Science News and Headlines
Science News and Headlines
Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard have been awarded the 2026 ACM A.M. Turing Award for inventing quantum cryptography, specifically the BB84 quantum key distribution protocol. Bruce Schneier, while applauding the scientific breakthrough, reiterates his long‑standing view that the technology offers limited commercial value and solves only a narrow part of the security chain. He also downplays the immediacy of a quantum‑computing threat, emphasizing the importance of crypto‑agility. The award highlights the academic impact of their work even as industry adoption remains modest.
Alltrna, a biotech startup focused on transfer RNA (tRNA) therapeutics, has secured regulatory clearance to launch its first human clinical trial. The trial will evaluate a novel tRNA‑based drug designed to correct protein synthesis errors that underlie a range of...
Enveda Biosciences released its first clinical readout for an investigational atopic dermatitis therapy, showing efficacy comparable to AbbVie's Dupixent. The Phase 1 trial met its primary endpoints, demonstrating significant skin clearance and a safety profile similar to existing biologics. The...
Researchers conducted an eight‑week, double‑blind pilot trial with 44 pre‑pubertal boys, comparing daily fermented milk protein, regular milk protein, and placebo drinks each delivering 12 g protein per 200 ml. The fermented milk group showed modest but significant improvements in 10‑meter sprint...
Researchers from the CARDIA study introduced a novel index that quantifies neighborhood social determinants influencing cardiovascular disease risk. The index blends socioeconomic status, healthcare access, environmental exposures, social cohesion, and crime metrics using principal component analysis and machine‑learning weighting. Geographic...
DEScycle is commercializing a salt‑based iono‑metallurgy platform that uses deep eutectic solvents (DES) and electrocatalysts to dissolve and recover metals from e‑scrap at low temperature. The pilot process delivers over 99% recovery in under 15 minutes, dramatically cutting leach time...
China aims to conduct about 140 orbital launches in 2026, a 52% jump from 2025’s record 92 missions. The surge is driven by expanding launch infrastructure at sites such as Jiuquan, Hainan’s commercial pads, and Haiyang, as well as rapid...
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day highlights Centaurus A, an elliptical galaxy 13 million light‑years away. The image reveals thick dust lanes that obscure the galaxy’s core, a rare feature for an elliptical system. Researchers attribute the unusual structure to a past...
In 1974, the Arecibo Observatory transmitted a binary “Message from Earth” toward the globular cluster M13. The pictorial transmission encoded basic numbers, chemical elements, DNA structure, a human silhouette, and our solar system. Though primarily ceremonial, the signal would require...
Earth’s orbital environment is now crowded with more than 30,000 tracked objects, a number that is rising exponentially as commercial and governmental launches accelerate. Analysts project that by the end of the decade the count of active satellites could exceed...
A randomized trial of 309 adults aged 62‑70 showed that one year of resistance training reduced biological brain age by 1.4‑2.3 years, as measured by advanced brain‑clock imaging. Both heavy (three weekly sessions) and moderate (one supervised, two home workouts)...
A fast coronal mass ejection (CME) launched by an X1.4 solar flare on March 30 is racing toward Earth at roughly 1,118 mi/s (1,900 km/s). NOAA predicts a glancing impact that could trigger a G1‑to‑G2 geomagnetic storm, with G3 possible if conditions intensify....
AstraZeneca’s Alexion unit intends to file a new long‑acting enzyme replacement therapy, efzimfotase alfa, as a successor to its Strensiq (asfotase alfa) for hypophosphatasia (HPP). Phase 3 data showed the drug met primary endpoints in pediatric patients but failed to achieve...
Researchers reported that homoharringtonine (HHT), a plant‑derived alkaloid already approved for certain blood cancers, acts as a potent senolytic in mice. The compound selectively eliminated senescent cells across adipose, liver and muscle, leading to lower inflammation, improved glucose tolerance and...
Researchers solved the atomic structures of two neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against the pandemic GII.4 norovirus, targeting the principal antigenic sites A and G. The spatial positioning of site G was shown to shape neutralizing responses, while coordinated substitutions within these...
Researchers propose a statistical‑physics framework that treats well flow‑rate fluctuations as a proxy for subsurface strain changes. By applying Jaynes' maximum entropy principle with energy‑input constraints, they link covariance of inter‑well flow noise to non‑local stiffness tensors. This relationship enables...
U.S. overdose deaths are soaring as novel synthetic drugs, especially ultra‑potent fentanyl analogs and synthetic cannabinoids, flood the market. Researchers in a Pennsylvania lab are creating digital chemical fingerprints to identify molecules that standard toxicology cannot detect. The ease of...
