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Top Science News
May 9, 2021
May 6, 2021 — The cerebellum -- a part of the brain once recognized mainly for its role in coordinating movement -- underwent evolutionary changes that may have ...
May 6, 2021 — Sea turtles are known for relying on magnetic signatures to find their way across thousands of miles to the very beaches where they hatched. Now, researchers have some of the first solid evidence ...
May 5, 2021 — Unlike humans, who map the world in units of distance, bats map the world in units of time. What this means is that the bat perceives an insect as being at a distance of nine milliseconds, and not ...
May 5, 2021 — A new study provides the earliest evidence to date of ancient humans significantly altering entire ecosystems with flames. The study combines archaeological evidence -- dense clusters of stone ...
Latest Top Headlines
updated 8:01am EDT
Neanderthal (foreground) | (c) (c) Bruder / Adobe

A New Perspective on the Genomes of Archaic Humans

Apr. 26, 2021 — Researchers examined 14,000 genetic differences between modern humans and our most recent ancestors at a new level of detail. They found that differences in gene activation -- not just genetic code -- could underlie evolution of the brain and ...
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View of Chernobyl | (c) (c) NickMo / Adobe

Genetic Effects of Chernobyl Radiation

Apr. 22, 2021 — Researchers utilized genomic tools to investigate potential health effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, a known carcinogen, as a result of the 1986 Chernobyl accident. One study found no evidence that genetic changes associated with radiation exposure are passed to children, while the second ...
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Alzheimer's disease | (c) (c) Nastassia / Adobe

Experimental Drug Shows Potential Against Alzheimer's Disease

Apr. 22, 2021 — Researchers have designed an experimental drug that reversed key symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice. The drug works by reinvigorating a cellular cleaning mechanism that gets rid of unwanted proteins by digesting and ...
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COVID-19 test concept | (c) (c) Ralf Geithe / Adobe

Among COVID-19 Survivors, an Increased Risk of Death, Serious Illness

Apr. 22, 2021 — Researchers showed that COVID-19 survivors -- including those not sick enough to be hospitalized -- have an increased risk of death in the six months following diagnosis with the virus. They also have catalogued the numerous diseases associated with COVID-19, providing a big-picture overview of the ...
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Mars (stock image; | (c) (c) Artsiom P / Adobe

Icy Clouds Could Have Kept Early Mars Warm Enough for Rivers and Lakes

Apr. 26, 2021 — A new study led by a planetary scientist uses a computer model of Mars to put forth a promising explanation onto how Mars once contained rivers and lakes: Mars could have had a thin layer of icy, high-altitude clouds that caused a ...
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Mars illustration (stock | (c) (c) elen31 / Adobe

Mars Has Right Ingredients for Present-Day Microbial Life Beneath Its Surface, Study Finds

Apr. 22, 2021 — New research suggests that rocks in the Martian crust could produce the same kind of chemical energy that supports microbial life deep beneath ...
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Large Magellanic Cloud | (c) (c) Camille / Adobe

Astronomers Release New All-Sky Map of Milky Way's Outer Reaches

Apr. 21, 2021 — The highlight of the new chart is a wake of stars, stirred up by a small galaxy set to collide with the Milky Way. The map could also offer a new test of dark ...
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NASA's Ingenuity | (c)

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight

Apr. 19, 2021 — The small rotorcraft made history, hovering above Jezero Crater, demonstrating that powered, controlled flight on another planet ...
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Lightning strike (stock | (c) (c) JSirlin / Adobe

Lightning and Subvisible Discharges Produce Molecules That Clean the Atmosphere

Apr. 29, 2021 — Scientists have found that lightning bolts and, surprisingly, subvisible discharges that cannot be seen by cameras or the naked eye produce extreme amounts of the hydroxyl radical and hydroperoxyl radical. The hydroxyl radical is important in the ...
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Modern-day Bering | (c) (c) Anton Balazh / Adobe

Was North America Populated by 'Stepping Stone' Migration Across Bering Sea?

