First-in-class small molecule inhibitor shows promise against pancreatic cancer in preclinical studies

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed an experimental drug with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) to target the "undruggable" PDZ domain of the GIPC1 protein, which helps different types of cancer, including pancreatic cancer, grow and resist treatment.

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As urban tree shade shrinks, mortality rises

As trees disappear from urban neighborhoods, lives may be lost with them. In a new study, Northwestern University scientists tracked death rates and fluctuations in tree canopy cover across an 11-year period in Chicago.

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Bringing 'giant batteries' closer to commercialization in the AI data center era

The explosive growth of AI data centers has brought the commercialization of "giant batteries" one step closer. A KAIST research team has developed a process that cuts the production time for a core material used in large-capacity batteries by 67%, resolving the largest production bottleneck standing in the way of commercialization.

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Scattered Roman bones point to potential fourth-century purge at Brading Villa

Disarticulated bones found scattered across a luxurious Roman villa on England's Isle of Wight may be evidence of a massacre carried out during a brutal political purge in the fourth century, a new study in Britannia suggests.

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Spatial mapping of growth plate tissue may help explain how bones grow

Researchers at the Department of Women's and Children's Health have used a novel technique to map which genes are active in different regions of the skeleton's growth plates.

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Common neuroscience sensors sometimes get their signals crossed

Cells in the brain communicate in different ways. The classical mode involves tight connections between individual cells that signal only to each other.

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Cell-inspired synthetic fibers reveal a reversible route to self-protecting smart materials

Researchers at the University of Bayreuth, together with colleagues from Freie Universität Berlin and the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, have developed a synthetic fiber system inspired by the cellular cytoskeleton that protects itself through controlled bundling.

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Restoring the silenced Friedreich's ataxia gene through unconventional means

Cells can switch off genes by tightly packaging DNA around proteins called histones. However, scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered that under certain conditions, this packaging acts more like molasses than a solid, allowing a specially designed chemical adapter to shuttle gene-activating proteins through the packaging to the silenced gene inside.

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New model maps where HIV is concentrated and the disease is more advanced

A new biostatistical modeling approach has the potential to support health decisions by pinpointing where HIV is concentrated and where people living with HIV are showing signs of severe immune suppression or delayed treatment.

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Childhood physical illnesses linked to increased risk of mental health disorders in autistic young adults

Mental health conditions are more common among autistic individuals than in the general population, but knowledge about how physical and mental health interact over time has been limited.

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New molecule class creates hardy, drought tolerant plants

As climate change causes water scarcity and temperatures to rise, crops around the world are feeling the heat. How can we prevent severe crop losses in these relentlessly sweltering conditions?

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RNA technology improves insulin-producing cell transplantation outcomes

Researchers from the Rolf Luft Research Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology at Karolinska Institutet have developed a targeted RNA technology to prepare pancreatic islet cells for transplantation.

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Astronomers catch massive star's death from the first explosive moment

In March 2026, the Einstein Probe detected a brief flash of soft X-rays emitted from a galaxy about 500 million light-years away.

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Human activity more than doubles Arctic fire occurrence, satellite analysis suggests

Fires in the Arctic are not solely a regional issue, as shown by the hazy skies in Switzerland last summer despite otherwise sunny weather.

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Severe COVID-19 reactivates dormant viruses, study finds

Chronically infecting viruses—such as Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpesviruses—are common and often innocuous and asymptomatic.

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International project delivers hundreds of next-generation models for cancer research

Ten years and thousands of patient samples later, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has published its results from the Human Cancer Model Initiative (HCMI) on the development of 665 organoid models of 25 types of cancer that are now available to scientists worldwide.

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Avalanche cracks may appear globally supersonic while remaining locally subsonic

Can a crack be supersonic? Can the fracture that triggers an avalanche propagate faster than the limiting velocity predicted by classical fracture mechanics?

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Pumas make roads safer for drivers by changing prey behavior patterns

Living among large predatory carnivores could actually make you safer. A study published in the journal Current Biology found that pumas—wild cats also known as mountain lions, cougars or panthers—change deer behavior, leading to fewer collisions with cars on roadways.

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Study uses living human brain tissue to map how electric stimulation affects neurons and genetic activity

Neurons that once encoded a person's memories are now helping researchers identify genetic targets that may one day help preserve memory and slow cognitive decline in others.

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Turning one of the world's most difficult plastics into premium lubricant

Virginia Tech chemist and chemical engineer Guoliang "Greg" Liu and his lab have developed a process that converts the plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into polyalphaolefin, a key component in lubricants such as engine oil.

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Firearm carrying accelerates suicide risk among high school students, study shows

Self-reports from more than 23,000 high school students in 15 states for a school-based survey administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal a strong association between firearm carrying and the risk of suicide by any method, according to a new study by Michael A.

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New biobank of tumor models reveals cancers' weak spots

A new open resource of cancer models has enabled researchers to create the first large-scale map of the genes that cancers rely on to survive, offering new avenues for research into better and less toxic treatments for patients.

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Tiny vortices discovered on the sun's surface

Researchers from the U.S. National Science Foundation National Solar Observatory (NSF NSO), the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, and the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) in the U.S. have made a discovery in solar physics.

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Backpack lab finds wastewater contamination and drug-resistant bacteria in Galápagos waters

From routine surgeries to cancer treatment, modern medicine depends on drugs that can fight infections caused by microbes such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.

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Ancient armored fish that narrowly avoided meteorite strike reveals life before Earth's largest mass extinction

A rare fossil discovered near South America's largest known meteorite crater has been named a new species. Initially mistaken for a frog by locals, Leolepis matogrossensis is actually a species of ancient ray-finned fish—the group that includes 96% of all bony fishes living today, including tuna, salmon and cod.

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Were there tiny dinosaurs? New study explores one of evolution's biggest mysteries

Dinosaurs are famous for being big, from the towering Tyrannosaurus rex to the colossal Apatosaurus. But a new study published today in the journal Evolution by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History and Princeton University suggests that one of the greatest mysteries of dinosaur evolution isn't how some species became giants—it's why even the smallest dinosaurs never became truly tiny.

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Pretrained AI could help clinics analyze brain MRIs with few labeled scans

When it comes to medical imaging, a chatbot doesn't know its backside from its elbow. Or, at least, it can't tell a spine from a knee.

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MRI metric identifies early, multifactorial white matter damage in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease has traditionally been studied as a condition that primarily affects the brain's gray matter, where neuronal cell bodies are located and some of the disease's most characteristic lesions accumulate.

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Venus's polygonal plains could point to a watery past

Venus may be overwhelmingly inhospitable today, but many planetary scientists believe that it wasn't always this way. Billions of years ago, some observational evidence suggested that our planetary neighbor may have looked far more like Earth, complete with oceans potentially capable of harboring life.

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Why laughter can trigger sudden muscle weakness in people with narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological condition characterized by disruptions in the regulation of sleep-wake cycles. People with this condition often experience extreme sleepiness during the day and, in some cases, a sudden but temporary loss of muscle strength while conscious, called cataplexy.

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