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Oxford researchers have found a way to visualize one of the most hidden — yet critical — components inside lithium-ion batteries. By tagging polymer binders with traceable markers, they revealed how these tiny materials are distributed at the nanoscale and how that affects charging speed and durability. Small manufacturing adjustments reduced internal resistance by up to 40%, potentially unlocking fastcer charging. The technique could help improve both today’s batteries and next-generation designs.View the full article

Breathing polluted air may do more than harm your lungs — it could also increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In a sweeping study of nearly 28 million older Americans, researchers found that long term exposure to fine particle air pollution was linked to a higher likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s. The connection appeared to stem largely from pollution’s direct effects on the brain, rather than through related health conditions like hypertension or depression.View the full article

For decades, scientists have believed that complex life began when two very different microbes joined forces, eventually giving rise to plants, animals, and fungi. But one major puzzle remained: how could these organisms have met if one depended on oxygen and the other supposedly lived without it? New research suggests the answer lies in ancient microbes called Asgard archaea.View the full article

A sweeping new study has uncovered a troubling mix of hazardous chemicals in popular hair extensions, including products made from human hair. Researchers detected dozens of substances linked to cancer, hormone disruption, reproductive harm, and immune system effects in nearly every sample tested. Some products contained flame retardants, organotins, and chemicals associated with increased breast cancer risk, and several exceeded European safety thresholds.View the full article

A giant virus discovered in Japan is adding fuel to the provocative idea that viruses helped create complex life. Named ushikuvirus, it infects amoebae and shows unique traits that connect different families of giant DNA viruses. Its unusual way of hijacking and disrupting the host cell’s nucleus offers fresh insight into how viruses may have influenced the evolution of the cell nucleus itself. The finding deepens the mystery of viruses—and their possible role in life’s biggest leap.View the full article

A new human study has uncovered how the body naturally turns off inflammation. Researchers found that fat-derived molecules called epoxy-oxylipins rein in immune cells that can otherwise drive chronic disease. Using a drug to boost these molecules reduced pain faster and lowered harmful inflammatory cells. The discovery could pave the way for safer treatments for arthritis, heart disease, and other inflammation-related conditions.View the full article

A major breakthrough could help save the world’s bananas from a devastating disease. Scientists have discovered the exact genetic region in a wild banana that provides resistance to Fusarium wilt Subtropical Race 4 — a destructive strain that threatens Cavendish bananas worldwide. While this wild banana isn’t edible, the discovery gives breeders a powerful genetic roadmap to develop future bananas that are both delicious and naturally protected from this deadly pathogen.View the full article

Scientists have taken a major step toward mimicking nature’s tiniest gateways by creating ultra-small pores that rival the dimensions of biological ion channels—just a few atoms wide. The breakthrough opens new possibilities for single-molecule sensing, neuromorphic computing, and studying how matter behaves in spaces barely larger than atoms.View the full article

A newly discovered bacterial duo may be the hidden cause of chronic constipation. The two microbes break down the colon’s protective mucus layer, leaving stool dry and hard — a problem traditional laxatives don’t fix. Parkinson’s patients, who often struggle with constipation years before tremors appear, have higher levels of these bacteria. Blocking the bacteria’s mucus-destroying enzyme prevented constipation in mice, hinting at a new treatment strategy.View the full article

Myopia is skyrocketing around the world, often blamed on endless screen time — but new research suggests the real culprit may be something more subtle. Scientists at SUNY College of Optometry propose that it’s not just devices, but the combination of prolonged close-up focus and dim indoor lighting that may quietly strain the eyes. When we concentrate on nearby objects in low light, our pupils constrict in a way that may reduce how much light reaches the retina, potentially triggering changes that lead to nearsightedness.View the full article

That viral claim that your frontal lobe “isn’t fully developed until 25” turns out to be more myth than milestone. Early brain scans showed that gray matter changes dramatically through the teen years, and because studies stopped around age 20, scientists estimated development might wrap up in the mid-20s. But newer, massive brain-imaging research paints a different picture: key wiring and network efficiency in the brain continue evolving into the early 30s.View the full article

Ancient DNA from a Stone Age burial site in Sweden shows that families 5,500 years ago were more complex than expected. Many individuals buried together were not immediate family, but second- or third-degree relatives. One grave held a young woman alongside two children who were siblings—yet she wasn’t their mother. The discoveries hint at tight-knit communities where extended kin mattered deeply.View the full article

