Largest Ever Meta-Analysis of Psychedelics Neuroimaging
The largest meta‑analysis of psychedelic neuroimaging, published in Nature, combined over 500 functional‑MRI scans. It challenges the prevailing view that psychedelics merely suppress the default‑mode network, revealing instead a core signature of heightened connectivity between transmodal (default, frontoparietal, limbic) and unimodal (visual, somatomotor) networks, with the striatum showing consistent up‑connectivity. Psilocybin and LSD most reliably produced this pattern, while DMT and ayahuasca showed similar effects but with less statistical certainty due to fewer studies. More than 400 U.S. clinical trials are now exploring psychedelic therapies, underscoring the field’s rapid growth.
BREAKING: 146 NEUROLOGICAL AND PSYCHIATRIC CDC/FDA SAFETY SIGNALS WERE BREACHED WITH COVID SHOTS
A recent Substack post by Nicolas Hulscher alleges that COVID‑19 mRNA vaccines breached 146 CDC/FDA safety signals, citing astronomical relative‑risk figures such as a 3,000‑fold increase in brain clots and a 7.4% national rate of cognitive disability. The author claims...
From Russia With Love
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute now ranks China first in 66 of 74 critical technologies, signaling a potential slip for U.S. scientific leadership within the next decade. President Trump’s dismissal of all 22 members of the National Science Foundation board...
The Preclinical Signal in Routine Abdominal CT
A Mayo‑MD Anderson team unveiled REDMOD, a radiomics AI model that flags pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) signals on routine abdominal CTs previously read as normal. The model delivers 73% sensitivity and 88% specificity, offering a median lead time of about...
The Last Four Years Ch. 29: Astrophysicist Breaks Down What to Expect From Comet Collision
Astrophysicist Dr. Sarah Kline warns that four comet fragments, each about a mile wide, are on collision courses with Earth, striking Russia, the Balkans, the UK and off the Maine coast. The impacts would unleash energy comparable to thousands of...
A Cosmic Team-Up: How the Stars and Pulsars of the Milky Way Could Unmask the Early Universe
Physicists have proposed combining pulsar timing arrays with precise astrometric measurements to sharpen detection of the low‑frequency stochastic gravitational‑wave background. By cross‑correlating pulsar time‑delay data with tiny shifts in star positions, the method could reveal the dipole anisotropy that distinguishes...
Promising New Technique Uses Nanoparticles to Detect Pancreatic Cancer
Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University have unveiled a blood‑based assay that uses an electronic jolt to harvest tumor‑derived nanoparticles, achieving 97% accuracy in detecting pancreatic cancer. The technique, validated in a blinded study of 36 participants, outperforms the...
Plasmonic Nanocatalyst Splits Hydrogen Activation From Hydrogenation Step
Researchers at Nankai University and partners have created a light‑driven photocatalyst that combines palladium single atoms with plasmonic gold nanoparticles to convert phenylacetylene into styrene at 298 K and atmospheric pressure. Visible‑light excitation of the gold generates nonequilibrium charge carriers that...
Weekly Neuroscience Update
Researchers in China discovered micro‑ and nanoplastic fragments in nearly every brain sample, both healthy and diseased, raising concerns about environmental exposure. A separate study identified four universal neural fingerprints that appear regardless of sleep or wakefulness, while mapping a...
Monthly Features – April 2026
The LikelyStory blog’s April 2026 roundup spotlights two new releases: TK Thoits’s *SETTUP*, a fast‑paced medical thriller that pulls back the curtain on the multibillion‑dollar clinical‑trial industry, and Bear Pardun’s *The Knight’s Last Stand*, an epic fantasy where a lone...
High Wildfire Potential This Summer Threatens Public Lands From the Northwest to the Southeast, New Report Shows
The National Interagency Fire Center’s latest Wildland Fire Potential Outlook warns of a scorching summer across the United States. So far 1,848,210 acres have burned—almost twice the ten‑year average—and more than 24,000 fires have been reported, a 150% surge. Drought...
