ScienceDaily

Cosmic voids may seem like the emptiest places in the universe, stripped of matter, radiation, and even dark matter. But they’re far from nothing. Even in these vast empty regions, the fundamental quantum fields that fill all of space remain, carrying a small but real amount of energy known as vacuum energy, or dark energy. While this energy is overwhelmed by matter in galaxies and clusters, in t…

A nearly complete dinosaur skeleton discovered in Patagonia is helping scientists crack the mystery of alvarezsaurs, a bizarre group of bird-like dinosaurs. The fossil of Alnashetri cerropoliciensis reveals that these animals became tiny before developing their later specialized features, such as stubby arms and ant-eating adaptations. Weighing under two pounds, the dinosaur is one of the smalles…

Scientists studying Mars may have uncovered a brand-new mineral hidden in the planet’s ancient sulfate deposits. By combining laboratory experiments with orbital data, researchers identified an unusual iron sulfate—ferric hydroxysulfate—forming in layered deposits near the massive Valles Marineris canyon system. The mineral likely formed when sulfate-rich deposits left behind by ancient water wer…

Colorblindness may be doing more than making traffic lights confusing — it could also be hiding a life-threatening warning sign. Researchers analyzing millions of medical records found that people with bladder cancer who are also colorblind have a 52% higher mortality rate over 20 years compared to those with normal vision. The likely reason: many people with color vision deficiency struggle to s…

A new analysis of more than 422,000 patients reveals a stark Alzheimer’s care gap between Maryland’s urban and rural communities. Rural regions often lack hospitals and dementia specialists, forcing older patients to travel farther for diagnosis and treatment. Researchers found areas with high Alzheimer’s death rates but surprisingly low diagnosis rates, suggesting many cases may never be identif…

Scientists have uncovered how brewer’s yeast developed its unusually tiny centromeres, the DNA regions that guide chromosome separation during cell division. By studying related yeast species, researchers found centromeres that appear to represent evolutionary halfway points. These structures seem to have formed from retrotransposons—mobile “jumping genes” in the genome. The discovery shows how D…

When NASA’s DART spacecraft deliberately crashed into the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos, it did more than change the asteroid’s local orbit — it slightly shifted the path of the entire asteroid pair around the Sun. The impact blasted debris into space, doubling the force of the spacecraft’s hit and nudging the system’s solar orbit by a tiny but measurable amount. It marks the first time humans have …

Researchers have created a method called optovolution that uses light to guide the evolution of proteins with dynamic behaviors. By engineering yeast cells so their survival depended on proteins switching states at the right time, scientists could rapidly select the best-performing variants. The technique produced new light-sensitive proteins that respond to different colors and improved optogene…

Global warming has picked up speed in the past decade, according to a new analysis from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). By removing short term natural influences such as El Niño, volcanic eruptions, and solar cycles from temperature records, researchers uncovered a clear acceleration in the planet’s long term warming trend beginning around 2015.

Researchers have found hundreds of metabolic enzymes attached to human DNA inside the cell nucleus. Different tissues and cancers show unique patterns of these enzymes, forming a “nuclear metabolic fingerprint.” Some of the enzymes gather around damaged DNA to assist with repair. The discovery reveals an unexpected link between metabolism and gene regulation that could influence how cancers grow …

Scientists have found a way to significantly boost “blue energy,” which generates electricity from the mixing of saltwater and freshwater. By coating nanopores with lipid molecules that create a friction-reducing water layer, they enabled ions to pass through much more efficiently while keeping the process highly selective. Their prototype membrane produced about two to three times more power tha…

Exercise normally boosts the body’s ability to use oxygen, a key marker of health and longevity — but high blood sugar can block that benefit. Researchers found that a ketogenic diet helped mice normalize blood sugar and dramatically improved how their muscles responded to exercise. Their muscles became better at using oxygen and built more endurance fibers. The results suggest diet and exercise …

Pre-workout supplements promising extra energy for workouts may come with a hidden cost: severely reduced sleep. A study of people aged 16–30 found users were more than twice as likely to sleep five hours or less per night. Many of these products pack huge doses of caffeine and stimulants that can linger for hours. Researchers say the findings raise concerns about the impact on young people’s hea…

A prehistoric mass grave in Serbia reveals that more than 77 people—mostly women and children—were deliberately killed in a brutal act of violence about 2,800 years ago. Genetic evidence suggests the victims came from different communities, indicating the massacre may have been a calculated message during fierce territorial struggles in Iron Age Europe.

DNA is revealing that many animals once thought to be a single species may actually be several hidden ones. But research on Bornean fanged frogs shows the line between species can be blurry—an important challenge when deciding what wildlife needs protection most.