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
CRAFT Method Gives 3D Printed Thermoplastics Spatial Control over Crystallinity
Researchers from Sandia, UT Austin, Oregon State, Arizona State, Lawrence Livermore and Savannah River labs unveiled a lithographic 3D‑printing technique, dubbed CRAFT, that uses 365 nm light to regulate crystallinity in poly(cyclooctene) at the voxel level. By varying LED intensity from 8 mW cm⁻² to 132 mW cm⁻², crystallinity drops from roughly 60 % to 25 %, translating into a Young’s modulus shift from 250 MPa to 120 MPa and altered transparency. Grayscale lithography maps intensity to mechanical and optical properties, enabling complex 3D objects—such as a Mona Lisa portrait and a multi‑material hand—where stiffness, deformation behavior and vibration response are locally programmed. The material remains thermoplastic, allowing dissolution and recycling, which distinguishes it from cross‑linked photopolymers.
Anthrax‑causing Bacteria Have Dwelled in Soil for Centuries, Cycling Through People, Animals and Earth
Anthrax‑causing Bacillus anthracis spores linger in alkaline, calcium‑rich soils for decades, forming microbial communities around plant roots. Herbivores such as cattle ingest or wound‑expose themselves to these spores, die rapidly, and return the bacteria to the earth, completing a natural...
Abnormal Behaviors in Lab Monkeys May Reflect a Lifetime of Stressful Experiences
Abnormal repetitive behaviors (ARBs) such as pacing, rocking, and hair plucking have long plagued primate laboratories, often dismissed as short‑term reactions to a single experiment or temporary social disruption. The recent Biology Letters paper overturns that view by tracing these...
First Soft 3D Hydrogel Semiconductor Replicates Living Tissue
World’s First Soft #3D Hydrogel Semiconductor That Mimics Living Tissue by @tweetciiiim #EmergingTech #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/jt0fxgrrdt
A Machine Learning Model May Enable Liver Cancer Risk Prediction with Routine Clinical Information
Researchers developed a random‑forest machine learning model that predicts hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk using only routine clinical data—demographics, electronic health records, and standard blood tests. In a UK Biobank cohort the model achieved an AUROC of 0.88, and external validation...
Replacing TV Time with Reading or Desk Work May Lower Dementia Risk
A 19‑year Swedish cohort study of 20,811 adults aged 35‑64 found that mentally passive sedentary activities, such as TV watching, increase dementia risk, while mentally active sitting—reading or desk work—significantly lowers it. Substituting equal amounts of passive with active sedentary...
What Is the Difference Between a Radio Telescope and a Radio Observatory?
The article clarifies that a radio telescope is the antenna‑based instrument that captures cosmic radio emissions, while a radio observatory is the broader facility housing one or more telescopes along with control, data processing, and research infrastructure. It highlights examples...
Disease Categories with Strong Evidence for Molecular Hydrogen Therapy
A recent review of 81 registered trials and 64 peer‑reviewed human studies finds molecular hydrogen therapy shows measurable benefits across multiple disease systems. The smallest molecule in existence appears to improve cardiovascular outcomes, enhance cancer treatment tolerance, reduce lung inflammation,...
Birutė Galdikas, Primatologist Who Spent a Lifetime Studying & Defending Orangutans, Has Died at 79
Birutė Galdikas, a pioneering primatologist, died at 79 after five decades of field work on Borneo’s orangutans. She established one of the longest‑running wild‑mammal studies in 1971, documenting solitary behavior, slow reproduction, and the species’ vulnerability. Galdikas founded Orangutan Foundation...
Study Reveals Early Developmental Gaps in Twins Compared to Siblings
A new longitudinal study of 851 families shows twins fall behind their singleton siblings in language, cognition, and social‑emotional development from ages two to four. The early gaps largely persist through age seven, except that twins surpass singletons in verbal...
NASA Prepares Artemis II Lunar Flyby Launch Next Week
NASA Gears Up for Artemis II Launch Around the Moon a Week From Now https://t.co/EkQMgSOIZJ
Space Is Becoming A New Frontier To Advance Human Health
The University of Pittsburgh launched the Trivedi Institute for Space and Global Biomedicine to harness spaceflight for health research. NASA and other agencies have invested billions in precision‑health studies that examine how microgravity and radiation affect the human body. Findings...
Top Epigenetic Clocks Predict All-Cause Mortality Risk
I'd still rather measure the actual biomarkers, but the best epigenetic clocks (PhenoAge, GrimAge, DunedinPACE) are consistently associated with all-cause mortality risk Another study was just published showing this: https://t.co/RZntDTn02c
Neuroscientist Julia Rodríguez Teba Calls Mental Noise a Hidden Stress Trigger in New Interview
In a fresh interview, neuroscientist Julia Rodríguez Teba warned that mental noise fuels stress, decision‑making blocks and emotional overload. She launched the Brain Star Training system and her new book ‘Sin Ruido’ (‘Without Noise’) to make applied neuroscience tools available...