Apr. 29, 2021 — A new study documents the newly named Bering Transitory Archipelago and then points to how, when and where the first Americans may have crossed. The authors' stepping-stones hypothesis depends on scores of islands that emerged during the last ice ...
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Skaftafell glacier, | (c) (c) rmbarricarte / Adobe

Global Glacier Retreat Has Accelerated

Apr. 29, 2021 — Scientists have shown that almost all the world's glaciers are becoming thinner and losing mass -- and that these changes are picking up pace. The team's analysis is the most comprehensive and accurate of its kind ...
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Elephants (stock | (c) (c) Mat Hayward / Adobe

Mammals Evolved Big Brains After Big Disasters

Apr. 29, 2021 — A large study reveals the way relative brain size of mammals changed over the last 150 ...
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Health News
May 9, 2021
Apr. 16, 2021 — Scientists have identified a set of human genes that fight SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19. Knowing which genes help control viral infection can greatly assist researchers' ...
Apr. 16, 2021 — Scientists have figured out how to modify CRISPR's basic architecture to extend its reach beyond the genome and into what's known as the epigenome -- proteins and small molecules that latch onto DNA ...
Apr. 15, 2021 — Researchers have injected human stem cells into primate embryos and were able to grow chimeric embryos for a significant period of time -- up to 20 days. The research, despite its ethical concerns, ...
Apr. 13, 2021 — The human scream signals more than fear of imminent danger or entanglement in social conflicts. Screaming can also express joy or excitement. For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that ...
Latest Health Headlines
updated 8:01am EDT

Damage to White Matter Is Linked to Worse Cognitive Outcomes After Brain Injury

May 7, 2021 — A new study challenges the idea that gray matter (the neurons that form the cerebral cortex) is more important than white matter (the myelin covered axons that physically connect neuronal regions) when it comes to cognitive health and function. The findings may help neurologists better predict the long-term effects of strokes and other forms of ...
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Breaching the Blood-Brain Barrier to Deliver Precious Payloads

May 7, 2021 — RNA-based drugs may change the standard of care for many diseases, making personalized medicine a reality. So far these cost-effective, easy-to-manufacture drugs haven't been very useful in treating brain tumors and other brain disease. But a team has shown that a combination of ultrasound and RNA-loaded nanoparticles can temporarily open the protective blood-brain barrier, allowing the delivery ...
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How Bullying and Obesity Can Affect Girls' and Boys' Mental Health

May 7, 2021 — Depressive symptoms are more common in teenage girls than in their male peers. However, boys' mental health appears to be affected more if they suffer from obesity. Irrespective of gender, bullying is a considerably greater risk factor than overweight for developing depressive ...
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Thin and Brittle Bones Strongly Linked to Women's Heart Disease Risk

May 6, 2021 — Thin and brittle bones are strongly linked to women's heart disease risk, with thinning of the lower (lumbar) spine, top of the thigh bone (femoral neck), and hip especially predictive of a heightened heart attack and stroke ...
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How We Retrieve Our Knowledge About the World

May 7, 2021 — In order to find our way in the world, we classify it into concepts, such as 'telephone'. Until now, it was unclear how the brain retrieves these when we only encounter the word and don't perceive the objects directly. Scientists have now developed a model of how the brain processes abstract knowledge. They found that depending on which features one concentrates on, the corresponding brain ...
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Why Do Some Neurons Degenerate and Die in Alzheimer's Disease, but Not Others?

May 6, 2021 — Researchers have uncovered molecular clues that help explain what makes some neurons more susceptible than others in Alzheimer's disease. The scientists present evidence that neurons with high levels of the protein apolipoprotein E (apoE) are more sensitive to degeneration, and that this susceptibility is linked to apoE's regulation of ...
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Feeling Younger Buffers Older Adults from Stress, Protects Against Health Decline

May 6, 2021 — People who feel younger have a greater sense of well-being, better cognitive functioning, less inflammation, lower risk of hospitalization and even live longer than their older-feeling peers. A study suggests one potential reason for the link between subjective age and health: Feeling younger could help buffer middle-aged and older adults against ...
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Children Likely to Be Pleading Guilty When Innocent

May 6, 2021 — Young people need additional support and protection in the criminal justice system because they are more susceptible to pleading guilty when innocent, a new study ...
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Some Meat Eaters Disgusted by Meat

May 7, 2021 — Some meat eaters feel disgusted by meat, according to a new ...
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Alcohol in Moderation May Help the Heart by Calming Stress Signals in the Brain

May 6, 2021 — Moderate alcohol intake -- defined as no more than one alcoholic drink for women and two for men per day -- has been associated with a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease when compared with individuals who abstain from drinking or partake in excessive drinking, according to a new ...
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Sugar-Sweetened Drinks Linked to Increased Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Women Under 50, Study Finds

