Know What's Happening in Science
Know What's Happening in Science
Artemis II crew prepares for historic lunar flyby
NASA’s Artemis II astronauts have passed the mission’s halfway point and are gearing up for a five‑hour lunar flyby on April 6, during which they will photograph the Moon’s far side. Orion has completed the trans‑lunar injection burn, placing the crew on a free‑return trajectory for the flyby.
A PLOS ONE study measured skin‑resistance and self‑reported fear in 119 participants exposed to images of ancestral threats (venomous snakes, heights) and modern threats (firearms, airborne disease). The data show that ancestral stimuli generate more intense and frequent sweating, especially heights, while snake images provoke the highest subjective terror but a weaker physiological match. Modern threats do trigger electrodermal activity, yet the responses are consistently milder. The authors conclude that evolutionary origin influences fear patterns, but not all ancient threats behave alike.
Researchers used MRI scans to compare post‑mortem brains of seals, sea lions, elephant seals and their terrestrial cousin, the coyote. They discovered that pinnipeds possess a direct neural pathway that bypasses the midbrain, granting conscious control over vocal muscles. The...
A Swedish cohort study of 2,100 older adults found that high consumption of total and unprocessed meat was linked to slower cognitive decline and a 55% lower dementia risk among APOE ε4 carriers, while non‑carriers saw no benefit. The protective...
In this episode, Terence Tao and the host explore how Johannes Kepler uncovered the laws of planetary motion, emphasizing his iterative trial‑and‑error approach, the crucial role of Tycho Brahe’s precise observations, and the eventual formulation of Kepler’s three laws. They...
Researchers evaluated black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM) as a soybean‑meal replacement in broiler diets, testing inclusion rates from 0% to 100% across 360 chicks. A 25% BSFLM inclusion produced the highest slaughter weight (≈2.96 kg), dressing percentage (80.7%) and carcass...
The U.S. Space Force has shifted an upcoming GPS III satellite launch from United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 after a February anomaly halted Vulcan’s military flights. The GPS payload, originally slated for this month, will now launch no...
A large Swedish cohort study published in Nature Medicine shows that antibiotics can disturb the gut microbiome for up to eight years, with the most pronounced changes occurring within the first year. The research, which analyzed fecal metagenomes of 14,979...
New research analyzing 264 million deaths in 20 high‑income countries finds that women aged 35‑60 experience higher mortality from breast and other reproductive cancers than men, eroding their overall longevity advantage. The authors introduced the Truncated Cross‑Sectional Average Length of Life...
A cross‑disciplinary study from EMBL and the University of Geneva demonstrates that variation in tissue mechanical properties—coined “mechanotypes”—drives the striking body‑shape diversity of cnidarians. By integrating active‑surface theory with experiments on six species, the team identified three mechanical modules that...
A recent study from Nepal examined paver blocks made from 40 % waste plastic and 60 % sand as an alternative to conventional concrete pavers. The plastic blocks achieved a compressive strength of 40.40 N/mm² (meeting M40 grade), lower water absorption (0.21 %) and...
A multivariate genome‑wide analysis of over 2.2 million individuals identified two genetic pathways underlying substance‑use disorders. The primary “externalizing” pathway, linked to reward processing and behavioral disinhibition, accounts for shared risk across alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and opioid addictions. A secondary, substance‑specific...
Imatinib (Gleevec®/Glivec®) is an oral ATP‑competitive inhibitor of the BCR‑ABL fusion tyrosine kinase, approved by the FDA in 2001 for Philadelphia chromosome‑positive chronic myeloid leukemia and other malignancies. The drug emerged from high‑throughput screening, structure‑activity relationship optimization, and structure‑based drug...
The study of 12,113 invasive lung cancer patients in Tennessee found significant sex‑based differences in the time from diagnosis to surgery. Men waited longer than women, while older women showed a reduced risk of delay. Black patients were less likely...
Malaria remains a leading health threat in Papua New Guinea, prompting the NATNAT project to evaluate supplementary vector control tools such as residual indoor spraying, spatial emanators, and larval source management. A qualitative study across four Madang Province villages used...
The study introduces a novel algorithm that generates artificial, spatially variable, non‑stationary seismic accelerograms. An iterative adjustment loop aligns these synthetic records with target design response spectra, specifically the Algerian code spectra. The method overcomes the scarcity of nearby recorded...
Researchers have identified specialized cells in the rectum of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that signal fullness and halt blood‑feeding. The cells express the neuropeptide‑Y‑like receptor 7, which responds to the gut‑released peptide RYamide after a blood meal. This gut‑based satiety mechanism contrasts...
