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
Higher Predicted Age by a Metabolomic Aging Clock Correlates with Dementia Risk
Researchers applied a metabolomic aging clock (MileAge) to 223,496 UK Biobank participants and found that a higher metabolomic‑age delta predicts a 61% increase in all‑cause dementia risk and earlier disease onset. The hazard ratio for dementia rose to 1.61 per unit increase, and the effect intensified with genetic risk, especially APOE ε4 homozygotes who faced a 10.3‑fold higher risk. Lipids, lipoproteins and amino acids were the primary metabolites driving the signal. The findings position metabolomic age as an independent biomarker for dementia risk, useful for early detection and therapeutic assessment.
DeepMind's Co‑Scientist AI Tackles Cancer Drug Discovery with Big‑data Analytics
Google DeepMind unveiled Co‑Scientist, a multi‑agent AI platform designed to accelerate biomedical research. In a pilot for acute myeloid leukemia, the system shortlisted 30 drug candidates, three of which showed promising activity in lab tests. The launch signals a new...
UPenn Team Sets Record with 4‑Femtjoule All‑Optical Switch Using Exciton‑Polaritons
University of Pennsylvania researchers demonstrated an all‑optical switch that operates at just 4 femtjoules using exciton‑polariton quasiparticles. The breakthrough, published in Physical Review Letters, could slash energy consumption in AI hardware by eliminating electronic‑optical conversions.
NASA to Launch LOXSAT Satellite to Test First In‑Space Cryogenic Fuel Depot
NASA announced that the LOXSAT (Liquid Oxygen Flight Demonstration) satellite will lift off aboard a Rocket Lab Electron from New Zealand after July 17, 2026. The nine‑month mission will validate 11 cryogenic‑fuel technologies, aiming to create the first orbital “gas station” for lunar...
Colossal Biosciences Hatches Live Chicks From Fully Artificial Egg, Paving Way for Moa De‑Extinction
Colossal Biosciences announced that its newly engineered artificial egg successfully hatched live chicks, demonstrating a scalable platform for avian embryo development without supplemental oxygen. The breakthrough underpins the company’s South Island Giant Moa de‑extinction program and could reshape conservation biotech.
Opening Dialogue at GenZero Summit Accelerates Climate Progress
Honoured to be part of the opening dialogue of the GenZero Climate Summit 2026 alongside @rkyte365, @AlexKazaglis, Frederick Teo and Julia Strong. We discussed the global #climate ecosystem and how to move conversations toward accelerated climate progress. https://t.co/P4NPQ1JDiU
Harmonics Push Lasers Toward Record Intensities
Researchers at Oxford used the Gemini petawatt laser with a pair of plasma mirrors to create a coherent harmonic focus that boosted the laser’s intensity by a factor of 80, reaching 1.2 × 10²¹ W cm⁻². The technique generated harmonics from the 12th to...
NASA’s Plan for a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon Could Change Space Exploration Forever—If It Works
U.S. officials aim to place a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030, a timeline that outpaces a similar China‑Russia effort slated for 2035. Proponents argue nuclear power solves the lunar south‑pole’s 14‑day night, offering reliable, year‑round energy for habitats,...
A Quantum Simulator with Circular States
Physicists at France's Kastler Brossel Laboratory have built a quantum simulator that merges two types of Rydberg atoms—circular and non‑circular—to deliver both long‑lived coherence and optical addressability. Eight rubidium atoms were trapped, with four circular atoms serving as data qubits...
Your Bloodwork May Reveal Diseases Years Before Symptoms Start
A UK Biobank analysis of 23,776 adults measured nearly 3,000 blood proteins and 159 metabolites, showing that protein‑based models outperformed traditional risk factors for 16 of 17 chronic diseases. The proteomic signatures flagged disease risk years before participants received a...
Prescribed Burns and Forest Thinning Averted Millions of Tons of Emissions and Billions in Damages
A UC Davis study published in Science shows that prescribed burns and forest‑thinning operations across the Western United States from 2017 to 2023 prevented the release of 2.7 million tons of carbon dioxide, averted nearly 60 premature deaths and avoided roughly...
Britain Launches the First X-Ray Eye on Earth’s Magnetic Shield
A joint ESA‑China mission, SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer), launched on a Vega‑C rocket on 19 May and became the first satellite to image Earth’s magnetic shield in real time using X‑ray technology. The UK Space Agency contributed...
