Today's Science Pulse
Hidden Star Clusters Discovered Deep Inside Nearby Galaxies
A UK‑led study using VLA and ALMA data uncovered previously hidden giant star clusters deep within nearby galaxies, describing them as “ring factories.” The findings highlight how young stellar activity shapes galactic evolution across the universe.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Foundation Alloy raises $22M Series A
Wastewater Detects Drug-Resistant Candidozyma Auris Emergence
Researchers published a Nature Communications study showing that wastewater‑based epidemiology can identify drug‑resistant Candida auris in hospitals weeks before patients test positive. By extracting fungal DNA from sewage and applying metagenomic sequencing plus quantitative PCR, the team quantified pathogen load and pinpointed resistance genes to echinocandins and azoles. Continuous sampling across multiple facilities revealed temporal spikes that preceded clinical case surges, while spatial analysis highlighted high‑risk wards. The approach offers a non‑invasive, real‑time sentinel for infection control and antifungal stewardship.
Metabolically Healthy Obesity Linked to 20-Year Heart Risk
A 20‑year ATTICA cohort study finds that individuals with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) experience a significantly higher incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than metabolically healthy, normal‑weight peers. The analysis shows obesity itself is an independent predictor of heart events, challenging...
Curtin-Oxford Team Directly Measures Black‑Hole Jet Power at 10,000 Suns
Researchers from Curtin University and the University of Oxford have directly measured the power of the relativistic jet from Cygnus X‑1, finding it releases energy equivalent to 10,000 Suns and travels at half the speed of light. The breakthrough, achieved with...
Deaconess Illinois Launches First‑in‑Nation 3‑Tesla MRI, Cutting Scan Times to Under 7 Minutes
Deaconess Illinois Medical Center, together with GE HealthCare and the Marion Chamber of Commerce, inaugurated a first‑in‑nation 3‑Tesla MRI system that can complete a knee scan in under seven minutes. The upgrade promises faster, higher‑resolution imaging and broader access for...
JAXA’s MMX Mission: Reaching the Moons of Mars to Unlock the Solar System’s Past
Japan’s JAXA is set to launch the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission in late 2026, targeting Phobos and Deimos and returning at least 10 g of Phobos samples to Earth by 2031. The spacecraft will enter a quasi‑satellite orbit around Phobos,...
Northwestern Engineers Print Artificial Neurons That Talk to Living Brain Cells
Engineers at Northwestern University printed flexible artificial neurons that generated lifelike electrical signals and activated living mouse brain cells, demonstrating a direct electronic‑biological interface. The work, published in Nature Nanotechnology, could accelerate brain‑machine interfaces and inspire ultra‑efficient AI hardware.
Artemis II Crew Praises Orion Heat Shield, Calls Lunar Flyby ‘Life‑Changing’
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA’s Jeremy Hansen reflected on their ten‑day Artemis II mission, lauding Orion’s heat shield and calling the far‑side lunar flyby a life‑changing moment that puts a crewed landing within two years.
The Record-Setting U.S. Drought Is so Bad that 97% of the Southeast and Two-Thirds of the West Are Parched
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows a record‑setting 61% of the contiguous United States in moderate to exceptional drought, with 97% of the Southeast and two‑thirds of the West affected. The Palmer Drought Severity Index recorded its highest March value since...
Can Choking During Sex Cause Brain Damage? Emerging Evidence Points to Hidden Neurological Risks
Emerging research links consensual neck compression during sex—often called "choking"—to measurable neurological strain. Large surveys show nearly half of women and over 60% of men have engaged in aggressive sexual behaviors, with younger adults reporting the highest rates of neck...
San Francisco Confirms First U.S. Case of Clade I Mpox Strain
San Francisco health officials have confirmed the city’s first case of the more severe clade I mpox strain in an unvaccinated adult who was hospitalized but is now improving. The detection adds the Bay Area to a handful of U.S. locations...
Glycaemic Swings Drive Heart Cell Damage in Diabetes
A new study slated for *Nature Communications* reveals that rapid blood‑sugar swings, not just chronic hyperglycaemia, directly damage heart muscle cells. Researchers showed that glycaemic variability fragments mitochondria, depresses ATP output, disrupts calcium handling and spikes oxidative stress, leading to...
