Top Science News

Nov. 17, 2025 — Older adults who regularly listen to or play music appear to have significantly lower risks of dementia and cognitive decline. The data suggests that musical engagement could be a powerful, enjoyable tool for supporting cognitive resilience in ...

Nov. 17, 2025 — Ultra-processed foods, already known for their links to health problems in adults, are now shown to harm young adults too, disrupting blood sugar regulation long before illness appears. A four-year USC study following 85 participants found that even modest increases in UPF consumption drove up the risk of prediabetes and insulin resistance, two early markers that pave the way for type 2 ...

Nov. 17, 2025 — Across the planet, animals are increasingly suffering from chronic illnesses once seen only in humans. Cats, dogs, cows, and even marine life are facing rising rates of cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and obesity — diseases tied to the same factors affecting people: genetics, pollution, poor nutrition, and stress. A new study led by scientists at the Agricultural University of Athens proposes a ...

Nov. 17, 2025 — A new dual-light microscope lets researchers observe micro- and nanoscale activity inside living cells without using dyes. The system captures both detailed structures and tiny moving particles at once, providing a more complete view of cellular behavior. Its creators tested it by analyzing changes during cell death and were able to estimate ...

Nov. 16, 2025 — Researchers combined deep learning with high-resolution physics to create the first Milky Way model that tracks over 100 billion stars individually. Their AI learned how gas behaves after supernovae, removing one of the biggest computational bottlenecks in galactic modeling. The result is a simulation hundreds of times faster than current ...

Nov. 16, 2025 — Dark matter may be invisible, but scientists are getting closer to understanding whether it follows the same rules as everything we can see. By comparing how galaxies move through cosmic gravity wells to the depth of those wells, researchers found that dark matter appears to behave much like ordinary matter, obeying familiar physical laws. Still, the possibility of a hidden fifth force lingers, ...

Nov. 14, 2025 — Researchers have created a prediction method that comes startlingly close to real-world results. It works by aiming for strong alignment with actual values rather than simply reducing mistakes. Tests on medical and health data showed it often outperforms classic approaches. The discovery could reshape how scientists make reliable ...

Nov. 16, 2025 — Penn State scientists identified a striking rise in melanoma across several Pennsylvania counties dominated by cropland and herbicide use. The elevated risk persisted even after factoring in sunlight, suggesting an environmental influence beyond the usual expectations. Researchers warn that drifting chemicals may expose nearby residents, not just farm ...

Nov. 15, 2025 — Scientists discovered that a week of full submergence is enough to kill most rice plants, making flooding a far greater threat than previously understood. Intensifying extreme rainfall events may amplify these losses unless vulnerable regions adopt more resilient rice ...

Nov. 14, 2025 — Researchers in Greenland used a 10-kilometer fiber-optic cable to track how iceberg calving stirs up warm seawater. The resulting surface tsunamis and massive hidden underwater waves intensify melting at the glacier face. This powerful mixing effect accelerates ice loss far more than previously understood. The work highlights how fragile the Greenland ice system has become as temperatures ...

Nov. 14, 2025 — Hektoria Glacier’s sudden eight-kilometer collapse stunned scientists, marking the fastest modern ice retreat ever recorded in Antarctica. Its flat, below-sea-level ice plain allowed huge slabs of ice to detach rapidly once retreat began. Seismic activity confirmed this wasn’t just floating ice but grounded mass contributing to sea level rise. The event raises alarms that other fragile ...

Nov. 16, 2025 — A newly recognized set of T helper cells seems to guard against aging by eliminating harmful senescent cells. Their presence in supercentenarians suggests they may be a key to maintaining a healthier, age-balanced immune ...

Nov. 15, 2025 — Researchers found that tau proteins don’t jump straight into forming Alzheimer’s-associated fibrils—first they assemble into soft, reversible clusters. When the clusters were dissolved, fibril growth was almost entirely suppressed. This reveals a promising new strategy: stop the precursors, stop the ...

Nov. 15, 2025 — Scientists identified a small molecule that interrupts a harmful protein pair linked to diabetic inflammation and tissue damage. The compound helped wounds heal faster and reduced organ stress in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes models. Unlike typical treatments, it works by blocking damaging signals rather than lowering sugar levels. The results point to a new direction for treating diabetes ...

