Today's Science Pulse
Twisting 2D hBN layers unlocks unprecedented control of quantum light
Researchers demonstrated that rotating ultra‑thin hexagonal boron nitride sheets can reversibly shift the color and wavelength of embedded quantum emitters far beyond what traditional solid‑state hosts allow. By picking up, stacking, and twisting the layers, they achieved spectral tuning orders of magnitude larger, a breakthrough reported in Science Advances.
BHV-2100
Researchers from KU Leuven, CISTIM Leuven and Biohaven Therapeutics have announced that an oral TRPM3 antagonist has entered Phase 2 clinical testing for the acute treatment of migraine. The program leveraged a cell‑based high‑throughput screen of more than 200,000 compounds to isolate a lead molecule with sub‑micromolar potency and favorable pharmacokinetics. Preclinical models demonstrated rapid reversal of migraine‑like pain signals, prompting the move to human trials. The candidate represents the first oral therapy that targets the TRPM3 ion channel in migraine patients.
Balsa Wood Absorbs Solar Heat and Generates Power Long After Dark
Researchers have engineered a carbonisation‑free balsa wood composite that absorbs sunlight, stores heat, and generates electricity after darkness, achieving a photothermal conversion efficiency of 91.27% and a sustained 0.65 V output. The material uses delignified wood with 93% porosity, black phosphorene...
The Once-Theoretical Skyrmion Could Unlock Supercomputing Memory
Researchers have demonstrated that magnetic skyrmions as small as 2 nm can form in the centrosymmetric compound Eu(Ga,Al)₄, overturning the long‑standing belief that skyrmions require non‑centrosymmetric crystals. Using composition‑controlled crystal growth and synchrotron‑based ARPES, the team identified a Lifshitz transition that...
Could Dark Matter Be Made of Black Holes From a Different Universe?
New research proposes that black holes formed before the big bang survived a cosmic bounce and now constitute dark matter. The model predicts structures larger than about 90 m could persist through the contraction‑expansion transition, leaving relic black holes, gravitational waves,...
Scrubbing Bubbles
Researchers at Cornell have demonstrated that low‑frequency sound can energize bubbles in a cleaning bath, causing them to slide in a stop‑and‑go motion along inclined surfaces. This resonant bubble motion boosts cleaning efficacy, achieving up to 90 % cleaner surfaces compared...
Used Cooking Oil Finds New Life in Innovative Materials for Cars, Homes
Italian researchers at the University of Pisa have demonstrated that used cooking oil can be chemically converted into polyols, the key building block for polyurethane foams, phase‑change heat‑storage panels, and bio‑lubricants. Funded by Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the...
Neanderthal DNA Legacy Might Be More Complex than Thought
The idea that modern humans inherited DNA from Neanderthal ancestors is one of the 21st century’s most celebrated discoveries in evolution. It may not be that simple.
Orbital Starts Countdown to Space Data Centre Test
Orbital announced that its first satellite, Orbital 1, will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 in April 2025 to test sustained GPU operation in low‑Earth orbit. The mission, funded by a16z Speedrun, aims to prove radiation‑hardening, continuous solar power and space‑based cooling...
NASA’s JWST Redefines Dividing Line Between Planets, Stars
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured high‑resolution spectra of several substellar objects that sit on the borderline between massive planets and low‑mass stars. The observations reveal atmospheric signatures and temperatures that challenge the traditional deuterium‑burning mass cutoff used to...
B12 Supplements for Pregnant Vegetarians May Boost Infant Neurodevelopment: RCT
A double‑blind RCT called MATCOBIND enrolled 531 predominantly vegetarian pregnant women in India and Nepal. Participants received either 250 µg or 50 µg of vitamin B12 daily from the first trimester through six months postpartum. Infants whose mothers took the higher dose showed...
The Quietest Place We've Ever Listened From
Chinese scientists used the low‑frequency radio spectrometer on the Chang E‑4 lander to conduct the first SETI search from the Moon’s far side. The experiment looked for periodic technosignatures but found none, confirming that the signals were consistent with natural or...