Agnes Pockels, a self‑taught 19th‑century German physicist, created the Pockels trough—a simple yet precise instrument for measuring surface tension. Her design became the foundation for the Langmuir‑Blodgett trough, enabling breakthroughs by Irving Langmuir and Katharine Blodgett that underpin modern electronics...
A new Nature study of 450,000 people finds that the APOE gene, particularly the APOE3 and APOE4 variants, accounts for 72‑93% of Alzheimer’s disease cases, and that 99% of the population carries at least one risk‑increasing allele. Lexeo Therapeutics is...
Satellite data reveal Earth’s reflectivity has dropped from 29.3% to 28.6% since 2001, meaning the planet absorbs an extra 0.7% of incoming sunlight. This darkening contributes an energy gain comparable to the total warming effect of all anthropogenic CO₂ emissions...
A new Nature study from McGill demonstrates that the brain’s head‑direction system remains unchanged for months, acting as an internal compass. Researchers used miniature head‑mounted microscopes to follow the same neurons in mice, finding the compass network stayed identical while...
Researchers have created 4D‑printed microrobots that embed gold‑magnetite nanofillers, enabling magnetic‑field navigation and near‑infrared‑triggered plasmonic heating. The devices can melt ice with millimeter precision, demonstrated by a miniature ice‑breaker ship that traversed frozen surfaces while heating its hull above freezing....
Everyone jokes about "mom brain" like you're losing it. You forget where you put your keys, you blank on things you've known for years, and you lose track of what you were doing five seconds ago. It feels like your...
Robots Made From Living Cells Get Upgraded With Their Very Own Nervous Systems https://t.co/ctQ64b45O4 https://t.co/ye1TV6VwCn
Fashion accounts for roughly 4% of global greenhouse emissions, prompting brands to seek low‑carbon alternatives. San Francisco startup Rubi Laboratories uses enzyme‑filled bioreactors to turn captured carbon dioxide into cellulose, a material identical to traditional plant fibers. Walmart, H&M and...
The relationship between increased cardiorespiratory fitness (METS) and reduced risk of all-cause dementia, depression, and psychotic disorders. From over 4 million individuals in 27 studies @NatMentHealth [association, not cause and effect evidence] https://t.co/iQdGRc0Nrz
Polycomb repressive-deubiquitinase complex safeguards oocyte epigenome and female fertility by restraining Polycomb activity https://t.co/M6JjHH2JG2 https://t.co/dnHknjJmJy
The study applied UHPLC‑Q‑TOF‑MS/MS to profile resin glycosides (RGs) in leaves of nine sweet‑potato cultivars, identifying 128 distinct RGs. Multivariate analysis linked four pentasaccharide RGs—featuring 2‑methylbutyric and dodecanoic acid side chains—to potent pancreatic lipase inhibition. Xushu 32 and Blackheart extracts showed...
A retrospective matched cohort study of 2,482 dementia patients found that serum zinc deficiency (<70 µg/dL) was linked to a 54% higher risk of 1‑year all‑cause mortality. Deficient patients also experienced significantly increased rates of sepsis, ICU admission, urinary tract infection,...
The pilot study of 37 obese adults undergoing an eight‑week Very‑Low Energy Ketogenic Therapy (VLEKT) showed significant reductions in body weight, BMI, fat mass, fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA, triglycerides, LDL‑C, hepatic steatosis (CAP) and liver stiffness. Both the leptin‑to‑adiponectin ratio...
Researchers discovered that a population in Argentina's high‑altitude Andes carries a distinctive AS3MT gene variant that improves arsenic metabolism. The community has lived for millennia with groundwater containing arsenic levels up to 200 µg L⁻¹—far above WHO limits. DNA from 124 local...
Researchers engineered the heterotrophic microalga Prototheca moriformis to produce high levels of polymethylene octadecanoic acid (POA), achieving over 50% POA of total fatty acids and roughly 20.8 g/L POA in a 1 L fed‑batch fermentation. The study, funded by Nestlé and Checkerspot,...
Two randomized trials comparing conduction‑system pacing (CSP) with traditional biventricular (BiV) cardiac resynchronization therapy produced opposite results. The Chinese HeartSync‑LBBP study found that left‑bundle branch pacing reduced the composite of death or heart‑failure hospitalization and improved ventricular remodeling, while the...
