The Guardian Science

Can a ‘power phrase’ turn a spineless worm like me into a go-getter? I doubt it – but it’s worth a shot | Emma Beddington

The psychotherapist Amy Morin says uttering a ‘short, positive sentence’ can offer the cognitive reset we need. The idea makes me cringe – but then I can barely cope with returning defective trousersAre you dreading a high-stakes meeting, a challenging professional task or an awkward conversation? I’m not, because I’m a craven coward who has dodged that kind of unpleasantness for years. If only I had a “power phrase” to activate, maybe things would have been different.That is the psychotherapist

science  Jul 13, 2026

Science Daily

Physicists say quantum mechanics may not need imaginary numbers after all

Physicists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have examined a fundamental property of quantum mechanics in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center (DLR). In the scientific journal Physical Review Letters, they show that this theory does not necessarily need to be formulated with imaginary numbers – real numbers can in fact also be used. The American Physical Society has also dedicated a “Highlight” to these findings in its Physics Magazine.

science  Jul 13, 2026

The Guardian Science

Young crescent moon to meet Venus in evening twilight

Alignment will be one of the prettiest naked-eye sights of the month, if the sky is clearTwo celestial beauties line up on Friday when the young crescent moon meets brilliant Venus in the evening twilight. It will be one of the prettiest naked-eye sights of the month, so long, of course, as the clouds behave.The chart shows the view looking west from London at 10pm BST. By that time the sun will have set but the sky will still be bright with summer twilight. Continue reading...

science  Jul 13, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists discover a hidden heart valve risk linked to gum disease

Researchers found that bacteria linked to gum disease may help drive the development of calcific aortic valve stenosis by triggering inflammation and calcium buildup in the heart valve. The early findings suggest that keeping gums healthy could play a role in reducing the risk of this serious heart condition.

science  Jul 13, 2026

NASA News

Wild, Scenic, and Increasingly Rusty

Orange streams are now being spotted in hundreds of watersheds in permafrost areas throughout Alaska’s Brooks Range.

science  Jul 13, 2026

Science Daily

Future moon landings could wipe out clues to how life began on Earth

A new study suggests spacecraft exhaust could quickly contaminate the moon's most scientifically valuable regions, potentially masking ancient clues about how life began on Earth. Researchers say future lunar missions should consider new ways to reduce and monitor this pollution before it becomes widespread.

science  Jul 13, 2026

Science Daily

Spider-like creatures help uncover the surprising origins of fatherhood

Citizen scientists have helped researchers solve a long-standing mystery about how parental care evolved in harvestmen. Using photos and observations from iNaturalist, scientists more than doubled the known cases of egg-guarding behavior and discovered that maternal and paternal care followed different evolutionary paths. The project, completed in just days with help from public data, shows how citizen science is transforming biological research on a global scale.

science  Jul 12, 2026

The Guardian Science

Mushroom trip: a mycologist’s tour of the Tarkine

On a three-day fungi workshop in Australia’s largest cool temperate rainforest, Alexis Buxton-Collins unearths an unexpected appreciation for the third kingdom of lifeRevered as one of Australia’s last true wilderness areas, Takayna/Tarkine is a place of legends. Freshwater crayfish that can reach almost a metre in length lurk in the shade of 2,000-year-old Huon pines, and every few years a rumour emerges that thylacines still prowl the dense Gondwanan rainforest of north-west Tasmania.For 65m y

science  Jul 12, 2026

Science Daily

Alzheimer's tau protein has a surprising secret role in memory

Researchers found that tau is essential for turning new experiences into lasting memories by helping organize the brain's memory-storing cells. The mouse study also revealed how abnormal tau may contribute to Alzheimer's by disrupting both the formation of new memories and the recall of existing ones.

science  Jul 12, 2026

Science Daily

Physicists recreate black hole energy extraction in the lab

Researchers have recreated the physics of extracting energy from a spinning black hole using a stationary device that produces synthetic ultrafast rotation. The achievement transforms a long-standing theoretical idea into a practical experiment and could inspire new advances in optics, wireless communications, and quantum science.