Philippines Rolls Out NBCAP Roadmap to Strengthen Blue Carbon Ecosystems
On March 26, 2026 the Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources received the National Blue Carbon Action Partnership (NBCAP) Roadmap at the Philippine Mangrove Conference. The plan outlines a multi‑sector strategy to protect mangroves, seagrasses and tidal marshes, aiming...
NASA's Nuclear‑Powered SR‑1 Targets Mars Launch by 2028
NASA has announced SR-1, the first-ever nuclear-reactor-powered interplanetary spacecraft, with a planned Mars launch before the end of 2028—a timeline experts call aggressive but exciting.
Scientists Map Light Cues for Optic Nerve Regeneration
Scientists are working on regenerating optic nerves for people who have lost their sight. The first step is done: A map of how changes in light, color, and frequency affect the visual axis. https://spectrum.ieee.org/optic-nerve-damage-electrical-stimulation
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL Reaches ISS Carrying Tons of Supplies
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft completed its second flight to the International Space Station, docking on April 13. The vehicle was captured by the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm at 1:20 p.m. EDT. The mission delivered several tons of scientific equipment,...
First Proba-3 Science: Surprisingly Speedy Solar Wind
ESA’s Proba‑3 mission delivered its first science data, revealing solar‑wind streams traveling up to 800 km/s just 5 solar radii from the Sun—significantly faster than most models predict. The twin‑satellite coronagraph captured high‑resolution images of the corona, allowing direct measurement of plasma...
Multi-Country Hydrogen-Based Iron-Ore-to-Green-Steel Breakthrough in Namibia
A hydrogen‑powered rotary kiln in Namibia has successfully converted 80 t of low‑grade Australian iron ore (56 % Fe) into direct‑reduced iron (DRI) at industrial scale, demonstrating climate‑neutral production without pelletising. The pilot, run by the SuSteel AG consortium linking Australia, Namibia and...
Chang'e Mission Samples Reveal How Exogenous Organic Matter Evolves on the Moon
Chinese Chang'e‑5 mission returned the first new lunar samples in decades, including minute amounts of organic compounds. Researchers analyzed the regolith and identified a suite of exogenous organics that have been altered by solar radiation, micrometeorite impacts, and thermal cycling....
Japan Delivers Its Sharpest X-Ray Telescope for FOXSI, a US–Japan Rocket Program to Observe the Sun
Japan’s Nagoya University has completed its most precise X‑ray telescope yet for the Focusing Optics X‑ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) program, a joint US‑Japan sounding‑rocket effort to capture high‑energy solar flares. The new optics achieve sub‑arcsecond resolution across a 0.5‑10 keV band,...
Researchers Unveil New AI-Driven System Set to Transform Coral Reef Restoration
University of Derby researchers have launched BlueBiome, an AI‑driven platform that merges image analysis, microbiome genetics, and targeted probiotics to monitor coral health. The system can detect early signs of stress such as bleaching, lesions, and pigment changes, addressing the...
Scientists Map the Brain Network Behind Self-Transcendence
Harvard researchers used lesion network mapping on 88 brain‑tumor patients to pinpoint a neural circuit that underlies self‑transcendence, the experience of moving beyond the personal self. The circuit shows two poles: posterior midline regions that act as a brake on...
Coffee Crops Are Dying From a Fungus with Species-Jumping Genes
A fungus called Fusarium xylarioides is killing coffee plants worldwide through coffee wilt disease. Researchers reconstructed historical strains and sequenced genomes, discovering that the pathogen acquired virulence genes via horizontal gene transfer from Fusarium oxysporum, including mobile “Starship” elements. These...
Dawn Aerospace Unveils “Loop” Refueling Network to Combat Orbital Obsolescence
Dawn Aerospace announced the Loop, an on‑orbit refueling network that standardizes a Docking and Fluid Transfer (DFT) port on SatDrive satellites larger than 10 kN. The system pairs a reusable Space Utility Vehicle with expendable Orbital Propellant Depots, turning propellant from...
Scientists Just Discovered 5.6 Million Bees Under a New York State Cemetery
Researchers from Cornell University documented an unprecedented aggregation of roughly 5.6 million ground‑nesting bees at the East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, New York. The bees, primarily the solitary species Andrena regularis, emerged across a 6,500‑square‑meter area during spring 2023, a density far...
