Today's Science Pulse
UK-led study reveals hidden massive star clusters deep within nearby galaxies
Astronomers using the VLA and ALMA uncovered previously unseen giant star clusters embedded deep inside nearby galaxies. The findings show that young stellar activity drives the evolution of these galaxies, reshaping their interstellar environments. Multiple observations confirm the clusters act as hidden “ring factories” of star formation.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Foundation Alloy raises $22M Series A
Würzburg Team Confirms KPZ Universality in 2‑D Quantum Surface Growth
A research group at the University of Würzburg’s Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat has delivered the first experimental proof that the Kardar‑Parisi‑Zhang (KPZ) universality class governs two‑dimensional surface growth. Using a gallium‑arsenide polariton platform cooled to –269.15 °C, the team tracked growth dynamics in space and time, confirming KPZ scaling beyond the one‑dimensional cases reported in 2022. The result opens a new experimental window on non‑equilibrium statistical physics.
University of Chicago Study Finds Zeaxanthin May Supercharge Cancer Immunotherapy
Scientists at the University of Chicago Medical Center reported that zeaxanthin, a carotenoid found in leafy greens, strengthens CD8+ T‑cell responses and amplifies the effect of checkpoint inhibitor drugs. The finding points to a low‑cost, diet‑based adjunct that could raise...
Experts Challenge Glucose Goddess's Pregnancy Diet Claims in New Book
Medical researchers have publicly challenged the pregnancy diet recommendations promoted by biochemist Jessie Inchauspé, known as the “Glucose Goddess,” in her newly released book. They argue her claims about epigenetic programming and rigid nutrient quotas exceed current scientific evidence, raising...
Art‑Film Exposure Boosts Creativity, UC Santa Barbara Study Shows
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara reported that viewing artistic short films significantly improves creative thinking compared with humorous, non‑art videos. The study, involving nearly 500 participants, links the boost to a temporary state of openness, suggesting new ways to harness...
Short, Intense Workouts Cut Dementia Risk by 63%, Study Finds
Researchers analyzing data from nearly 100,000 adults discovered that just a few minutes of vigorous activity each week slashes the risk of dementia by 63%, type‑2 diabetes by 60% and all‑cause mortality by 46%. The findings, published in the European...
Leucine Enzyme AUH Found to Drive Brown‑Fat Thermogenesis, Offering New Bio‑Hacking Target
A team led by Jiang published in Nature Communications that the leucine‑catabolizing enzyme AUH controls brown adipose tissue thermogenesis in male mice. Loss of AUH reduces energy expenditure, increases fat gain and impairs glucose balance, suggesting a novel target for...
Protecting Flowering Plants Is Crucial to Our Future
Ecologist David George Haskell argues that flowering plants ignited a massive biodiversity surge and now underpin modern ecosystems. In his new book How Flowers Made Our World, he explains how floral genetics enabled angiosperms to colonize new habitats for over 130 million...
Early Permian Multi-Ovulate Fruit Rewrites Angiosperm History
Researchers have described a new fossil genus, Shuozhoufructella, from the Lower Permian of Shanxi, China. The plant bears a multi‑ovulate fruit in which ovules are attached by funiculi along the fruit rim, a configuration previously unknown in gymnosperms but typical...
‘It’s 13 Minutes of Things that Have to Go Right’: Artemis II Splashes Down Despite Faulty Heat Shield
NASA’s Artemis II mission returned safely to the Pacific after a historic 10‑day lunar flyby, despite a known flaw in the Orion heat shield. Engineers discovered the shield’s internal layers could trap gas during reentry, risking chunk loss. To mitigate, NASA...
Canadian Experts Map Electrification Roadmap to Hit Decarbonisation Targets
Michael Barnard presented a systems‑level electrification roadmap that leverages existing, proven technologies to meet Canada’s 2030 and 2050 decarbonisation goals. He argued that 98% of the needed solutions already work at scale, and the remaining barriers are political, not technical.
Multi‑Billion Fusion Partnership Leverages High‑Temp Superconductors
Fast Friends in Fusion ⚛ ♾ ⚛ Two of our companies announced a multi-billion dollar partnership at the ARPA-E conference this week. Both Commonwealth and Realta use powerful high-temp superconducting magnets — CFS in a utility-scale torus, Realta in...
Different People Attract Different Mosquito Species
Researchers tested three mosquito species against 119 people using a Uniport olfactometer, finding distinct preferences. Aedes aegypti showed an 89% attraction rate and uniquely favored male participants, while Aedes albopictus responded to specific skin ketones and Culex quinquefasciatus preferred a...
Self‑immunized Man’s Blood Yields Universal Antivenom
A truck mechanic from Wisconsin spent 18 years injecting himself with venom from the world's deadliest snakes. 700 doses. 200+ bites. He taught himself immunology from a textbook. His name is Tim Friede. His blood may end up saving hundreds of...
Artemis Era Launches: A Global Celebration for NASA
Epic day for NASA and everyone around the world who contributed to this. The Artemis era has truly begun.