ESA’s Hera Arrives at Didymos: Completing the World’s First Planetary Defence Test
ESA’s Hera spacecraft will reach the binary asteroid system Didymos in November 2026 to study the aftermath of NASA’s DART impact on Dimorphos. DART’s 2022 kinetic‑impact test shortened Dimorphos’s orbital period by about 33 minutes, proving an asteroid can be nudged. Hera...
Membrane Protein Amuc_1098 Eases Pancreatitis via TLR2
A study published in Nature Communications identifies the gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila membrane protein Amuc_1098 as a potent modulator of Toll‑like receptor 2 (TLR2). By selectively engaging TLR2, Amuc_1098 dampens inflammatory signaling and reshapes pancreatic glycerophospholipid metabolism, leading to marked...
EU Releases Revised Space Act Proposal, and It Is as Odious as the Earlier Drafts
The European Union released a revised 157‑page draft of its Space Act, aiming to create a single regulatory framework for all space activities across member states. The proposal mirrors the 2025 version that drew sharp criticism for imposing burdensome rules...
Pliant Therapeutics Announces Presentation of Updated Data From the Phase 1 Trial of PLN-101095 in Patients with ICI-Refractory Solid...
Pliant Therapeutics presented updated Phase 1a/1b data for its integrin inhibitor PLN‑101095 combined with pembrolizumab at the 2026 AACR meeting. In ICI‑refractory solid‑tumor patients, the regimen produced an average 89% tumor reduction and a median treatment duration of 19 months among...
Androgen Receptor Density Drives Muscle Gains, Not Testosterone
Muscle androgen receptor density, but not testosterone, predicts muscle growth from resistance training In this 2018 study, testosterone, IGF-1, growth hormone, DHEA, LH, or DHT predicted muscle hypertrophy - muscle androgen receptor content did Muscles have androgen receptors that mediate hypertrophy through...
Starship Booster Packs Power of 177 GE90 Jet Engines
Booster 19’s 33 Raptor 3 engines produce as much thrust as approximately 177 GE90-115B jet engines. That’s one Starship booster equaling the power of 177 of the world’s biggest turbofans.
Glutathione Prevents Cellular Clogs
Researchers at Rockefeller University identified the membrane protein SLC33A1 as the primary exporter of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) from the endoplasmic reticulum, preserving the organelle’s oxidative environment needed for proper protein folding. Using CRISPR screens, rapid ER profiling, and cryo‑EM structures,...
Dads Deliver Distinct Microbes to Their Babies
Most people assume the baby's gut microbiome comes from the mother. A lot of it does, especially early on. But a 2024 study tracked 73 infants and both parents for over a year and found that fathers are a consistent source...
500 Years Later, Scientists Solve Leonardo Da Vinci’s Human Heart Mystery
Scientists have finally decoded the function of the heart's trabeculae, a delicate muscular network first sketched by Leonardo da Vinci five centuries ago. Using fractal analysis, MRI data and biomechanical simulations on 18,096 UK Biobank participants, the team linked trabecular morphology...
Join Study to Deepen Your Metabolic Health Understanding
Here is a worthwhile study to better understand your metabolic health. Please consider joining it: https://hubs.ly/Q02J7v2Q0 @mimiohealth
Compass Needles Detect Tiny Fields, Spin Can Induce Precession
🧪⚛️ How sensitive is a compass needle at detecting magnetic fields? Can the total spin angular momentum lead to mechanical precession of a hunk of ferromagnet? Read on.... https://t.co/evd47M7UVk
How Melting Ice Sheets Are Adding More Time to Your Day
Human‑driven climate change is speeding up Earth’s rotational slowdown, lengthening the day at a rate not seen in the past 3.6 million years. A new study using deep‑learning on fossil and coral data shows the Length of Day is increasing by...
AI-Powered Computer Vision Scales Wildlife Monitoring at Wind Farms
Spoor outlines its vision for AI-based biodiversity monitoring, using computer vision to scale wildlife tracking across wind energy sites. https://t.co/kVqY7yUOqm
Ultraviolet Breakthrough Sharpens Lasers for Nuclear Clocks, Autonomous Navigation
A new ultraviolet breakthrough improves laser precision, advancing nuclear clock research and opening possibilities for autonomous navigation in space and underwater environments. https://t.co/2B5ZM642CT
Reductive Transformation of ALD TeO2 Into Continuous and Impurity‐Free Tellurium Films
Researchers have unveiled a reductive transformation that converts atomic‑layer‑deposited TeO₂ into continuous, impurity‑free tellurium films. The self‑limiting process uses in‑situ generated TeH₂ from Te(SiMe₃)₂ and NH₃, eliminating oxygen from both bulk and interface while preserving conformality even at sub‑5 nm thicknesses....
