Merck Advances Scalable Manufacturing for Oral PCSK9 Therapy
Merck has published a landmark study in Science describing a scalable biocatalytic synthesis platform for its investigational oral PCSK9 inhibitor, enlicitide decanoate. The enzyme‑driven process enables selective peptide fragment formation, coupling, macrocyclization and uses crystallization‑based purification, aiming to reduce reliance on traditional synthetic chemistry and support large‑scale manufacturing. Enlicitide targets LDL‑receptor degradation like existing injectable PCSK9 antibodies but could be administered once daily in pill form, potentially improving patient adherence. The breakthrough also showcases biocatalysis as a greener, more efficient route for complex macrocyclic peptide drugs.
There Has Been a Sudden Increase in the Rate of Sea Level Rise
Satellite altimetry shows global sea level accelerated to about 4.1 mm per year around 2012 and has stayed elevated since. The jump coincides with a sharp increase in global warming, suggesting a possible climate‑driven response. Over the past 15 years the ocean...
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Johannes Galatsanos, Diffraqtion
Diffraqtion, a quantum‑imaging startup spun out of MIT and the University of Maryland, announced a $4.2 million pre‑seed round that includes a DARPA Small Business Innovation Research Phase‑II contract. The company’s quantum camera promises up to 20‑times higher resolution and 1,000‑times...
Among Flowering Plants, Thousands of Evolutionary Oddities at Risk of Extinction
A new study published in *Science* evaluated more than 330,000 flowering‑plant species to gauge both evolutionary distinctiveness and extinction risk. By applying computer‑model predictions to species lacking formal assessments, researchers identified nearly 10,000 taxa that represent ancient, isolated lineages and...
Can Pakistan Make Its Space Program Great Again?
Pakistan has selected two Pakistan Air Force pilots for astronaut training in China, paving the way for the nation’s first citizen to fly aboard China’s Tiangong space station in late 2026. In parallel, SUPRCO has launched five indigenous satellites between...
Synergistic Regulation of Excited‐State Electrons Enables Sunlight‐Driven C─Br Bond Activation Through In Situ Polymerized Polyoxometalate‐Gold Nanocluster Assemblies
Researchers have engineered a ternary gold supercluster photocatalyst, AuSCs@SiW9@PDA, that integrates glutathione‑protected gold nanoclusters, a Keggin‑type polyoxometalate (SiW9), and a polydopamine (PDA) matrix. SiW9 acts as an electron sink while PDA enhances solar light absorption and interfacial charge transport, collectively...
Interfacial Charge Redistribution–Driven Two‐Electron Conversion in Ni0.85Se@Mo‐Doped NiCo‐LDH for High‐Power Electrochemical Energy Storage
Researchers engineered a hierarchical Ni0.85Se core coated with a Mo‑doped NiCo‑LDH shell on hydrophilic carbon cloth, creating a heterostructure that leverages interfacial charge redistribution and oxygen‑vacancy defects. This electronic modulation accelerates ion and electron transport, unlocking a two‑electron redox pathway...
Nanoscale Design Channels Hybrid Light–Vibration Waves to Carry Heat More Efficiently
Researchers at the National University of Singapore have demonstrated that surface phonon polaritons—hybrid light‑vibration waves—can channel heat across nanoscale silicon‑dioxide bridges with far less loss than conventional phonon diffusion. By adding a micrometer‑scale grating to a suspended micro‑thermometer, they boosted...
Toward Stable and Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells: Unlocking the Potential of Porous PbI2 Scaffolds via Two‐Step Sequential Deposition
A new review highlights porous PbI2 scaffolds as a game‑changer for perovskite solar cells fabricated via two‑step sequential deposition. By tailoring porosity through solvent engineering, molecular additives, ionic liquids, sacrificial templates, and interfacial modifications, the PbI2 layer becomes highly permeable,...
Vacancy‐Engineered Interfacial Electrons Modulation in NiCo Hydroxide/MoS2 Heterostructures for Boosted OER Electrocatalysis
Researchers engineered NiCo hydroxide/MoS2 heterostructures with either molybdenum or sulfur vacancies to probe interfacial electron dynamics. Mo‑vacancy samples dramatically improved charge transfer, lowering the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) overpotential to 256 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and delivering a Tafel slope of 68.5 mV dec⁻¹....
Electrostatically Guided Covalent Architectures for Stable Hydrogen Evolution at Ampere‐Level Current Densities in Acidic Media
Researchers have developed a catalyst that anchors Mo2C nanoclusters onto nitrogen‑doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) via strong Mo‑C and Mo‑N covalent bonds formed through electrostatically guided self‑assembly and carbonization. The resulting porous, conductive network delivers overpotentials of 256 mV at 500 mA cm⁻² and...
