Today's Science Pulse
Cockatoos Use Peer Imitation to Sharpen Adaptation Skills
Researchers recorded over 2,000 calls from three Australian cockatoo populations and found that individuals who frequently copied the vocalizations of flock mates expanded their acoustic repertoire. The study shows that this peer‑copying behavior correlates with higher success in responding to environmental challenges, highlighting a social learning strategy in birds.
Non-Tobacco Nicotine Products Tied to Pregnancy, Labor Complications
A multi‑institutional study of 77,549 pregnant patients presented at the ACOG meeting found that non‑tobacco nicotine use—primarily vaping and nicotine pouches—significantly raises the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm labor, cesarean delivery, and maternal death. Relative risks ranged from 1.13 for placental complications to 2.52 for mortality, and opioid abuse was over 15 times more likely among nicotine‑using patients. The researchers emphasize that “safer” does not mean safe, urging clinicians to treat all nicotine exposure as a serious health concern during pregnancy.
Labor Stress Triggers Hormone Surge That Prepares Newborns
Birth is a stressful event for your baby. That is not a bad thing. It is by design. When your baby goes through labor, their adrenaline and norepinephrine spike to levels higher than most humans ever experience in normal life....
T-Shirts Have Become a Facial Recognition Threat, a New Study Shows How to Stop It
Researchers at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences have demonstrated that T‑shirts printed with human faces can reliably fool popular facial‑recognition systems. Testing three open‑source detectors—RetinaFace, MTCNN and dlib—on the TFPA database of 1,600 images yielded detection rates above 99 percent,...
New Semaglutide for Alcohol Use Disorder Trial Shows Big Drops in Drinking
A Lancet‑published, double‑blind, 26‑week trial found once‑weekly semaglutide markedly reduced alcohol consumption in participants with alcohol use disorder and obesity. Across primary drinking endpoints, the semaglutide arm showed statistically significant declines compared with placebo, despite both groups receiving identical cognitive‑behavioral...
Here’s Why Dreams During Naps Are So Weird
A Paris Brain Institute team recorded 92 habitual nappers as they fell asleep while holding a bottle that would wake them. Participants rated their mental experience, revealing four distinct clusters ranging from fleeting memories to bizarre, uncontrolled imagery. EEG data...
Bill Nye Demonstrates Experiments that Break Down Artemis II Mission
Bill Nye, chief ambassador of The Planetary Society, appeared on CBS Mornings to break down NASA’s Artemis II mission with hands‑on experiments. Using a turntable Earth‑Moon model, he illustrated the launch, trans‑lunar injection, lunar flyby and re‑entry phases. The segment highlighted...
Gut Microbe’s Sulfated Bile Acid Eases Pediatric Sepsis
Researchers identified deoxycholic acid 3‑sulfate (DCA‑3S) as a gut‑derived metabolite that mitigates pediatric sepsis. Metabolomic and metagenomic analyses revealed Enterococcus raffinosus as the primary producer, accounting for over 80 % of DCA‑3S synthesis. In mouse models, DCA‑3S restored intestinal barrier integrity and dampened...
STAT+: Axsome Wins FDA Nod for Alzheimer’s Agitation
Axsome Therapeutics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted a regulatory nod for its investigational therapy aimed at treating agitation in Alzheimer’s disease. The agency’s decision clears the path for accelerated clinical development, potentially moving the drug...
Air Pollution Crisis Hits 129 Nations, Worst in South Asia
With 129 out of 142 countries having air that exceeds WHO safe limits, there is a systemic global air quality crisis, which is most acute in South Asia and the Middle East.
Novel Pulsed Field Ablation Technology ‘Works’
A first‑in‑human trial of Pulse Biosciences' nanosecond pulsed‑field ablation (CellFX nsPFA 360) treated 177 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. The catheter delivered >10,000 V nanosecond pulses, achieving 100% acute lesion success and 91% durability at 2‑3 months. At one year, 89.7% of patients remained free...
Artemis Astronauts Talk "Bird Bath" Showers, Space Exploration Dream and More
Artemis crew members fielded live questions from students, sharing candid details about daily life aboard the lunar gateway. They described the unconventional "bird bath" shower method that uses a no‑gravity rinse, and recounted a recent toilet malfunction that underscored waste‑management...