Oliver Zolman Discusses Cutting‑Edge Aging Research Insights
New interview, by the terrific Oliver Zolman who was for a time Bryan Johnson's main doctor and who knows a great deal about aging research too: https://t.co/LCenNXC9xg
NAD+ Rhythms Drive Sleep, Aging; Resetting Delays Decline
NEW PAPER: Ups & downs in NAD+ over 24 h dictates our body's clock & sleep but declines with age. Disrupting the cycle promotes mouse aging & restoring it improves fitness & metabolic function, pointing to "circadian reprogramming" as a...
Scalable Flow Reactors for Stable Biofilm Formation and Continuous Whole‐Cell Catalysis
Researchers have unveiled a modular, scalable microfluidic reactor that uses flow‑induced deposition to form robust E. coli biofilms directly from suspended cells. By coupling pillar‑based designs with computational fluid dynamics, the team mapped microscale flow features that drive cell attachment,...
Climate‑Driven Drought Fuels Migration and Conflict
"Drought, Migration and the Fall of Civilization: A Cautionary Tale" | Seemed appropriate to be re-upping this op-ed I wrote a few years ago for @thehill on the role of climate-driven conflict in the middle east: https://t.co/C8fyuYwyl6
Stress Boosts Yeast Offspring Fitness With Distant Parents
Massive yeast orgy to investigate mating preferences among different yeast strains, and resulting offspring fitness under different conditions. Under some stress conditions, offspring fitness improves with increased genetic distance between parents. https://t.co/r1SSb7xlq7
Laser‐Assisted In Situ Fabrication of rGO/Bi2O3 Nanocomposites for Heavy Metal Sensing
Researchers have demonstrated a single‑step CO₂ laser process that simultaneously reduces graphene oxide and forms Bi₂O₃ nanoplatelets, creating flexible rGO/Bi₂O₃ nanocomposite electrodes. The laser‑engineered electrodes exhibit excellent stripping voltammetric performance for trace Pb(II), Cd(II) and Cu(II), achieving detection limits as...
Artemis II Laser Links Offer Faster Data, yet Limited
Laser communication systems on Artemis II promise extreme data speeds compared to Apollo era radios, but still face environmental limitations. https://t.co/2Bb9dJrNrh
Trump EO Accelerates Psychedelic Research for PTSD and Addiction
Delighted to see the Trump EO easing research into psychedelics for PTSD, depression, and addiction. It was a prescient choice by Rick Doblin and others to explicitly research psychedelics for PTSD in veterans. Makes it so much easier to get...
Zirconia Thin Films Unlock New Reversible Nonpolar-to-Polar Mechanism
Researchers at National Taiwan University have demonstrated a reversible non‑polar‑to‑polar transition in a 12‑nm zirconia (ZrO₂) thin film, establishing a near‑constant‑volume tetragonal symmetry change. This mechanism eliminates the traditional wake‑up effect that degrades antiferroelectric performance, enabling ultra‑stable behavior over 10⁸...
CHIP Clones Accelerate Aneurysm Growth, Offering Preventive Target
We don't measure blood stem cell clones (CHIP) in the clinic. But some are linked with fast, expanding abdominal aortic aneurysms, identification of an underlying mechanism, and a potential preventive treatment @jclinicalinvest https://t.co/4rWlLuivBJ https://t.co/vasG9hc9DK
President Signs Order to Boost PTSD Drug Research
JUST IN: The president signed an executive order to ramp up research on drugs for PTSD and other mental health issues.
Study Shows Experimental Design Drives Water Relaxation in ‘No‑Man’s‑Land’
Researchers Ingrid de Almeida Ribeiro and Valeria Molinero used molecular dynamics to demonstrate that the relaxation of water molecules in the elusive 150‑220 K ‘no‑man’s‑land’ is dictated by the pulsed‑heating experimental protocol rather than true equilibrium dynamics. Their findings expose a...
