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Massive stars produce light and heat through nuclear fusion, a process that releases enormous amounts of energy from their cores. Eventually, however, the largest stars run out of fuel. Once that happens, the outward pressure generated by radiation is no longer strong enough to resist gravity. The star begins collapsing…
For hundreds of millions of years before dinosaurs appeared and long before vertebrates ventured onto land, millipedes were already thriving on Earth’s surface. These humble decomposers played a key role in some of the planet’s earliest terrestrial ecosystems. Yet despite their remarkable history, major questions about their evolution remained unanswered.…
Giving up sugar entirely may not be as beneficial as many people assume. New research presented Saturday at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, suggests that completely removing sugar from the diet could have unintended effects on gut and metabolic health. Researchers from the Dasman Diabetes Institute…
People with obesity who lost weight while taking popular medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound became significantly less physically active, according to research presented Saturday at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois. The finding may come as a surprise because many people assume that…
Parrots are famous for their ability to imitate human speech, but could they also be using names the way people do? A new study suggests the answer may be yes. Instead of traveling to tropical habitats to record wild parrots, as researchers have done in previous studies, Lauryn Benedict, a…
One of the most widely cited stories about Yellowstone’s wolves is facing fresh scrutiny. A new peer reviewed analysis published in Global Ecology and Conservation argues that a high profile 2025 study significantly overstated the ecological impact of wolf recovery in Yellowstone National Park. Researchers from Utah State University and…
For many Americans, middle age is becoming more challenging than it was for previous generations. People born in the 1960s and early 1970s report higher levels of loneliness and depression, along with poorer memory and reduced physical strength compared with those who came before them. What makes this trend especially…
A major new study led by Yale University is helping fill a longstanding gap in genetics research by providing one of the most comprehensive examinations yet of human genetic diversity in Oceania. Although the South Pacific is home to extraordinarily diverse populations, people from this region have historically been underrepresented…
A new three-year study from researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for BrainHealth (CBH) suggests that getting older does not automatically mean losing mental sharpness. Instead, the findings indicate that brain health and cognitive abilities can continue to improve throughout life. The research, published in Scientific Reports,…
More than 3 million years ago, the famous early human ancestor Lucy and her relatives shared the landscape of East Africa with a formidable predator. Hidden in rivers and lakes, a massive crocodile with a distinctive hump on its snout likely posed one of the greatest dangers to these ancient…
Astronomers have long suspected that a planet’s mass and its rotation speed are linked. In our own Solar System, Jupiter and Saturn provide striking examples. Despite their enormous size, both complete a full rotation in about 10 hours and account for a large share of the Solar System’s total rotational…
Living longer often comes with changes in cognitive abilities, and working memory is among the mental skills most vulnerable to age related decline. Researchers have long believed that both physical exercise and mentally stimulating activities can help support brain health as people grow older. Two brain regions that commonly shrink…
Kenneth Barish, Ph.D., Clinical Professor of Psychology at Weill Cornell Medicine, says the decline of extended family involvement has helped fuel what the U.S. Surgeon General has described as a continuing crisis in child and adolescent mental health. “We did not evolve to raise children with as little extended family…
Even with today’s advanced DNA sequencing technologies, the underlying genetic causes of many rare movement disorders remain unknown. Researchers in Germany have now uncovered an important new clue. By analyzing 2,811 people with ataxia, hereditary spastic paraplegia, and dystonia, scientists identified harmful variants in a gene called CD99L2 as the…
Astronomers say a recent challenge to one of the most important discoveries in modern cosmology has been resolved, with new research confirming that the universe is still expanding at an accelerating rate. The debate began in late 2025 when a group of astronomers published findings suggesting that evidence for dark…
Fentanyl has become one of the deadliest drugs in the United States. Each year, fentanyl and related synthetic opioids are responsible for more deaths than car crashes and gun violence combined. In high doses, these drugs disrupt normal brain function and can suppress the signals that control breathing, often leading…
Alaska’s glaciers are highly sensitive to rising temperatures. According to new research using satellite radar observations, every 1 degree Celsius increase in average summer temperatures extends glacier melting by roughly three weeks. A single degree Celsius equals 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. The study also demonstrates that synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can…
A team of researchers from the CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and the S N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences has developed a new type of highly precise filtration membrane. The study, published in…
People who follow a short-term low-calorie diet may experience lower levels of inflammation associated with gum disease, according to new research from King’s College London. The study suggests that lifestyle changes could play an important role alongside plaque removal and good oral hygiene in managing gum disease. Although fasting has…
As people grow older, their cells steadily pick up new genetic mutations. A study from Boston Children’s Hospital, published in Cell, has uncovered an unexpected twist in that process. Researchers found that microglia, the immune cells that reside in the brain, accumulate mutations in specific cancer-driving genes. Rather than causing…
A treatment that targets a protein linked to aging has restored lost knee cartilage in older mice and prevented arthritis from developing after serious joint injuries, according to a Stanford Medicine-led study. Researchers also found encouraging results in human tissue. Samples collected during knee replacement surgeries began producing new, functional…
The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) has achieved its first major scientific milestone. On June 10, Nature published the experiment’s debut physics result as a cover article. Using 59 days of validated data collected between August 26 and November 2, 2025, the international JUNO Collaboration, led by the Institute of…
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have unveiled a significant advance in cryogenic electronics that could help overcome key challenges in quantum computing and support future deep space missions. The team, from HKU’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Centre for Advanced Semiconductors and Integrated Circuits…
Field notebooks recently recovered from a late paleontologist have provided the crucial missing details researchers needed to complete a study of a remarkable fossil fish discovered nearly three decades ago. The story began in 1999 when Dr. Richard Köhler uncovered the fossil during a research expedition to Pitt Island in…
For centuries, a shimmering golden fabric known as sea silk was one of the world’s most exclusive luxury materials, reserved for emperors, popes, and other powerful figures. Now, researchers in South Korea have successfully recreated this legendary fiber and uncovered the secret behind its remarkable color. A team led by…
A team of theoretical physicists at RIKEN has proposed a new way to achieve one-way quantum synchronization of phonons, the particles associated with sound. The approach stands out because it remains highly effective even in the face of real-world challenges such as manufacturing imperfections and environmental noise. Many modern technologies…
A newly published study from University of Iowa Health Care suggests that a surprisingly small portion of human DNA plays a major role in language ability. Researchers also found that these influential genetic sequences emerged before modern humans and Neanderthals split from a common ancestor, pushing the origins of language-related…
A long-running study suggests that 90 to 120 minutes of strength (resistance) training each week may be the ideal range for reducing the risk of death. The research, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, followed participants for up to 30 years. The benefits were even greater when…
Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have created a new artificial photosynthesis system that can generate solar fuel more consistently while eliminating the need for battery based control equipment. The advance comes from integrating a self regulating chemical component directly into the electrolyzer, reducing both system complexity and cost. Like natural…
A dangerous tapeworm that has been spreading across North America has now been detected in the Pacific Northwest, according to new research. Scientists found the parasite, known as Echinococcus multilocularis, in local coyotes, marking the first time it has been identified in a wild host along the contiguous U.S. West…
