Tokyo, Japan — August 1, 2025 — Polyamines, naturally occurring molecules essential for cell growth and differentiation, have long fascinated scientists for their ability to extend lifespan and support healthy aging. Yet, these same compounds—particularly spermidine—are also linked to cancer development and rapid tumor growth. A new study led by Associate Professor Kyohei Higashi at Tokyo University of Science has now unraveled the molecular mechanisms behind this paradox, offering fresh insights into both aging research and cancer therapy. The findings…
A new study proposes that building a rectangular-shaped telescope, instead of the traditional circular design, could dramatically improve our chances of finding habitable Earth-like planets orbiting nearby stars. The Challenge of Spotting Another Earth Finding an exoplanet that resembles Earth is notoriously difficult. Stars are millions to billions of times brighter than the planets orbiting them, making the faint planetary light nearly impossible to distinguish. Liquid water is considered essential for life as we know it, and the best candidates…
VILLARS-SUR-GLÂNE, SWITZERLAND, 2 September 2025 — A newly released Genomic Press Interview in Psychedelics spotlights groundbreaking findings from Professor Gregor Hasler that are redefining global mental health treatment. As Chair of Psychiatry at the University of Fribourg and Director of the Molecular Psychiatry Lab, Professor Hasler is pioneering a scientific movement that could transform outcomes for millions of patients suffering from treatment-resistant psychiatric conditions. The feature, part of the Innovators & Ideas series, presents decades of research demonstrating how psychedelics…
New seismic evidence reveals the Red Planet’s mantle preserves chaotic remnants of its violent beginnings The inside of Mars isn’t the neatly layered structure often shown in textbooks. Instead, scientists have discovered a “chunky” interior — more like a Rocky Road brownie than the tidy layers of a Millionaire’s Shortbread. Published in Science, the study shows that Mars’s mantle contains preserved fragments up to 4 km wide, dating back to the planet’s formation. These pieces act like geological fossils, offering…
New research shows that young orangutans learn essential nest-building skills by watching others and practicing over many years Primatologists from the University of Warwick, in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, have discovered how young orangutans acquire one of their most vital survival skills: building secure treetop nests. Why Nests Matter Nest-building is critical to orangutans, who spend their lives high in the forest canopy. A well-built nest provides: Despite its importance, nest-building has often been overlooked…
Ecologists have documented a remarkable behavior in the nocturnal sheet web spider Psechrus clavis: using the bioluminescent glow of trapped fireflies as bait to attract additional prey. The study, published in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Animal Ecology, provides one of the rare examples of a predator exploiting its prey’s mating signals for its own advantage. Fireflies as Living Lures Researchers at Tunghai University in Taiwan observed P. clavis capturing fireflies in its web but not consuming them immediately….
A fossilized sea creature that lived more than 500 million years ago is offering fresh insights into the evolutionary history of arthropods—the most diverse and successful group of animals on Earth. The study, published in Nature Communications, addresses one of the last major enigmas of arthropod evolution: the division between mandibulates (insects, crustaceans, centipedes, and millipedes) and chelicerates (spiders, scorpions, and related species). Researchers have determined that Jianfengia multisegmentalis, a segmented marine creature, represents an early ancestor of mandibulates, overturning…
Nanoparticles power technologies from quantum-dot displays to catalysts and drug delivery. Their unique properties depend on size and shape, yet scientists have long struggled to explain why nanoparticles self-organize into uniform size ranges. For more than a century, the classical nucleation theory (CNT) has been the standard framework, but it cannot account for these dynamics. Now, researchers at Chung-Ang University (CAU), Seoul, together with collaborators from Seoul National University and the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), have developed a new…
When a tree dies, its remains become the foundation for new life. Leaves, wood, and roots gradually break down—not through weathering, but through the work of countless fungi, insects, and other tiny organisms. As they decompose plant material, these organisms release stored carbon back into the atmosphere, fueling photosynthesis and sustaining the global carbon cycle. But which organisms perform this critical work, and what molecular tools do they use? A research team at Goethe University Frankfurt has now developed a…
Roughly 390 million years ago, marine animals began inhabiting deeper parts of the ocean that had previously been unlivable. A new study shows this expansion was enabled by a permanent rise in deep-ocean oxygen, linked to the aboveground spread of woody plants—the precursors of Earth’s first forests. This increase in oxygen availability coincided with a surge in the diversification of jawed fish (gnathostomes), the ancestors of most vertebrates alive today. The findings suggest that oxygen not only enabled but also…
The advent of agriculture in the Neolithic era transformed human culture, giving rise to permanent settlements, social complexity, and food surpluses. Traditionally, the origins of key crops such as wheat, barley, and legumes have been traced to the Fertile Crescent about 10,000 years ago, where the Natufians harvested wild grains. A new study, however, reveals that by at least 9,200 years ago, communities far to the north and east—in southern Uzbekistan—were also harvesting wild barley using sickle blades. This discovery…
MAUI, HI – August 25, 2025 — Astronomers using the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope have captured the highest-resolution images of a solar flare ever recorded at the H-alpha wavelength (656.28 nm). The observations, taken during the decay phase of an X1.3-class flare on August 8, 2024, reveal razor-thin coronal loops averaging just 48.2 km in width—and possibly as narrow as 21 km. These are the smallest coronal loops ever imaged, offering a breakthrough in…
Around 4.5 billion years ago, Jupiter rapidly expanded into the giant planet we see today. Its immense gravity disturbed the orbits of rocky and icy planetesimals—small bodies that resembled today’s asteroids and comets. These high-speed collisions caused their rocky material to melt, producing floating droplets of molten rock known as chondrules. These droplets, preserved in meteorites, offer vital clues to the early history of the solar system. Unlocking the Secrets of Chondrules For the first time, researchers from Nagoya University…
New research shows meandering rivers existed long before vegetation, reshaping our understanding of Earth’s climate history Challenging a Classic Geological Paradigm A new study from Stanford University overturns a decades-old view that the rise of land plants roughly 500 million years ago fundamentally changed the way rivers flowed. Traditionally, geologists believed that before vegetation stabilized riverbanks, rivers ran almost exclusively in braided patterns—with multiple channels winding around sandy bars. After plants appeared, rivers were thought to evolve into meandering styles,…
Researchers uncover the biomechanics behind ripple bugs’ fan-like propellers and translate them into insect-scale robotics Nature-Inspired Innovation A team of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Ajou University (South Korea) has uncovered how the unique fan-like propellers of Rhagovelia water striders enable them to maneuver rapidly across turbulent streams. These millimeter-sized insects, also known as “ripple bugs,” use specialized ribbon-shaped fans on their legs that passively open and close like a paintbrush, ten…
A team of scientists from Korea and Japan has discovered a new type of crystal that can repeatedly absorb and release oxygen under relatively mild conditions. This unusual “breathing” ability could pave the way for advances in clean energy systems, electronics, and smart building technologies. The material is a novel metal oxide composed of strontium, iron, and cobalt. Unlike most oxygen-controlling materials, which are fragile or only function at extremely high temperatures, this crystal remains stable and operates at lower…
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