Science News and Headlines
Science News and Headlines
Chemists at the University of Kentucky have devised a hydrothermal carbonization process that converts bourbon distillery stillage—a waste stream six to ten times larger than the final product—into hard and activated carbon powders. These carbon materials serve as electrodes for supercapacitors, achieving energy storage up to 48 W·h/kg and, in a hybrid lithium‑ion design, up to 25 times the energy density of conventional devices. The team demonstrated proof‑of‑concept cells and highlighted the method’s potential for scaling and sustainability, presenting their findings at the American Chemical Society meeting in Atlanta.
On the evening of March 25, 2026, Uranus will appear just five arcminutes south of the 6th‑magnitude star 14 Tauri in the constellation Taurus. The planet’s magnitude of 5.8 makes it slightly brighter than its neighboring star, offering a rare chance...
An image of the emission nebula IC 410 in Auriga, captured by amateur astronomer Mark Germani, showcases the embedded open cluster NGC 1893 and the striking Tadpole pillars. The photograph was taken with a modest 3.6‑inch f/5.6 refractor and a one‑shot color...
NASA has revived its next‑generation flagship Earth‑observing program, renaming the Atmosphere Observing System to Falcon and the Surface Biology and Geology study to Eagle. The two‑satellite Eagle mission will include a high‑resolution spectrometer costing up to $310 million and a thermal...
Trace Neuroscience, launched Nov 2024, is developing an antisense drug, TRCN‑1023, to restore UNC13A protein function in ALS patients. The target emerged from parallel discoveries at UCL and Stanford, and the company plans intrathecal delivery and biomarker‑guided trials. Leveraging lessons...
Juan Gallego, principal investigator at the Be.Neural Lab, discussed how neural manifolds are reshaping our understanding of coordinated activity across large neuronal populations. He highlighted evidence that population firing patterns collapse onto low‑dimensional manifolds, especially in motor control and learning...
On the International Space Station, towels are essential for hygiene and moisture control, but microgravity alters how they absorb and release water. Without gravity, water clings to fibers via surface tension, making absorption slower and requiring astronauts to press or...
Researchers have produced the first real‑time atomic movie of electron‑transfer‑mediated decay (ETMD), tracking a neon‑krypton trimer for up to a picosecond before it fragments. Using a COLTRIMS reaction microscope at BESSY II and PETRA III, they captured atoms roaming and reshaping the...
Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have demonstrated that a single dose of interferon‑gamma can “train” human macrophages to more effectively kill drug‑resistant bacteria such as MRSA and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The IFN‑γ‑trained cells undergo epigenetic reprogramming, rely on glutamine metabolism, and...
Artemis II is set to launch around April 1, 2026, using NASA’s new Space Launch System for a ten‑day lunar flyby. The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Jeremy Hansen—will be the first woman, person of colour and non‑American to...
Cornell researchers have unveiled the microscale optoelectronic tetherless electrode (MOTE), a neural implant barely larger than a grain of salt. The 300 µm‑by‑70 µm device wirelessly transmits brain‑wave data via infrared light and has demonstrated chronic operation in awake mice for more...
Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have repurposed the FDA‑approved cancer drug doxorubicin to combat drug‑resistant herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‑1). Using their AI‑driven platform HerpDock, they identified doxorubicin’s ability to block the PI3K‑AKT‑mTOR pathway that the virus exploits,...
A cross‑party Senate inquiry concluded that a coordinated climate‑denial network is fuelling community conflict and delaying renewable energy projects across Australia. The final report blames misinformation and disinformation for eroding public trust and recommends making tech platforms liable for psychosocial...
Researchers at the University of Bonn discovered that the human brain stores memory content and context in two distinct neuron populations. By recording activity from more than 3,000 neurons in epilepsy patients, they identified content neurons responding to specific images...
Researchers used the short‑lived turquoise killifish to map immune aging, publishing a Nature Aging cover article. Multi‑omics analyses revealed systemic inflammaging, kidney‑marrow fibrosis, and accumulation of DNA‑damaged stem‑like immune cells, mirroring changes seen in mammals. Functional assays showed older fish...
