Science Daily

This weight-loss hormone may protect the liver even without weight loss

A hormone already known for curbing appetite and supporting weight loss may have a surprising second job: protecting the liver from inflammation and scarring. Researchers at McMaster University found that GDF15 activates a previously unknown brain-to-liver pathway that triggers the release of glucocorticoids, helping calm immune activity in the liver.

science  Aug 21, 2026

Science Daily

AI may know how you’ll respond to a vaccine before you get it

AI may be able to predict how strongly someone will respond to a vaccine before they receive it. By analyzing antibody patterns in more than 4,000 people, researchers found signs of “immune readiness” that helped distinguish strong responders from weak ones. Surprisingly, even some healthy people responded poorly, while some immunosuppressed people mounted strong responses.

science  Aug 21, 2026

Science Daily

2,200-year-old Roman shipwreck reveals ancient waterproofing secrets

Scientists analyzing a 2,200-year-old Roman shipwreck found that its hull was coated with pine tar and, in one area, a mixture of tar and beeswax. Pollen trapped in those ancient coatings acted like a geographic fingerprint, revealing the landscapes surrounding the ship when repairs were made.

science  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian Science

Ebola outbreak: five big questions

On 23 August, it will be 100 days since the Bundibugyo strain was first reported. How did it became the DRC’s most deadly outbreak and what must be done to stop it becoming the world’s largest?Almost 100 days ago, Africa’s public health watchdog reported an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.There have now been almost 5,000 cases and more than 2,000 deaths since 15 May, making this Ebola outbreak the biggest and most deadly in the DRC’s history. Continue reading...

science  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian Science

Alice Roberts: ‘By the time I’d finished Richard Dawkins I’d left faith behind’

The TV presenter and author on the evolutionary biologists who inspired her, the genius of George Eliot – and fun with Frog and ToadMy earliest reading memoryThe first books I remember were from The Village with Three Corners series Sheila K McCullagh. I loved the – literally – colourful characters, like Johnny Yellow Hat. I was reading with my Grandma, in her garden perhaps, sitting on a small patio, surrounded by bright begonias and busy lizzies.My favourite book growing upArnold Lobel’s wonde

science  Aug 21, 2026

Science Daily

A simple at-home test could cut colorectal cancer death risk by 43%

People who participated in colorectal cancer screening had a 43% lower risk of dying from the disease, according to long-term data from more than 376,000 people in Sweden. The findings suggest that completing a simple at-home screening test could make a major difference in survival.

science  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian Science

Week in wildlife: Bat in a toilet, a speeding gull and a bird with shoes

This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

science  Aug 21, 2026

Science Daily

A strange new quantum droplet can hold itself together

Two very different types of quantum particles may be able to form stable droplets that hold themselves together, challenging decades of conventional thinking. The prediction could soon be tested experimentally and may reveal an unexpectedly rich world of new quantum phases.

science  Aug 21, 2026

Science Daily

Hidden magnetism inside atoms may explain mysterious gamma rays

For decades, scientists have puzzled over why certain atomic nuclei unexpectedly produce large numbers of low-energy gamma rays. A new experiment traced the effect to magnetic changes inside the nucleus, where protons and neutrons effectively flip their tiny internal magnets. The discovery could sharpen models of everything from nuclear reactions on Earth to the creation of heavy elements in stars and neutron star mergers.

science  Aug 21, 2026

NASA News

Europe’s Scorching Summer

A series of heat waves in 2026 is breaking records and taking a toll in Europe.

science  Aug 21, 2026

Science Daily

A lost mega-cliff may explain the Grand Canyon’s missing billion years

A colossal cliff system created as the supercontinent Rodinia broke apart may have exposed the heart of the Grand Canyon nearly a billion years before the Colorado River carved it. The ancient landscape could also help explain why enormous sections of North America’s geological record appear to be missing.

science  Aug 21, 2026

Science Daily

“One-in-a-million” sea creature fossil preserves soft tissue for 450 million years

Scientists have identified exceptionally rare soft tissue preserved in a 450-million-year-old crinoid fossil, more than 200 million years older than the first dinosaurs. Its delicate tube feet offer a remarkable new window into how some of Earth’s earliest reef animals lived, fed, and evolved.

science  Aug 21, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists discover how gut bacteria “train” the intestine to fight inflammation

A compound made when gut bacteria break down dietary fiber may do more than briefly calm inflammation—it could leave a lasting protective “memory” in the gut. Northwestern Medicine researchers found that butyrate can reprogram intestinal lining cells so they continue encouraging anti-inflammatory immune responses even after the compound is gone. In mice, this effect boosted production of the immune-calming molecule IL-10 and reduced the severity of colitis-like disease.

science  Aug 21, 2026

Science Daily

Ozempic does something unexpected to the brain’s hunger neurons

Ozempic may work in the brain in almost the opposite way scientists expected, activating hunger-linked neurons that appear essential for sustaining fat loss. The surprising discovery in mice could reveal new targets for developing even more effective obesity drugs.

science  Aug 20, 2026

NASA News

SmallSat 2026

SmallSat 2026 Join NASA in the Exhibit Hall (Booth # 635, 835, 641, and 940) for Storytelling by NASA experts. Full Agenda below. MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 9:00 – 10:00 AM WelcomeJose NunezBryceTech’s Smallsats by the Numbers: 2026Fletcher FranklinSupply Chain ObservationsBruce YostTechnology Shortfall Rudy de RoseeSPARCS Camera and Early Science ObservationsKaitlyn AshcroftJPL: SkyfallTim CanhamSWIFT LINK ReboostBo NaaszFlight […]

science  Aug 20, 2026

NASA News

Artemis Mission Patches

A jacket decorated with Artemis I and II mission patches, along with other NASA patches hangs on the back of a chair on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, inside the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a terminal countdown simulation for the Artemis III mission. NASA’s Exploration Ground […]

science  Aug 20, 2026

NASA News

NASA Selects University Teams to Help Advance Aviation Research

NASA has selected four university teams to help the agency transform the future of aviation through projects ranging from high-supersonic propulsion systems to low-noise routes for small aircraft flying through cities. The agency made awards through its University Leadership Initiative, which offers  student teams the opportunity to contribute to real-world flight research that advances NASA’s goals in aeronautics. […]

science  Aug 20, 2026

NASA News

The View from Above: The Gemini Visual Acuity Experiments

NASA astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. took 29 color photographs of the Earth with a 70mm camera as he orbited our planet during the Mercury-Atlas 9 mission in May 1963. Cooper’s view from the window of his Faith 7 spacecraft was spectacular, and he reported that he could see vehicles motoring on dirt roads, smoke-belching trains, […]

science  Aug 20, 2026

NASA News

NASA Data Feeds River Forecasts as Snow Drought Effects Linger

NASA Earth science data is supporting machine-learning forecasts that inform decisions about water, power, and public safety in Washington state.

science  Aug 20, 2026

The Guardian Science

It's finally raining, but the drought's not over

After a summer that has seen England and Wales experience the driest July since records began, rain is finally on the horizon. But with reservoirs at ‘exceptionally low’ levels, will there be enough rain to replenish stocks? Madeleine Finlay hears from Dr Anna Murgatroyd, a lecturer in hydrology at Newcastle University, about how much rain we need to see us through next summer, why we’re now at increased risk of floods, and what we can all be doing to take better care of our water supplies Conti

science  Aug 20, 2026