Longitudinal Study Links Associative Learning Gains to Later Improvements in Fluid Intelligence
A three‑year longitudinal study of 160 Chinese elementary students found that improvements in associative learning and fluid intelligence reinforce each other over time. Children who exceeded their baseline in forming associations showed greater gains in reasoning the following year, and...
Celebrating Integrity's Return and Apollo 13 Free‑Return Anniversary
🎯 Welcome Back Integrity, with a bullseye splash down just now And tomorrow is the 66-year anniversary of the Apollo 13 launch, the last time a mission brought the astronauts back with a free-return trajectory, slingshotting around the moon. https://t.co/TWKKMtnxDF
Performance to Deployment: Path for Real-World Quantum Computing
This is how you actually get #quantumcomputing into the real world. Performance enables abstraction. Abstraction enables virtualization. Virtualization enables deployment. Let's go! @qctrlHQ ❌ @nvidia
Pyrazole-Derived TRPC3 Antagonist Ameliorates Synaptic Dysfunctions and Memory Deficits in Alzheimer’s Disease Models
Researchers have engineered a pyrazole‑derived, metabolically stable TRPC3 antagonist that readily penetrates the CNS. In cultured neurons, amyloid‑beta oligomers up‑regulate TRPC3, leading to calcium overload and toxicity. Administration of the compound to 5xFAD and APPKI mouse models reversed synaptic deficits...
Trump Funding Cuts Halt Crucial Scientific Research, Now Highlighted
My former UVA colleague Tim Wilson is creating short videos of scientists describing the research that stopped when the Trump admin slashed funding for science: https://t.co/WdzjCofxvB For example, research finding more effective ways to train navy pilots and air traffic controllers: https://t.co/7XDXn593Kl
Watch Artemis Mission Landing Live Right Now
MyPOV - Very cool. Tune into the live stream now for the #Artemis mission landing https://t.co/CulPUWM1bl
Multi-Omics and Electrophysiological Examination of GABAA Receptors in the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex of Humans with Alcohol Use Disorder
Researchers recorded electrophysiological activity of reactivated GABA_A receptors from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of postmortem brains of individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Multi‑omics analysis revealed significantly lower mRNA levels for several GABA_A subunits, yet protein abundance and synaptic function...
Chance Encounter in Space: JANUS Camera Captures Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
The European Space Agency’s JANUS camera captured high‑resolution images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS during a close flyby in early 2026. The observations were made when the comet passed within 0.3 AU of Earth, revealing an elongated nucleus and active gas jets....
The Local Universe’s Expansion Rate Is Clearer Than Ever, but Still Doesn’t Add Up
New observations from the Nearby Supernova Factory and Gaia‑based distance ladders have sharpened the local measurement of the Hubble constant to 73.2 ± 0.8 km s⁻¹ Mpc⁻¹, the most precise to date. Despite the reduced uncertainties, this value remains 5‑6 km s⁻¹ Mpc⁻¹ higher than the value inferred...
Warmer, Nitrogen‑rich Air Fuels Stronger, More Abundant Pollen
The real reasons are: climate change has extended the growing seasons; a lot of plants love the warmer temps; plus they are getting more nitrogen in the soil from air pollution (the lack of which used to limit their growth);...
Flavored Tobacco Bans Linked to Lower Youth Vaping in California
Researchers at UC San Diego examined data from over 2.8 million California students and found that local bans on flavored tobacco products lowered youth vaping rates from 7.7% to 6.2% without increasing cigarette smoking. Using a dynamic difference‑in‑differences design covering 2017‑2022,...
Dynamic Enzyme Complex Maps Nicotine Biosynthesis in Wild Tobacco
The complete biosynthetic pathway of nicotine in wild tobacco has been mapped, revealing a dynamic enzyme complex that orchestrates the final steps and transport of this alkaloid, offering new insights for synthetic biology and plant defense mechanisms. plantbiology
Mysterious Flashes in 1950s Skies Linked to Nuclear Tests and UAP Sightings: Study
A statistical review of Palomar Observatory sky plates from 1949‑1957 uncovered over 100,000 brief, star‑like flashes that vanished within a single 50‑minute exposure. The researchers found these transients occurred on 310 of 2,718 days and were 45% more likely within...
Australia: Ingestible Smart Sensor Boosts Non-Invasive Diagnostics
A world‑first ingestible gas‑sensing capsule, developed from RMIT University research, has been commercialised in Victoria, offering clinicians a radiation‑free, real‑time view of the gastrointestinal tract. The device moves beyond invasive procedures, targeting the roughly 40% of people who suffer from...
Reprogrammed Tregs Turn Pancreatic Tumors Immunotherapy‑Friendly
Reprogramming regulatory T cells within pancreatic tumors may transform them from immune suppressors into supporters of anti-tumor activity, offering a potential strategy to enhance immunotherapy effectiveness in this challenging cancer. immunotherapy
Reprogramming Regulatory T Cells Could Help Immunotherapy Work in Pancreatic Cancer
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University discovered that pancreatic tumors suppress immunotherapy by recruiting large numbers of regulatory T cells (Tregs). In mouse models, an agonistic CD40 therapy not only activated tumor‑killing immune cells but also reprogrammed Tregs into...
