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New autism therapy shows surprising benefits even in adult mice

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260805082508.htm

Published: August 7, 2026 08:38

Blocking the glycine transporter SLC6A20 restored important brain signaling and improved social, communication, and repetitive behaviors in autism-related mouse models. The treatment also worked in human brain organoids and showed lasting effects in adult…

Scientists tracked 12 people in Antarctica for 10 months—what happened could shape future Mars missions

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260806050722.htm

Published: August 7, 2026 07:18

A ten-month Antarctic experiment found that astronauts may struggle not only with loneliness but also with spending too much time around the same people. Frequent contact was linked to greater tension and mistrust, while the crew increasingly divided into…

Earth’s molten core suddenly reversed direction — and scientists don’t know why

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260806050713.htm

Published: August 7, 2026 06:24

Earth’s molten iron core unexpectedly reversed direction beneath the Pacific, revealing a dramatic change in the hidden engine that creates our planet’s magnetic field. Satellite data suggest the surge is already weakening, raising the possibility that the…

Wearable ultrasound patch boosts REM sleep without drugs or surgery

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260806050709.htm

Published: August 7, 2026 03:31

A new wearable patch may help people reach REM sleep faster and remain there longer without medication or surgery. In a study of 28 participants, the device shortened the time to REM by 43 minutes and extended it by about 16 minutes. Researchers also…

The key to colonizing Mars may be hidden inside asteroids

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260805082504.htm

Published: August 7, 2026 01:29

Metal-rich asteroids could one day become hardware stores for Mars, supplying the materials needed to build and repair a growing colony. A new analysis shows that carefully selected asteroids may be reachable with current spacecraft technology. Some could…

Scientists find unexpected life on Ötzi the Iceman’s 5,300-year-old body

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260806050721.htm

Published: August 7, 2026 00:24

More than 5,000 years after his death, Ötzi the Iceman is still hosting a remarkable mix of ancient and modern microorganisms. Researchers separated microbes that lived in his body during his lifetime from those that arrived after his death, uncovering…

Scientists rediscover lost Megalodon fossils—and reveal a 79-foot giant

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260805082500.htm

Published: August 6, 2026 22:57

Several enormous Megalodon vertebrae thought to have been destroyed in 1989 were found sitting unnoticed on a museum shelf. Their analysis strengthens evidence that the giant shark could exceed 24 meters (79 feet) in length and live for nearly a century.…

Scientists discover a hidden brain shift that begins around age 50

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260806050700.htm

Published: August 6, 2026 21:32

Beginning around age 50, the brain’s memory center appears to lose many of its longtime immune cells and replace them with more inflammatory ones. This surprising shift may help explain how normal aging sets the stage for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

A star’s violent death exposed a hidden supermassive black hole

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260805082457.htm

Published: August 6, 2026 08:16

A supermassive black hole has been found lurking about 30,000 light-years from the center of its galaxy—the first dormant black hole detected so far from a galactic core. It revealed itself only after shredding a passing star and producing a brief,…

Cell-inspired nanoreactor turns sunlight into hydrogen peroxide

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260804034642.htm

Published: August 6, 2026 08:03

A new hollow nanoreactor mimics living cells to make hydrogen peroxide more efficiently using visible light. Its light-trapping cavity and proton-shuttling shell could open new possibilities for cleaner chemical manufacturing and artificial photosynthesis.

