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August 3, 2026

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Your Brain May Be Wired to Regain Lost Weight

Aug. 3, 2026 — Weight loss is not simply a test of willpower. The human brain evolved to protect body fat during times of scarcity, and it can treat a previously higher weight as the new normal, triggering stronger hunger, cravings, and lower energy use after ...

These Bizarre New Beetles Look so Stretchy Scientists Named Them Luffy

Aug. 3, 2026 — Scientists have named a newly discovered beetle genus Luffy, inspired by the stretchy hero of the manga and anime One Piece. The insects have unusually long, slender mandibles, antennae, and mouthparts that resemble Luffy’s rubber-like ability to ...

Scientists Went Looking for Giant Trees in Taiwan and Found a Lost World

Aug. 3, 2026 — Taiwan’s steep, remote mountains have sheltered extraordinary forests containing hundreds of giant Taiwania firs. After years of difficult expeditions, LiDAR mapping, and citizen-science detective work, researchers discovered an 84.1-meter ...

A Simple Supplement Could Help the Immune System Fight Cancer and Viruses

Aug. 3, 2026 — Low arginine levels may allow cancer cells and viruses to slip past the immune system by reducing production of a crucial cellular warning protein. In mice, arginine-rich diets led to fewer colon tumors and milder viral infections, suggesting a ...

Ancient Arctic Carbon Is Pouring Into the Sea, but the Seabed Captures Most of It

Aug. 3, 2026 — Thawing Arctic permafrost is releasing ancient carbon into the ocean, raising fears that microbes could turn it into greenhouse gases and accelerate climate change. But sediment cores collected near ...

Moonquakes Could Reveal Hidden Water Beneath the Lunar Surface

Aug. 3, 2026 — Hidden moon ice may reveal itself through the way it bends and reflects vibrations from moonquakes. The technique could help astronauts locate vital water supplies and uncover clues about the origins of Earth’s ...

Scientists Reveal the Hidden Force Driving the Universe’s Hottest Fluid

Aug. 3, 2026 — When atomic nuclei smash together at nearly the speed of light, they create the hottest fluid in the universe, but scientists may have overlooked one of its most important forces. New simulations reveal that extreme acceleration builds up along the ...

Scientists May Have Found Aging’s Hidden Trigger for Brain Disease

Aug. 3, 2026 — Scientists have identified a molecular switch that may help explain why aging makes the brain more vulnerable to diseases such as ALS and Huntington’s. In worms, the protein EPS8 builds up with age and triggers signaling that encourages toxic ...

Two New Compounds Could Reveal Hidden Drivers of Alzheimer’s Disease

Aug. 3, 2026 — Vanderbilt researchers created the first selective compound designed to inhibit TAOK-1, a poorly understood protein connected to Alzheimer’s disease. They also discovered a second compound that activates the entire TAOK protein family, offering ...

Two Deadly Flowers Could Inspire Powerful New Medicines

Aug. 3, 2026 — Scientists have figured out how two famously poisonous plants create chemicals with surprising medical potential. After tracking thousands of genes in wolfsbane and larkspur, they identified six enzymes needed to build a complex compound called ...

Giant Waves Are Sweeping Mars’ Atmosphere Into Space

Aug. 3, 2026 — The solar wind may be stripping away Mars’ atmosphere by creating giant rolling waves along its outer edge. Data from MAVEN and Tianwen-1 show that these waves form plasma clouds that carry atmospheric particles into space. The process is ...

Some Coastal Cities Are Sinking Faster Than the Ocean Is Rising

Aug. 2, 2026 — Coastal communities are facing a hidden threat that is making rising seas far more dangerous: the land beneath them is sinking. New research shows that people in densely populated coastal regions experience an average relative sea-level rise of ...

Latest Headlines

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Dark Matter’s Secret Force Does the Opposite of What Scientists Expected

Aug. 2, 2026 — Dark matter particles may exert a hidden force on one another, but its effects are stranger than expected. An extra attraction helps the particles cluster, yet it also makes dark matter effectively ...

Mathematicians Prove Perfectly Fair Elections Are Impossible

Aug. 2, 2026 — Mathematicians have shown that no electoral system can perfectly balance local representation, proportional national results, and a fixed-size parliament once enough parties compete. A newly proposed ...

Cancer May Be Breaking Its Own DNA to Keep Growing

Aug. 2, 2026 — Cancer cells rely on powerful genetic switches to keep growth genes running at full speed, but that intense activity can damage their own DNA. The resulting breaks are repeatedly repaired, sometimes ...

Mysterious Milky Way Object Accelerates Protons Beyond One Quadrillion Electron Volts

Aug. 1, 2026 — Scientists have identified LHAASO J1912+1014u as a cosmic accelerator that can push protons beyond one quadrillion electron volts. The finding may ...

Scientists Detect a Sharp Acceleration in Global Warming

Aug. 1, 2026 — Global warming appears to have shifted into a faster gear. After removing the effects of El Niño, volcanic eruptions, and solar cycles, researchers found that the planet has warmed at roughly ...

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Finds a Mysterious Honeycomb Landscape on Mars

Aug. 1, 2026 — NASA’s Curiosity rover has entered a Martian valley covered by an astonishing “sea” of tiny polygon-shaped fractures. The honeycomb patterns, each only a few inches wide, stretch across the ...

Tiny Black Holes May Be Secretly Exploding Stars Across the Milky Way

Aug. 1, 2026 — Primordial black holes may occasionally pass through white dwarf stars and trigger enormous Type Ia supernova explosions. Researchers found that these events could explain chemical patterns seen in ...

Ant Brains Reveal How Evolution Turned Hunger Into Parenting

Aug. 1, 2026 — Ant parenting may have evolved from the same brain systems that once controlled hunger. Researchers found that two chemical signals push clonal raider ants toward either caring for larvae or leaving ...