Under One Moon
NASA’s Artemis II crew completed a historic lunar flyby, capturing striking images of Earth rising behind the Moon and collecting data on previously unseen craters, a solar eclipse and meteor impacts. The mission demonstrated Orion’s deep‑space capabilities and reinforced the United...
Chang'e Mission Samples Reveal How Exogenous Organic Matter Evolves on the Moon
China’s Chang’e‑5 and Chang’e‑6 lunar sample returns have, for the first time, revealed nitrogen‑bearing organic compounds embedded in moon soil grains. The study shows these organics exist as particles, surface‑adhered films, and mineral inclusions, and bear isotopic signatures that point...
World Holds Breath for Artemis II’s Safe Return
Artemis II is on the way home. The part where everything has to go right. Where the whole world quietly holds its breath. Hoping. Watching. Waiting. Bring them home. 🚀🇺🇸🇨🇦
Is a Super El Niño Coming in 2026? Here’s What Scientists Are Saying
Scientists warn that a rare "Super El Niño" could develop by late 2025, raising the odds of a strong El Niño in 2026. NOAA’s April advisory assigns a 61% chance of any El Niño and a one‑in‑four probability it will be unusually intense....
Universal Surface-Growth Law Confirmed in Two Dimensions After 40 Years
A Würzburg research team has delivered the first experimental verification of the Kardar‑Parisi‑Zhang (KPZ) universality class on two‑dimensional surfaces. By cooling a gallium‑arsenide semiconductor to –269.15 °C and injecting polaritons with a precision laser, they tracked spatial‑temporal growth that matches KPZ...
Explore Rapamycin's Role in Aging at UArizona
If you’re in Tucson next week, I’ll be giving a talk at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy (@UAZPharmacy) on the science behind rapamycin and aging. We’ll cover what we know, what we don’t, and where the field is...
REPL RP1 Melanoma Trial Flawed; New CRL
I've never covered the REPL RP1 data in melanoma, mainly due to dislike of the trial design w/ its lack of a monotherapy arm. Sometimes you can see where things are likely headed and kicking a dog when it's down...
Mayo Clinic Enhances Imaging Test with AI
Mayo Clinic researchers applied artificial intelligence to standard coronary artery CT scans, extracting measurements of pericardial fat that markedly improve long‑term cardiovascular disease risk prediction. The findings, published March 24 in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, demonstrate that a metric...
Command Module Executes 3 M/S Raise
Integrity CM 3m/s raise burn using the small thrusters on the command module to ensure good distance from the abandoned service module
Orion Returns Home After Crew Module Separation
Orion is coming home. Good crew module sep. Godspeed the crew of Artemis II. https://t.co/aYgG56dcMb
How Do Fish Know How to Build Nests?
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence examined African cichlid Neolamprologus ocellatus to determine whether nest building is purely instinctive or can be learned. Fish raised from birth without shells eventually constructed nests using 3‑D‑printed shells, though their...
Spin‑flip Emitters Steer Energy Flow in Singlet‑fission Cells
Spin-flip emitters could control energy pathways in singlet fission solar cells #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/T3I2Sr5Xyp
Orion Crew Capsule Set to Separate in Under 30 Minutes
Less than 30 minutes until the Orion crew capsule separates from the service module. https://t.co/o9Fz1gSC3R
New Fundamental Physics Measurement Deepens Quantum Mystery
Physicists at CERN's CMS experiment have released a new measurement of the W boson mass, 80,360.2 ± 9.9 MeV, which aligns with Standard Model predictions. The result matches the precision of the 2022 CDF measurement that had suggested a significant deviation, but it...
Understanding Time Perception Improves Web Loading Experience
Where the study of time perception finds practical value: "The Science of Waiting and Waiting for Your Page to Load" #oldiebutgoodie https://t.co/4be8H9kSCy
Watch NASA’s Artemis II Return Live and Celebrate
Right - space twitter/X - grab family/friends/colleagues and strangers and WATCH this NASA stream - and cheer #ArtemisII back from space https://t.co/EeXIjX2fk4
After More than 9 Days in Flight, NASA's Artemis II Is Set to Return to Earth
NASA’s Artemis II crew completed a nine‑day lunar flyby and splashed down in the Pacific off San Diego. The Orion capsule re‑entered at over 24,000 mph, enduring temperatures near 5,000 °F before deploying three parachutes. Four astronauts—including the first woman and the first person...
Microsoft Launches Unified Li‑ion Battery Dataset via Linux Foundation
Microsoft releases standardized battery dataset through Linux Foundation to address fragmented testing practices and enable consistent analysis of lithium-ion performance data https://t.co/nXqo6Fa0i2
Future Generations Will Judge Us for Warming Earth
I wonder how future generations will feel about us warming the planet to do this https://t.co/Ir5ehRW3Pv
FDA Approves First Gene Therapy for LAD‑I Children
FDA approves first gene therapy, Kresladi, offering a breakthrough treatment for children with the rare immune disorder LAD-I https://t.co/ezWPPEgtd0