The Memory of Water and a Historic Scientific Controversy
In 1988 Jacques Benveniste published a Nature paper claiming that ultra‑diluted anti‑IgE antibodies could trigger basophil degranulation, suggesting water retained a "memory" of the original molecules. The claim echoed homeopathic ideas and sparked intense debate, prompting editor John Maddox to visit the...
Why, if After 7 to 21 Years of Follow-Up Data, Disc Arthroplasty Has a Mere 0.67% Index Level Revision Rate,...
A large real‑world cohort of 1,187 lumbar total disc arthroplasty patients was followed for 7 to 21 years, revealing an index‑level revision rate of just 0.67% and an adjacent‑level surgery rate of 1.85%. Clinical outcomes—Oswestry Disability Index and VAS pain...
Does Greater Adult Neurogenesis Allow Some People to Resist Alzheimer's Disease?
A new open‑access study examined human hippocampal tissue from control donors, Alzheimer’s patients, and individuals who showed Alzheimer’s pathology but remained cognitively resilient. Researchers identified immature neurons in all groups, but resilient brains displayed distinct transcriptional programs that promote cell...
Update on Brad Stanfield's Rapamycin Clinical Study in NZ
Brad Stanfield’s New Zealand rapamycin trial enrolled older adults on a 12‑week protocol, with participants typically taking 6 mg every other week. The study measured functional outcomes such as the chair‑stand test, sparking debate over whether short‑term dosing can reveal longevity benefits. Commentators...
Do ARBs Increase Cancer Risk?
A recent Mendelian randomization study provides genetic evidence that ACE inhibitors and ARBs, including losartan, lower the risk of several cancers such as gastric, colorectal, lung, breast, and endometrial. Losartan is marketed for hypertension and kidney protection without the cough...
Modality-Specific Muscle Low-Frequency Fatigue and Recovery Signatures: A Case Report Mapping the HIIT Science Taxonomy
Researchers Buchheit and Laursen used the Myocene Powerdex device to track low‑frequency fatigue before, after, and up to 48 hours following nine HIIT sessions spanning the HIIT Science taxonomy. The data confirmed the presumed hierarchy: Type 1 (Zone 2 sauna bike) caused negligible...
Breakthrough Prize 2026
The 2026 Breakthrough Prizes in Fundamental Physics honored the muon g‑2 collaborations for a half‑century of magnetic‑moment measurements, awarded a special prize to Nobel laureate David Gross for his QCD and string‑theory work, introduced the Vera Rubin New Frontiers Prize...
New Nanoreactor Design Rule Improves Catalysis by Balancing Transport and Kinetics
Researchers at Tohoku University discovered that slightly restricting reactant transport in hollow nanoreactors improves catalytic efficiency. By matching the rate of mass transport through the porous shell with the intrinsic reaction kinetics of the interior nanoparticles, the nanoreactors avoid site...
How Energy Is Transferred in Photosynthetic Bacteria
RIKEN scientists have successfully isolated and structurally characterized the fragile phycobilisome–photosystem II megacomplex in a thermophilic cyanobacterium. By refining a four‑decade‑old preparation method, they captured the interaction between the light‑harvesting phycobilisome and photosystem II, revealing two distinct pathways for ultrafast energy transfer....
Atomic Imaging Makes Mechanism-Driven Growth of 2D Materials Possible
In‑situ atomic imaging during chemical vapor deposition revealed that molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) forms through a multistep pathway—amorphous clusters, partially ordered 2D embryos, then stable crystalline nuclei. The real‑time view supplies the mechanistic insight missing from conventional post‑growth analysis. Researchers documented...
Twisted Boron Nitride Boosts Deep-UV Light Emission for LEDs
Researchers at South Korea's POSTECH have created a moiré quantum well by stacking twisted hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) layers, achieving deep‑ultraviolet (200‑230 nm) light emission about 20 times more efficient than conventional aluminum‑gallium nitride (AlGaN) LEDs. The weak interlayer bonding of...
