Reporting world updates to you
Researchers at the University of Southampton have found new evidence that Earth’s climate did not completely grind to a halt during its most extreme ice age, a time often called Snowball Earth. This dramatic chapter unfolded during the Cryogenian Period, between 720 and 635 million years ago. Scientists have long…
Spending less time in front of the television and more time on other activities could help prevent major depressive disorder, especially during middle age. That is the conclusion of a new study published in European Psychiatry on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association by Cambridge University Press. Researchers found that…
More than 50 skuas died in Antarctica during the summers of 2023 and 2024 after becoming infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1. Researchers say this marks the first confirmed wildlife die off from the virus on the continent. The findings come from a study led by Erasmus…
A new investigation led by the Center for Astrobiology (CAB), CSIC-INTA, using modeling tools developed at the University of Oxford, has uncovered an extraordinary concentration of small organic molecules deep inside the heavily concealed core of a nearby galaxy. The discovery was made possible by observations from the James Webb…
Researchers at the University of Nottingham report that combining specific dietary supplements may provide stronger immune and metabolic support than taking prebiotics or omega 3 alone. Their findings suggest this paired approach could help lower the risk of diseases associated with long term inflammation. The study, published in the Journal…
Older adults who took part in a short program designed to sharpen how quickly they process visual information were less likely to develop dementia years later. The training, known as speed of processing training, teaches people to rapidly spot visual details on a computer screen and manage increasingly complex tasks…
A randomized controlled trial funded by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation found that time-restricted feeding, a type of intermittent fasting, significantly lowered disease activity and systemic inflammation in adults with Crohn’s disease who also had overweight or obesity. Led by researchers at the University of Calgary, the study is the…
Three recently released Cochrane reviews conclude that GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic, can lead to meaningful weight loss. However, the findings also highlight concerns about the heavy involvement of drug manufacturers in many of the studies. The World Health Organization (WHO) commissioned the reviews to help shape upcoming global guidelines…
How did life begin? A team of scientists from Japan, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and Germany believes the answer may involve sticky gels that coated surfaces on early Earth long before the first true cells appeared. Their work, published in ChemSystemsChem, offers a fresh way to think about the origin…
For countless ages, a small chunk of ice and dust traveled alone through interstellar space, like a sealed bottle drifting across a vast cosmic sea. This summer, that traveler entered our solar system and received the name 3I/ATLAS, becoming only the third confirmed interstellar comet ever observed. When researchers at…
A sweeping new study led by a researcher at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa reveals that almost every forest bird species in Hawaiʻi can transmit avian malaria. That widespread ability to spread infection helps explain why the disease shows up nearly everywhere mosquitoes live across the islands. The findings,…
Gas giants are enormous planets made primarily of hydrogen and helium. They may contain dense central cores, but unlike Earth, they do not have solid surfaces you could stand on. In our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn are classic examples. Beyond our neighborhood, astronomers have identified many gas giant exoplanets,…
While there is currently no cure for Parkinson’s disease or Lewy body dementia, addressing depression early could improve quality of life and overall care for patients as these diseases develop. study published in General Psychiatry provides the most detailed longitudinal evidence to date, demonstrating that depression frequently precedes the diagnosis of…
New research from Griffith University suggests that keeping a bedroom at 24°C (75°F) overnight can lower stress responses during sleep in older adults. The findings point to bedroom temperature as an important and often overlooked factor in nighttime recovery. The study was led by Dr. Fergus O’Connor from Griffith’s School…
A new study from researchers at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and the University of Naples Federico II has uncovered an unexpected truth about cat communication. A domestic cat’s purr reveals much more about its individual identity than its meow. Meows change widely depending on context, while purring stays consistent…
A new study from researchers at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and the University of Naples Federico II has uncovered an unexpected truth about cat communication. A domestic cat’s purr reveals much more about its individual identity than its meow. Meows change widely depending on context, while purring stays consistent…
Life began in the sea. Around 475 million years ago, plants started spreading from water onto dry ground. Roughly 100 million years later, vertebrate animals followed. Yet even after animals established themselves on land, they remained meat eaters for tens of millions of years, feeding on other animals rather than…
Human blood vessels are anything but simple. They bend, branch, narrow, and widen, creating complex pathways that affect how blood moves through the body. For a long time, however, laboratory models treated blood vessels as straight, uniform tubes. While useful, those simplified designs failed to reflect the conditions where many…
The COVID-19 pandemic made one thing unmistakably clear: people can experience the same infection in dramatically different ways. Some develop mild symptoms, while others face severe illness. This wide range of outcomes raises a fundamental question. Why do two people exposed to the same pathogen respond so differently? A major…
In a set of playful experiments modeled after children’s tea parties, researchers at Johns Hopkins University have shown for the first time that apes can use imagination and take part in pretend play. This ability was long believed to belong only to humans. Across three carefully designed experiments, a single…
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are heavily altered industrial products that contain added fats, sugars, starches, salts, and chemical additives such as emulsifiers. Common examples include sodas, packaged snacks, and processed meats. During manufacturing, many natural nutrients are removed, leaving foods that are very different from their original form. These products often…
Understanding how tumors grow and spread remains one of the biggest challenges in cancer research. Scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), working with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, have identified a surprising factor that may help explain why some cancers progress more aggressively. Their research shows that neutrophils,…
New research from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory provides the strongest evidence so far that a prolonged drought reshaped life on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) starting around the year 1550. To uncover this history, scientists extracted sediment cores from two of the island’s limited freshwater sites: Rano Aroi, a wetland high…
Human evolution is closely tied to a steady increase in brain size. New research suggests this expansion may be partly influenced by levels of estrogen before birth, with an unexpected indicator found in the length of our fingers. Professor John Manning, part of Swansea’s Applied Sports, Technology, Exercise and Med-icine…
Autism has traditionally been regarded as a condition that mainly affects males. A large study from Sweden published by The BMJ now suggests that autism may occur at similar rates in males and females. The researchers observed a clear pattern in which females begin to close the gap during adolescence.…
Methane concentrations in the atmosphere climbed at an unprecedented pace in the early 2020s due to a combination of weaker natural removal and rising emissions from warming wetlands, rivers, lakes, and agricultural areas. An international group of researchers reports these findings in the journal Science, pointing to changes in both…
Every organism alive today traces its lineage back to a single shared ancestor that lived about four billion years ago. Scientists refer to this organism as the “last universal common ancestor,” and it represents the earliest form of life that can currently be examined using established evolutionary methods. Research on…
A recent study suggests that older Americans who do not get enough lycopene in their diets face a much higher risk of developing severe periodontitis. The analysis focused on U.S. adults ages 65 to 79 and found that risk levels varied by both race and sex. The findings were published…
One of the most striking findings in spintronics is unusual magnetoresistance (UMR). In this effect, the electrical resistance of a heavy metal changes when it is placed next to a magnetic insulator and the direction of magnetization rotates within a plane perpendicular to the flow of electric current. This behavior…
The most extensive evaluation of ADHD treatments ever conducted shows that medication remains the most reliable option for both children and adults. For adults, cognitive behavioural therapy is also strongly supported. These approaches are backed by the highest-quality evidence from short-term clinical trials. The research team, led by scientists from…
