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Top Science News
October 7, 2020
Oct. 1, 2020 — Astronomers have found six galaxies lying around a supermassive black hole when the Universe was less than a billion years old. This is the first ...
Sep. 28, 2020 — Modern humans arrived in westernmost Europe 41,000 to 38,000 years ago, about 5,000 years earlier than previously known, according to an ...
Sep. 28, 2020 — The same team who re-engineered the plastic-eating enzyme PETase have now created an enzyme 'cocktail' which can digest plastic up to six times ...
Sep. 30, 2020 — Genetic variants that leave their carrier more susceptible to severe COVID-19 are inherited from Neanderthals, a new study ...
Latest Top Headlines
updated 11:31am EDT
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Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020: A Method for Genome Editing

Oct. 7, 2020 — This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry is being awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna 'for the development of a method for ...
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Remote Control of Blood Sugar: Electromagnetic Fields Treat Diabetes in Animal Models

Oct. 6, 2020 — Researchers may have discovered a safe new way to manage blood sugar non-invasively. Exposing diabetic mice to a combination of static electric and magnetic fields for a few hours per day normalizes blood sugar and insulin resistance. The unexpected ...
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Previous Infection With Other Types of Coronaviruses May Lessen Severity of COVID-19

Oct. 6, 2020 — Being previously infected with a coronaviruses that cause the 'common cold' may decrease the severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infections, according to a ...
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Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2020: Discovery of Hepatitis C Virus

Oct. 5, 2020 — The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is being awarded jointly to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice for the discovery of Hepatitis ...
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Nobel Prize in Physics 2020: Discoveries About Black Holes

Oct. 6, 2020 — This year's Nobel Prize in Physics is being awarded to Roger Penrose 'for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity' and jointly to Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez 'for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of ...
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Astronomers using | (c) NASA, ESA, and A. Riess (STScI/JHU) and the SH0ES team;

Hubble Watches Exploding Star Fade Into Oblivion

Oct. 1, 2020 — When a star unleashes as much energy in a matter of days as our Sun does in several billion years, you know it's not going to remain visible for long. Like intergalactic paparazzi, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured the quick, fading celebrity status of a supernova, the self-detonation of ...
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Validating the Physics Behind the New Fusion Experiment

Sep. 29, 2020 — SPARC is planned to be the first experimental device ever to achieve a 'burning plasma' -- a self-sustaining fusion reaction in which different isotopes of the element hydrogen fuse together to form helium, without the need for any further input ...
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Comet Discovered to Have Its Own Northern Lights

Sep. 21, 2020 — Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has its own far-ultraviolet aurora, data reveal. It is the first time such electromagnetic emissions in the far-ultraviolet have been documented on a celestial object other than a planet ...
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Dinosaur Feather Study Debunked

Sep. 30, 2020 — A new study provides substantial evidence that the first fossil feather ever to be discovered does belong to the iconic bird-like dinosaur, Archaeopteryx. This debunks a recent theory that the fossil feather originated from a ...
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Evidence That Prehistoric Flying Reptiles Probably Had Feathers Refuted

Sep. 28, 2020 — Experts have examined the evidence that prehistoric flying reptiles called pterosaurs had feathers and believe they were, in ...
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Process That Might Have Led to First Organic Molecules

Sep. 8, 2020 — New research identifies a process that might have been key in producing the first organic molecules on Earth about 4 billion years ago, before the origin of life. The process, which is similar to what might have occurred in some ancient underwater hydrothermal vents, may also have relevance to the ...
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Ancient Volcanoes Once Boosted Ocean Carbon, but Humans Are Now Far Outpacing Them

Sep. 14, 2020 — A new study of an ancient period that is considered the closest natural analog to the era of modern human carbon emissions has found that massive volcanism sent great waves of carbon into the oceans over thousands of years -- but that nature did not ...
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Health News
October 7, 2020
Sep. 29, 2020 — A new study provides evidence that the seasonal colds you've had in the past could protect you from COVID-19. The study also suggests that immunity to COVID-19 is likely to last a long time -- maybe ...
Sep. 24, 2020 — Two new studies offer an explanation for why COVID-19 cases can be so variable. A subset of patients has mutations in key immunity genes; other ...
Sep. 10, 2020 — Early interventions were effective at stamping out coronavirus infections before they spread, according to a new study. Combining virus genomics with epidemiologic simulations and travel records, the ...
Sep. 10, 2020 — Using public transportation, visiting a place of worship, or otherwise traveling from the home is associated with a significantly higher likelihood ...
Latest Health Headlines
updated 11:31am EDT

