Stay informed about scientific discoveries, research developments and new findings from around the world.
Scientists recreated a particle-forming process linked to the extreme physics of the early universe using a 13-ion quantum simulator. The breakthrough suggests quantum computers could eventually help researchers investigate how matter formed and evolved after the Big Bang.
In 1967, a Malawian farmer stumbled upon a hidden hoard of eight copper ingots buried beneath a tree. Now, more than half a century later, scientists have traced the metal to its source: a copper mine nearly 800 km (500 miles) away.
Artemis II astronauts Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman are transitioning to emeritus status at NASA after their historic journey around the Moon earlier this year. The pair will continue advising and mentoring NASA teams as preparations accelerate for Artemis III and future lunar missions. Their experience with Orion and deep-space operations could prove especially valuable as NASA works toward returning astronauts to the lunar surface.
Tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound, activated calorie-burning brown fat in obese mice, revealing a potential metabolic effect beyond appetite suppression. If confirmed in humans, the finding could help explain the drug’s powerful benefits and inspire more comprehensive treatments for obesity and diabetes.
A new study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) has identified a molecular switch that controls whether stressed human cells activate a survival mechanism or trigger programmed cell death (apoptosis). The findings, published in Redox Biology, provide insights that could help overcome chemotherapy resistance in aggressive tumors.
A research team from The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) and East China Normal University (ECNU) has published a meta-analysis demonstrating the impact of digital textbooks (DTs) on student motivation. Synthesizing 27 experimental and quasi-experimental studies conducted between 2000 and 2024 with 3,590 participants, the study confirms that DTs significantly enhance students' intrinsic learning motivation compared with traditional paper textbooks.
History is rife with lost treasures, from Aztec gold hidden during the Spanish conquest to the Ark of the Covenant, which vanished during the destruction of Jerusalem over 2,500 years ago. In his book, "The Museum of Lost Things: True Tales of Fabled Treasures, Legendary Cities, and Mythical Creatures That Vanished From History" (National Geographic Books, 2026), writer Sam Kean examines all things lost to time. In this excerpt from the book, he looks at how the tomb of Genghis Khan, arguably the most successful ruler in history, has remained hidden for nearly 800 years and counting. If archaeologists could vote on which lost grave they'd most like to find, Genghis Khan's would likely appear...
Antibodies made by the immune system can sometimes target human brain cells, producing psychiatric symptoms. Researchers aim to better identify such rare cases as well as fine-tune treatments.
Scientists discovered a surprising energy paradox in the brain during REM sleep, the stage most closely associated with dreaming. Blood supply to the brain begins increasing even before REM starts, but neurons’ immediately available energy, measured as ATP, then drops. The finding suggests that dreaming may require such intense internal processing that neurons consume energy faster than it can be replenished.
One of the most famous full moons of the year will climb into the eastern sky on Saturday, Sept. 26. This year, the Harvest Moon will make its appearance with Saturn shining nearby — and you'll have another chance to see it rise on Sunday, Sept. 27, too.Officially full at 12:49 p.m. EDT on Saturday, the full moon will be best seen rising in the eastern sky later that day, at the time of moonrise where you are. It will appear in the constellation Pisces.This month's full moon earns the Harvest Moon nickname because it's the full moon closest to the September equinox, which fell on Tuesday (Sept. 22). This year, it coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival — also called the Moon Festival — which ...
More than 40 million people in the northeastern United States braced Friday for heavy rain and strong winds as an unusually powerful storm for the season was forecast to crash into the region.
Bangkok authorities declared a flood disaster across the Thai capital on Saturday after almost 48 hours of heavy rain left canals full, roads submerged and residents wading through deep water.
Wildfires that tore through Indonesian Borneo's vast tropical forests have increased pressure on critically endangered Bornean orangutans, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said Saturday.
In a freshwater canal surrounded by mangroves in southern Guatemala, hundreds of baby tropical gars—a torpedo-shaped fish with an alligator-like snout dubbed the "fossil fish"—are released into the wild.
In modern times we tend to think of lithium as powering smartphones and cars, yet its historical fame comes from its role as a mood stabilizer.Lithium was first used as a treatment for bipolar disorder in 1949. Yet despite decades of research and drug development, this simple medication remains the gold standard for treating one of the most complex psychiatric conditions. But why?According to Becci Strawbridge, a senior lecturer in psychological medicine at King's College London, lithium's simplicity could be what helps it cut through the complexity of bipolar disorder, a lifelong disorder that affects about 36 million people worldwide.Clinically, bipolar disorder is defined as a mood disord...
An estimated 38 trillion bacteria live in the human body—and only a small fraction are harmful to our health. However, the harmful ones can cause serious illness, especially when they develop resistance to antibiotics.
Scientists think beneficial fungi could help transform nutrient-poor lunar and Martian regolith into a material capable of supporting crops. By helping plants access nutrients and withstand harsh conditions, these microbes could someday make self-sustaining space farming more realistic.
Scientists discovered rare flavoalkaloids in Cannabis leaves for the first time, along with dozens of other phenolic compounds that had never been reported in the plant. The findings suggest that Cannabis leaves, often discarded as waste, may contain a surprisingly rich source of potentially useful chemicals.
Wildfires, floods and other extreme weather events are no longer the only ways climate change affects children around the world. Increasingly, it also affects their diets. Droughts reduce agricultural production, floods cut off roads and disrupt supply chains, and rising prices limit families' access to fruits, vegetables and other fresh foods.
Before the parasite Toxoplasma gondii can invade a cell, it has to know it has reached the right place. New research from the Whitehead Institute reveals that the parasite doesn't simply recognize a ready-made doorway into the cell. Instead, it helps create the conditions for its own entry.
Researchers have figured out a missing piece of the puzzle of how human cells detect invading viruses and mount an immune response within an hour.
Slaughterhouses are places most people never want to go, and might seem like unlikely places to search for rare or endangered species. In West Africa, however, they are among the last places one can find a critically endangered species, the Hooded Vulture, which historically thrived as a human commensal species, living in close proximity to people and contributing to waste disposal.
Removing a single amino acid can determine whether new proteins assemble into stable complexes within mitochondria. An enzyme carries out this precise trimming at the start of mitochondrial proteins. Without it, numerous protein complexes lose their stability, according to a study led by Dr. Nora Vögtle of Heidelberg University and Dr. Pitter Huesgen of the University of Freiburg. In their work published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, the scientists identified a previously unknown mechanism by which human cells maintain the balance of proteins in their mitochondria.
NASA is moving forward with designing a new space telescope that can see even deeper into the infrared universe than the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) can. The new mission, called PRIMA (Probe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics), is continuing its development to Phase B — the preliminary design and tech phase — according to a NASA statement. Managers will review the mission's progress before officially beginning the telescope's journey to launch; if all goes to plan, PRIMA will embark on a five-year mission no earlier than 2033.PRIMA's objective is to use a 5.9-foot [1.8 meters] telescope to examine the cosmos in the far-infrared, in a different set of wavelengths than the more famous...