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Dense tropical rainforests were long considered some of the last places early humans could survive. For decades, researchers believed our ancestors mainly stuck to open grasslands and coastal regions, avoiding the thick forests of Africa until much later in history. Evidence from West Africa is now forcing scientists to rethink…
New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) may provide an important boost for efforts to save the world’s rarest marsupial. The Gilbert’s potoroo, a critically endangered species found only in Western Australia, has fewer than 150 animals left in the wild. Scientists from ECU and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation…
The famously tiny arms of Tyrannosaurus rex may have been the result of a major shift in how giant meat eating dinosaurs hunted, according to a new study led by researchers from UCL (University College London) and the University of Cambridge. The research, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society…
Women with low vitamin D levels may face a more painful recovery after breast cancer surgery and could require significantly more opioid medication afterward, according to research published online in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. The findings suggest that breast cancer patients with vitamin D deficiency (below 30…
Scientists have documented an extraordinary feat of whale migration for the first time, confirming that humpback whales traveled between breeding grounds in eastern Australia and Brazil across more than 14,000 kilometers of open ocean. The discovery marks the greatest confirmed distance ever recorded between sightings of individual humpback whales anywhere…
A drug designed to eliminate worn out, aging cells may help older skin recover from injury much faster, according to research published in Aging (Aging-US). The work, titled “Topical ABT-263 treatment reduces aged skin senescence and improves subsequent wound healing,” suggests that targeting “zombie cells” in the skin could one…
Seattle is best known for the earthquake danger posed by the massive Cascadia subduction zone offshore. But researchers say another threat lies much closer to the city itself. A new study published in GSA Bulletin examines a complicated system of faults running directly beneath Seattle and nearby communities, revealing that…
For decades, a puzzling discrepancy involving a tiny subatomic particle called the muon fueled speculation that physicists might be on the verge of discovering an entirely new force of nature. Now, an international research team led by a Penn State physicist says the mystery appears to have been solved, and…
As the U.S. population continues to age, scientists are searching for ways to help people stay healthier later in life. By 2050, nearly one in four Americans will be age 65 or older, and many are expected to live well into their 90s. While modern medicine has dramatically extended lifespan,…
New research presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026) suggests that greater weight loss while taking popular GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda, and Mounjaro may significantly reduce the risk of several obesity-related health problems. The findings also showed that people who gained weight after starting treatment…
A major new study is shedding light on everyday life in Central Europe during the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1300-800 BCE), a period known as the Urnfield culture that saw major social and cultural shifts, including the widespread practice of cremation. Published in Nature Communications, the research combines archaeology, ancient…
A Mediterranean diet is already famous for its heart and metabolic benefits. But a major Spanish clinical trial suggests it may work even better against type 2 diabetes when paired with three realistic upgrades: eating fewer calories, moving more, and getting professional support for weight loss. The PREDIMED-Plus trial found…
Antarctica’s Hektoria Glacier underwent an astonishing collapse between early 2022 and spring 2023, retreating at a pace rarely seen in modern observations. In just 15 months, the glacier lost roughly 25 kilometers (15 miles) in length. During one especially dramatic two month period, the glacier’s terminus pulled back by more…
Dark matter is believed to make up most of the matter in the universe, yet scientists still cannot observe it directly. Unlike ordinary matter, dark matter does not interact with light or electromagnetic forces, making gravity the only known way to detect its presence. Now, researchers think colliding black holes…
If you kept dividing an apple into smaller and smaller pieces, you would eventually reach molecules, then atoms, and later the tiny particles inside atoms such as protons, quarks, and gluons. But according to string theory, the journey does not stop there. At scales roughly a billion billion times smaller…
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope could head into space sooner than expected, with NASA now targeting a launch as early as September 2026. The updated timeline moves the mission ahead of the agency’s previous commitment to launch no later than May 2027. “Roman’s accelerated development is a true success…
Eighty years after the creation of ENIAC, the world’s first general-purpose electronic computer, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are exploring a new way to power the future of computing. Instead of relying entirely on electrons, which have formed the backbone of computers since the 1940s, scientists are now turning…
Every human cell is covered by a thin layer of sugars called the glycocalyx. This outer coating helps cells interact with their surroundings and may also provide important clues about what is happening inside the cell itself. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have…
Clinical trials have already shown that eating grapes can help improve the skin’s resistance to UV radiation in roughly 30% to 50% of people. Now, new research published in ACS Nutrition Science suggests the benefits of grapes for skin health may be much broader and could affect nearly everyone in…
Few concepts in physics are as familiar, or as puzzling, as time itself. Einstein’s theory of relativity showed that time is not fixed or universal. Instead, it changes depending on speed and gravity. When scientists combine relativity with quantum mechanics, however, the picture becomes even stranger. Quantum theory suggests that…
Scientists in South Korea say a probiotic bacterium found in kimchi may help the body get rid of nanoplastics by binding to the particles inside the intestine and helping remove them through waste. The World Institute of Kimchi (President: Hae Choon Chang), a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of…
A plant believed to have vanished decades ago has been rediscovered in remote northern Australia, thanks to a chance observation uploaded to the citizen science platform iNaturalist. Scientists say the remarkable find highlights how everyday people are becoming increasingly important to modern biodiversity research and conservation. The discovery began when…
One of the biggest mysteries in human evolution has long puzzled scientists: Why are humans so overwhelmingly right-handed? Around 90% of people across cultures prefer using their right hand, a level of dominance not seen in any other primate species. Researchers have spent decades studying the brain, genetics, and development…
Scientists have developed a surprising new way to power materials that normally cannot conduct electricity, opening the door to a new generation of ultra pure near infrared LEDs for medical imaging, communications technology, and advanced sensors. The breakthrough relies on tiny “molecular antennas” that funnel electrical energy into insulating nanoparticles.…
Renewable energy sources can cut harmful emissions, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and improve efficiency. However, many clean energy technologies remain expensive because they depend on costly materials such as platinum group metals (PGM) and require efficient ways to store energy for later use. Researchers at Washington University in St.…
The explosive growth of electric vehicles has intensified the search for ways to make electric motors more energy efficient. One major challenge is iron loss, also called magnetic hysteresis loss, which occurs when magnetic fields inside the motor repeatedly reverse direction. This process wastes energy as heat within the motor…
Correlated and entangled photon pairs are essential tools in quantum optics. Scientists usually create these photon pairs through a process called spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC), in which a powerful, highly stable laser shines into a nonlinear crystal. Because SPDC depends so heavily on coherent laser light, researchers have long considered…
For more than two centuries, scientists have tried to determine one of the most important numbers in physics: the universal gravitational constant, known as “big G.” It defines the strength of gravity throughout the universe, influencing everything from falling objects on Earth to the motion of galaxies. Yet despite its…
Coffee has been part of human culture for more than 600 years, and today it remains one of the world’s most popular drinks. People now consume nearly two kilograms of coffee per person each year on average, often with strong opinions about brewing methods, beans, and blends. Genetics can also…
A new study from Adelaide University suggests that the ancient Tethys Ocean played a major role in shaping Central Asia’s landscape during the Cretaceous period, long before the rise of the Himalayas. The research team reached this conclusion through a large-scale data analysis that combined hundreds of thermal history models…
