Reporting world updates to you
For the first time, researchers have uncovered direct genomic evidence of the bacterium behind the Plague of Justinian — the world’s first recorded pandemic — in the Eastern Mediterranean, where the outbreak was first described nearly 1,500 years ago. The landmark discovery, led by an interdisciplinary team at the University…
Warwick primatologists, in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute, have shown that young orangutans develop their nighttime nest building skills via observational social learning — by closely watching others and then practicing these complex constructions. Nest-building is an often-overlooked behavior in great apes, but for arboreal species, a well-built nest…
A team of international astronomers, including a University of Michigan doctoral student, were the first to publish the discovery of just the third known interstellar object to visit our solar system on July 3. Now, two of the researchers involved — Aster Taylor of the U-M Department of Astronomy and…
Small, colorless, and blind, amblyopsid cavefishes inhabit subterranean waters throughout the eastern United States. In a new study, Yale researchers reveal insights into just how these distinctive cave dwellers evolved — and provide a unique method for dating the underground ecosystems where they reside. In an analysis of the genomes…
A newly discovered, raccoon-sized armored monstersaurian from the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Southern Utah, United States, reveals a surprising diversity of large lizards at the pinnacle of the age of dinosaurs. Named for the goblin prince from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” the new species Bolg amondol also illuminates the…
A newly-discovered species of a large, crocodile-relative predator has been described via a remarkably well-preserved fossil from Argentina, according to a study published August 27, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Fernando Novas from Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia,” Argentina, and colleagues. The Chorrillo Formation formed…
Quantum networks are often described as the future of the internet — but instead of transmitting classical information in bits, they send quantum information carried by photons. These networks could enable ultra-secure communication, link together distant quantum computers into a single, vastly more powerful machine, and create precision sensing systems…
Researchers at Rice University and collaborating institutions have discovered direct evidence of active flat electronic bands in a kagome superconductor. This breakthrough could pave the way for new methods to design quantum materials — including superconductors, topological insulators and spin-based electronics — that could power future electronics and computing technologies.…
A plucked guitar string can vibrate for seconds before falling silent. A playground swing, emptied of its passenger, will gradually come to rest. These are what physicists call “damped harmonic oscillators” and are well understood in terms of Newton’s laws of motion. But in the tiny world of atoms, things…
What lies beneath Fickle Hill in northern California? Maybe the answer to an earthquake mystery that has puzzled seismologists for decades. The origin of the 1954 magnitude 6.5 earthquake that rattled residents around Humboldt Bay has been unclear, but a new study now suggests a surprising source: the Cascadia subduction…
From mushrooms that cast a soft green glow to plankton that glimmers sparkling blue, glowing plants are nothing new for nature. Now, scientists are bringing that light to houseplants. Reporting in the Cell Press journal Matter on August 27, researchers crafted glow-in-the-dark succulents that recharge in sunlight. Injected with light-emitting…
Those who adhered to a Mediterranean diet, reduced their caloric intakes, engaged in moderate exercise, and received professional weight loss support had a 31% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who adhered to a Mediterranean diet alone. The findings come from PREDIMED-Plus, the largest nutrition and…
Study shows for the first time that lithium plays an essential role in normal brain function and can confer resistance to brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists discovered that lithium is depleted in the brain by binding to toxic amyloid plaques — revealing a new way Alzheimer’s may begin. A…
For people with macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel), an orphan retinal disorder that gradually destroys central vision, there have long been no approved treatment options. But now, a new study sponsored by Neurotech Pharmaceuticals and spearheaded by investigators at Scripps Research and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) offers compelling…
Chemists at UCL have shown how two of biology’s most fundamental ingredients, RNA (ribonucleic acid) and amino acids, could have spontaneously joined together at the origin of life four billion years ago. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, the “workhorses” of life essential to nearly every living process.…
For decades, researchers around the world have searched for alternatives to iridium, an extremely rare, incredibly expensive metal used in the production of clean hydrogen fuels. Now, a powerful new tool has found one — within a single afternoon. Invented and developed at Northwestern University, that tool is called a…
New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, in partnership with the University of Bath, has found that the reasons why a person chooses to use cannabis can increase their risk of developing paranoia. The use and potency of cannabis is increasing worldwide,…
Researchers found dietary changes may help improve cognitive health and stave off dementia. A new study led by investigators from Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard suggests that a Mediterranean-style diet may help reduce dementia risk. The study,…
Clues about how worlds like Earth may have formed have been found buried at the heart of a spectacular ‘cosmic butterfly’. With the help of the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers say they have made a big leap forward in our understanding of how the raw material of rocky planets…
Whale sharks, the largest living fish species, are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Over the past 75 years, populations have declined by more than 50% worldwide, and by up to 63% in the Indo-Pacific region. Because whale sharks take up to 30 years to…
Ecologists have observed a species of nocturnal spider attracting prey to its web using the bioluminescent beacons of already trapped fireflies. This rare example of a predator exploiting its prey’s mating signal for its own gain is documented in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Animal Ecology. Researchers at Tunghai…
While conventional computers store information in the form of bits, fundamental pieces of logic that take a value of either 0 or 1, quantum computers are based on qubits. These can have a state that is simultaneously both 0 and 1. This odd property, a quirk of quantum physics known…
Plastics play a fundamental role in modern life, but their resistance to biodegradation makes them very difficult to dispose of. New research reveals how “plastivore” caterpillars can metabolically degrade plastics in a matter of days, not decades, and store them internally as body fat – but at what cost? In 2017,…
The United States could safely drop tetanus and diphtheria booster shots for adults and save an estimated $1 billion a year, according to a new review led by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University. The safety and savings depend on maintaining strong childhood vaccination rates, researchers emphasized. “By maintaining…
A deep sea worm that inhabits hydrothermal vents survives the high levels of toxic arsenic and sulfide in its environment by combining them in its cells to form a less hazardous mineral. Chaolun Li of the Institute of Oceanology, CAS, China, and colleagues report these findings in a new study…
Some 390 million years ago in the ancient ocean, marine animals began colonizing depths previously uninhabited. New research indicates this underwater migration occurred in response to a permanent increase in deep-ocean oxygen, driven by the aboveground spread of woody plants — precursors to Earth’s first forests. That rise in oxygen…
An internationally joint research group between Singapore and Japan has unveiled a blueprint for arranging exotic, knot-like patterns of light into repeatable crystals that extend across both space and time. The work lays out how to build and control “hopfion” lattices using structured beams at two different colors, pointing to…
Precise control of light focus is essential for applications ranging from microscopy and laser surgery to quantum optics and telecommunications. However, existing solutions often rely on large, complex external components that limit integration and speed. In a new study published in Light: Science & Applications, researchers led by Professor Markus…
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), often referred to as “hydrogen power banks,” are clean energy devices that generate electricity from hydrogen and oxygen with only water as a byproduct. Characterized by high efficiency, rapid start-up, and zero emissions, they hold great promise in transportation, portable electronics, and stationary power…
Sharks can famously replace their teeth, with new ones always growing as they’re using up the current set. As sharks rely on their teeth to catch prey, this is vital to the survival of one of the oceans’ top predators. But the ability to regrow teeth might not be enough…
