Today's Science Pulse
Hidden Star Clusters Discovered Deep Inside Nearby Galaxies
A UK‑led study using VLA and ALMA data uncovered previously hidden giant star clusters deep within nearby galaxies, describing them as “ring factories.” The findings highlight how young stellar activity shapes galactic evolution across the universe.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Foundation Alloy raises $22M Series A
Linkage Engineering in Porous Aromatic Frameworks for Recyclable Iodine Adsorption and Applications in Iodine‐Mediated Organic Reactions
Researchers introduced a linkage‑engineering strategy for porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs) that precisely tunes iodine capture and release. The carbon‑carbon‑linked TPM‑TTA variant delivers the highest surface area (1,086 m² g⁻¹) and record iodine uptakes of 3.27 g g⁻¹ from vapor and 6.93 g g⁻¹ from KI/I₂ solution, while releasing iodine almost quantitatively in methanol. Loaded TPM‑TTA functions as a recyclable solid iodine source, enabling efficient β‑iodoetherification of alkenes and α‑sulfenylation of carbonyls with broad substrate scope. The work bridges environmental remediation and sustainable organic synthesis.
Methylene Blue: From Dye to Mitochondrial Therapeutic Breakthrough
As a medical school professor, I have watched methylene blue go from a 19th-century dye to a serious mitochondrial story. A new paper adds a striking chapter. (1/4)
Immunotherapy Could Be Used to Treat Depression, Early Trial Suggests
A small randomized trial at the University of Bristol tested tocilizumab, an IL‑6 receptor blocker used for rheumatoid arthritis, in 30 patients with moderate‑to‑severe depression who had not responded to standard antidepressants. Over four weeks, participants receiving the drug showed...
IMDEA Materials Develops Multifunctional Kevlar Using Laser Photothermal Conversion
Researchers at Spain’s IMDEA Materials Institute have created a multifunctional Kevlar‑based composite by laser‑induced graphene (LIG) conversion on Kevlar fabrics. The LIG‑treated Kevlar is integrated into basalt‑fiber/bio‑epoxy laminates via vacuum infusion, preserving structural strength while adding strain‑sensing, EMI shielding and...
Neuroplex Pipeline Monitors Nine Neuronal Populations in Moving Mice
Scientists at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, together with ZEISS and MetaCell, unveiled Neuroplex – a new imaging pipeline that captures activity from up to nine distinct neuronal populations in freely moving mice. The method combines head‑mounted miniscope...
Researchers Hit 112Gbps over Wireless in a Breakthrough that Could Shape 6G
Researchers from Tokushima University, the University of Tokyo and Gifu University have demonstrated a terahertz wireless link that transmits 112 Gbps in the 560 GHz band. The prototype uses a silicon‑nitride microcomb chip permanently bonded to an optical fiber, eliminating alignment drift...
EQS-News: GeoVax Comments on Escalating Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak and Growing Need for Flexible Biodefense Vaccine Platforms
GeoVax Labs warned that the escalating Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in Central Africa highlights the lack of licensed vaccines for less‑common Ebola strains. The company pointed to its Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) platform, which has shown single‑dose protection against Zaire and...
The Selfish Gene at 50: Why Dawkins’s Evolution Classic Still Holds Up
The Selfish Gene marks its 50th anniversary with a new edition that revisits Richard Dawkins' gene‑centric view of evolution. First published in 1976, the book reshaped public understanding of natural selection and remains a cultural touchstone. While early editions predated...
After 10 Years of Upgrades, This Legendary Telescope Has Returned to Chase Black Holes, Asteroids and Cosmic Chemistry
After a decade of upgrades, MIT’s Haystack 37 m Telescope has rejoined front‑line astronomy, linking with the VLBA and Greenland Telescope to map the large‑scale jet of the supermassive black hole in M87. The December 2025 VLBI observations complement Event Horizon Telescope...
China Conducts First Experiments for Space-Based Solar Power Plants
China’s Sun Chasing project has demonstrated its first space‑based solar power experiments, achieving wireless power transmission over 100 meters with 20.8% DC‑to‑DC efficiency and delivering up to 1,180 watts to a stationary receiver. The team also powered a moving drone at 30 km/h,...
Ovarian Age Clocks Predict Menopause Years Early
Know Exactly When You Stop Ovulating As a medical school professor, I keep coming back to one number women have never had access to: when your ovaries will actually stop. A new generation of "ovarian age clocks" — blood-based and follicular markers...