Nov. 11, 2025 — Japanese researchers found that lecanemab, an amyloid-clearing drug for Alzheimer’s, does not improve the brain’s waste clearance system in the short term. This implies that nerve damage and impaired clearance occur early and are difficult to reverse. Their findings underscore that tackling amyloid alone may not be enough to restore brain function, urging a broader approach to ...

Nov. 10, 2025 — Researchers identified SGK1 as a key chemical connecting childhood trauma to depression and suicidal behavior. High SGK1 levels were found in the brains of suicide victims and in people with genetic variants linked to early adversity. Drugs that block SGK1 could offer a new kind of antidepressant, especially for patients resistant to ...

Nov. 9, 2025 — Millions struggle with depression and anxiety, often enduring long waits for effective treatment. Scientists in Sweden, Denmark, and Germany are developing a genetic test to predict which medications will actually work. Using polygenic risk scores, they can analyze DNA variations linked to mental health and drug ...

Nov. 8, 2025 — Sertraline (Zoloft) may relieve emotional symptoms of depression and anxiety within two weeks, while physical side effects stabilize later. The research highlights how antidepressants can act on specific symptom networks rather than uniformly across all aspects of ...

Nov. 13, 2025 — Exercise appears to spark a whole-body anti-aging cascade, and scientists have now mapped out how it happens—and how a simple oral compound can mimic it. By following volunteers through rest, intense workouts, and endurance training, researchers found that the kidneys act as the hidden command center, flooding the body with a metabolite called betaine that restores balance, rejuvenates immune ...

Nov. 13, 2025 — Smoking, vaping, or using both products significantly increases the likelihood of developing prediabetes and diabetes, and the risk is even higher among Hispanic, Black, and low-income groups. Researchers found that vaping alone raises prediabetes risk, while combining cigarettes and e-cigarettes drives those odds up ...

Nov. 13, 2025 — Researchers have designed a smart drug that hunts down and breaks a little-known RNA that cancer cells depend on. The drug recognizes a unique fold in the RNA and triggers the cell to destroy it. Tests showed that removing this RNA slows cancer growth. The approach could lead to new treatments that attack cancer at its most fundamental ...

Nov. 13, 2025 — Scientists have discovered strange microscopic structures in the blood of people with Long COVID—clusters of tiny microclots tangled together with sticky immune webs known as neutrophil extracellular traps, or NETs. These combined structures show up far more often in Long COVID patients, where they appear larger, denser, and more stubborn than in healthy ...

Nov. 14, 2025 — Hypersonic flight could one day make long-haul travel as quick as a short movie. Researchers are testing how turbulence behaves at extreme speeds, a critical hurdle for designing these aircraft. Their laser-based krypton experiments suggest turbulence at Mach 6 behaves more like slower airflow than expected. The results could simplify hypersonic ...

Nov. 13, 2025 — Scientists have developed a new way to build rare-earth crystals that boosts quantum coherence to tens of milliseconds. This leap could extend quantum communication distances from city blocks to entire continents. The method uses atom-by-atom construction for unprecedented material ...

Nov. 12, 2025 — Boron arsenide has dethroned diamond as the best heat conductor, thanks to refined crystal purity and improved synthesis methods. This discovery could transform next-generation electronics by combining record-breaking thermal conductivity with strong semiconductor ...

Nov. 13, 2025 — Arctic sea ice is disappearing fast, and scientists have turned to an unexpected cosmic clue—space dust—to uncover how ice has changed over tens of thousands of years. By tracking helium-3–bearing dust trapped (or blocked) by ancient ice, researchers built a remarkably detailed history of Arctic coverage stretching back 30,000 years. Their findings reveal powerful links between sea ice, ...

Oct. 25, 2025 — A UCLA-led team has achieved the sharpest-ever view of a distant star’s disk using a groundbreaking photonic lantern device on a single telescope—no multi-telescope array required. This technology splits incoming starlight into multiple channels, revealing previously hidden details of space ...