A massive, centuries-long drought may have driven the extinction of the “hobbits” of Flores. Climate records preserved in cave formations show rainfall plummeted just as the small human species disappeared. At the same time, pygmy elephants they depended on declined sharply as rivers dried up. With food and water vanishing, the hobbits may have been pushed out—and into their final chapter.View the full article

Scientists at the University of New Hampshire have unleashed artificial intelligence to dramatically speed up the hunt for next-generation magnetic materials. By building a massive, searchable database of 67,573 magnetic compounds — including 25 newly recognized materials that stay magnetic even at high temperatures — the team is opening the door to cheaper, more sustainable technologies.View the full article

A surprising breakthrough could help sodium-ion batteries rival lithium—and even turn seawater into drinking water. Scientists discovered that keeping water inside a key battery material, instead of removing it as traditionally done, dramatically boosts performance. The “wet” version stores nearly twice as much charge, charges faster, and remains stable for hundreds of cycles, placing it among the top-performing sodium battery materials ever reported.View the full article

Scientists have developed a powerful new way to forecast where some of the world’s most dangerous scorpions are likely to be found. By combining fieldwork in Africa with advanced computer modeling, the team discovered that soil type is the strongest factor shaping where many lethal species live, while temperature patterns also play a key role.View the full article

Northwestern researchers have shown that when it comes to cancer vaccines, arrangement can be just as important as ingredients. By repositioning a small fragment of an HPV protein on a DNA-based nanovaccine, the team dramatically strengthened the immune system’s attack on HPV-driven tumors. One specific design slowed tumor growth, extended survival in animal models, and unleashed far more cancer-killing T cells than other versions made with the exact same components.View the full article

Sugary drinks may be linked to more than just physical health problems in teens. A new review of multiple studies found a consistent association between high consumption of beverages like soda, energy drinks, sweetened juices, and flavored milks and increased anxiety symptoms in adolescents.View the full article

Ocean waves are a vast and steady source of renewable energy, but capturing their power efficiently has long frustrated engineers. A researcher at The University of Osaka has now explored a bold new approach: a gyroscopic wave energy converter that uses a spinning flywheel inside a floating structure to turn wave motion into electricity. By harnessing gyroscopic precession—the subtle wobble of a spinning object under force—the system can be tuned to absorb energy across a wide range of wave conditions.View the full article

Intermittent fasting has become one of the most talked-about weight loss trends in recent years, promising dramatic results with simple changes to when you eat. But a major Cochrane review suggests the reality may be far less exciting. After analyzing 22 clinical trials involving nearly 2,000 adults, researchers found that intermittent fasting did not produce significantly more weight loss than standard diet advice or even no structured plan at all.View the full article

Researchers have uncovered more than a thousand previously unknown tectonic ridges across the Moon’s dark plains, showing the Moon is still contracting and reshaping itself. These features are among the youngest geological structures on the lunar surface. Because they form through the same forces linked to past moonquakes, they could signal new seismic hotspots.View the full article

A major new study has spotlighted three familiar medicines that could take on an unexpected new role in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease — with a shingles vaccine emerging as the front-runner. After reviewing 80 existing drugs, an international panel of experts identified Zostavax, Viagra (sildenafil), and riluzole as the most promising candidates for repurposing.View the full article

Life on Earth may have learned to breathe oxygen long before oxygen filled the skies. MIT researchers traced a key oxygen-processing enzyme back hundreds of millions of years before the Great Oxidation Event. Early microbes living near oxygen-producing cyanobacteria may have quickly used up the gas as it formed, slowing its rise in the atmosphere. The results suggest life was adapting to oxygen far earlier — and far more creatively — than once thought.View the full article

Antibiotic resistance is racing toward a global crisis, with “superbugs” projected to cause over 10 million deaths annually by 2050. Now, scientists at UC San Diego have unveiled a powerful new CRISPR-based tool that doesn’t just fight resistant bacteria—it can actively strip away their drug resistance. Inspired by gene drives used in insects, the technology spreads a genetic “fix” through bacterial populations, even inside stubborn biofilms that shield microbes from antibiotics.View the full article

A 125-million-year-old dinosaur just rewrote what we thought we knew about prehistoric life. Scientists in China have uncovered an exceptionally preserved juvenile iguanodontian with fossilized skin so detailed that individual cells are still visible. Even more astonishing, the plant-eating dinosaur was covered in hollow, porcupine-like spikes—structures never before documented in any dinosaur.View the full article