NASA News
With austral winter nearing its end, clouds cleared for a satellite view of volcanic activity in the remote South Atlantic.
The Guardian Science
Given the size and age of the universe, it should be full of species with technology far more advanced than our own. So where are they?By Adam Kirsch. Read by James Sobol KellyRead the text version hereSupport the Guardian today: theguardian.com/longreadpodAdapted from We Want to Believe: How Aliens Went Mainstream and Why It Matters, published by Columbia Global Reports on 25 August. To support the Guardian, order your copy from guardianbookshop.com. P&P may apply Continue reading...
Science Daily
MIT engineers have developed injectable “mini livers” designed to help support people whose failing livers can no longer perform essential jobs. Instead of replacing the damaged organ, the approach injects liver cells together with tiny hydrogel spheres and supportive cells, creating a pocket of functioning tissue that can connect to the bloodstream.
Science Daily
Scientists have devised a new way to switch magnetic computer memory while using far less energy than today's leading technologies. By mathematically optimizing the pulses used to flip digital bits, the method could reduce energy consumption by several orders of magnitude. Simulations suggest it may bring future memory devices surprisingly close to the fundamental physical limit for processing information. The same idea could eventually work with electrical currents or ultrafast lasers.
Science Daily
East Antarctica gained an astonishing 695 billion tons of ice between 2021 and 2023, temporarily slowing Antarctica’s long-term decline. Researchers found that warming thousands of miles away in the tropical ocean altered atmospheric circulation and funneled moisture toward the continent, triggering exceptionally heavy snowfall.
Science Daily
A large study involving more than 270,000 people has linked higher blood levels of the amino acid tyrosine to a shorter lifespan in men. Using both observational data and genetic analysis, researchers found that elevated tyrosine could potentially reduce male life expectancy by nearly a year, while no significant effect appeared in women. Tyrosine is found naturally in protein-rich foods and is also sold as a supplement for boosting focus and mental performance, making the finding especially int
Science Daily
Researchers have mapped breast tumors in striking detail and uncovered hidden pockets of dormant cancer cells that may help explain why cancer can return after treatment. Unlike rapidly dividing cells, these quiet cells can essentially hibernate, allowing them to evade chemotherapy and reactivate later. The team found that they are often surrounded by immune cells and connective tissue cells that may act like a protective shield.
Science Daily
Older adults at risk of dementia improved their memory and thinking after following lifestyle programs combining exercise, healthy eating, cognitive training, and social engagement. Those who received regular coaching and structured support improved substantially more than participants given general health advice.
Science Daily
Sorbitol, a sugar alcohol commonly used in sugar-free candy, gum, and other low-calorie foods, may not be as harmless as it seems. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis found that the body can convert sorbitol into a form of fructose in the liver, potentially triggering some of the same harmful metabolic effects linked to fructose.
Science Daily
Indonesia’s dangerous peat fires are surging early in the 2026 fire season as a strengthening El Niño and severe drought dry out wetlands that can burn underground for months. These slow smoldering fires are especially destructive because they release far more fine particles and several pollutants than typical tropical forest fires, while thick smoke can make them difficult for satellites to detect.
Science Daily
Princeton researchers have tested an AI system that can monitor and control fusion plasma in milliseconds, reacting far faster than a human operator. In one experiment, it predicted a damaging instability about 200 milliseconds before it appeared and adjusted the plasma to stop it from forming.
Science Daily
Researchers may have found a new way to weaken glioblastoma’s defenses against treatment. Blocking a protein called SET prevented tumors from forming in preclinical models, while targeting related proteins made cancer cells more vulnerable to radiation. The strategy works by restoring activity of PP2A, an enzyme that glioblastoma cells appear to suppress. Human testing will be needed to determine whether the approach is safe and effective.
The Guardian Science
From the Guardian Investigates team: Across the world, hundreds of people have come to believe they have made extraordinary scientific discoveries with AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Others say their AI has ‘awakened’ or is leading them to a higher spiritual realm. The Guardian journalist Michael Safi begins investigating a phenomenon labelled ‘AI psychosis’, travelling to the US to meet two people who have been on weird journeys with their chatbots Continue reading...
Science Daily
Scientists used Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere as a planet-sized detector to search for some of the lightest proposed forms of dark matter. The approach dramatically improved limits on ultralight axions and uncovered several intriguing dark photon signals that still need to be explained.
Science Daily
Archaeologists have identified tiny 80,000-year-old projectile points in Uzbekistan that may have been used like arrowheads. Their size, design, and impact damage closely resemble weapons found much later at a Homo sapiens site in France. The discovery suggests sophisticated projectile technology may have appeared in Central Asia long before modern humans became firmly established in Europe, potentially rewriting a major chapter of human migration.
Science Daily
Heart disease and chronic kidney disease can accelerate one another, but new guidelines say simple screening and early treatment could substantially reduce the risks. Blood and urine tests, combined with proven heart and kidney therapies, may help catch problems sooner and prevent serious complications.
Science Daily
A common frog found across Ecuador and Colombia has finally been recognized as its own species after more than a century of mistaken identity. Museum specimens from the 1800s helped scientists reveal that Pristimantis milpe had been hiding in plain sight all along.
Science Daily
Scientists have found evidence that vulnerability to rheumatoid arthritis may begin before birth. Finger joints commonly affected by the disease develop with different tissue structures and larger populations of specialized fibroblasts than joints that are usually spared. Those cells also respond differently to inflammation, suggesting that the architecture of each joint may help determine where arthritis eventually takes hold.
Science Daily
Scientists in Japan have identified a natural compound found in blueberries, grapes, and other berries that may help muscle cells burn excess fat instead of storing it. The compound, pterostilbene, reduced abnormal fat buildup in cultured mouse muscle cells by boosting fat breakdown and helping stabilize a key protein involved in fatty acid metabolism.
Science Daily
Researchers at UC San Diego have demonstrated that a key cellular enzyme can accurately read an eight-letter genetic alphabet, doubling the four letters used by all known life on Earth. Detailed imaging revealed that RNA polymerase handles synthetic DNA letters in surprisingly similar ways to natural ones. The finding brings scientists closer to building expanded genetic systems that could perform entirely new biological functions.