BARDA Ships Experimental Ebola Antibody to Protect High‑risk Americans
BARDA is coordinating shipment of an experimental antibody treatment for potential use in high-risk Americans exposed to #ebola, HHS tells CNN While they didn't name the treatment, Mapp's MBP134 has shown activity in animal studies against Bundibugyo strain
Sam Altman's Anti-Ageing Bet: How AI And Biology Are Beginning To Converge
Sam Altman is backing a new biotech venture that merges AI‑driven protein design with advanced cellular reprogramming to reverse biological aging. The company claims its platform can reset epigenetic clocks and simultaneously address age‑related diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease,...
AI 3D Model Maps Whole-Body Cellular Perturbations
An AI foundation whole-body 3D model that assesses perturbations (such as obesity) across multiple systems (such as immune, neural) at the cell level. This is MouseMapper. Imagine HumanMapper someday @Nature @erturklab https://t.co/jsg3VMzOqg https://t.co/tktuINis2W
MIT Team Spots Possible Dark Matter Signature in Black‑Hole Merger GW190728
A collaboration of MIT physicists and European researchers has applied a novel analysis to LIGO‑Virgo‑KAGRA data and found that the black‑hole merger GW190728 may carry a subtle dark‑matter imprint. The finding, published in Physical Review Letters, could inaugurate a new...
Stress Hormones Disrupt Gut Motility via BDNF Pathway, Study Finds
Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have shown that stress hormones suppress the gut’s cell‑to‑cell signaling through the BDNF‑TrkB pathway, slowing intestinal movement. In mouse models, a compound that stimulates TrkB restored normal motility, pointing to a new therapeutic...
The Deepest Part of the Human Gut Contains a Peripheral Nervous System of About 500 Million Neurons — More than...
Researchers highlight that the enteric nervous system (ENS) in the gut contains roughly 500 million neurons—about five times more than the spinal cord—and functions with considerable autonomy. This “second brain” regulates digestion, blood flow, and enzyme release without direct brain commands....
MXene Shells Turn Liquid Metal Into Stretchable Printed Electronics
Researchers at Donghua University wrapped gallium‑based liquid‑metal droplets with MXene nanosheets, creating a hybrid ink that can be printed onto soft substrates. The MXene‑assembled liquid‑metal microparticles conduct at 3.7 × 10⁵ S m⁻¹, activate at just 2.5 % strain and stretch up to 700 % (seven...
Rice University Demonstrates 1,000‑Fold Light‑Conversion Boost in Chiral Carbon Nanotube Films
Scientists at Rice University have fabricated centimeter‑scale, single‑handed chiral carbon nanotube films that generate second‑harmonic light up to 1,000 times more efficiently than traditional materials. The breakthrough validates long‑standing theory and could accelerate ultrathin photonic chips and high‑speed optical links.
Scientists Discover Why Alzheimer’s Risk Hits Women so Much Harder
Scientists at UC San Diego analyzed data from over 17,000 adults and found that several modifiable dementia risk factors have a disproportionately larger impact on women’s cognition than men’s. Women reported higher rates of depression, inactivity and sleep problems, while...
SpaceX Sets May 21 Launch for Starship V3, NASA’s Artemis Lander Upgrade
SpaceX announced that its upgraded Starship V3 will attempt its maiden flight on May 21, 2026, from Starbase’s new pad. The 124‑meter vehicle, powered by 33 Raptor 3 engines and capable of >100 t to LEO, is central to NASA’s Artemis lunar...
Annovis Bio Raises $175 Million in Share and Warrant Offering to Advance Alzheimer’s Drug Buntanetap
Annovis Bio disclosed a $175 million public offering of shares and warrants to finance the Phase 3 development of its Alzheimer’s candidate Buntanetap. The financing move coincided with a 5.4% drop in the company’s stock, reflecting market caution. Proceeds will support the...
2026: A Quantum Odyssey
Delta Gold Technologies is developing a gold‑nanocluster qubit that leverages a materials‑science fabrication approach. The company has secured joint IP with the University of Toronto and Penn State, allowing it to lay individual gold atoms and prototype a device using...
Boston Metal Gets a $75 Million Lifeline to Produce Critical Metals
Boston Metal raised a $75 million financing round to revive its Brazil subsidiary and accelerate production of critical metals such as niobium, tantalum, and tin. The capital injection follows a cash‑flow crunch caused by a refractory leak at the Brazil plant,...
