Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-02-232Exercise Seals the Aging Brain: Liver Enzyme Fights LeakUCSF researchers traced how exercise-triggered liver enzyme GPLD1 trims TNAP at brain vessels, sealing the aging blood-brain barrier and reducing inflammation—offering a new angle on preventing cognitive decline.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-02-22When Play Disappears: Why Adults Need Playfulness NowWhen adults hide playful behaviour it dwindles. Visible, accepted play boosts cognitive flexibility, social bonds, and mental health—vital from workplaces to long-duration space missions.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-02-22316-Hour Dual Transplant Gives 11-Year-Old New LifeChildren’s Hospital Colorado completed its first pediatric dual heart and liver transplant in a 16-hour operation. The surgical feat required tight logistics, advanced preservation tech and multidisciplinary teamwork.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-02-222Why NASA May Postpone Artemis II: Helium Flow ConcernsNASA may push back the Artemis II crewed lunar flyby after a helium flow anomaly. Teams will roll the rocket back to the assembly building to inspect systems, prioritizing crew safety over schedule.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-02-223When Men Lose the Y Chromosome: Health Costs RevealedMany men lose the Y chromosome in some cells as they age. New research links this mosaic loss to heart disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer outcomes and shorter lifespan, and reveals possible mechanisms and research directions.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-02-22Early Warning Signs of Parkinson’s: New Molecular CluesResearchers tracked DNA repair signals across early and established Parkinson’s, linking nonmotor warning signs—REM sleep behavior disorder, loss of smell, constipation, mood changes—to molecular shifts that appear before motor symptoms.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-02-213Ultra-Processed Diets Raise Heart Attack and Stroke RiskA US study using NHANES data finds adults with the highest intake of ultra-processed foods had a 47% greater likelihood of reporting a heart attack or stroke, underscoring links to inflammation and metabolic risk.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-02-212US Breakthrough: Accelerators Cut Nuclear Waste LifeJefferson Lab and partners are advancing accelerator-driven systems (ADS) to transmute spent nuclear fuel, cutting hazardous lifetimes from ~100,000 to ~300 years while producing low-carbon heat for power generation.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-02-213Gaia Finds a Hidden Swarm of Black Holes in Palomar 5Gaia's precise survey reveals Palomar 5 hosts a hidden population of over 100 stellar-mass black holes. Simulations show these black holes drive star ejection, shaping tidal streams and cluster fate.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-02-202How and Why This Comet Stopped Spinning — Then ReversedComet 41P underwent a rare rotational reversal in 2017, slowing to a stop and likely spinning the other way due to asymmetric outgassing. Observations and Hubble data illuminate the mechanics and implications.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-02-20Moon South-Pole Landing Will Not Compromise Astronaut SafetyA planned crewed landing near the Moon's south pole remains years away. Jared Isaacman emphasizes astronaut safety after a fueling test and a scathing review of Boeing's Starliner highlighted risks to crewed missions.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-02-203Lab-Grown Mini-Brains Learned to Balance a Pole in DishResearchers trained mouse-derived cortical organoids in a closed-loop system so their electrical responses improved control of a virtual cartpole. The work shows short-term plasticity and points to tools for studying neurological disease.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-02-20Almost Everyone Over 40 Has Shoulder AbnormalitiesA Finnish MRI study found rotator cuff abnormalities in nearly all adults over 40, even without pain. Experts urge cautious use of MRI and favor conservative care before surgery.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-02-193Antarctica's Growing Gravity Hole: What Lies BeneathA team of geophysicists reconstructed how a persistent gravity depression beneath Antarctica—the Antarctic Geoid Low—has evolved over 70 million years, linking mantle convection, polar wander, and possible sea-level effects that may have influenced Antarctic glaciation.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-02-192Heart Drug Dronedarone Reveals New Lymphoma WeaknessVCU researchers discovered that dronedarone, an antiarrhythmic drug, targets USP11's non-catalytic UBL domain to selectively impair lymphoma cells. Preclinical tests show tumor suppression with minimal toxicity, suggesting a promising drug-repurposing path for precision oncology.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-02-192Black Hole Rips White Dwarf: Clear X-ray Evidence FinallyA blazing X-ray flare observed in July 2025, EP250702a, matches models of a white dwarf torn apart by an intermediate-mass black hole—potentially the first clear detection of this rare tidal disruption.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-02-18How Enceladus' Plasma Dance Lights Saturn's Polar SkiesNew research finds that turbulence breaks Enceladus's Alfvén wing into filaments, enabling electromagnetic waves to bounce off its plasma torus and trigger auroras high in Saturn's ionosphere, with broad implications for Jupiter's moons and future missions.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-02-182A Heart-on-a-Chip That Maps Cardiac Cells in Real TimeA new heart-on-a-chip platform merges whole-tissue and cellular-level sensors to monitor contractile force and local stresses, promising improved drug testing and patient-specific cardiac models.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-02-182Common Diabetes Drug Linked to Longer Lives in WomenA long-term analysis suggests metformin, a common diabetes drug, is associated with a 30% reduced risk of death before age 90 among postmenopausal women, highlighting potential geroprotective effects and the need for randomized trials.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-02-182Lifelong Language Habits Reduce Alzheimer's Risk by 38%A Rush University study links lifelong engagement with reading, writing and languages to a 38% lower Alzheimer's risk and delayed onset. Lifelong cognitive enrichment may build resilience against dementia.
