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A new study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry by Oxford University Press reports that many tree swallow populations across the United States are living in areas with high levels of exposure to “forever” chemicals. Surprisingly, the researchers found that this exposure did not appear to harm the birds’ reproductive…
Deadwood-decomposing fungi feed germinating orchids, providing the carbon their tiny seeds don’t have. The Kobe University finding not only closes a gap in our understanding of wild orchid ecology but also uncovers an important carbon flux in the ecosystem. Orchid seeds are as small as dust and do not provide…
Quantum metals are metals where quantum effects — behaviors that normally only matter at atomic scales — become powerful enough to control the metal’s macroscopic electrical properties. Researchers in Japan have explained how electricity behaves in a special group of quantum metals called kagome metals. The study is the first…
For nearly two centuries, it was unclear that the bright spot in the constellation Virgo, which Charles Messier had described in 1781 as “87: Nebula without stars,” was in fact a very large galaxy. As a result, there was initially no explanation for the strange jet discovered in 1918 emerging…
Whether an asteroid is spinning neatly on its axis or tumbling chaotically, and how fast it is doing so, has been shown to be dependent on how frequently it has experienced collisions. The findings, presented at the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting in Helsinki, are based on data from the European Space…
Stars of all ages are on display in this new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week. This sparkling spiral galaxy is called NGC 6000 and it is located 102 million light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. This galaxy has a glowing yellow center and glittering blue outskirts. The colors…
An international team of scientists led by researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London and the University of Cologne have discovered that microbes associated with tumors produce a molecule, which can control cancer progression and boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Most people are familiar with…
Can you prove whether a large quantum system truly behaves according to the weird and wonderful rules of quantum mechanics — or if it just looks like it does? In a groundbreaking study, physicists from Leiden, Beijing en Hangzhou found the answer to this question. You could call it a…
A few years ago, researchers in Michal Lipson’s lab noticed something remarkable. They were working on a project to improve LiDAR, a technology that uses lightwaves to measure distance. The lab was designing high-power chips that could produce brighter beams of light. “As we sent more and more power through…
New research shows that marine heatwaves can reshape ocean food webs, which in turn can slow the transport of carbon to the deep sea and hamper the ocean’s ability to buffer against climate change. The study, published in the scientific journal Nature Communications on October 6, was conducted by an…
Solar energy is now so cost-effective that, in the sunniest countries, it costs as little as £0.02 to produce one unit of power, making it cheaper than electricity generated from coal, gas or wind, according to a new study from the University of Surrey. In a study published in Energy…
DMT, or dimethyltryptamine is a natural psychoactive molecule found in many plants and mammals. According to an article published in Science Advances, researchers from the HUN-REN BRC Institute of Biophysics and Semmelweis University Heart and Vascular Centre found that DMT reduces the harmful effects of stroke in animal models and…
Even though many years have passed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of infection with SARS-CoV-2 are not completely understood. This is especially true for Long COVID, a chronic condition that can develop after COVID-19 that causes a variety of lasting symptoms. Among the most common and…
What compels someone to keep engaging in alcohol use, even if it damages their health, relationships and wellbeing? A new study from Scripps Research offers an important clue: a small midline brain region plays a key role in how animals learn to continue drinking to avoid the stress and misery…
Until now, weight reduction has been the primary therapeutic goal for people with prediabetes. An analysis of a large Tübingen study shows that patients who bring their blood sugar levels back within the normal range through a healthy lifestyle but do not lose weight, or even gain weight, still reduce…
Birds separated by vast geographic distances and millions of years of evolution share a remarkably similar learned vocal warning to identify parasitic enemies near their nests, an international team of researchers has found. The results represent the first known example of an animal vocalization that is learned from an innate…
The sun-drenched paradise of Thailand’s Phi Phi islands isn’t the usual starting point for a PhD. But for Sarah Sajedi, those soft, sandy beaches – or rather, what she found under them -inspired her pivot from a business career to an academic one. “I was standing there looking out at…
The most distant and most powerful ‘odd radio circle’ (ORC) known so far has been discovered by astronomers. These curious rings are a relatively new astronomical phenomenon, having been detected for the first time just six years ago. Only a handful of confirmed examples are known – most of which…
The European Space Agency (ESA) has expanded its capability to communicate with scientific, exploration and space safety missions across our Solar System with the inauguration of a new 35-m diameter deep space antenna — the fourth for Estrack, ESA’s deep space tracking network. Located in New Norcia, about 115 km…
Most complete study of the temple complex and its landscape establishes earliest occupation and hints at link to creation myth. Researchers have carried out the most comprehensive geoarcheological survey of Egypt’s Karnak Temple near Luxor – one of the ancient world’s largest temple complexes and a UNESCO World Heritage site…
A new study out of the Complexity Science Hub (CSH) reveals that, over 170 years of economic history, the transformation of U.S. cities follows a surprisingly stable rule: while cities evolve and diversify, they on average maintain a constant level of “coherence” — a measure of how well their economic…
Wounds that do not heal are often caused by bacterial infections and are particularly dangerous for the elderly and people with diabetes, cancer and other conditions. Acetic acid (more commonly known as vinegar) has been used for centuries as a disinfectant, but it is only effective against a small number…
Researchers recreated a nearly forgotten yogurt recipe that was once was once common across the Balkans and Turkey — using ants. Reporting in the Cell Press journal iScience on October 3, the team shows that bacteria, acids, and enzymes in ants can kickstart the fermentation process that turns milk into…
This is a sparkling scene of star birth captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. What appears to be a craggy, starlit mountaintop kissed by wispy clouds is actually a cosmic dust-scape being eaten away by the blistering winds and radiation of nearby, massive, infant stars. Called Pismis 24, this…
The universe is full of different types of radiation and particles that can be observed here on Earth. This includes photons across the entire range of the electromagnetic spectrum, from the lowest radio frequencies all the way to the highest-energy gamma rays. It also includes other particles such as neutrinos…
A supermoon takes over the sky, the Draconid meteor shower peeks through, and the Orionid meteor shower shines bright. Skywatching Highlights Oct. 6: The October supermoon Oct. 6-10: The Draconid meteor shower Oct. 21: The Orionid meteor shower peaks (full duration Sept. 26 — Nov. 22) Transcript What’s Up for…
Electric vehicles (EVs) can have lower fuel costs and reduce emissions relative to cars that use gasoline, but they are only a practical option if drivers have convenient ways to charge them. For people who live in multi-unit dwellings or in urban areas, access to charging infrastructure may be particularly…
In a review of 246 deceased drivers, 41.9% tested positive for active THC in their blood, with an average level of 30.7 ng/mL — far exceeding most state impairment limits. The high rate of THC positivity remained consistent over six years and was unaffected by the state’s legalization of recreational…
Scientists at Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC) and Albert Einstein College of Medicine have shown for the first time that glioblastoma — the deadliest form of brain cancer — affects not just the brain but also erodes the skull, alters the makeup of skull marrow, and interferes with the…
In the realm of memories, “where” holds special importance. Where did I leave my keys? Where did I eat dinner last night? Where did I first meet that friend? Recalling locations is necessary for daily life, yet spatial memory — which keeps track of “where” — is one of the…
