AI models atom movement to predict solid-state reaction pathways, including impurities, in minutes
An AI model predicts solid-state reaction pathways by tracking atom movement through materials in minutes, accounting for impurities for the first time. Developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the approach offers practical guidance for optimizing recipes when manufacturing advanced materials.
Smart bioink shields delicate neural cells during precision 3D printing
A smart bioink has been developed that protects neural cells from damage during 3D printing by reducing the mechanical stress from nozzle extrusion. The bioink allows delicate brain tissue cells to survive the printing process and maintain structural integrity through the printer nozzle.
Underground fungal networks come into 3D view without disturbing plant roots
Researchers developed a method to visualize mycorrhizal fungal networks in three dimensions without disturbing plant roots. The technique allows study of these underground symbiotic structures in their natural state for the first time.
Rubin Observatory opens a deep window on a famous cosmic field
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory released its first LSST Camera image showing hundreds of thousands of distant galaxies in the COSMOS field. The image and accompanying catalog are now available for scientific research and analysis.
Pollen movement tracked from ground to sky with new modeling method
Researchers developed a new methodology to track and forecast pollen dispersal from genetically engineered switchgrass at ground and atmospheric levels. The study, published in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, established an accurate system for measuring how airborne pollen moves once it leaves crops.
Louisiana Students Loft Payloads from NASA Balloon Facility in Texas
Louisiana students launched scientific payloads from NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, Texas, to the edge of space. The students had spent months preparing their experiments with sensors and laptops before releasing them via balloon.
NASA Delivers Navigation System for Commercial Lunar Relay
NASA delivered the NavCube3-mini navigation payload to Intuitive Machines on July 13 for integration into the Altus-1 lunar relay satellite. The device, about half the size of a shoebox and weighing 3.5 pounds, will enable communications and navigation for astronauts and rovers at a future Moon Base.
A simple supplement could help the immune system fight cancer and viruses
Low arginine levels allow cancer cells and viruses to evade immune system detection by reducing production of a crucial cellular warning protein. In mice, arginine-rich diets resulted in fewer colon tumors and milder viral infections.
Moonquakes could reveal hidden water beneath the lunar surface
Moonquakes bend and reflect vibrations in ways that could reveal hidden ice beneath the lunar surface. This seismic technique may help locate water supplies and provide information about Earth's ocean origins.
Scientists reveal the hidden force driving the universe’s hottest fluid
Extreme acceleration building up along the edges of quark-gluon plasma helps drive its explosive expansion when atomic nuclei collide at nearly light speed. This acceleration may change the fluid's temperature-like behavior, influence particle spins, and reshape how matter transitions between fundamental states.
Scientists may have found aging’s hidden trigger for brain disease
A protein called EPS8 accumulates with age in worms and triggers the clumping of toxic proteins that damages neurons. Reducing EPS8 activity prevented these harmful aggregates and preserved nerve function in the research.
Two new compounds could reveal hidden drivers of Alzheimer’s disease
Vanderbilt researchers developed the first selective compound to inhibit TAOK-1, a protein linked to Alzheimer's disease. They also created a second compound that activates the entire TAOK protein family, providing researchers with new tools to study disease mechanisms.
Two deadly flowers could inspire powerful new medicines
Scientists identified six enzymes that two poisonous plants use to create atisinium, a complex compound with medical potential. They recreated this enzymatic process in tobacco plants to produce the rare molecules sustainably and in larger quantities.
Newly unearthed mechanism that helps plants 'feel full' could help crops use fertilizer more efficiently
NYU researchers identified molecular mechanisms that signal when plants have absorbed sufficient nitrogen. This discovery could enable development of crops requiring less fertilizer while maintaining productivity through improved soil nitrogen absorption.
How simple amber lights could make nights safer for insects
Amber lights could reduce harm to insects compared to conventional white or blue streetlights. Scientists found that switching to amber lighting addresses one threat contributing to the 40% global decline in insect species caused by artificial light pollution.
