Today's Science Pulse
UK-led study reveals hidden massive star clusters deep inside nearby galaxies
Astronomers using the VLA and ALMA uncovered previously unseen giant star clusters, described as "ring factories," embedded within nearby galaxies. A complementary analysis of roughly 18,000 star‑forming regions showed that the energetic activity of young stars plays a decisive role in shaping galaxy evolution.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Foundation Alloy raises $22M Series A
RenovoRx Posts $11.2M FY25 Loss, Sets Mid‑2026 Target for Phase III TIGeR‑PaC Enrollment
RenovoRx announced a widened FY25 net loss of $11.2 million, despite its first full year of revenue from the FDA‑cleared RenovoCath device. The company also outlined a timeline to complete enrollment for its Phase III TIGeR‑PaC oncology trial by mid‑2026, a move that could shape its pipeline and market valuation.
University of Michigan Shows Protein Nanoparticles Deliver Genes to Diverse Human Cells
Scientists at the University of Michigan have demonstrated that protein‑coated nanoparticles can efficiently deliver DNA and mRNA to liver cancer, kidney and immune cells in vitro, marking a potential shift away from viral vectors in gene therapy. The platform uses...
Quantum Computing Pioneer Scott Aaronson Cited in Epstein Files, Sparking Ethics Debate
Scott Aaronson, a leading quantum computing researcher, discovered his name listed 26 times in the Jeffrey Epstein donor files. The revelation has ignited a discussion about the opacity of private philanthropy in science and the ethical safeguards needed for quantum...
Starcloud Raises $170 M Series A, Hits $1.1 B Valuation to Build Solar‑powered Space Data Centers
Starcloud announced a $170 million Series A led by Benchmark and EQT Ventures, valuing the Redmond‑based orbital compute startup at $1.1 billion. The funding will finance next‑generation satellites and a planned 88,000‑satellite constellation, positioning the company at the forefront of venture capital...
Apollo Veterans Cheer Artemis II, Urge Faster Moon Return
Surviving members of NASA’s Apollo era are cheering the upcoming Artemis II crewed lunar flyby, slated for early April 2026, while pressing the agency to accelerate the schedule toward a 2028 landing. Their comments highlight nostalgia, frustration over past cancellations, and...
Galapagos and Gilead Ink $837.5M Framework Deal Tied to Ouro Acquisition
Galapagos NV and Gilead Sciences have signed a binding framework agreement that gives Galapagos a 50% share of the $1.675 billion upfront consideration for Gilead’s acquisition of Ouro Medicines. The deal also locks in a $500 million cash pool for Galapagos, including...
Lifting Weights Can Slow Down Biological Brain Aging in Older Adults
A randomized trial of 309 adults aged 62‑70 showed that one year of resistance training reduced biological brain age by 1.4‑2.3 years, as measured by advanced brain‑clock imaging. Both heavy (three weekly sessions) and moderate (one supervised, two home workouts)...
Astrophysics: More Than Telescopes, It's Diverse Daily Work
Most people think I just look at stars all day…✨ But being an astrophysicist isn’t just one job, it’s many. From teaching and leading degrees, supervising students, and writing research…to running space experiments, working with media, and speaking to audiences around the...
Northern Lights Could Be Visible in 16 States Tonight March 31 as a Speedy Coronal Mass Ejection Heads for Earth
A fast coronal mass ejection (CME) launched by an X1.4 solar flare on March 30 is racing toward Earth at roughly 1,118 mi/s (1,900 km/s). NOAA predicts a glancing impact that could trigger a G1‑to‑G2 geomagnetic storm, with G3 possible if conditions intensify....
AZ Considers Filings for Long-Acting Strensiq Follow-Up
AstraZeneca’s Alexion unit intends to file a new long‑acting enzyme replacement therapy, efzimfotase alfa, as a successor to its Strensiq (asfotase alfa) for hypophosphatasia (HPP). Phase 3 data showed the drug met primary endpoints in pediatric patients but failed to achieve...
Viewbix’s Nuclear Quantum Progresses to Industry Engagement for Quantum Algorithms
Viewbix Inc., through its Quantum X Labs subsidiary, announced that portfolio company Nuclear Quantum is moving from pure algorithm development to active industry collaboration. The firm will embed its quantum‑based simulation engine into existing nuclear engineering platforms, tackling the long‑standing...
Homoharringtonine Extends Lifespan, Fights Obesity in Mice
Researchers reported that homoharringtonine (HHT), a plant‑derived alkaloid already approved for certain blood cancers, acts as a potent senolytic in mice. The compound selectively eliminated senescent cells across adipose, liver and muscle, leading to lower inflammation, improved glucose tolerance and...
