Reporting world updates to you
Selecting the right spot to smash a spacecraft into the surface of a hazardous asteroid to deflect it must be done with great care, according to new research presented at the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting this week in Helsinki. Slamming into its surface indiscriminately runs the risk of knocking the asteroid…
Organic molecules detected in the watery plumes that spew out from cracks in the surface of Enceladus could be formed through exposure to radiation on Saturn’s icy moon, rather than originating from deep within its sub-surface ocean. The findings, presented during the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting in Helsinki this week, have…
A team of astronomers has detected for the first time a growing planet outside our solar system, embedded in a cleared gap of a multi-ringed disk of dust and gas. The team, led by University of Arizona astronomer Laird Close and Richelle van Capelleveen, an astronomy graduate student at Leiden…
Humans could learn a thing or two from orangutans when it comes to maintaining a balanced, protein-filled diet. Great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia, orangutans are marvels of adaptation to the vagaries of food supply in the wild, according to an international team of researchers led…
Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are increasingly central to technology, powering everything from facial recognition to language translation. But as AI models grow more complex, they consume vast amounts of electricity — posing challenges for energy efficiency and sustainability. A new chip developed by researchers at the University of Florida could…
What do children’s building blocks and quantum computing have in common? The answer is modularity. It is difficult for scientists to build quantum computers monolithically – that is, as a single large unit. Quantum computing relies on the manipulation of millions of information units called qubits, but these qubits are…
Exposure to high concentrations of air pollution may worsen Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by accelerating the buildup of toxic proteins in the brain and speeding up cognitive decline. For the first time, post-mortem tissue from people with AD revealed that those who lived in areas with higher concentrations of fine particulate…
As every bodybuilder knows, a deep, restful sleep boosts levels of growth hormone to build strong muscle and bone and burn fat. And as every teenager should know, they won’t reach their full height potential without adequate growth hormone from a full night’s sleep. But why lack of sleep —…
Mass General Brigham researchers identified seven molecules in the blood linked to excessive daytime sleepiness, including factors related to diet and hormones. Approximately one in three Americans reports experiencing overwhelming drowsiness during the day — a condition known as excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). EDS is linked to an increased risk…
There is a high demand for safe and long-lasting medications to treat bone loss, known medically as osteoporosis. In Germany, around six million people – mostly women – are affected by this widespread condition. Discovering new targets for drug development is therefore a key step towards better therapies with fewer…
Scientists have discovered why older people are more likely to suffer severely from the flu, and can now use their findings to address this risk. In a new study, which is published in PNAS, experts discovered that older people produce a glycosylated protein called apoplipoprotein D (ApoD), which is involved…
In northern California, salmon are more than just fish — they’re a cornerstone of tribal traditions, a driver of tourism and a sign of healthy rivers. So it may not come as a surprise that NAU and University of California Berkeley scientists working along the region’s Eel River have discovered…
A pioneering study by researchers from Finland and the UK has demonstrated for the first time that myocardial infarction may be an infectious disease. This discovery challenges the conventional understanding of the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction and opens new avenues for treatment, diagnostics, and even vaccine development. According to the…
A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, found predominantly in fish oils, may help ward off the development of nearsightedness (myopia) in children, while a high intake of saturated fats, found in foods such as butter, palm oil, and red meat, may boost the risk of the condition, finds research…
Food allergies affect more than half a billion people worldwide. In severe cases, even a small bite of the wrong food can trigger anaphylaxis — a rapid, body-wide allergic reaction that can cause difficulty breathing, a dangerous drop in blood pressure and even death. Scientists have long understood how injected…
On New Year’s Day 1995, a monstrous 80-foot wave in the North Sea slammed into the Draupner oil platform. The wall of water crumpled steel railings and flung heavy equipment across the deck — but its biggest impact was what it left behind: hard data. It was the first time…
Stanford Medicine scientists investigating the neurological underpinnings of autism spectrum disorder have found that hyperactivity in a specific brain region could drive behaviors commonly associated with the disorder. Using a mouse model of the disease, the researchers identified the reticular thalamic nucleus — which serves as a gatekeeper of sensory…
The age of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed our interactions, but threatens human dignity on a worldwide scale, according to a study led by Charles Darwin University (CDU). Study lead author Dr Maria Randazzo, an academic from CDU’s School of Law, found the technology was reshaping Western legal and ethical…
For cancer, and infection-fighting T cells, glucose offers far more than a simple sugar rush. A new discovery by Van Andel Institute scientists reveals that glucose, an essential cellular fuel that powers immune cells, also aids in T cells’ internal communication and boosts their cancer-fighting properties. The findings may help…
Is aging inevitable? While most living beings age, some do so more slowly than others. A new scientific study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) addresses a fascinating question: what if migration influences the way we age? To explore this mystery, scientists turned their attention…
Children who had higher blood pressure at age 7 were more likely to die early from cardiovascular disease by their mid-50s. The risk was highest for children whose blood pressure measurements were in the top 10% for their age, sex and height. Both elevated blood pressure (90-94th percentile) and hypertension…
What did long-necked dinosaurs eat – and where did they roam to satisfy their hunger? A team of researchers has reconstructed the feeding behavior of sauropods using cutting-edge dental wear analysis. Their findings, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, show that microscopic enamel wear marks provide surprising insights into migration,…
Imagine a clock that doesn’t have electricity, but its hands and gears spin on their own for all eternity. In a new study, physicists at the University of Colorado Boulder have used liquid crystals, the same materials that are in your phone display, to create such a clock — or,…
What do the rumblings of Iceland’s volcanoes have in common with the now peaceful volcanic islands off Scotland’s western coast and the spectacular basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland? About sixty million years ago, the Icelandic mantle plume — a fountain of hot rock that rises from…
CRISPR gene-editing machinery could transform medicine but is difficult to get into tissues and disease-relevant cells New delivery system loads CRISPR machinery inside spherical nucleic acid (SNA) nanoparticles Particles entered cells three times more effectively, tripled gene-editing efficiency, and decreased toxicity compared to current delivery methods With the power to…
During the dry season in Central America (generally between December and April), northern trade winds generate upwelling events in the ocean waters of the Gulf of Panama. Upwelling is a process that allows cold, nutrient-rich waters from the depths of the ocean to rise to the surface. This dynamic supports…
The trial, led by Professor Robert Bals, Director of the Department of Internal Medicine V at Saarland University Medical Center and Professor of Internal Medicine at Saarland University, divided the 450 participants into two groups. The treatment group of 227 individuals used an azelastine nasal spray three times a day…
A small team led by Sihao Cheng, Martin A. and Helen Chooljian Member in the Institute for Advanced Study’s School of Natural Sciences, has discovered an extraordinary trans-Neptunian object (TNO), named 2017 OF201, at the edge of our solar system. The TNO is potentially large enough to qualify as a…
A new study maps the planetary boundary of “functional biosphere integrity” in spatial detail and over centuries. It finds that 60 percent of global land areas are now already outside the locally defined safe zone, and 38 percent are even in the high-risk zone. The study was led by the…
A new species of bacteria of the genus Bartonella has been found in the Amazon National Park in the state of Pará, Brazil, in phlebotomine insects, also known as sand flies. This type of insect is generally associated with transmitting leishmaniasis, but according to the researchers, the DNA of the…
