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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,…
A new study from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE) and Charité — Universitätsmedizin Berlin challenges a widely held belief about intermittent fasting. The research shows that time-restricted eating does not lead to measurable improvements in metabolic or cardiovascular health when calorie intake remains unchanged. However, the timing…
A study published on December 23, 2025, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, examined how age may influence recovery following a spinal cord injury. “With population growth and improvements in medicine, the number of people diagnosed with spinal cord injury is increasing and the average…
Researchers are testing a new oral medication called zoliflodacin that could offer a simpler way to treat gonorrhea, especially strains that no longer respond well to existing antibiotics. In a late-stage phase 3 clinical trial published in The Lancet, scientists found that a single dose of this pill worked just…
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have found that the brain’s waste removal system often becomes blocked in people who show early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. These blockages interfere with the brain’s ability to clear harmful substances and may appear well before clear dementia symptoms develop. The clogged…
Researchers are taking a closer look at how medications used to treat diabetes may also influence cancer. While diabetes itself has long been associated with higher cancer risk, scientists are now investigating whether diabetes drugs play a direct role beyond controlling blood sugar levels and body weight. A recent review…
Researchers at McGill University have developed a new hydrogel that may one day help people recover from vocal cord injuries. Early results suggest the material could offer a better option for restoring damaged voices than treatments currently in use. Voice loss often becomes permanent when scar tissue forms on the…
Attention disorders such as ADHD occur when the brain has trouble separating meaningful signals from constant background input. The brain continuously processes sights, sounds, and internal thoughts, and focus depends on its ability to ignore distractions while responding to what matters. Most current treatments improve attention by increasing activity in…
Scientists are continuing to strengthen the case that a fragmented comet exploded in Earth’s atmosphere nearly 13,000 years ago. This event may have played a role in the sudden disappearance of mammoths, mastodons, and many other large Ice Age animals, as well as the abrupt loss of the Clovis culture…
Small plants like moss rarely draw attention. Many species are no wider than an eyelash and typically grow close to the ground in damp, shaded environments. Despite their modest appearance, these plants can provide critical evidence in criminal investigations. Scientists experienced this firsthand in 2013, when they were asked to…
New research suggests that one of the most important keys to a healthier and more youthful heart may be the vagus nerve. A study coordinated by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa and published in Science Translational Medicine found that maintaining vagal nerve connections to the heart on…
Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have witnessed the surprising aftermath of massive space rocks smashing into each other in a nearby planetary system. What initially looked like a reflective exoplanet turned out to be something far more dramatic. Researchers first noticed a bright point of light and assumed…
In July 2024, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit near the city of Calama in northern Chile. The shaking damaged buildings and disrupted electrical power across the region. Chile is no stranger to major earthquakes. The country experienced the strongest earthquake ever recorded in 1960, when a magnitude 9.5 megathrust event…
Spruce bark contains high levels of phenolic compounds that help protect trees from harmful fungi. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena wanted to understand how these chemical defenses move through the forest food web. Their work focused on the spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus), which…
Physical activity continues to affect the body even after the movement itself has ended. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that being physically active increases the total amount of energy a person uses each day. The research, led by scientists at Virginia…
Alzheimer disease (AD) affects African Americans (AA) at roughly twice the rate seen in White or European-ancestry (EA) individuals living in the U.S. Researchers attribute part of this disparity to social and structural factors, including unequal access to health care, differences in educational opportunities, and known biases in cognitive testing.…
Scientists using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have identified a previously unknown kind of exoplanet, one whose atmosphere defies current ideas about how planets are supposed to form. The newly observed world has a stretched, lemon-like shape and may even contain diamonds deep inside. Its strange characteristics make it difficult…
The first nationwide randomized study of children enrolled in public Montessori preschools found that students showed stronger learning outcomes by the time they reached kindergarten. Compared with children who attended non-Montessori programs, Montessori students performed better in reading, memory, and executive function. The results also carry clear implications for education…
A diet high in fat is one of the strongest contributors to liver cancer risk. New research from MIT sheds light on why this happens, showing that fatty diets can fundamentally alter liver cells in ways that make cancer more likely to develop. The researchers discovered that when the liver…
A newly proposed definition of obesity could significantly increase the number of Americans considered to have the condition. According to researchers at Mass General Brigham, applying updated criteria developed earlier this year by the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology Commission raises the estimated obesity rate in the United States from about…
Ring in the New Year with the “Champagne Cluster,” a distant galaxy cluster featured in a new image that combines data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and optical telescopes. Astronomers first identified this galaxy cluster on Dec. 31, 2020. That date, along with the cluster’s bubbly look and the superheated…
Astronomers have obtained remarkably detailed images of two stellar explosions — called novae — just days after they began. The new observations offer clear proof that these outbursts are not as simple as once believed. Instead of a single blast, the explosions can send out more than one stream of…
As people grow older, visible changes like gray hair and weaker muscles are only part of the story. Aging also affects the immune system. One major reason is that the stem cells responsible for producing blood and immune cells can accumulate genetic mutations over time, increasing the risk of cancer…
An extinct snake is finally getting its moment in the spotlight, more than 40 years after its fossils were first found. Scientists have now identified those bones as a brand new species called Paradoxophidion richardoweni, and it could help explain where today’s most “advanced” snakes came from. In 1981, researchers…
Adults with ADHD who are aware of their personal strengths and actively use them tend to report better overall well-being, a higher quality of life, and fewer mental health challenges, according to a new international study. The research was released during October’s ADHD Awareness Month, which this year highlights “the…
Researchers have found that microplastics drifting through rivers, lakes, and oceans constantly release a complex blend of dissolved organic chemicals into the water. This chemical leakage continues over time and becomes much more intense when plastics are exposed to sunlight. The new findings offer the most detailed molecular-level picture so…
Long before Mars became the cold, dry world we see today, rain once fell across its surface. Water gathered in low-lying valleys and river channels, overflowed crater rims, and rushed through canyons. Some of that water may have traveled far enough to reach a vast ocean that once covered part…
A large comparative study published online in the open access journal BMJ Global Health has found that even low daily alcohol consumption is linked to a much higher risk of mouth cancer in India. Drinking just 9 g of alcohol per day, about the amount in one standard drink, was…
A large review of medical studies examined whether cannabis-based products can help people living with chronic pain, a condition defined as pain that lasts for months or even years. The analysis included data from more than 2,300 adults and focused on products containing different amounts of two well-known cannabis compounds:…
New research from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine suggests that women who live near federally designated Superfund sites face a higher risk of developing aggressive forms of breast cancer — including triple-negative breast cancer, which is especially difficult to treat. Previous research…