DESI-HVS1 Is an Old Hypervelocity Star Ejected From the Galactic Center, Observations Suggest
Chinese astronomers using DESI and Gaia have identified DESI‑HVS1, an old, metal‑poor F‑type star traveling at about 523 km s⁻¹. At roughly 12,300 light‑years away, its trajectory points to an ejection from the Galactic Center 12.9 million years ago with an initial speed near...
AI Processing of Earth Images Can Now Run In Space
Planet Labs has demonstrated the first successful run of AI image processing on a satellite, using its Pelican‑4 platform to automatically detect and box more than a dozen aircraft at an Australian airport. The onboard NVIDIA Jetson ORIN GPU analyzes a...
Peptides Are Unproven as Health Aids. FDA May Unleash Them Anyway
The FDA is poised to broaden access to injectable peptides by allowing compounding pharmacies to produce them and by considering their inclusion in oral dietary supplements. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has publicly opposed what he...
Programmable RNA Targeting via DNA-Guided CRISPR-Cas12a
A team of molecular biologists has reengineered the CRISPR‑Cas12a nuclease to cleave RNA using a DNA guide, creating a programmable RNA‑targeting platform. The DNA‑guided Cas12a system achieved up to 90% knockdown of endogenous transcripts in human cell lines and functioned...
Cu-Ion Crosslinked Membranes Boost High-Temp Fuel Cells
Researchers have unveiled a copper‑ion crosslinked polymer electrolyte membrane that dramatically improves high‑temperature proton‑exchange fuel cells. The new membrane delivers up to 45% higher proton conductivity at 200 °C and sustains 5,000 hours of thermal‑cycling durability. Bench tests show a 30% boost...
Europe’s Climate Crisis Demands Immediate Solar, Not Net‑Zero Dreams
The WMO just dropped its Europe State of the Climate 2025 report. Here's the reality Big Oil don't want us to look at >CO2 levels are at a 2-million-year high >Europe is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world....
Hunting the Elusive Eta Aquariid Meteors
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks on the night of May 5‑6, 2026, offering a Zenithal Hourly Rate that can reach 60‑100 meteors per hour. Its radiant sits just south of the celestial equator, giving northern observers only a narrow pre‑dawn...
Under Crushing Hypergravity, Fruit Flies Adapt—And Recover
UC Riverside researchers exposed fruit flies to hypergravity up to 13 G using a custom centrifuge. The insects not only survived but reproduced, showing distinct behavioral shifts: 4 G triggered prolonged hyper‑activity, while 7–13 G suppressed movement. Over weeks, activity levels normalized, accompanied...
The Body Doesn’t Know the Difference Between Thought and Reality
The article explains that the body reacts to thoughts as if they were real events, because the nervous system responds to patterns of activation rather than logical verification. Intense, repeated, or emotionally charged mental imagery can trigger physiological changes such...
DESI Completes Largest 3D Cosmic Map, Boosting Dark Energy Research
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) wrapped up its five‑year survey, producing a three‑dimensional map that charts more than 47 million galaxies and quasars—the most detailed cosmic cartography to date. The dataset, collected from the Mayall 4‑meter telescope at Kitt Peak,...
Radiology Study Links Ultra‑Processed Foods to Thigh Muscle Fat, Experts Question Impact on Gains
A recent Radiology study reports higher fat infiltration in the thigh muscles of adults consuming ultra‑processed diets, sparking debate about protein powders and bars. Nutrition scientist Stuart Phillips argues that total protein intake and amino‑acid profile, not processing level, determine...
Duke AI Tool Predicts ADHD Risk in Kids as Young as Five with 0.92 Accuracy
Duke University scientists released an artificial‑intelligence screening tool that can identify children at high risk for attention‑deficit/hyperactivity disorder as early as age five, achieving a time‑dependent AUC of 0.92. The model, built on electronic health records from more than 140,000...
Study Finds Postpartum Depression Peaks at 8.3% Two Weeks After Birth
University of Queensland researchers have released the largest mental‑health meta‑analysis to date, revealing that major depression reaches a peak of 8.3 % in the first two weeks after childbirth. The finding underscores a narrow window for early detection and intervention in...
