Top Science News

Jan. 24, 2025 — A scientific team looks at the progress and challenges in the research and development of brain implants. New achievements in the field of this technology are seen as a source of hope for many patients with neurological disorders and have been making headlines recently. As neural implants have an effect not only on a physical but also on a psychological level, researchers are calling for ...

Jan. 22, 2025 — A new national survey found that while many Americans use a device to monitor their heart, few share that data with their ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — With the recent surge in popularity of weight loss drugs like Ozempic, altogether called GLP-1s, there has been renewed scientific interest in understanding how our bodies regulate muscle growth. Scientists have linked the protein BCL6 to the maintenance of muscle mass and further suggested that BCL6-boosting therapeutics could help GLP-1 users retain muscle while losing fat. Similar therapies ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — Engineers have invented a microscopic spectral sensor that can identify myriad materials with unprecedented ...

Jan. 24, 2025 — Researchers have used machine learning to design nano-architected materials that have the strength of carbon steel but the lightness of Styrofoam. The team describes how they made nanomaterials with properties that offer a conflicting combination of exceptional strength, light weight and customizability. The approach could benefit a wide range of ...

Jan. 21, 2025 — An interdisciplinary team has developed a groundbreaking technology that addresses key limitations in clean hydrogen production using microwaves. They have also successfully elucidated the underlying mechanism of this innovative ...

Jan. 21, 2025 — Water desalination plants could replace expensive chemicals with new carbon cloth electrodes that remove boron from seawater, an important step of turning seawater into safe drinking ...

Jan. 21, 2025 — It's difficult to know what birds 'think' when they fly, but scientists in are getting some remarkable new insights by looking inside birds' heads. Evolutionary biologists and neuroscience researchers have teamed up to explore a new approach to recreating the brain structure of extinct and living birds by making digital 'endocasts' from the area inside a bird skeleton's empty cranial ...

Jan. 22, 2025 — A new study has used a modelling approach to show that it is unlikely that plants would evolve to warn other plants of impending attack. Instead of using their communication networks to transmit warning signals, the findings suggest it is more likely that plants 'eavesdrop' on their ...

Jan. 22, 2025 — Deeply hidden in Earth's mantle there are two huge 'islands' with the size of a continent. New research shows that these regions are not only hotter than the surrounding graveyard of cold sunken tectonic plates, but also that they must be ancient: at least half a billion years old, perhaps even older. These observations contradict the idea of a well-mixed and fast flowing Earth's mantle, a theory ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — Several hundred bees in rural Pennsylvania and rural New York are sporting tiny QR codes on their backs to track when they go in and out of their hives. The work, a collaboration among entomologists and electrical engineers, is the first step in solving a long-standing mystery of how far bees travel from their hives to collect pollen and ...

Jan. 24, 2025 — Scientists have developed a groundbreaking approach using specially designed peptides to improve drug formulations. This innovative method significantly enhances anti-tumor ...

Jan. 24, 2025 — The vestibular system is a network of organs in the inner ears that detects the motions and position of the head. The brain uses this information, along with inputs from the eyes and joints, to maintain the body's balance. Visual information has long been proven to affect balance -- for example, strobe lights and swirling images can cause ...

Jan. 24, 2025 — A research team made a pivotal discovery in the field of cancer immunotherapy. The team identified a specific population of immune cells that play a critical role in successful treatment of relapsed acute myeloid leukemia ...

Jan. 24, 2025 — Although obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) can be treated, research has shown that people with the disorder tend to have a lower quality of life than neurotypical people. Many struggle to achieve the same levels of education and financial stability as people without the disorder. Researchers theorized one cognitive process could be to blame: decision ...

Jan. 24, 2025 — Researchers find blocking the KCNB2 gene can slow tumor growth, paving the way for next-gen treatments for childhood brain ...

Jan. 21, 2025 — The B vitamin mitigates manganese neurotoxicity, which produces symptoms that resemble Parkinson's disease. The vitamin improves dopamine production in the brain and offers potential therapeutic ...

