Top Science News

Mar. 12, 2026 — Researchers have discovered a surprising change in how cells produce energy in people with depression. Brain and blood cells in young adults with major depressive disorder produced more energy molecules at rest but had trouble increasing energy production when needed. Scientists believe this imbalance may contribute to symptoms such as fatigue and low motivation. The finding could help pave the ...

Mar. 12, 2026 — A new study suggests Alzheimer’s disease may be detectable through subtle shape changes in proteins found in the blood. Researchers discovered that structural differences in three blood proteins closely track the progression of the disease. By analyzing these changes in more than 500 people, the team was able to distinguish healthy individuals from those with mild cognitive impairment or ...

Mar. 11, 2026 — A newly developed antibiotic called EVG7 could offer a powerful new way to stop Clostridioides difficile, a dangerous gut bacterium that often returns after treatment. In mouse studies, researchers found that even a very small dose of EVG7 was highly effective at clearing the infection and preventing it from coming back. Unlike many current ...

Mar. 10, 2026 — Researchers have developed a high-tech system that rapidly scans ants and converts them into detailed 3D models. Using a synchrotron accelerator, X-ray imaging, robotics, and AI, the team scanned 2,000 specimens in just a week and produced models of 800 species. The images reveal microscopic anatomy that was previously difficult to study. The growing Antscan database could become a powerful ...

Mar. 9, 2026 — Scientists have found a way to significantly boost “blue energy,” which generates electricity from the mixing of saltwater and freshwater. By coating nanopores with lipid molecules that create a friction-reducing water layer, they enabled ions to pass through much more efficiently while keeping the process highly selective. Their prototype membrane produced about two to three times more power ...

Mar. 8, 2026 — Engineers have discovered an unexpected link between two very different realms of physics: the behavior of electrons in graphene and magnetic waves in specially engineered materials. By designing a thin magnetic film with a hexagonal pattern of holes—similar to graphene’s structure—the researchers showed that magnetic “spin waves” can follow the same mathematical rules as graphene’s ...

Mar. 7, 2026 — A team of physicists has experimentally confirmed a long-predicted sequence of exotic magnetic phases in an atomically thin material. When cooled, the material forms tiny magnetic vortices before transitioning into a second ordered magnetic state—exactly as predicted by a famous theoretical model from the 1970s. Observing both phases together for the first time validates key ideas about how ...

Mar. 12, 2026 — Researchers have uncovered a universal pattern showing how temperature affects life on Earth. Across thousands of species—from microbes to reptiles—performance rises gradually with warming until an optimal temperature is reached, after which it drops sharply. Although each species has its own preferred temperature range, they all follow the same underlying curve. This surprising constraint ...

Mar. 12, 2026 — Researchers have discovered that hedgehogs can hear ultrasound, a surprising ability that could help protect them from cars. Since road traffic kills large numbers of hedgehogs, scientists believe ultrasonic repellents might be used to steer them away from danger. The animals’ ears appear specially adapted for detecting high-frequency sounds. If ...

Mar. 12, 2026 — Decades of data from over 80,000 great tits reveal that extreme weather can shape the fate of baby birds. Cold snaps soon after hatching and heavy rain later in development shrink nestling body mass and reduce survival odds. But moderate warm spells can actually help chicks grow by boosting insect activity and feeding opportunities. Birds that breed earlier in the season seem better protected ...

Mar. 12, 2026 — A rare encounter with a juvenile great white shark caught by fishermen in April 2023 has reignited scientific interest in the mysterious population of these apex predators in the Mediterranean Sea. By reviewing records spanning more than 160 years, researchers found that great whites still appear sporadically in Spanish Mediterranean waters, suggesting the population—though elusive and ...

Mar. 10, 2026 — Cancer often begins when the genetic instructions that guide our cells become scrambled, allowing cells to grow uncontrollably. Now, scientists at EMBL have developed an AI-powered system called MAGIC that can automatically spot and tag cells showing early signs of chromosomal trouble—tiny DNA-filled structures known as micronuclei that are linked to future cancer ...

Mar. 10, 2026 — A new analysis of more than 422,000 patients reveals a stark Alzheimer’s care gap between Maryland’s urban and rural communities. Rural regions often lack hospitals and dementia specialists, forcing older patients to travel farther for diagnosis and treatment. Researchers found areas with high Alzheimer’s death rates but surprisingly low diagnosis rates, suggesting many cases may never be ...

