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Materials can behave in surprising ways when they are thinned down layer by layer until they are only a single atom thick. In a new study published in Nature Materials, physicists led by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin observed a sequence of unusual magnetic states in an…
In 2009, investigators uncovered a disturbing scandal at a cemetery outside Chicago. Employees at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, were accused of digging up older graves, relocating the remains to other areas within the cemetery, and then selling the newly emptied burial plots again. When the case finally went…
Researchers at Texas Children’s Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) and Baylor College of Medicine have reported a promising experimental strategy that could eventually help treat Rett syndrome. Their findings, published in Science Translational Medicine, describe a potential way to increase levels of a key brain protein that is disrupted in…
A new study by researchers from the University of Surrey, the University of South Carolina, and Central Queensland University suggests that much of what we do each day is guided by habit rather than deliberate decision making. The research, published in Psychology & Health, found that about two thirds of…
A new genomic study of koala populations in Australia suggests that rapid population growth may help restore genetic variation that was lost during past declines. Researchers found that when populations recover quickly, the increase in numbers can encourage recombination, a process that rearranges DNA into new combinations. This genetic mixing…
Researchers at Yokohama National University in Japan have identified a previously unknown species of marine fungus capable of killing harmful algae that form toxic blooms. The organism, named Algophthora mediterranea, is a microscopic chytrid fungus that can infect a wide variety of hosts. Chytrids are a diverse group of aquatic…
Scientists have identified two non intoxicating compounds from cannabis that may help reduce liver fat while improving metabolic health. The compounds, CBD and CBG, appear to support the liver in two important ways. They increase the organ’s ability to store backup energy and restore the activity of cellular systems that…
Relapsing into cocaine use is not simply a matter of weak willpower. New research shows it can result from lasting biological changes in the brain. Scientists have found that cocaine use alters brain circuits in ways that can make the urge to return to the drug extremely difficult to resist.…
People whose livers do not function properly may be able to lower their chances of developing liver cancer, or slow the disease if it has already begun, by making a simple change to their diet: eating less protein. A study led by Rutgers researchers and published in Science Advances found…
Detailed three dimensional reconstructions of a key sensory structure in ctenophores reveal far greater structural and functional complexity than scientists previously recognized. The results suggest that a simple brain like system may have existed in some of the earliest animals, offering new insight into how nervous systems evolved. Ctenophores (commonly…
Nearly a century ago, astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered that almost all galaxies are receding from the Milky Way. This observation became a cornerstone of modern cosmology because it provided key evidence that the universe is expanding and that it began with the Big Bang. Even during Hubble’s era, however, astronomers…
Scientists have discovered that electrons can be propelled across solar materials at speeds close to the fastest nature allows, a result that challenges long accepted ideas about how solar energy systems operate. The finding could open new paths for designing technologies that capture sunlight more efficiently and convert it into…
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) driven liquid biopsy that analyzes genome wide patterns of cell free DNA (cfDNA) fragments circulating in the blood. The test examines how these DNA pieces break apart and where they appear across the genome. Using this…
Researchers from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and UC San Diego have identified new genetic mechanisms that influence how key immune cells decide their fate. These cells, known as CD8 “killer” T cells, can either develop into durable defenders that provide lasting protection or…
A new study from the University of St Andrews, published on February 27 in Current Biology, shows that the influence of age on male humpback whale reproduction has shifted as whale populations rebound after centuries of commercial whaling. Whaling once pushed many large whale species to the edge of extinction.…
Researchers at Cornell University have used high resolution 3D imaging to identify atomic scale defects inside computer chips for the first time. These tiny imperfections can interfere with chip performance, making them a major concern for modern electronics. The new imaging technique was developed through a collaboration with Taiwan Semiconductor…
Astronomers have unveiled a striking new view of the center of the Milky Way, exposing an intricate network of cosmic gas filaments in unprecedented detail. The image was produced using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and forms the largest ALMA dataset ever assembled. This massive map will help scientists…
As the brain develops, neurons grow long extensions known as axons. These structures connect different regions of the brain and transmit signals both within the brain and throughout the body. To establish these connections, axons must travel along very specific routes through brain tissue. Their journey depends on chemical signals…
Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), working with international collaborators, have discovered that ocean temperature patterns play a key role in limiting how widely droughts spread across the globe. Their findings, published in Communications Earth & Environment, are based on climate records spanning 1901-2020. The analysis shows…
For many years, paleontologists have studied annual growth rings preserved inside the fossilized leg bones of Tyrannosaurus rex. Much like the rings inside a tree trunk, these marks help scientists estimate how old the dinosaurs were when they died and how quickly they grew. Earlier research suggested that T. rex…
Scientists have found a way to study Charles Darwin’s original specimens from his famous HMS Beagle voyage (1831 to 1836) to the Galapagos Islands. Even more remarkable, they were able to examine the samples without opening the nearly 200-year-old jars that preserve them. Studying Darwin’s Historic Specimens The research focused…
“Current evaluations of the heat tolerance of insects such as moths, flies, and beetles paint a differentiated — and at the same time alarming — picture,” says study author Dr. Kim Holzmann, a researcher at the Chair of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU). The research suggests…
Researchers from several international institutions have uncovered new details about how the malaria parasite grows and spreads. Their work has identified a specialized protein that the parasite needs in order to survive and move between hosts, making it a promising target for future antimalarial drugs. The discovery focuses on a…
Electrical engineers at Duke University have created the fastest pyroelectric photodetector ever demonstrated, a device that detects light by sensing the tiny amount of heat it produces when absorbed. The ultrathin sensor can capture light across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. It operates at room temperature, requires no external power source,…
An experimental therapy for children with a severe and difficult to treat form of epilepsy appears to be both safe and highly effective at reducing seizures, according to results from an international clinical trial led by UCL (University College London) and Great Ormond Street Hospital. The findings suggest the treatment…
Medications designed to promote weight loss by mimicking GLP-1 may also help limit additional heart damage after a heart attack. A new study led by researchers at the University of Bristol and University College London (UCL) found that these drugs could reduce the risk of serious complications that occur in…
Taking aspirin every day is not a fast or dependable way to prevent bowel cancer for most people, according to a new Cochrane review. The analysis also highlights a clear downside. Regular aspirin use increases the risk of serious bleeding right away. Bowel cancer, also called colorectal cancer, ranks among…
Teeth can hold remarkable clues about how people lived thousands of years ago. A new study published in the open access journal PLOS One, led by Roberto Germano of Sapienza University of Rome and colleagues, shows how the teeth of Iron Age Italians preserve detailed evidence about their health, diet,…
Stiff knees, sore hips, and persistent joint pain are often brushed off as normal signs of aging. But osteoarthritis, the most common joint disease worldwide, is not being treated in line with what research actually shows. Experts say the biggest gap is not a lack of options, but a failure…
A team led by Ryo Shimano at the University of Tokyo has directly observed how electron spins flip inside an antiferromagnet, a material in which opposing spins cancel each other out. By capturing this process in action, the researchers identified two separate switching mechanisms. One of them outlines a practical…
