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
High IQ and High Status Share the Same Genes
A new longitudinal twin study from Germany tracked identical and fraternal twins between ages 23 and 27, finding that intelligence is about 75% heritable. The researchers reported that genetic factors account for 69%‑98% of the link between IQ and later socioeconomic status, including income, education and occupation. By comparing twins raised in the same households, the analysis isolates heredity as a stronger predictor of adult outcomes than family environment. The findings raise questions about the effectiveness of policies aimed solely at leveling socioeconomic opportunities.
Brain Activity Reveals How Well People Adapt Their Behavior to Others
University of Zurich researchers used a rock‑paper‑scissors paradigm with over 550 participants to map brain activity during adaptive mentalization. Functional MRI revealed a distributed network—including the temporoparietal cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, anterior insula, and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex—that lights up when...
Chimpanzee’s Drum Solo Offers Clues to Origins of Music
Researchers examined 89 spontaneous performances by Ayumu, a captive male chimpanzee, revealing structured, tool‑driven drumming with isochronous timing and a play‑face indicating positive affect. Transition analysis showed non‑random sequencing that partially mirrors chimp pant‑hoot patterns, and tool use produced a...
Team Finds Rare Evidence of 2 Planets Colliding
University of Washington astronomers identified rare evidence of two exoplanets colliding around the star Gaia20ehk, 11,000 light‑years away. The star’s visible light exhibited three dips beginning in 2016 followed by chaotic dimming, while infrared observations spiked, indicating hot dust from...
The Underwater Meadows that Help Keep Beaches From Disappearing
Seagrass meadows act as natural coastal armor, anchoring sediment and dampening wave energy. Their dense roots and foliage not only protect shorelines but also lock away significant amounts of carbon dioxide. A 2024 Nature study warned that loss of species...
Detect Polyps Early, Prevent Cancer Decades Later
March has been colorectal cancer awareness month. A reminder of the work of Bert Vogelstein, one of the most cited cancer researchers in history. He showed that colorectal cancer is a slow, stepwise process (often over 20–25 years): normal tissue ➡️...
Climate Change Is Making Days Longer, Study Says
A new study in the Journal of Geophysical Research shows Earth’s rotation is slowing, lengthening days by about 1.33 milliseconds per century. The slowdown is driven by melting glaciers that redistribute ocean mass, increasing the planet’s moment of inertia. Using fossilized...
Why an All-Female Fish Species Is a Scientific ‘Miracle’
University of Missouri researchers have identified gene conversion as the mechanism allowing the all‑female Amazon molly to avoid the genetic decay typical of asexual species. Using long‑read sequencing, they documented differing mutation rates between the two parental genomes and showed...
Was Humor the Engine of Linguistic Evolution?
New research by Ljiljana Progovac proposes that human language evolved not only for survival but also as a platform for wit, treating quick‑witted wordplay as a sexually selected fitness trait. The theory highlights ancient verb‑noun compounds such as “killjoy” and...
Teaching Robots to Harvest Asparagus
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich have unveiled a robot prototype that can detect and localize ripe green asparagus while moving at speeds up to 1 m s⁻¹. The system uses RGB‑D cameras and real‑time algorithms, exceeding the 0.33 m s⁻¹ speed considered...
Turning Muscles Into Motors Gives Static Organs New Life
MIT researchers unveiled a myoneural actuator (MNA) that rewires sensory nerves to transform existing muscle into a fatigue‑resistant, computer‑controlled motor for paralyzed organs. In rodent models the MNA restored intestinal squeezing and mimicked residual calf muscle function while sending sensory...
Team Discovers Brainstem Pathway that Controls Human Hands
Researchers have identified a brainstem‑spinal network that coordinates hand and arm movements, revealing two medulla regions and cervical spinal segments C3‑C4 act as relays between the cortex and hand muscles. Functional MRI in mice and humans showed this pathway is...
Experts Call for Lung-RADS Updates Amid Concern About Certain Incidental Findings
Researchers at Brown University analyzed over 75,000 low‑dose CT scans from the National Lung Screening Trial, covering more than 26,000 participants. They found that about 7% of exams contained significant incidental findings (SIFs) that were cancerous, and roughly 3% of...
National Identity Cues Boost Inclusive Brain Face Categorization
Brain imaging shows that reminders of a shared national identity prompt the brain to categorize faces from different ethnic groups more inclusively, while still recognizing ethnic distinctions. This neural flexibility may support social cohesion in diverse societies. neuroscience
First Primate Model of Congenital Deafness Created
Genetically modified marmosets lacking the OTOF gene now serve as the first primate model for human congenital deafness, offering a precise platform to advance gene therapies targeting hearing loss. genetherapy
The Role of Reactive and Senescent Astrocytes in the Aging of the Brain
A new open‑access review examines how aging pushes astrocytes into reactive and senescent states, both of which contribute to neuroinflammation and cognitive decline. The authors synthesize recent single‑cell and transcriptomic studies showing region‑specific astrocyte phenotypes and highlight that reactivity and...