Mar. 9, 2026 — Exercise normally boosts the body’s ability to use oxygen, a key marker of health and longevity — but high blood sugar can block that benefit. Researchers found that a ketogenic diet helped mice normalize blood sugar and dramatically improved how their muscles responded to exercise. Their muscles became better at using oxygen and built more endurance fibers. The results suggest diet and ...

Mar. 8, 2026 — A massive UK study of more than 165,000 dementia patients has uncovered troubling new evidence about risperidone, a commonly used drug for severe agitation. Researchers found the antipsychotic increases stroke risk in dementia patients across the board—including those with no prior heart disease or stroke—challenging the long-held belief that some patients might be safer candidates than ...

Mar. 7, 2026 — Scientists studying 1,300 golden retrievers have uncovered genetic clues explaining why some dogs are more anxious, energetic, or aggressive than others. Remarkably, several of the same genes linked to canine behavior are also tied to human traits like anxiety, depression, and intelligence. The discovery suggests dogs and humans share biological ...

Mar. 6, 2026 — Researchers have discovered a new way to increase a key brain protein damaged in Rett syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects thousands of children worldwide. Early studies in mice and patient-derived cells show the approach can restore normal brain cell function, raising hopes for future ...

Mar. 6, 2026 — Cocaine addiction isn’t simply a failure of willpower — it’s the result of lasting biological changes in the brain. Researchers at Michigan State University discovered that repeated cocaine use rewires communication between the brain’s reward system and the hippocampus, the region responsible for memory. A protein called DeltaFosB builds up with continued drug use and acts like a genetic ...

Mar. 7, 2026 — Scrolling on your phone while sitting on the toilet might be doing more harm than you think. A new study found that people who use smartphones during bathroom visits had a 46% higher risk of hemorrhoids compared to those who don’t. Researchers discovered that phone users tend to spend significantly longer on the toilet, often getting distracted by news or social media, which may increase ...

Feb. 25, 2026 — A weeklong, high-intensity version of TMS may work nearly as well as the standard six-week treatment for depression. In a UCLA study, patients who received five sessions a day for five days experienced meaningful symptom relief comparable to those on the traditional schedule. Some who didn’t improve immediately showed strong gains weeks later. The findings hint at a faster, more accessible path ...

Feb. 21, 2026 — A common bacterium best known for causing pneumonia and sinus infections may also play a surprising role in Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that Chlamydia pneumoniae can invade the retina and brain, where it sparks inflammation, nerve cell death, and the buildup of amyloid-beta—the hallmark protein linked to Alzheimer’s. Higher levels of the bacterium were found in people with ...

Feb. 20, 2026 — Exercise may sharpen the mind by repairing the brain’s protective shield. Researchers found that physical activity prompts the liver to release an enzyme that removes a harmful protein causing the blood-brain barrier to become leaky with age. In older mice, dialing down this protein reduced inflammation and improved memory. The discovery points to a surprising body-to-brain pathway that could ...

Mar. 7, 2026 — Solid-state batteries could be safer and more energy-dense than today’s lithium-ion technology, but finding materials that allow ions to move quickly through solid electrolytes has been difficult. Researchers developed a machine learning pipeline that predicts Raman spectra and identifies a distinctive low-frequency signal linked to liquid-like ...

Mar. 4, 2026 — A new ultrathin photodetector from Duke University can sense light across the entire electromagnetic spectrum and generate a signal in just 125 picoseconds, making it the fastest pyroelectric detector ever built. The breakthrough could power next-generation multispectral cameras used in medicine, agriculture, and space-based ...

Mar. 3, 2026 — Fusion energy may be one of the most promising clean power sources of the future—but only if scientists can precisely measure the extreme, fast-moving plasmas that make it possible. A new U.S. Department of Energy–sponsored report urges major investment in advanced diagnostic tools—the high-tech “sensors” that track plasma temperature, density, and behavior inside fusion systems. ...

Feb. 24, 2026 — Scientists have proposed a surprising connection between solar flares and earthquakes. When solar activity disturbs the ionosphere, it may generate electric fields that penetrate fragile fracture zones in Earth’s crust. If a fault is already critically stressed, this extra electrostatic pressure could help trigger a quake. The idea doesn’t claim direct causation, but it offers a fresh way to ...

Feb. 2, 2026 — NASA’s Perseverance rover has just made history by driving across Mars using routes planned by artificial intelligence instead of human operators. A vision-capable AI analyzed the same images and terrain data normally used by rover planners, identified hazards like rocks and sand ripples, and charted a safe path across the Martian surface. After extensive testing in a virtual replica of the ...