Medicine for Multiple Sclerosis Patients Inhibits Coronavirus -- At Least in a Test Tube

Oct. 2, 2020 — A drug which has already been approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis patients effectively inhibits the coronavirus when tested on human lung cells, according to a new ...
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Supercharged 'Clones' Spark Scarlet Fever's Re-Emergence

Oct. 6, 2020 — Scarlet fever is on the rise worldwide, after being almost eradicated by the 1940s. Researchers says supercharged 'clones' of the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes are to blame for the resurgence of the disease, which has caused high death rates for ...
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Expanded Newborn Screening Could Save Premature Infants' Lives

Oct. 6, 2020 — Expanding routine newborn screening to include a metabolic vulnerability profile could lead to earlier detection of life-threatening complications in babies born preterm, according to a study by UC San Francisco researchers. The new method, which was developed at UCSF, offers valuable and time-sensitive insights into which infants are at greatest risk during their most vulnerable time, ...
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Evidence of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and MND in Brains of Young People Exposed to Dirty Air

Oct. 6, 2020 — After examining the brainstems of 186 young Mexico City residents aged between 11 months and 27 years of age, researchers, found markers not only of Alzheimer's disease, but also of Parkinson's and of motor neuron disease (MND) too. These markers of disease were coupled with the presence of tiny, distinctive nanoparticles within the brainstem - ...
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Children Use Make-Believe Aggression and Violence to Manage Bad-Tempered Peers

Oct. 6, 2020 — Children are more likely to introduce violent themes into their pretend play, such as imaginary fighting or killing, if they are with playmates whom peers consider bad-tempered, new research suggests. Academics believe that the tendency for children to introduce aggressive themes in these situations - which seems to happen whether or not they are ...
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IL-21 Protein a Key Part of Immune Response to Central Nervous System Infections

Oct. 6, 2020 — Researchers now better understand the role of a protein, interleukin-21 (IL-21), in the immune system response to infections in the nervous system. The results of their recent study support further investigation into using IL-21 as a therapeutic agent for persistent central nervous system ...
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Dog Brains Do Not Prefer Faces

Oct. 5, 2020 — Even though dogs gaze into man's eyes, dog brains may not process faces as human brains do. A new study suggests that the canine visual system is organized differently: the face network found in primates may not extend to all ...
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How Long Does the Preschool Advantage Last?

Oct. 5, 2020 — Children who attend preschool enter kindergarten with greater skills than those who don't, but that advantage is nearly halved by the end of the year as their counterparts quickly begin to catch up, according to new ...
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Reducing Household Food Waste

Oct. 6, 2020 — Researchers employed a values-based intervention in an attempt to reduce household food waste in 53 families in the Phoenix ...
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Research Identifies Sperm Biomarker Associated With Couples' Pregnancy Probability

Oct. 6, 2020 — Researchers have identified a single-measure biomarker in sperm mitochondrial DNA that may predict male reproductive health and pregnancy ...
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Excess Folic Acid During Pregnancy Harms Brain Development of Mice

Oct. 5, 2020 — A study of pregnant mice found high levels of folic acid were associated with significant changes in brain development of ...
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Exposure to Vitamin D in the Womb Might Minimize Risk of High Blood Pressure for Children Born to Mothers With Preeclampsia

