- Autism

- Computers and Math

- Earth and Climate

- Fossils and Ruins

- Gender Difference

- Health and Medicine

- Matter and Energy

- Plants and Animals

- Society News

- Space and Time

Autism

- Brain scans reveal a shocking difference between psychopaths and other people: 2026 May 10

Brain scans reveal a shocking difference between psychopaths and other people

Date: May 10, 2026

Source: Nanyang Technological University

Summary: Scientists have uncovered a striking brain difference linked to psychopathy: people with psychopathic traits were found to have a striatum — a brain region tied to reward, motivation, and decision-making — that was about 10% larger on average than those without such traits. Using MRI scans and psychological assessments on 120 participants, researchers connected this enlarged brain region to thrill-seeking, impulsive behavior, and a stronger drive for stimulation.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Scientists may have uncovered a hidden brain difference that helps explain the thrill-seeking behavior of psychopaths. Credit: AI/ScienceDaily.com

Neuroscientists have identified a measurable brain difference between people with psychopathic traits and those with few or none. In a study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), the University of Pennsylvania, and California State University found that a brain region involved in reward and motivation was larger in individuals with psychopathic traits.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the team found that the striatum was about 10 percent larger on average in psychopathic individuals compared with a control group. The striatum sits deep in the forebrain and plays a role in movement planning, decision-making, motivation, reinforcement, and how the brain responds to rewards.

Psychopathy is generally associated with an egocentric and antisocial personality pattern. People with strong psychopathic traits often show reduced empathy, little remorse for harmful actions, and, in some cases, a greater likelihood of criminal behavior. Not everyone with psychopathic traits commits crimes, and not every person who commits a crime is a psychopath, but research has consistently linked psychopathy with a higher risk of violent behavior.

A Larger Reward Center in the Brain

Earlier research had suggested that the striatum may be unusually active in psychopaths, but it was less clear whether the size of this brain region was also involved. The Journal of Psychiatric Research findings added evidence that psychopathy is not shaped only by social and environmental experiences. Biology may also play a role.

To investigate the link, the researchers scanned the brains of 120 people in the United States. They also interviewed the participants using the Psychopathy Checklist -- Revised, a widely used psychological assessment designed to measure psychopathic traits.

Assistant Professor Olivia Choy, from NTU's School of Social Sciences, a neurocriminologist who co-authored the study, said: "Our study's results help advance our knowledge about what underlies antisocial behavior such as psychopathy. We find that in addition to social environmental influences, it is important to consider that there can be differences in biology, in this case, the size of brain structures, between antisocial and non-antisocial individuals."

The findings may help researchers better understand how biology contributes to antisocial and criminal behavior. Over time, that knowledge could help refine theories of behavior and inform future approaches to policy, prevention, and treatment.

What the Striatum May Reveal About Risk and Reward

The striatum is part of the basal ganglia, a group of neuron clusters located deep in the brain. The basal ganglia receive information from the cerebral cortex, which helps control thinking, social behavior, and the ability to decide which sensory information deserves attention.

Over the past two decades, scientists have increasingly recognized that the striatum is not only involved in movement and reward. It may also be tied to social behavior and difficulties in social functioning.

By comparing MRI scans with psychopathy assessment results, the researchers found that a larger striatum was linked to a stronger need for stimulation, including thrill-seeking, excitement, and impulsive behavior. In the published study, stimulation-seeking and impulsivity partly explained the relationship between striatal volume and psychopathy, accounting for 49.4 percent of the association.

Professor Adrian Raine from the Departments of Criminology, Psychiatry, and Psychology at University of Pennsylvania, who co-authored the study, said: "Because biological traits, such as the size of one's striatum, can be inherited to child from parent, these findings give added support to neurodevelopmental perspectives of psychopathy -- that the brains of these offenders do not develop normally throughout childhood and adolescence."

Psychopathic Traits Outside Prison Populations

One important feature of the study was that it included people from the community rather than focusing only on prison populations. That helped the researchers examine psychopathic traits in a broader group of individuals.