Oct. 25, 2025 — Researchers propose that hydrogen gas from the early Universe emitted detectable radio waves influenced by dark matter. Studying these signals, especially from the Moon’s radio-quiet environment, could reveal how dark matter clumped together before the first stars formed. This approach opens a new window into the mysterious cosmic era just 100 million years after the Big ...

Oct. 15, 2025 — 3I/ATLAS, a mysterious interstellar object racing toward the Sun, is baffling scientists with its speed and origin. Some researchers suggest it could even be alien-made, drawing comparisons to probes humanity has sent beyond the Solar System. Detecting whether it’s natural or artificial would rely on subtle signs like radio emissions or unusual ...

Nov. 17, 2025 — A Princeton team built a new tantalum-silicon qubit that survives for over a millisecond, far surpassing today’s best devices. The design tackles surface defects and substrate losses that have limited transmon qubits for years. Easy to integrate into existing quantum chips, the approach could make processors like Google’s vastly more ...

Nov. 16, 2025 — Aalto University researchers have developed a method to execute AI tensor operations using just one pass of light. By encoding data directly into light waves, they enable calculations to occur naturally and simultaneously. The approach works passively, without electronics, and could soon be integrated into photonic chips. If adopted, it promises dramatically faster and more energy-efficient AI ...

Nov. 11, 2025 — Scientists at EPFL have unraveled the mystery behind why biological nanopores, tiny molecular holes used in both nature and biotechnology, sometimes behave unpredictably. By experimenting with engineered versions of the bacterial pore aerolysin, they discovered that two key effects, rectification and gating, stem from the pore’s internal electrical charges and their interaction with passing ...

Nov. 5, 2025 — USC researchers built artificial neurons that replicate real brain processes using ion-based diffusive memristors. These devices emulate how neurons use chemicals to transmit and process signals, offering massive energy and size advantages. The technology may enable brain-like, hardware-based learning systems. It could transform AI into something closer to natural ...

Nov. 9, 2025 — Researchers from the University of Vienna discovered MISO bacteria that use iron minerals to oxidize toxic sulfide, creating energy and producing sulfate. This biological process reshapes how scientists understand global sulfur and iron cycles. By outpacing chemical reactions, these microbes could help stop the spread of oceanic dead zones and maintain ecological ...

Nov. 9, 2025 — In Death Valley’s relentless heat, Tidestromia oblongifolia doesn’t just survive—it thrives. Michigan State University scientists discovered that the plant can quickly adjust its photosynthetic machinery to endure extreme temperatures that would halt most species. Its cells reorganize, its genes switch on protective functions, and it even reshapes its chloroplasts to keep producing energy. ...

Nov. 8, 2025 — A revolutionary eDNA test detects endangered hammerhead sharks using genetic traces left in seawater, eliminating the need to capture or even see them. This powerful tool could finally uncover where these elusive species still survive, and help protect them before they disappear for ...

Nov. 5, 2025 — Scientists discovered 6-million-year-old ice in Antarctica, offering the oldest direct record of Earth’s ancient atmosphere and climate. The finding reveals a dramatic cooling trend and promises insights into greenhouse gas changes over millions of ...

Nov. 4, 2025 — Once considered geologically impossible, earthquakes in stable regions like Utah and Groningen can actually occur due to long-inactive faults that slowly “heal” and strengthen over millions of years. When reactivated—often by human activities—these faults release all that built-up stress in one powerful event before stabilizing again. This discovery reshapes how scientists assess ...

Nov. 4, 2025 — Even with futuristic geoengineering methods like Stratospheric Aerosol Injection, the fate of wine, coffee, and cacao crops remains uncertain. Scientists found that while this intervention could slightly cool the planet, it cannot stabilize the erratic rainfall and humidity that devastate yields. The findings reveal that only a fraction of major ...

Nov. 3, 2025 — Bamboo tissue paper, often marketed as an eco-friendly alternative, may not be as green as consumers think. Researchers at NC State University found that while bamboo fibers themselves are not more polluting than wood, China’s coal-dependent energy grid results in a higher carbon footprint for bamboo-based products compared to North American wood tissue. The study emphasizes that manufacturing ...