Ketogenic Diet Suppresses Breast Cancer via AMPK/mTOR Pathway
Ketogenic diet modulates AMPK-mTOR pathway in breast cancer "Collectively, our results demonstrate that KD exerts anti-tumor effects via ROS-mediated regulation of the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway, supporting its potential as a metabolic intervention strategy for BC." https://t.co/KUZU5W5xaG
Suction-Assisted Ureteroscopy for Renal Stones &Le; 2 Cm: A Systematic Review, Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression
A Bayesian network meta‑analysis of 13 studies (2,694 patients) compared suction‑enhanced flexible ureteroscopy (FANS), direct in‑scope suction (DISS) and conventional URS for renal stones ≤2 cm. FANS demonstrated a 2.5‑fold increase in stone‑free odds and reduced operative time by roughly 4.5...
Optimizing Arsenic Removal Using Surface-Modified Magnetic Nanoparticles via Taguchi Experimental Design
Researchers enhanced iron‑oxide magnetic nanoparticles with humic acid, raising their specific surface area from 48.2 to 92.2 m²/g and dramatically improving arsenic(V) adsorption. Using the Taguchi experimental design, optimal conditions—pH 3, 5 g/L adsorbent dosage, 180 minutes contact time, and 20 mg/L co‑existing ions—delivered a...
Beyond Senolytics: Senoadaptive Drugs & Clinical Data on GPX4 Modulation (Dr. Marco Quarta, Rubedo)
In this episode, Dr. Marco Quarta, co‑founder and CSO of Rubedo Life Sciences, discusses the company’s breakthrough first‑in‑class GPX4‑modulating drug RLS1496, which has just reported preliminary Phase 1 basket‑trial data across multiple skin indications. He explains how Rubedo’s AI‑enabled single‑cell multi‑omics...
Rocket Lab’s 3D Printed Engine Hits 1,000 Units
Rocket Lab announced that its Long Beach plant has produced the 1,000th Rutherford engine, the world’s first 3D‑printed, battery‑powered rocket engine. The milestone follows a decade of scaling from one unit per month to a target of roughly 200 engines annually....
Mood Enhancers and Munchies: The Science Behind Cannabis Cravings
Clinical studies now confirm that THC directly stimulates appetite and alters food reward through the endocannabinoid system. The cannabis edibles and beverage market, valued at roughly $28 bn, is expanding rapidly as younger shoppers cut back on alcohol and seek wellness‑focused...
Glowing Fungi Expose Final Enzyme that Could Make Bioluminescent Tools More Efficient
Researchers have identified caffeylpyruvate hydrolase (CPH) as the final enzyme in the fungal bioluminescence pathway, confirming it breaks down oxyluciferin into caffeic and pyruvic acids. The recycled caffeic acid re‑enters the light‑producing cycle, while pyruvic acid can be shunted into...
Molecular De-Extinction Looks to the Past to Find the Molecules of the Future
Scientists are leveraging machine-learning techniques to resurrect ancient genes and peptides, a process termed molecular de-extinction. Recent studies have recreated antimicrobial peptides from extinct species such as mammoths, demonstrating potent activity against contemporary drug‑resistant pathogens. The approach combines paleogenomics, synthetic...
Webb Discovers One of the Universe's First Galaxies
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected an ultra‑faint galaxy, LAP1‑B, that existed just 800 million years after the Big Bang. The galaxy was magnified 100‑fold by gravitational lensing from a foreground cluster, allowing JWST to capture its spectrum....
Turning Abandoned Drugs Into Breakthroughs
In this episode, PureTech Health president Eric Alenko explains the company’s hub‑and‑spoke model for rescuing abandoned therapeutics, focusing on systematic identification of unmet needs, validation of human pharmacology, and solving the specific liabilities that halted development. He details how PureTech...
Efficacy of Ustekinumab Combined with Partial Enteral Nutrition in Crohn’s Disease
A retrospective cohort of 124 Crohn’s disease patients showed that adding partial enteral nutrition (PEN) to ustekinumab (UST) therapy markedly improved long‑term mucosal healing. At week 54, endoscopic remission was achieved in 71.05% of the UST + PEN group versus 50.00% with...
DG ICAR Jat Felicitates Progressive Millet Farmer K Chikkana at ICAR-IIMR
M L Jat, Secretary of DARE and DG of ICAR, honored Karnataka farmer K. Chikkana for dramatically improving finger millet production using the HR‑13 variety and scientific practices. Yield jumped from 9‑11 to 22‑23 quintals per acre, and farm income rose from roughly...
