Although we know that supermassive black holes (millions of times the mass of our Sun) lurk at the centre of most galaxies, their very nature makes them difficult to spot and study. In contrast to the popular idea of black holes constantly ‘gobbling up’ matter, these gravitational monsters can spend long periods of time in a dormant, inactive phase. This was true of the black hole at the heart of SDSS1335+0728, a distant and unremarkable galaxy 300 million light-years away…
Capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from industrial emissions is crucial in the fight against climate change. But current methods, like chemical absorption, are expensive and energy-intensive. Scientists have long eyed graphene—an atom-thin, ultra-strong material—as a promising alternative for gas separation, but making large-area, efficient graphene membranes has been a challenge. Now, a team at EPFL, led by Professor Kumar Agrawal, has developed a scalable technique to create porous graphene membranes that selectively filter CO₂ from gas mixtures. Their approach slashes production…
A study reveals emotional empathy and depression as key factors in intergenerational childhood maltreatment, offering pathways for intervention Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a complex issue that is often passed on through generations. Studies have shown that parents who were abused as children may perpetuate a similar pattern of mistreating their children, creating a vicious cycle of abuse. A key factor in perpetuating this cycle is impaired empathy in parents who grew up in abusive environments. Simply put, parental empathy, the…
A research team from Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich has developed an advanced delivery system that transports gene-editing tools based on the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system into living cells with significantly greater efficiency than before. Their technology, ENVLPE, uses engineered non-infectious virus-like particles to precisely correct defective genes – demonstrated successfully in living mouse models that are blind due to a mutation. This system also holds promise for advancing cancer therapy by enabling precise genetic manipulation of engineered…
A team of researchers led by Nathan Clark of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, in partnership with the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS), has unveiled a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at strengthening Europe’s resilience to disasters. Their published findings emphasize the importance of grounding disaster preparedness in both scientific research and practical application. The authors warn in their article “Strengthening all-of-society approaches for disaster resilient societies through competency building: A European research agenda” that societies face an increasingly complex and…
Scientists build ‘digital twin’ of mouse brain Much as a pilot might practice maneuvers in a flight simulator, scientists might soon be able to perform experiments on a realistic simulation of the mouse brain. In a new study, Stanford Medicine researchers and collaborators used an artificial intelligence model to build a “digital twin” of the part of the mouse brain that processes visual information. The digital twin was trained on large datasets of brain activity collected from the visual cortex…
Scientists from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) are among the thousands of researchers worldwide honored with the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, awarded to the ATLAS Collaboration at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) alongside its sister experiments ALICE, CMS and LHCb. The prize was awarded during a ceremony of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation held in Los Angeles on 5 April. ATLAS is one of the largest and most complex scientific instruments ever built. As a general-purpose particle detector measuring…
The development of new antibiotics to treat superbugs and other bacterial infections is a global priority, with the rate of infections that cannot be treated with current antibiotics rising and presenting one of the biggest threats to human health. In line with that, new research has shown a daily dose of epidermicin NI01 – an antibiotic compound developed by University of Plymouth spinout company Amprologix – is as effective at removing Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as the current standard of…
Lacquers, paint, concrete—and even ketchup or orange juice: Suspensions are widespread in industry and everyday life. By a suspension, materials scientists mean a liquid in which tiny, insoluble solid particles are evenly distributed. If the concentration of particles in such a mixture is very high, phenomena can be observed that contradict our everyday understanding of a liquid. For example, these so-called non-Newtonian fluids suddenly become more viscous when a strong force acts upon them. For a brief moment, the liquid…
Urgent action is needed to protect endangered species, human health and industry from the impacts of the Caspian Sea shrinking, research led by the University of Leeds has found. Water levels in the Caspian Sea – the world’s largest landlocked water body – are getting lower, as hotter temperatures cause more water to evaporate than is flowing in. Even if global warming is limited to below 2°C, it is likely that the level of the Caspian Sea will decline by 5…
Researchers developed a cell-based reporter assay that can quantify epigenetic changes induced by chemicals and potential carcinogens Chemicals used as food preservatives, flavoring agents, dyes, pesticides, cosmetics, cleaners, and other industrial materials are being increasingly recognized as a health hazard. Their rampant use has led to an increase in the prevalence of various chemical toxicity-induced diseases, including hormonal disruption, cancer, neurological disorders, skin conditions, and occupational poisoning. Numerous chemicals are known to trigger “carcinogenesis” or cancer development by exerting genotoxic…
Doctor Elodie Bouzbib, from Public University of Navarra (UPNA), together with Iosune Sarasate, Unai Fernández, Manuel López-Amo, Iván Fernández, Iñigo Ezcurdia and Asier Marzo (the latter two, members of the Institute of Smart Cities) have succeeded, for the first time, in displaying three-dimensional graphics in mid-air that can be manipulated with the hands. ‘What we see in films and call holograms are typically volumetric displays,’ says Bouzbib, the first author of the work. ‘These are graphics that appear in mid-air…
At the RNApp graduate school, young researchers are working to make RNA-based drugs safer and more effective. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is an important component of our cells. As messenger RNA (mRNA), it is the blueprint for translating genetic information into proteins. This process can also be used medically to produce specific proteins. One well-known application is mRNA vaccines against coronaviruses. There is also so-called non-coding RNA (ncRNA), which does not contain protein blueprints but instead takes over control mechanisms in…
Researchers at Fraunhofer IZM have developed a laser welding process that works without adhesives to connect Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) with optical fibers. Uniquely, the technology can be used at cryogenic temperatures down to a mere four Kelvin, 269.15° centigrade below zero. The direct quartz-to-quartz connections created by the technology promise more reliable, faster, and cheaper fiber-PIC- connections that will revolutionize quantum technology applications. Low temperatures are needed to observe quantum effects in action. These can have a real impact…
Research team led by Göttingen University challenges conventional poverty metrics Two billion people globally suffer from moderate to severe food insecurity and widespread micronutrient deficiencies. This contrasts with 654 million people who are classified as extremely poor according to the World Bank’s US$2.15 per day International Poverty Line (IPL). Current poverty measures overlook a crucial aspect of human well-being: adequate nutrition. In collaboration with Misereor, a research team from the University of Göttingen has developed a new way of assessing…
Analysis of over 300 million hospitalizations records in eight countries finds a boost of 26% of all diseases requiring hospitalization WORLD’S LARGEST STUDY REVEALS THE LONG-TERM HEALTH IMPACTS OF FLOODING The world’s largest and most comprehensive study of the long-term health impacts of flooding – via analysis of over 300 million hospitalizations records in eight countries prone to flooding events – has found an increased risk of 26 per cent of all diseases serious enough to require hospitalization. This impact…
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