May 6, 2021 — Colorectal cancer diagnoses have increased among people under age 50 in recent years and researchers are seeking reasons why. A new study has found a link between drinking sugar-sweetened beverages and an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer in women under age 50. The findings suggest that heavy consumption of sugary drinks during ...
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Alzheimer's Study: A Mediterranean Diet Might Protect Against Memory Loss and Dementia

May 6, 2021 — Alzheimer's disease is caused by protein deposits in the brain and the rapid loss of brain matter. But a Mediterranean diet rich in fish, vegetables and olive oil might protect the brain from these disease ...
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Physical/Tech News
May 9, 2021
Apr. 15, 2021 — A team of researchers reports realization of a multi-node quantum network, connecting three quantum processors. In addition, they achieved a proof-of-principle demonstration of key quantum network ...
Apr. 16, 2021 — Researchers report the discovery of a super-Earth orbiting the star GJ 740, a red dwarf star situated some 36 light years from ...
Apr. 14, 2021 — In April 2019, scientists released the first image of a black hole in galaxy M87 using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). However, that remarkable achievement was just the beginning of the science ...
Apr. 13, 2021 — The muon is a tiny particle, but it has the giant potential to upend our understanding of the subatomic world and reveal an undiscovered type of fundamental ...
Latest Physical/Tech Headlines
updated 8:01am EDT

Artificial Intelligence Makes Great Microscopes Better Than Ever

May 8, 2021 — Collaboration between deep learning experts and microscopy experts leads to an significantly improved data-intensive light-field microscopy method by using AI and ground-truthing it with light-sheet microscopy. The result is the power of light-field microscopy available to biologists in near real time vs. days or weeks, AND the expansion of biologists' ability to use this microscopy for many ...
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Transforming Atmospheric Carbon Into Industrially Useful Materials

May 6, 2021 — Plants are unparalleled in their ability to capture carbon from the air, but this benefit is temporary. Researchers have proposed a more permanent, and even useful, fate for this captured carbon by turning plants into a valuable industrial material called silicon carbide (SiC). A new study from scientists quantifies this process with more detail than ever ...
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In Graphene Process, Resistance Is Useful

May 6, 2021 — Scientists adapt laser-induced graphene to make conductive patterns from standard photoresist material for consumer electronics and other ...
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Researchers Develop New Metal-Free, Recyclable Polypeptide Battery That Degrades on Demand

May 6, 2021 — The introduction of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries has revolutionized technology as a whole, leading to major advances in consumer goods across nearly all sectors. Battery-powered devices have become ubiquitous across the world. While the availability of technology is generally a good thing, the rapid growth has led directly to several key ethical ...
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Supernovae Twins Open Up New Possibilities for Precision Cosmology

May 7, 2021 — Cosmologists have found a way to double the accuracy of measuring distances to supernova explosions - one of their tried-and-true tools for studying the mysterious dark energy that is making the universe expand faster and ...
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Physicists Describe New Type of Aurora

May 6, 2021 — The famed northern and southern lights have been studied for millennia, but they still hold secrets. Physicists describe a new phenomenon they call 'diffuse auroral erasers,' in which patches of the background glow are blotted out, then suddenly intensify and ...
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A New Window to See Hidden Side of Magnetized Universe

May 5, 2021 — New observations and simulations show that jets of high-energy particles emitted from the central massive black hole in the brightest galaxy in galaxy clusters can be used to map the structure of invisible inter-cluster magnetic fields. These findings provide astronomers with a new tool for investigating previously unexplored aspects of clusters of ...
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Repurposing Tabletop Sensors to Search for Dark Matter

May 5, 2021 — Researchers across the dark matter community that have begun to wonder if they are looking for the right type of dark matter. They have proposed a new way to look for the particles that might make up dark matter by repurposing existing tabletop sensor ...
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Mathematical Model Predicting Disease Spread Patterns

May 6, 2021 — A team of environmental engineers, alerted by the unusual wealth of data published regularly by county health agencies throughout the pandemic, began researching new methods to describe what was happening on the ground in a way that does not require obtaining information on individuals' movements or contacts. A new model predicts where a disease will spread from an outbreak, in what patterns and ...
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Trial Demonstrates Early AI-Guided Detection of Heart Disease in Routine Practice

May 6, 2021 — Heart disease can take a number of forms, but some types of heart disease, such as asymptomatic low ejection fraction, can be hard to recognize, especially in the early stages when treatment would be most ...
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Quantum Drum Duet Measured

May 6, 2021 — Like conductors of a spooky symphony, researchers have 'entangled' two small mechanical drums and precisely measured their linked quantum properties. Entangled pairs like this might someday perform computations and transmit data in large-scale quantum ...
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T-GPS Processes a Graph With Trillion Edges on a Single Computer?

