This small soil upgrade cut locust damage and doubled yields

“They’re very destructive when there’s a lot of them, but one-on-one, what’s not to love?” says Arianne Cease. She is referring to locusts. Cease leads Arizona State University’s Global Locust Initiative, where she studies how locusts behave and how their destructive swarms can be controlled. While her research focuses on…

The hidden health impact of growing up with ADHD traits

Children who show ADHD traits at age 10 are more likely to experience physical health problems and health-related disability by age 46, according to a study led by researchers at University College London (UCL) and the University of Liverpool. The researchers say the results likely reflect a broad mix of…

New catalyst makes plastic upcycling 10x more efficient than platinum

Many common products, including plastics and detergents, rely on chemical reactions that depend on catalysts made from precious metals such as platinum. These metals are effective but costly and limited in supply. For years, scientists have been searching for alternatives that are cheaper and more sustainable. One promising option is…

Astronomers just revealed a stunning new view of the Milky Way in radio colors

Astronomers at the International Centre of Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) have produced the largest low-frequency radio color image of the Milky Way ever assembled. The new image presents an extraordinary view of our galaxy as seen from the Southern Hemisphere, revealing the Milky Way across a broad range of radio…

Astronomers found a black hole growing way too fast

An international team of astronomers led by researchers from Waseda University and Tohoku University has identified an unusual quasar in the early Universe that contains one of the fastest-growing supermassive black holes known for its size. Data from the Subaru Telescope show a surprising mix of traits. The quasar is…

Scientists exposed how cancer hides in plain sight

Could this discovery change how cancer is treated in the future? In laboratory studies, the answer appears promising. An international team of scientists has uncovered a key biological process that helps pancreatic cancer grow and evade the immune system. By disrupting this process, researchers were able to dramatically shrink tumors…

Ancient giant kangaroos could hop after all

New research suggests that the giant ancestors of modern kangaroos may not have been as limited in their movement as once believed. Some of these prehistoric species are thought to have weighed up to 250 kilograms, yet a study published in Scientific Reports indicates they may have been capable of…

Chemotherapy rewires gut bacteria to block metastasis

Chemotherapy is widely known to damage the lining of the intestines. While this effect is often treated as a localized problem, the consequences extend beyond the digestive tract. When the intestinal lining is injured, the availability of nutrients inside the gut changes, forcing resident bacteria to adapt to a new…

This one gene may explain most Alzheimer’s cases

A new analysis led by researchers at University College London suggests that Alzheimer’s disease may depend far more on one gene than previously recognized. The study estimates that more than 90% of Alzheimer’s cases might not develop without the influence of a single gene called APOE. The researchers also found…

The bottled water everyone trusts may be the riskiest

A new study led by Washington State University researchers in Guatemala found that drinking water sources widely believed to be clean and safe often contain harmful bacteria. The research focused on Guatemala’s Western Highlands, where scientists compared what people think about their drinking water with what laboratory testing actually revealed.…

A brain glitch may explain why some people hear voices

A new study led by psychologists at UNSW Sydney offers the clearest evidence so far that hearing voices in schizophrenia may arise from a breakdown in how the brain recognizes its own inner voice. The research suggests that the brain may be misidentifying internally generated thoughts as sounds coming from…

This 2.6-million-year-old jawbone changes the human story

A newly published study in Nature describes the discovery of the first known Paranthropus fossil from Ethiopia’s Afar region, uncovered about 1000 km north of where this ancient hominin had previously been found. The research team was led by University of Chicago paleoanthropologist Professor Zeresenay Alemseged. The find provides important…

Rare rocks beneath Australia reveal the origins of a critical metal

Scientists studying rare rocks buried deep beneath central Australia have uncovered how one of the world’s most promising new sources of niobium came to be. Niobium is a critical metal used to strengthen steel and support clean energy technologies, and its origins are tied to dramatic geological events that unfolded…

Europa’s ice may be feeding a hidden ocean that could support life

A new study from geophysicists at Washington State University sheds light on how nutrients could travel from the surface of Europa into the moon’s hidden ocean. Europa, one of Jupiter’s largest moons, is considered one of the most promising places in the solar system to search for extraterrestrial life. For…