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Swampland Published
Kay Lehnert’s comprehensive review titled "Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Swampland: The Cosmologist’s Handbook to the String‑Theoretical Swampland Programme" has been formally published in the peer‑reviewed journal Fortschritte der Physik on 28 March 2026. The paper, previously circulated as an arXiv pre‑print, provides...
Quantum Gases Recreate Extreme Waves Seen in Oceans and Optics
Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology and Missouri University of Science and Technology have experimentally generated a Peregrine soliton—a prototype rogue wave—in an ultracold Bose‑Einstein condensate. By engineering attractive interactions within a two‑component condensate, they overcame wave...
Structural and Genetic Analysis of Neutralizing Antibodies Reveals Mechanisms of GII.4 Norovirus Antigenic Evolution
Researchers solved the atomic structures of two neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against the pandemic GII.4 norovirus, targeting the principal antigenic sites A and G. The spatial positioning of site G was shown to shape neutralizing responses, while coordinated substitutions within these...
Fracture Characteristics From Well Flowrate Fluctuations: A Statistical Physics Approach
Researchers propose a statistical‑physics framework that treats well flow‑rate fluctuations as a proxy for subsurface strain changes. By applying Jaynes' maximum entropy principle with energy‑input constraints, they link covariance of inter‑well flow noise to non‑local stiffness tensors. This relationship enables...
Healing Wounded Skin without Scarring? Preclinical Research Shows Promise
Harvard researchers uncovered that post‑natal skin scarring is driven by fibroblast‑produced Cxcl12, which triggers excessive nerve growth that blocks full tissue regeneration. By deleting Cxcl12 or applying Botox to suppress local nerve signaling, mice healed wounds without scars, restoring all...
Uncovering the World’s Newest and Deadliest Drugs
U.S. overdose deaths are soaring as novel synthetic drugs, especially ultra‑potent fentanyl analogs and synthetic cannabinoids, flood the market. Researchers in a Pennsylvania lab are creating digital chemical fingerprints to identify molecules that standard toxicology cannot detect. The ease of...
What Is Systems Biology, and How Is It Shaping Skin Care Research?
The 2026 Anti‑Ageing Skin Care Conference marks its 10th anniversary by spotlighting systems biology as a transformative lens for skin ageing research. Organisers emphasize that ageing is a networked process influenced by genetics, lifestyle, environment, and emotional wellbeing. Dr. Katerina...
UBriGene and Cellinfinity BIO Collaborate to Accelerate in Vivo CAR-T Therapies
uBriGene Biosciences has entered a strategic partnership with Cellinfinity BIO to fast‑track in‑vivo CAR‑T programs for both solid and hematologic cancers. The deal leverages uBriGene’s LVV Turbo platform, which delivers GMP‑grade lentiviral vectors with up to 80% purification recovery and...
First Canadian Astronaut Will Travel to the Moon Amid Fraying U.S.-Canada Relations
Canada will see its first astronaut, Jeremy Hansen, fly aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission, the first crewed lunar flyby since 1972. The four‑person crew will launch from Kennedy Space Center and circle the Moon before returning to Earth. Hansen’s participation makes...
ACC 2026: Lorundrostat Lowers BP but Raises Hyperkalemia Risk
At the 2026 ACC Scientific Session, Brazilian investigators presented a meta‑analysis of three placebo‑controlled trials (1,060 patients) evaluating lorundrostat in uncontrolled hypertension. Lorundrostat 50 mg reduced systolic blood pressure by 9.08 mm Hg and diastolic by 3.48 mm Hg, while the 100 mg dose achieved an...
Channel Pattern Morphology of the Bhagirathi Hooghly River Using GIS Techniques
A GIS‑based study examined the 486.5 km stretch of the Bhagirathi‑Hooghly River, dividing it into eight reaches to compute key geomorphological indices. The river displays a Braiding Index of 0.82 and a Sinuosity Index of 1.50, indicating moderate braiding alongside pronounced...
Clinical Efficacy of Low-Level Laser Therapy as an Adjunct to Non-Surgical Treatment of Peri-Implantitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
A systematic review and meta‑analysis of 15 randomized trials involving 644 patients and 742 implants examined low‑level laser therapy (LLLT) and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) as adjuncts to non‑surgical debridement for peri‑implantitis. The analysis found modest but statistically significant reductions...
Comparison of Capillary Microsampling and Venous Blood for Multi-Pathogen Serosurveillance
A pre‑print study compared capillary dried blood spot (DBS) microsampling—including filter‑paper punches and Mitra volumetric absorptive microsamplers—with venous plasma for multiplex serosurveillance of seven vaccine‑preventable diseases. The analysis showed strong agreement for six pathogens, with ≥93% of paired measurements within...
Oceans Are Absorbing the Earth’s Excess Energy. That’s Bad News for Food Systems.