Oct. 5, 2020 — Children appear to be at greater risk of having high blood pressure when their mothers had the high blood pressure condition called preeclampsia during pregnancy -- but this adverse association may be reduced or even eliminated for children who were exposed to higher levels of vitamin D in the ...
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Physical/Tech News
October 7, 2020
Sep. 14, 2020 — Astronomers have discovered a rare molecule -- phosphine -- in the clouds of Venus. On Earth, this gas is only made industrially or by microbes that thrive in oxygen-free environments. Astronomers ...
Sep. 10, 2020 — Recent observations have found that something may be missing from the theories of how dark matter behaves. This missing ingredient may explain why ...
Sep. 2, 2020 — To the surprise of many planetary scientists, the oxidized iron mineral hematite has been discovered at high latitudes on the ...
Sep. 2, 2020 — Researchers have detected a signal from what may be the most massive black hole merger yet observed in gravitational waves. The product of the merger ...
Latest Physical/Tech Headlines
updated 11:31am EDT

Underwater Robots to Autonomously Dock Mid-Mission to Recharge and Transfer Data

Oct. 6, 2020 — Robots exploring deep bodies of water can only go so far before needing to recharge and upload data. Purdue University engineers have designed a mobile docking station system that would help them go ...
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There's a Reason Bacteria Stay in Shape

Oct. 6, 2020 — A simple theoretical model seeks to explain why bacteria remain roughly the same size and shape. The work by chemists could offer new insight into diseases, including ...
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Hunting for the Lowest Known Nuclear-Excited State

Oct. 6, 2020 — Measurements in thorium-229 take a step towards the direct laser excitation of an atomic nucleus in this unique ...
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Hydrogen Embrittlement Creates Complications for Clean Energy Storage, Transportation

Oct. 6, 2020 — Hydrogen is becoming a crucial pillar in the clean energy movement, and developing safe and cost-effective storage and transportation methods for it is essential but complicated, because hydrogen can cause brittleness in several metals including ferritic steel. Recent advancements provide insight into the embrittlement process and a review of ...
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Explaining the Formation of a Hexagon Storm on Saturn

Oct. 6, 2020 — Researchers create a new 3D model that could explain the formation of a hexagon storm on Saturn -- a hurricane about 20,000 miles in ...
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Astronomers Turn Up the Heavy Metal to Shed Light on Star Formation

Oct. 6, 2020 — Astronomers have developed a new way to study star formation in galaxies from the dawn of time to today. Using a new algorithm to model the energy and wavelengths of light coming from almost 7000 nearby galaxies, the researchers succeeded in reconstructing when most of the stars in the Universe formed -- in agreement with telescope observations for the first ...
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Trans-Neptunian Object Arrokoth: Flattening of a Snowman

Oct. 5, 2020 — The trans-Neptunian object Arrokoth, also known as Ultima Thule, which NASA's space probe New Horizons passed on New Year's Day 2019, may have changed its shape significantly in the first 100 million years since its formation. Researchers now suggest that the current shape of Arrokoth could be of evolutionary origin due to volatile ...
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Gemini South's High-Def Version of 'A Star Is Born'

Oct. 5, 2020 — NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is still more than a year from launching, but the Gemini South telescope in Chile has provided astronomers a glimpse of what the orbiting observatory should ...
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This 'Squidbot' Jets Around and Takes Pics of Coral and Fish

Oct. 6, 2020 — Engineers have built a squid-like robot that can swim untethered, propelling itself by generating jets of water. The robot carries its own power source inside its body. It can also carry a sensor, such as a camera, for underwater ...
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Could Megatesla Magnetic Fields Be Realized on Earth?

Oct. 6, 2020 — Researchers have discovered a novel mechanism called a 'microtube implosion,' demonstrating the generation of megatesla-order magnetic fields, which is three orders of magnitude higher than those ever experimentally achieved. The underlying physics was revealed by particle simulations using a supercomputer. Their promising findings will open new frontiers in many branches of fundamental physics ...
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Scientists Find Evidence of Exotic State of Matter in Candidate Material for Quantum Computers

Oct. 5, 2020 — Using a novel technique, scientists have found evidence for a quantum spin liquid, a state of matter that is promising as a building block for the quantum computers of ...
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New Algorithm Could Unleash the Power of Quantum Computers