Professor Robert Schug from the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Emergency Management at California State University, Long Beach, who co-authored the study, said: "The use of the Psychopathy Checklist -- Revised in a community sample remains a novel scientific approach: Helping us understand psychopathic traits in individuals who are not in jails and prisons, but rather in those who walk among us each day."

The researchers also examined 12 women in the study sample. They reported that, for the first time, psychopathy was linked to an enlarged striatum in adult females as well as males. The female sample was small, so the finding needs further study, but it suggested that the same brain pattern may not be limited to men.

In typical human development, the striatum tends to shrink as a child matures. That pattern raises the possibility that psychopathy may be connected to differences in brain development across childhood and adolescence.

Brain Development and Environment May Both Matter

Asst Prof Choy added: "A better understanding of the striatum's development is still needed. Many factors are likely involved in why one individual is more likely to have psychopathic traits than another individual. Psychopathy can be linked to a structural abnormality in the brain that may be developmental in nature. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that the environment can also have effects on the structure of the striatum."

Prof Raine added: "We have always known that psychopaths go to extreme lengths to seek out rewards, including criminal activities that involve property, sex, and drugs. We are now finding out a neurobiological underpinning of this impulsive and stimulating behavior in the form of enlargement to the striatum, a key brain area involved in rewards."

The study was published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research under the title "Larger striatal volume is associated with increased adult psychopathy."

Later Research Points to a Wider Brain Network

Since the 2022 paper, later research has continued to explore how psychopathy relates to brain structure and brain networks. A 2025 study in European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience examined 39 adult men diagnosed with psychopathy and found that antisocial lifestyle traits were associated with reduced volumes in several brain regions, including parts of the basal ganglia, thalamus, basal forebrain, pons, cerebellum, orbitofrontal cortex, dorsolateral-frontal cortex, and insular cortex. The researchers concluded that these findings point to disruptions in frontal-subcortical circuits involved in behavioral control.

Another 2025 analysis in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews looked across 38 functional neuroimaging studies of psychopathy. Although individual studies often pointed to different brain locations, the findings appeared to map onto a shared functional brain network involving the default mode network and subcortical regions. The authors argued that psychopathy may be better understood through a network-level view of the brain rather than by focusing on one region alone.

Together, these later findings add nuance to the 2022 striatum study. The enlarged striatum finding remains an important clue, especially because of the striatum's role in reward, stimulation, and impulsivity. However, psychopathy likely reflects a broader pattern of brain differences involving motivation, emotional processing, impulse control, and social behavior.

Associate Professor Andrea Glenn from the Department of Psychology of The University of Alabama, who was not involved in the 2022 study, said: "By replicating and extending prior work, this study increases our confidence that psychopathy is associated with structural differences in the striatum, a brain region that is important in a variety of processes important for cognitive and social functioning. Future studies will be needed to understand the factors that may contribute to these structural differences."

Scientists are still working to understand why the striatum may be enlarged in people with psychopathic traits. Future work may help clarify how genetics, development, life experiences, and environment interact to shape the brain systems involved in reward-seeking, impulse control, and antisocial behavior.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Nanyang Technological University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Olivia Choy, Adrian Raine, Robert Schug. Larger striatal volume is associated with increased adult psychopathy. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2022; 149: 185 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.03.006

Cite This Page:

Nanyang Technological University. (2026, May 10). Brain scans reveal a shocking difference between psychopaths and other people. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260510030946.htm

Computers and Math

- JUPITER supercomputer breaks world record with 50-qubit quantum simulation: 2026 May 11

- Researchers say AI chatbots may blur the line between reality and delusion: 2026 May 11

- Scientists just sent unhackable quantum keys across 120 kilometers

- The hidden atomic gap that could break next-generation computer chips

JUPITER supercomputer breaks world record with 50-qubit quantum simulation

Date: May 11, 2026

Source: Forschungszentrum Jülich

Summary: Scientists in Germany have pulled off a staggering computing feat by fully simulating a 50-qubit quantum computer for the first time ever using Europe’s new exascale supercomputer, JUPITER. The breakthrough shatters the previous 48-qubit record and highlights just how powerful next-generation supercomputers have become.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Scientists just simulated a 50-qubit quantum computer for the first time — a record-breaking leap powered by Europe’s new exascale supercomputer. Credit: Shutterstock

Researchers at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre and NVIDIA have achieved a major milestone in quantum computing by fully simulating a universal quantum computer with 50 qubits for the first time. The accomplishment was made possible using JUPITER, Europe's first exascale supercomputer, which was officially launched at Forschungszentrum Jülich last September.