Feb. 2, 2026 — Hidden lava tunnels on the Moon and Mars could one day shelter human explorers, offering natural protection from radiation and space debris. A European research team has unveiled a bold new mission concept that uses three different robots working together to explore these extreme underground environments autonomously. Recently tested in the volcanic caves of Lanzarote, the system maps cave ...

Jan. 28, 2026 — Low-Earth orbit is more crowded—and fragile—than it looks. Satellites constantly weave past each other, burning fuel and making dozens of evasive maneuvers every year just to stay safe. A major solar storm could disable navigation and communications, turning that careful dance into chaos. According to new calculations, it may take just days—not decades—for a catastrophic chain reaction to ...

Mar. 13, 2026 — As AI systems began acing traditional tests, researchers realized those benchmarks were no longer tough enough. In response, nearly 1,000 experts created Humanity’s Last Exam, a massive 2,500-question challenge covering highly specialized topics across many fields. The exam was engineered so that any question solvable by current AI models was removed. Early results show even the most advanced ...

Mar. 5, 2026 — Researchers at Cornell University have developed a powerful imaging technique that reveals atomic scale defects inside computer chips for the first time. Using an advanced electron microscopy method, the team mapped the exact positions of atoms inside tiny transistor structures and uncovered small imperfections nicknamed “mouse bites.” These defects form during the complex manufacturing ...

Mar. 4, 2026 — Choosing the right method for multimodal AI—systems that combine text, images, and more—has long been trial and error. Emory physicists created a unifying mathematical framework that shows many AI techniques rely on the same core idea: compress data while preserving what’s most predictive. Their “control knob” approach helps researchers design better algorithms, use less data, and avoid ...

Mar. 4, 2026 — Researchers have built the smallest OLED pixel ever made—just 300 nanometers across—without sacrificing brightness. By redesigning the pixel with a nano-sized optical antenna and a protective insulation layer, they prevented the short circuits that normally plague devices at this scale. The result is a stable, ultra-tiny light source that could allow full HD displays to fit on an area the ...

Mar. 1, 2026 — Scientists in Brazil have transformed cocoa waste into a functional chocolate-infused honey packed with antioxidants and natural stimulants. Using ultrasound waves, they enhanced honey’s ability to pull beneficial compounds from cocoa shells—no synthetic solvents required. The process is considered green and sustainable, and the product could find its way into gourmet foods and ...

Feb. 28, 2026 — Scientists have built a massive cellular atlas showing how aging reshapes the body across 21 organs. Studying nearly 7 million cells, they found that aging starts earlier than expected and unfolds in a coordinated way throughout the body. About a quarter of cell types change in number over time, and many of these shifts differ between males and females. The research also highlights shared genetic ...

Feb. 28, 2026 — Drug-resistant bacteria are becoming harder to treat, pushing scientists to look for new antibiotic targets. Researchers have now discovered that several unrelated viruses disable a key bacterial protein called MurJ, which is essential for building the bacterial cell wall. High-resolution imaging shows these viral proteins lock MurJ into a single ...

Mar. 9, 2026 — Global warming has picked up speed in the past decade, according to a new analysis from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). By removing short term natural influences such as El Niño, volcanic eruptions, and solar cycles from temperature records, researchers uncovered a clear acceleration in the planet’s long term warming trend beginning around ...

Mar. 5, 2026 — Ocean temperatures may be quietly protecting the world from a global drought catastrophe. By analyzing more than a century of climate data, researchers discovered that droughts rarely spread across the planet at the same time, affecting only about 1.8%–6.5% of global land simultaneously—far less than earlier estimates. The reason lies largely in shifting ocean patterns such as El Niño and La ...

Mar. 4, 2026 — Northern wildfires may be more dangerous for the climate than they appear. Researchers found that fires in boreal forests can burn deep into peat soils, releasing ancient carbon stored for hundreds or thousands of years. These slow, smoldering fires often look small from space, causing climate models to underestimate their ...

Mar. 2, 2026 — K’gari’s iconic lakes have existed for tens of thousands of years—but they haven’t always been full. New research shows that about 7,500 years ago, during a time of high rainfall, several of the island’s deepest lakes mysteriously vanished. Scientists believe changing wind patterns may have redirected rain away from the island. As the ...

Feb. 21, 2026 — Deep inside a Romanian ice cave, locked away in a 5,000-year-old layer of ice, scientists have uncovered a bacterium with a startling secret: it’s resistant to many modern antibiotics. Despite predating the antibiotic era, this cold-loving microbe carries more than 100 resistance-related genes and can survive drugs used today to treat serious infections like tuberculosis and ...