May 6, 2021 — A research team has developed a new technology that enables to process a large-scale graph algorithm without storing the graph in the main memory or on ...
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Environment News
May 9, 2021
Apr. 21, 2021 — It's a common sight: pelicans gliding along the waves, right by the shore. These birds make this kind of surfing look effortless, but actually the physics involved that give them a big boost are not ...
Apr. 20, 2021 — The fearsome tyrannosaur dinosaurs may not have been solitary predators as popularly envisioned, but social carnivores with complex hunting strategies like ...
Apr. 20, 2021 — Researchers examined the shoulder assembly of Little Foot, an Australopithecus that lived more than 3 million years ago, and may have confirmed how our human ancestors used their ...
Apr. 15, 2021 — Coral reefs provide many services to coastal communities, including critical protection from flood damage. A new study reveals how valuable coral ...
Latest Environment Headlines
updated 8:01am EDT

The Legume Family Tree

May 8, 2021 — The most comprehensive study of the family tree for legumes, the plant family that includes beans, soybeans, peanuts, and many other economically important crop plants, reveals a history of whole-genome ...
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New Mechanism for Terminating Transcription of DNA Into RNA in Bacteria

May 7, 2021 — A bacterial protein helps to stop transcription -- the process of making RNA copies of DNA to carry out the functions of the cell -- by causing the cellular machinery that transcribes the DNA to pause at the appropriate spots in the ...
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Protecting Coral from Heat Stress and Coral Bleaching

May 7, 2021 — Coral bleaching, which is becoming stronger and more frequent due to heat stress, has already wiped out corals at many locations globally. With the help of a microbiome-targeting strategy, it could become feasible to help protect corals from heat ...
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Learning on the Fly

May 7, 2021 — Informatics experts have developed a new computational model that demonstrates a long sought after link between insect and mammalian ...
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Rooted Tree Key to Understanding Bacterial Evolution

May 6, 2021 — An international team of researchers have found a new way to interpret the evolution of ...
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Hydrogen Instead of Electrification? Potentials and Risks for Climate Targets

May 6, 2021 — Hydrogen-based fuels should primarily be used in sectors such as aviation or industrial processes that cannot be electrified, finds a team of researchers. Producing these fuels is too inefficient, costly and their availability too uncertain, to broadly replace fossil fuels for instance in cars or heating houses. For most sectors, directly using ...
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Flooding Might Triple in the Mountains of Asia Due to Global Warming

May 6, 2021 — A research team has revealed the dramatic increase in flood risk that could occur across Earth's icy Third Pole in response to ongoing climate change. Focusing on the threat from new lakes forming in front of rapidly retreating glaciers, a team demonstrated that the related flood risk to communities and their infrastructure could almost triple. Important new hotspots of risk will emerge, ...
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Roadmap to Expand NY Solar Energy, Meet Green Goals

May 6, 2021 — Solar-power developers need to explore using lower-quality agricultural land for solar energy, incentivize dual-use (combined agriculture and solar) options, avoid concentrated solar development and engage communities early to achieve New York's green energy goals, according to recent ...
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Independent Evolutionary Origins of Vertebrate Dentitions

May 6, 2021 — The origins of a pretty smile have long been sought in the fearsome jaws of living sharks which have been considered living fossils reflecting the ancestral condition for vertebrate tooth development and inference of its evolution. However, this view ignores real fossils which more accurately reflect the nature of ancient ...
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The Origin of Reproductive Organs

May 6, 2021 — Early in fetal development, a mass of cells known as the bipotential gonad has the possibility of giving rise either to ovaries or testes, reproductive organs that contribute to many of the characteristics that define a person's sex. In a new study, researchers pinpoint the origins of that precursor ...
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Ice Core Chemistry Study Expands Insight Into Sea Ice Variability in Southern Hemisphere

May 5, 2021 — Sea ice cover in the Southern Hemisphere is extremely variable, from summer to winter and from millennium to millennium, according to a new study. Overall, sea ice has been on the rise for about 10,000 years, but with some exceptions to this trend. Researchers uncovered these findings by examining the chemistry of a 54,000-year-old South Pole ice ...
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18.5 Million Year Old Vine Fossil Identified as New Species

