Last Call for Microbiome Start-Ups and Research Abstracts for Probiota Americas
NutraIngredients is inviting consumer‑facing, science‑driven startups and researchers to submit entries for its Probiota Pioneers and Scientific Frontiers tracks, with winners presenting at Probiota Americas in Vancouver from June 8‑10, 2026. Startups must be Americas‑based, under 20 employees, founded within ten years and at Series A funding or earlier, while researchers can submit abstracts on any cutting‑edge microbiome topic. Deadlines are April 7 for startups and April 2 for abstracts. Selected participants receive stage time, media exposure, networking opportunities and, for students, an all‑expenses‑paid trip worth up to $500 USD.
Researchers Uncover New Clues About Carbonaceous Asteroids
Stony Brook University researchers have identified new compositional clues about carbonaceous (C-type) asteroids, using advanced infrared spectroscopy and sample‑return data. Analyzing five near‑Earth asteroids, they found water‑ice and organic molecule abundances up to 20% higher than previously recorded. The study,...
What Did Pompeii Smell Like? A New Study Analyzes Its Ancient Incense
International researchers have chemically analyzed two incense vessels from Pompeii, marking the first scientific test of ritual residues at the site. The samples revealed charred oak and laurel, typical of offerings to Jupiter and Apollo, as well as frankincense from...
Short-Acting Psychedelic DMT Shows Promise as a Rapid Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder
A phase IIa trial published in Nature Medicine found that a single intravenous dose of dimethyltryptamine (DMT), paired with structured psychotherapy, produced a rapid and sustained reduction in major depressive disorder symptoms. Participants receiving 21.5 mg of DMT showed an average...
3 Future Food Projects Get $4.7M Dutch Govt Funding for Cultivated Meat & Fermentation
The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has granted $4.7 million to three consortia to accelerate cultivated meat and precision‑fermentation technologies. The Up‑Cell project at TU Delft will engineer scalable animal cell lines, while Maastricht‑led MeatUp focuses on whole‑cut meat alternatives using seaweed‑based...
A New Way to Eavesdrop on Ocean Temperature in the Arctic
Scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution have demonstrated that underwater acoustic travel times can accurately gauge Arctic Ocean temperatures across a 2,600‑kilometer baseline. The method, known as ocean acoustic thermometry, was field‑tested during the 2019‑2020 CAATEX experiment using six...
Study Links Diets High in Ultra-Processed Foods to Increased Heart Attack, Stroke Risk
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University analyzed NHANES data from 4,787 U.S. adults and found that individuals in the highest quartile of ultra‑processed food (UPF) consumption faced a 47 percent greater risk of cardiovascular disease, primarily heart attacks and strokes. The study,...
Unlocking Designer Roots for Future Cereal Crops
Researchers at the University of Queensland and Australian National University identified the CEPR1 signaling gene as a conserved regulator of root architecture across barley, rice, maize and Arabidopsis. Knocking out CEPR1 creates steeper, narrower roots that improve water and nutrient...
Oops! NASA Once Lost a $125 Million Spacecraft Because Engineers Forgot to Convert to Metric
The Mars Climate Orbiter, a $125 million NASA mission launched in 1998, was lost in September 1999 when it descended far too low over Mars. The failure was traced to a simple unit‑conversion mistake: Lockheed Martin’s navigation software used Imperial units instead of...
Light Bends Perovskite Crystal Lattice, Opening Way to New Devices
Researchers at UC Davis have demonstrated that halide perovskite crystals undergo rapid, reversible lattice distortions when illuminated, a phenomenon termed photostriction. Using laser excitation and X‑ray probing, they showed the effect can be tuned by adjusting the crystal composition, light wavelength,...
Chile Becomes an Associate Member State of CERN
Effective 2 April 2026, Chile became an Associate Member State of CERN, following ratification of the 2025 Associate Member Agreement and accession to CERN’s privileges and immunities protocol. The new status grants Chile representation on the CERN Council, Finance Committee and Scientific...