Oct. 5, 2020 — A new algorithm that fast forwards simulations could bring greater use ability to current and near-term quantum computers, opening the way for applications to run past strict time limits that hamper many quantum ...
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Environment News
October 7, 2020
Sep. 10, 2020 — Scientists have compiled a continuous, high-fidelity record of variations in Earth's climate extending 66 million years into the past. The record ...
Sep. 3, 2020 — A new study has revealed the size of the legendary giant shark Megalodon, including fins that are as large as an adult ...
Aug. 27, 2020 — Baobab trees can live for more than a thousand years and provide food, livestock fodder, medicinal compounds, and raw materials. Scientists counted the significant tree's chromosomes -- information ...
Aug. 27, 2020 — A new study finds that Earth's water may have come from materials that were present in the inner solar system at the time the planet formed -- instead of far-reaching comets or asteroids delivering ...
Latest Environment Headlines
updated 11:31am EDT

Toothless Dino's Lost Digits Point to Spread of Parrot-Like Species

Oct. 6, 2020 — A newly discovered species of toothless, two-fingered dinosaur has shed light on how a group of parrot-like animals thrived more than 68 million years ...
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New Study Rebuts 75-Year-Old Belief in Reptile Evolution

Oct. 6, 2020 — A statistical analysis of that vast database is helping scientists better understand the evolution of these cold-blooded vertebrates by contradicting a widely held theory that major transitions in evolution always happened in big, quick (geologically speaking) bursts, triggered by major environmental ...
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Pesticides and Food Scarcity Dramatically Reduce Wild Bee Population

Oct. 6, 2020 — The loss of flowering plants and the widespread use of pesticides could be a double punch to wild bee populations. In a new study, researchers found that the combined threats reduced blue orchard bee reproduction by 57 percent and resulted in fewer female ...
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Indonesia's Old and Deep Peatlands Offer an Archive of Environmental Changes

Oct. 6, 2020 — Researchers probing peatlands to discover clues about past environments and carbon stocks on land have identified peatland on Borneo that is twice as old and much deeper than previously thought. An inland site near Putussibau formed at least 47,800 years old and contains peat 18 meters ...
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New Climate Model Helps Researchers Better Predict Water Needs

Oct. 6, 2020 — New research combines climate and land use projections to predict water availability, information that is crucial for the preparations of resource managers and land-use ...
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Warmer Winters Are Keeping Some Lakes from Freezing

Oct. 6, 2020 — Warmer winters due to climate change are causing lakes in the Northern Hemisphere to experience more ice-free years, according to a new study. Researchers recently analyzed nearly 80 years of lake ice data, stretching from 1939 to 2016, for 122 lakes that typically freeze every winter. They found ice-free years have become more than three times more frequent since 1978 and 11% of lakes studied ...
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California's August Complex Largest Fire in State's History

Oct. 6, 2020 — NOAA/NASA's Suomi NPP satellite captured another startling image of the August Complex of fires that has grown to over 1,000,000 acres burned (1,006,140 acres total) and because of that grim milestone the complex has been dubbed a ...
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Diamonds Found With Gold in Canada's Far North Offer Clues to Earth's Early History

Oct. 6, 2020 — The presence of diamonds in an outcrop atop an unrealized gold deposit in Canada's Far North mirrors the association found above the world's richest gold mine, according to University of Alberta research that fills in blanks about the thermal conditions of Earth's crust three billion years ...
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Evolution of the Y Chromosome in Great Apes Deciphered

Oct. 6, 2020 — New analysis of the DNA sequence of the male-specific Y chromosomes from all living species of the great ape family helps to clarify our understanding of how this enigmatic chromosome ...
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Earth Grows Fine Gems in Minutes

Oct. 6, 2020 — Some of Earth's finest gemstones grew in a matter of minutes. Geologists made that discovery while investigating mineral formations that are rich in lithium and rare ...
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The First Human Settlers on Islands Caused Extinctions

Oct. 6, 2020 — Though some believe prehistoric humans lived in harmony with nature, a new analysis of fossils shows human arrival in the Bahamas caused some birds to be lost from the islands and other species to be completely wiped ...
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Who Is Driving Whom? Climate and Carbon Cycle in Perpetual Interaction