Oct. 26, 2025 — Dinosaurs weren’t dying out before the asteroid hit—they were thriving in vibrant, diverse habitats across North America. Fossil evidence from New Mexico shows that distinct “bioprovinces” of dinosaurs existed until the very end. Their extinction was sudden, not gradual, and the recovery of life afterward mirrored climate-driven patterns. It’s a powerful reminder of life’s ...

Oct. 26, 2025 — New research shows that hippos lived in central Europe tens of thousands of years longer than previously thought. Ancient DNA and radiocarbon dating confirm they survived in Germany’s Upper Rhine Graben during a milder Ice Age phase. Closely related to modern African hippos, they shared the landscape with cold-adapted giants like mammoths. The finding rewrites Ice Age history and suggests ...

Oct. 26, 2025 — Researchers have uncovered microbial evidence in the remains of Napoleon’s soldiers from the 1812 Russian retreat. Genetic analysis revealed pathogens behind paratyphoid and relapsing fever, diseases likely contributing to the army’s massive losses. Using advanced DNA sequencing, the team pieced together centuries-old infection clues, connecting historical accounts with modern science. Their ...

Oct. 16, 2025 — Long before humans built cities or wrote words, our ancestors may have faced a hidden threat that shaped who we became. Scientists studying ancient teeth found that early humans, great apes, and even Neanderthals were exposed to lead millions of years ago. This toxic metal can damage the brain, yet modern humans developed a tiny genetic change that protected our minds and allowed language and ...

Nov. 3, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that a “longevity gene” found in people who live beyond 100 can reverse heart aging in models of Progeria, a devastating disease that causes children to age rapidly. By introducing this supercentenarian gene into Progeria-affected cells and mice, researchers restored heart function, reduced tissue damage, and slowed aging symptoms. The discovery opens the door to ...

Oct. 30, 2025 — From mini-brains to spider-inspired gloves and wolf apple coatings, scientists are turning eerie-sounding experiments into real innovations that could revolutionize health and sustainability. Lab-grown brain organoids may replace animal testing, spider-silk gloves could create instant wound dressings, wolf apple starch keeps veggies fresh, and researchers even found microplastics lurking in human ...

Oct. 26, 2025 — Researchers found that life expectancy growth in wealthy nations has dramatically slowed since 1939. Once driven by major reductions in child mortality, longevity gains are now limited by slower progress in older-age survival. The study suggests no generation since 1939 will live to 100 on average, reshaping how societies must plan for aging and ...

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 ...

Aug. 26, 2025 — Australian teachers are in crisis, with 9 in 10 experiencing severe stress and nearly 70% saying their workload is unmanageable. A major UNSW Sydney study found teachers suffer depression, anxiety, and stress at rates three to four times higher than the national average, largely driven by excessive administrative tasks. These mental health struggles are pushing many to consider leaving the ...

June 3, 2025 — The effects of artificial intelligence on adolescents are nuanced and complex, according to a new report that calls on developers to prioritize features that protect young people from exploitation, manipulation and the erosion of real-world ...

May 26, 2025 — A new study examines the emergence of overimitation in infants aged between 16 and 21 months to see if and how it is linked to social affiliation and other forms of imitation. The researchers found that young children engaged in low rates of overimitation and that it was not driven by in-group preference -- meaning they were not acting to please ...

Aug. 21, 2025 — Industrial forests, packed with evenly spaced trees, face nearly 50% higher odds of megafires than public lands. A lidar-powered study of California’s Sierra Nevada reveals how dense plantations feed fire severity, but also shows that proactive thinning could prevent forests from collapsing into shrubland ...

May 27, 2025 — A new study shows that people who proactively reorganise their family routines -- such as adjusting childcare schedules or redistributing domestic responsibilities -- are more likely to demonstrate adaptability and innovation at ...

May 22, 2025 — As the US national debate intensifies around immigration, a new study is challenging conventional wisdom about 'brain drain'--the idea that when skilled workers emigrate from developing countries, their home economies ...

May 21, 2025 — The way people express emotions while helping others can influence whether their assistance is welcomed, resented, or reciprocated, according to new ...