Reporting world updates to you
Deep-sea mining in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean could harm ocean life including whales and dolphins, new research shows. The Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the Eastern Pacific is a vast area of deep ocean and seamounts. A Canadian firm – The Metals Company – is planning to…
Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that severely impacts quality of life, often leading to reliance on opioid medications with their severe side effects and addiction risks. According to the U.S. Pain Foundation, 51.6 million Americans live with chronic pain. For over 17 million sufferers, their chronic pain is high-impact…
New research has cast doubts over suggestions an incestuous social elite ruled over the ancient people of Ireland more than 5,000 years ago. Researchers examined the evidence from burials of individuals at the Newgrange prehistoric monument in Ireland — a large circular mound containing a chamber where cremated and unburnt…
Mass General Brigham researchers have developed a new AI tool in collaboration with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to probe through previously collected CT scans and identify individuals with high coronary artery calcium (CAC) levels that place them at a greater risk for cardiovascular events. Their research,…
Coastal planners take heed: Newly uncovered evidence from fossil corals found on an island chain in the Indian Ocean suggests that sea levels could rise even more steeply in our warming world than previously thought. “This is not good news for us as we head into the future,” says Andrea…
A single pellet of recycled plastic can contain over 80 different chemicals. A new study with researchers from University of Gothenburg and Leipzig shows that recycled polyethylene plastic can leach chemicals into water causing impacts in the hormone systems and lipid metabolism of zebrafish larvae. The plastic pollution crisis has…
The chemical reaction to produce hydrogen from water is several times more effective when using a combination of new materials in three layers, according to researchers at Linköping University in Sweden. Hydrogen produced from water is a promising renewable energy source – especially if the hydrogen is produced using sunlight.…
As artificial intelligence reshapes workplaces worldwide, a new study provides early evidence suggesting AI exposure has not, thus far, caused widespread harm to workers’ mental health or job satisfaction. In fact, the data reveals that AI may even be linked to modest improvements in worker physical health, particularly among employees…
Penn-led researchers have turned a deadly fungus into a potent cancer-fighting compound. After isolating a new class of molecules from Aspergillus flavus, a toxic crop fungus linked to deaths in the excavations of ancient tombs, the researchers modified the chemicals and tested them against leukemia cells. The result? A promising…
Randomness is incredibly useful. People often draw straws, throw dice or flip coins to make fair choices. Random numbers can enable auditors to make completely unbiased selections. Randomness is also key in security; if a password or code is an unguessable string of numbers, it’s harder to crack. Many of…
How do you intuitively know that you can walk on a footpath and swim in a lake? Researchers from the University of Amsterdam have discovered unique brain activations that reflect how we can move our bodies through an environment. The study not only sheds new light on how the human…
Insulin resistance detected by routine triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index can flag people with early Alzheimer’s who are four times more likely to present rapid cognitive decline, according to new research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2025.1 Neurologists at the University of Brescia reviewed records for 315 non-diabetic…
Resistance to colistin, a potent antibiotic, is on the rise. In 2016, researchers discovered that colistin resistance could be transferred laterally among microbes. Researchers have isolated genes that confer colistin resistance from imported seafood purchased from markets in Atlanta, Ga. The findings suggest imported seafood could promote the spread of…
A team of researchers at Rice University have discovered a surprisingly simple method for vastly improving the stability of electrochemical devices that convert carbon dioxide into useful fuels and chemicals, and it involves nothing more than sending the CO2 through an acid bubbler. Their study, published in Science, addresses a…
Understanding how the universe transitioned from darkness to light with the formation of the first stars and galaxies is a key turning point in the universe’s development, known as the Cosmic Dawn. However, even with the most powerful telescopes, we can’t directly observe these earliest stars, so determining their properties…
Physicists Prof. Dr. Ingo Rehberg from the University of Bayreuth and Dr. Peter Blümler from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have developed and experimentally validated an innovative approach for generating homogeneous magnetic fields using permanent magnets. Their method outperforms the classical Halbach arrangement — which is optimal only for infinitely long…
Artificial intelligence is spreading into many aspects of life, from communications and advertising to grading tests. But with the growth of AI comes a shake-up in the workplace. New research from the University of Georgia is shedding light on how different countries are preparing for how AI will impact their…
Prevention and treatment campaigns are not adequately targeting the particular needs of the 50+ years age group. Indeed, between 2000 and 2016, the number of adults aged 50 years and older living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa doubled. At present, their HIV prevalence is exceeding that of younger adults. By…
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have created a new way of telling “aged” human cells apart from younger ones using electric fields. While key markers have been found for these “senescent” cells, current methods require biochemical “labels” which are difficult to apply and affect the cells themselves, making them difficult…
For decades, quantum computers that perform calculations millions of times faster than conventional computers have remained a tantalizing yet distant goal. However, a new breakthrough in quantum physics may have just sped up the timeline. In an article published in PRX Quantum, researchers from the Graduate School of Engineering Science and…
In a follow up investigation into the multibillion dollar drug ticagrelor, The BMJ has uncovered fresh concerns, this time in key platelet studies used in its FDA approval. For more than a decade, ticagrelor (Brilinta in the US and Brilique in Europe) has been recommended for patients with acute coronary…
A team of solar physicists has released a new study shedding light on the fine-scale structure of the Sun’s surface. Using the unparalleled power of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, built and operated by the NSF National Solar Observatory (NSO) on Maui, scientists have…
New research that used blood markers to measure linoleic acid levels and their relation to cardiometabolic risk adds evidence that this omega-6 fatty acid may help to lower risks for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The findings challenge claims that seed oils are harmful to cardiometabolic health. Linoleic acid,…
The idea seems futuristic: At ETH Zurich, various disciplines are working together to combine conventional materials with bacteria, algae and fungi. The common goal: to create living materials that acquire useful properties thanks to the metabolism of microorganisms — “such as the ability to bind CO2 from the air by…
Scientists at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology have discovered a key connection between high levels of iron in the brain and increased cell damage in people who have both Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. In the study, researchers found that the brains of people diagnosed with Down syndrome…
Plants and trees extend their roots into the earth in order to draw nutrients and water from the soil — however, these roots are thought to decline as they move deeper underground. But a new study by a multi-institutional team of scientists shows that many plants develop a second, deeper…
To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change, the world urgently needs clean and renewable energy sources. Hydrogen is one such clean energy source that has zero carbon content and stores much more energy by weight than gasoline. One promising method to produce hydrogen is electrochemical water-splitting, a process…
The deep ocean can often look like a real-life snow globe. As organic particles from plant and animal matter on the surface sink downward, they combine with dust and other material to create “marine snow,” a beautiful display of ocean weather that plays a crucial role in cycling carbon and…
For more than a century, a patch of cold water south of Greenland has resisted the Atlantic Ocean’s overall warming, fueling debate amongst scientists. A new study identifies the cause as the long-term weakening of a major ocean circulation system. Researchers from the University of California, Riverside show that only…
A diabetes medication that lowers brain fluid pressure has cut monthly migraine days by more than half, according to a new study presented today at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2025.1 Researchers at the Headache Center of the University of Naples “Federico II” gave the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)…