Re: Accuracy of Glomerular Filtration Rate Estimation Based on Creatinine and Cystatin C for Monitoring Moderate Chronic Kidney Disease in...
A recent longitudinal cohort study examined how well estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equations, using creatinine alone or combined with cystatin C, track measured GFR in adults with moderate chronic kidney disease. The combined creatinine‑cystatin C formula showed a modest gain in...
Ketone Esters Show Promise as a New Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder
A pilot study published in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging found that a single dose of a ketone ester (395 mg per kg body weight) rapidly shifted brain metabolism from glucose to ketones and cut alcohol cravings in participants with alcohol use disorder...
From Colossal to Chickens: The Scientists Behind Neion Bio’s Biologics Platform
Neion Bio, founded by Dimi Kellari and Sam Levin, is developing a chicken‑based platform that inserts therapeutic proteins into the ovalbumin gene so that eggs become biologic factories. The company recruited former Colossal Biosciences veterans Sven Bocklandt (CSO) and James...
From Bras to Space: Seamstresses Redesign NASA Suit
When a bra maker got the job of making the first NASA spacesuit In 1966, when seamstresses at the International Latex Corporation arrived at its new Apollo Suit shopfloor in Frederica, Delaware, they were essentially “taught to sew again from scratch.”...
Age Spots Linked to Epigenetic Drift, Potentially Reversible
Could age spots be due to a suspected cause of aging? New paper says: "Consistent with the Information Theory of Aging, we found a global disruption of tight epigenetic regulation of methylation states." If so, they are reversible. Can't wait to...
Nanozyme Boosts Stem Cell Mitochondria to Accelerate Bone Regeneration
Researchers have engineered a single‑atom nanozyme that mimics cytochrome c oxidase, restoring mitochondrial energy production in stem cells. The nanozyme, anchored with iron and copper on a mesoporous silica scaffold and coated with triphenylphosphonium, targets mitochondria and shifts cell metabolism toward...
Classic Lymphadenopathy Differential Diagnosis Table Highlights Key Features
Lymphadenopathy [2000] Habermann & @DavidSteensma @MayoProceedings https://t.co/56RvIsHEG3 <- a classic esp DDx Table 3 #lymsm #hemeonc https://t.co/PlvEKQVoiG
Unexplained Splenomegaly Study Reveals Preliminary Findings
The Challenge of Unexplained Splenomegalies: Preliminary Data of the French Prospective Multi-Center Splenomegaly Study (SMS) [Nov 29, 2018] Guillaume Denis, MD etal. @BloodJournal 32 (Supplement 1): 4815 #ASH18 https://t.co/N0PeoI1agT #SMUS
Japan Finds a Way to Recover 90% of Lithium From Old EV Batteries
Japan’s JX Metals Circular Solutions has demonstrated a new recycling line that pulls roughly 90% of lithium from end‑of‑life electric‑vehicle batteries, about twice the recovery rate of earlier methods. The plant in Tsuruga uses a revised hydrometallurgical treatment that substitutes...
Mass Alone Determines Planets, Stars, and Brown Dwarfs
Everything in the Universe changes by adding enough mass What sets the dividing line between rocky planets, gas giants, brown dwarfs, and stars of different colors and lifetimes? One parameter alone, mass, explains almost all of it. https://t.co/I3pkaf2lX7
Real-World Data Reveal Molecular Profile of Metastatic ILC
Molecular Characterization of Patients with Metastatic Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Using Real-World Data to Describe This Unique Clinical Entity [Sep 10, 2025] Davis et al. @CCR_AACR https://t.co/eY0etUfQhQ #bcsm #PrecisionMedicine #camoldx @TempusAI https://t.co/oDkC1Ua6DS
Lilly Wants to Bridge Cancer Care Gap with $300M ADC Biotech Buy
Eli Lilly announced an acquisition of Houston‑based CrossBridge Bio, offering up to $300 million in cash and performance‑based biobucks. The early‑stage biotech is developing a dual‑payload antibody‑drug conjugate, CBB‑120, that targets the TROP2 protein found in many solid tumors. CrossBridge plans to...