The article outlines BioCentury’s cookie policy, detailing the categories of cookies used on its website—strictly necessary, functional, marketing, advertising, and analytics. Each type is described in terms of purpose, activation status, and impact on user experience. The policy emphasizes that...
A meta‑analysis of 115 studies involving nearly 55,000 men found that sperm quality deteriorates the longer men abstain, showing increased DNA damage and oxidative stress. The World Health Organization’s 2‑to‑7‑day abstinence rule was designed for higher sperm counts, not optimal...
Intelligent and miniaturized drug delivery devices (IMDDDs) combine biotechnology, AI, electronics, and novel materials to provide precise, programmable drug release inside the body. These platforms integrate real-time sensing with adaptive control, enabling dose adjustments based on biomarkers such as glucose...
Researchers analyzed 216 ancient canid remains using a genome‑wide capture method, confirming dog ancestry in 141 specimens and identifying the oldest genetically verified European dog at 14,200 years old from Switzerland. The study shows this early dog shares ancestry with later...
Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall will track NASA’s Artemis II crewed lunar flyby using its 32‑metre GHY‑6 antenna, marking the first human deep‑space mission since Apollo 17. The commercial facility previously supported the uncrewed Artemis I flight and historically relayed the 1969 Apollo 11...
A massive heat dome is sweeping across the United States, pushing temperatures to a record 112 °F in Arizona, California and Texas and breaking heat records in 14 states. The high‑pressure system traps hot air, and the National Weather Service expects...
Researchers from Caltech analyzed ash and dust after the 2025 Eaton fire in Los Angeles, discovering unexpectedly high lead levels inside homes up to 11 km from the blaze. Indoor windowsills and uncleaned surfaces, such as a garage bench, recorded lead...
A two‑year longitudinal MRI study of 62 bipolar disorder patients and 62 healthy controls tracked gray matter volume in the right exterior cerebellum. Patients who did not experience new manic or depressive episodes showed significant cerebellar volume loss, while those...
An international consortium of more than 200 families carrying dominantly inherited Alzheimer’s mutations, the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network (DIAN), has been pivotal in uncovering the disease’s pre‑clinical brain changes and accelerating amyloid‑targeting drug trials. Researchers leveraged the certainty of genetic...
Researchers analyzing 773 patients in the PARADIGM registry found that larger epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volumes measured by coronary CT angiography were strongly associated with both any plaque progression and rapid plaque progression over an eight‑year follow‑up. While high EAT...
Stevens Institute of Technology researchers unveiled AURA‑GreeN, a coordinated drone swarm that functions as temporary aerial cell towers. The system plugs into an Open‑RAN controller as an xApp, dynamically allocating spectrum, routing data, and managing power in real time. Field...
Metrology Parts of Baxter, Minnesota, launched a new guide titled “How Metrology Is Used in Climate Control.” The resource outlines how precise measurement standards support climate data infrastructure, from satellite altimetry and ocean level monitoring to gravimetric glacier studies and...
Geoscience Australia unveiled a 10‑year strategy, “Shaping Our Future 2026‑2036,” targeting net‑zero transition, economic security and climate resilience. The plan leverages scientific capability, national datasets and advanced technology to guide government, industry and communities. Applied geoscience supports roughly 124 billion Australian...
Conservationist Georgina Paul is leading a two‑year study to determine whether the endangered large heath butterfly can serve as an indicator of peatland health across Wales. The project, funded with £249,000 (about $316,000) from the Welsh government and lottery sources,...
Karyopharm Therapeutics announced top‑line data from its Phase III SENTRY trial, which evaluated selinexor combined with ruxolitinib in patients with myelofibrosis. The company reported that the regimen met its primary efficacy endpoints and demonstrated a manageable safety profile. Alongside the clinical...
Vascudyne’s acellular tissue‑engineered vessel with external support (ATEV‑ESS) demonstrated early promise as an off‑the‑shelf conduit in a first‑in‑human study. Three patients with multivessel coronary disease received the device; two implants remained patent at 12 months with no thrombus or major...