Why Isle of Man Is 'Ideal' For Building Rainforests
The Manx Wildlife Trust has planted 30,000 trees over three years on the 105‑acre Creg y Cowin reserve, creating a nascent temperate rainforest on the Isle of Man. The island’s mild, wet climate places it squarely within a natural rainforest corridor stretching...
Plantwatch: How Goat’s Rue Inspired Super Drug for Everything From Diabetes to Obesity
Goat’s rue (Galega officinalis) long served as a folk remedy for diabetes, its active molecule galegine lowering blood glucose but causing toxicity. Chemists later transformed galegine into metformin, a synthetic analogue that retains glucose‑lowering power without the harmful side effects....
Lifestyle Interventions Lower Cardiometabolic Risk in Young Cancer Survivors
Diet and Exercise Interventions in Pediatric Cancer Survivors and Effects on Cardiometabolic Disease Risk and Inflammaging Biomarkers: A Systematic Review https://t.co/HT1V5Agx2Q https://t.co/0hVvIf2CYb
Can Geoengineering Avert a Climate Catastrophe?
The Financial Times piece examines whether geoengineering can stave off the looming climate crisis, focusing on solar radiation management and carbon‑removal techniques. It outlines recent laboratory and field experiments that suggest modest temperature reductions are possible, but also highlights uncertainties...
Satellite Services for Biodiversity Monitoring
Satellite biodiversity monitoring has shifted from selling raw imagery to providing repeatable, policy‑grade outputs such as alerts, change‑detection layers, and auditable reports. Public missions like Landsat, Copernicus, and NISAR supply the free data foundation, while commercial firms add higher‑resolution or...
SpaceX Launches 24 Starlink Satellites on Falcon 9 Launch From California
SpaceX launched 24 additional Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base on May 19, 2026, bringing the operational constellation to just under 10,500 units. The Falcon 9 booster B1103 completed its second flight, landing safely on the droneship “Of Course I...
AI‑crafted Sensors Promise Earlier Cancer Detection
#AI-generated #Sensors open new paths for early cancer detection by Anne Trafton @MIT Learn more: https://t.co/udkbd5V4cP #MedTech #Healthcare #HealthTech #Tech #TechForGood https://t.co/6EWRhwCIGA
Nanomaterials Take Aim at the Biggest Barriers in Renewable Energy
A new roadmap published in Nano Futures outlines how nanomaterials and advanced electrochemical designs can break current performance limits in renewable‑energy conversion, targeting green hydrogen, electro‑fuels from CO₂, and low‑carbon ammonia. It details catalyst, membrane, interface and defect engineering strategies...
Revealing a 'Hidden Order' Of Molecules Could Finally Shed Light on Alien Life
University of California, Riverside researchers have introduced a statistical method that detects a hidden order in molecular mixtures, distinguishing biological from abiotic chemistry. By measuring diversity and evenness of amino and fatty acids, the technique identifies patterns unique to life....
New 3D Printing Tech Is Set to Give Robots Human-Like Muscles
Researchers at Harvard's John A. Paulson School of Engineering have unveiled a 3D‑printing process that creates artificial muscle‑like filaments capable of bending, twisting and coiling when heated. The method prints side‑by‑side active liquid crystal elastomers and passive elastomers through a...
Tau Aggregates Cause Reactivation of Transposable DNA Elements, Leading to Z-RNA–ZBP1-Mediated Neuronal Death
Researchers discovered that pathological tau aggregates reactivate dormant transposable DNA elements in neurons, producing left‑handed Z‑RNA. The Z‑RNA is recognized by the innate immune sensor ZBP1, which initiates a RIPK3‑MLKL necroptotic cascade leading to neuronal death in tauopathy mouse models...
De Novo Design of Quasisymmetric Two-Component Protein Cages
The Baker lab reported the first de novo design of quasisymmetric protein cages composed of two distinct components. Using RFdiffusion, ProteinMPNN and AlphaFold2, they engineered heterodimeric building blocks that self‑assemble into a T≈3 icosahedral cage, confirmed by cryo‑EM, cryo‑ET and...