Tonga and U.S. Sign Deep‑Sea Mineral Exploration Pact, Raising Environmental Alarm
Tonga and the United States have formalised a bilateral agreement to conduct marine scientific research for responsible seabed mineral exploration. While the Tongan prime minister hailed the pact as an "exciting development," environmental advocates warn the nascent industry could damage...
White Light Proposal Aims to Boost Autonomous Vehicle Traffic Flow
A team from North Carolina State University has unveiled a fourth, white traffic‑light phase designed to let autonomous vehicles coordinate traffic flow. Simulations show the white light can shave 3% off delays with just 10% AV penetration and up to...
Harvard Engineers Unveil Real‑Time Light‑Twisting Chip Using Nanophotonic Metasurfaces
Harvard engineers have demonstrated a nanophotonic chip that can twist and steer light’s handedness on demand, using a MEMS‑controlled, twistable bilayer architecture. The proof‑of‑concept device shows real‑time control of orbital angular momentum, opening a new programmable dimension for photonic circuits.
Investors Boost Bets on Emerging Quantum-Computing Stocks as Sector Gains Traction
Investors are shifting capital toward two obscure quantum‑computing companies, spurring a surge in market attention. The move reflects broader enthusiasm for advanced‑technology sectors, even as detailed financials remain undisclosed.
Bitcoin Community Mobilizes Against Long‑Term Quantum Threat to Crypto Security
Bitcoin developers and governance bodies are racing to harden the network against a future quantum computer capable of breaking elliptic‑curve signatures. Proposals such as Pay‑to‑Merkle‑Root, the Hourglass mitigation, and post‑quantum hash‑based signatures aim to protect millions of BTC that could...
Northwestern AI‑Driven Legged Metamachines Self‑Repair After Damage
Northwestern University scientists have built AI‑generated legged metamachines that can traverse gravel, sand and mud and continue locomotion after losing limbs. The breakthrough compresses billions of years of evolution into seconds, opening a path to adaptive, self‑repairing robots for rescue...
Palvella Director Buys $500K After Phase‑3 Win, COO Sells Options
Palvella Therapeutics director George M. Jenkins invested $500,000 in the company by buying 4,000 shares at $125 each during a public offering that closed after the firm announced a Phase‑3 trial win. At the same time, chief operating officer Kathleen...
Fish‑like Micro‑robots Poised to Revolutionize Medicine
Tiny Swimming #Robots That Move Like Fish Could Transform Medicine and Science by @IntEngineering #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/smfTSXZyHx
Inflammation Not Inevitable With Age, Environment Matters
Minimal Evidence of Inflammaging in Naturalistic Chimpanzee Populations 🐒"These results parallel recent findings from humans in demonstrating that chronic inflammation is not a natural consequence of aging but may rather be driven by environmental contexts that are mismatched to the evolutionary...
Cryoablation Outshines Radiation Therapy, Surgery for Treating Certain Lung Cancers
New research published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology shows percutaneous cryoablation delivers high local control for medically inoperable stage IA non‑small cell lung cancer, especially tumors under 2 cm. In a single‑center analysis of 176 patients, one‑year and three‑year...
NASA Awards Intuitive Machines a $180.4 Million CLPS Contract
NASA has awarded Intuitive Machines a $180.4 million contract under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program for its fifth task order, dubbed IM‑5. The mission will deploy a larger Nova‑D lunar lander to the South‑Pole ridge Mons Malapert, delivering seven science...
Fusion Power Plant Possible by 2045 with Massive Effort, Says Science Academy
Germany’s National Academy of Science and Engineering (Acatech) says the country could have a commercial fusion power plant by 2045 if it dramatically accelerates the program. Achieving this would demand massive investment—tens of billions of dollars—expanded training, industrial‑scale component manufacturing,...
Astronomers Capture Two Giant Planets Forming Around Star WISPIT 2
A team of European Southern Observatory astronomers has directly imaged two gas‑giant exoplanets, WISPIT 2b and WISPIT 2c, forming inside the dusty disk of the 5‑million‑year‑old star WISPIT 2. The discovery provides an unprecedented real‑time view of planetary birth and challenges existing models...
Israeli‑Japanese Team Unveils Near‑Zero‑Power Graphene Switch for Brain‑Like Electronics
A joint Israeli‑Japanese research team has demonstrated a graphene switch that requires virtually no power to operate, a development published in Nature Nanotechnology. The device, built from nanometer‑scale graphene islands that slide over each other, could accelerate low‑energy computing and...
NASA Unveils $20 B Moon Base Plan and Nuclear‑Powered Mars Mission
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced a $20 billion, seven‑year program to build a permanent lunar base and a nuclear‑electric propulsion spacecraft to Mars by 2028. The shift cancels the Lunar Gateway station, repurposes its hardware, and accelerates commercial lander development, signaling...
