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A person’s posture may subtly affect both emotional state and decision-making, according to new research from McGill University. In a laboratory study, participants who sat upright reported more positive feelings and performed better during a task involving risk and reward than participants who slouched or sat in the control condition.…
What allows people to keep working toward a goal when the challenge becomes more demanding? Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have identified a brain mechanism that may help explain how motivation is maintained. Their study found that orexin neurons play an important role in sustaining and regulating motivated behavior.…
More than 4,000 snake species live today, all descended from heavily modified lizard ancestors. Yet scientists still do not fully understand how snakes developed their long, limbless bodies. Because early snake fossils are rare, researchers have struggled to determine which environments and behaviors shaped their evolution. For many years, the…
A 31-foot predator that once hunted dinosaurs across what is now the eastern United States has been reconstructed in scientifically accurate, life-size form for the first time. Dr. David Schwimmer, a Columbus State University geology professor and internationally recognized authority on the giant North American crocodilian genus Deinosuchus, contributed decades…
Scientists have discovered an enormous body of magma deep beneath Tuscany, even though the region shows few of the surface clues typically associated with such systems. Using a seismic imaging method called ambient noise tomography, researchers detected approximately 6,000 km3 of volcanic fluids buried 8 to 15 km below the…
Wildfires occur across Europe each summer, but the fires that swept through Spain and France in July 2026 ranked among the most destructive either country had experienced in decades. Some of the worst outbreaks developed in southwestern France’s Gironde Department and in Spain’s Ávila and Madrid provinces during the middle…
Stanford researchers have identified a previously unknown immune cell that destroys nearby cells by exploding. The process unfolds so rapidly and completely that the cell disappears within minutes, leaving virtually no trace. The discovery was made in planarian flatworms, small aquatic animals known for their extraordinary ability to regenerate. Even…
A solar eclipse, the Perseid meteor shower, brilliant Venus, and a deep partial lunar eclipse will make August an unusually eventful month for skywatchers. August Skywatching Highlights Aug. 5: Last Quarter Moon Aug. 12: A total solar eclipse crosses northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain, and part of Portugal. A…
Fossilized dinosaur bones uncovered in Wyoming contain tooth marks that were likely made by Tyrannosaurus rex, according to research published July 15, 2026, in the open-access journal PLOS One. The study was led by Bethania C. T. Siviero of Loma Linda University and her colleagues. Bite marks preserved in fossil…
Jumping genes are genetic parasites found in bacteria, plants, animals, and humans. They can be released inside cells as small RNA molecules from ribonucleic acid (RNA), then use specialized mechanisms to insert themselves into new locations within the genetic material. These movements can give cells new traits, making jumping genes…
Researchers have developed a bioengineered chewing gum that may offer a new way to target microbes associated with head and neck cancer. In tests involving oral samples from patients, extracts from the gum sharply reduced one virus and two types of bacteria linked to the disease. The research team was…
Scientists have discovered the earliest known evidence of the structures that eventually became spider fangs in a fossil dating back 518 million years. The finding was made by researchers from Yunnan University and the University of Leicester. Whether associated with the deadly reputation of the Black Widow or the fictional…
Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have achieved a major milestone in hydrogen power by operating a new compressorless gas turbine for a record 303 seconds. The burner uses an advanced form of pressure-gain combustion and surpassed NASA’s previous record of 250 seconds. The result also marks progress…
Bones recovered from underwater caves can provide an extraordinary record of the distant past. Until now, however, scientists have lacked a reliable way to determine how the remains of extinct megafauna and other animals accumulated, survived, and changed inside these submerged graveyards. A new study led by Griffith University provides…
As Homer tells us, Odysseus made an epic journey, against the odds, from Troy to his home in Ithaca. He visited many lands, but mostly dwelt with the nymph Calypso on her island. We can imagine that his wife, Penelope, would have asked him about that particular time. Odysseus might…
New DNA analysis has revealed a remarkably complex biological record preserved on the Shroud of Turin, adding fresh detail to the history of one of the world’s most closely examined and controversial historical artifacts. Published in Scientific Reports, the study is the first to use advanced genomic sequencing methods (rigorous…
Tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) is valued because it can withstand intense wear, pressure, and repeated use. That exceptional hardness makes it ideal for industrial tools, but it also creates a major manufacturing challenge. The material is difficult to shape, expensive to produce, and often requires more raw material than ultimately ends…
A study from The Wistar Institute has identified a surprising connection between fructose, a widely consumed dietary sugar, and the spread of an aggressive type of ovarian cancer. The findings, published in Nature Aging, suggest that cancer cells that remain after chemotherapy can communicate with nearby tumor cells and make…
For decades, we’ve been told that weight loss is a matter of willpower: eat less, move more. But modern science has proven this isn’t actually the case. More on that in a moment. But first, let’s go back a few hundred thousand years to examine our early human ancestors. Because…
The newly established beetle genus Luffy was not given its name simply as a playful reference. Researchers selected it because the insects have distinctive physical features that closely resemble the unusual abilities of Luffy, the main character in One Piece. Compared with related beetles, members of this genus have exceptionally…
Taiwan, once widely known as Formosa, conceals a remarkable natural world within its steep and rugged interior. It is one of the few places on Earth capable of supporting truly giant trees, including specimens that rise more than 80 meters above the forest floor. Since 2014, our group, the ‘Taiwan…
Arginine is an amino acid that supports many essential functions throughout the body. It helps cells build proteins that carry out a wide range of biological processes. The body produces arginine naturally, and people also obtain it from many protein-rich foods. Abnormally low arginine levels have been linked to several…
The Arctic’s frozen ground contains enormous stores of organic carbon. As permafrost thaws and coastlines erode, some of that carbon is carried into the ocean. There, microorganisms can break it down and release greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Until now, scientists have had limited information about how much…
Water buried beneath the moon may be detectable by listening to how vibrations move through the lunar ground. Researchers from the University of Maryland, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Hawaii have found that seismic waves, the same type of vibrations scientists measure during earthquakes, could help locate…
When atomic nuclei crash into one another at nearly the speed of light, they briefly produce quark-gluon plasma, an extraordinarily hot state of matter in which quarks and gluons can move freely. This exotic material behaves like an almost perfect fluid and offers scientists a way to study conditions similar…
Aging is the strongest known risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases, yet researchers still do not fully understand which molecular changes associated with getting older cause these conditions to develop. Scientists have now identified a protein pathway that may help connect aging with the harmful protein buildup seen in disorders such…
Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia and currently affects more than seven million people in the United States. Some available treatments can slow the disease, but most primarily address symptoms, and none can cure it. “Alzheimer’s is a condition that remains recalcitrant to the scientific community’s attempts at…
Two plants capable of causing nerve damage and paralysis at extremely low doses may also contain compounds with valuable uses against pain, malaria, cancer, and agricultural pests. Researchers have now identified a way to reproduce part of this potent chemistry in a laboratory setting, creating a possible path toward more…
Researchers have developed a way to make twisted oxide materials over much larger areas while maintaining precise control over how their layers are rotated. The advance could help move twistronics closer to practical electronic devices by giving scientists greater control over both the scale and internal structure of these materials.…
The Sun continuously sends a fast stream of charged particles through space, a phenomenon known as the solar wind. Earth is largely protected from this flow by its global magnetic field, but Mars has no comparable shield. This leaves the planet’s upper atmosphere exposed, allowing the solar wind to knock…