Canada will see its first astronaut, Jeremy Hansen, fly aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission, the first crewed lunar flyby since 1972. The four‑person crew will launch from Kennedy Space Center and circle the Moon before returning to Earth. Hansen’s participation makes...
A GIS‑based study examined the 486.5 km stretch of the Bhagirathi‑Hooghly River, dividing it into eight reaches to compute key geomorphological indices. The river displays a Braiding Index of 0.82 and a Sinuosity Index of 1.50, indicating moderate braiding alongside pronounced...
A systematic review and meta‑analysis of 15 randomized trials involving 644 patients and 742 implants examined low‑level laser therapy (LLLT) and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) as adjuncts to non‑surgical debridement for peri‑implantitis. The analysis found modest but statistically significant reductions...
A pre‑print study compared capillary dried blood spot (DBS) microsampling—including filter‑paper punches and Mitra volumetric absorptive microsamplers—with venous plasma for multiplex serosurveillance of seven vaccine‑preventable diseases. The analysis showed strong agreement for six pathogens, with ≥93% of paired measurements within...
The World Meteorological Organization’s 2026 climate report added Earth’s energy imbalance (EEI) as a new flagship indicator, measuring the net heat the planet retains. It revealed that oceans absorb about 91 percent of this excess energy, setting a record for nine...
Merck presented Phase III CORALreef AddOn trial results for enlicitide decanoate, an oral PCSK9 inhibitor, in hypercholesterolemic adults on statins. At eight weeks, the drug lowered LDL‑C by 64.6%, outperforming bempedoic acid, ezetimibe and their combination. It also achieved 54.6%...
Psychedelic biotech firms Helus Pharma and AtaiBeckley have hired marketing agencies to produce YouTube videos that tout exaggerated efficacy claims and alleged FDA fast‑track status for their investigational drugs. The ads, labeled only as “informational,” suggest near‑perfect Phase 2 results and...
Researchers at UCL and Brunel University have created a custom aluminum alloy, PA1, that outperforms the industry‑standard AlSi10Mg in directed energy deposition (DED) 3D printing. By engineering a narrow solidification window and adding nickel, cerium, manganese and controlled iron, the...
Researchers from the MP4MNT group at DISAT have created laser‑induced graphene (LIG) electrodes that are three‑dimensional, fully conductive, and selectively porous. The patented process uses a focused laser to convert polymer into graphene, allowing rapid, low‑cost production that fits into...
EMBL‑EBI’s MGnify platform has expanded its biome catalogue resource to cover 18 distinct environments, now housing over half a million microbial genomes, including a human gut collection of nearly 300,000 genomes. The catalogues combine metagenome‑assembled genomes and isolate sequences, providing...
Comet C/2025 R3, discovered by PAN‑STARRS, was photographed over Deming, New Mexico on March 28, 2026, displaying a tail longer than two degrees. The observation captured the comet in early morning twilight, indicating it remains bright enough for ground‑based viewing. Current orbital models suggest...
Researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University have unveiled a new ultra‑precision machining method that combines laser and magnetic fields during diamond cutting, termed in‑situ laser‑magnetic dual‑field assisted diamond cutting (LMDFDC). The dual‑field approach delivers smoother surfaces, less subsurface damage,...
Uganda Wildlife Authority has translocated four southern white rhinos from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to Kidepo Valley National Park, marking the first free‑ranging rhinos in the country since the early 1980s. The sanctuary’s herd, grown from six founders to 42 animals,...
Researchers have unveiled a vertically stacked paper‑based microarray device (µAPAD) that integrates the full immunoassay workflow for high‑throughput SERS detection of cancer biomarkers. The 16‑layer wax‑patterned platform ensures uniform nanotag distribution, cutting signal variation from 36.6% to 6.69% and enabling...
Researchers have demonstrated that semiconducting single‑wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can act as their own photosensitizer under near‑infrared (NIR) illumination, producing singlet oxygen that selectively oxidizes guanine bases in the surrounding ssDNA corona. The resulting guanine peroxides react covalently with the...
Researchers have unveiled a fully water‑based lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform that eliminates cholesterol and PEG, using poly(2‑methyl‑2‑oxazoline) as a stealth polymer. The solvent‑free formulation enables efficient delivery of CRISPR‑Cas9 components, achieving robust gene editing in primary human immune cells and...
The roundup highlights rapid progress in non‑lithium energy storage, with Unigrid’s sodium‑ion cells reaching 5,000 full‑depth cycles and projecting a 25‑year lifespan that matches solar PV panels. Inlyte Energy secured a domestic iron‑powder supply partnership to scale its iron‑sodium (ZEBRA)...