ASCEND 2026 Assembles Space Industry’s Most Influential Voices in Washington, D.C.
AIAA’s ASCEND 2026 will convene May 19‑21 at the Washington Hilton, drawing roughly 2,000 space professionals to the nation’s capital. The three‑day event features more than 200 speakers from NASA, the FAA, Lockheed Martin, Blue Origin, academia and government, highlighting...
2026 AIAA Von Kármán Lecture in Astronautics on Learning and Controlling Autonomous Space Systems to Be Presented by Maruthi Akella...
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has selected UT Austin professor Maruthi Akella to deliver the 2026 von Kármán Lecture in Astronautics. His talk, “Opinion Dynamics, Learning, Trust, and Control of Autonomous Space Systems,” will be held on May 20 during...
Longer-Term Real-World Data Needed to Compare Leqembi and Kisunla Opposing Treatment Strategies for Alzheimer’s
Eisai/Biogen’s Leqembi and Eli Lilly’s Kisunla are the only FDA‑approved disease‑modifying Alzheimer’s therapies, but they follow opposite treatment models—continuous dosing versus a finite course after amyloid clearance. Four‑year data presented at AD/PD 2026 showed Leqembi delayed disease progression by roughly 9.8 months, with...
Q&A With Lunar Base Manager Carlos Garcia-Galan
NASA has appointed Carlos Garcia‑Galan as the program executive overseeing its accelerated plan to build a lunar surface base. He outlined a shift in the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program toward tighter NASA‑commercial collaboration and a two‑phase Lunar Terrain...
Astronomers Determine the Fate of a Double White Dwarf Binary
Chinese astronomers used the MESA stellar‑evolution code to model ATLAS J1138‑5139, an ultra‑compact double white dwarf 1,800 light‑years away with a 27.86‑minute orbit. Their calculations show the low‑mass helium companion will transfer mass, evolve into an AM CVn system within roughly 6.3 million...
A Hidden Layer in Your DNA Is Running Your Body
Researchers at Kyoto University and RIKEN discovered that the RNA‑binding protein DHX29 monitors synonymous codon usage, flagging mRNAs rich in non‑optimal codons for suppression. Using CRISPR screens and cryo‑electron microscopy, they showed DHX29 binds 80S ribosomes and recruits the GIGYF2·4EHP...
Reversing Extinction
Historian Sadiah Qureshi’s Aeon essay examines the rise of de‑extinction technologies, from cloning the last Pyrenean ibex to gene‑editing wolves to resemble extinct dire wolves. She argues that preserving genetic material in labs creates a liminal state where species are...
Merck Strikes Deal with Antibody Discovery Startup
Merck has signed a research collaboration with AI‑driven antibody startup Infinimmune, potentially providing up to $838 million in payments tied to clinical milestones. Infinimmune’s platform scans human immune cells to uncover novel targets such as IL‑22 and IL‑13 for autoimmune indications....
MRNA Is Poised to Rise Beyond Infectious Diseases, if It’s Not Derailed by R&D Cuts
mRNA technology, once celebrated for COVID‑19 vaccines, now faces heightened political and regulatory scrutiny, including the cancellation of roughly $500 million in BARDA contracts. A new JAMA Network Open study shows NIH has invested $1.65 billion in 178 mRNA grants since 1997,...
Breeding Alters Winter Wheat Water Use in Europe
A new study in npj Sustainable Agriculture shows that centuries of selective breeding have reshaped winter wheat’s water‑use patterns across Europe. Modern cultivars exhibit higher water‑use efficiency by reducing stomatal conductance and modifying root systems, without sacrificing yield. The research...
PepGen’s Muscle Disease Program Posts Poor Mid-Stage Results as One Patient's Data Get Markedly Worse
PepGen reported that its Phase 2 trial of an oligonucleotide therapy for a rare genetic nerve‑muscle disorder failed to meet its primary efficacy endpoints. The data showed no statistically significant improvement in muscle strength across the cohort, and one participant experienced...
