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What if the brain does not create consciousness?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729043829.htm

Published: July 30, 2026 09:23

Christof Koch is taking on one of science’s deepest mysteries: how the brain creates conscious experience, or whether it creates it at all. He argues that materialism has yet to solve this “hard problem” and will explore puzzling phenomena such as…

This 4,000-year-old city defied the rules of history

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729010730.htm

Published: July 30, 2026 09:02

As Mohenjo-daro prospered, the gap between its richest and poorest households actually shrank. Its shared infrastructure, fair trade systems, and lack of powerful royal elites suggest that equality may have helped fuel the ancient city’s success.

Rice bran compound may help ease irritable bowel symptoms

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729010742.htm

Published: July 30, 2026 08:44

A compound in rice bran may help calm an overactive gut by reducing the calcium signals that cause intestinal muscles to contract. Ferulic acid suppressed contractions triggered by several chemical messengers in laboratory experiments. The discovery could…

Scientists found evolution repeating itself in the Galápagos Islands

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729051537.htm

Published: July 30, 2026 08:13

More than 150 years after Darwin’s finches helped reshape biology, Galápagos plants are exposing another evolutionary surprise. Giant daisies repeatedly developed similar heat-tolerant leaf shapes, but each lineage used a different combination of genes.…

A forgotten fossil just revealed a new Triassic predator from 210 million years ago

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729010732.htm

Published: July 30, 2026 02:34

A fossil overlooked for nearly 80 years has revealed a previously unknown crocodile relative that lived 210 million years ago in what is now New Mexico. Named Eosphorosuchus lacrimosa, the jackal-sized predator had a reinforced skull, powerful jaw muscles,…

Alien signals may be hiding where we rarely listen

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260726015239.htm

Published: July 30, 2026 01:09

Astronomers may have been listening for alien civilizations in only a small slice of the radio spectrum while overlooking a largely unexplored range of higher frequencies. Using archived data from the ALMA telescope in Chile, researchers conducted the…

Ultrafast X-rays capture chemistry unfolding atom by atom

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729010726.htm

Published: July 29, 2026 22:18

Ultrafast X-rays revealed how a molecule converts absorbed light into motion in just trillionths of a second. Individual atoms recorded different stages of the process, opening a powerful new window into light-driven chemistry.

AI reveals explosive bursts in bird evolution

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729010709.htm

Published: July 29, 2026 21:01

Songbirds appear to have evolved through rare explosions of change separated by long periods of slower development. Many of those bursts lined up with major climate shifts, suggesting that environmental upheaval can reshape life in powerful ways.

Daily multivitamin may help older adults stay independent

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729010716.htm

Published: July 29, 2026 19:44

Taking a daily multivitamin may help older adults preserve the strength and stamina needed for everyday activities. After three years, users reported better functional health than those taking a placebo, although the preliminary findings still require peer…

Scientists find a simple way to stop cavities without drilling

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729010719.htm

Published: July 29, 2026 08:35

A liquid brushed onto cavities in seconds may spare many young children from pain, infection, and surgery. A major U.S. trial found that silver diamine fluoride stopped decay in more than half of treated baby teeth. The treatment requires no drilling,…

Your gut may help your brain decide what to remember

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729010713.htm

Published: July 29, 2026 08:20

Signals traveling from the gut to the brain may help turn meals into lasting memories. Rats showed stronger memory activity after consuming nutritious foods, but not after drinking sweet liquids with little or no nutritional value. Blocking the vagus nerve…

Why are so many dead bumblebees appearing on sidewalks?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727012134.htm

Published: July 29, 2026 08:05

Bumblebees naturally have short lives, but extreme heat and human activity are making survival harder. Pesticides can poison bees or destroy the flowers they depend on, while habitat loss leaves them with fewer safe places to live and feed. Protecting…

A tiny molecular basket unlocks a powerful new kind of chemistry

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260724061452.htm

Published: July 29, 2026 07:47

Rice University chemists have found a new way to make neodymium, a rare-earth metal, interact with oxygen. Using a specially designed molecular structure described as a “basket,” the team positioned the atoms so they could form a bond once thought…