Jan. 21, 2025 — Parents attending an adult weight management program, who were worried about their child's weight, would accept support and signposting to services for their child if it was ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — Scientists have shown that specialized cells involved in how the body responds to insulin are activated in the brain after exercise, suggesting that physical activity may directly improve brain ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — Researchers have found that a newly developed diet inspired by the eating habits of non-industrialized societies can significantly reduce the risk of a number of chronic diseases -- and are to share recipes with the ...

Jan. 22, 2025 — When it comes to getting people to want to go places, the future is ever more lovely than the past, according to a new study. The study found that forestalgia-focused destination ads -- those that emphasize an idealized future -- are more effective at enticing travelers to click the purchase button for a vacation than ads based on fond ...

Jan. 22, 2025 — New research revealing the fingerprints of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome within blood samples could open the door to simple tests to identify babies at ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — Researchers have developed a new type of optical memory called a programmable photonic latch that is fast and scalable, enabling temporary data storage in optical processing systems and offering a high-speed solution for volatile memory using silicon ...

Jan. 24, 2025 — Researchers used cutting-edge X-ray techniques to gain new insights into 'infinite-layer' nickelate ...

Jan. 24, 2025 — A research team has made significant discoveries regarding the complex reaction mechanisms of carbon dioxide (CO2) in supercritical water. These findings are crucial for understanding the molecular mechanisms of CO2 mineralization and sequestration in nature and engineering, as well as the deep carbon cycle within the Earth's interior. This ...

Jan. 21, 2025 — A new computational method gleans more information than its predecessors from maps showing how galaxies are clustered and threaded throughout the ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — A research team has recently developed a novel algorithm in quantum physics known as 'entanglement microscopy' that enables visualization and mapping of this extraordinary phenomenon at a microscopic scale. By zooming in on the intricate interactions of entangled particles, one can uncover the hidden structures of quantum matter, revealing ...

Jan. 21, 2025 — Astronomers previously thought all FRBs were generated by magnetars formed through the explosions of very young, massive stars. But new FRB is pinpointed to the outskirts of 11.3-billion-year-old galaxy without young, active stars -- calling those assumptions into question. 'Just when you think you understand an astrophysical phenomenon, the universe turns around and surprises us,' researcher ...

Jan. 16, 2025 — Galaxies like the Milky Way grow by merging with smaller galaxies over billions of years, unlike dwarf galaxies, which have long been thought to lack the heft to attract mass and grow in the same way. New observations challenge this view, suggesting that even dwarf galaxies can accrete mass from other small ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — Researchers have measured the thinking time of London taxi drivers -- famous for their knowledge of more than 26,000 streets across the city -- as part of a study into the future of AI ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — Neuromorphic computing -- a field that applies principles of neuroscience to computing systems to mimic the brain's function and structure -- needs to scale up if it is to effectively compete with current computing methods. Researchers, now present a detailed roadmap of what needs to happen to reach that ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — While entangled photons hold incredible promise for quantum computing and communications, they have a major inherent disadvantage. After one use, they simply disappear. In a new study physicists propose a new strategy to maintain communications in a constantly changing, unpredictable quantum network. By rebuilding these disappearing connections, the researchers found the network eventually ...

Jan. 22, 2025 — Successful uptake of new technology is a matter of emotions -- and with 4 in 5 companies saying they're failing to capitalize on its potential, managers need to know how to deal with them, say ...

Jan. 24, 2025 — Researchers have found and confirmed a gene that allows female fruit flies to get on the same frequency as courting males. Mosquitoes have the same gene and a similar courtship ritual, meaning that canceling the gene could in theory control mosquito population ...

Jan. 24, 2025 — Researchers use genomic data to study the decline in genetic diversity in the Amazon Basin, particularly in Brazil Nut trees. The research uses genomic data to understand this keystone species' genetic health and adaptability, help reconstruct its demographic history, and assess the long-term impacts of human interaction on forest ecosystems. The findings emphasize the need for conservation ...

Jan. 21, 2025 — A research team has identified a crucial link between a gene mutation and immune system signaling in canine hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive cancer common in dogs. The discovery could lead to better treatments for both dogs and humans with similar ...

