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Arctic sea ice has shrunk by more than 42% since 1979, when satellites first began providing consistent measurements. As the remaining ice thins and retreats, more open ocean is left exposed to sunlight. Ice helps cool the planet by reflecting sunlight, but darker seawater absorbs heat instead, which speeds up…
A research group at The University of New Mexico has identified how an unusual prehistoric plant may provide new ways to interpret Earth’s ancient climate conditions. Led by UNM Earth and Planetary Sciences Professor Zachary Sharp, the team published its findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…
Researchers have designed a new class of drug molecule capable of specifically destroying TERRA, an RNA molecule that some cancer cells rely on to survive. Using a technique known as “RIBOTAC,” the compound is able to locate TERRA inside the cell and break it apart while avoiding healthy RNA. The…
The researchers also incorporated Artificial Intelligence tools, including machine learning, to analyze biomarker patterns. These methods allowed them to accurately differentiate Long COVID patients from healthy individuals and to pinpoint the most informative biomarker combinations. Such insights could support more precise diagnostics and future personalized treatments. small, unusual clusters of…
A commonly used, low-cost medication for gout may help lower the chances of heart attacks and strokes in people with cardiovascular disease, according to a new Cochrane review. Researchers evaluated the impact of taking small doses of colchicine, a standard gout treatment, and reported no rise in serious side effects.…
A newly identified carnivorous reptile may look like a dinosaur at first glance, but researchers have confirmed that it was actually an early relative of modern crocodiles. The species is named Tainrakuasuchus bellator, a title partly inspired by the Latin word for “warrior” or “fighter.” This armored animal lived 240…
Liver disease most often develops due to one of three major causes: excessive alcohol use, the buildup of fat in the liver associated with obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol, or viral infections such as hepatitis B and C. Researchers from Keck Medicine of USC have identified another potential cause of…
Weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro deliver impressive heart protection for people with type 2 diabetes. Large real-world study finds new GLP-1 drugs help protect the heart in people with cardiovascular risk. Clear evidence shows these medications support heart health beyond their weight-loss effects. Semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) offer similar…
Researchers at the University of Houston have achieved a major scientific milestone in the study of heat transfer. Their new findings overturn long-standing assumptions about thermal conductivity and reveal that boron arsenide (BAs) can conduct heat more effectively than diamond, which has long been considered the benchmark among isotropic materials.…
Recently, Halloween may have brought thoughts of skeletons, but the true “skeleton age” began long ago during the early Cambrian Period, roughly 538 to 506 million years ago. During this transformative era, many of Earth’s major animal groups independently figured out how to create mineralized skeletons or shells. They typically…
Heart disease remains the world’s top killer, claiming more lives each year than any other condition. Scientists are uncovering how gut microbes may influence coronary artery disease (CAD), one of the most common and serious forms of heart disease. A research team in Seoul has identified 15 specific bacterial species…
A new study from the University of California San Diego suggests that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, a class of medications originally developed for type 2 diabetes, may have benefits that extend far beyond blood sugar and weight management. These drugs, which include semaglutide (sold as Ozempic and Wegovy) and…
In a finding that could change how scientists understand the spread of life’s ingredients across space, astronomers have detected large organic molecules frozen in ice around a forming star called ST6 in a galaxy beyond the Milky Way. Using the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), the research…
Earth scientists have uncovered a slow and surprising process beneath our planet’s surface that helps fuel volcanic activity in the oceans. Researchers from the University of Southampton found that fragments of continents are gradually stripped away from below and drawn into the oceanic mantle — the hot, mostly solid layer…
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have discovered that an insect, the bumblebee Bombus terrestris, can choose where to gather food by recognizing how long a visual signal lasts. In Morse code, short flashes or “dots” stand for the letter “E,” while longer flashes or “dashes” represent the letter…
An international group of scientists has confirmed the discovery of three Earth-sized planets within the binary stellar system known as TOI-2267, located roughly 190 light-years from Earth. The finding, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, offers new insight into how planets can form and remain stable in double-star systems, which were…
Researchers studying the brains of soccer fans found that certain areas of the brain light up when people watch matches featuring their favorite team. These neural circuits trigger strong emotional reactions — both positive and negative — depending on how the game unfolds. The findings, published in Radiology (a journal…
Astatine is the rarest naturally occurring element on Earth and among the least explored in the periodic table. True to its Greek name meaning “unstable,” it exists only fleetingly in nature. Yet scientists at Texas A&M University have found a way to harness its potential. Using cyclotron beams and advanced…
A new targeted drug delivery system called TAR-200 has shown remarkable results in a phase 2 clinical trial, eliminating tumors in 82% of patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer that had resisted prior treatment. In most cases, the cancer disappeared within three months of therapy, and nearly half of the…
The quest to create useful quantum technologies begins with a deep understanding of the strange laws that govern quantum behavior and how those principles can be applied to real materials. At the University of California, Santa Barbara, physicist Ania Jayich, Bruker Endowed Chair in Science and Engineering, Elings Chair in…
Researchers have traced long-standing myths about the rapid spread of the Black Death across Asia to a single source from the fourteenth century. For centuries, depictions of the plague racing along the Silk Route, devastating cities and towns in its path, have been based on a misunderstanding of a rhyming…
Pore-forming proteins are widespread across living organisms. In humans, they are essential for immune defense, while in bacteria they often act as toxins that puncture cell membranes. These microscopic pores allow ions and molecules to move through membranes, controlling molecular traffic within cells. Because of their precision and control, scientists…
Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have developed a promising new method to repair spinal fractures using stem cells extracted from adipose tissue, or body fat. In animal studies, the treatment successfully healed spinal injuries in rats that mimic osteoporosis-related fractures seen in humans. Because these cells are easy to collect,…
A team of researchers, including a scientist from the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at the Institute of Science Tokyo in Japan, has identified a new principle in biology that mathematically explains why the growth of living organisms slows down when nutrients become plentiful. This well-known phenomenon is referred to as…
If you’re one of the 620 million people who regularly go for a run, you probably like to get an early start. But if you haven’t slept well the night before, you could be putting yourself at greater risk of injury. A new study led by Professor Jan de Jonge,…
Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan, led by graduate student Tatsushi Oura and Dr. Hiroyuki Tatekawa, discovered that the Alzheimer’s treatment lecanemab, which removes amyloid plaques from the brain, does not improve the brain’s waste clearance system in the short term. The results indicate that even after treatment, the…
A long-lost hymn of praise dating back to around 1000 BCE has been identified through modern technology. Professor Enrique Jiménez of LMU uncovered the text and linked it to 30 additional manuscripts using artificial intelligence. Working in partnership with the University of Baghdad, Professor Jiménez rediscovered a Babylonian text that…
An extensive series of computer simulations led by astrophysicists at the Flatiron Institute and their collaborators has revealed that magnetic fields are the missing factor behind the creation of black holes whose masses fall within a range once thought impossible. In 2023, astronomers witnessed a dramatic event: two extraordinarily massive…
A new approach to oral care may come from an unexpected source: your own hair. Researchers have found that toothpaste made from keratin, a protein naturally present in hair, skin, and wool, could both protect and repair damaged teeth while offering a sustainable alternative to traditional dental treatments. Scientists from…
An international team of researchers has identified a new weakness in prostate cancer cells that could lead to more effective treatments for one of the most common cancers among men. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), was led by scientists from Flinders University…