AI-Powered Forecasts Sharpen Early Warning for Destructive Crop Pest
Texas A&M AgriLife researchers used machine‑learning models to forecast western flower thrips populations with up to 88% accuracy in open fields and 85% in high‑tunnel environments. The study analyzed data from nearly 1,700 yellow sticky traps and 16 environmental variables,...
Self‑Selected Music Boosts Workout Endurance by 20% Without Extra Effort
Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä found that letting exercisers choose their own music lengthens high‑intensity cycling sessions by nearly 20%, adding about six minutes on average, while heart rate and lactate remain unchanged. The low‑cost, zero‑effort hack could help...
Gender Gap Widens, Not Narrows, in Ultra Marathons
There's a popular idea that the gap between men and women shrinks in ultra running. They reason that women are better at utilizing fat so it equalized advantage. It's a good story. But it's wrong. The gap actually expands slightly in ultra running...
NASA‑Engineered Sound Waves Aim to Snuff Wildfires, Protect Homes
Former NASA engineers at Sonic Fire Tech have demonstrated a low‑frequency sound‑wave system that can halt flames by disrupting oxygen molecules. Tested by the San Bernardino County Fire Department, the prototype can reach 30 ft and costs roughly 1‑2% of a home’s...
Why some Cats Love Dogs—Despite the Risk
Researchers documented four instances of interspecies play between a young ring‑tailed lemur and an adult ruffed lemur at a German wildlife park. The study, published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, highlights how captivity’s close proximity enables animals to overcome...
High‑dose Semaglutide Cuts Alcohol Use in RCT
Clinicians and patients saw big reductions in alcohol intake when starting GLP-1 medicine. This is the first randomized trial to look at the high dose of semaglutide. There was a study a couple years back looking at a lower dose....
Boeing Secures 20,000 Tonnes of High‑Quality Carbon‑Removal Credits to Tackle Aviation Emissions
Boeing has bought 20,000 tonnes of permanent carbon‑removal credits from six vetted suppliers in Brazil, Bolivia, Namibia and India, using Supercritical’s science‑based procurement platform. The deal, the largest of its kind for the aerospace giant, targets hard‑to‑abate Scope 3 emissions from...
JWST’s ‘Red Monster’ Galaxy Pushes Early-Universe Limits, Highlights Big-Data Crunch
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have identified a dust‑laden galaxy, EGS‑z11‑R0, that existed just 400 million years after the Big Bang. The discovery, derived from a terabyte‑scale analysis of JWST’s public archive, challenges existing models of early galaxy formation...
Empa and HOCH Health Launch Light‑Activated Nanozyme Therapy for Brain Tumors
Empa and the HOCH Health Ostschweiz network have begun a research partnership to create a light‑activated nanozyme therapy for astrocytoma and other aggressive brain tumors. The project, funded by several Swiss foundations, targets the blood‑brain barrier challenge and plans to...
Physicists Have Measured 'Negative Time' In the Lab
Physicists at the University of Toronto have experimentally measured a negative dwell time for photons passing through a rubidium atomic cloud, confirming a long‑standing quantum oddity. By firing single photons and a weak probe laser simultaneously, they recorded both early...
C&EN Weekly Chemistry News Quiz, May 1
The latest C&EN weekly quiz spotlights several breakthrough chemistry stories. University of Oregon researchers demonstrated that cyclic voltammetry can accurately gauge coffee roast strength, offering a rapid quality‑control tool. Sun Pharma’s $11 billion acquisition of Organon propels it to the fifth‑largest...
Number of the Day - 1st in World Autonomous Cataract Surgery
Israeli startup ForSight Robotics performed the world’s first fully robot‑assisted cataract surgery using its JASPER platform. The autonomous system completed the entire procedure—from incision to lens extraction—under surgeon supervision, reporting no complications and immediate visual improvement for the patient. The...
May 1, 1949: The Discovery of Nereid
On May 1 1949 astronomer Gerard Kuiper identified Neptune’s third‑largest moon, Nereid, from photographic plates taken with the McDonald Observatory’s 82‑inch telescope. The moon follows an unusually eccentric 360‑day orbit, swinging between roughly 850,000 mi and 6 million mi from its planet. Nereid is the largest...