Bunsen Burner Built by Desaga Enabled Caesium Discovery
Robert Bunsen was born OTD in 1811 🎂 The eponymous Bunsen burner was actually constructed for Bunsen by instrument maker Peter Desaga. The burner was essential to the discovery of caesium and rubidium through their emission spectra. https://www.compoundchem.com/2023/03/31/bunsenburner/
Scientists Discovered an Entire Island Made of Ancient Humans’ Leftover Food
Archaeologists have identified a 3,000‑square‑meter island off Fiji’s Vanua Levu that is almost entirely composed of shellfish remains. Radiocarbon dating places the formation at roughly 1,200 years old, linking it to a mid‑8th‑century Lapita settlement. The research team dismissed a tsunami...
Explore Black Hole Mysteries at MIT Museum Tonight
Hi All I'll be at the MIT Museum tonight if you are near Kendall Square. This from MIT: Curious about black holes? Join physicist and historian Peter Galison and astrophysicist Janna Levin at or a captivating conversation exploring the mysteries, science, and philosophical...
News Outlets Share Coverage Plans for Historic Artemis II Launch
NASA is set to launch Artemis II on April 1, 2024, sending a four‑person crew—Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, astronaut Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—on a ten‑day lunar orbit test flight. The mission will ride the Space Launch System (SLS) and...
Quantum Magnetism: Spin-Flip Process in Atomic Nucleus Does Not Account for All Magnetic Behavior
Florida State University physicists used the John D. Fox Superconducting Linear Accelerator to study titanium‑50 nuclei and found that the traditional spin‑flip model does not fully explain the observed magnetic dipole strength. By combining neutron‑transfer data with electron, proton, and...
AI Cuts Drug Discovery From Years to Months
I joined Sam Fazeli for the latest episode of Bloomberg Intelligence's Vanguards of Healthcare podcast and talk about our partnership with Eli Lilly and why I believe algorithmic approaches are reshaping the earliest stages of pharmaceutical R&D. The biggest impact...
MicroShunt Offers Sustained Reduction in IOP in Patients With Glaucoma
A six‑year, single‑center study of 1,001 eyes shows the PreserFlo MicroShunt dramatically lowers intraocular pressure (IOP) and medication use in glaucoma patients. IOP fell from a baseline 24.8 mmHg to 9.6 mmHg one day after surgery and remained around 13.7 mmHg through four...
Nuclear Fusion Has Stumped Scientists for Decades. Here’s How We’ll Finally Unlock Its Limitless Energy.
Scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) announced a historic ignition event on Dec. 5, 2022, producing more energy from a deuterium‑tritium pellet than the lasers supplied. The breakthrough revives optimism for inertial‑confinement fusion, while magnetic‑confinement tokamaks such as ITER continue to...
AI Identifies Multiple Dementias From One Blood Sample
Researchers at Lund University have unveiled a deep joint‑learning AI model that can simultaneously identify five neurodegenerative conditions—including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, frontotemporal dementia, and prior stroke—from a single blood sample. Trained on the Global Neurodegenerative Proteomics Consortium’s database of over...
AI Detects Atomic Defects, Revolutionizing Material Design
AI is now being used to see what was previously invisible. MIT researchers have developed a model that can detect atomic-level defects in materials, helping improve strength, heat transfer and energy efficiency. This is where AI goes beyond data. It starts to...
Can Medicine Outrun Aging? Gerontologist Says Odds Are Improving
Longevity Escape Velocity (LEV) founder Aubrey de Grey discussed the concept of outpacing aging on the Longevity Technology Unlocked podcast. He described LEV as repairing molecular damage to rejuvenate individuals, buying decades for further research, and highlighted mouse studies combining...
Doing Something Again For The First Time (Update)
A new analysis highlights that roughly 75 % of the global population has never seen humans walk on another world, making the upcoming Artemis Moon landings the first live experience for most people. NASA’s Artemis program now plans to send astronauts...
AI-Built Intrabodies Target Alzheimer’s Within
University of Essex researchers used artificial intelligence to redesign antibody fragments, creating "intrabodies" that remain stable inside human cells. By adjusting electrical charge, they converted 672 antibodies into intracellularly functional molecules that bind disease‑causing proteins linked to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s...
Diabetes Eye Damage Linked to Higher Dementia Risk
New research published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology tracked nearly 770,000 older adults and found that type 2 diabetes patients with worsening diabetic retinopathy face a markedly higher risk of dementia. Those with the most severe retinal disease had...
Targeted Nutrition May Lower Inflammation, Preserve Cognition
The impact of dietary constituents on inflammation and cognitive function in healthy older Irish adults: A pilot study "his study highlights the importance of nutrition and lifestyle in managing inflammation and cognitive decline in ageing. Targeted dietary interventions which address nutrient...