Construction of Ti3C2Tx MXene Composite PI Nanogel Fiber With Excellent Infrared Stealth Performance
Researchers have created a composite fiber that merges polyimide aerogel fibers with a MXene‑tannic acid coating, delivering both thermal insulation and low infrared emissivity. The material achieves a thermal conductivity of 0.084 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹ and an emissivity of 0.17, keeping a 200 °C...
Ultralong Room‐Temperature Phosphorescent Coatings Enabled by Coronene Aggregates in Specialty Epoxy Resin: Wide‐Range Excitation From Violet to Green Light
Researchers have developed a room‑temperature phosphorescent (RTP) coating by embedding UV‑irradiated coronene aggregates into a specialty epoxy resin. The resulting films can be excited across a wide visible spectrum—from violet to green light—and exhibit afterglow durations up to 90 seconds and...
Oceans Nearing Record Heat Globally as El Nino Conditions Begin Emerging: Copernicus
April 2026 marked the third warmest April on record globally, with the extra‑polar oceans posting the second‑highest sea‑surface temperatures since observations began. The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported an average SST of 21.00 °C across 60°S–60°N, signaling a shift toward El Niño...
Multi‐Scale Water Modulation for Regulating Water Reactivity and Suppressing Nanoscale Zero‐Valent Iron (nZVI) Corrosion
Researchers unveiled a multi‑scale water‑modulation strategy that uses a hydrophilic polysaccharide network to reconfigure water’s molecular states and dramatically curb corrosion of nanoscale zero‑valent iron (nZVI). By converting roughly 45% of free water into bound and intermediate water, the thermodynamic...
Tailoring the Melting and Glass Transition Behavior of Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks via Ammonium Halide Salts
Researchers demonstrated that inorganic ammonium halide salts can act as modifiers for zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), dramatically lowering both melting and glass‑transition temperatures. The salts infiltrate the crystal lattice, disrupt Zn‑N coordination, and form Zn‑halide bonds, enabling the melt‑processing of...
ASGCT Honors Mohamed Abou‑el‑Enein as Outstanding New Investigator
Mohamed Abou‑el‑Enein, MD, PhD, received the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy’s 2026 Outstanding New Investigator Award and his lab earned the Best of Molecular Therapy Award. His team’s high‑dimensional spectral flow cytometry platform maps CAR‑T cell states, pinpointing...
Do UPFs Pose Greater Risk of Plastic Packaging Harms?
Recent research highlights that ultra‑processed foods (UPFs) face added health risks from the plastic packaging that protects them. Chemicals such as bisphenols, phthalates and PFAS can migrate into foods, especially those high in fat, and sterilisation processes further amplify this...
Bow Down to the King.
Monarch Quantum announced a strategic partnership with Oratomic, bringing renowned physicist Prof. John Preskill onto the collaboration. The deal highlights Oratomic’s leadership team, which includes Caltech researchers Dolev Bluvstein and Manuel Endres, and signals a push toward fault‑tolerant, utility‑scale quantum...
Regen Nutrition Project Measures Real Food Nutrient Density
The Nutrient Density Initiative (NDI) and food‑testing firm Edacious have launched the Regen Nutrition Project, a 2024 effort that measures how regenerative farming practices affect the nutrient profile of foods. More than 50 member companies and farms submit product samples...
May 8, 2013: The Promise of Comet ISON
Comet ISON, discovered in September 2012 by Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok, was the first Oort‑cloud visitor tracked on its inbound journey. An unprecedented international observing campaign, including twelve NASA space telescopes, captured a 43‑minute Hubble time‑lapse on May 8 2013...
Why some Brain Cells Are Particularly Vulnerable to Multiple Sclerosis
Researchers identified that CUX2 cortical neurons, essential for higher cognition, are uniquely vulnerable in progressive multiple sclerosis due to accumulated DNA damage. The protein ATF4 initiates a DNA‑repair kit that safeguards these cells; disabling ATF4 in mice triggers rapid CUX2...
People with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Have Higher Rates of Suicidal Thinking, Planning and Attempts
A systematic review of 18 studies covering over 2 million menstruating individuals found that people with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) experience markedly higher rates of suicidal thoughts, planning, and attempts than those without the condition. Reported prevalence varied widely, from 0.011 %...