science  Jul 12, 2026

Science Daily

Deep-sea life has a secret food source scientists never expected

Scientists discovered that extreme deep-sea pressure squeezes valuable nutrients out of sinking organic particles, providing an unexpected food source for ocean microbes. The finding could rewrite our understanding of both deep-ocean ecosystems and how carbon is stored on Earth.

science  Jul 12, 2026

Science Daily

This ultrasound treatment may help stop arthritis before it starts

A simple, non-invasive ultrasound treatment could one day help injured joints heal instead of remaining trapped in a cycle of damaging inflammation. Researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville found that continuous low-intensity ultrasound encouraged key immune cells called macrophages to shift from an inflammatory state toward one that supports tissue repair.

science  Jul 12, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists discover how the brain rewires itself to truly multitask

Practice may do more than make perfect. Researchers found that extensive training physically reorganizes the brain, allowing learned tasks to bypass the prefrontal cortex and run through specialized circuits instead. By freeing the brain's "thinking" center, people became better at performing another task at the same time, challenging the long-held idea that humans only switch rapidly between tasks rather than truly multitask.

science  Jul 12, 2026

The Guardian Science

At last, a proper excuse for monoglots to learn another language: it helps keep your brain young | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

I love busting out a French subjunctive in pursuit of better restaurant service, so it’s a joy to discover there’s a neuroscientific upside to being multilingualIt’s hard to pick a favourite PG Wodehouse line, but the one I’m perhaps most fond of is this: “Into the face of the young man who sat on the terrace of the Hotel Magnifique at Cannes there had crept a look of furtive shame, the shifty hangdog look which announces that an Englishman is about to speak French.”It’s funny, but it also succi

science  Jul 12, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists finally solved the mystery of Earth's greatest mass extinction

Why do beaches today have seashells from clams and snails instead of brachiopods? A new study suggests the answer lies in Earth's greatest mass extinction, when warming oceans and falling oxygen levels wiped out animals that couldn't adapt. Species with body plans and metabolisms better suited to the changing conditions survived and went on to dominate the seas, offering a glimpse of how modern marine life could respond to climate change.

science  Jul 12, 2026

Science Daily

Columbia scientists discover surprising link between serotonin and heart valve disease

Scientists have uncovered evidence that serotonin, the chemical best known for regulating mood, may also speed the progression of a common heart valve disease in some people. The research suggests that patients with degenerative mitral regurgitation who take SSRI antidepressants and carry a specific genetic variant may develop severe valve damage sooner, potentially requiring surgery at a younger age.

science  Jul 12, 2026

Science Daily

Why gold never tarnishes has finally been explained

Gold may have a secret self-defense system that helps it resist tarnishing. Researchers discovered that atoms on gold surfaces reorganize themselves into patterns that block oxygen from reacting with the metal, suppressing oxidation by up to a trillion-fold. Beyond explaining why gold jewelry stays bright for generations, the finding could help scientists create more powerful gold-based catalysts for manufacturing and clean energy.

science  Jul 12, 2026

Science Daily

Yale scientists may have found how Parkinson's disease spreads through the brain

Yale scientists discovered two neuron surface proteins that appear to help spread the toxic protein linked to Parkinson’s disease. Blocking these proteins in mice dramatically reduced disease progression, offering a potential new target for future therapies.

science  Jul 12, 2026

Science Daily

Common blood pressure drug could make cancer therapy far more powerful

Researchers found that the common blood pressure drug telmisartan can significantly improve the performance of the cancer drug olaparib, potentially expanding its benefits beyond patients with BRCA-related tumors. The combination is already being tested in human clinical trials after showing strong immune-boosting and anticancer effects in preclinical studies.

science  Jul 11, 2026

The Guardian Science

Is the US trying to make scientists’ work so difficult that they simply give up? | Daniel Malinsky

New Trump administration rules would undermine longstanding research practices. It’s death by a thousand cutsA politician who aims to gradually privatize and ultimately destroy an institution funded by tax dollars – say, a public school system or public transportation network – may choose to do so by strategically disinvesting resources from that institution until it becomes barely functional, leading users to look elsewhere to meet their needs. Eventually, the user-base of the public system get

science  Jul 11, 2026