All Stories
- Health & Medicine
Prenatal surgery for spina bifida may get a boost from stem cells
A clinical trial for spina bifida treatment suggests that a surgical approach relying on stem cells is safe for patients. Its efficacy is still being evaluated.
- Earth
Seismic data captured the sound of awe during a solar eclipse
From the hush of people coming to a standstill to the reverberations of fans, seismic data can capture the ebbs and flows of human activity.
- Earth
Can ‘extinct’ volcanoes still erupt? A Greek peak holds surprising clues
Tiny crystals suggest extinct volcanoes could still grow underground, a finding that could reshape how scientists assess eruption risk.
- Planetary Science
Uranus has weird rings. Astronomers now know the source of two of them
The Nu ring seems to be fed by unknown rocky bodies, whereas the Mu ring appears rich in water ice and linked to the moon Mab.
- Health & Medicine
This dangerous pregnancy complication is common. A new treatment might help
Preeclampsia complicates 3 to 8 percent of pregnancies. In a recent trial, a blood filter lowered blood pressure and helped prolong some pregnancies.
- Astronomy
The earliest evidence of the first stars may lie in a distant gas clump
James Webb data reveal pristine gas irradiated by energetic light some 450 million years after the Big Bang — a sign it may house primordial stars.
- Genetics
Ancient DNA tests the notion that allergies are due to our dirtier past
An analysis of ancient DNA and modern disease risk suggests some immune genes may reduce allergy risk rather than increase it.
- Physics
The secret to perfect espresso? It’s physics
Inspired by gas and liquid flow in earth science, researchers brewed an equation to calculate the speed of water percolation through ground coffee.
- Animals
Giant, kraken-like octopuses may have ruled the Cretaceous deep
Some octopuses that lived over 72 million years ago were as long as whales. These huge predators may have been the largest invertebrates ever.
- Astronomy
Clouds of water ice thread stellar nurseries in the Milky Way
NASA’s SPHEREx mapped water ice across vast regions of the galaxy, confirming that an essential molecule for life on Earth abounds in space.
- Plants
Some plants can feed on dust that lands on their leaves
A new study offers evidence from natural shrubland that leaves, not just roots, can take up nutrients from deposited dust.
- Neuroscience
Imagination is not just replaying what we see and hear
The findings differ from prior work, showing it's tough to disentangle how similarly our brains register imagined thoughts and real sensations.
