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Science news: space, biology, climate, medicine and the research changing how we live.
Wrens on St Kilda and Shetland have grown to nearly twice the size of their mainland cousins. University of Birmingham researchers say their distinct genes and songs suggest they are quietly evolving apart.
By switching off a genetic brake on nerve growth — and repurposing a decades-old hormone drug — University of Cambridge researchers coaxed damaged human neurons to regenerate, raising hopes for spinal injury, MS and motor neurone disease.
Using gentle electric pulses and platinum contact lenses, chemists at Occidental and UC Irvine molded the corneas of rabbit eyes to correct nearsightedness in about a minute — with no cutting and no laser.
Museum specimens reveal the extinct reptiles were saltwater crocodiles that drifted 3,000 kilometers across the Indian Ocean before being wiped out by settlers.
Accelerating sea-ice loss flipped the Arctic from a system limited by light to one starved of nitrate, choking the nutrient supply that underpins the entire polar food web.
Sediment cores from 83-million-year-old deposits in China show precession-driven cycles drove abrupt wet-dry swings even in an ice-free greenhouse world — a cautionary analogue for our warming future.
Scientists discover the extinct island reptiles were saltwater crocodiles that drifted thousands of kilometers across the Indian Ocean before being wiped out by settlers.
A technique called Flux-Switching Floquet Engineering produces exotic, noise-resistant quantum phases that could help solve one of quantum computing's biggest problems.
Researchers at Texas A&M developed a treatment that improved memory and cognitive function for months after just two doses by reducing inflammation and restoring brain energy systems.
The giant exoplanet WASP-94A b has a bizarre daily weather cycle where mineral clouds appear every morning and disappear by evening, giving scientists unprecedented insights into alien atmospheres.
XMM-VID1-2075, identified by a UC Davis–led team using JWST's NIRSpec integral-field spectrograph and published in Nature Astronomy on May 4, has a rotation-to-dispersion ratio below 0.3 — making it dynamically indistinguishable from fossil galaxies that should not exist for another five billion years.
Penn State astronomers used a seven-hour transit and 20 hours of baseline observations with the Webb telescope to detect methane at an unprecedented 11-sigma confidence level, with hints of ammonia and carbon dioxide, opening the first clean window into a planet class that fills the gap between hot Jupiters and our own solar system.
Texas A&M researchers report that just two doses improved memory and cognitive function for months by reducing inflammation and restoring cellular energy systems.
Scientists discovered the mysterious Asian snake represents five distinct evolutionary lineages, including three completely unknown to science until now.
Texas A&M researchers develop therapy that calms brain inflammation and restores cognitive function after just two doses, raising hopes for dementia treatments.
Advanced neutron imaging of Koharalepis jarviki fossil uncovers brain features and air-gulping adaptations that helped ancient fish transition from water to land.
The bizarre ancient creature represents only the fourth known case of crab-like pincers evolving independently in insects.
Carefully carved artifacts from an ancient Greek lakeside reveal that early humans possessed far more sophisticated woodworking skills than previously believed.
A six-Earth-mass exoplanet found by Italian and Brazilian astronomers using HARPS-N data orbits one of the calmest M-dwarf stars within 30 light-years, making it a prime atmospheric-spectroscopy target for the James Webb Space Telescope.
A switchable-solvent technology described in Joule recovers more than 95 percent of dissolved lithium from sodium, magnesium and calcium-rich brines using a temperature trigger, potentially unlocking the Salton Sea, Smackover Formation, and oilfield-produced waters as major U.S. lithium sources.
A new Nature Cell Biology study identifies SEL1L as the protein leucine suppresses to protect crucial energy-producing machinery in mitochondria — a finding with implications for muscle metabolism, fertility and certain lung cancers.
Ancient artifacts from Greece reveal early humans were far more skilled and resourceful than previously believed.
University of Pennsylvania researchers discovered users frequently discuss menstrual irregularities, chills, and temperature changes not fully captured in clinical trials.
UCSF study finds older adults with 'normal' but lower B12 levels show signs of slower thinking and brain damage.
New research identifies potentially dangerous PAH compounds in foods exposed to high-heat cooking methods like grilling, roasting, and frying.
43-foot marine reptile from Texas fossil reveals brutal predator that dominated prehistoric seas 80 million years ago.
Mysterious red auroras extended 500-800 kilometers above Earth during moderate geomagnetic storms, suggesting hidden solar activity may be stronger than realized.
Research from UC San Francisco suggests that "normal" B12 levels may not be sufficient to protect against cognitive decline and brain damage in older adults.
Cysteine found in meat, dairy, and beans activates immune cells to release healing signals, helping stem cells rebuild damaged intestinal tissue.
Eli Lilly's retatrutide injection shows results comparable to gastric bypass surgery among heaviest patients after 80 weeks of treatment.