O-GlcNAcylation of UGDH: New Immunometabolic Insights
Researchers led by Wu, Lei and Wang have shown that O‑GlcNAcylation of the metabolic enzyme UGDH reshapes its activity, steering UDP‑glucuronic acid production and downstream glycan synthesis. This post‑translational modification links nutrient‑sensing pathways to immune cell adhesion, migration, and signaling,...
By 2100, Climate Change May Turn Unhealthy Air Into a Daily Reality
A new climate model predicts that by 2100, rising temperatures and stagnant air will push daily air‑quality indices into the unhealthy range across most major cities. The study links higher ozone formation, increased wild‑fire smoke, and intensified particulate emissions to...
Inventors of Quantum Cryptography Win Turing Award
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...
First Clinical Trial of tRNA Therapy Will Start Soon
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's First Clinical Readout Shows Strong Eczema Results
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...
Study Suggests Fermented Milk Protein May Support Young Athletes
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...
New Index Links Neighborhood Factors to Heart Disease
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 Developing Salt-Based Metallurgy to Decentralize Metals Recovery
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 Targets 140 Launches in 2026 Amid Commercial Space Surge
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...
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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...
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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...
Neurologist Ludwig Kappos Awarded Dystel Prize for MS Research Advances
Neurologist Ludwig Kappos received the 2026 John Dystel Prize, a $40,000 award jointly presented by the National MS Society and the American Academy of Neurology. The honor will be conferred at the AAN annual meeting in Chicago, where he will...
‘This Feels Fragile’: How a Satellite-Smashing Chain Reaction Could Spiral Out of Control
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...
Lifting Weights Can Slow Down Biological Brain Aging in Older Adults
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)...
Northern Lights Could Be Visible in 16 States Tonight March 31 as a Speedy Coronal Mass Ejection Heads for Earth
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....
AZ Considers Filings for Long-Acting Strensiq Follow-Up
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...
Homoharringtonine Extends Lifespan, Fights Obesity in Mice
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...
Structural and Genetic Analysis of Neutralizing Antibodies Reveals Mechanisms of GII.4 Norovirus Antigenic Evolution
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...
Fracture Characteristics From Well Flowrate Fluctuations: A Statistical Physics Approach
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...
Uncovering the World’s Newest and Deadliest Drugs
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...
What Is Systems Biology, and How Is It Shaping Skin Care Research?
The 2026 Anti‑Ageing Skin Care Conference marks its 10th anniversary by spotlighting systems biology as a transformative lens for skin ageing research. Organisers emphasize that ageing is a networked process influenced by genetics, lifestyle, environment, and emotional wellbeing. Dr. Katerina...
UBriGene and Cellinfinity BIO Collaborate to Accelerate in Vivo CAR-T Therapies
uBriGene Biosciences has entered a strategic partnership with Cellinfinity BIO to fast‑track in‑vivo CAR‑T programs for both solid and hematologic cancers. The deal leverages uBriGene’s LVV Turbo platform, which delivers GMP‑grade lentiviral vectors with up to 80% purification recovery and...
First Canadian Astronaut Will Travel to the Moon Amid Fraying U.S.-Canada Relations
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...
ACC 2026: Lorundrostat Lowers BP but Raises Hyperkalemia Risk
At the 2026 ACC Scientific Session, Brazilian investigators presented a meta‑analysis of three placebo‑controlled trials (1,060 patients) evaluating lorundrostat in uncontrolled hypertension. Lorundrostat 50 mg reduced systolic blood pressure by 9.08 mm Hg and diastolic by 3.48 mm Hg, while the 100 mg dose achieved an...
Channel Pattern Morphology of the Bhagirathi Hooghly River Using GIS Techniques
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...
Clinical Efficacy of Low-Level Laser Therapy as an Adjunct to Non-Surgical Treatment of Peri-Implantitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
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...
Comparison of Capillary Microsampling and Venous Blood for Multi-Pathogen Serosurveillance
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...
Oceans Are Absorbing the Earth’s Excess Energy. That’s Bad News for Food Systems.
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...