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Scientists have identified two previously unrecognized species of large stick insects in Australia, revealing that even in some of the country’s most closely studied environments, new species are still waiting to be found. A University of Sydney research team reexamined Australian members of the stick insect genus Anchiale and discovered…
A newly developed textile covering helped strawberry plants produce more than three times as much fruit in tunnel field trials, while showing no harmful effects on plant health. Researchers say the technology may also offer a way to reduce water use and reliance on pesticides in strawberry production. The fabric,…
Researchers at the University of Surrey have proposed a new kind of qubit that could help address one of the biggest obstacles in quantum computing: keeping error rates low as systems become larger. The concept uses superfluid helium, a form of helium with unusual quantum properties, to create a qubit…
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have created a new optical-neural processor that uses light to help identify deepfake videos quickly and accurately. Unlike conventional systems that typically examine videos one after another using digital hardware, the UCLA technology can analyze 15 or more video streams at…
A diet that combines elements of the Mediterranean diet with an eating plan designed to lower blood pressure may help slow some of the structural changes that occur as the brain ages, according to research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. Greater adherence to the MIND…
Atherosclerosis, the gradual buildup of plaque inside arteries that drives most cardiovascular disease, can begin many years before a person notices any symptoms. Now, a large international study suggests that this hidden disease is already present in some young adults who otherwise appear healthy, and that it is considerably more…
A small preliminary study from UC San Francisco adds to mounting evidence that eating fewer ultra-processed foods may help reduce symptoms of depression. Published Sept. 23 in JAMA Psychiatry, the study was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers believe it is the first study to compare depression symptoms…
Mount Sinai researchers have uncovered new details about how APOE4, the strongest known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, may contribute to brain damage. Two studies published in Cell and Cell Stem Cell show that the gene can damage blood vessels in the brain and encourage the accumulation of abnormal…
When materials undergo major changes, such as water boiling or a magnet losing its magnetism, very different systems can sometimes start behaving according to the same mathematical rules. “Physicists call this trait universality — the messy, microscopic details wash out and only a few essential features survive,” explains Jason Alicea,…
A Johns Hopkins Medicine-led study suggests that the way a patient positions their arm during a blood pressure (BP) check can meaningfully affect the result. Common arm positions used during screenings may make blood pressure appear higher than it actually is, potentially contributing to an incorrect diagnosis of hypertension. In…
A large review led by researchers at King’s College London has found that people who use cannabis are more likely both to commit violent acts and to experience violence themselves. Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) combined data from 63 studies involving more than 265,000 people.…
Astronomers have long relied on brief bursts of gamma rays to identify collisions between neutron stars. These flashes can vanish in less than two seconds. Now, new research suggests that some neutron star mergers may also produce X-ray flashes that remain visible for several minutes. A study published in Science…
Anyone who has ever heated a pot of water knows that temperature depends on more than how hot something gets. Time matters too. Yet marine heatwaves (MHWs) have traditionally been studied as distinct events with clearly defined beginnings and endings. New research led by William & Mary’s VIMS & Batten…
Mulberry has been eaten as food and used in traditional medicine for centuries. Now, researchers are examining whether compounds in the plant can alter the gut microbiota and, in turn, affect metabolism. A review involving scientists from Wroclaw Medical University suggests that the results may depend heavily on the mulberry…
A new study suggests that Jezero Crater’s mysterious “Margin Unit” records a far more complicated history of water than scientists expected, involving ancient lakes, groundwater, and later hydrothermal activity. When NASA’s Perseverance rover arrived at the inner rim of Mars’ Jezero Crater in September 2023, researchers expected to encounter sedimentary…
Galaxies can contain hundreds of billions of stars, but every one of those stars begins with cold, dense gas. Large galaxies, including the Milky Way, are surrounded by an enormous reservoir of this material known as the circumgalactic medium, or CGM. The CGM extends roughly 10-20 times farther than the…
Nearly 2,000 years ago, Pliny the Younger documented what he witnessed when Mt. Vesuvius erupted, burying Pompeii and killing his uncle, Pliny the Elder. His account did more than preserve the story of one of history’s most famous volcanic disasters. It also recorded enough information about when the eruption occurred…
NASA will offer live coverage of preparations, liftoff, and docking for the SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station. The broadcasts will be available across several NASA platforms. Viewers can find streaming options at: https://www.nasa.gov/live Crew-13 Launches Oct. 1 Crew-13 is scheduled to lift off at 11:10 a.m. EDT…
New research is reshaping scientists’ understanding of bat evolution, with evidence suggesting that bats most likely originated in Europe during the late Paleocene, roughly 65 to 60 million years ago. For decades, researchers have debated where bats first appeared. Africa, Asia, and North America have all been proposed as possible…
NASA’s Curiosity rover has captured a striking new view of Mars as it passed a major mission milestone: 5,000 Martian days on the Red Planet. While stopped at a sandy ridge nicknamed “Chocolatal,” Curiosity used its navigation cameras to photograph the surrounding landscape at two different times of day. The…
The ocean is filled with sound, and for sharks, those sounds can reveal what is happening well beyond their field of view. Noise produced by prey, predators, and other animals may provide important information about the surrounding environment. Yet scientists have had little direct evidence showing just how far a…
Creatine is widely known for helping support muscle growth and athletic performance, but researchers are increasingly examining whether its benefits extend well beyond the gym. New findings from Texas A&M University suggest creatine may be particularly useful in middle age, when preserving muscle becomes increasingly important. In a 12-week study…
Millions of Americans live with vision problems ranging from mild blurriness to severe vision loss. Glasses and contact lenses can correct many common problems, but some people turn to surgery for a more permanent solution. Hundreds of thousands of Americans undergo corrective eye procedures each year, including LASIK, which uses…
A smile or a frown may reveal more than emotion alone. The faces that capture a child’s attention could provide important clues about their mental health and how depression develops. New research from Binghamton University, State University of New York, suggests that depression may influence how strongly children focus on…
Quantum entanglement captures one of the strangest differences between everyday physics and the quantum world. In an entangled system, particles such as photons become linked so deeply that their properties cannot be fully described independently. Instead, the system must be treated as a whole. That idea clashes with the classical…
A remarkably preserved fossil from China is giving scientists an unusually detailed look inside a marine reptile that lived about 245 million years ago. Researchers from China, Europe, and the USA, including Dr. Stephan Spiekman, a paleontologist at the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart and the University of Hohenheim,…
People with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, alcohol addiction, and psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia may show signs of accelerated brain aging, according to a study published in the open access journal PLOS Medicine. The research, led by Shile Qi of the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China, found that…
New research suggests that keeping blood sugar extremely steady may come with an unexpected tradeoff for some people with diabetes. The findings, which will be presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept. 28 – Oct. 2), indicate that…
Coffee may affect far more than alertness. New research suggests that both regular and decaffeinated coffee can alter the gut microbiome and may influence mood, stress, memory, and attention through the gut brain connection. Scientists at APC Microbiome Ireland, a research center at University College Cork, investigated in detail how…
Constipation is a familiar problem for astronauts, but scientists have not fully understood why spending time in space can disrupt normal digestion. New research from the University of Copenhagen, conducted in collaboration with NASA, offers a possible explanation. Scientists analyzed blood samples from 52 astronauts who spent months aboard the…