Scientists ranked monogamy across mammals and humans stand out

Humans appear to be much closer to animals like meerkats and beavers than to most other primates when it comes to exclusive mating, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. The study presents a comparative ranking that measures levels of monogamy across a range of mammal species, including…

This new antibody may stop one of the deadliest breast cancers

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is among the most aggressive forms of breast cancer and is especially difficult to treat. It grows rapidly, spreads early, and lacks the hormone receptors that allow many other breast cancers to be treated with targeted drugs. While some patients initially respond to therapy, the disease…

How type 2 diabetes quietly damages blood vessels

The risk of cardiovascular disease rises steadily the longer a person lives with type 2 diabetes. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal Diabetes, suggests that changes in red blood cells may help explain this growing danger. The researchers also point to a specific molecule that could…

A blood test could reveal Crohn’s disease years before symptoms

Researchers at Sinai Health have identified a blood test that can signal the risk of Crohn’s disease years before symptoms begin. The discovery points to the possibility of diagnosing the condition earlier than ever before and may eventually help doctors intervene before lasting damage occurs. The blood test focuses on…

The genetic advantage that helps some people stay sharp for life

Among the known genetic factors tied to late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD), one gene variant stands out as the strongest risk factor. That variant is APOE-ε4. Another form of the same gene, APOE-ε2, has been associated with a lower likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s and is widely believed to offer some level…

Why some people get bad colds and others don’t

When rhinovirus, the most common cause of the common cold, enters the nasal passages, the cells lining the nose immediately begin working together to fight the infection. These cells activate a wide range of antiviral defenses designed to limit the virus and stop it from spreading. In a study published…

A common vitamin could influence bathroom frequency

Bowel habits may not be a popular topic, but they offer valuable insight into how efficiently the gut moves material through the digestive system. When this process becomes disrupted, people can develop constipation, diarrhea, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Even though these conditions are widespread, the biological processes that regulate…

This simple fix makes blockchain almost twice as fast

The Internet of Things (IoT) is steadily turning the idea of a fully connected world into reality. Billions of physical devices, from tiny sensors to self-driving vehicles and industrial machines, now collect and exchange data online. Keeping that information secure and unchanged is critical, which is why engineers are increasingly…

Physicists challenge a 200-year-old law of thermodynamics at the atomic scale

Two physicists at the University of Stuttgart have demonstrated that the Carnot principle, a foundational rule of thermodynamics, does not fully apply at the atomic scale when particles are physically linked (so-called correlated objects). Their findings suggest that this long-standing limit on efficiency breaks down for tiny systems governed by…

After 11 years of research, scientists unlock a new weakness in deadly fungi

Fungal infections claim millions of lives every year, yet treatment options have failed to keep pace with the growing danger. Scientists at McMaster University now report a discovery that could shift that balance. They have identified a molecule called butyrolactol A that targets a highly dangerous disease-causing fungus known as…

MRI scans show exercise can make the brain look younger

Looking after your brain is something that happens over many years, and new findings from the AdventHealth Research Institute point to an encouraging option. Researchers report that sticking with a consistent aerobic exercise routine may help the brain remain biologically younger. This effect could support clearer thinking, better memory, and…

Researchers unlocked a new shortcut to quantum materials

That idea may sound like fantasy, but it sits at the heart of an emerging area of physics known as Floquet engineering. Researchers in this field study how repeating influences, such as carefully tuned light, can temporarily reshape the way electrons behave inside a material. When this happens, a familiar…

A tiny spin change just flipped a famous quantum effect

In condensed matter physics, some of the most unusual behaviors appear only when many quantum particles interact as a group. A single quantum spin on its own behaves in relatively simple ways, but when spins influence each other across a material, entirely new effects can emerge. Explaining how these collective…

A simple blood test mismatch linked to kidney failure and death

A difference between two widely used blood tests for kidney health may serve as an early warning sign for serious outcomes, including kidney failure, heart disease, and death, according to new research. For many years, doctors have relied on a blood marker called creatinine to estimate how well the kidneys…