Science Daily

Losing just 80 minutes of sleep a night could make you gain weight

Sleeping about an hour and 20 minutes less each night for six weeks caused participants to gain weight and spend more time inactive. Researchers found that even mild, realistic sleep loss, similar to what many adults experience, had measurable effects. They warn that if this pattern continues over months or years, the health consequences could become much more significant, including a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease.

science  Jul 13, 2026

Science Daily

A 200-year-old physics experiment could help build future computers

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have discovered a surprisingly simple way to create exotic light structures called optical skyrmions using a 200-year-old optical effect known as the Poisson spot. Instead of relying on expensive, highly engineered materials, they simply shine a laser at a tiny circular disc, producing stable swirling patterns in light that researchers believe could one day help power advanced data storage, communications, and computing technologies.

science  Jul 13, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists discovered the brain doesn't make decisions the way we thought

A new study suggests the brain begins making decisions much earlier than scientists previously thought. Researchers found that even primary sensory regions are influenced by higher brain areas through rapid feedback loops, rather than simply passing information forward. This more dynamic view of brain function could help engineers design future AI systems that think more like biological brains while using far less power.

science  Jul 13, 2026

Science Daily

Why are healthy young non-smokers developing lung cancer?

An unexpected study found that young non-smokers with healthier diets had higher rates of lung cancer, raising questions about whether pesticide exposure from conventionally grown produce could play a role. Researchers stress that the findings are preliminary and require further studies before any conclusions can be drawn.

science  Jul 13, 2026

Science Daily

Stephen Hawking's black hole laws just got a major upgrade

Scientists have developed a new framework that could finally apply the laws of thermodynamics to real, ever-changing black holes instead of only perfectly stable ones. The advance may improve our understanding of black hole mergers, evaporation, and the powerful gravitational wave events detected by observatories like LIGO.

science  Jul 13, 2026

Science Daily

Where you live could shape your dementia risk, massive study finds

Researchers analyzing data from more than 214,000 people found that dementia risk factors differ widely across countries, challenging the idea of a one-size-fits-all prevention strategy. At the same time, they uncovered surprisingly consistent patterns that could help shape smarter, more targeted public health efforts.

science  Jul 13, 2026

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