The achievement surpasses the previous record of 48 qubits, which was also set by Jülich scientists in 2019 using Japan's K computer. Beyond setting a new benchmark, the breakthrough highlights the enormous capabilities of JUPITER and could accelerate the development of future quantum algorithms and technologies.

Why Quantum Simulations Matter

Simulations of quantum computers play a critical role in advancing quantum research. Scientists use them to test algorithms, validate experimental findings, and explore how future quantum systems may behave before real hardware becomes powerful enough to handle such tasks.

Some of the algorithms researchers are interested in include the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE), which can help study molecules and materials, and the Quantum Approximate Optimisation Algorithm (QAOA), designed for solving optimization problems in areas such as logistics, finance, and artificial intelligence.

The Enormous Challenge of Simulating Quantum Systems

Recreating a quantum computer on a traditional supercomputer is extremely demanding because the complexity grows exponentially with every added qubit. Each new qubit doubles both the memory and computing power required for the simulation.

A standard laptop can manage simulations involving roughly 30 qubits. Simulating 50 qubits, however, requires around 2 petabytes of memory, which equals roughly two million gigabytes.

"Only the world's largest supercomputers currently offer that much," says Prof. Kristel Michielsen, Director at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre. "This use case illustrates how closely progress in high-performance computing and quantum research are intertwined today."

The simulation models the detailed quantum behavior of an actual processor. Every operation -- such as applying a quantum gate -- influences more than 2 quadrillion complex numerical values, a "2" with 15 zeros. Those values must remain synchronized across thousands of computing nodes to accurately reproduce the behavior of a real quantum processor.

NVIDIA GH200 Superchips Enabled the Record

The breakthrough relied heavily on NVIDIA GH200 Superchips used within the JUPITER system. These chips tightly connect central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs), allowing data that exceeds GPU memory capacity to be temporarily stored in CPU memory while maintaining high performance.

To take advantage of this architecture, engineers at the NVIDIA Application Lab -- a initiative between the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) and NVIDIA -- upgraded Jülich's quantum simulation software, the Jülich Universal Quantum Computer Simulator (JUQCS). The updated version, called JUQCS-50, can efficiently perform quantum calculations even when some of the data is transferred to CPU memory.

Researchers also introduced a byte-encoding compression technique that cuts memory requirements by a factor of eight, along with a dynamic optimization system that continually improves data exchange between more than 16,000 GH200 Superchips.

"With JUQCS-50, we can emulate universal quantum computers with high fidelity and tackle questions that no existing quantum processor can yet solve," says Prof. Hans De Raedt of the Jülich Supercomputing Centre and lead author of the study published as a preprint.

Expanding Access to Quantum Research

JUQCS-50 will also be made available to outside research organizations and companies through JUNIQ -- the Jülich UNified Infrastructure for Quantum Computing. Researchers expect it to serve both as a scientific tool and as a benchmark for evaluating future supercomputers.

The project was developed as part of the JUPITER Research and Early Access Programme (JUREAP). "Through early collaboration, hardware and software could be co-designed during JUPITER's construction phase, in close cooperation between Jülich experts and NVIDIA -- an important step towards realising the full potential of this exascale system," explains Dr. Andreas Herten, a member of the Jülich JUPITER project team and co-author of the study.

JUPITER receives joint funding from multiple organizations. Half of the funding comes from the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU). One quarter is provided by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR, formerly BMBF), while the remaining quarter comes from the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MKW NRW) through the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing (GCS).

