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Scientists have discovered an unexpected reason why Alzheimer’s disease disrupts sleep, and their findings suggest that the problem may be reversible. In experiments involving mice with Alzheimer’s-like brain changes, researchers restored more than two hours of sleep per day without removing the amyloid plaques associated with the disease. The surprising…
A common liver disease affecting nearly 30% of adults worldwide is far more complex than previously understood. Researchers at Mayo Clinic have identified five biologically distinct forms of the condition, each associated with different risks of serious health complications, including heart disease, liver failure, cancer, and the need for a…
What if the human brain works in ways that Sigmund Freud began describing more than 130 years ago? A new scientific analysis suggests that some of his ideas about the mind share surprising similarities with one of the most influential theories in modern neuroscience. Published in the scientific journal Entropy,…
Consuming too much salt can affect more than blood pressure. Growing evidence suggests that excessive salt intake may also interfere with memory, thinking, and emotional well-being. High salt (HS) consumption is already a major public health concern because of its connection to hypertension, but its potential effects on the brain…
Physicists have uncovered a strange new form of quantum behavior in which particles organize themselves in ways that challenge established theories. Even more surprising, the particles maintain a remarkable hidden order despite being driven into an extremely energetic state. In a study published in Physical Review Letters, researchers from the…
A small pilot study suggests that eating blueberries every day may influence gut bacteria and potentially affect mood in older adults. Participants who consumed blueberries regularly experienced a greater and more consistent reduction in depressive symptoms, along with subtle changes in genes associated with gut microbial enzymes. However, the improvements…
A sugar naturally present in red meat may help explain why eating these foods has been associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Preliminary findings from a large observational study suggest that people who consume the most of this sugar face a substantially greater risk of developing the…
Psilocybin, the psychedelic substance found in more than 200 species of mushrooms, appears to have an unexpected effect on aggressive fish. Most mushrooms containing this compound belong to the gilled mushroom genus Psilocybe. In mammals, psilocybin interacts with serotonin receptors in the brain, influencing emotions and behaviors such as mood,…
A massive volcanic eruption that struck Japan about 7,300 years ago had a devastating impact on prehistoric communities, but its aftermath was far more complicated than scientists once believed. While some populations declined or disappeared from affected areas, others continued to grow despite the destruction. An international research team led…
Scientists at Mount Sinai have identified three important brain connections associated with long-term improvement in patients receiving deep brain stimulation (DBS) for severe depression that has not responded to conventional treatments. The discovery could help researchers make this experimental therapy more precise and effective. Published October 1 in the American…
Supermassive black holes are thought to exist at the centers of nearly all large galaxies. These enormous objects can weigh millions or even billions of times as much as the Sun, but scientists still do not fully understand how they grow to such extraordinary sizes. Pulling in (accreting) gas from…
Female mice heal skin wounds faster than males, and scientists have uncovered a surprising biological difference that may help explain why. By watching skin stem cells in living mice for five months, researchers found that female cells work together in a more coordinated way, while male cells tend to behave…
Scientists have uncovered a previously unknown form of magnetism, overturning an understanding of magnetic behavior that had stood for more than a century. The discovery, known as altermagnetism, has revealed a third fundamental category of collinear magnetism and opened new possibilities for quantum materials, advanced electronics, and future computing technologies.…
Common sweeteners may be doing much more inside our bodies than simply replacing sugar. Scientists at the University of Cambridge have discovered that many widely used sweeteners can directly interfere with the growth of gut bacteria, and their effects can become even more pronounced when combined with medications or other…
A protein associated with youth may help aging brain cells regain some of their lost abilities. Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have discovered that TIMP2 plays an important role in keeping the brain’s immune cells healthy, offering new clues about how the brain changes with…
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket transformed the early morning sky into a spectacular display of light on October 13, 2026. As the rocket climbed above Earth carrying a Dragon spacecraft, sunlight illuminated its expanding exhaust plumes, creating an enormous glowing shape that resembled a jellyfish. This striking phenomenon, known as…
Archaeologists working at an ancient burial complex in Peru have uncovered remarkable evidence of hairless dogs that lived more than 1,200 years ago, long before the rise of the Inca Empire. The discoveries include naturally mummified remains, unusual skeletal features, and clues about what the animals ate and how they…
A dangerous wave of wildfires is spreading across the tropics, and the Amazon rainforest is now facing a growing crisis. Fueled by severe drought linked to El Niño, fires are sweeping through parts of Brazil, filling cities with smoke and threatening forests already damaged by previous fire seasons. Unlike tornadoes…
An experimental drug developed at Michigan Medicine has reversed a serious form of fatty liver disease in animal studies by targeting an unexpected source of liver damage: the gut. The compound, known as DT-109, works by reducing harmful gut bacteria, protecting the intestinal lining, and preventing inflammatory substances from reaching…
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is performing even better than scientists anticipated after engineers completed an extensive series of tests and precision adjustments. The work has brought the observatory’s powerful instruments into exceptionally sharp focus, with its main camera system now delivering image quality nearly 30% better than predicted.…
A bird that migrates thousands of miles has revealed a surprising secret about how wings work. Scientists have discovered that European nightjars sacrifice flight efficiency for agility and use an unexpected wingbeat technique previously associated mainly with bats and insects. The European nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) is a nighttime hunter that…
Brain cells that normally help protect the brain may play an unexpected role in cognitive decline as we grow older. Scientists have discovered that cells responsible for maintaining the protective coating around nerve fibers can become dysfunctional with age, potentially contributing to the gradual loss of memory and thinking abilities.…
Scientists have discovered a powerful new way to decode the weather on distant worlds, revealing surprisingly organized patterns hidden within the turbulent atmosphere of a mysterious object 20 light-years from Earth. Researchers at Trinity College Dublin used observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to investigate SIMP 0136, a brown…
Forest soils are playing a surprisingly powerful role in removing methane from the atmosphere, and new findings suggest that certain effects of climate change could make them even better at it. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, but microorganisms living in the soil can break…
A good night’s sleep does much more than leave you feeling refreshed. During deep sleep, the body releases growth hormone, a powerful chemical messenger that helps build muscle, strengthen bones, and regulate fat metabolism. For teenagers, getting enough sleep is especially important because growth hormone plays a major role in…
In 1960, Science, one of the world’s leading science journals, published an article with an unambiguous title: Doomsday: Friday, 13 November, A.D. 2026. It predicted that on this future date — less than a month from today — the human population would approach infinity and effectively annihilate itself. The outlandishness…
A new microscope developed at Stanford University allows scientists to watch the tiny structures inside living cells move and interact in real time, providing an exceptionally detailed view without the fluorescent labels typically used to make these structures visible. Researchers at Stanford have created a powerful new imaging system that…
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station at 10:27 a.m. EDT on October 15, docking at the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module. The spacecraft delivered more than 6,300 pounds of food, essential supplies, and scientific equipment for the Expedition 75 crew. The arrival marks SpaceX’s 35th…
Astronomers have long depicted distant exoplanets with smooth, circular outlines. But new observations reveal that the atmospheres surrounding some of these scorching alien worlds can have surprisingly uneven shapes. Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), researchers have discovered that the atmosphere of WASP-17b, a giant planet roughly 1,300 light-years…
Scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) have discovered a way to produce a potentially renewable supply of cancer-fighting immune cells, opening a promising new direction for cancer treatment. By working with immature cells that can develop into powerful immune defenders, the researchers have created a system capable of…