Climate change could dramatically reduce water flowing from the West's headwaters
Groundwater-fed streamflow in Western headwater watersheds has declined steadily since 1950 and could decrease 45% to 65% by century's end under current climate trends. The study, led by Northern Arizona University researchers, examined base flow that supplies many of the region's rivers.
New microscopy method achieves angstrom-scale localization precision with one laser
A new microscopy method achieves angstrom-scale localization precision using a single laser, improving resolution three orders of magnitude beyond standard fluorescent microscopy. The technology simplifies imaging while enabling visualization of molecular structures at the angstrom level.
Webb reveals warped structure in nearby TW Hydrae's protoplanetary disk
The James Webb Space Telescope captured high-contrast images revealing a warped structure in the protoplanetary disk surrounding the young star TW Hydrae. The observations, published July 27 on arXiv, used coronagraphic imaging to examine the disk's features in detail.
Dark matter’s secret force does the opposite of what scientists expected
Dark matter particles may exert an extra attractive force on each other that causes them to cluster together. This hidden force paradoxically makes dark matter effectively lighter as the Universe expands, weakening its gravitational impact and slowing cosmic structure growth.
Without this protein, damaged muscle turns to fat and scar tissue
Researchers discovered that the protein TRF2 helps muscle stem cells maintain their identity and coordinate cycles of rest, repair, and renewal. Without TRF2, damaged muscle converts to fat and scar tissue instead of being repaired.
Mathematicians prove perfectly fair elections are impossible
Mathematicians proved that no electoral system can simultaneously achieve local representation, proportional national results, and maintain a fixed parliament size when multiple parties compete. A newly proposed voting method could reduce these unavoidable trade-offs and generate fairer outcomes.
This once-a-week workout may help cut belly fat, study shows
A single 75-minute weekly session of brisk interval walking reduced body fat and waistline measurements in adults with central obesity about as effectively as spreading the same exercise across three days. The four-month trial involved 315 adults and found cardiovascular fitness also improved with the once-weekly approach.
Eating less protein could slow aging, major review finds
A review of over 350 studies found that eating less protein improves metabolism, reduces inflammation and cellular damage, and activates pathways associated with healthier aging. The findings suggest that many people may be consuming more protein than necessary for optimal health benefits.
Cancer may be breaking its own DNA to keep growing
Cancer cells generate DNA breaks through intense activity of genetic switches that keep growth genes active. These breaks are repeatedly repaired with occasional errors that accumulate mutations, potentially offering a therapeutic target.
AI opens new era in cognitive studies of wild primates
Scientists developed CapuchinAI, an AI system using facial recognition and real-time touchscreen testing to automate cognitive studies of wild capuchin monkeys. The proof-of-concept method was published in the American Journal of Primatology by researchers from Emory University and Georgia Tech.
Four ways wildfires generate tornadoes, lightning and other extreme weather, sometimes miles from the flames
Wildfires create thick smoke that spreads across North America and Europe, generating tornadoes, lightning, and other extreme weather sometimes miles from the flames. The mechanisms behind these phenomena remain less widely recognized than the health impacts of breathing particle-filled air from massive fires.
NASA’s Curiosity rover finds a mysterious honeycomb landscape on Mars
Curiosity rover discovered a landscape on Mars covered in tiny polygon-shaped fractures forming honeycomb patterns, each measuring only a few inches wide. The patterns extend across the valley and surround a nearby 20-foot-tall butte.
Ant brains reveal how evolution turned hunger into parenting
Two chemical signals in ant brains control whether ants care for larvae or forage for food, with their balance shifting as ants age. Clonal raider ants demonstrate that the same brain systems regulating hunger in mammals may have been repurposed by evolution to drive parenting behavior.
Eating one avocado a day may lower heart disease risk
Daily avocado consumption lowered LDL particle count in obese adults over six months. The reduction correlated with an estimated 4% decrease in cardiovascular risk.
Scientists may have found a way to prevent statin muscle pain
Scientists identified an immune response that may explain why statins cause muscle pain and weakness in some patients. This discovery could lead to treatments that protect muscles while preserving statins' cardiovascular benefits.