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Researchers have shown that young rats fed a ketogenic diet — a diet with high fat and low carbohydrates — are protected from the lasting experience of pre-natal stress. This work, which needs to be confirmed in humans, is presented at the ECNP conference in Amsterdam An extensive body of…
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease is currently the most widespread liver disorder globally, affecting roughly one in three adults. It occurs when excess fat builds up inside liver cells, leading to serious liver damage and a higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Researchers at the University of Barcelona have…
Once connected stretches of land, now hidden beneath the sea, may have given early humans a way to move between what is today Türkiye and Europe, according to groundbreaking new research in this little-studied region. The study, recently published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, reveals the…
Food waste can be far more valuable than the pile of scraps left behind after a meal. Scientists are uncovering surprising ways to turn discarded materials — from dried beet pulp to coconut fibers processed by millipedes — into useful resources. In four new studies published in ACS journals, researchers…
Earth is lucky to have a magnetic field that shields the planet — and everything living on it — from dangerous cosmic radiation. Without this invisible barrier, Earth would be exposed to the same constant stream of charged particles that bombards other planets in our solar system, such as Mars,…
According to new research presented at the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting in Helsinki, the nearest technological civilization in the Milky Way could be roughly 33,000 light years away. For such a civilization to exist at the same time as humanity, it would need to have lasted for at least 280,000 years…
Picture diving deep into the quantum realm, where unimaginably small particles can exist and interact in more than a trillion possible ways at the same time. It’s as complex as it sounds. To understand these mind-bending systems and their countless configurations, physicists usually turn to powerful supercomputers or artificial intelligence…
For many nature enthusiasts, few scenes are as distressing as finding a stranded whale or dolphin lying helpless on the beach. When these animals are still alive, marine biologists and volunteers rush to assist, shielding them from the sun and preventing their skin from drying out by pouring seawater over…
Scientists have uncovered the first South American amber deposits containing preserved insects in a quarry in Ecuador, according to a study published in Communications Earth & Environment. The discovery captures a vivid picture of a 112-million-year-old forest that once thrived on the ancient supercontinent Gondwana and opens new doors for…
Nearly one-quarter of older adults regained top well-being within three years, even after struggling. Emotional health, physical activity, and good sleep were strong predictors of recovery. Credit: Shutterstock Almost one in four adults aged 60 and older who initially reported poor well-being managed to regain a state of optimal well-being…
Astronomers have used a worldwide array of telescopes to spot the smallest dark object ever identified in the universe. Discovering more of these faint, hidden masses and understanding what they are could help eliminate certain explanations for dark matter, the invisible material believed to make up roughly one-quarter of the…
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a long-term autoimmune condition that affects over 2.9 million people around the world. In MS, the immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath, a protective layer that insulates nerve fibers. This damage interrupts communication between the brain and body, leading to symptoms such as numbness, tingling,…
A sweeping global review has revealed that men’s alcohol consumption is causing widespread harm to women and children, from violence and neglect to lost educational and life opportunities. Credit: Shutterstock A new global review led by La Trobe University has revealed the often-overlooked damage caused by men’s alcohol consumption to…
Researchers have developed a polymer structure shaped like a “Chinese lantern” that can quickly change into more than a dozen curved, three-dimensional forms when it is compressed or twisted. This transformation can be triggered and controlled remotely with a magnetic field, opening possibilities for a wide range of practical uses.…
Light bulbs come in all sorts of forms—globes, spirals, candle-like tips, and long tubes—but few are truly thin. Now, scientists reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have designed an LED so slender it’s nearly as thin as paper, yet it emits a cozy, sunlike glow. This new design could…
Scientists have created a new and more advanced form of immune-based cancer therapy using engineered cells known as CAR-NK (natural killer) cells. Like CAR-T cells, these modified immune cells can be programmed to recognize and attack cancer, but they rely on a different type of immune cell that naturally targets…
Rock art panels at Jebel Arnaan. Credit: Maria Guagnin Recent research has revealed the crucial role of early human groups who settled in northern Arabia soon after the intensely dry period known as the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). These communities followed the return of seasonal water sources and left behind…
Scientists at McGill University and the Douglas Institute have discovered that two distinct types of brain cells show changes in people experiencing depression. Published in Nature Genetics, the research provides new clues that could guide the creation of treatments focused on these specific cells. It also enhances scientific understanding of…
At first, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer might seem to have little overlap. One gradually destroys memory and cognition, while the other ravages the body through uncontrolled cell growth. Yet scientists at the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center have found an unexpected biological link between them. Their new study, published in Cancer…
A research group from the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has achieved a major advance in photonics with the creation of the first optical device built on the emerging concept of optical thermodynamics. Their findings, published in Nature Photonics, reveal an entirely new way to control and…
A gene-editing approach called prime editing could one day help treat many illnesses by turning faulty genes into healthy ones. However, the technique sometimes introduces small mistakes into DNA, which can occasionally be harmful. Researchers at MIT have now discovered a way to significantly reduce these errors by altering the…
Smaller than a grain of dust and shaped like minute discs, coccolithophores are microscopic ocean dwellers with an outsized influence on the planet’s climate. These tiny algae remove carbon from seawater, release oxygen, and create delicate calcite plates that eventually sink to the ocean floor. Over time, these plates form…
A recent editorial in Biocontaminant reveals that Guangdong Province is now facing the largest chikungunya fever outbreak ever documented in China, with more than 4,000 confirmed infections reported since late July. Shunde District in Foshan has been hit hardest, accounting for over 3,600 cases, while additional infections have appeared in…
Pain may be unpleasant, but in most cases it plays a vital, even lifesaving, role. Short bursts of pain act as warning signals that protect us from harm. When you touch a hot pan, stub your toe, or bump your head, your nervous system instantly delivers an “Ow!” that prompts…
Androgenetic alopecia, also known as male pattern baldness or female pattern hair loss, is one of the most widespread causes of hair thinning in both men and women. While topical minoxidil is an approved therapy, its limited ability to dissolve in water and penetrate the skin reduces its effectiveness. Researchers…
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have uncovered a new way that brown fat, a type of fat that burns energy, can boost the body’s metabolism. This process allows cells to consume more fuel and generate heat, improving overall metabolic health. Conducted in mice, the research…
Although Mars has an extremely thin atmosphere, it still experiences powerful winds that play a major role in shaping the planet’s climate and in distributing its ever-present dust. These winds stir up dust into swirling columns called dust devils—rotating plumes of air and fine particles that sweep across the Martian…
A team of astronomers led by Northwestern University has captured the clearest and most detailed view ever of a dying star before its dramatic explosion. Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the international group identified the source of a supernova, known as its progenitor, in mid-infrared light for the…
Asteroid 2025 TF passed over Antarctica at 00:47:26 UTC ± 18 seconds on October 1, coming within 428 ± 7 km of Earth’s surface. That distance is nearly the same as the orbit of the International Space Station (approx. 370 — 460 km). Measuring about 1 to 3 meters in…
Medications a person took years ago can still influence the community of microbes living in their gut, according to a large study conducted by the University of Tartu Institute of Genomics. By examining stool samples and prescription data from more than 2,500 participants in the Estonian Biobank’s Microbiome cohort, scientists…