Feb. 17, 2026 — An Ice Age double burial in Italy has yielded a stunning genetic revelation. DNA from a mother and daughter who lived over 12,000 years ago shows that the younger had a rare inherited growth disorder, confirmed through mutations in a key bone-growth gene. Her mother carried a milder version of the same mutation. The finding not only solves a long-standing mystery but also proves that rare genetic ...

Feb. 12, 2026 — Long before agriculture, humans were transforming Europe’s wild landscapes. Advanced simulations show that hunting and fire use by Neanderthals and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers reshaped forests and grasslands in measurable ways. By reducing populations of giant herbivores, people indirectly altered how dense vegetation became. The findings ...

Feb. 1, 2026 — Dinosaur footprints have always been mysterious, but a new AI app is cracking their secrets. DinoTracker analyzes photos of fossil tracks and predicts which dinosaur made them, with accuracy rivaling human experts. Along the way, it uncovered footprints that look strikingly bird-like—dating back more than 200 million years. That discovery could push the origin of birds much deeper into ...

Feb. 15, 2026 — Researchers tracked more than 400 toddlers to see whether mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during or just before pregnancy was linked to autism or developmental delays. After detailed assessments of speech, motor skills, behavior, and social development, they found no meaningful differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Experts say the ...

Feb. 6, 2026 — A new study reveals that chemicals used to replace ozone-damaging CFCs are now driving a surge in a persistent “forever chemical” worldwide. The pollutant, called trifluoroacetic acid, is falling out of the atmosphere into water, land, and ice, including in remote regions like the Arctic. Even as older chemicals are phased out, their long lifetimes mean pollution is still ...

Jan. 26, 2026 — A 5,500-year-old skeleton from Colombia has revealed the oldest known genome of the bacterium linked to syphilis and related diseases. The ancient strain doesn’t fit neatly into modern categories, hinting at a forgotten form that split off early in the pathogen’s evolution. This pushes the history of treponemal diseases in the Americas back by millennia and shows they were already ...

Dec. 13, 2025 — Researchers discovered that children who went back to school during COVID experienced far fewer mental health diagnoses than those who stayed remote. Anxiety, depression, and ADHD all declined as in-person learning resumed. Healthcare spending tied to these conditions also dropped. Girls showed the largest improvements, highlighting the importance of school-based structure and ...

Dec. 10, 2025 — Researchers discovered that unusually high temperatures can hinder early childhood development. Children living in hotter conditions were less likely to reach key learning milestones, especially in reading and basic math skills. Those facing economic hardship or limited resources were hit the hardest. The study underscores how climate change may shape children’s learning long before they reach ...

Nov. 29, 2025 — Millions face Medicare decisions each year, but many don’t take advantage of tools that can save them money and stress. Insurance marketing often overshadows unbiased options like SHIP, leaving people unaware of better choices. Comparing real costs—not just premiums—can prevent unpleasant surprises, especially when provider networks or drug rules change. New assistance programs for ...

Sep. 16, 2025 — Preschoolers with ADHD are often given medication right after diagnosis, against medical guidelines that recommend starting with behavioral therapy. Limited access to therapy and physician pressures drive early prescribing, despite risks and reduced effectiveness in young ...

Jan. 26, 2026 — Home fireplaces and wood stoves are quietly driving a large share of winter air pollution, even though only a small number of households rely on wood heat. Researchers found that wood smoke accounts for over one-fifth of Americans’ winter exposure to dangerous fine particles linked to heart disease and early death. Much of this pollution drifts into cities, where it disproportionately harms ...

Jan. 21, 2026 — A new building material developed by engineers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute could change how the world builds. Made using an enzyme that turns carbon dioxide into solid minerals, the material cures in hours and locks away carbon instead of releasing it. It’s strong, repairable, recyclable, and far cleaner than concrete. If adopted widely, it could slash emissions across the construction ...

Jan. 19, 2026 — As global energy demand surges—driven by AI-hungry data centers, advanced manufacturing, and electrified transportation—researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have unveiled a breakthrough that could help squeeze far more power from existing electricity supplies. Their new silicon-carbide-based power module, called ULIS, packs dramatically more power into a smaller, lighter, ...

Dec. 28, 2025 — Researchers found that U.S. metal mines already contain large amounts of critical minerals that are mostly going unused. Recovering even a small fraction of these byproducts could sharply reduce dependence on imports for materials essential to clean energy and advanced technology. In many cases, the value of these recovered minerals could exceed the value of the mines’ primary products. The ...