Deep-Sea Golden Orb Revealed as Anemone, Not Alien
If you found this golden orb 2 miles deep, what would you do? The scientists noaa retrieved it using the Deep Discoverer submersible in the Gulf of Alaska. Back in the lab, whole-genome sequencing proved it's not an alien, but a...
A Better Way to Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Astrophysicist Benjamin Zuckerman challenges conventional SETI assumptions by proposing that extraterrestrial intelligences would favor highly directional transmissions rather than isotropic broadcasts. He argues that existing astronomical surveys across radio, infrared, and optical wavelengths can be repurposed to detect such beamed...
ESA Opens Applications for Hands-On Earth Observation Mission Design Course
The European Space Agency has opened applications for its 2026 Earth Observation Satellite Systems Design Training Course, a two‑week intensive program where 30 students will design a complete EO mission. The on‑site week runs 28 September‑2 October at ESA’s Academy in ESEC‑Galaxia,...
Enzymatic DNA Synthesis Frees Synthetic Biology Design
“You should design for the biology you want to build, not for the process limitations of a supplier that’s been holding the field back.” That line from @Jason_Gammack , CEO of @AnsaBio , gets right to the heart of one...
T‑cell Vesicles Deliver DNA, Converting Cold Tumors Hot
In cancer, activated T cells release abundant extracellular vesicles that transfer DNA to the nucleus of tumor and immune (dendritic) cells, turning tumors from cold to hot. An immunotherapy in the works. @Cancer_Cell https://t.co/mHcahijOJC https://t.co/oPT6d7lrFM https://t.co/I0egYxZold
Space Nuclear Execs Cheer the FY27 Budget Proposal
NASA’s FY27 budget proposal earmarks roughly $675 million for space nuclear initiatives, signaling a strategic shift toward nuclear power for lunar and Mars missions. The plan includes $438.8 million for Mars‑focused fission reactors, $135.3 million for radioisotope power systems, and $100.9 million for infrastructure...
Early Trial RNA‑seq Data: Exciting Yet Requires Caution
🧵 You just got your hands on early clinical trial RNA-seq data. Excited? You should also be cautious. Here's why. 👇 https://t.co/GjA8XIYcVQ
AI Chatbots Capture Poorer Symptom Detail than Doctors
Symptoms reported to an AI chatbot were of lesser quality than reported to a physician, results of a randomized trial of 500 participants across multiple models https://t.co/WXP4R3y9HA https://t.co/l2hLT76AJB
Friday Hope: H. Erinaceus (Lion’s Mane): A Mushroom Which May Help Those Suffering From Long COVID/Spike Disease/Injury
The post reviews pre‑clinical data showing that Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s Mane) suppresses NF‑κB, COX‑2 and iNOS while activating Nrf2, thereby reducing inflammation, oxidative stress and supporting neuronal health. Mouse studies demonstrate improved mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP production and antioxidant enzyme...
The P‑value Obsession Is Undermining Scientific Progress
🧵 Why the obsession with p < 0.05 is hurting science. A meme. A truth. A reality check. https://t.co/E8rP3MT09w
Urban Growth and Climate Extremes Trigger Flood Tipping Points
"Climate extremes and urbanization drive flood tipping points at the city–river interface" | New article in @Nature PJ Natural Hazards by a team I'm part of at @penn, led by Dingyu Xuan, @dougsjunkdrawer, Hugo Ulloa & others: https://t.co/MuhMXUcRor
Nearly Half of Wolves in Italy Are Now Part Dog
Genetic testing of 748 wolf carcasses collected across Italy reveals that 47% are wolf‑dog hybrids, a stark increase from the first hybrid identified in the 1970s. The hybrids are most prevalent in central and southern regions where free‑roaming dogs are...
How Sugar Fuels Muscles and Becomes CO₂
This blog examines the role of sugar in energy provision. It outlines key biochemical steps, differences between various sugars, and the pathway from carbohydrate intake to its use in muscle and eventual conversion to carbon dioxide. https://t.co/VlAVmqo10d https://t.co/BuINANiHfC