Italy’s IRIDE Earth‑observation programme has added eight new Eaglet II satellites, raising the total constellation to 24 assets in orbit. The launch, performed on SpaceX’s Transporter‑16 from Vandenberg, placed the satellites alongside the first batch deployed in November 2025. Each spacecraft carries...
Researchers have created a flexible core‑shell nanofiber (Cs3Bi2Br9@g‑C3N4–SnO2/PAN) using coaxial electrospinning that incorporates a dual S‑scheme heterojunction. The architecture widens visible‑light absorption and markedly suppresses charge recombination, delivering >97 % degradation of Rhodamine B and 99.5 % degradation of tetracycline within 50 minutes. The...
Researchers have engineered a bioinspired nanoparticle that co‑assembles an anti‑VEGF peptide with copper ions, adds a ROS‑scavenging moiety and a cell‑penetrating peptide, and achieves deep corneal delivery. The formulation extends ocular residence to roughly 70 minutes and reaches 300 µm in a...
Researchers have fabricated a large‑scale ferroelectric ceramic wafer (PNN‑PZT) using solid‑state sintering, achieving record‑high sensitivity for self‑powered X‑ray detection. At 150 °C the detector reaches 248 µC Gy⁻¹ cm⁻² sensitivity and a detection limit of 6.76 nGy s⁻¹, surpassing commercial amorphous selenium devices. The material exhibits...
NASA kicked off the two‑day Artemis 2 countdown on March 30, targeting an April 1 launch from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B within a two‑hour window. Mission managers reported no major issues with the Space Launch System rocket, Orion crew capsule, or ground...
The U.S. Department of Energy announced a goal to deliver a fault‑tolerant quantum computer by 2028, aiming for scientifically useful calculations. The Office of Science, with an $8.4 billion annual budget, will host the quantum user facility at a national laboratory....
A recent Frontiers in Nutrition study shows that sub‑chronic exposure to low‑level PM2.5—below WHO limits—induces mitochondrial‑dependent oxidative stress and neurofilament loss in mouse cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus. Daily supplementation with vitamin C (10 mM) or N‑acetylcysteine (40 mM) via drinking water markedly reduced...
A mouse model of parenteral nutrition‑associated liver disease (PNALD) was analyzed using combined RNA‑sequencing and untargeted metabolomics. Integrated machine‑learning pipelines (LASSO and SVM‑RFE) pinpointed five gene biomarkers (Itgam, Clec4d, Orm2, Lcn2, Cd14) and three metabolites (6‑n‑octylaminouracil, 6β‑hydroxy‑hydromorphone, α‑teresantalic acid). These...
Researchers analyzed over 158,000 adults aged 50+ with vision or hearing impairment using the TriNetX database. After propensity‑score matching, those with vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) faced a 55 % higher hazard of developing dementia over ten years compared with individuals with...
Researchers identified a low‑molecular‑weight protein hydrolysate from Polygonatum odoratum (POP) composed mainly of <1.5 kDa leucine‑ and valine‑rich oligopeptides. In a high‑fat diet/streptozotocin mouse model of type 2 diabetes, oral POP markedly reduced fasting and random glucose, HbA1c, and insulin resistance while...
A new review in *Metabolism* outlines how L‑carnitine may counteract metabolic dysfunction‑associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which now afflicts roughly one‑third of the global population. The authors detail L‑carnitine’s role in boosting mitochondrial fatty‑acid oxidation, improving insulin sensitivity, and dampening...
A recent review highlights finger millet and soybean as complementary, under‑utilized crops whose combined fermentation can dramatically improve nutrient density and functional properties. Fermentation reduces antinutrients, boosts mineral bioavailability, and enhances protein digestibility, while also improving flavor and shelf stability....
Researchers have discovered that the keratinous casques on cassowaries fluoresce under ultraviolet light, revealing distinct patterns for each species. The emitted glow falls within wavelengths that cassowaries can perceive, suggesting a possible visual signaling function. While the exact role remains...
A coalition of 150 neuroscience organizations sent a letter to Congress requesting $468 million for the NIH BRAIN Initiative for the upcoming fiscal year, matching the 2022 funding level and averting a budget shortfall as the 21st Century Cures Act funding...
NASA’s Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) lets spacecraft compare live images with onboard maps to pinpoint safe landing zones. First proven on the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, TRN reduced landing uncertainty from miles to roughly 50 meters. The system’s compact camera‑computer design has...
Welinq, led by CEO Tom Darras, is building a full‑stack quantum networking solution that interconnects quantum processors across data centres. The offering spans qubit‑photon interfaces, optical‑network hardware, high‑efficiency quantum memories, and the AraQne compiler that partitions algorithms across heterogeneous QPUs....