Greenlight for Next Two ESA Scout Missions
The European Space Agency has green‑lit two new Scout satellites, Hibidis and SOVA‑S, expanding its agile Earth‑observation fleet. Hibidis will carry a hyperspectral imager to separate forest canopies from understories and quantify understorey biodiversity. SOVA‑S will use a short‑wave infrared...
‘Morbid’ Doesn’t Want You to Fall for Antiaging Hype
‘Morbid’ by Oxford scientist Saul Justin Newman pulls back the curtain on modern longevity research, revealing how many claimed super‑centenarians are the result of record‑keeping errors or outright fraud. The book spotlights cases like Irma Borgoglio, whose supposed age was...
May 20, 1990: Hubble’s First Light
After a four‑decade development cycle, the Hubble Space Telescope launched on April 24, 1990 and achieved first light on May 20, 1990 with a 30‑second exposure of the 8.2‑magnitude star HD 96755. The engineering image, taken by the Wide Field and Planetary Camera, was roughly...
Video Wednesday
Neuralink showcased a new surgical robot that can insert hundreds of ultra‑fine, flexible threads, each carrying thousands of electrodes, into targeted neurons with micron‑level precision. The system actively avoids blood vessels and adapts to real‑time brain motion, minimizing tissue trauma....
Rerouting Dead Tumor Debris Enhances Cancer Immunotherapy Outcomes
Researchers at the Crick Institute have engineered antibodies that bind F‑actin exposed on dead tumor cells and redirect it to Fcγ receptors on abundant immune cells. This rerouting enables non‑specialized cells to present a wider array of tumor antigens, provoking...
Spatial Modeling of Tissue Compartments Predicts Breast Cancer Treatment Response
The study introduces a hierarchical tissue‑specific modeling framework that uses routine H&E whole‑slide images to predict pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in HER2‑positive breast cancer. Slides are partitioned into five biologically meaningful compartments, each converted into a spatial graph...
Targeted Therapy Enhances Mobility in Children with Rare Bone Disorder
A phase 2 open‑label trial led by Dr. Alison M. Boyce at the NIH evaluated burosumab, an anti‑FGF23 monoclonal antibody, in twelve patients with fibrous dysplasia and hypophosphatemia. Over 48 weeks, burosumab restored serum phosphate to near‑normal levels and lowered alkaline...
The Most Accurate Atomic Clocks in Operation Now Lose Less than One Second Every 30 Billion Years — and the...
Physicists at JILA have used ultracold strontium optical lattice clocks to directly measure gravitational time dilation across a one‑millimetre vertical span. The clocks achieve a precision of about one part in 10^21, equivalent to losing less than one second over...
Adults with Better Math Skills Rely Less on the Brain’s Physical Movement Areas
A new fMRI study in Cerebral Cortex finds that adults with higher math proficiency exhibit reduced activation in sensorimotor and insular brain regions when comparing numbers, indicating greater neural efficiency. The research compared 104 adults (average age 23) and 88...
Image: NASA's Psyche Mission Spies Mars' Wind-Blown Craters During Close Approach
NASA's Psyche spacecraft, en route to asteroid 16 Psyche, performed a close flyby of Mars on May 15, 2026 and returned a natural‑color image of the Syrtis Major region. The picture reveals wind‑blown streaks that stretch roughly 30 miles (50 km) across impact craters about 30 miles...
The Universe's 'Most Relaxed' Galaxy Cluster Was Shaped by Cosmic Violence, New Study Finds
New Chandra X‑ray observations reveal that the galaxy cluster Abell 2029, long considered the universe’s most relaxed cluster, still bears the imprint of a major merger that occurred about 4 billion years ago. The data show giant sloshing spirals, a “bay” depression,...
Ghost Shark, Carnivorous Sponge Among 1,000+ Newly Discovered Marine Species
The third year of the global Ocean Census has added 1,121 potentially new marine species, including a glass‑castle polychaete worm, a ghost shark, and a carnivorous death‑ball sponge. Launched by the Nippon Foundation and Nekton, the initiative has catalogued over...
Beam One-Ups Wave as Both Show Promise of Editing for AATD
Beam Therapeutics presented Phase 1/2 data for its DNA editor BEAM‑302, showing an 80% drop in mutated alpha‑1 antitrypsin (AAT) protein and lifting total AAT above the 11 µM protective threshold, with effects lasting 12 months. Wave Life Sciences reported its RNA editor...
