Latest science news, discoveries and scientific developments.
A UCLA study found that long-term exposure to a common pesticide was linked to more than 2.5 times the risk of Parkinson's disease. Scientists also uncovered how the chemical damages brain cells and identified a promising way to protect them.
Scientists have built a groundbreaking molecular motor that spins in either direction using electricity, inspired by a machine invented more than 2,000 years ago. Even more remarkably, its rotation can boost electrical conductivity by up to 100 times, potentially transforming the future of molecular electronics.
Crown-of-thorns starfish are notorious for devouring coral reefs, but surprising new research reveals these spiny predators may actually help reefs thrive when their populations are kept in check. Scientists studying Australia's Great Barrier Reef discovered that nearly 75% of observed starfish feeding events left behind living coral tissue, rather than destroying entire colonies. By feeding on fast-growing, dominant corals, the starfish create opportunities for slower-growing species to survive, potentially increasing coral biodiversity.
In a recent Nature Communications study, researchers have reported the realization of an anti-spin ice, a system that does the opposite of conventional spin ices by breaking the ice rule that governs them.
A massive study of nearly 486,000 adults found that regularly drinking tea was associated with an 11% lower risk of heart and blood vessel diseases. The lowest risk was linked to drinking roughly six to eight cups per day, with black tea showing more consistent benefits than green tea.
Scientists at the University of Virginia have developed a promising new strategy to fight glioblastoma, one of the deadliest and most difficult-to-treat forms of brain cancer. Their experimental approach combines focused ultrasound, tiny nanoparticles, and genetic molecules called microRNAs to attack multiple cancer-driving genes simultaneously.
A 17- to 18-million-year-old ape fossil discovered in Egypt is challenging long-held beliefs about where the ancestors of humans and other modern apes first evolved. Scientists now suspect that North Africa and the Middle East, rather than East Africa, may have been the cradle of modern ape evolution.
How handy would it be if you could make your tattoos invisible for a job interview in the morning and reveal them again for a party in the evening?
A mysterious particle overlooked for decades may hold the key to why matter survived the Big Bang, allowing stars, planets, and life to exist. Scientists believe this forgotten neutrino reshaped the early universe and may have left detectable gravitational wave signals that could help unlock the cosmosās deepest mysteries.
Scientists have discovered that trees can sense their own shape and straighten their trunks using specialized wood that acts like opposing muscles. This remarkable ability helps trees maintain their posture and could lead to stronger forests, better timber, and more resilient crops.
Scientists have uncovered a hidden mechanism that allows high-cholesterol diets to undermine the body's natural cholesterol defenses, and blocking it dramatically lowered harmful LDL cholesterol in mice. Even more promising, an experimental drug targeting this pathway has already passed an early human safety trial, potentially speeding the development of a new treatment for high cholesterol.
Among Kepler and TESS's many surprising exoplanet discoveries are the ultra-short-period (USP) planets. These planets move very quickly and complete an orbit in less than 24 hours. Ancient astronomers thought that Mercury was so fastāit goes around the sun every 88 daysāthat they named it after the Roman god Mercury, who was the fast-traveling messenger of the gods. They couldn't have known how sluggish Mercury is compared to the USPs.
What's that chirping sound coming through the detector? Did you feel something whiz past? Those are just some ways people react when they encounter microbats for the first time. Microbats are small, mostly nocturnal mammals that use ultrasonic sounds to navigate and hunt at night. They do this through echolocation, producing calls and listening to the echoes that bounce back from objects and prey.
Researchers have discovered a gene for a tandem potassium channel in an algal virus. The finding supports the view that giant viruses may have contributed significantly to the evolution of complex proteins. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
More people are turning to artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots for companionship and to address loneliness. But can AI-generated empathy replace human connection?
Many have voiced concerns that artificial intelligence will take jobs away from humans. But assistant professor of chemistry Zhongyue (John) Yang, along with his former doctoral student Qianzhen Shao (now a postdoc at Stanford) and other team members, has created an AI tool that aims to elevate the work that scientists doānot replace them.
It may sound abstract, but distinctions between "native," "introduced" or "invasive" species can often be life or death. Species considered invasive in Australiaāsuch as European rabbits and feral pigsāare often culled, while most native animals are generally left alone.
According to quantum electrodynamics, the theory describing interactions between light and electrically charged particles, a sufficiently strong electric field can, in principle, convert some of its energy into particles and their antimatter partners. A particle's antimatter partner has the same mass and, for electrically charged particles, the opposite electric charge.
As quantum computers grow more ambitious, many researchers believe the best way forward is to build them in multiple interconnected parts. In these modular designs, separate quantum processors are linked so they can work together as one larger machine. For this to happen, however, connections must carry fragile quantum information without destroying it.
A woman developed a severe allergic reaction to an antibiotic in her partner's semen after sex, prompting clinicians to call for this risk to be listed on the drug's patient information leaflet