Tiny Aerosol Particles Could Supercharge Tropical Storm Clouds

Aug. 1, 2026 — Scientists discovered unusually high water-vapor supersaturation inside deep tropical clouds, creating conditions in which tiny aerosol particles could intensify storm updrafts. The finding suggests ...

Superheated Magma May Power Towering Lava Fountains

Aug. 1, 2026 — Scientists studying magma from the 2021 Tajogaite eruption on La Palma have discovered that extreme heat can dramatically change how an eruption unfolds. When magma becomes superheated, it can ...

Without This Protein, Damaged Muscle Turns to Fat and Scar Tissue

Aug. 2, 2026 — A protein once thought to mainly protect chromosome ends may also be essential for keeping muscle stem cells ready to repair injuries. Researchers found that TRF2 helps these cells maintain their ...

Eating Less Protein Could Slow Aging, Major Review Finds

Aug. 2, 2026 — A sweeping review of more than 350 studies suggests that the protein boom may be overselling what many people actually need. Eating less protein appears to improve metabolism, reduce inflammation and ...

Scientists Found Two Mysterious ‘ghost’ Ancestors Hiding in Our DNA

July 31, 2026 — Modern humans carry DNA from two mysterious extinct lineages in addition to Neanderthals and Denisovans. Their hidden genetic legacy shows that our evolutionary past was shaped by repeated mixing ...

Experts Say Blood Pressure Guidelines Are Missing Half the Equation

July 31, 2026 — A new report suggests that blood pressure may be controlled more effectively by increasing potassium while also cutting sodium. Potassium-rich foods can help balance sodium’s effects, but most ...

World-First Photonic Time Crystal Opens a New Era of Light Control

July 31, 2026 — Scientists have built the first all-optical photonic time crystal, allowing them to reshape the behavior of terahertz light at extraordinary speeds. The breakthrough could open the door to ultrafast ...

Black Holes May Spit out Nearly as Much Matter as They Swallow

July 31, 2026 — A black hole observed during a dramatic 2023 eruption did not simply devour gas from its nearby companion star. It also expelled large amounts of material through powerful jets and winds, even after ...

Scientists Find a Simple Routine Linked to Less Pain and Depression

July 30, 2026 — Keeping a regular daily schedule may help reduce pain and depression, especially among older adults with insomnia. Researchers found that consistent times for waking, eating, socializing, and ...

Scientists Find a Simple Way to Stop Cavities Without Drilling

July 29, 2026 — A liquid brushed onto cavities in seconds may spare many young children from pain, infection, and surgery. A major U.S. trial found that silver diamine fluoride stopped decay in more than half of ...

Daily Multivitamin May Help Older Adults Stay Independent

July 29, 2026 — Taking a daily multivitamin may help older adults preserve the strength and stamina needed for everyday activities. After three years, users reported better functional health than those taking a ...

Your Gut May Help Your Brain Decide What to Remember

July 29, 2026 — Signals traveling from the gut to the brain may help turn meals into lasting memories. Rats showed stronger memory activity after consuming nutritious foods, but not after drinking sweet liquids with ...

Blazing Like 10 Billion Suns: NASA’s Swift Sees a Wandering Black Hole Devouring a Star

July 28, 2026 — NASA’s Swift Observatory observed a supermassive black hole ripping apart a star more than 30,000 light-years from the center of a distant galaxy. The extraordinary flare briefly outshone its ...

After 241 Days in Orbit This NASA Astronaut Is Finally Home

July 27, 2026 — NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two Roscosmos cosmonauts are back on Earth after spending 241 days aboard the International Space Station. Their journey covered more than 102 million miles and ...

4 in 5 Toddler Foods Are Ultra-Processed

July 28, 2026 — A grocery-store audit found that many foods marketed for toddlers may be far less healthy than parents expect. Of nearly 2,800 products examined in Texas, 81% were ultra-processed, and almost half ...

Scientists Reveal What Sparkling Water Really Does to Your Teeth

July 27, 2026 — Unsweetened sparkling water may offer a tooth-friendlier alternative to sugary soda, according to a small preliminary study tracking how different drinks change mouth acidity. Soda caused the ...

Eating Within 8 Hours May Help Keep the Aging Brain Sharp

July 27, 2026 — Eating within a shorter daily window may help protect certain thinking skills as people age. In a small six-month trial, older women who limited eating to about 8 to 9 hours a day performed better on ...

Why the Same DNA Damage Causes Cancer in Some People but Not Others

July 27, 2026 — A controlled mouse study has provided direct evidence that inherited genetics can steer how cancer begins and evolves after DNA damage. The discovery could eventually help doctors better predict ...

Your AI Calorie-Tracking App May Be Off by 345 Calories

July 26, 2026 — Popular AI-powered food apps may make calorie counting easier, but they may also leave out a surprisingly large part of the meal. Four apps underestimated calories and fat by about one-third when ...

Hidden Genetic Diversity Helped Inbred Brown Tree Snakes Conquer Guam

July 26, 2026 — A notorious snake invasion that devastated Guam’s native birds may have succeeded because the reptiles carried hidden genetic advantages. Using advanced long-read DNA sequencing, researchers ...

Venus May Be Tearing Itself Apart from Within

July 24, 2026 — Scientists have uncovered new evidence that Venus may still be tearing itself apart from within. Advanced 3D simulations indicate that some of the planet's giant rift valleys formed relatively ...

Scientists Discover a Compound That Could Supercharge Aging Muscle Repair

July 24, 2026 — A sulfur-based compound called LASSS appears to protect and supercharge a key protein involved in repairing damaged muscle. The discovery could eventually lead to new ways to slow muscle loss and ...