Reporting world updates to you
When scientists cracked the human genome in 2003 – sequencing the entire genetic code of a human being – many expected it would unlock the secrets of disease. But genetics explained only about 10% of the risk. The other 90% lies in the environment – and diet plays a huge…
A smile. A frown. The facial expressions that capture a child’s attention may reveal important clues about their mental health. New research from Binghamton University, State University of New York, suggests that depression can influence how children respond to emotional faces, including happy and sad expressions. The study also found…
The link between diabetes and dementia is becoming increasingly clear. New research shows how blood sugar problems affect brain health and vice versa. Here are ten evidence-based insights into how the two conditions are related. 1. Diabetes raises the risk of dementia People with diabetes are about 60% more likely…
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is best known as a disease affecting wildlife such as deer and elk. However, a new study from researchers at the University of Calgary and their international collaborators examined whether the disease could potentially move beyond cervid (hooved, plant-eating) animals and infect other species. There has…
People taking GLP-1 medications for type 2 diabetes (liraglutide, semaglutide, or tirzepatide) may be more likely to stop and later restart treatment than many people realize, according to research presented Sunday at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill. The study examined two questions that have received…
A new study suggests that semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) may offer an unexpected benefit for people with type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that patients taking the medication experienced fewer bone fractures and greater weight loss than those using several other anti-obesity treatments. The findings were presented Sunday at ENDO 2026,…
Birds can see a large portion of the world around them, but when they fly in flocks, they pay attention only to birds beside them or ahead of them. They do not align their movements with birds behind them. That behavior appears to conflict with Newton’s third law, the famous…
PFAS, widely known as “forever chemicals,” are among the most stubborn pollutants scientists face today. Because these compounds are extraordinarily stable, they can remain in water supplies, ecosystems, and even the human body for decades. Their persistence has made PFAS contamination a growing environmental and public health concern around the…
A new study from the SETI Institute suggests that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence may be facing an unexpected challenge. The same stellar activity that shapes conditions around distant planets could also make alien radio signals much harder to detect. Many SETI efforts look for extremely narrow radio signals because…
During several recent conversations, people have told me that they’ve stopped checking their phones in the morning. Not because nothing was happening, but because everything was. They described the feeling as standing under a waterfall of perpetual bad news. This experience is far from an isolated one. According to Reuters…
Researchers at Monash University have identified a promising new approach to tackling Alzheimer’s disease. In laboratory studies, they found that a copper-based drug not only reduced the buildup of toxic proteins linked to the disease but also improved long-term spatial memory. The findings, published in ACS Chemical Neuroscience, suggest the…
A comprehensive review published in The BMJ suggests that calcium supplements, vitamin D supplements, or taking both together provide little to no clinically meaningful benefit in preventing fractures or falls for most older adults. Falls are a major health concern among seniors. Nearly one in three people age 65 and…
A common amino acid found in protein rich foods and many brain health supplements may have an unexpected connection to longevity, according to new research. Scientists reporting in the journal Aging-US examined whether two amino acids, phenylalanine and tyrosine, could influence how long people live (lifespan). Their findings suggest that…
NASA and its European partners are tracking a major buildup of warm water in the Pacific Ocean that could signal the arrival of El Niño later this year. Data collected by the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite shows a broad area of unusually warm water, stretching hundreds of miles across, has…
A tightly compressed bundle of office staples can behave in a surprising way. Even though it is made of many separate pieces, the tangled mass can be difficult to pull apart and can act almost like a single solid object. Yet that same bundle can quickly come undone. With the…
A new experimental GLP-1 pill could make it easier for people with type 2 diabetes to access treatments that help control blood sugar and support weight loss. At the American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions, Mass General Brigham researcher Vanita Aroda, MD, presented results from SOLSTICE, a phase 2b randomized, placebo-controlled…
A new experimental GLP-1 pill could make it easier for people with type 2 diabetes to access treatments that help control blood sugar and support weight loss. At the American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions, Mass General Brigham researcher Vanita Aroda, MD, presented results from SOLSTICE, a phase 2b randomized, placebo-controlled…
The red color of red leaf lettuce comes from anthocyanins, a group of polyphenol pigments that have attracted attention for their antioxidant properties. Plants produce anthocyanins through a series of enzyme driven reactions that begin with the amino acid phenylalanine. Along the way, the pathway generates a variety of flavonoids,…
The red color of red leaf lettuce comes from anthocyanins, a group of polyphenol pigments that have attracted attention for their antioxidant properties. Plants produce anthocyanins through a series of enzyme driven reactions that begin with the amino acid phenylalanine. Along the way, the pathway generates a variety of flavonoids,…
Researchers at the University of Oxford have created a new type of quantum superposition, a phenomenon often associated with the famous Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment. Unlike previous versions, these newly demonstrated states are built from highly nonclassical quantum components. The achievement could help advance quantum computing beyond traditional binary systems,…
Beneath the ground, vast networks of fungi quietly support plant life and play an important role in regulating the planet’s climate by helping move carbon into soils. Now, researchers have created the first global maps showing where these underground fungal networks are found and how much of them exist worldwide.…
Protein shakes may soon become easier to enjoy thanks to new research showing that changes in whey protein production can improve both taste and texture. Scientists from the University of Reading, Aberystwyth University, and Arla Foods Ingredients have been working together to develop a whey protein (a dairy derived ingredient…
Honey bees are far more precise navigators than scientists once realized. Researchers at the University of Freiburg have discovered that individual honey bees follow their own highly consistent flight routes and can repeat them with remarkable accuracy, relying on landmarks in the landscape to stay on course. The study was…
People with prediabetes who return their blood sugar levels to a normal range may significantly reduce their chances of developing major cardiovascular problems, according to new research from King’s College London published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. The study found that reversing prediabetes by normalizing blood glucose levels was…
Converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into methanol is widely viewed as a promising way to recycle carbon resources. However, scientists have long faced a difficult challenge when trying to improve the process. At lower temperatures, converting CO2 into methanol is thermodynamically favorable. The problem is that CO2 becomes difficult to activate…
Massive stars produce light and heat through nuclear fusion, a process that releases enormous amounts of energy from their cores. Eventually, however, the largest stars run out of fuel. Once that happens, the outward pressure generated by radiation is no longer strong enough to resist gravity. The star begins collapsing…
For hundreds of millions of years before dinosaurs appeared and long before vertebrates ventured onto land, millipedes were already thriving on Earth’s surface. These humble decomposers played a key role in some of the planet’s earliest terrestrial ecosystems. Yet despite their remarkable history, major questions about their evolution remained unanswered.…
Giving up sugar entirely may not be as beneficial as many people assume. New research presented Saturday at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, suggests that completely removing sugar from the diet could have unintended effects on gut and metabolic health. Researchers from the Dasman Diabetes Institute…
People with obesity who lost weight while taking popular medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound became significantly less physically active, according to research presented Saturday at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois. The finding may come as a surprise because many people assume that…
Parrots are famous for their ability to imitate human speech, but could they also be using names the way people do? A new study suggests the answer may be yes. Instead of traveling to tropical habitats to record wild parrots, as researchers have done in previous studies, Lauryn Benedict, a…
