Reporting world updates to you
Sourdough starter is a simple blend of flour and water that bakers rely on to make bread rise. For scientists, it is also a powerful way to study how living organisms change over time. The familiar chewy texture and tangy flavor of sourdough come from a complex mix of microorganisms…
Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, have been used as medical treatments for bacterial infections for more than 100 years. Interest in these viruses is rising again as antibiotic resistance becomes a growing global health threat. Despite this renewed attention, most phage-based research has remained focused on naturally occurring viruses, largely…
Scientists at Aarhus University have overturned a long-standing assumption about how life’s essential ingredients emerge. New experiments show that the basic components needed to build proteins can form naturally in space, a finding that increases the likelihood that life could exist elsewhere in the universe. The research was carried out…
Scientists at James Cook University have uncovered a striking biological surprise. Epaulette sharks can reproduce and lay eggs without showing any measurable increase in energy use. The finding challenges long-standing assumptions about how costly reproduction is for animals. The discovery comes from new research by JCU’s shark physiology team, led…
Much like a snow avalanche that starts with a small shift before cascading downhill, new observations show that solar flares begin with subtle magnetic disturbances that rapidly intensify. Scientists using the European Space Agency (ESA) led Solar Orbiter spacecraft discovered that these early changes can quickly grow into violent eruptions,…
Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have developed a new building material that removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it produces. The advance, reported in the high-impact journal Matter, describes a material called enzymatic structural material (ESM). It is designed to be strong, long-lasting, and recyclable, while requiring far…
A new study suggests that the human brain understands spoken language through a stepwise process that closely resembles how advanced AI language models operate. By recording brain activity from people listening to a spoken story, researchers found that later stages of brain responses match deeper layers of AI systems, especially…
New research from Texas Biomedical Research Institute suggests that long-term use of very small amounts of THC may reduce inflammation and ease several harmful effects linked to HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART). THC, short for tetrahydrocannabinol, is the primary active compound found in cannabis. In this preclinical research, scientists used…
Mountains around the world are warming more quickly than nearby lowland areas, according to a major global review, and the impacts could be severe for billions of people who live in or rely on these regions. Researchers warn that climate shifts at higher elevations are unfolding faster and with greater…
A study led by Stanford Medicine researchers has found that an injection blocking a protein linked to aging can reverse the natural loss of knee cartilage in older mice. The same treatment also stopped arthritis from developing after knee injuries that resemble ACL tears, which are common among athletes and…
About one in five adults in the United States will experience major depression at some point in their lives. Many people improve after trying a few treatments, but for as many as one-third of patients, standard antidepressants or psychotherapy do not provide enough relief. This condition, known as treatment-resistant depression,…
Scientists have uncovered a key reason why more than half of people with chronic kidney disease eventually die from heart-related complications. According to new research, damaged kidneys release a substance into the bloodstream that directly harms the heart. The discovery, made by researchers at UVA Health and Mount Sinai, could…
About 1 million people in the United States are living with Parkinson’s disease, and nearly 90,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. The condition is a long-term, progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys dopamine-producing nerve cells, which are critical for controlled, fluid movement. Most available…
Quantum computers are expected to deliver extraordinary speed and computing power, with the potential to transform scientific research and business operations. That same power also makes them especially appealing targets for cyberattacks, said Swaroop Ghosh, a professor of computer science and electrical engineering at the Penn State School of Electrical…
The Universe began about 13.8 billion years ago with the Big Bang, a moment of extremely rapid expansion. Roughly 400,000 years later, after the cosmos cooled enough for atoms to form, it entered a long and quiet phase known as the “Dark Ages.” This period lasted for around 0.1 billion…
Astronomers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), the National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS, and the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets (IREx) at the University of Montreal (UdeM) have made a major breakthrough using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). For the first time, researchers have followed gas…
Nearly everyone knows the feeling. After a night of poor sleep, it becomes harder to stay focused. Thoughts drift, reaction times slow, and mental clarity fades when attention is needed most. New research from MIT sheds light on what is happening inside the brain during these brief lapses in focus.…
Ibuprofen is one of the most widely used pain relievers in the United States, commonly taken for headaches, muscle aches, and menstrual pain. New research suggests this familiar medication may have effects that go beyond pain relief. Scientists are now examining whether it could also play a role in lowering…
For the first time, researchers at the University of British Columbia have shown how to consistently produce a crucial type of human immune cell, known as helper T cells, from stem cells in a controlled lab setting. The research, published on January 7 in Cell Stem Cell, removes a major…
An international research team led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), has identified a promising way to help chronic wounds heal faster, including wounds infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria. Chronic wounds are a growing global health problem. Each year, about 18.6 million people worldwide develop diabetic foot ulcers.[1] Over…
A new study led by King’s College London, in partnership with the University of Westminster, has revealed important details about the E. coli bacteria linked to diabetic foot infections. The research focuses on how varied these bacterial strains are and what makes some infections especially severe. The study, published in…
Some galaxies host an active galactic nucleus, an intensely bright region powered by a supermassive black hole that is actively pulling in surrounding matter. As gas and dust spiral toward the black hole, enormous amounts of energy can be released. In certain cases, that energy powers narrow jets that shoot…
At 6:42 p.m. EST on Saturday, Jan. 17, NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft completed their move to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) took nearly 12 hours from start to finish. The trip…
Researchers from IPHES-CERCA have contributed to a new study led by the National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH) that challenges long-standing ideas about how early humans survived. Published in the journal Journal of Human Evolution, the research takes a sweeping look at carrion consumption from the earliest hominins to…
One of the defining breakthroughs in mammal evolution was the rise of highly sensitive hearing. Modern mammals rely on a middle ear that includes an eardrum and several tiny bones, a system that makes it possible to detect a wide range of sounds at different volumes. This ability likely gave…
Taking acetaminophen, commonly known by the brand name Tylenol, during pregnancy does not raise the risk of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disability in children. This conclusion comes from the most comprehensive review of the evidence so far, published on January 16 in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology &…
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine report that they have uncovered a promising drug target that could allow scientists to increase or decrease the activity of specific brain proteins. The discovery may lead to new treatments for psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and schizophrenia, as well as a neurological disorder that…
For nearly 100 years, dark matter has remained one of the biggest unanswered questions in cosmology. Although it cannot be seen directly, its gravitational influence shapes galaxies and the large-scale structure of the universe. At the Perimeter Institute, two physicists are investigating how a particular form of dark matter, known…
Global demand for electricity is rising fast. Energy-hungry data centers that support artificial intelligence, along with expanding manufacturing, are putting unprecedented pressure on power systems worldwide. Meeting that demand will require more than simply generating additional electricity. One promising solution is to use existing energy supplies far more efficiently and…
The chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), commonly called Bd, is widely recognized as a major factor behind the worldwide decline of amphibians. Scientists have identified multiple genetic variants of this disease causing fungus across different regions. Together, these strains have already contributed to population crashes in at least 500 species of…