Nearly half of dementia cases may be linked to risks you can change

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260803080923.htm

Published: August 6, 2026 06:23

A long-term brain study found that common risks such as smoking, high blood pressure, heart disease, and high blood lipids were strongly linked to damage associated with vascular dementia. The findings suggest that healthier lifestyle choices could help…

A drug already used for osteoporosis blocked spinal damage in a new study

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260806051943.htm

Published: August 6, 2026 05:50

Genetic changes may set off a chain reaction that causes the spine’s natural shock absorbers to harden and deteriorate. Zebrafish with a faulty collagen-related gene developed mineral buildup and spinal fusion similar to human disc disease. Researchers…

Forget the sperm race: Fertilization may depend on teamwork

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260805082455.htm

Published: August 6, 2026 02:25

Millions of sperm do not always compete alone—some species send them into action as coordinated teams. A sweeping evolutionary study found that this cooperation is widespread among arthropods and has repeatedly emerged and vanished over hundreds of…

Claude Fable 5 AI finds a tiny formula that topples an 87-year-old math conjecture

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260804034634.htm

Published: August 5, 2026 22:02

A mathematician working at Anthropic says he used the AI model Claude Fable 5 to uncover a remarkably simple counterexample to the Jacobian conjecture, a famous problem that has resisted mathematicians for more than a century. The result shows that the…

567-million-year-old fossils rewrite the dawn of animal life

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260804034644.htm

Published: August 5, 2026 20:33

A spectacular fossil site in Canada contains 567-million-year-old creatures that may represent some of the earliest animals to move, reproduce sexually, and develop recognizable body plans. The discovery pushes key evolutionary milestones back by up to 10…

Scientists discover the brain cells that keep you motivated

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260804034622.htm

Published: August 5, 2026 08:09

A group of brain cells called orexin neurons appears to help us keep working when reaching a reward becomes increasingly difficult. Blocking their activity weakened motivation in rats, pointing to a possible new target for understanding why people…

80-million-year-old snake brain reveals a surprising evolutionary secret

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260804034619.htm

Published: August 5, 2026 07:42

An exceptionally preserved snake fossil from Brazil reveals that early snakes were far more diverse than scientists once thought. Detailed brain reconstructions show that Tametara mirim was adapted for burrowing, while another ancient snake was suited to…

This school-bus-sized “terror croc” ate dinosaurs. Now it’s back

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260801093740.htm

Published: August 5, 2026 06:50

A massive crocodilian capable of attacking dinosaurs has been brought back to life as the first scientifically accurate mounted skeleton of Deinosuchus schwimmeri. The 31-foot replica at Georgia’s Tellus Science Museum was built from detailed fossil scans…

A colossal magma system has been hiding beneath Tuscany

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260804034645.htm

Published: August 5, 2026 05:19

A massive magma reservoir has been detected deep beneath Tuscany, despite showing no obvious signs at the surface. Scientists mapped the roughly 6,000-cubic-kilometer body using natural ground vibrations recorded by dozens of seismic sensors. It poses no…

Stanford scientists discover immune cells that explode like microscopic bombs

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260803080914.htm

Published: August 5, 2026 01:10

Stanford researchers discovered immune cells in flatworms that explode within minutes, killing nearby bacteria and foreign cells before vanishing completely. Their unusually fast and localized attack could offer clues for developing targeted treatments…

A solar eclipse and the Perseid meteor shower arrive on the same day

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260804034628.htm

Published: August 5, 2026 00:13

August brings four major celestial events, including a solar eclipse and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Dark New Moon skies could make the Perseids especially impressive, while Venus will blaze in the west after sunset. A deep partial lunar eclipse…

Did T. rex leave these 66-million-year-old bite marks?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260803080854.htm

Published: August 4, 2026 23:15

Fossilized dinosaur bones from Wyoming are offering a rare glimpse into the feeding behavior of Tyrannosaurus rex. Researchers examined more than 3,000 bones dating back 72 to 66 million years and found just 12 with possible tooth traces, including four…

Scientists catch a “jumping gene” mid-leap between species

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260803080911.htm

Published: August 4, 2026 22:51

Scientists have uncovered a surprising way that “jumping genes” may move between species and speed up evolution. While these mobile genetic elements were thought to travel mainly inside viruses or plasmids, researchers found circular intron RNA from a tiny…

Cancer-fighting chewing gum cuts HPV levels by up to 93%

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260803080917.htm

Published: August 4, 2026 09:33

A specially engineered chewing gum reduced HPV by up to 93% and nearly eliminated two bacteria linked to head and neck cancer. The treatment preserved beneficial mouth bacteria, raising hopes for a safer and more affordable therapy.

