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Researchers at APC Microbiome Ireland, a leading research center at University College Cork, have taken a major step toward understanding how coffee benefits the body. For the first time, scientists have closely examined how coffee interacts with the gut-brain axis, the communication network that links the digestive system and the…
A growing body of research suggests that modern humans did not originate from a single location, but instead emerged through interactions among groups spread across different regions of Africa. Traditionally, scientists have explained where these populations lived based mainly on climate. New findings now point to another powerful influence: disease,…
Infrasound refers to extremely low-frequency sound waves, below 20 Hertz (Hz), which are generally beyond the range of human hearing. These vibrations can arise from natural events such as storms, as well as human-made sources like traffic and industrial equipment. In the animal world, some species rely on infrasound to…
Quantum mechanics is famous for its strange and often counterintuitive ideas. At very small scales, particles do not behave like everyday objects. Instead, they can exist in multiple states at once, a concept known as superposition. Physicists describe this behavior using a mathematical object called a wavefunction. Yet this picture…
The hippocampus plays a central role in how we form memories and navigate space. It helps convert short-term experiences into long-term memories, allowing us to store and build on what we learn. Scientists led by Magdalena Walz Professor for Life Sciences Peter Jonas at the Institute of Science and Technology…
In a new study, SFI Professor David Wolpert, SFI Fractal Faculty member Carlo Rovelli, and physicist Jordan Scharnhorst take a fresh look at a famous and unsettling idea in physics and cosmology known as the “Boltzmann brain” hypothesis. This concept suggests that our memories, perceptions, and observations might not reflect…
Have you ever felt your smartphone heat up after heavy use or watched the battery drop at the worst possible moment? A big reason is the electronic circuits and memory inside the device, which consume energy and release heat as they operate. At the most basic level, computer memory stores…
Astronomers at the University of Warwick have confirmed more than 100 exoplanets, including 31 newly identified worlds, using a new artificial intelligence system. The team applied this tool to data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a mission that scans the sky for slight dips in starlight that occur…
Scientists have discovered a tropical insect that can shift its color from bright hot pink to green in about two weeks. Researchers believe this dramatic transformation helps it resemble the young leaves of rainforest plants, which often start out pink before turning green. The discovery, reported this week in the…
Scientists have uncovered new clues about how crabs developed their distinctive sideways movement. A new study, released as a Reviewed Preprint in eLife, brings together the largest dataset yet on how crabs move. By comparing many species, the researchers traced this unusual walking style back to a shared ancestor that…
A mechanical artwork first imagined in 1775 to recreate the eruption of Italy’s Mount Vesuvius has been brought to life for the first time, 250 years after it was conceived. The revival was made possible through modern technology and the creativity of two engineering students at the University of Melbourne.…
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have uncovered a built in process that can remove existing amyloid plaques from the brains of mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease while also helping preserve memory and thinking ability. The discovery centers on astrocytes, star shaped support cells in the brain, which can be…
Two major fault systems along North America’s West Coast, the Cascadia subduction zone and the San Andreas fault, may be more closely connected than previously believed. A new study suggests that activity on one fault could trigger earthquakes on the other, raising the possibility of closely timed seismic events. “We’re…
A team of environmental and public health scientists is raising concerns about a largely overlooked group of microscopic organisms that may pose a growing danger worldwide: free living amoebae. In a recent perspective article published in Biocontaminant, researchers explain that these tiny life forms are becoming an emerging global health…
Astronomers have finally identified the source of unusual X-rays coming from the bright star gamma-Cas. The culprit is an unseen companion star that is pulling in material from its larger neighbor. This discovery brings an end to a mystery that has puzzled scientists for more than fifty years. New high-resolution…
When intense laser flashes strike matter, they can knock electrons out of their positions around atomic nuclei. This process creates plasma, an extremely hot state made up of charged particles known as ions and electrons. Researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have now captured this ionization process with unprecedented detail, as…
Scientists have discovered that the brain is more physically linked to the body than previously understood. In findings published April 27 in Nature Neuroscience, researchers used experiments in mice along with computer simulations to uncover a possible reason why physical activity supports brain health. The study shows that when abdominal…
If you believe getting stronger requires pushing yourself to the limit at the gym, new research suggests otherwise. Findings from Edith Cowan University (ECU) show that improving muscle size, strength, and performance does not depend on exhausting workouts or feeling sore afterward. “The idea that exercise must be exhausting or…
In a dry riverbed deep within a forest near the Amazon in Brazil, paleontologists uncovered a fossilized jawbone from a previously unknown ancient animal. As their excavation continued, the team found eight more similar jawbones, each about six inches long. However, they did not recover any additional bones that could…
Researchers from several South American institutions have identified a new species of crevice weaver spider, expanding what scientists know about the Pikelinia genus. The species, named Pikelinia floydmuraria, pays tribute to the legendary band Pink Floyd while also reflecting where the spider lives. The name “muraria,” derived from the Latin…
Researchers at the University of Oxford have demonstrated a new kind of quantum interaction using a single trapped ion. By carefully generating and controlling increasingly complex forms of “squeezing” — including a fourth-order effect called quadsqueezing — they have made quantum behaviors accessible that had previously been out of reach.…
A team of scientists at King’s College London has identified a new form of aluminum, one of the most abundant metals on Earth, that could offer a far less expensive and more sustainable alternative to widely used rare earth metals. Led by Dr. Clare Bakewell, a Senior Lecturer in the…
High levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream can lead to hypercholesterolemia, a condition that damages arteries and raises the risk of heart disease. Now, researchers from the University of Barcelona and the University of Oregon have developed a promising new approach to control cholesterol levels, offering a potential new way…
Kidney stones are known for causing severe, often debilitating pain. They can disrupt daily life and frequently send people to the emergency room. In the United States, about 1 in 11 people will develop kidney stones, and nearly half of them will experience another episode later on. A large new…
Chronic stress is widely known to throw digestion off balance, leading to symptoms like diarrhea or constipation. New findings set to be presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2026 suggest that eating late at night may make these problems worse, with potential effects on both digestive function and the gut…
Scientists at Stellenbosch University (SU) have uncovered the first evidence of a rare group of phenolic compounds known as flavoalkaloids in Cannabis leaves, adding a surprising new dimension to the plant’s chemistry. Phenolic compounds, particularly flavonoids, are already highly valued in medicine for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic effects. This…
Fat cells, known as adipocytes, are not just passive storage units for excess weight. They play an active role in managing how the body uses and stores energy. Inside these cells, fat is packed into structures called lipid droplets, which act as fuel reserves the body can draw on when…
Researchers at the University of Melbourne have, for the first time, explained how Australia’s famous Twelve Apostles were created. Their findings show that movements of tectonic plates over millions of years gradually lifted and tilted these massive rock formations out of the ocean. Until now, scientists had only a limited…
A major new study drawing on decades of ocean data has found clear evidence that heat from the deep ocean is shifting toward Antarctica. This change poses a growing threat to the continent’s delicate ice shelves, which line its coast and help stabilize the ice sheet. Researchers led by the…
Alzheimer’s disease is often described in numbers, with millions of people affected, cases rising quickly, and costs reaching into the trillions. For families, however, the experience is deeply personal. “It’s a slow bereavement,” says Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Professor Nicholas Tonks, whose mother lived with Alzheimer’s. “You lose the person…