Imagination Lives in the Brain’s “Meaning Centers”
Northwestern researchers used precision fMRI to track eight participants as they imagined scenes and inner speech, revealing that imagination primarily engages high‑level transmodal association networks rather than early sensory cortices. Activity during imagined scenarios overlapped with perception in the default...
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS May Be up to 12 Billion Years Old, Predating Its Original Star System
Astronomers have determined that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, discovered in 2025, is likely between 10 and 12 billion years old. JWST measurements of rare isotopic ratios suggest it formed in the early Milky Way, possibly before its parent star system existed. The...
Time‑Restricted Eating Lowers Testosterone and Improves A1C in Women with PCOS
University of Illinois Chicago nutrition professor Krista Varady reported that a six‑hour time‑restricted eating protocol reduced testosterone, lowered free androgen index and improved A1C in a six‑month trial of 76 women with PCOS, while participants lost an average of 10 pounds....
30,000 Trees Planted on Isle of Man to Kickstart Temperate Rainforest Restoration
The Manx Wildlife Trust finished planting 30,000 mixed‑native trees on the 105‑acre Creg y Cowin reserve, two years ahead of schedule, thanks to a £38.9 million (≈$48 million) Aviva grant. The milestone marks the first phase of a broader plan to restore...
Scientists Have Discovered an 'Achilles' Heel' In Deadly Superbugs
Scientists have identified pseudaminic acid, a sugar found only on the surface of certain Gram‑negative bacteria, as a vulnerable target. By synthesizing this sugar and creating monoclonal antibodies that bind it, researchers demonstrated in mice that the antibodies flag the...
FLAV-27 Reverses Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer Mice, Study Shows
Scientists at the University of Barcelona Institute of Neurosciences have demonstrated that the novel compound FLAV-27 can reverse cognitive decline in mice engineered to develop Alzheimer's disease. The breakthrough, which targets the brain enzyme EHMT2 to reprogram neuronal epigenetics, offers...
Understanding Climate Risk: Core Concepts Explained
On The Climate Brink, I am posting draft chapters from my climate risk textbook. This post is the chapter that explains what "climate risk" means. https://www.theclimatebrink.com/p/climate-risk-explained
Dietary Restriction's Molecular Pathways Extend Lifespan Universally
Molecular mechanisms underlying the lifespan and healthspan benefits of dietary restriction across species https://t.co/JodR3q83S7 https://t.co/qUGeAe8A2D
Watch Live: Artemis II Launch
Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed mission to the Moon in over five decades, is slated for launch on 1 April 2026 at 18:24 local time. The European Service Module (ESM) will deploy solar arrays eight minutes after liftoff, provide power and propulsion, and...
Artemis II Moon Mission Remains On Track for April 1
Everything Still on Track for Artemis II Launch to the Moon on April 1 https://t.co/78OHpYtZiS
NASA Readies Moon Return After 50 Years, Billions Invested
Great feature by @lorengrush: Billions of Dollars and More Than 50 Years Later, NASA Prepares to Return to the Moon https://t.co/mnCAxEiLNO
Nature-Inspired Drug Discovery Discussed on The Long Run
Inspired by Mother Nature, Discovering New Drugs. @viswacolluru of @lifeschemistry is the latest guest on The Long Run. Sponsored by @AlphaSenseInc and Dash Bio. https://t.co/F01HMam6Ul
Straight Leg Gives Adductor Magnus, Gracilis Max Moment Arms
With a straight leg, the adductor magnus and gracilis have the longest hip adduction moment arms throughout the normal joint angle range of motion. https://t.co/chzFj9GrBw
Finally Thrilled: Orion's Third Flight Exceeds Expectations
I had mixed feelings about the first two flights of Orion. But not this one. https://t.co/9YROBrhJ7M
NASA Embraces Commercial Moon Future After 54 Years
NASA stopped being about moonshots 54 years ago. In the most positive step since then, they finally acknowledged the future. Commercialization of the moon. Now that's a moonshot
Space Megaconstellations Threaten Near-Earth Environment, Urge Resilience
The new Big Think print issue just dropped: on the Roots of Resilience. Here's how we can avoid a space megaconstellation mega-disaster. The current situation, where companies do nothing, is a recipe for destroying our one & only near-Earth environment. https://t.co/FycTO9j4QD
Prenatal Testosterone Links Finger Ratios to Sexual Orientation
Testosterone exposure in the womb creates a male vs female difference in finger length ratios that is also reflected in peoples reported sexual orientation. It’s independent of hormone levels after birth. Dr Marc Breedlove on the Huberman Lab podcast out...
First Humanoid Robot Gets FDA Clearance for Spine Surgery
World’s First Surgical Humanoid #Robot Achieves FDA-Cleared Precision in Spine Surgery by @StarSnap_1 #MedTech #Healthcare #HealthTech #Tech #TechForGood https://t.co/aks0DC51ns
Low Visceral Fat May Slow the Aging Process
Keeping Visceral Fat Low Is A Top-Tier Intervention For Potentially Slowing The Aging Rate Visceral adiposity, metabolic health and aging https://t.co/wyZSa83k4q