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Neutrinos are among the most puzzling particles known to science and are often called ‘ghost particles’ because they so rarely interact with matter. Trillions pass through each person every second without leaving any mark. These particles are created during nuclear reactions, including those inside the Sun’s core. Their extremely weak…
Of the seven Earth-sized planets circling the red dwarf star TRAPPIST-1, one world has become a special focus for astronomers. This planet, TRAPPIST-1e, orbits within the star’s “Goldilocks zone” — a region where temperatures could allow liquid water to exist on the surface — but only if the planet has…
Sea urchins play a crucial role in the ocean, acting as ecosystem engineers much like large grazers on land. As they feed on seaweed and seagrass, they trim back algae and help protect slow-growing species such as corals and certain calcifying algae. In turn, sea urchins are an important food…
Today the Arabian Gulf supports large numbers of dugongs, marine mammals related to manatees that feed on seagrass and leave trails in the sediment as they graze. Newly examined fossils from Qatar show that sea cows living more than 20 million years ago shaped their environments in much the same…
Preclinical research from McGill University suggests that nerve injuries can create long-term changes in the immune system, and these changes may not be the same for males and females. Nerve injuries are common and can occur from stretching, pressure or cuts. They often lead to persistent problems such as chronic…
Long COVID continues to disrupt millions of lives, especially through persistent neurological symptoms like fatigue, sleep problems, and brain fog. Researchers tested whether raising NAD+ levels with high-dose nicotinamide riboside could help restore energy metabolism and ease symptoms. While the randomized trial didn’t show major differences in cognitive scores between…
Rock samples that formed about 60 million years ago and were collected from far beneath the ocean surface have helped scientists understand how large amounts of carbon dioxide can remain locked away for extremely long periods. These samples show that CO2 becomes trapped within layers of lava rubble that build…
It isn’t just people — when given the chance rats may also use cannabis to cope with stress, according to a study by researchers at Washington State University. Published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, the study set out to investigate which animals would actively seek out cannabis and why. The researchers…
As Americans prepare for the holiday season, new research serves as a reminder to think carefully about the long-term health impact of raising a celebratory glass. Alcohol is already recognized as a cause of several cancers, even when consumed at moderate levels. Despite this, drinking remains common, and many uncertainties…
New work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that problems in a protein vital for keeping chromosomes stable may contribute to serious — and at times fatal — health conditions. The study, recently reported in Science, offers patients and clinicians new protein mutations to examine when diagnosing certain cancers and…
Birds of a feather do not always flock together, despite the adage. A new study in the Journal of Raptor Research describes how Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) from Arizona are making unusual journeys by flying north instead of south, unlike most migratory birds in temperate regions. The paper, titled “Northward…
In Maine, growing kelp for use in foods, cosmetics, fertilizer additives and other products is rapidly expanding, but it remains expensive to do. For many new growers, one of the biggest challenges is the lack of reliable cost analysis tools that can guide spending decisions and help them build sustainable…
Researchers have developed a catalyst sourced from renewable plant waste that shows strong potential for speeding up clean hydrogen production. The material is produced by embedding nickel oxide and iron oxide nanoparticles into carbon fibers made from lignin, creating a structure that improves both efficiency and durability during the oxygen…
A new treatment created by scientists at UCL (University College London) and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is offering promising results for children and adults with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), a fast-moving and uncommon blood cancer. The approach uses genome-edited immune cells to target the disease in patients who…
Researchers have found that, inside a liquid, not every atom is moving. Some atoms stay fixed in place even when the temperature is very high. These motionless atoms have a major effect on how a liquid turns into a solid, including the creation of an unusual state of matter known…
A new rapid test from Northwestern University can diagnose hepatitis C in just 15 minutes — far faster than current options. Chronic hepatitis C infection affects an estimated 50 million people around the world and leads to approximately 242,000 deaths each year, most often from cirrhosis and liver cancer. Same-day…
Cancer drug resistance remains one of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment, and doctors urgently need better ways to prevent it. Yet scientists still do not fully understand the molecular processes that allow tumors to escape and return after therapy, which slows the development of new strategies to stop resistance.…
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have identified a way the brain’s learning system can shift depending on the activity of a particular protein. Their work shows that the ability to connect cues with rewarding outcomes can be strengthened or weakened when this protein becomes more or less active. This…
Researchers have carried out the first investigation of how obesity affects Alzheimer’s disease blood biomarkers (BBMs). In this work, BBM levels rose up to 95% more quickly in people with obesity than in people without obesity, based on findings presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North…
In an effort to better understand how the ocean stores carbon, researchers at UC Santa Barbara and their collaborators have uncovered results that challenge long-held ideas about how carbon dioxide is “fixed” in the dark, deep sea. Led by UCSB microbial oceanographer Alyson Santoro, the team reports in Nature Geoscience…
The Solar System is commonly grouped by planetary composition: four rocky terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars), two massive gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn), and a pair of ice giants (Uranus and Neptune). However, new research from a scientific team at the University of Zurich (UZH) suggests that Uranus…
Scientists at the Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI) in Zagreb, Croatia, have uncovered a surprising function for the protein CENP-E. For years, it was thought to act like a motor that pulled wandering chromosomes into position as a cell prepared to divide. The new findings reveal something completely different: CENP-E stabilizes…
Rates of excess weight are climbing among young people in the United States. An analysis published in The Lancet predicts that by 2050, about one in three Americans between 15 and 24 years old will meet the criteria for obesity, putting them at higher risk for serious health problems. Many…
Beneath Earth’s molten outer core is a dense central region — the inner core, a compact sphere made of an iron and light-element alloy squeezed by more than 3.3 million atmospheres and heated to temperatures comparable to the Sun’s surface. For many years, researchers have struggled to explain its unusual…
Most cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy, are designed to attack and destroy cancer cells. A growing group of researchers is now asking whether this long-standing approach may be missing something important. What if the real path to a cure is not to damage cancer, but to coax it…
An international group of researchers, including astronomers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS, has detected enormous clouds of helium drifting away from the exoplanet WASP-107b. The team gathered these observations with the James Webb Space Telescope and analyzed them using modeling…
The human brain is not limited to recognizing our own voices. Research from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has revealed that specific parts of the auditory cortex react strongly to chimpanzee vocalizations. Chimpanzees are our closest relatives both genetically and in the types of sounds they produce. The study, which…
Climate change, including extreme heat and frequent heat waves, is already known to harm ecosystems, agriculture, and human health. New evidence now suggests that increasing temperatures may also slow key aspects of early childhood development. Published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, the study reports that children who…
A new brain implant could significantly reshape how people interact with computers while offering new treatment possibilities for conditions such as epilepsy, spinal cord injury, ALS, stroke, and blindness. By creating a minimally invasive, high-throughput communication path to the brain, it has the potential to support seizure control and help…
Every tissue in the human body contains exceptionally small fibers that help coordinate how organs move, function and communicate. Muscle fibers guide physical force, intestinal fibers support the motion of the digestive tract, and brain fibers carry electrical signals that allow different regions to exchange information. Together, these intricate fiber…