Pennsylvania Turns Abandoned Wells Into Renewable Geothermal Power
Pennsylvania has up to 750,000 of inactive oil and gas wells. Now the state will use some of those wells to build a clean, renewable electricity source, enhanced geothermal. https://t.co/SGBLc8g4ck More on EGS https://t.co/yt6XQ52tPW
Optimized Type 2 Diabetes Care Boosts Health and Savings in Spain
Estimating the Clinical, Quality-of-Life and Economic Impact of Optimized Management of Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Spain https://t.co/L3QB4MJf57 https://t.co/pot0usHX7f
Spatially Controlled Capture and Site‐Resolved Analysis of Single Extracellular Vesicles
Researchers have introduced an array‑based platform that captures single extracellular vesicles (EVs) in optically resolvable nanowells and couples it with mask‑gated fluorescence analysis. A PDMS translation step clears excess particles, delivering >99 % capture at predefined locations and low‑background, site‑specific signals....
Swedish Study Links Anemia to Higher Dementia Risk, Flagging Iron Deficiency for Longevity Hackers
Swedish researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University reported that anemia triples the risk of dementia in older adults, based on a cohort of 2,200 participants. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, shows low hemoglobin correlates with elevated Alzheimer’s...
Climate‑Focused ‘Earth, Air, Fire, Water’ Exhibition Opens at San Francisco’s Mills Building
KALW and the Swig Company have launched the multi‑media exhibition “Earth, Air, Fire, Water” at the Mills Building’s Live Event Studio, featuring a roster of Bay Area artists who translate climate data into visual art. The show runs now through...
Decoupling Kinetic and Shuttle Limitations in Li─S Batteries Enabled by Temperature Responsive Functional Interlayer
Researchers have introduced a temperature‑responsive Ti3C2Tx MXene interlayer for lithium‑sulfur batteries that adapts its function across −10 °C to 55 °C. At low temperatures it catalyzes Li2S nucleation, boosting redox kinetics, while at high temperatures it strongly binds polysulfides to suppress shuttle....
Interfacial Nano‐Pitting and In Situ Sulfate‐Directed Growth of Na2.85V2(PO4)2.85(SO4)0.15 Nanodots on MWCNT for Ultrafast Sodium‐Ion Storage
Researchers introduced an ultracentrifugation‑assisted phosphate‑sulfate pretreatment that nano‑pits multi‑walled carbon nanotubes, creating confined sites for in‑situ growth of Na2.85V2(PO4)2.85(SO4)0.15 nanodots. The resulting nanodot‑carbon interface delivers strong electronic coupling and short sodium‑ion pathways, enabling capacitor‑like storage at ultrafast rates up to...
High Loading and Morphology Transformation in Boron Dispersed Copper Electrocatalyst Enables Efficient Nitrate to Ammonia Conversion
Researchers have engineered a boron‑nanosheet dispersed copper nanorod (BS‑CuNR) electrocatalyst that maintains activity at an unprecedented loading of 35 mg cm⁻². The hybrid architecture creates abundant active sites and superior ion‑electron transport, delivering a current density of –450 mA cm⁻² and 91.9% Faradaic efficiency...
Eli Lilly’s Foundayo Poised as Biggest Game‑Changer in 150‑Year History
Analysts have flagged Eli Lilly’s newly approved oral GLP‑1 drug, Foundayo, as the most consequential product in the company’s 150‑year history. The needle‑less therapy could generate $1‑2 billion in sales within its first year, complementing Lilly’s injectable tirzepatide (Zepbound) and expanding access...
Trial Shows Donor-Derived Cells Can Eliminate Immunosuppressants in Liver Transplants
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC infused donor‑derived regulatory dendritic cells into 13 living‑donor liver transplant patients, enabling four to stop immunosuppressive drugs and three to remain drug‑free for more than three years. The result marks the first...
NASA's Artemis II Orion Uses Eight‑CPU Redundant Computer for Fault‑tolerant Navigation
NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft runs an eight‑processor, fault‑tolerant computer architecture that can survive the loss of three flight control modules in under 22 seconds. The design, a leap from Apollo’s single‑megahertz computer, underpins the mission’s navigation, life‑support and communications as...
AI and Multi‑Omic Advances Highlighted in New Breast Cancer Special Issue
Cancer Biology & Medicine released a special issue on March 15, 2026, edited by Professor Zefei Jiang, that pairs AI research with breakthroughs in immunotherapy, antibody‑drug conjugates and cell therapies. The collection underscores AI as an enabler of precision breast...