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Numbers are often used in health messaging to guide behavior and spark motivation. But not every number that circulates widely is grounded in solid science. One claim in particular has gained traction over the years. It suggests that people make more than 200 food-related decisions every day without realizing it.…
A new study shows that changes in the gut microbiome can directly influence how the brain works, revealing a powerful connection between microbes and brain activity. Humans have the largest brain size relative to body size of any primate, yet scientists still know surprisingly little about how mammals with large…
Scientists have uncovered evidence that two defining features of cancer are driven by the same underlying molecular process. These features include cancer cells avoiding apoptosis (a form of programmed cell death) and altering how they produce and use energy. Until now, these processes were largely studied separately. The research centers…
Scientists first detected the lake in observational records from 1995. Before then, no lakes had existed in this part of the 79°N Glacier. “There were no lakes in this area of the 79°N Glacier before the rise in atmospheric temperatures in the mid-1990s,” said Prof. Angelika Humbert, a glaciologist at…
Scientists have completed a large laboratory analysis of widely used human-made chemicals and found that 168 of them are harmful to bacteria that normally live in a healthy human gut. These substances slow or stop the growth of microbes that play an important role in supporting overall health. Many of…
Scientists at UNSW Sydney have developed a new form of CRISPR technology that could make gene therapy safer while also resolving a decades-long debate about how genes are switched off. The research shows that small chemical markers attached to DNA actively silence genes, rather than simply appearing as harmless byproducts…
High levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a major driver of climate change. At the same time, increased CO2 can encourage plants to grow faster, allowing them to absorb more carbon and potentially slow warming. That benefit, however, depends on whether plants have access to enough nitrogen, a…
Scientists have developed experimental compounds that prompt the mitochondria inside cells to use more energy and burn additional calories. This early research suggests a possible new path toward treating obesity while also supporting better metabolic health. Obesity affects people worldwide and raises the risk of serious conditions such as diabetes…
An international research team led by scientists from La Trobe University in Australia and the University of Cambridge is questioning how one of the most complete early human fossils has been classified. Their findings suggest the specimen may not belong to any known human ancestor species and could represent an…
Liquids and solutions may seem simple, but at the molecular level they are constantly in motion. When sugar dissolves in water, for example, each sugar molecule is quickly surrounded by shifting clusters of water molecules. Inside living cells, the situation becomes even more intricate. Tiny liquid droplets ferry proteins or…
New findings suggest that Earth’s magnetic field has played a surprising role in transporting particles from our atmosphere to the moon over vast stretches of time. At first glance, the moon appears lifeless and inert. But its surface may tell a more complex story. For billions of years, tiny fragments…
High energy proton collisions can be pictured as a roiling sea of quarks and gluons, including short lived virtual particles. At first glance, this extreme environment seems far more complex than the later stage, when fewer and more stable particles fly outward from the collision point. One might expect particles…
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a widespread and serious mental health condition that affects how people think, feel, and function in daily life. It is already a leading cause of disability, and researchers expect it to become the most common and costly illness worldwide by 2030. While many medications are…
An international team of researchers led by Uppsala University has completed the most extensive geoarchaeological investigation ever conducted at Egypt’s Karnak Temple complex. Karnak ranks among the largest temple complexes of the ancient world and forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage site located within the modern city of Luxor.…
New research from Johns Hopkins University shows that artificial intelligence systems built with designs inspired by biology can begin to resemble human brain activity even before they are trained on any data. The study suggests that how AI is structured may be just as important as how much data it…
New research is shedding light on how temperature influences our awareness of our own bodies, offering fresh insight into how signals from the skin reach the brain. These findings point to a wide range of possible applications, from sensory-based mental health treatments to prosthetic limbs that feel more natural to…
Scientists working with China’s fully superconducting Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) have successfully reached a long-theorized “density-free regime” in fusion plasma experiments. In this state, the plasma remains stable even when its density rises far beyond traditional limits. The results, published in Science Advances on January 1, shed new light…
A new study shows that astronomers have directly measured the mass and distance of a newly discovered free-floating planet by observing it at the same time from Earth and from space. This combined approach made it possible to capture details that are usually missing for these faint objects. The results…
Yuwei Gu was walking through Bear Mountain State Park in New York when an unexpected sight caught his attention. Plastic bottles were scattered along the trail, with more drifting across a nearby lake. Seeing plastic waste in such a natural setting stopped the Rutgers chemist in his tracks and set…
Viruses and bacteria are often viewed as harmful, but researchers at Flinders University are drawing attention to a lesser-known side of the microbial world. Their work highlights the important ways microbes can support human health, challenging the idea that all microorganisms are threats. Flinders microbial ecologist Dr. Jake Robinson and…
A large new study suggests that tailoring breast cancer screening to a woman’s individual risk may be safer and more effective than relying on routine annual mammograms for everyone. By matching screening frequency to personal risk levels, researchers found it was possible to reduce the likelihood of diagnosing more advanced…
The world is now home to about 8.3 billion people, and millions still do not have enough nutritious food. As concerns about food security grow, scientists are looking beyond land for solutions. New research suggests the ocean could play a much larger role than previously thought. A team led by…
Access to obesity treatment in the UK may be heading toward a two-tier system, raising concerns that some of the most vulnerable patients could be left without help. Researchers warn that people who cannot afford private care may struggle to receive effective treatment through the National Health Service. Specialists from…
Researchers at the University of Sydney have uncovered new evidence showing that type 2 diabetes directly changes the heart’s structure and how it produces energy. These findings help explain why people living with diabetes face a much higher risk of developing heart failure. The study, published in EMBO Molecular Medicine,…
Many people notice that certain foods become harder to tolerate with age. One possible reason is damage to the intestinal epithelium, a thin, single layer of cells that lines the intestine. This lining is essential for digestion and overall gut health. In healthy conditions, the intestinal epithelium renews itself every…
A large new study suggests the body’s internal clock, known as circadian rhythm, may play an important role in dementia risk. More than 2,000 older adults wore small monitors for about 12 days, allowing researchers to closely track daily patterns of rest and activity. People whose body clocks were weaker…
For decades, researchers have argued over whether a fossil that is about seven million years old could walk on two legs. If true, that ability would make it the earliest known human ancestor. A new study by anthropologists now presents strong evidence that Sahelanthropus tchadensis, a species first identified in…
The human brain is always at work, handling information that arrives on very different timelines. Some signals demand instant reactions to changes in the environment, while others unfold more slowly as we interpret meaning, context, or intent. A new study from Rutgers Health, published in Nature Communications, explores how the…
For more than 50 years, scientists have searched for alternatives to silicon as the foundation of electronic devices built from molecules. While the concept was appealing, practical progress proved far more difficult. Inside real devices, molecules do not behave like simple, isolated components. Instead, they interact intensely with one another…
For the first time, researchers have successfully examined metabolism-related molecules preserved inside fossilized bones from animals that lived between 1.3 and 3 million years ago. These chemical traces offer rare insight into the animals themselves and the environments they once inhabited. By analyzing metabolic signals tied to health and diet,…