Georgia Tech researchers have unveiled a cell‑free biocatalytic platform that converts carbon dioxide into the amino acids serine and glycine with a 97% yield, the highest efficiency reported for any synthetic‑biology system. By introducing heat‑tolerant enzymes from Moorella thermoacetica and...
TODAY at 2 pm ET: join me & my fellow Zoonati as we catalog and correct all the inaccurate claims that climate change-denying, tone policing, British pheasant sex expert Matt King Coal is as good at virology as he is...
Why should tumor whole genome sequencing (WGS) be done for cancer? In real practice of medicine study of 888 patients with solid cancers, WGS directly led to clinical consequences in over 40% @NatureMedicine https://t.co/kFho0yuLS7
SpaceX is set to launch its 30th Starlink batch of 2026, deploying 25 V2 Mini Optimized satellites on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission, designated Starlink 17‑15, will lift off at 2:51:49 p.m. PDT and follow a southerly trajectory into...
Physicists at KAIST have shown that magnetoelastic coupling, a ubiquitous interaction in magnetic materials, can alone generate alternating skyrmion‑antiskyrmion arrays. Their theoretical model proves that neither crystal inversion asymmetry nor strong spin‑orbit coupling is required for these topological spin textures...
AI to understand the language of life. Our review @NatureBiotech just published https://t.co/i0WMaXBCHl Free access https://t.co/3LPulNxlD0 @VishRao5 @serena2z @BrianPlosky @pdhsu @BoWang87 @james_y_zou @marinkazitnik @pranavrajpurkar
A recent Evidation survey shows roughly one in seven U.S. adults on GLP‑1 drugs are microdosing, often to curb costs or chase longevity benefits without full‑dose side effects. Clinics like AgelessRx now market low‑dose regimens, while some physicians prescribe them...
Researchers engineered PdRu‑modified hierarchical In2O3 nanoflowers to create a gas sensor that rapidly detects trimethylamine (TMA), a key indicator of seafood spoilage. The 3D mesoporous architecture accelerates TMA diffusion, while the PdRu bimetallic surface enhances oxygen spillover, lowering activation energy...
Researchers have engineered a multifunctional hydrogel sensor by integrating a polyvinyl alcohol/silk fibroin double network with tannic‑acid‑coated liquid metal droplets, copper particles, and an ethanol post‑treatment. The resulting material exhibits a tensile strength of 1.452 MPa—483% higher than pure PVA—alongside 700%...
The researchers applied a density‑functional‑theory‑trained machine‑learning potential to map the silicon crystal‑melt interface and discovered a broad (>12 Å) transition region where structural, thermodynamic and dynamic properties evolve at different rates. A sharp change in the local order parameter \(\bar q_6\)...
A record-breaking heat wave pushed Arizona to 110°F and southern California to 109°F, the hottest March temperatures on record. Scientists say the event would have been virtually impossible without human‑caused climate change, underscoring accelerating extreme‑weather trends.
The Longevity Lifehacks series compiles a dense timeline of cutting‑edge research from early 2024 through March 2026, spanning neurodegeneration, immune modulation, and metabolic interventions. Highlights include CAR‑T cell engineering for Alzheimer’s plaque clearance, photobiomodulation to boost T‑cell responses, and multiple...
California condors reintroduced by the Yurok Tribe appear to have laid their first egg in the Pacific Northwest, nesting in an old‑growth redwood after more than a century without breeding in the region. The pair, both nearly seven years old,...
The article outlines how space exploration is a sprawling scientific ecosystem rather than a single discipline, linking physics, geology, biology, engineering, law, economics, and more. It traces the evolution from Apollo’s multidisciplinary sample analysis to modern missions like Artemis and...
Whatever the gene is that makes people savor their food and take pictures of it, I missed that one. The one I got makes people devour their food without chewing or utensils.
NASA announced on March 16 that it still has not re‑established contact with the MAVEN orbiter, which went silent after emerging from Mars’ far side on Dec. 6, 2025. The agency has resumed Deep Space Network attempts following a solar conjunction,...
The UK Health Security Agency reported that the meningitis outbreak in Kent appears to have peaked, with only two new cases reported on Friday. To date, 18 confirmed and 11 probable cases have been recorded, totaling 29 infections, of which...
Researchers have engineered a tri‑specific scaffold cell (TriSC) platform in the probiotic strain *Escherichia coli* Nissle 1917 that uses three orthogonal coiled‑coil motifs to create a programmable, reversible surface. The system enables simultaneous, selective attachment of multiple nanobody cargos and...