New microwave frying method could make french fries much healthier

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729044048.htm

Published: July 29, 2026 06:15

A new cooking method could make French fries crispier in less time while significantly limiting how much oil they absorb. Researchers propose combining microwave heating, which keeps oil out, with conventional frying, which provides the crunch consumers…

Can’t sleep in the heat? These 8 tricks could save your night

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729010722.htm

Published: July 29, 2026 01:35

Sleeping well during a heatwave starts with stopping the home from overheating. Close blinds against strong sunlight, ventilate when the air outside becomes cooler, and avoid using heat-producing appliances during the hottest hours. Moving to a cooler…

The search for life on Jupiter's icy moon Europa just got more complicated

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727214604.htm

Published: July 29, 2026 01:06

Europa’s hidden ocean has made the icy moon one of the solar system’s most promising places to search for habitable conditions. Scientists have hoped that water from this deep ocean might rise through cracks and form shallow reservoirs that future…

Earth’s hidden “gold kitchen” lies beneath the seafloor

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727214628.htm

Published: July 29, 2026 00:14

Deep beneath submarine volcanoes, Earth may be running a natural “gold kitchen.” By analyzing volcanic glass from the Kermadec island arc north of New Zealand, researchers found that water-rich mantle repeatedly melts beneath subduction zones, gradually…

4 in 5 toddler foods are ultra-processed

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727012128.htm

Published: July 28, 2026 23:13

A grocery-store audit found that many foods marketed for toddlers may be far less healthy than parents expect. Of nearly 2,800 products examined in Texas, 81% were ultra-processed, and almost half failed at least one World Health Organization nutrient…

One of Earth’s most explosive supervolcanoes is recharging with fresh magma

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260725105644.htm

Published: July 28, 2026 21:05

Deep beneath Japan’s mostly submerged Kikai caldera, scientists have discovered a vast magma reservoir that appears to be filling again. The volcano produced the largest eruption of the Holocene 7,300 years ago, and seismic surveys now show that fresh…

A slowing Atlantic current could unleash stronger California storms

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727214626.htm

Published: July 28, 2026 08:31

A weakening Atlantic current could supercharge California’s atmospheric rivers while leaving Greenland with fewer snow-producing storms. The changes could raise flood risks, strain infrastructure, and reshape water supplies far beyond the Atlantic.

Misfolded insulin may be quietly driving diabetes

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727214616.htm

Published: July 28, 2026 07:48

Researchers found that insulin-producing cells depend on a team of helper proteins to keep insulin production on track. When one key partner was missing, damaged proteins built up and the cells made less insulin. Strengthening this system could offer a new…

Hidden charcoal reveals the true age of ancient cave paintings

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727214619.htm

Published: July 28, 2026 07:16

A new analysis has precisely dated paintings in France’s Font-de-Gaume cave for the first time. Scientists discovered charcoal inside black pigments once thought to contain only minerals, allowing them to use radiocarbon dating. The results show that a…

Why losing weight may not be enough to prevent type 2 diabetes

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260724061450.htm

Published: July 28, 2026 06:06

A healthy lifestyle can prevent type 2 diabetes for many people, but new research suggests that weight loss alone may not be enough for one particularly vulnerable group. Even after losing about 8% of their body weight and keeping it off for years, people…

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft aces Mars flyby capturing stunning timelapse video

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727214612.htm

Published: July 28, 2026 02:21

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft aced its Mars flyby, using the planet’s gravity to speed toward its 2029 encounter with a metal-rich asteroid. The spacecraft tested its cameras, magnetometer, and particle-detecting instruments, capturing unusual views of Mars and…

Blazing like 10 billion suns: NASA’s Swift sees a wandering black hole devouring a star

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727214609.htm

Published: July 28, 2026 01:54

NASA’s Swift Observatory observed a supermassive black hole ripping apart a star more than 30,000 light-years from the center of a distant galaxy. The extraordinary flare briefly outshone its entire host galaxy in ultraviolet light and revealed a black…

Scientists create an “electron lighthouse” with laser light

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727214601.htm

Published: July 28, 2026 01:03

Scientists have created an “electron lighthouse” that uses laser light to launch and steer electrons through a semiconductor without an applied electrical field. The quantum effect could eventually improve optical sensors, communications, imaging, and…

Twisted laser light can tell mirror-image molecules apart

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727214557.htm

Published: July 28, 2026 00:18

Scientists have created twisted laser beams that interact differently with right-handed and left-handed molecules, revealing their identity through the fragments they produce. The approach could provide a faster, simpler, and more sensitive way to analyze…

Exercise may not help hip arthritis as much as patients expect

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260723084043.htm

Published: July 27, 2026 22:09

A major review found that exercise produces only small average improvements in hip osteoarthritis pain and physical function. It may still help some people, but researchers warn that current evidence is too limited to know which exercises work best.