Chinese Health Authority Says No Need to Worry About Latest Hantavirus Outbreak
China’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention announced that no human infections have been recorded from the Andes‑origin hantavirus linked to the recent outbreak on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius. The virus, primarily carried by rodents, rarely spreads between...
Multiple Man-Made 'Forever Chemicals' Found in 98.5% of People Tested
A new study of 10,566 U.S. blood samples found that 98.5 % of participants carry multiple PFAS “forever chemicals,” making it the largest biomonitoring effort of its kind. PFAS, used in countless consumer products, resist degradation and accumulate in the body,...
Artemis II Crew Eyes Meteoroid Impact Flashes
During its lunar flyby, NASA’s Artemis II crew observed brief meteoroid impact flashes on the Moon’s far side, a phenomenon that onboard cameras struggled to capture. The Orion spacecraft carried 31 cameras to document the mission, yet rapid flashes evaded imaging...
Fiber Optic Cables Can Eavesdrop on Nearby Conversations
Scientists demonstrated that distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) on fiber‑optic cables can capture nearby speech and convert it into real‑time transcripts using free AI software. The method works best on surface‑coiled fibers within five metres of the sound source, while burial...
How Dante's Inferno Modeled a Planetary Impact 500 Years Before Modern Science
Timothy Burbery of Marshall University presented a provocative paper that reinterprets Dante Alighieri’s *Inferno* as a literal model of a planetary impact. He argues that Satan’s descent functions as an asteroid‑sized impactor that creates a bottom‑up crater, mirroring the Chicxulub...
Obituary: Peter H. Burghart
Researchers have developed an electrochemical 3D‑printing method that fabricates copper “Godzilla” spikes for data‑center cooling plates. The towering spikes dramatically increase surface area, boosting heat‑transfer efficiency by up to 40% compared with conventional flat plates. Early modeling suggests the technology...
Study Reveals How Parenting Styles Shape Babies' Willingness to Help Others
A Durham University study of 273 infants in the United Kingdom and rural and urban Uganda found that mothers' instructional style strongly influences early helping behavior. Ugandan mothers tended to use "assertive scaffolding," giving clear, direct commands, while UK mothers...
Brain Imaging Reveals Migraine Headache Subtypes
A Stanford team used functional MRI on 111 migraine patients and 51 controls to uncover two biologically distinct migraine subtypes. Cluster 1 resembled healthy brains and was linked to milder attacks, while Cluster 2 showed altered cortical‑subcortical blood flow, older age, longer‑lasting...
The Effects of Child Abuse May Be Connected to Changes in Development, Body Regulation, Study Suggests
A new study from Penn State applied the Physiological Age Index to 461 children, revealing that abuse and neglect disrupt development and impair the body’s ability to maintain stable internal functions. Physical abuse was tied to weakened homeostatic regulation, while...
500-Year-Old Gold Dental Bridge Is Earliest Known Oral Care of Its Kind in Scotland — and It Likely Held a...
Archaeologists uncovered a 500‑year‑old lower jaw from a medieval Aberdeen church that contains a 20‑karat gold wire used as a dental bridge. The gold ligature linked two lower incisors, spanning the gap left by a missing tooth, and may have...
Scientists Make AI Play Battleship to Help It Do Science Better
Researchers created a collaborative Battleship game to benchmark large language models against humans. The study pitted OpenAI's GPT‑5, Meta's Llama‑4‑Scout, and 42 human players in a question‑answer format that measured decision efficiency. GPT‑5 initially led, but after optimizing Llama‑4‑Scout with...
This Common Food Category Is Linked To Higher Crohn’s Disease Risk
New narrative review in Nutrients links higher consumption of ultra‑processed foods to increased risk of Crohn’s disease, while the association with ulcerative colitis is weaker. Observational studies and mechanistic research suggest additives like emulsifiers thin the gut mucus layer, disrupt...
‘The Worst Time for Wheat’: US Farmers Face Losses to Extreme Heat and Drought
Extreme heat and drought across the Great Plains have devastated the 2025‑26 U.S. wheat crop. Kansas and Oklahoma, the nation’s top hard‑red winter wheat producers, experienced temperatures 10‑11°F above normal, leaving 44%‑49% of wheat in very poor condition and yielding...
The Science Behind Social Media’s Peptide Obsession
Social media and Silicon‑Valley influencers are driving a surge in gray‑market peptide sales, from weight‑loss candidates like Eli Lilly’s experimental retatrutide to DIY stacks such as BPC‑157 and TB‑500. These compounds, often sold as “research‑only” powders for $130 a vial, bypass...