Explosive Evaporation Unlocks New Possibilities in 3D Printing and Chemical Analysis
Researchers at OIST demonstrated that charged water droplets on a silicone‑oil‑lubricated, frictionless surface spontaneously emit microdroplet jets as they evaporate. The study, published in PNAS, identified two distinct charge‑surface‑tension thresholds that trigger droplet elongation followed by Coulomb fission. By adjusting...
MXene Plasmonic Sensor Reveals Faint Molecular Fingerprints in Ultrathin Films
Researchers have demonstrated an acoustic MXene plasmon (AMP) sensor that uses a 10 nm Ti₃C₂Tₓ film coupled with gold nanodisks to concentrate infrared light inside ultrathin analyte layers. The device delivers broadband surface‑enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spanning roughly 5000 cm⁻¹, reaching into...
China Tests Metal 3D Printing System in Orbit Using Qingzhou Spacecraft
China’s Qingzhou cargo test vehicle conducted a metal 3D‑printing demonstration in a 600 km low‑Earth orbit, separate from the Tiangong space station. The experiment used a laser‑wire feed, directed‑energy deposition process that can operate in microgravity, completing multiple remote‑controlled start‑stop cycles....
OP-3136
OP‑3136, a KAT6A‑selective inhibitor, entered Phase 1/2 trials for advanced hormone‑receptor‑positive breast cancer. The drug mimics the pyrophosphate of acetyl‑CoA using an acyl‑sulfonamide scaffold, delivering high specificity for the epigenetic writer KAT6A. Olema Pharmaceuticals is testing OP‑3136 in combination with SERDs...
From Resistance Training to Robotic Surgery, New ASBrS Research Points Toward More Personalized Breast Cancer Care
Four studies presented at the American Society of Breast Surgeons meeting highlight a shift toward less invasive, patient‑centered breast cancer care. A three‑month supervised resistance‑training program boosted strength and body composition across lumpectomy, mastectomy and axillary‑dissection patients. Data showed that...
Methane, Exposed
The UCLA Emmett Institute’s STOP Methane project released two new 2025 reports identifying the world’s top 25 methane emitters in the waste and oil‑and‑gas sectors, based on satellite observations from Planet Labs’ Tanager‑1 and NASA’s EMIT instruments. The waste‑sector list spots...
Sydnexis to Present New Data From Phase 3 STAR Trial of SYD-101 at ARVO 2026 Annual Meeting
Sydnexis announced it will unveil new subgroup analysis data from the Phase 3 STAR trial of its low‑dose atropine eye drop SYD‑101 at the ARVO 2026 meeting in Denver. The analysis focuses on children with fast‑progressing myopia, a cohort that typically...
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...
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...
Unforced Variations: May 2026
RealClimate’s May 2026 "Unforced Variations" post aggregates four hot‑button climate topics: an upcoming El Niño forecast from Columbia University, a competitive clash of climate‑model predictions, a New York Times exposé on risky geo‑engineering schemes, and a Carbon Brief report showing renewables outpacing fossil‑fuel generation for...
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...
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...
Australia Is Closing Its Very Large Eyes to the Universe
Australia will let its 10‑year strategic partnership with the European Southern Observatory lapse in 2027 and has decided against pursuing full ESO membership. The partnership, funded with $130 million since 2017, gave Australian astronomers preferential access to the VLT, the VLTI...
The Quiet Expert Who Stood Between Us and a Flu Pandemic
Dr. Nancy Cox, who led the CDC’s influenza division from 1992 to 2014, transformed a 14‑person unit into a global powerhouse that underpins annual flu vaccine selection and pandemic detection. She forged the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System,...
Meltio Joins SUMMSEED Project to Develop Sustainable Medium Manganese Steel
European consortium SUMMSEED, comprising companies and universities, has enlisted Meltio to co‑develop a sustainable medium‑manganese steel for casting. The alloy is designed to lower CO₂ emissions, cut critical alloying elements, and be fully recyclable, targeting heavy‑industry sectors such as mining....
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Reduces MDM2 Expression and Risk of Liver Cancer
Researchers demonstrated that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from young to old mice suppresses age‑related MDM2 overexpression and prevents liver cancer development. In the study, none of the FMT‑treated older mice developed tumors, whereas two of eight control mice did. Treated...