Jan. 22, 2025 — Scientists can now identify the most harmful pollutants present in UK waters that are having the biggest impact on biodiversity thanks to pioneering AI ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — Perovskite solar cells are a flexible and sustainable alternative to conventional silicon-based solar cells. Researchers were able to find -- within only a few weeks -- new organic molecules that increase the efficiency of perovskite solar cells. The team used a clever combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated high-throughput synthesis. Their strategy can also be applied to other ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — A team has identified a strain of bacteria that can break down and transform at least three types of PFAS, and, perhaps even more crucially, some of the toxic byproducts of the bond-breaking ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — Shallow coastal waters are hotspots for methane emissions, releasing significant amounts of this potent greenhouse gas into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming. This new research highlights how tides, seasons, and ocean currents strongly influence methane emissions and how tiny microorganisms, called methanotrophs, help reduce their ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — Electrical engineers have developed a better way to perform the comparative analysis of entire genomes. This approach can be used to study relationships between different species across geological time scales. This new approach is poised to unlock discoveries regarding how evolution has shaped present-day genomes and also how the tree of life is ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — 130 years after a fungus-eating plant received its name, a researcher has uncovered the purpose of the structure that inspired its name -- revealing a novel mechanism by which plants ensure ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — A new computational tool improves the analysis of genetic data, making it easier and faster to study the evolutionary relationships between ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — Scientists have developed a theoretical model that uncovers the dual role of polyploidy -- organisms carrying extra genome copies -- in evolution. Their findings reveal that polyploidy can stabilize populations in predictable environments, where the evolution of novel traits is not required, enabling organisms to adapt and thrive in challenging ...

Jan. 23, 2025 — Researchers have derived a formula for viral behavior in the Wild Cards, a science fiction series written by a collection of authors about an alien virus called the Wild Card that mutates human DNA. The formula he derived is a Lagrangian formulation, which considers the different ways a system can evolve. It's also a fundamental physics principle, which also makes the fictional example a powerful ...

Jan. 22, 2025 — Porous land such as foliage significantly lowers noise made by drones and air taxis which could reduce disturbances for urban communities as Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ...

Jan. 22, 2025 — Investigators found negative mental health conditions among women firefighters may reduce levels of key hormone associated with ovarian ...

Jan. 21, 2025 — Experts highlight the need for a clear framework when it comes to AI research, given the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence by children and adolescents using digital devices to access the internet and social ...

Jan. 21, 2025 — Do speakers of different languages build sentence structure in the same way? In a neuroimaging study, scientists recorded the brain activity of participants listening to Dutch stories. In contrast to English, sentence processing in Dutch was based on a strategy for predicting what comes next rather than a 'wait-and-see' approach, showing that strategies may differ across ...

Jan. 20, 2025 — Boys exposed to violent screen content in the preschool years were more likely to become antisocial and violent themselves a decade later, in their mid-teens, a new study ...

Jan. 20, 2025 — A global survey spanning 68 countries reveals that public trust in scientists is still high. A team of 241 researchers conducted the largest post-pandemic study of trust in science, societal expectations and public views on research ...

Jan. 9, 2025 — Both intuition and past research suggest that whether people deem someone trustworthy depends on that person's past behavior and reputation for betrayal. In a series of experiments, psychologists found that subjects regarded those who previously exhibited that behavior as less trustworthy. However, when the betrayal benefited them or had no effect ...

Jan. 9, 2025 — Contrary to the long-held belief that the mid-career crisis plagues everyone, new research suggests that job satisfaction follows a U-shaped trajectory only for managerial and professional workers. This provocative finding challenges societal perceptions surrounding midlife and calls for a revaluation of workplace support for individuals in their ...

Jan. 3, 2025 — Farmers are receiving less of what consumers spend on food, as modern food systems increasingly direct costs toward value-added components like processing, transport, and marketing. A study shows that this effect shapes how food prices respond to agricultural climate policies: While value-added components buffer consumer price changes in wealthier ...

Dec. 17, 2024 — A new study has shown that employees are experiencing mental and physical techno-strain due to being 'hyperconnected' to digital technology making it difficult for people to switch off from ...