Reporting world updates to you
Meditation is now widely promoted as a tool for everything from reducing stress to improving productivity. It has become a go-to approach for supporting mental well-being across many settings. However, when a practice like meditation is used in medical or therapeutic contexts, important scientific questions arise. How much practice is…
Most Americans don’t realize the cancer risks of alcohol. More than half of U.S. adults either underestimate or misunderstand how drinking increases cancer risk. Regular drinkers are the least aware. People who consume alcohol are especially likely to believe that drinking has no impact on cancer risk. Better awareness could…
New research offers the strongest evidence yet that the intricate web of connections linking different regions of the human brain can reveal what each area does. Earlier studies had identified links between brain connectivity and certain mental functions, such as perception or social behavior. However, this new work expands that…
Scientists at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the School of Advanced Computing have created artificial neurons that reproduce the intricate electrochemical behavior of real brain cells. The discovery, published in Nature Electronics, marks a major milestone in neuromorphic computing, a field that designs hardware modeled after the human…
A team of scientists led by Dr. Kee Young Koo from the Hydrogen Research Department at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (President Yi Chang-Keun, hereafter referred to as KIER) has created a world-leading catalyst capable of transforming carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, into an essential ingredient for producing…
A surprising new study has revealed that a parasite still troubling modern oysters first began infecting shell-dwelling sea creatures hundreds of millions of years before the dinosaurs vanished. Researchers reporting in iScience used high-resolution 3D imaging to examine 480-million-year-old fossil shells from Morocco, a site famous for its exceptionally preserved…
Viruses are masters of efficiency, able to take over our cells and control vital processes using only a handful of genes. For years, scientists have wondered how something so small could do so much. Researchers have now uncovered the answer — a discovery that could reshape our understanding of how…
In a breakthrough for climate science, a team of U.S. researchers has identified the oldest directly dated ice and air ever discovered on Earth. The samples were found in the Allan Hills region of East Antarctica, an area long known to preserve ancient ice near the surface. According to a…
Engineers at the University of Delaware have uncovered a new way to connect magnetic and electric forces in computing, a finding that could pave the way for computers that run dramatically faster while consuming far less energy. Tiny Magnetic Waves Generate Electric Signals In a study published in Proceedings of…
New findings suggest that dark matter could once again be the missing piece in one of astronomy’s longest-running puzzles: the strange excess of gamma rays glowing from the Milky Way’s core. By recreating the galaxy’s turbulent early life and the massive collisions that shaped it, scientists discovered that dark matter…
Researchers at North Carolina State University have identified a clear connection between the extent of cockroach infestations in homes and the amount of allergens and bacterial toxins known as endotoxins found indoors. The team discovered that when pest control successfully reduced cockroach numbers, both allergen and endotoxin levels dropped sharply.…
New research has revealed that Escherichia coli (E. coli), a bacterium that normally lives in the human gut, can spread through populations at a rate comparable to the swine flu. For the first time, researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Oslo, the University of Helsinki, Aalto University…
A research team at the University of Missouri has made a discovery that could transform how glaucoma is detected and treated. Glaucoma, a major cause of irreversible blindness in older adults, often goes undiagnosed until significant vision loss has already occurred. Scientists are now closer to identifying a biomarker that…
Earthquakes in places like Utah (USA), Soultz-sous-Forêts (France), and Groningen (the Netherlands) seem puzzling to scientists because, according to geological theory, they shouldn’t be possible. In these regions, the shallow layers of the Earth’s crust are thought to behave in a way that strengthens faults when they begin to move.…
A new study in Environmental Research Letters finds that even the most advanced climate intervention methods may not be able to protect wine grapes, coffee, and cacao from a changing planet. These crops are cornerstones of global agriculture and vital sources of income for millions of farmers. Yet they are…
How did early civilizations respond when their worlds fell apart? Archaeologists from the University of Copenhagen believe the 5,000-year-old site of Murayghat in Jordan may reveal some clues. Their extensive excavations suggest that this Early Bronze Age community developed powerful new traditions in the aftermath of cultural collapse. Murayghat rose…
When the volcanic island of Surtsey emerged from the North Atlantic Ocean in 1963, it presented scientists with a rare natural experiment: a chance to watch life begin on untouched land. For many years, ecologists assumed that plants reached remote islands mainly through special traits that allowed long-distance travel, such…
For nearly 300,000 years, early humans shaped stone tools with precision, even as they faced constant wildfires, severe droughts, and dramatic shifts in their environment. A new study published in Nature Communications reveals astonishing evidence of this long-lived technological tradition in Kenya’s Turkana Basin. At the Namorotukunan Site, an international…
Scientists have created a promising new compound that could mark a major step forward in the global effort to control tuberculosis, the world’s deadliest infectious disease. A new study in Nature highlights the potential of this compound, called CMX410, which targets a key enzyme in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that…
Walking a few thousand steps daily may help hold off Alzheimer’s for years, a Mass General Brigham study found. Even moderate physical activity slowed both cognitive decline and the buildup of harmful tau proteins in the brain. The researchers say these results show lifestyle changes can meaningfully delay Alzheimer’s symptoms,…
Far beneath the ocean’s surface, researchers have found bacteria that can digest plastic, using specialized enzymes that evolved alongside humanity’s synthetic debris. A large-scale global study by scientists at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) revealed that these marine microbes are widespread and genetically prepared to consume polyethylene…
Imagine a frog inside a box with an opening partway up one side. Whether it can escape depends on how much energy it has: if it can jump high enough, it could, in theory, reach the opening. But success requires more than just a high jump — it also needs…
A collaboration between Brazilian and German researchers has led to a sunflower-based meat substitute that’s high in protein and minerals. The new ingredient, made from refined sunflower flour, delivers excellent nutritional value and a mild flavor. Tests showed strong texture and healthy fat content, suggesting great potential for use in…
As easily as the mind can drift off course, it also has the remarkable ability to refocus. Researchers at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have uncovered how that process may work. In a new animal study, they found that synchronized neural activity, appearing as a rotating wave across…
A research team at the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), led by Juan Lerma, has uncovered how a distinct group of neurons in the amygdala — a region of the brain involved in processing emotions — contributes to anxiety, depression, and changes in social behavior. The discovery, published in iScience, shows…
Scientists have discovered that the human brain has its own built-in pain map, activating different regions when easing pain in the face, arms, or legs. Placebo pain relief only works in the exact area where the brain expects it to happen. Understanding this system could lead to safer, more precise…
A large review of health data from more than 130,000 adults with insomnia found that people who took melatonin for a year or longer were more likely to develop heart failure, be hospitalized for the condition, or die from any cause compared to those who didn’t take the supplement. While…
Dark energy, the mysterious force thought to drive the universe’s accelerating expansion, remains one of the deepest puzzles in modern physics. For years, the leading explanation has been that this energy is constant — an unchanging property of empty space responsible for cosmic acceleration. But recent evidence has scientists rethinking…
When some marine fish eventually adapted to life in fresh water, many also acquired a more elaborate way to hear, including middle ear bones that resemble those in humans. Two-thirds of freshwater species today rely on a specialized middle ear known as the Weberian apparatus. This group spans more than…
The network of tiny blood vessels within the eyes may offer powerful clues about a person’s risk of heart disease and how quickly their body is aging, according to new research from McMaster University and the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), a joint institute of Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster.…