A single sauna session sends immune cells surging

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727012141.htm

Published: July 27, 2026 21:20

A single 30-minute sauna session may briefly put the immune system on higher alert. Finnish researchers found that sauna heat, paired with a short cold shower, increased every type of white blood cell circulating in the bloodstream, including key infection…

These insect submariners survive depths that should crush them

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260726015241.htm

Published: July 27, 2026 09:37

Lake fly larvae plunge more than 200 meters into Lake Malawi each day to hide from predators, using tiny air sacs to control their depth. A rubber-like material called resilin lets them expand or shrink the sacs by changing their pH. Their toughness…

Your dreams aren’t random. Your brain is rewriting reality

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260725105731.htm

Published: July 27, 2026 09:08

Dreams are not random mental noise. A large study of more than 3,700 dream and waking reports found that what we experience during sleep is shaped by both our personalities and the world around us. Rather than simply replaying daily events, the dreaming…

Scientists reveal what sparkling water really does to your teeth

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727012126.htm

Published: July 27, 2026 08:52

Unsweetened sparkling water may offer a tooth-friendlier alternative to sugary soda, according to a small preliminary study tracking how different drinks change mouth acidity. Soda caused the strongest and longest drop in salivary pH, while sparkling water…

500,000-year-old elephant bone hammer shows ancient humans were master toolmakers

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260726015301.htm

Published: July 27, 2026 08:36

Early humans in England crafted a rare piece of elephant bone into a reusable hammer for sharpening stone tools nearly 500,000 years ago. The extraordinary find reveals that ancient toolmakers were resourceful, skilled, and capable of surprisingly advanced…

Why Jupiter has several giant moons but Saturn has only Titan

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727012143.htm

Published: July 27, 2026 06:24

Young Jupiter’s powerful magnetic field may have created a safe zone where several large moons could survive. Saturn lacked this protection, possibly explaining why Titan stands almost alone among its largest moons.

Eating within 8 hours may help keep the aging brain sharp

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727012125.htm

Published: July 27, 2026 05:02

Eating within a shorter daily window may help protect certain thinking skills as people age. In a small six-month trial, older women who limited eating to about 8 to 9 hours a day performed better on planning and problem-solving tests than those who ate…

Why the same DNA damage causes cancer in some people but not others

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727012123.htm

Published: July 27, 2026 04:29

A controlled mouse study has provided direct evidence that inherited genetics can steer how cancer begins and evolves after DNA damage. The discovery could eventually help doctors better predict cancer risk and tailor screening and treatments to each…

After 241 days in orbit this NASA astronaut is finally home

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727012131.htm

Published: July 27, 2026 04:06

NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two Roscosmos cosmonauts are back on Earth after spending 241 days aboard the International Space Station. Their journey covered more than 102 million miles and included 3,856 trips around the planet.

The best way to save giant sequoias may be more fire

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260726015243.htm

Published: July 26, 2026 09:18

Giant sequoias are built to withstand ordinary fires, but recent extreme wildfires killed thousands of trees that had survived for centuries or even millennia. A new analysis of about 26,400 sequoias found that trees in areas treated with prescribed burns…

Your AI calorie-tracking app may be off by 345 calories

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260726015237.htm

Published: July 26, 2026 09:06

Popular AI-powered food apps may make calorie counting easier, but they may also leave out a surprisingly large part of the meal. Four apps underestimated calories and fat by about one-third when tested against carefully prepared meals. High-fat ketogenic…

CRISPR makes prostate cancer vulnerable to immunotherapy

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260726015250.htm

Published: July 26, 2026 08:36

Scientists used CRISPR to make prostate cancer cells easier for the immune system to detect and destroy. The experimental treatment dramatically improved the effects of immunotherapy in mice and may offer hope for other hard-to-treat tumors.