The World Meteorological Organization’s 2026 climate report added Earth’s energy imbalance (EEI) as a new flagship indicator, measuring the net heat the planet retains. It revealed that oceans absorb about 91 percent of this excess energy, setting a record for nine...
Merck Reports P-III (CORALreef AddOn) Trial Data on Enlicitide Decanoate in Hypercholesterolemia
Merck presented Phase III CORALreef AddOn trial results for enlicitide decanoate, an oral PCSK9 inhibitor, in hypercholesterolemic adults on statins. At eight weeks, the drug lowered LDL‑C by 64.6%, outperforming bempedoic acid, ezetimibe and their combination. It also achieved 54.6%...
STAT+: Over-the-Top Psychedelic Promos Could Undermine the Field’s Drug Development Efforts
Psychedelic biotech firms Helus Pharma and AtaiBeckley have hired marketing agencies to produce YouTube videos that tout exaggerated efficacy claims and alleged FDA fast‑track status for their investigational drugs. The ads, labeled only as “informational,” suggest near‑perfect Phase 2 results and...
A New Aluminum Alloy Is Pushing the Limits of 3D Metal Printing
Researchers at UCL and Brunel University have created a custom aluminum alloy, PA1, that outperforms the industry‑standard AlSi10Mg in directed energy deposition (DED) 3D printing. By engineering a narrow solidification window and adding nickel, cerium, manganese and controlled iron, the...
Researchers Unveil Tailored LIG Electrodes for Industrial Applications
Researchers from the MP4MNT group at DISAT have created laser‑induced graphene (LIG) electrodes that are three‑dimensional, fully conductive, and selectively porous. The patented process uses a focused laser to convert polymer into graphene, allowing rapid, low‑cost production that fits into...
Can Enzymes Really Reduce Bitterness in Industrial Bread?
Industrial bakeries are testing hydrolytic enzymes to directly reduce bitterness in bread, shifting flavour at the molecular level rather than masking it. Early internal trials report up to a 62% drop in perceived bitterness, especially in sandwich and toast breads...
Mapping the Microbial Communities Beneath Our Feet and Inside Our Guts
EMBL‑EBI’s MGnify platform has expanded its biome catalogue resource to cover 18 distinct environments, now housing over half a million microbial genomes, including a human gut collection of nearly 300,000 genomes. The catalogues combine metagenome‑assembled genomes and isolate sequences, providing...
PANSTARRS Projections
Comet C/2025 R3, discovered by PAN‑STARRS, was photographed over Deming, New Mexico on March 28, 2026, displaying a tail longer than two degrees. The observation captured the comet in early morning twilight, indicating it remains bright enough for ground‑based viewing. Current orbital models suggest...
PolyU Develops Multi Energy Diamond Cutting Technology
Researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University have unveiled a new ultra‑precision machining method that combines laser and magnetic fields during diamond cutting, termed in‑situ laser‑magnetic dual‑field assisted diamond cutting (LMDFDC). The dual‑field approach delivers smoother surfaces, less subsurface damage,...
Post-Exertional Malaise and the Myth of Cardiac Deconditioning: Rethinking the Pathophysiology of Long Covid
Post‑exertional malaise (PEM) affects roughly 80% of long‑COVID patients, triggering delayed symptom flare‑ups that can last days or weeks. New research argues that cardiac abnormalities seen in these patients—such as preload failure, inflammatory scarring, and endothelial damage—are distinct from classic...
Optimising Exercise Training Prescription in Cardiac Rehabilitation Beyond Clinical Guideline Recommendations
The article reviews current cardiac rehabilitation exercise guidelines and proposes a more individualized, higher‑intensity prescription. It highlights that high‑intensity interval training (HIIT) and interval‑based resistance protocols can boost peak VO₂ and functional capacity without raising adverse events when supervised. The...
ChAnGe Project: Cardiopulmonary and Strength Analysis in Gender Transition
The ChAnGe project, led by Dr. Marco Vecchiato at the University Hospital of Padova, investigates cardiopulmonary function and muscular strength in transgender and gender‑diverse (TGD) individuals beginning gender‑affirming hormone therapy (GAHT). Since November 2024 the study has enrolled 16 TGD participants...
Post-Activation Performance Enhancement as a Multi-Purpose Tool for Developing Power Output in Youth Athletes, Preserving Functional Ability of the Ageing...
The PhD Academy‑Awarded study examined post‑activation performance enhancement (PAPE) across three populations: trained youth athletes, middle‑aged recreational athletes, and team‑sport players at risk of ACL injury. Researchers tested acute bilateral and unilateral lower‑body PAPE under varied volume‑load conditions and evaluated...