Daily Briefing: Earliest Known Dog Genome Pushes Genetic Record Back 5,000 Years
Researchers have recovered the earliest known dog genomes, dated 14,000‑16,000 years ago, extending the canine domestication record by more than 5,000 years and revealing a pan‑Eurasian dog population exchanged among hunter‑gatherers. A new brain‑connectivity atlas, built from scans of 3,600...
Integrative Models Reveal Evolutionary Roots of Aging Variability
How and why does aging occur? Updating evolutionary theory to meet a new era of data "We argue that by incorporating richer biological detail to create more integrative predictive models, we can gain insight into expected future distributions of aging within...
Breakthrough Listen: Humanity’s Most Ambitious Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Breakthrough Listen, a $100 million, ten‑year SETI program announced in July 2015 by Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking, has deployed a global network of radio and optical telescopes to scan one million nearby stars, the Galactic plane and 100 galaxies for artificial signals. The...
How the Amygdala Decides Between Freezing and Fleeing
Tulane neuroscientists identified two central amygdala neuron types—CRF and SOM—that act as a neural switch between high‑intensity escape (jumping) and low‑intensity freezing or darting during fear extinction. Using optogenetic manipulation in mice, inhibiting CRF neurons reduced panic‑like jumps, while activating...
Microtubules Direct Enzyme Access to Safeguard Chromosome Segregation
Microtubules actively regulate chromosome segregation during cell division by controlling enzyme access to substrate proteins, ensuring accurate attachment and separation, and preventing chromosomal instability linked to cancer. cellbiology
Bidirectionality Is the Obvious BCI Paradigm
The article argues that brain‑computer interfaces must evolve from one‑way readers to truly bidirectional systems that both decode and write native neural representations. It highlights recent advances in high‑density electrode arrays that approach synapse‑scale resolution, and suggests optogenetic organoids and...
Women Experience Greater Jealousy when Their Romantic Rivals Have Highly Feminine Faces
A new study in Scientific Reports shows heterosexual women report higher jealousy when imagining rivals with highly feminine faces flirting with their partners. The effect persisted using natural, unedited photographs of 50 white women, measured by both objective facial landmarks...
Epigenetics Explains Unique Traits Beyond Identical DNA
Epigenetic modifications—chemical changes to DNA that do not alter its sequence—help explain why individuals with identical genes can develop unique traits and behaviors, shaping their own ecological niches and influencing evolutionary processes. epigenetics
Passion Fruit Compound Shields Mitochondria, Improves Mouse Memory
Alpha-amyrin, a molecule found in passion fruit, has demonstrated the ability to protect brain mitochondria and reduce memory loss in Alzheimer's mouse models, suggesting potential for future therapeutic development. neuroscience
The Head Transplant Doctor Will See You Now
Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero, famed for his controversial head‑transplant ambitions, claims a $100 million operation would require an 80‑person surgical team and could eventually give patients a new body. He cites early animal work—rat nerve‑fusion with polyethylene glycol, monkey and dog head...
Restarting SSRIs Improves Outcomes Over Med‑Free Approach
When we published our H2H in @NEJM Ian Jordan raised an excellent letter re SSRI discontinuation & how it might impact response. We looked & found he was right. Those who discontinued SSRIs and went back on (escitalopram) did far...
Nebulae Vary: From Star Birth to Supernova Remnants
This is the Crab Nebula. It's a supernova remnant — the leftover debris from a star that exploded. But not all nebulae are the same. Some form stars, some mark the death of Sun-like stars, and some block light completely.
First Full GlyphAllo Data Reveal From Discovery to Human Proof‑of‑Concept
Proud of the work of our Seaport team & collaborators published today in @ScienceTM. This ~13 page peer reviewed paper is the first comprehensive data disclosure of our GlyphAllo™ program from discovery through initial human proof‑of‑concept.
Centenarians Show High Apoptosis, Low IGF‑1 Signaling
Interesting paper - looks at what's high and what's low in centenarians vs others. Of course this doesn't reveal what's causal vs simply a biomarker. High apoptosis signals, low IGF-1 pathways.
Red‑Light Therapy: The Real Science Behind the Hype
The surprising science behind red-light therapy — and how it really works. People are buying helmets, face masks, vests and beds that emit long-wavelength light. Beneath the hype, there is some interesting biology. https://t.co/JWV80QOuQU
Professor Denis Migliorini Leads Fight Against Glioblastoma
So pleased that people like Professor Denis Migliorini @MiglioriniDenis are leading the fight against solid tumors such as GBM / glioblastoma: he is an inspiration. https://t.co/8ohKJG4mQq
Study’s Bias: Excluding TAD Nonresponders, Uncontrolled Therapy
Here it is again. Amazing how researchers could get away with this back then. Regular systematic bias of excluding TAD nonresponders. Also note another thing inconsistent with core psychedelic trial period i.e., that Ps were allowed to continue psychotherapy outside...
Isaraerospace Launch Aborts Seconds After Liftoff; Cause Unknown
.@isaraerospace launch aborts at second of scheduled liftoff, cause unclear. countdown had been delayed by a boat in launch area earlier. https://t.co/TXLNBwmRVz