518-million-year-old creature reveals the origins of spider fangs

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260803080906.htm

Published: August 4, 2026 09:18

A tiny 518-million-year-old sea creature has revealed the earliest known evidence of the structures that eventually became spiders’ fangs. Hidden inside the fossil were pincerlike limbs and preserved soft tissues that help explain how the ancestors of…

These underwater bones could solve a mystery about extinct giants

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260802223428.htm

Published: August 4, 2026 08:12

Animal bones preserved in South Australia’s underwater caves reveal distinctive clues shaped by darkness, algae, bacteria, and other environmental conditions. The findings give scientists a powerful new way to reconstruct how ancient megafauna remains…

Strange quantum experiment shows “negative time” is more than an illusion

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260803080904.htm

Published: August 4, 2026 07:44

Photons traveling through a cloud of atoms can emerge so early that they appear to have spent a negative amount of time inside. Researchers tested whether this was merely a misleading feature of the light pulse by making extremely weak measurements of the…

DNA on the Shroud of Turin reveals centuries of hidden history

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260803080859.htm

Published: August 4, 2026 05:49

DNA traces in the Shroud of Turin reveal a remarkable mixture of human lineages, microbes, plants, animals, and coral accumulated through centuries of handling and travel. The findings do not prove its age or authenticity, but they expose a hidden…

Your brain may be wired to regain lost weight

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260803080902.htm

Published: August 3, 2026 23:38

Weight loss is not simply a test of willpower. The human brain evolved to protect body fat during times of scarcity, and it can treat a previously higher weight as the new normal, triggering stronger hunger, cravings, and lower energy use after weight…

These bizarre new beetles look so stretchy scientists named them Luffy

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260802223430.htm

Published: August 3, 2026 22:26

Scientists have named a newly discovered beetle genus Luffy, inspired by the stretchy hero of the manga and anime One Piece. The insects have unusually long, slender mandibles, antennae, and mouthparts that resemble Luffy’s rubber-like ability to extend…

Scientists went looking for giant trees in Taiwan and found a lost world

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260802223431.htm

Published: August 3, 2026 21:18

Taiwan’s steep, remote mountains have sheltered extraordinary forests containing hundreds of giant Taiwania firs. After years of difficult expeditions, LiDAR mapping, and citizen-science detective work, researchers discovered an 84.1-meter (276-foot) tree,…

A simple supplement could help the immune system fight cancer and viruses

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260802223417.htm

Published: August 3, 2026 09:38

Low arginine levels may allow cancer cells and viruses to slip past the immune system by reducing production of a crucial cellular warning protein. In mice, arginine-rich diets led to fewer colon tumors and milder viral infections, suggesting a simple…

Ancient Arctic carbon is pouring into the sea, but the seabed captures most of it

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260802223424.htm

Published: August 3, 2026 09:23

Thawing Arctic permafrost is releasing ancient carbon into the ocean, raising fears that microbes could turn it into greenhouse gases and accelerate climate change. But sediment cores collected near Canada’s Herschel Island reveal a more reassuring twist:…

Moonquakes could reveal hidden water beneath the lunar surface

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260802223420.htm

Published: August 3, 2026 08:32

Hidden moon ice may reveal itself through the way it bends and reflects vibrations from moonquakes. The technique could help astronauts locate vital water supplies and uncover clues about the origins of Earth’s oceans.

