An artist’s impression of the Kuiper belt ESO/M. Kornmesser The Kuiper belt, a disc of icy rocks on the outermost edges of the solar system, seems to have more structure than we thought. In 2011, researchers found a cluster of objects there on similar orbits that they dubbed the “kernel” of the Kuiper belt –…
A research team at the University of California, Riverside has found that routine exposure to microplastics — tiny pieces released from packaging, fabrics, and common consumer plastics — may speed up the formation of atherosclerosis, the artery-narrowing condition associated with heart attacks and strokes. The effect appeared only in male mice, offering new insight into…
By early June this year, an estimated 38 million tons of Sargassum drifted toward the coastlines of the Caribbean islands, the Gulf of Mexico, and northern South America, setting an unfortunate new record. During the summer, these floating mats of brown algae collect in large amounts on beaches where they decay and release an unpleasant…
Chameleons have intrigued observers for thousands of years, largely because their eyes seem to roam independently in nearly every direction. After centuries of curiosity, modern imaging techniques have now uncovered the anatomical feature responsible for this extraordinary ability. Hidden behind each protruding eye are two long, spiraled optic nerves — a configuration not documented in…
Using the strength of one of the fastest supercomputers on the planet, scientists have created one of the most comprehensive and biologically realistic animal brain simulations ever developed. This digital reconstruction of the entire mouse cortex gives researchers a new way to explore brain function by recreating conditions such as Alzheimer’s or epilepsy inside a…
New studies are revealing how medications that act on the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) system influence brain networks tied to nausea, thirst, and reward-driven behaviors. GLP-1 drugs include commonly used treatments such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda), and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound). These findings will be featured at Neuroscience 2025, the Society for Neuroscience’s annual…
A recent investigation has identified new chemical signs of ancient life in rocks that formed over 3.3 billion years ago. The same research uncovered molecular evidence that oxygen-producing photosynthesis began nearly a billion years earlier than scientists once believed. Researchers from the Carnegie Institution for Science led an international effort that combined state-of-the-art chemical techniques…
Victoria GillScience correspondent, BBC News Getty The researchers found evidence of kissing in multiple species Humans do it, monkeys do it, even polar bears do it. And now researchers have reconstructed the evolutionary origins of kissing. Their study suggests that the mouth-on-mouth kiss evolved more than 21 million years ago, and was something that the…
A new study led by the University of St Andrews reports that Critically Endangered African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) are far more likely to forage in the same waters as commercial fishing vessels during years when fish are scarce. This increased overlap heightens competition for food and intensifies pressure on a species already facing severe decline….
The venom of an Amazonian scorpion species may contain a compound capable of helping treat breast cancer, a disease that remains one of the top causes of death among women. Researchers at the University of São Paulo’s Ribeirão Preto School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (FCFRP-USP) in Brazil have pinpointed a molecule in the toxin of Brotheas…