Considering Biological Limitations of Lesion Network Mapping
Lesion network mapping (LNM) has become a popular method for linking focal brain lesions or atrophy clusters to distributed functional networks. Recent work by Pini, Salvalaggio and Corbetta argues that LNM mainly captures elementary topological features of the normative connectome...
A Pathogen lncRNA Secreted Into Rice Sequesters a Host miRNA for Virulence
Researchers identified a long non‑coding RNA, lnc117761, secreted by the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae that enters rice cells and binds the host microRNA miR5827. This interaction releases the negative immunity regulator PKR1, boosting fungal virulence. Deleting lnc117761 or disrupting...
Cusp-Singularity-Enhanced Coriolis Effect for Sensitive Chip-Scale Gyroscopes
Researchers have introduced third‑order cusp singularities into a chip‑scale Coriolis vibratory gyroscope, creating a singularity‑enhanced Coriolis effect. The approach yields a cubic‑root response that lifts the effective Coriolis factor by up to 1,010 times, improves signal‑to‑noise ratio 253‑fold, and boosts precision...
Gamma Oscillations Reveal Brain's Entropic Signal Diversity
Gamma carries 'entropic brain' phenomena. In @elife: Spectrally and temporally resolved estimation of neural signal diversity https://t.co/MHFDILtuJa https://t.co/BxVcBL0gxA
We Finally Have the Answer for T. Rex’s Tiny Arms
Paleontologists analyzed 82 theropod species and discovered that the iconic tiny arms of T. rex and its relatives are closely tied to the evolution of a more massive, robust skull rather than sheer body size. The research, published in Proceedings of...
New Jurassic Pterosaur Unearthed in Germany
Paleontologists have announced a new early monofenestratan pterosaur, Laueropterus vitriolus, from a nearly complete skeleton found in Bavaria’s Mörnsheim Formation. The fossil, dated to 150‑143 million years ago, measures about a one‑meter wingspan, making it the largest known member of this...
Twenty-Two Years and 15,000km Later: Fluke Discovery Sets New Record for Humpback Whale Journey
Researchers have documented a humpback whale that traveled roughly 15,100 km from Brazil's Abrolhos Bank to Australia’s Hervey Bay, marking the longest recorded distance between sightings of a single individual. The whale was first photographed in 2003 and resighted in...
Government Failing to Prepare UK for Climate Impacts, CCC Warns
The Climate Change Committee’s new "A Well‑Adapted UK" report warns that the UK is ill‑prepared for escalating climate risks, citing record heat, floods and wildfires. It projects that without a £11 bn annual investment, over 90% of homes could overheat, river...
Aerosol Removal Slows AMOC, Confirming New Scientist Findings
A new study by Allen et al. shows just what the New Scientist headline says. That's in fact not unexpected: warming slows #AMOC, and that's what removing aerosol pollution does. 🌊 New Scientist 👉 https://t.co/QyoJjdrjSE The paper 👉 https://t.co/u17MNaPKDC
Brain Connectivity Predicts How Well Antidepressants Work Compared to Placebos
Researchers re‑analyzed a sertraline versus placebo trial in major depressive disorder using a data‑driven symptom model. They discovered that both drug and placebo follow the same geometric path of mood improvement, but sertraline pushes patients farther along that trajectory, especially...
Scientists Unveil ‘DNA Battery’ That Charges Directly From The Sun
Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have created a liquid solar battery that mimics DNA’s pyrimidone molecule to capture sunlight, store it chemically for months or years, and release it as heat on demand. The molecular system achieves an energy density...
How 3D Printing Could Unlock America’s Untapped Hydropower
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Wisconsin startup Cadens have unveiled 3D‑printed turbines that can lower hydropower costs by up to 40% per kilowatt and be retrofitted onto existing dams. With fewer than 3% of the United States' roughly...
Programmable Metasurface Enables Passive Radar to Track Drones without Transmitting
A programmable metasurface now stamps temporal codes onto ambient radio waves, turning passive radar into an active‑like sensor without emitting its own signal. The metasurface‑enabled passive radar (MEPR) uses a 32 × 24 array of PIN‑diode elements that switch at 2.5 µs intervals,...
Field-Ready Tool Identifies Rare and Zoonotic Parasitic Worms Missed by Standard Tests
Researchers at the University of Melbourne and UNSW have created a field‑ready diagnostic that uses Oxford Nanopore long‑read sequencing to profile the full community of parasitic nematodes in stool from humans and animals. Validation showed sensitivity and specificity comparable to...