Scientists reveal the hidden force driving the universe’s hottest fluid

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260802223422.htm

Published: August 3, 2026 07:58

When atomic nuclei smash together at nearly the speed of light, they create the hottest fluid in the universe, but scientists may have overlooked one of its most important forces. New simulations reveal that extreme acceleration builds up along the edges…

Scientists may have found aging’s hidden trigger for brain disease

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260802223433.htm

Published: August 3, 2026 07:17

Scientists have identified a molecular switch that may help explain why aging makes the brain more vulnerable to diseases such as ALS and Huntington’s. In worms, the protein EPS8 builds up with age and triggers signaling that encourages toxic proteins to…

Two new compounds could reveal hidden drivers of Alzheimer’s disease

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260802223437.htm

Published: August 3, 2026 06:20

Vanderbilt researchers created the first selective compound designed to inhibit TAOK-1, a poorly understood protein connected to Alzheimer’s disease. They also discovered a second compound that activates the entire TAOK protein family, offering scientists…

Two deadly flowers could inspire powerful new medicines

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260801042818.htm

Published: August 3, 2026 01:51

Scientists have figured out how two famously poisonous plants create chemicals with surprising medical potential. After tracking thousands of genes in wolfsbane and larkspur, they identified six enzymes needed to build a complex compound called atisinium.…

Giant waves are sweeping Mars’ atmosphere into space

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260801042816.htm

Published: August 3, 2026 00:07

The solar wind may be stripping away Mars’ atmosphere by creating giant rolling waves along its outer edge. Data from MAVEN and Tianwen-1 show that these waves form plasma clouds that carry atmospheric particles into space. The process is concentrated on…

Some coastal cities are sinking faster than the ocean is rising

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260801042824.htm

Published: August 2, 2026 21:52

Coastal communities are facing a hidden threat that is making rising seas far more dangerous: the land beneath them is sinking. New research shows that people in densely populated coastal regions experience an average relative sea-level rise of about 6…

Dark matter’s secret force does the opposite of what scientists expected

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260801042822.htm

Published: August 2, 2026 09:26

Dark matter particles may exert a hidden force on one another, but its effects are stranger than expected. An extra attraction helps the particles cluster, yet it also makes dark matter effectively lighter as the Universe expands. That weakens its…

Mathematicians prove perfectly fair elections are impossible

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260801042812.htm

Published: August 2, 2026 09:10

Mathematicians have shown that no electoral system can perfectly balance local representation, proportional national results, and a fixed-size parliament once enough parties compete. A newly proposed voting method could soften these unavoidable trade-offs…

Cancer may be breaking its own DNA to keep growing

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260731034204.htm

Published: August 2, 2026 00:30

Cancer cells rely on powerful genetic switches to keep growth genes running at full speed, but that intense activity can damage their own DNA. The resulting breaks are repeatedly repaired, sometimes with small mistakes that allow new mutations to…

Mysterious Milky Way object accelerates protons beyond one quadrillion electron volts

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260731034150.htm

Published: August 1, 2026 22:59

Scientists have identified LHAASO J1912+1014u as a cosmic accelerator that can push protons beyond one quadrillion electron volts. The finding may help reveal where the Milky Way’s most energetic cosmic rays come from and how they influence the galaxy.

NASA’s Curiosity rover finds a mysterious honeycomb landscape on Mars

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260731034142.htm

Published: August 1, 2026 09:47

NASA’s Curiosity rover has entered a Martian valley covered by an astonishing “sea” of tiny polygon-shaped fractures. The honeycomb patterns, each only a few inches wide, stretch across the landscape and even wrap around a nearby 20-foot-tall butte.

