One of Earth’s most powerful supervolcanoes is refilling with fresh magma

One of Earth’s most powerful supervolcanoes is slowly refilling its enormous underground magma reservoir, thousands of years after producing one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recent geological history. Scientists at Kobe University have discovered evidence that fresh magma is accumulating beneath Japan’s Kikai caldera, which unleashed a catastrophic eruption…

Dental implants can hijack your immune system, scientists discover

For tens of millions of people, dental implants have provided a way to replace missing teeth with a full set of fixed, functional teeth rather than removable dentures. However, an estimated 10% to 20% of implant patients eventually develop peri-implantitis, a serious infection that damages the surrounding jawbone. Antibiotics frequently…

Breakthrough PTSD treatment achieves 68% remission rate in clinical trial

A new approach to treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has received FDA clearance, offering a personalized alternative for people who have not found sufficient relief through existing treatments. Developed by California-based Wave Neuroscience in collaboration with researchers at the Texas A&M Health Institute of Biosciences and Technology, the technology uses…

MIT scientists build a tiny robot that swims using living muscle cells

A swimming robot does not necessarily need a bulky motor or powerful mechanical parts to move through water. MIT researchers have demonstrated that a single, carefully engineered layer of living muscle cells can generate enough force to propel a tiny robot forward. The engineers developed an extremely thin swimming robot…

A tiny defect in a crystal reveals a big quantum surprise

When light strikes a tiny imperfection inside a material such as diamond or silicon carbide, it can transfer energy to electrons and push them into an excited state. These imperfections, known as spin defects, could become valuable building blocks for future quantum technologies, including quantum sensors. Because they can function…

Scientists discover a surprising double benefit of exercise for Parkinson’s

People with Parkinson’s disease who are more physically active may experience slower declines in memory, thinking, and movement, according to a new study published October 7, 2026, in Neurology, the official medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The findings suggest that staying active could offer two important advantages…

Nearly 20% of Switzerland’s glacier ice has vanished in just five years

Switzerland’s glaciers lost more than 5% of their total ice volume in 2026, marking another devastating year for the country’s rapidly shrinking glaciers. Although the melting did not quite match the record losses of 2022, glaciers thinned by an average of 2.5 to 4 meters. In some areas, the lower…

Scientists discover a hidden messaging system deep inside the brain

Deep within the brainstem is a tiny group of nerve cells that plays an outsized role in how the brain functions. This region, called the locus coeruleus (LC), gets its name from the Latin words for “blue place.” Although it contains only a small fraction of the brain’s neurons, it…