Decades After Poaching Drove Them Extinct, Rhinos Are Back in the Wild in Uganda
Uganda Wildlife Authority has translocated four southern white rhinos from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to Kidepo Valley National Park, marking the first free‑ranging rhinos in the country since the early 1980s. The sanctuary’s herd, grown from six founders to 42 animals,...
Vertically Stacked Paper‐Based Microarray Device for High‐Throughput SERS Detection of Two Cancer Biomarkers
Researchers have unveiled a vertically stacked paper‑based microarray device (µAPAD) that integrates the full immunoassay workflow for high‑throughput SERS detection of cancer biomarkers. The 16‑layer wax‑patterned platform ensures uniform nanotag distribution, cutting signal variation from 36.6% to 6.69% and enabling...
Near‐Infrared Photochemistry Harnesses Excitons for Selective Guanine Functionalization of Single‐Wall Carbon Nanotubes
Researchers have demonstrated that semiconducting single‑wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can act as their own photosensitizer under near‑infrared (NIR) illumination, producing singlet oxygen that selectively oxidizes guanine bases in the surrounding ssDNA corona. The resulting guanine peroxides react covalently with the...
Extrahepatic Gene Editing In Vivo Using Organic Solvent‐Free Lipid Nanoparticles
Researchers have unveiled a fully water‑based lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform that eliminates cholesterol and PEG, using poly(2‑methyl‑2‑oxazoline) as a stealth polymer. The solvent‑free formulation enables efficient delivery of CRISPR‑Cas9 components, achieving robust gene editing in primary human immune cells and...
ROUNDUP: Non-Lithium Energy Storage System Technology Advances in US, Spain, and Scotland
The roundup highlights rapid progress in non‑lithium energy storage, with Unigrid’s sodium‑ion cells reaching 5,000 full‑depth cycles and projecting a 25‑year lifespan that matches solar PV panels. Inlyte Energy secured a domestic iron‑powder supply partnership to scale its iron‑sodium (ZEBRA)...
In This Issue
The latest issue presents three interdisciplinary studies: a genomic analysis reveals a widespread genetic replacement in Neanderthal populations across Europe, challenging earlier notions of continuity; an experimental investigation of GPT‑4 in mathematics education shows significant productivity gains but raises questions...
Eight More Satellites Added to IRIDE Space Programme
Italy’s IRIDE Earth‑observation programme has added eight new Eaglet II satellites, raising the total constellation to 24 assets in orbit. The launch, performed on SpaceX’s Transporter‑16 from Vandenberg, placed the satellites alongside the first batch deployed in November 2025. Each spacecraft carries...
Electrospinning Spatial Building of a Secondary S‐Scheme Heterojunction in Cs3Bi2Br9@g‐C3N4−SnO2/PAN Nanofiber for Real‐Time Monitoring Photocatalysis
Researchers have created a flexible core‑shell nanofiber (Cs3Bi2Br9@g‑C3N4–SnO2/PAN) using coaxial electrospinning that incorporates a dual S‑scheme heterojunction. The architecture widens visible‑light absorption and markedly suppresses charge recombination, delivering >97 % degradation of Rhodamine B and 99.5 % degradation of tetracycline within 50 minutes. The...
Countdown Begins for the Artemis-2 Mission Around the Moon
NASA initiated a two‑day countdown on April 1 for the Artemis‑2 mission, targeting a 6:24 pm Eastern launch. The flight will carry three American astronauts and a Canadian aboard the Orion capsule, propelled by the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Artemis‑2 marks...
Bioinspired Anti‐VEGF Peptide Nanoparticle with Immune Regulating and Corneal Epithelium Penetration Capability for Corneal Neovascularization Therapy
Researchers have engineered a bioinspired nanoparticle that co‑assembles an anti‑VEGF peptide with copper ions, adds a ROS‑scavenging moiety and a cell‑penetrating peptide, and achieves deep corneal delivery. The formulation extends ocular residence to roughly 70 minutes and reaches 300 µm in a...
Large‐Scale Ferroelectric Ceramic Wafer Achieved by Sintering Strategies for Sensitive High‐Temperature Self‐Powered X‐ray Detection
Researchers have fabricated a large‑scale ferroelectric ceramic wafer (PNN‑PZT) using solid‑state sintering, achieving record‑high sensitivity for self‑powered X‑ray detection. At 150 °C the detector reaches 248 µC Gy⁻¹ cm⁻² sensitivity and a detection limit of 6.76 nGy s⁻¹, surpassing commercial amorphous selenium devices. The material exhibits...
Artemis 2 Countdown Underway
NASA kicked off the two‑day Artemis 2 countdown on March 30, targeting an April 1 launch from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B within a two‑hour window. Mission managers reported no major issues with the Space Launch System rocket, Orion crew capsule, or ground...