Story Source:

Materials provided by Forschungszentrum Jülich. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Hans De Raedt, Jiri Kraus, Andreas Herten, Vrinda Mehta, Mathis Bode, Markus Hrywniak, Kristel Michielsen, Thomas Lippert. Universal Quantum Simulation of 50 Qubits on Europe`s First Exascale Supercomputer Harnessing Its Heterogeneous CPU-GPU Architecture. arXiv, 7 Nov 2025 DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2511.03359

Cite This Page:

Forschungszentrum Jülich. (2026, May 11). JUPITER supercomputer breaks world record with 50-qubit quantum simulation. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260510234715.htm

Researchers say AI chatbots may blur the line between reality and delusion

Date: May 11, 2026

Source: University of Exeter

Summary: A new study suggests AI chatbots may do more than spread misinformation — they can actively strengthen a user’s false beliefs. Because conversational AI often validates and builds on what users say, it can make distorted memories, conspiracy theories, or delusions feel more believable and emotionally real. Researchers warn that AI companions may be especially risky for isolated or vulnerable people seeking reassurance and connection.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A new study warns that AI chatbots may not just spread false information — they could quietly help people believe it more deeply. Credit: Shutterstock

When generative AI systems give incorrect answers, people often describe the problem as AI "hallucinating at us," meaning the technology produces false information that users may mistakenly believe.

But new research suggests there may be a more concerning issue emerging: humans can begin to "hallucinate with AI."

Lucy Osler of the University of Exeter examined how interactions with conversational AI could contribute to false beliefs, distorted memories, altered personal narratives, and even delusional thinking. Using ideas from distributed cognition theory, the study explored cases in which AI systems reinforced and expanded users' inaccurate beliefs during ongoing conversations.

Dr. Osler said: "When we routinely rely on generative AI to help us think, remember, and narrate, we can hallucinate with AI. This can happen when AI introduces errors into the distributed cognitive process, but also happen when AI sustains, affirms, and elaborates on our own delusional thinking and self-narratives.

"By interacting with conversational AI, people's own false beliefs can not only be affirmed but can more substantially take root and grow as the AI builds upon them. This happens because Generative AI often takes our own interpretation of reality as the ground upon which conversation is built.

"Interacting with generative AI is having a real impact on people's grasp of what is real or not. The combination of technological authority and social affirmation creates an ideal environment for delusions to not merely persist but to flourish."

How Conversational AI Can Reinforce Delusions

The study highlights what Dr. Osler describes as the "dual function" of conversational AI. These systems act not only as tools that help people think, organize information, and remember details, but also as conversational partners that appear to share a user's perspective and experiences.

According to the research, this social aspect makes chatbots fundamentally different from tools like notebooks or search engines. While traditional tools simply store or retrieve information, conversational AI can make users feel emotionally validated and socially supported.

Dr. Osler said: "The conversational, companion-like nature of chatbots means they can provide a sense of social validation -- making false beliefs feel shared with another, and thereby more real."

The paper examined real-world examples in which generative AI systems became part of the cognitive process of individuals who had been clinically diagnosed with hallucinations and delusional thinking. Some of these incidents are increasingly being described as cases of "AI-induced psychosis."

Why AI Companions Raise Concern

The research argues that generative AI has several characteristics that may make it especially effective at reinforcing distorted beliefs. AI companions are always available, highly personalized, and often designed to respond in agreeable and supportive ways.

As a result, users may not need to seek out fringe online communities or persuade others to validate their ideas. The AI itself can reinforce those beliefs during repeated conversations.

Unlike another person who may eventually challenge troubling thoughts or establish boundaries, an AI system could continue validating stories involving victimhood, revenge, or entitlement. The study warns that conspiracy theories may also become more elaborate when AI companions help users build increasingly complex explanations around them.

Researchers suggest this dynamic may be especially appealing to people who are lonely, socially isolated, or uncomfortable discussing certain experiences with others. AI companions can provide a nonjudgmental and emotionally responsive interaction that may feel easier or safer than human relationships.

Calls for Better AI Safeguards

Dr. Osler said: "Through more sophisticated guard-railing, built-in fact-checking, and reduced sycophancy, AI systems could be designed to minimize the number of errors they introduce into conversations and to check and challenge user's own inputs.