Untitled
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day showcases spiral galaxy NGC 3169, located about 70 million light‑years away, in the midst of a dramatic gravitational dance with neighboring NGC 3166. The interaction is pulling the galaxies’ spiral arms into sweeping tidal tails, a prelude...
AbbVie’s New Immunology Standard-Bearer Skyrizi Kneels to UCB’s Bimzelx in Psoriatic Arthritis
UCB’s Bimzelx outperformed AbbVie’s Skyrizi in a Phase 3 head‑to‑head trial for psoriatic arthritis, achieving 49.1% ACR50 versus 38.4% for Skyrizi at week 16. While Bimzelx also showed numerically higher minimal disease activity (43% vs 39.9%), the difference missed statistical significance. Skyrizi...
Could Future Mars Settlers Print Their Own Tools?
Researchers at the University of Arizona demonstrated that metal additive manufacturing can be performed in a carbon‑dioxide atmosphere that mimics Mars, offering a potential alternative to transporting argon for 3‑D printing on the Red Planet. Using laser‑beam powder‑bed fusion, they...
Ketamine‑Buprenorphine Regimen Cuts Suicide Ideation by 76% in Trial
Researchers reported that a single ketamine infusion followed by four weeks of low‑dose buprenorphine lowered suicidal ideation by 76% in adults with major depressive disorder, far surpassing the 43% reduction seen with placebo. The double‑blind trial, published in the American...
Physicists Derive String Theory Features From Simple Scattering Rules
A team from Caltech, New York University and the Institut de Fisica d'Altes Energies used a bootstrap approach to derive the hallmark features of string theory from minimal scattering assumptions. Their calculations, published in Physical Review Letters, produced the string...
Tau Aggregates Trigger Neuronal Death via Z-RNA
A new study reveals that pathological tau protein aggregates directly bind to Z‑RNA structures within neurons, triggering a cascade that leads to cell death. Using cryo‑electron microscopy and transcriptomic profiling, researchers mapped the interaction and identified activation of innate immune...
Thouless Quantum Walks in Topological Flat Bands
Researchers led by Danieli, Conti and Pilozzi have demonstrated Thouless quantum walks embedded in topological flat‑band photonic lattices. By engineering synthetic dimensions and phase‑modulated couplings, they achieved quantized, disorder‑immune transport of quantum walkers along protected edge states. The experiment showcases...
The Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Completed 72 Flights in an Atmosphere Less than One Percent as Dense as Earth’s Before Rotor...
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, built for just five test flights, completed 72 missions over nearly three years, logging more than two hours of flight in an atmosphere less than one percent as dense as Earth’s. Weighing 1.8 kg and costing about $85 million,...
Brain Cells Found to Drive Exercise Endurance, Penn Study Shows
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, The Jackson Laboratory and UT Southwestern have identified a specific group of hypothalamic neurons that signal muscles to adapt after exercise. Published in Neuron, the work demonstrates that disabling these steroidogenic factor‑1 cells in...
Topical Senolytic ABT-263 Boosts Wound Healing in Aged Mice by 43%
Researchers at Boston University demonstrated that a cream containing the senolytic ABT-263 removed aging skin cells and accelerated wound repair in elderly mice, achieving an 80% healing rate by day 24 versus 56% in controls. The finding points to a...
Relay Therapeutics Posts 60% Response in Phase 2 Trial of Zovegalisib for Rare Vascular Anomalies
Relay Therapeutics said 60% of evaluable patients achieved a volumetric response in its Phase 2 ReInspire trial of zovegalisib for PIK3CA‑driven vascular anomalies. The data, presented at the ISSVA World Congress, outpace Novartis' prior 11% response and could position the...
Lake Study Shows Ways to 'Cancel' Climate Impact
The UK Environment Agency released a study showing that fully eliminating wastewater inputs to Windermere could completely offset the projected climate‑change impacts on the lake over the next 50 years. The research, conducted with the UK Centre for Ecology and...
U.S. Researchers Unveil $2 Million Atlas of Rare‑Earth‑Binding Proteins to Boost Domestic Mining
The National Laboratory of the Rockies, with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has launched a $2 million Microbial Rare Earth Element Atlas. Funded by the DOE’s Office of Science, the tool maps proteins that naturally bind rare earths, targeting a domestic supply...