PurIST Classifier Validated for Pancreatic Cancer Therapy
Real-World Validation of the Purity Independent Subtyping of Tumors Classifier for Informing Therapy Selection [PurIST @TempusAI] in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma [Sep 4, 2025] @stephwen et al. @JCOPO_ASCO https://t.co/R24DErvaB4 #pancsm #PrecisionMedicine https://t.co/40LqNDQJHo
Somatic Immune Cell Mutations Linked to Autoimmunity
New evidence that somatic mutations in immune cells can be the basis for autoimmune disease @Nature https://t.co/GvzxLYgvfw
Early Stress Linked to Lifelong Digestive Issues via Gut‑Brain Disruption
Scientists report that early‑life psychological stress can permanently alter the gut‑brain connection, leading to chronic digestive disorders such as abdominal pain, constipation and irritable bowel syndrome. The findings, based on mouse models and data from thousands of children, underscore the...
Iron Deficiency Anemia Often Triggers Thrombocytosis
Thrombocytosis in Iron Deficiency Anemia [Nov 28, 2018] @hemen_712 et al. @BloodJournal https://t.co/BCqznWwhki #hemeonc #anemia
RUNX1 Identified as Key to Rejuvenate Aging T Cells
Discovery of a factor (RUNX1) that pinpoints T cell senescence and restoring its functionality achieves T cell rejuvenation. Significant implications in older adults with loss of immune system protection. https://t.co/X58DvzIUXY @ImmunityCP https://t.co/hzL3zFiPMm
Combined Methods Pin Hubble Constant at 73.5 Km/S/Mpc, Heightening Cosmic Tension
An international collaboration of astronomers announced a new measurement of the local expansion rate of the Universe—73.50 ± 0.81 km s⁻¹ Mpc⁻¹—by merging multiple distance‑ladder techniques. The result, released on April 14 2026, sharpens the long‑standing Hubble tension between early‑universe and late‑universe estimates and fuels speculation about...
GLP‑1 Receptors Protect Liver in Mouse MASH Model
Adding to the GLP-1 drug weight-loss independent effect benefit : impact on liver sinusoidal endothelial cell GLP-1 receptors for liver protection in mouse MASH model @Cell_Metabolism @DanielJDrucker @ChusaGzlzRellan https://t.co/0A13QYgm05
Rocket Lab Ramps up NZ-Built Gauss Thrusters for Constellations
.@RocketLab says its Gauss electric thruster is built in New Zealand, so no US tech-export control issues; now producing the thrusters at 200-per-year rate.
This Dangerous Spider Is Spreading Across London – and It’s Been Found at One of the City’s Most Iconic Attractions
A surge in false widow spiders—venomous arachnids often mistaken for black widows—has been documented across London and the southeast of England. Hospital admissions for spider bites in the UK have risen from 47 in 2015 to 100 in 2025, according...
Data, Not Compute, Will Bottleneck Scientific AI
AI progress in science depends on high quality training data and the ability to rapidly verify results. E.g., as @michael_nielsen pointed out recently, the training data is what made AlphaFold possible. Data and experimentation will be the science AI bottleneck,...
Command-Line Genome Viewers: Terminal Genome Viewer & ASCIIGenome
Terminal Genome Viewer https://t.co/ppe3ckC5kp Another one that is around for a while: ASCIIGenome https://t.co/pnrzu48qZo https://t.co/qRCjn2Rft2
Idaho Dairy Herds Add to Growing US H5N1 Outbreak
It's not gone: #USDA reports 5 more dairy herds in Idaho have tested positive for #H5N1 #birdflu, the first in months. In the 2+ years since the virus was first detected in cows in the US, 1,093 herds in 19 states...
Low P‑tau217 Indicates Minimal Alzheimer’s Risk in Seniors
Another study indicative of predictive power of p-tau217 for Alzheimer's disease in cognitively unimpaired older adults (mean age 71 at baseline) A very low p-tau217 denoted minimal risk https://t.co/6RPJcCloWI https://t.co/XikzsvJjhM
Choosing the Right Color Map Transforms Heatmap Insight
🧵 Heatmaps are everywhere in bioinformatics. But most people get one critical thing wrong: the color map. Understanding this can make or break your visualizations. Let’s dig into how to choose the right color map for your heatmap. https://t.co/TgYRmaVC4b