"However, a deeper worry is that AI systems are reliant on our own accounts of our lives. They simply lack the embodied experience and social embeddedness in the world to know when they should go along with us and when to push back."

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Exeter. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Lucy Osler. Hallucinating with AI: Distributed Delusions and “AI Psychosis”. Philosophy, 2026; 39 (1) DOI: 10.1007/s13347-026-01034-3

Cite This Page:

University of Exeter. (2026, May 11). Researchers say AI chatbots may blur the line between reality and delusion. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260509210652.htm

Scientists just sent unhackable quantum keys across 120 kilometers

Date: May 9, 2026

Source: Light Publishing Center, Changchun Institute of Optics, CAS

Summary: Scientists have taken a major step toward ultra-secure quantum communication by demonstrating a remarkably stable quantum encryption system that worked across more than 120 kilometers of optical fiber. Using tiny semiconductor quantum dots that emit single particles of light on demand, the team achieved one of the highest secure key rates yet for this type of technology while maintaining continuous operation for over six hours without manual adjustments.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Scientists just pushed quantum-secure communication closer to reality with a remarkably stable system that kept encrypted quantum signals running for hours across 120+ kilometers of fiber. Credit: Shutterstock

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is widely considered the most advanced form of quantum cryptography, offering a path toward virtually unbreakable security for the future quantum internet. One promising technology behind these secure systems involves semiconductor quantum dots (SQDs), tiny solid-state light sources capable of generating high-quality single photons for quantum communication. These devices could help boost secure key generation rates while also supporting future quantum repeaters needed for large-scale quantum networks.

Another important development is time-bin encoding, a technique that stores information in the arrival times of photons. This method is especially attractive for long-distance quantum communication because it is naturally resistant to many of the environmental disturbances that can disrupt fiber optic networks.

Stable Quantum Encryption Over 120 Kilometers

An international research team from universities in Germany and China has now demonstrated the first true time-bin QKD system powered by an on-demand telecom semiconductor quantum dot device. Their results appeared as journal cover art in Light: Science & Applications.

In the experiment, the scientists generated three separate time-bin qubit states both deterministically and randomly using a self-stabilized time-bin encoder. The setup converts polarized single photons produced by a telecom C-band quantum dot into encoded quantum signals. On the receiving end, the photonic qubits were decoded with an actively stabilized interferometer containing a phase shifter, allowing the system to operate for extended periods without manual adjustment.

The researchers successfully transmitted the quantum signals across an optical fiber link spanning more than 120 kilometers between the encoder and decoder. The system also maintained impressive stability during more than six hours of continuous operation.

High Secure Key Rates With Quantum Dots

The proof-of-concept experiment achieved the highest secure key rate yet reported for a time-bin QKD system based on a high-performance quantum dot device. The quantum dot source produced bright, highly pure single photons at an operating rate of approximately 76 MHz.

Even after traveling through 120 kilometers of standard optical fiber, the system kept average quantum bit error rates below 11%. Under practical finite key conditions, the setup maintained an average secure key rate of about ~15 bits/s, a level considered suitable for real-world encrypted text messaging applications.

The researchers emphasized the significance of the advance:

"Telecom-band QDs with Purcell enhancement can provide high-brightness photons suitable for intercity fiber communication, making them promising candidates for integration into practical QKD systems."

Time-Bin Encoding Improves Real-World Stability

The team also highlighted the advantages of time-bin encoding compared with many existing quantum dot based QKD systems, which can be highly sensitive to environmental disruptions.

"Most existing QD-based QKD systems are vulnerable to changes in the practical quantum channel caused by environmental factors, such as turbulence, temperature and vibrations. This necessitates active compensation. In contrast, time-bin encoding, where qubits are encoded in the temporal position of single photons, offers intrinsic stability against such channel fluctuations even without any complex compensation protocols"

According to the scientists, the system's long uninterrupted runtime demonstrates the robustness of the approach.

"The system is operated continuously for 6 hours, highlighting the intrinsic robustness of the time-bin scheme enabled by the system including the Sagnac interferometer (SNI), active feedback control, etc."

The researchers say the work marks an important step toward practical, scalable quantum communication systems that could eventually support secure quantum networks in real-world environments.

