The Guardian Science
A scorching puzzle about heatIn a summer heatwave, you keep the curtains drawn all day.It helps keep the room cool. Continue reading...
The Guardian Science
In today’s newsletter: Breakthroughs increasingly hinge not on finding something new, but on recognising what was missed. A leading scientist tells us why it mattersGood morning. As Andy Burnham’s search for intelligent life to appoint to cabinet continues (more on that from Libby tomorrow), First Edition sets our sights further afield, to the search for life on another red planet.It’s 50 years to the day since humankind’s first foray on Mars. On 20 July 1976, Viking 1 successfully touched dow
Science Daily
A protein called SORLA may act as a powerful defense against the toxic tau tangles involved in Alzheimer’s disease. Mice with extra SORLA had less tau accumulation, less brain atrophy, and healthier connections between neurons, while mice without it experienced more severe damage. The findings also revealed a possible drug target that could help control harmful activity in supporting brain cells.
The Guardian Science
The full constellation can be frustrating to track down in the UK owing to its low presence in the southern skyThis week we will take the opportunity to identify Scorpius, the Scorpion, one of the famous zodiacal constellations.In mythology, Scorpius is the creature sent to kill Orion, the hunter. The two constellations are therefore on opposite sides of the sky from one another, so that when Scorpius rises, Orion has already departed. Continue reading...
NASA News
The hills and basins of Seattle, Washington, have been sculpted by glaciers and modified by humans.
The Guardian Science
Experts warn increase in enhanced photos on birding platforms creating fake sightings, threatening credibility of tool used by scientistsFor many birdwatchers, recording a species outside its normal range is the holy grail. In the UK, the discoveries often make national headlinesThe western reef heron, for example, usually found in Africa and southern Europe, spotted in a seaside town in north Wales in June, which was widely celebrated on birding forums.But a new scourge is threatening to disrup
Science Daily
Scientists have redesigned zinc oxide particles to create a mineral sunscreen that protects against ultraviolet radiation without leaving such a noticeable white cast. The SPF 30 formula could make sunscreen easier and more appealing to use across a wider range of skin tones.
Science Daily
Scientists are testing two promising ways to destroy PFAS, the stubborn “forever chemicals” that can accumulate in water and resist normal treatment. One method uses collapsing vapor bubbles to generate extreme heat and reactive molecules, while the other uses cold plasma and rising gas bubbles to pull PFAS to the surface and break them apart.
Science Daily
A new AI-powered blood test could give people a remarkably early warning of serious heart and circulation problems. Developed by researchers at the University of Hong Kong, CardiOmicScore analyzes thousands of proteins and metabolites to estimate the risk of six major cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. Unlike genetic risk scores, which remain fixed throughout life, the system captures biological changes linked to a person’s current he
Science Daily
Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating space-like conditions inside glass tubes. The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life and produces infrared signals similar to real material found in space. By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how organic chemistry unfolds around stars and how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those ingredients to Earth.
Science Daily
The mysterious sound known as The Hum has been reported worldwide for decades, yet its source often remains impossible to find. Researchers tested whether people who hear it have exceptional low-frequency hearing or measurable sounds produced inside their ears, but neither explanation fit most participants. The strongest possibility is that many cases involve low-frequency tinnitus, even though the sound seems completely external.
The Guardian Science
From Nevada to Manchester, developers are trialling innovative solutions to clean energy’s biggest challengeIn the deserts of the United Arab Emirates a sprawling clean energy project, stretching across an area roughly the size of 12,600 football fields, will play host to a breakthrough allowing solar energy to power the equivalent of half a million homes through the night.The Gulf state has been steadily combining 5.2GW of solar power capacity with 19GWh of battery storage to create the largest
The Guardian Science
Experts believe it’s at least possible. We urgently need a plan to navigate the ethical implicationsIn January, the AI company Anthropic published a new constitution for Claude, its most advanced large language model (LLM), which contained the comment: “We are caught in a difficult position where we neither want to overstate the likelihood of Claude’s moral patienthood nor dismiss it out of hand.” A month later, Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei went on a podcast and said his company couldn
Science Daily
Scientists may have uncovered one reason coffee is repeatedly associated with healthier aging and lower disease risk. Compounds in coffee appear to activate NR4A1, a receptor that helps protect cells from stress, inflammation, and damage. These protective effects disappeared when the receptor was removed, strengthening the connection. Surprisingly, plant-based compounds such as caffeic acid seemed far more active than caffeine itself.
The Guardian Science
Award-winning entomologist Dino Martins, known for his work on pollinators, shows in his latest book that even the most gruesome creatures have vital roles to playDino J Martins has never been able to resist the small things. The renowned entomologist and evolutionary biologist spent his formative years in biodiversity-rich western Kenya with his foster parents, Joe and Sarah Ellen, looking at birds, flowers and insects on Mt Elgon, and in Kakamega forest and Kerio valley.He was especially trans
Science Daily
Fossils from Queensland suggest a newly recognized marsupial order may have survived in Australia for around 35 million years, rewriting part of the story of how the continent's unique mammals evolved. The discovery challenges the idea that Australia's marsupials all came from a single straightforward ancestral lineage.
Science Daily
The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs was likely an exceptionally rare CO chondrite from a distant region of the solar system. Its unusual chemistry suggests that planet-cooling dust and debris, rather than sulfur inside the asteroid, may have delivered the deadliest blow.
Science Daily
A low-cost antidepressant may offer new hope for people struggling with long COVID fatigue. In a randomized clinical trial involving 399 adults, fluvoxamine significantly reduced fatigue and improved quality of life compared with a placebo, making it one of the first medications to show meaningful benefits for this disabling condition.
Science Daily
Several popular sugar substitutes may not be as harmless as they seem. Adults who consumed the most artificial sweeteners showed substantially faster declines in memory and thinking, especially if they were under 60 or had diabetes. The highest intake was linked to cognitive aging roughly 1.6 years faster than the lowest intake. Researchers stressed that more studies are needed before concluding that sweeteners are the cause.
Science Daily
A catastrophic asteroid breakup may have triggered a huge wave of impacts across the inner solar system about 800 million years ago. The debris was launched from near a gravitational gateway controlled by Jupiter, sending fragments toward Earth, the Moon, and Mars. The bombardment may explain ancient lunar craters and could have contributed to major climate and biological changes on Earth.