Oxidative Stress Impairs Deubiquitylase Activity in the Aging Brain
Researchers used activity‑based proteomics in mouse and killifish brains to map cysteine deubiquitylases (DUBs) across the lifespan. They found a subset of DUBs that progressively lose catalytic activity with age, despite unchanged protein levels, due to oxidative thiol modification. Antioxidant...
New Genetic Discovery Could Spell This Aggressive Cancer’s Downfall
UCLA researchers uncovered a genetic weakness in small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNC) by creating prostate‑derived organoid models and running genome‑wide CRISPR screens. The screens identified the transcription factor E2F3 as a synthetic‑lethal partner of RB loss, and inhibiting E2F3 halted...
Articles: Science From Chandrayaan 3
India’s Chandrayaan 3 mission has delivered a suite of groundbreaking lunar science results. The rover’s Alpha‑Particle X‑ray Spectrometer recorded 23 surface measurements, revealing detailed crust composition. A thermal experiment identified subsurface water‑ice signatures that could aid future landers, while orbital observations...
The Actual Environmental Cost of AI
The post argues that the AI environmental debate focuses too narrowly on training costs while ignoring the far larger, ongoing impact of inference. It compares the water used to train GPT‑3 (about 5.4 million litres) with California almond production and shows...
ESA Completes Sterilisation of ExoMars Parachute
The European Space Agency has finished a 79‑hour dry‑heat microbial reduction that sterilised the 74 kg ExoMars parachute at 125 °C, a key step for the Rosalind Franklin rover’s 2028 launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy. The rover will drill beneath Mars’ surface...
On Serious Engineers, Dangerous Ocean Currents and the Kumbaya Trap
A new report warns the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) faces a roughly 50‑50 chance of collapsing by mid‑century, a shift that would turn Earth’s climate more La Niña‑like. In Australia, the change could bring heavier rains and flooding in the...
Researchers Capture an Unprecedented View of Gene Transcription
Scientists have used cryo‑electron microscopy to capture RNA polymerase in the fleeting pre‑catalytic state, providing the first near‑atomic view of the enzyme’s transition state during transcription. The structures reveal a precisely aligned active site, two magnesium ions, and a continuous...
Penguin-Inspired Film Combines Thermal Control and Microwave Shielding
Researchers have created a flexible Janus composite film that alternates between heating, cooling, and microwave shielding without moving parts. One side, coated with vanadium dioxide nanofibers, absorbs sunlight and becomes conductive above ~68 °C, turning the film into a high‑frequency shield....
The Wonderful World of Artemis II Photos
Hank Green unveiled the Artemis II Photo Timeline, an interactive web tool that aligns NASA’s crewed cislunar mission photos with the agency’s official schedule. The majority of images come from NASA’s Flickr archive, preserving full‑resolution EXIF metadata, while a public API...
RESEARCH - Ivermectin and AUTOIMMUNITY - How Ivermectin Could Help Autoimmune Diseases - 2025 Paper by Iraqi Researchers
Iraqi researchers published a 2025 study proposing ivermectin as a potential therapeutic for autoimmune diseases. The paper outlines pre‑clinical data showing ivermectin modulates immune pathways, reducing inflammatory cytokine production in mouse models of lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers suggest repurposing...
High Altitude Populations Exhibit Features of Accelerated Immune Aging
Researchers examined immune cells in Tibetan plateau residents living at 3,600‑5,000 meters and found hallmarks of accelerated immune aging. Compared with low‑altitude groups, high‑altitude populations displayed higher chronic inflammation, increased neutrophil fractions, and enrichment of exhausted T cells and age‑associated...
Varenicline
Varenicline (Chantix) received FDA approval in 2006 as a partial α4β2 nicotinic receptor agonist, offering a middle‑ground approach between nicotine replacement and bupropion. Its mechanism delivers enough receptor activation to ease cravings while antagonizing nicotine’s rewarding effects. The drug quickly...