Reporting world updates to you
Scientists have produced the clearest view ever of part of the cosmic web, the enormous hidden network of matter that stretches across the Universe and connects galaxies together. After spending hundreds of hours collecting observations, an international team captured a detailed image of a massive cosmic filament linking two actively…
People with anxiety disorders may share a measurable change in brain chemistry involving choline, an essential nutrient tied to memory, mood, cell structure, and nerve signaling. Research from UC Davis Health found that people diagnosed with anxiety disorders had lower levels of choline in the brain than people without anxiety.…
Fossils from Ethiopia are reshaping one of the biggest stories in human history. Instead of a neat march from ape like ancestors to modern humans, evidence from the Ledi Geraru field site points to a much messier and more fascinating reality: several human relatives may have shared the same African…
Deep beneath the eastern Pacific Ocean, roughly 1,000 miles west of Ecuador, a seafloor fault has been producing magnitude 6 earthquakes with striking regularity for at least 30 years. The quakes occur about every five to six years, repeatedly rupturing nearly the same sections of the fault and reaching nearly…
Researchers at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine have uncovered new evidence that tiny particles created in the gut may contribute to inflammation and chronic diseases linked to aging. The findings provide fresh insight into the connection between gut health, metabolism, immune function, and even sleep-related biological…
For years, I noticed the same trend while working as a public health dentist and researcher. Patients with serious infections deep inside their teeth often seemed to struggle with broader health issues, especially diabetes. At the time, the connection was unclear. Now, growing scientific evidence is beginning to explain it.…
As summer approaches, many people try to get back into healthier exercise habits. Most of us already know physical activity is important, but sticking with a routine can still feel challenging, especially when time is limited. Current health recommendations suggest exercising for at least 2.5 hours each week, with 5…
Researchers have identified a gigantic new species of long necked dinosaur in Thailand that is now considered the largest dinosaur ever discovered in Southeast Asia. The finding comes from a collaboration led by scientists from University College London (UCL), Mahasarakham University, Suranaree University of Technology, and Thailand’s Sirindhorn Museum. The…
As cannabis use grows among older Americans, Stanford Medicine experts are warning that today’s marijuana products are far more powerful than many people realize, and they may come with significant health risks. Eloise Theisen never expected to become a specialist in medical cannabis. Now a geriatric nurse practitioner focused on…
Vitamin B2 is essential for human health, but new research suggests it may also help cancer cells stay alive. Also known as riboflavin, vitamin B2 cannot be produced by the body and must come from food sources such as dairy products, eggs, meat, and green vegetables. Once absorbed, the vitamin…
Scientists have uncovered new evidence that serotonin, a brain chemical best known for helping regulate mood, may also worsen tinnitus, the persistent ringing or buzzing sound that affects millions of people worldwide. The research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Tinnitus can range from mildly…
More than 20,000 patients from three major National Institutes of Health (NIH) studies were included in a new analysis showing that elevated Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is tied to ongoing cardiovascular risk, even in people receiving standard treatment. The findings suggest patients with high Lp(a) levels may need more aggressive management of…
NASA is developing a powerful new computer chip designed to dramatically increase the intelligence and performance of future spacecraft. Through a commercial partnership, the project is creating advanced processing technology capable of helping spacecraft operate more independently during missions far from Earth. NASA’s High Performance Spaceflight Computing project is focused…
ESA’s Mars Express mission is spotlighting Shalbatana Vallis this month, an enormous Martian valley marked by evidence of ancient water, volcanic activity, impact craters, and collapsed terrain. Located near the equator of Mars, Shalbatana Vallis stretches across the planet for roughly 1,300 kilometers, about the length of Italy. The latest…
Astronomers have long believed the Milky Way is filled with neutron stars, the ultra dense remnants left behind when massive stars explode. The problem is that most of these objects are nearly impossible to see. A new study published in Astronomy and Astrophysics suggests NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space…
One of the biggest challenges in aging and disease research is tracking down senescent cells. These cells — often called “zombie cells” — stop dividing but refuse to die off normally. Over time, they can build up in the body and have been linked to conditions including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease,…
A massive Swedish study that tracked people for nearly five decades has uncovered a striking reality about aging and physical performance. Researchers found that fitness, strength, and muscle endurance begin declining around age 35. But the findings also deliver an encouraging message: becoming active later in life can still significantly…
As solar panels lose their ability to generate electricity after sunset, one major challenge remains for renewable energy: how to store solar power for use later, whether during cloudy weather or overnight. Researchers at UC Santa Barbara believe they may have found an answer that avoids the need for massive…
Colorectal cancer rates are falling among older adults, largely because of increased screening. But researchers are seeing a troubling shift in younger people, with more cases now appearing in adults under 50, including some in their thirties. A new nationwide study from Switzerland found that diagnoses in this age group…
A large clinical trial suggests that taking a daily multivitamin could help slow biological aging in older adults, especially in people whose bodies were aging faster than expected at the start of the study. Researchers from Mass General Brigham analyzed data from older adults who participated in a randomized clinical…
For more than 100 years, scientists have been trying to understand cosmic rays, incredibly powerful particles that travel across the universe at extreme energies. Despite decades of research, many questions about where they come from and how they are accelerated remain unanswered. Now, researchers working with the DAMPE (Dark Matter…
In March 2022, thousands of earthquakes rattled São Jorge Island in Portugal’s Azores archipelago after a huge body of magma (molten rock) surged upward from deep underground, according to a new study led by researchers at UCL (University College London). The magma traveled from more than 20 kilometers beneath Earth’s…
For decades, scientists believed dinosaur fossils were little more than mineralized rock, with any original biological material long since destroyed by time. But an extraordinary study centered on a remarkably preserved Edmontosaurus fossil is challenging that assumption in a major way. Researchers led by the University of Liverpool uncovered strong…
Scientists have uncovered a remarkable variety of marine life hidden deep beneath the waters off Western Australia’s Nyinggulu (Ningaloo) coast, including evidence of giant squid and several species that may be unknown to science. The discovery comes from a Curtin University-led study that explored the Cape Range and Cloates submarine…
People often spot familiar shapes in random places. Maybe you have looked at the clouds and imagined a sailboat, a seahorse, or even your great-aunt Rosemary staring back at you. Scientists call this tendency to find meaningful patterns in randomness “apophenia.” But in some cases, those patterns are very real.…
As the Earth’s surface and lower atmosphere continue to warm, another part of the planet’s atmosphere is doing the opposite. Far above the ground, the upper atmosphere has been cooling significantly for decades. Scientists have long recognized this unusual contrast as one of the clearest signals of human driven climate…
Powerful solar activity can create stunning auroras on Earth, but outside the protection of our planet’s magnetic field, the Sun can become extremely dangerous. Violent eruptions such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections can blast high energy particles through space, creating serious risks for astronauts and spacecraft. Some of…
For decades, scientists believed the Japanese population largely descended from two ancient groups: the Jomon hunter-gatherers who lived in the archipelago for thousands of years, and later migrants from East Asia who brought rice farming and new technologies to Japan. But a major genetic analysis from researchers at RIKEN’s Center…
Scientists have uncovered new evidence that Earth is traveling through a cloud of ancient stellar debris left behind by a long ago exploding star. By studying Antarctic ice that formed tens of thousands of years ago, researchers detected traces of iron-60, a rare radioactive form of iron created during supernova…
Every night around the world, thousands of automated sky cameras watch for flashes of light streaking across the atmosphere. I am one of the scientists who studies these meteors and what they can reveal about our solar system. Popular movies and breaking news alerts usually focus on giant asteroids that…