Oct. 6, 2020 — The current climate crisis underlines that carbon cycle perturbations can cause significant climate change. New research reveals how carbon cycle and global climate have been interacting throughout the last 35 million years of geologic history, under natural ...
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Society/Education News
October 7, 2020
Sep. 9, 2020 — Individuals who can unconsciously predict complex patterns, an ability called implicit pattern learning, are likely to hold stronger beliefs that there is a god who creates patterns of events in the ...
Aug. 31, 2020 — Researchers have identified specific sub-populations of brain cells in the prefrontal cortex, a key part of the brain that regulates social behavior, ...
Aug. 13, 2020 — From Sinatra to Katy Perry, celebrities have long sung about the power of a smile -- how it picks you up, changes your outlook, and generally makes you feel better. But is it all smoke and mirrors, ...
July 23, 2020 — The lack of human activity during lockdown caused human-linked vibrations in the Earth to drop by an average of 50 percent between March and May ...
Latest Society/Education Headlines
updated 11:31am EDT

Climate-Friendly Cooling to Help Ease Global Warming

Oct. 6, 2020 — A new study shows that coordinated international action on energy-efficient, climate-friendly cooling could avoid as much as 600 billion tons CO2 equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions in this ...
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Letter from Leading Researchers Urges Terminology Update, Shift in COVID-19 Guidance

Oct. 5, 2020 — Experts with leading research institutions across the United States are urging that researchers across disciplines must converge to deliver clear public health guidance about how SARS-CoV-2 is spread in the ...
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Scientist Maps CO2 Emissions for Entire US to Improve Environmental Policymaking

Oct. 5, 2020 — With wildfires in the West and hurricanes in the Gulf, the nation is affected by extreme weather-related events resulting from climate change. In response, lawmakers across the country are developing policies to reduce emissions, but the data they have is often inadequate. Scientists have now detailed greenhouse gas emissions across the entire US ...
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Two's a Crowd: Nuclear and Renewables Don't Mix

Oct. 5, 2020 — If countries want to lower emissions as substantially, rapidly and cost-effectively as possible, they should prioritize support for renewables, rather than nuclear power, the findings of a major new energy study ...
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Screen Time Can Change Visual Perception -- And That's Not Necessarily Bad

Sep. 30, 2020 — The coronavirus pandemic has shifted many of our interactions online, with Zoom video calls replacing in-person classes, work meetings, conferences and other events. Will all that screen time damage our vision? Maybe not. It turns out that our visual perception is highly adaptable, according to new ...
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Busy Pictures Hinder Reading Ability in Children

Sep. 28, 2020 — A new study shows extraneous images draw attention from text, reducing comprehension in beginning ...
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Meditation for Mind-Control

Sep. 23, 2020 — Scientists have discovered that mindful meditation can help subjects learn and improve the ability to mind-control brain computer interfaces ...
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Sport and Memory Go Hand in Hand

Sep. 23, 2020 — If sport is good for the body, it also seems to be good for the brain. By evaluating memory performance following a sport session, neuroscientists demonstrate that an intensive physical exercise session improves memory. How? Through the action of endocanabinoids, molecules known to increase synaptic plasticity. School programs and strategies aimed at reducing the effects of neurodegeneration on ...
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Children Will Wait to Impress Others -- Another Twist on the Classic Marshmallow Test

Sep. 10, 2020 — When it comes to self-control, young children are better able to resist temptation and wait for greater rewards if they take into consideration the opinions of ...
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Being a Selfish Jerk Doesn't Get You Ahead: Study

Aug. 31, 2020 — Two studies provide empirical evidence to settle the question of whether being aggressively Machiavellian helps people get ahead. The studies concluded that being a jerk provides no advantage in career advancement. Any power boost disagreeable people get from being intimidating is offset by their poor interpersonal relationships, the studies ...
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Winning the Digital Transformation Race: Three Emerging Approaches for Leading Transition

July 28, 2020 — New research has outlined three new approaches that digital innovators can take to reduce the risk of failure and seize competitive advantage in the ...
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When Power Is Toxic: Dominance Reduces Influence in Groups

July 16, 2020 — A new study finds that groups led by subordinate males outperform those led by dominant and aggressive ...
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