Reporting world updates to you
For most of the 20th century, the model of human origins was a tree: with the trunk dividing into branches, and then twigs. Each species of human relative (hominin) was a neat, single branch. As an undergraduate, I was taught that Homo sapiens was one of these branches that emerged…
You walk out of the grocery store, ready to head home and make dinner. But as you scan the crowded parking lot, a frustrating question comes to mind. Where did you leave your car? You try to picture the spot, but the memory refuses to surface. Remembering personal experiences like…
Scientists have developed a new gel that could make it possible to regrow damaged tooth enamel, potentially overcoming one of the biggest limitations in dental care. Unlike bones and many other tissues in the body, tooth enamel cannot naturally regenerate once it has been lost. The new treatment offers a…
Scientists have solved a biological mystery that remained unanswered for more than three decades, uncovering an unexpected way the immune system protects the body from its own inflammatory response. The breakthrough reveals that a chemical signal responsible for attracting immune cells to fight infections also helps prevent those same defenses…
One of the biggest obstacles in quantum computing is surprisingly simple to describe: how do you read information without changing or destroying it? Unlike the bits used in ordinary computers, quantum bits, or qubits, are extraordinarily sensitive to measurement. Trying to determine their state can cause that state to collapse,…
Viruses are usually associated with causing infections, but some can actually help fight them. Scientists are now working to turn these bacteria-killing viruses into treatments for dangerous infections that no longer respond to conventional antibiotics. An international team of experts has taken an important step toward making this approach safer…
Muscles can begin losing their strength and ability to recover surprisingly early in the aging process. Over time, muscle tissue may develop scar tissue, accumulate fat, and lose some of the specialized fibers responsible for rapid, powerful movements. These changes can make everyday activities more difficult and gradually reduce mobility…
Why does the left side of the brain control the right side of the body, while the right side controls the left? This unusual arrangement is one of the most intriguing features of the nervous system, and scientists have proposed a new explanation that reaches back hundreds of millions of…
Keeping daylight saving time in effect all year could bring brighter evenings, but new research suggests the change would come with a troubling consequence for American children. A nationwide switch could result in at least 2 billion additional trips to school in darkness, potentially increasing safety risks while reducing children’s…
Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have discovered that applying a small amount of pressure can dramatically alter the magnetic properties of a promising new class of materials called altermagnets. Using neutron experiments, the researchers uncovered how a simple mechanical squeeze can change the way these…
Scientists have spent decades trying to control how tiny particles connect to form advanced materials. Now, researchers at MIT and their collaborators have discovered that doing the exact opposite of what was previously believed necessary can produce remarkable results. Instead of relying on rigid molecular connections to hold nanoparticles in…
NASA is investigating whether private space companies could help extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope, which has spent more than 35 years transforming our understanding of the universe. On October 29, the agency issued a Request for Information seeking details about commercial technologies that could be used to…
For nearly 90 years, physicists have divided magnetic materials into two main categories: ferromagnets and antiferromagnets. Now, scientists have confirmed that a third type exists, revealing a previously unrecognized form of magnetic behavior that could lead to major advances in computing and electronics. The breakthrough comes from a research team…
Scientists at Stanford Medicine have identified a naturally occurring molecule that could lead to a new generation of weight loss medications. Early animal experiments suggest that it can suppress appetite and promote fat loss much like semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, while potentially avoiding some of the drug’s troublesome…
Imagine receiving a single treatment that could keep your cholesterol under control for decades, potentially eliminating the need for daily medication. Advances in gene editing are bringing that possibility closer to reality. But scientists say the same technology that could revolutionize medicine also raises difficult questions about safety, permanent genetic…
Researchers in Japan have developed an innovative way to turn a chemical produced by cancer cells into a weapon against them. Instead of delivering toxic drugs throughout the body, their experimental approach uses carbon monoxide released by cancer cells to manufacture anticancer compounds directly inside the cells themselves. The research,…
Something unusual is happening inside the enormous atmosphere of Betelgeuse, one of the most recognizable stars in the night sky. Astronomers have detected subtle changes in the star’s shape that suggest something is moving through its outer layers, disturbing the surrounding gas like an unseen visitor making noise inside a…
Children who consume more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) may have stronger brain responses to tempting foods, potentially helping explain why these products are associated with weight gain. A new study published in JAMA Network Open found that children who ate more of these foods showed heightened activity in the brain’s reward…
The brain has a remarkable ability to recognize danger, but new research suggests that this survival mechanism may also explain why people sometimes feel threatened in situations that are actually safe. The discovery offers a possible explanation for the intense fear responses associated with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).…
For nearly 50 years, scientists have struggled to explain why frogs began disappearing from Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, one of the world’s richest regions for amphibian diversity. Beginning in the 1970s, researchers documented dramatic population declines, but the cause of these losses remained uncertain. Now, scientists have uncovered compelling evidence pointing…
Scientists are still working to understand why autism develops. Genetics are known to play a major role, but researchers have also found that conditions during pregnancy can influence the likelihood of autism spectrum disorder. A new study from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has uncovered a surprising connection between inflammation…
Eating mango and avocado every day could offer unexpected benefits for heart health, according to new research. In a study lasting just eight weeks, adults with prediabetes who regularly ate both fruits experienced improvements in blood vessel function and blood pressure, without gaining weight or consuming more calories. The findings…
For decades, explanations for why some children struggle with reading have often focused on two factors: intelligence and the ability to process visual information. Children who read easily have frequently been assumed to be more intelligent, while those who struggle have sometimes been viewed as less capable. Another common belief…
A new study reveals all five fundamental nucleobases – the molecular “letters” of life – have been detected in samples from the asteroid Ryugu. Asteroid particles offer a glimpse into the chemical ingredients that may have helped kindle life on Earth. The Ryugu samples were returned from space in 2020…
The European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft has reached an important milestone in its mission to investigate a historic asteroid collision. For the first time, its onboard camera has captured the two asteroids Didymos and Dimorphos as separate objects rather than a single point of light. The asteroid pair is currently…
Nearly 50 years after leaving Earth, NASA’s Voyager 1 is approaching an extraordinary milestone that will highlight just how far humanity’s most distant spacecraft has traveled. But keeping the aging explorer operational has become an increasingly difficult challenge as its power supply slowly fades. NASA engineers recently achieved two important…
Scientists at King’s College London have identified a promising new strategy for fighting Alzheimer’s disease that could address several of the condition’s damaging effects at the same time. Their research suggests that an experimental drug originally developed for spinal cord injuries may help repair damaged DNA, reduce inflammation, and target…
The findings come one year after the first-ever oxygen collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). All four of the collider’s major research collaborations, ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb, have now reported signs that this primordial form of matter can emerge when oxygen and neon nuclei collide. ter than the…
Black holes are known for merging when two of them collide, but could the reverse ever happen? Could a single black hole somehow divide into two smaller ones? A new theoretical study suggests that this extraordinary possibility may not be entirely ruled out by physics, although the conditions required would…
The liver may hold an unexpected key to fighting two of the most serious diseases associated with aging: Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease. Scientists have discovered that restoring the function of aging liver cells can dramatically reduce harmful substances in the bloodstream, raising the possibility of treating diseases that affect…
