A newly published study shows varying levels of methanol, a molecule that is an important component of pre-biotic chemistry, in a spectral analysis of small celestial objects beyond Neptune University of Central Florida (UCF) scientists and their collaborators discovered new insights into the formation of distant icy objects in space beyond Neptune, offering a deeper understanding of our solar system’s formation and growth. Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scientists analyzed far-away bodies — known as Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs)…

An international team of researchers, including the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), has used a mismatch between elementary particles and gamma rays from NGC 1068 to propose a new route by which neutrinos can be produced. Antarctic ice has eyes that can see elementary particles called neutrinos, and what they’ve observed is puzzling scientists: a remarkably strong neutrino signal accompanied by a surprisingly weak gamma ray emission in the galaxy NGC 1068,…

Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC found that obesity, gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were tied to elevated blood pressure in offspring, with effects that grow as children age. Children born to mothers with obesity, gestational diabetes mellitus or a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy have higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure than children born to mothers without these risk factors, according to a new USC study. Among children whose mothers had at least one risk…

Family of parasite proteins presents new potential malaria treatment target Researchers from the Francis Crick Institute and the Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM) have shown that the evolution of a family of exported proteins in the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum enabled it to infect humans. Targeting these proteins may hold promise for identifying new drugs that are less susceptible to resistance. Malaria infects over 200 million and kills over 500,000 people every year. It is caused by Plasmodium parasites…

These devices could pack three times as much energy per pound as today’s best EV batteries, offering a lightweight option for powering trucks, planes, or ships. Batteries are nearing their limits in terms of how much power they can store for a given weight. That’s a serious obstacle for energy innovation and the search for new ways to power airplanes, trains, and ships. Now, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have come up with a solution that could help electrify these…

ITHACA, N.Y. – A new material developed at Cornell University could significantly improve the delivery and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines by replacing a commonly used ingredient that may trigger unwanted immune responses in some people. Thanks to their ability to train cells to produce virus-killing proteins, mRNA vaccines have gained popularity over the last five years for their success in reducing the severity of COVID-19 infection. One method for delivering the mRNA to cells is by packaging it inside fatty…

An international team of astronomers, including researchers from the University of Liège and collaborators in UK, Chile, the USA, and Europe, has discovered a giant planet orbiting the smallest known star to host such a companion The host star, TOI-6894, is a red dwarf with only 20% the mass of the Sun, typical of the most common stars in our galaxy. Until now, such low-mass stars were not thought capable of forming or retaining giant planets. But as published today…

Using advanced computational modelling, a research team led by the University of Oxford, working in partnership with the Instituto Superior Técnico in the University of Lisbon, has achieved the first-ever real-time, three-dimensional simulations of how intense laser beams alter the ‘quantum vacuum’—a state once assumed to be empty, but which quantum physics predicts is full of virtual electron-positron pairs. Excitingly, these simulations recreate a bizarre phenomenon predicted by quantum physics, known as vacuum four-wave mixing. This states that the combined…

Research shows these channels allow seawater and nutrients to flow in and out, helping to maintain reef health over millions of years. Volcanic islands, such as the islands of Hawaii and the Caribbean, are surrounded by coral reefs that encircle an island in a labyrinthine, living ring. A coral reef is punctured at points by reef passes — wide channels that cut through the coral and serve as conduits for ocean water and nutrients to filter in and out. These…

Researchers have created an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system that allows a quadrupedal robot to adjust its gait to various unknown terrains, akin to a genuine animal, marking what is considered a world first. The innovative technology enables the robot to automatically modify its movement, rather than requiring instructions on when and how to adjust its stride, as is the case with current-generation robots. This advancement is regarded as a significant progression towards the potential deployment of legged robots in perilous…

Astronomers have identified a colossal exoplanet, measuring between three and ten times the size of Jupiter, concealed behind the swirling disc of gas and dust encircling a nascent star. Previous investigations of the star MP Mus indicated that it existed in isolation, devoid of any orbiting planets, encircled by a uniform cloud of gas and dust. However, a further analysis of MP Mus using a combination of data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter…

Researchers have utilised artificial intelligence to re-evaluate data from a concluded clinical study for an Alzheimer’s medication, uncovering fresh insights that could significantly improve future drug development. The AI model determined that the medicine reduced cognitive decline by 46% in patients with early-stage, slowly developing moderate cognitive impairment, a condition frequently preceding Alzheimer’s disease. Utilising AI, researchers categorised trial participants according to the velocity of their condition’s progression: either sluggish or rapid. This segmentation allowed for a more exact analysis…

Millipedes might not be anyone’s favorite creatures — with their countless legs and secretive behavior, they often fall into the category of “creepy crawlies.” But new research suggests that these arthropods could be unexpected allies in the search for treatments for neurological disorders and pain. Chemist Emily Mevers and her research team have identified a new group of complex chemical structures in millipede secretions that can influence specific neuroreceptors in ant brains. These molecules belong to a class of naturally…

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…

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and the US space agency NASA have made an unexpected discovery that challenges one of the basic rules of chemistry and provides new knowledge about Saturn’s enigmatic moon Titan. In its extremely cold environment, normally incompatible substances can still be mixed. This discovery broadens our understanding of chemistry before the emergence of life.  Scientists have long been interested in Saturn’s largest, orange-coloured moon as its evolution can teach us more about our…

Researchers have achieved a breakthrough in solar physics by providing the first direct evidence of small-scale torsional Alfvén waves in the Sun’s corona – elusive magnetic waves that scientists have been searching for since the 1940s. Researchers have achieved a breakthrough in solar physics by providing the first direct evidence of small-scale torsional Alfvén waves in the Sun’s corona – elusive magnetic waves that scientists have been searching for since the 1940s. The discovery, published today in Nature Astronomy, was…

Earthquakes in the American state of Utah, the Soultz-sous-Forêts region of France or in the Dutch province of Groningen should not be able to occur even if the subsurface has been exploited for decades. This is because the shallow subsurface behaves in such a way that faults there become stronger as soon as they start moving. At least that is what geology textbooks teach us. And so, in theory, it should not be possible for earthquakes to occur. So why…

New study finds that the nutritional value of prey within a single species can widely vary, offering key insights for food web dynamics and ecosystem change The hunt is on and a predator finally zeroes in on its prey. The animal consumes the nutritious meal and moves on to forage for its next target. But how much prey does a predator need to consume? Following a period of massive starvation among animals living along the California coast, University of California…