Why losing the wrong fat can trigger diabetes

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260726015259.htm

Published: July 26, 2026 07:43

Scientists discovered that damaged fat cells can become inflamed, lose their ability to store lipids, and eventually vanish, disrupting the body’s metabolism. The findings show that diabetes can result not only from excess fat, but also from losing the…

A hidden Alzheimer’s tipping point may decide who gets dementia

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260726015257.htm

Published: July 26, 2026 06:14

Scientists have identified a possible tipping point that helps determine whether Alzheimer’s-related brain changes lead to dementia. The key may lie in how the brain’s immune cells respond to plaques and tau, offering a promising new target for treatments…

Inside the Backrooms: The internet’s creepiest place is becoming a tourist attraction

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260726015254.htm

Published: July 26, 2026 04:16

The Backrooms began as a single eerie image of empty yellow rooms, but internet users transformed it into a vast fictional world that feels disturbingly real. Through videos, games, maps, survival guides and social media stories, audiences do more than…

Hidden genetic diversity helped inbred brown tree snakes conquer guam

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260726015236.htm

Published: July 26, 2026 03:15

A notorious snake invasion that devastated Guam’s native birds may have succeeded because the reptiles carried hidden genetic advantages. Using advanced long-read DNA sequencing, researchers uncovered more than 19,000 large genetic differences in brown…

Scientists trace the shocking origin of human eyes to an ancient “cyclops”

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260725105554.htm

Published: July 26, 2026 01:10

Researchers say a tiny one-eyed ancestor that lived nearly 600 million years ago may have shaped the evolution of every vertebrate eye, including our own. They also found that its ancient median eye lives on today as the pineal gland, which helps…

A single dose reversed autism-like symptoms in adult mice within hours

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260724061436.htm

Published: July 25, 2026 11:09

Even mild inflammation during pregnancy led mouse offspring to develop persistent brain overactivity, sensory sensitivity, repetitive behaviors, and increased seizure risk. Remarkably, one dose of rapamycin improved nearly all of these problems within…

Superagers keep youthful memories but their DNA does not explain why

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260723084045.htm

Published: July 25, 2026 10:41

Scientists expected SuperAgers might simply inherit fewer Alzheimer’s-related risks, but their genes looked much like those of typical older adults. Their extraordinary memories may instead come from still-unknown protective forces involving the brain,…

Scientists put the “recycling is a distraction” claim to the test

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260724061437.htm

Published: July 25, 2026 10:00

Recycling, greener diets, and other personal climate choices do not seem to distract people from supporting major environmental reforms. A four-year study of nearly 2,800 Australians found that these habits neither increased nor reduced later political…

The Universe can outrun light without breaking Einstein’s rules

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260724061444.htm

Published: July 25, 2026 09:17

Cosmic expansion allows distant galaxies to move away faster than light, while still letting us see ancient light they emitted when they were much closer. Eventually, accelerating expansion will push nearly every galaxy beyond our Local Group out of sight,…

Oral GLP-1 drugs may quiet the brain’s food craving circuit

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260724061439.htm

Published: July 25, 2026 07:34

Newer oral drugs related to semaglutide medications such as Ozempic reduced pleasure-driven eating in mice by quieting a deep brain reward circuit. The finding could open new avenues for understanding food cravings and potentially treating substance use…

A daily fiber supplement reduced knee arthritis pain and improved strength

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260724061448.htm

Published: July 25, 2026 06:01

A prebiotic fiber supplement reduced knee osteoarthritis pain while also improving grip strength and pain sensitivity in a six-week trial. The results hint at a fascinating gut-muscle-pain connection and suggest that a simple daily supplement may be easier…

Scientists discover the Sun contains 55% more silver than expected

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260723084049.htm

Published: July 24, 2026 21:55

A new analysis suggests the Sun holds far more silver than earlier estimates indicated. More advanced models of the solar atmosphere raised the calculated amount by 55 percent, bringing it into much closer agreement with ancient meteorites. The technique…