The Guardian Science

Sex-loving hookworms and other peculiar parasites: one man’s mission to champion nature’s villains

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  6d ago

Science Daily

Scientists just discovered a lost branch of Australia’s marsupials

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  6d ago

Science Daily

Scientists identify the rare meteorite that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago

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  6d ago

Science Daily

Common antidepressant may ease long COVID’s crushing fatigue

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  6d ago

Science Daily

Popular sugar substitutes linked to faster brain aging

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  Jul 18, 2026

Science Daily

A shattered asteroid may have bombarded Earth 800 million years ago

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.

science  Jul 18, 2026

Science Daily

Earth’s biggest volcanic event transformed an entire oceanic plate

Seismic waves have revealed that the oceanic plate beneath the Ontong Java Plateau was dramatically transformed by the colossal volcanic activity that created it more than 100 million years ago. Researchers found a complex structure of horizontal layers cut through by vast swarms of vertical magma channels, along with unusually slow seismic waves suggesting that deep-rising magma chemically altered the plate itself.

science  Jul 18, 2026

Science Daily

Intermittent fasting helped people keep weight off for a year

A 12-week intermittent fasting program produced weight-loss benefits that were still visible a year later. Participants who ate within an eight-hour window maintained more weight loss than those who followed their usual longer eating schedule. Both early and late eating windows worked, while early fasting appeared especially helpful for preserving fat loss.

science  Jul 18, 2026

Science Daily

NASA’s James Webb catches a supermassive black hole feeding

JWST has captured unusually detailed images of gas feeding the supermassive black hole at the center of NGC 4696. A vast filament appears to funnel material into an 800-light-year-wide spinning disk, where gas races around at up to 600 kilometers per second. The findings suggest black holes may recycle their own fuel by heating gas with jets and later drawing the cooled material back in.

science  Jul 18, 2026

Science Daily

Mediterranean diet may activate tiny proteins that protect the heart and brain

The Mediterranean diet may influence aging through tiny proteins produced inside the cell’s mitochondria. Older adults who followed the diet most closely had higher levels of humanin and SHMOOSE, which have been linked to heart and brain protection. Olive oil, fish, legumes, and fewer refined carbohydrates appeared especially important. The findings could eventually help scientists develop more personalized nutrition plans for healthy aging.

science  Jul 18, 2026

NASA News

NASA Pushes New Wing Design to Find Structural Limits

NASA researchers recently put a new wing design, appearing long and thin with a lightweight structural design, through a series of grueling tests to find its structural limits. What they found left them encouraged about the wing’s potential, even when they pushed it past its intended limits. The 15-foot Structural Wing Experiment Evaluating Truss-bracing (SWEET-15) […]

science  Jul 17, 2026

NASA News

The Growing Crescent of Mars as NASA’s Psyche Mission Approaches

Description This composite of images taken by NASA’s Psyche mission shows the crescent of Mars grow as the spacecraft approached the planet for a gravity assist from May 2 to May 15, 2026. The series begins with the smallest crescent at the center of the of the image as Mars is farthest from the spacecraft, and progressively […]

science  Jul 17, 2026

NASA News

Establishing a VTE Risk Score for Astronauts Algorithm

In April 2026, NASA’s Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer (OCHMO) initiated a working group to review updated VTE case information, additional data gathered revealing altered blood flow status within a cohort of astronauts, and discuss progress of research and clinical activities intended to mitigate the risk of VTE during spaceflight with new […]

science  Jul 17, 2026

NASA News

NASA Awards Facilities Support Services Contract for Ames Research Center 

CONTRACT RELEASE NASA has selected Chugach Intelligence Solutions LLC to provide comprehensive operations, maintenance, and repair services for NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.  The Ames Facilities Support Services II contract ensures that the center’s historic and specialized facilities are properly maintained, fully operational, and capable of supporting the agency’s missions and tenant partners in the NASA Resea

science  Jul 17, 2026

NASA News

NASA’s Chandra and IXPE Study Pulsar in Lighthouse Nebula

This composite image, released on July 9, 2026, shows the region around a pulsar – a neutron star with a strong magnetic field that spins incredibly fast – within the Lighthouse nebula. The image contains X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory in purple, X-rays from NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) in blue, and […]

science  Jul 17, 2026

NASA News

La NASA invita a los medios de comunicación al lanzamiento del telescopio espacial Roman

Read this release in English here. Ya está abierto el plazo de acreditación de los medios de comunicación para el lanzamiento de la misión del telescopio espacial Nancy Grace Roman de la NASA. El lanzamiento del telescopio Roman está programado para no antes de las 7:20 a.m. (hora del este) del domingo 30 de agosto, […]

science  Jul 17, 2026

NASA News

NASA Invites Media to Roman Space Telescope, Crew-13 Launches

Media accreditation now is open for the launch of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and the agency’s SpaceX Crew-13 missions, both targeting launch in the coming months. The Roman telescope is slated to launch no earlier than 7:20 a.m. EDT Sunday, Aug. 30, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at […]

science  Jul 17, 2026

NASA News

NASA’s Psyche Mission Images Details of Martian Surface During Flyby

Description Captured by the multispectral imager instrument on NASA’s Psyche mission, this is an enhanced-color mosaic created from four individual images acquired on May 15, 2026, during the spacecraft’s flyby of Mars.  Psyche was traveling from right to left (northeast to southwest on Mars) during the six minutes that it took to acquire the images for […]

science  Jul 17, 2026

NASA News

NASA Welcomes Mauritius as 70th Artemis Accords Signatory  

The Republic of Mauritius has officially joined the global coalition committed to responsible space exploration, becoming the newest signatory and seventh African country to join the Artemis Accords. NASA’s Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson contributed video remarks for a signing ceremony on Friday, in the island nation’s city of Ébène. “We are honored to welcome Mauritius […]

science  Jul 17, 2026

Science Daily

Terraforming Mars may be more realistic than scientists once thought

Scientists say new technologies have reopened the debate over whether Mars could someday be terraformed, turning a once impossible idea into a serious research topic. Before anyone tries to reshape the Red Planet, though, researchers say we must understand the risks, including what might be lost if Mars already harbors its own forms of life.

science  Jul 17, 2026