded Cold Atom Lab is back in operation aboard the International Space Station, giving researchers a powerful new way to investigate the fundamental nature of matter and advance the development of future quantum technologies. Taking advantage of the station’s microgravity environment, the facility enables experiments that cannot be performed…
A minimally invasive procedure for chronic knee pain is helping some patients find significant relief without undergoing major surgery. For Cynthia Schraf-Fletcher, 74, the results were “remarkably” successful. Nearly a year after receiving genicular artery embolization (GAE) on her right knee, Schraf-Fletcher says the improvement is comparable to the total…
