Science News

Earthquakes that occurred near an oil extraction site in Surrey, UK, in 2018 and 2019 had been put down to coincidence, but a new analysis with an updated look at the geology of the area suggests the... seismic events may indeed have been linked to drilling

Fiber digestion produces short-chain fatty acids like propionate and butyrate, which directly alter gene expression with anti-cancer effects, according to new research. The study found that these... fatty acids influence genes involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, key processes that control tumor growth. Researchers demonstrated these epigenetic changes in human cells and mouse models, highlighting fiber's systemic impact on health.

The enormous near-Earth asteroid (887) Alinda has made its closest approach to our planet in decades, and it's about to peak in brightness in a rare once-in-a-decade event. Here's how to watch it live... this weekend.

A study analyzing Cambrian fossils uncovered that the ancestral ecdysozoan likely had a single ventral nerve cord, challenging long-standing views about the evolution of these structures. Fossil... impressions from early Scalidophora species reveal similarities to modern priapulid nerve cords, supporting the single-cord hypothesis. This finding suggests that paired nerve cords in arthropods, kinorhynchs, and loriciferans evolved independently, linked to body segmentation and movement complexity.

Over half of 23-year-olds display restrictive, emotional, or uncontrolled eating behaviors, with delayed brain maturation playing a significant role. The research linked structural brain differences,... mental health challenges, and genetic predispositions to the development of disordered eating behaviors from adolescence to adulthood. MRI data showed delayed cortical thinning in unhealthy eaters, especially in regions like the cerebellum, which regulates appetite.

Hookworms that cause deadly dog infection and 'creeping eruption' in humans are growing resistant to drugs.

A 2021 analysis of U.S. mortality data highlights disparities in traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related deaths, which disproportionately affect older adults, men, and certain racial and ethnic groups.... Suicides remain the leading cause, followed by unintentional falls, with older adults (75+) and American Indian/Alaska Native individuals experiencing the highest mortality rates.

Researchers have identified and mapped diverse cell types in the cochlear nucleus, the brainstem region responsible for processing sound. Using advanced molecular techniques, they uncovered distinct... and newly identified cell types that process specific sound features, such as sharp noises or pitch changes.

A cutting-edge analysis of a skull found in Turkey in 1929 proves once and for all that it is not Arsinoë IV, Cleopatra's half sister.

The state is seeing a sharp water divide this year, with lots of rain in the north while the south has stayed dry. A hydrologist explains what's happening.

Scientists have warned that the Paris Agreement to limit global warming will likely be breached as data reveals 2024 was the hottest year in human history.

Molecular crystals with conductivity and magnetism, due to their low impurity concentrations, provide valuable insights into valence electrons. They have helped link charge ordering to... superconductivity and to explore quantum spin liquids, where electron spins remain disordered even at extremely low temperatures.

A newfound "chicken-size" dinosaur, recently unearthed in Wyoming, changes what paleontologists thought they knew about how dinosaurs spread across the globe.

There were significantly more X-class solar flares in 2024 than any other year for at least three decades. The arrival of solar maximum was a key reason for the spike, but other factors were also at... play.

A new type of passenger plane will adopt a design that blends wings into the aircraft's body, which its creators say will cut fuel consumption by 50% and reduce noise.

"Secret" excavations in Luxembourg reveal 141 Roman gold coins from eight Roman emperors and one usurper.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) should be visible from the southern hemisphere, and possibly also the northern hemisphere, over the next few days

Alexander Hartmann, a physicist at the University of Oldenburg, in Germany, has introduced a new model to explain a common word puzzle phenomenon. In his paper published in the journal Physical Review... E, he suggests that instances where a puzzle solver experiences a sudden insight that allows them to begin finding solutions that seemed hidden are similar in some respects to the type of percolation seen when water percolating through a teabag suddenly makes its way out of the bottom of the bag. He has developed what he describes as a percolation model for word puzzles.

A more detailed understanding of the natural anti-insect protections of tomato plants can lead to better pest-management strategies

Insulin-producing cells injected into a man with type 1 diabetes have survived for a month so far without the need for immune suppression

The herbicide glyphosate is helping farmers adopt more environmentally friendly practices, and resistant weeds will make this transition more difficult, experts say

Antarctica is home to a peak shaped like a perfect pyramid -- but contrary to what conspiracy theorists say, the mountain's four symmetrical faces were forged through natural processes.

Multiterminal Josephson junctions, nanoscale devices with unique electronic properties, comprise non-superconducting metallic material coupled to three or more superconducting leads. These devices... have proved to be promising platforms for the exploration of topological phenomena in condensed matter physics.

The microscope cost less than £50 to build using an open-source design and a common 3D printer

There's a significant imbalance between matter and antimatter in our universe, but a strange particle called "the Majoran" could finally explain it, an audacious new study suggests.