Science news

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

Photons traveling through a cloud of atoms can emerge so early that they appear to have spent a negative amount of time inside. Researchers…

DNA on the Shroud of Turin reveals centuries of hidden history

DNA traces in the Shroud of Turin reveal a remarkable mixture of human lineages, microbes, plants, animals, and coral accumulated through c…

Your brain may be wired to regain lost weight

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 pre…

These bizarre new beetles look so stretchy scientists named them Luffy

Scientists have named a newly discovered beetle genus Luffy, inspired by the stretchy hero of the manga and anime One Piece. The insects ha…

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

Taiwan’s steep, remote mountains have sheltered extraordinary forests containing hundreds of giant Taiwania firs. After years of difficult …

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

Low arginine levels may allow cancer cells and viruses to slip past the immune system by reducing production of a crucial cellular warning …

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

Thawing Arctic permafrost is releasing ancient carbon into the ocean, raising fears that microbes could turn it into greenhouse gases and a…

Moonquakes could reveal hidden water beneath the lunar surface

Hidden moon ice may reveal itself through the way it bends and reflects vibrations from moonquakes. The technique could help astronauts loc…

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

When atomic nuclei smash together at nearly the speed of light, they create the hottest fluid in the universe, but scientists may have over…

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

Scientists have identified a molecular switch that may help explain why aging makes the brain more vulnerable to diseases such as ALS and H…

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

Vanderbilt researchers created the first selective compound designed to inhibit TAOK-1, a poorly understood protein connected to Alzheimer’…

Two deadly flowers could inspire powerful new medicines

Scientists have figured out how two famously poisonous plants create chemicals with surprising medical potential. After tracking thousands …

Giant waves are sweeping Mars’ atmosphere into space

The solar wind may be stripping away Mars’ atmosphere by creating giant rolling waves along its outer edge. Data from MAVEN and Tianwen-1 s…

Some coastal cities are sinking faster than the ocean is rising

Coastal communities are facing a hidden threat that is making rising seas far more dangerous: the land beneath them is sinking. New researc…

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

Dark matter particles may exert a hidden force on one another, but its effects are stranger than expected. An extra attraction helps the pa…

Mathematicians prove perfectly fair elections are impossible

Mathematicians have shown that no electoral system can perfectly balance local representation, proportional national results, and a fixed-s…

Cancer may be breaking its own DNA to keep growing

Cancer cells rely on powerful genetic switches to keep growth genes running at full speed, but that intense activity can damage their own D…

Mysterious Milky Way object accelerates protons beyond one quadrillion electron volts

Scientists have identified LHAASO J1912+1014u as a cosmic accelerator that can push protons beyond one quadrillion electron volts. The find…