Researchers at Rice University and collaborators have demonstrated unprecedented optical phonon coherence in cubic boron arsenide semiconductor. Using isotopically enriched B-11 crystals, they observed phonon vibrations persisting for nearly a thousand cycles at low temperatures, far exceeding typical materials. The...
New computer simulations suggest Earth and its neighboring rocky planets formed from two separate rings of material around the young Sun, rather than a single disc. The dual‑ring model better reproduces Earth’s mixed rock composition, corrects size discrepancies for Mercury...
Researchers in Finland analyzed health records of over 375,000 older adults and found that severe infections such as cystitis, pneumonia, and tooth decay significantly raise the risk of developing dementia within six years. The study identified 29 conditions linked to...
A new study published in PLOS Biology reveals that vivid, immersive REM dreams make sleepers feel deeper rest, even when objective sleep metrics remain unchanged. Researchers at Italy’s IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca monitored 44 adults with high‑density EEG,...
Scotland’s new 15‑year climate change plan sets a 10‑year horizon before a major heat‑pump rollout, aiming to replace gas and oil boilers by 2045. The plan projects roughly $54 billion in financial benefits and cost savings through 2040, but campaigners argue...
A Neurology study of 3,910 former college athletes found that those with three or more lifetime concussions exhibited significantly higher anxiety, depression, and related symptom scores five years after graduation. About 36% of participants reported at least one concussion, and...
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has launched a $3.6 million CAD (≈ $2.6 million USD) Announcement of Opportunity to fund health and life‑sciences research on the International Space Station. Up to $900,000 CAD (≈ $660,000 USD) per project will be awarded to Canadian teams...
Researchers analyzed real‑world claims data from 12,245 Crohn’s disease patients treated between 2016 and 2022 to compare safety outcomes across five advanced therapies, including TNF antagonists, vedolizumab, ustekinumab, risankizumab, and upadacitinib. Incidence rates for serious infections, major adverse cardiovascular events,...
Scientists analyzing DNA from nearly 50 ancient grape seeds across France have uncovered evidence that winemakers began cloning vines as early as 500 BCE, shifting from wild domestication to deliberate propagation. A medieval seed, dated to the 15th century, was genetically identical...
Recent analysis of newly discovered tyrannosaur fossils shows that T. rex shared its habitat with at least two other large tyrannosaurids, overturning its long‑standing status as the sole apex predator of the Late Cretaceous. The study, led by a team of...
Yale and Cornell chemists have devised a metal‑free aminoxyl catalyst that oxidizes a single secondary alcohol in the macrolide antibiotic erythromycin A. The catalyst, paired with mCPBA, proved highly selective, but analogous macrolides clarithromycin and azithromycin required different reagents to achieve...
Russia quietly placed the first 16 satellites of its Rassvet broadband constellation into a polar orbit using a Soyuz‑2 launch from the Plesetsk spaceport. The satellites, built by the state‑linked Bureau‑1440, are the initial step toward a planned 700‑plus satellite...
Ocugen announced that its investigational gene therapy for geographic atrophy, a leading cause of vision loss in age‑related macular degeneration, will move into a Phase 3 clinical trial. The company reported mixed Phase 2 results, showing a favorable safety profile but inconsistent...
Researchers at the University of Portsmouth and the University of Manchester have engineered a “plastic‑eating” enzyme that dramatically speeds the depolymerisation of PET, the polymer used in polyester clothing. The enzyme remains highly active even at the high substrate concentrations...
Biologist Julie Allen, fresh from winning the 2024 XPRIZE Rainforest for surveying 100 hectares in 24 hours, helped draft nine guidelines to standardize biodiversity monitoring. The recommendations, published in PNAS, aim to harmonize data collection across AI‑driven image and sound...
Researchers at HU School of Pharmacy found that the non‑psychoactive cannabinoids cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG) can remodel liver metabolism, enhancing energy storage and lysosomal function. In mouse models of metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), both compounds lowered...
NASA’s Juno spacecraft, originally slated for a five‑year Jupiter science campaign, received a two‑year extension that allowed it to record unprecedented lightning data in 2021‑2022. Researchers analyzing the data found Jovian storms produce lightning flashes at least 100 times more...