Void-Filled Material Stops Intense Electron Beam
Researchers at Shenzhen Technology University showed that ultra‑intense relativistic electron beams lose energy far more efficiently in ultra‑low‑density porous foam (5 mg cm⁻³) than in denser foam (200 mg cm⁻³). Simulations attribute the “anomalous‑stopping” to strong magnetic fields generated by currents in the solid...
Live 'Quantum Network' Being Tested in New York — Overcoming Key Hurdles Could Bring Us Closer to an 'Unhackable' Internet
Researchers from NYU, quantum startup Qunnect and Cisco have built a live quantum network across New York City using existing fiber‑optic cables. The three‑node hub‑and‑spoke system demonstrated entanglement swapping over 5‑6 miles per link, creating a city‑scale quantum link that...
Mangroves Clean up $8.7 Billion of Nitrogen Pollution Every Year, Study Finds
A new study estimates that mangrove forests worldwide remove about 960,000 tons of nitrogen from coastal waters each year, a service that would cost roughly $8.7 billion if priced in the market. The research, published in Earth’s Future, also calculates a...
INTRATOMICS, TAQA Water Solutions and MAGMA Sign MoU for Pilot Study Converting Abu Dhabi’s Biosolids Into Graphene
INTRATOMICS Advanced Material Technologies has signed an MoU with TAQA Water Solutions and MAGMA to pilot the conversion of wastewater biosolids into graphene using its STRAT WX Reactor and Instant Volumetric Conversion technology. The pilot, based at INTRATOMICS’ 2DWORKS facility in...
Inequality Causing 100,000 Extra Deaths a Year From Heat and Cold in Europe
A new European study links socioeconomic inequality to more than 100,000 excess deaths each year from extreme heat and cold. If the continent reduced its Gini index to Slovenia’s level, temperature‑related mortality could fall by roughly 30%, saving about 110,000...
MEDSIR Reports PHERGain and PHERGain-2 Trial Results for Breast Cancer
MEDSIR presented Phase II data from the PHERGain and PHERGain‑2 trials, exploring chemotherapy‑free strategies for early HER2‑positive breast cancer. PHERGain showed that PET‑guided use of trastuzumab and pertuzumab allowed roughly 30% of patients to omit chemotherapy while achieving nearly 90% five‑year...
Record Numbers of Meteors Observed in 2026 So Far
The American Meteor Society recorded a record 2,322 fireball events in the first quarter of 2026, the highest quarterly total in its database. Large fireballs observed by 50 or more witnesses doubled compared with the five‑year average, with an unprecedented...
Scientists Tackle Food Waste with More Accurate ‘Sell By’ Dates Based on Meat Microbial Activity
Researchers at Auburn University have developed a machine‑learning model that predicts ground‑beef spoilage by tracking microbial community changes, showing that meat becomes microbiologically unsafe after six days despite current sell‑by dates extending to ten days. The study, funded by a...
How Climate Change Makes Your Allergies Worse
Climate change is extending North America’s pollen season, making allergies more severe for millions of Americans. A 2021 analysis shows the freeze‑free growing season has lengthened by an average of 21 days across 198 U.S. cities, while a 2022 study...
Diabetes 'Wonder Drug' Doesn't Work Like Expected – but It's Good News
Northwestern researchers have demonstrated that metformin’s glucose‑lowering effect originates in the gut, not the liver, by inhibiting mitochondrial complex I in intestinal cells. This inhibition turns the intestine into a glucose sink, increasing uptake and converting excess sugar to lactate and...
Venom and Hot Peppers Offer a Key to Killing Resistant Bacteria
Researchers at Mexico’s UNAM have created three new antibiotics from scorpion venom and habanero pepper compounds. Two benzoquinone molecules from Diplocentrus melici venom show activity against tuberculosis, Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii, while a defensin peptide from Capsicum chinense targets...
Meet Rassvet, Russia’s Answer to Starlink
Russia’s Bureau 1440 launched the first 16 Rassvet broadband satellites on 23 March 2026, marking the start of a planned low‑Earth‑orbit constellation. The government‑backed project aims for 300‑350 satellites by 2030, delivering up to 1 Gbps speeds and 70 ms latency across the nation....
ALX Oncology Presents P-I/II Trial Data on Evorpacept Combination in Metastatic Breast Cancer (mBC) at ESMO Breast Cancer’26
ALX Oncology reported exploratory Phase Ib/II data on evorpacept combined with Ziihera in 24 heavily pre‑treated HER2‑positive metastatic breast cancer patients, all of whom had previously received Enhertu. Overall, the regimen achieved a 33% confirmed overall response rate (cORR) with...