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Creatures without hard shells or bones, such as jellyfish, almost never survive in the fossil record. Preservation becomes even more difficult in sandstone, a rock made of coarse grains that allow water to pass through easily and typically forms in turbulent environments shaped by waves and storms. These conditions usually…
New research from Curtin University offers the clearest scientific support so far that people, rather than glaciers, carried Stonehenge’s well known bluestones to the ancient monument. The findings take aim at one of archaeology’s longest running debates and add weight to the idea that the stones were deliberately moved by…
A large study from France published by The BMJ reports that people who consume higher amounts of food preservatives may face a slightly increased risk of developing cancer. These additives are commonly used in industrially processed foods and drinks to extend shelf life. The researchers emphasize that more studies are…
New research suggests that both the amount and the type of carbohydrates people eat may strongly influence their risk of developing dementia. The findings come from a collaborative study conducted by the Nutrition and Metabolic Health (NuMeH) research group at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), the Centre for Environmental,…
Physicists have identified an unexpected connection between magnetism and the pseudogap, a puzzling phase of matter that appears in some quantum materials just before they become superconducting. This insight could help researchers develop new materials with valuable properties, including high-temperature superconductivity, where electricity travels without energy loss. The discovery came…
People who have obesity and high blood pressure may be more likely to develop dementia, according to new research published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Dementia is an increasing global public health concern, and there is currently no cure. People affected by the condition experience a serious…
Researchers at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering have identified the first physical mechanism explaining how magnetic fields slow the movement of carbon atoms through iron. Published in Physical Review Letters, the work sheds new light on how carbon affects the internal grain…
In Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking-Glass,” Alice runs endlessly alongside the Red Queen but never moves ahead. “It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place,” the Queen explains. That idea has long been used to describe evolutionary standoffs between species, such as hosts and…
When ice turns into water, the change happens almost instantly. As soon as the temperature reaches the melting point, the rigid structure of ice collapses into liquid water. This rapid switch from solid to liquid is typical for familiar three-dimensional materials. Extremely thin materials behave very differently. Instead of melting…
One of astronomy’s longest standing puzzles has been understanding how black holes grew so large in such a short span of cosmic time. Scientists have long known that supermassive black holes existed surprisingly early in the universe, but how they reached those enormous sizes remained unclear. Now, researchers at Ireland’s…
First observed in the early 1800s, the Helix Nebula has become one of the most recognizable planetary nebulas in the sky thanks to its bold, ring-like appearance. As one of the closest planetary nebulas to Earth, it offers astronomers a rare opportunity to closely examine the final stages of a…
Researchers at the University of Basel and the Laboratoire Kastler Brossel have shown that quantum entanglement can be used to measure several physical quantities at the same time with greater accuracy than traditional methods allow. Entanglement is often described as one of the most mysterious effects in quantum physics. When…
Adding a log to a glowing fireplace on a cold winter night often feels comforting and harmless. However, new research from Northwestern University shows that burning wood inside homes plays a much larger role in winter air pollution across the United States than many people realize. The study found that…
Scientists have successfully reconstructed the genome of Treponema pallidum from human remains that are about 5,500 years old, discovered in the Sabana de Bogotá region of Colombia. This bacterium is responsible for several serious infectious diseases today, including syphilis. The findings, published in the journal Science, significantly expand what researchers…
Scientists have created a new way to predict how cancer cells evolve as they gain or lose entire chromosomes. These large chromosome changes can quickly reshape tumors, helping them grow, adapt to stress, and resist treatment. A new tool called ALFA-K reveals which chromosome changes help cancer cells thrive and…
Alzheimer’s disease is known for one devastating effect above all others. It steadily destroys brain cells and the connections between them, breaking down the neural networks that allow us to store and recall memories. What remains far less certain is how this destruction begins. One leading explanation focuses on amyloid…
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have identified a chain reaction within the immune system that may help explain why people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) face a much greater risk of colorectal cancer. The preclinical findings show how signals in the gut can trigger a surge of white blood cells…
A long-standing mystery surrounding a Roman-era skeleton discovered in southern England may finally be close to an answer. Earlier studies suggested the young woman, known as the Beachy Head Woman, may have had recent ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa or the Mediterranean. New genetic research now points in a different direction,…
Can generative artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT genuinely create original ideas? A new study led by Professor Karim Jerbi from the Department of Psychology at the Université de Montréal, with participation from renowned AI researcher Yoshua Bengio, takes on that question at an unprecedented scale. The research is the largest…
More than 10,000 years ago, people living in the southwestern United States carried a wild ancestor of the modern potato across long distances. According to a study published January 21, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One, this movement likely helped the plant spread beyond its original habitat. The research…
Scientists at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, along with their collaborators, have developed a technique for building three dimensional nanoscale devices directly from single crystal materials. The method relies on a focused ion beam instrument that can precisely remove material at extremely small scales. Using this approach, the…
A new study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution shows that tropical forests across the Amazon and Andes have experienced major changes in tree diversity in recent decades as global environmental conditions continue to shift. The research was led by Dr. Belen Fadrique of the University of Liverpool and is…
Environmental and public health researchers are drawing attention to a little-known group of pathogens that may pose a rising global danger: free living amoebae. In a new perspective published in Biocontaminant, the team explains that these microscopic organisms are gaining ground worldwide, driven by climate change, deteriorating water systems, and…
Singapore ranks among the countries with the longest life expectancy in the world. Even so, many people spend close to their final ten years coping with poor health. Researchers at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) are working to change that reality by…
One year into President Donald J. Trump’s second term, NASA reports measurable gains across human spaceflight, scientific research, aeronautics, and advanced technology development. Agency officials say these achievements signal the early stages of a renewed period of American leadership in space, supported by defined national priorities and major investment through…
Thousands of discarded human-made objects are circling Earth, and when pieces of that space debris fall back to the surface, they can pose risks to people on the ground. To help identify where debris may come down, a scientist at Johns Hopkins University has contributed to a new approach that…
Astronomers have identified powerful winds of vaporized metals inside a vast cloud that blocked the light of a distant star for almost nine months. The finding was made using the Gemini South telescope in Chile, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, which is partly funded by the U.S. National…
A new study suggests that long-term inflammation may physically change the colon in ways that promote early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC). Researchers found that chronic inflammation can increase the stiffness of colon tissue, potentially creating conditions that help cancer develop and spread. The findings, published in Advanced Science, point to new…
As people grow older, the immune system often becomes less balanced and more prone to dysfunction. This shift can leave older adults more vulnerable to serious conditions such as sepsis. New research from scientists at the University of Minnesota sheds light on why this happens, showing how certain immune cells…
People with spinal cord injuries often lose the ability to move their arms or legs. In many cases, the nerves in the limbs remain healthy, and the brain continues to function normally. The loss of movement happens because damage to the spinal cord blocks signals traveling between the brain and…