Tiny black holes may be secretly exploding stars across the Milky Way

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729051515.htm

Published: August 1, 2026 09:33

Primordial black holes may occasionally pass through white dwarf stars and trigger enormous Type Ia supernova explosions. Researchers found that these events could explain chemical patterns seen in supernova remnants, nearby explosions, and stars across…

Ant brains reveal how evolution turned hunger into parenting

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729051519.htm

Published: August 1, 2026 09:01

Ant parenting may have evolved from the same brain systems that once controlled hunger. Researchers found that two chemical signals push clonal raider ants toward either caring for larvae or leaving to forage, with the balance changing as the ants grow…

Tiny aerosol particles could supercharge tropical storm clouds

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727012138.htm

Published: August 1, 2026 08:47

Scientists discovered unusually high water-vapor supersaturation inside deep tropical clouds, creating conditions in which tiny aerosol particles could intensify storm updrafts. The finding suggests earlier studies may have missed the effect because they…

Superheated magma may power towering lava fountains

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260731034200.htm

Published: August 1, 2026 02:38

Scientists studying magma from the 2021 Tajogaite eruption on La Palma have discovered that extreme heat can dramatically change how an eruption unfolds. When magma becomes superheated, it can dissolve the tiny crystal seeds that normally trigger…

Scientists found two mysterious ‘ghost’ ancestors hiding in our DNA

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260731034139.htm

Published: July 31, 2026 21:58

Modern humans carry DNA from two mysterious extinct lineages in addition to Neanderthals and Denisovans. Their hidden genetic legacy shows that our evolutionary past was shaped by repeated mixing among many different human groups.

New process turns plastic waste into hydrogen fuel while trapping the carbon

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729051521.htm

Published: July 31, 2026 08:46

A new chemical process can transform three of the most common plastics into high-purity hydrogen without sorting them first. The technique operates at much lower temperatures than traditional gasification and captures most of the plastic’s carbon in solid…

Scientists discover why poor sleep may harm some brains more

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729051529.htm

Published: July 31, 2026 08:20

A gene involved in the brain’s overnight cleaning system may change how strongly poor sleep affects Alzheimer’s-related brain changes. The findings point toward more personalized prevention strategies based on both genetics and sleep habits.

A 42-year-old childhood obesity theory may be wrong

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729051534.htm

Published: July 31, 2026 07:28

New research challenges the decades-old idea that children experience an “adiposity rebound” when their BMI begins rising around age 6. Although BMI returns to earlier levels, a more reliable measure showed that body fat does not rebound at all. The…

Black holes may spit out nearly as much matter as they swallow

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260731034127.htm

Published: July 31, 2026 04:18

A black hole observed during a dramatic 2023 eruption did not simply devour gas from its nearby companion star. It also expelled large amounts of material through powerful jets and winds, even after the outburst had nearly faded. The results suggest black…

AI can tell if your brain is aging faster than you are

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729051540.htm

Published: July 31, 2026 03:05

A person’s sleeping brain may reveal warning signs of dementia long before memory problems begin. Researchers used machine learning to analyze EEG recordings from about 7,000 adults and found that an older-than-expected “brain age” was tied to a sharply…

Strange gamma rays could reveal how stars forge heavy elements

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727214623.htm

Published: July 31, 2026 01:15

Scientists traced a mysterious surge of low-energy gamma rays from zinc-70 to magnetic changes occurring inside its nucleus. The breakthrough could improve models of how stars, supernovae, and neutron star mergers create heavy elements.

A strange quantum rule caps electrical resistance

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727012139.htm

Published: July 30, 2026 23:30

Physicists have uncovered a surprising limit to electrical resistance caused by particles colliding. Using ultracold potassium atoms trapped in a grid of light, researchers created a highly controlled stand-in for electrons moving through a solid. As…

Scientists discover how obesity may fuel Alzheimer’s disease

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729051531.htm

Published: July 30, 2026 22:52

Researchers have uncovered a possible biological pathway connecting obesity to Alzheimer’s disease. Obesity appears to raise levels of certain fat molecules that can travel to the brain, disrupt its immune defenses, and promote harmful amyloid buildup.…

Scientists find a simple routine linked to less pain and depression

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729010705.htm

Published: July 30, 2026 21:37

Keeping a regular daily schedule may help reduce pain and depression, especially among older adults with insomnia. Researchers found that consistent times for waking, eating, socializing, and sleeping were linked to better well-being regardless of sleep…