May 7, 2021 — An 18.5 million-year-old fossil found in Panama provides evidence of a new species and is the oldest reliable example of a climbing woody vine known as a liana from the soapberry family. The discovery sheds light on the evolution of climbing ...
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Society/Education News
May 9, 2021
Apr. 7, 2021 — A new study explains why people rarely look at a situation, object or idea that needs improving -- in all kinds of contexts -- and think to remove something as a solution. Instead, we almost always ...
Mar. 8, 2021 — Without efforts to mitigate climate change, summers spanning nearly six months may become the new normal by 2100 in the Northern Hemisphere, according to a new study. The change would likely have ...
Feb. 22, 2021 — New research suggests that more than 100 chemicals found in plastic toy materials may pose possible health risks to children. The study provides findings that may lead to stricter international ...
Feb. 5, 2021 — A global team of researchers set out to understand how human-made noise affects wildlife, from invertebrates to whales, in the oceans, and found overwhelming evidence that marine fauna, and their ...
Latest Society/Education Headlines
updated 8:01am EDT

Men With Chest Pain Receive Faster, More Medical Attention Than Women

May 6, 2021 — Among younger adults visiting the emergency department for chest pain, women may be getting the short end of the stick. Compared with men of similar age, women were triaged less urgently, waited longer to be seen, and were less likely to undergo basic tests or be hospitalized or admitted for observation to diagnose a heart attack, according to new ...
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Research Confirms Trawl Ban Substantially Increases the Abundance of Marine Organisms

May 5, 2021 — Biodiversity is of crucial importance to the marine ecosystem. The prohibition of trawling activities in the Hong Kong marine environment for two and a half years has significantly improved biodiversity, a new study has found. Research results showed that the trawl ban could restore and conserve biodiversity in tropical coastal ...
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What Is Driving Reductions in Residential Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the US?

May 5, 2021 — A study finds smarter home construction and decarbonization of electric supply are contributing to lower emissions from individual households, but troubling trends show other factors could begin to cancel out this ...
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Urgent Action Needed to Protect Dolphins and Porpoises from Bycatch in European Waters

May 5, 2021 — Marine scientists are calling on the EU to adopt a comprehensive plan to protect dolphins and porpoises from fisheries bycatch in European waters. To help address the bycatch issue, which is the primary global threat to dolphins and porpoises, the researchers put forward a framework to reduce bycatch ...
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Exercise Aids the Cognitive Development of Children Born Preterm

May 6, 2021 — A premature start in life can cause problems even into teenage years. A study indicates that training motor skills in these children helps even when they are ...
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Youngest Children in Class More Likely to Be Diagnosed With Learning Disability

May 6, 2021 — Children born in December are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with a learning disorder as those born in January in school districts with a December 31 cut-off date. ADHD was found not to affect the association between month of birth and the likelihood of a learning disability ...
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People With Familial Longevity Show Better Cognitive Aging

May 4, 2021 — If you come from a family where people routinely live well into old age, you will likely have better cognitive function (the ability to clearly think, learn and remember) than peers from families where people die ...
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Neighborhood Disadvantage May Be an Environmental Risk Factor for Brain Development

May 4, 2021 — A new study suggests that certain neighborhoods - particularly those characterized by poverty and unemployment - may pose an environmental risk to the developing brains of children, impacting neurocognitive performance and even brain ...
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Researchers Show How 'Theory of Mind' Influences Advertising Skepticism

Apr. 22, 2021 — Product marketers should be clear in their messaging to avoid customer skepticism that makes them feel duped, according to new research. At issue in a new study was a social-cognitive construct called theory of mind, which considers how well people assess the mental states and apparent goals of others. Turns out, it affects a person's evaluation and willingness to buy a ...
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Body Mass Index, Age Can Affect Your Risk for Neck Pain

Apr. 20, 2021 — With roughly 80% of jobs being sedentary, often requiring several hours of sitting stooped in front of a computer screen, neck pain is a growing occupational hazard. Smartphones and other devices have also caused people to bend their necks for prolonged periods. But is bad posture solely to ...
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People May Trust Computers More Than Humans

Apr. 13, 2021 — Despite increasing concern over the intrusion of algorithms in daily life, people may be more willing to trust a computer program than their fellow humans, especially if a task becomes too challenging, according to new research from data ...
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The Truth About Doublespeak: Is It Lying or Just Being Persuasive?

Apr. 8, 2021 — Doublespeak, or the use of euphemisms to sway opinion, lets leaders avoid the reputational costs of lying while still bringing people around to their way of thinking, a new study has ...
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