"This result underscores the feasibility of integrating QD single-photon sources into stable and field-deployable time-bin QKD systems, marking an important step toward scalable, quantum-secure communication networks based on solid-state single-photon emitters."

Story Source:

Materials provided by Light Publishing Center, Changchun Institute of Optics, CAS. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Jipeng Wang, Joscha Hanel, Zenghui Jiang, Raphael Joos, Michael Jetter, Eddy Patrick Rugeramigabo, Simone Luca Portalupi, Peter Michler, Xiao-Yu Cao, Hua-Lei Yin, Lei Shan, Jingzhong Yang, Michael Zopf, Fei Ding. Time-bin encoded quantum key distribution over 120 km with a telecom quantum dot source. Light: Science, 2026; 15 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41377-026-02205-9

Cite This Page:

Light Publishing Center, Changchun Institute of Optics, CAS. (2026, May 9). Scientists just sent unhackable quantum keys across 120 kilometers. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260508003129.htm

The hidden atomic gap that could break next-generation computer chips

A nearly invisible atomic gap could block the future of ultra-small computer chips—but scientists may have found a way around it.

Date: May 9, 2026

Source: Vienna University of Technology

Summary: A major obstacle may be standing in the way of the next generation of ultra-tiny computer chips. Researchers discovered that many promising 2D materials lose their advantages because an invisible atomic-scale gap forms when they are combined with insulating layers. That tiny gap weakens electronic performance and could prevent further miniaturization. The team says new “zipper materials” that lock together more tightly may offer a path forward.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A 2D-conductor and a dielectric layer: The unavoidable gap in between changes the electronic properties significantly. Credit: TU Wien

For decades, smaller and more powerful electronic components have fueled major advances in technology. Now scientists are searching for the next breakthrough in computer chip design, and many researchers believe 2D materials could play a key role. These ultrathin materials, made from just one or a few atomic layers, have been viewed as promising candidates for building even tinier electronic devices.

But new research from TU Wien suggests that many of these materials may not work as expected in real-world chip technology. The problem is not just the material itself. Scientists found that when 2D materials are paired with insulating layers required for electronic devices, an unavoidable atomic-scale gap forms between them. That tiny separation can significantly reduce performance and create a fundamental barrier to further miniaturization.

The findings could help the semiconductor industry avoid spending billions of dollars on approaches that may never overcome these physical limitations.

Why Interfaces Matter in 2D Electronics

"For many years, researchers have quite rightly been fascinated by the remarkable electronic properties of novel 2D materials such as graphene or molybdenum disulfide," says Prof. Mahdi Pourfath, who carried out the research together with Prof. Tibor Grasser at TU Wien's Institute for Microelectronics. "What is often overlooked, however, is that a 2D material alone does not make an electronic device. We also need an insulating layer -- usually an oxide. And this is where things become more complicated from a materials science perspective."

Modern transistors work by switching a semiconductor between conductive and nonconductive states. In future chips, that semiconductor could be an ultrathin 2D material. The process is controlled by a gate electrode, which must be separated from the active material by an insulating layer.

To keep devices as small and efficient as possible, the insulating layer needs to be extremely thin. However, the TU Wien team found that this creates a major issue at the atomic scale.

The Tiny Gap Creating a Big Problem

"In many combinations of 2D materials and insulating layers, the bonding between them is relatively weak," explains Grasser. "They are held together only by so-called van der Waals forces, which provide only a weak attraction between the semiconductor and the insulator. As a result, the two layers do not come into close contact -- there is always a gap between them."

That gap measures only about 0.14 nanometers, making it thinner than a single sulfur atom. Even so, it has a dramatic effect on electronic behavior. For perspective, a SARS-CoV-2 virus is about 700 times larger.

"This gap weakens the capacitive coupling between the layers. No matter how good the intrinsic properties of the materials may be, the gap can become the limiting factor. As long as it exists, it imposes a fundamental limit on how far these devices can be miniaturized."

According to the researchers, many studies have focused heavily on the impressive properties of 2D materials themselves while paying less attention to the interfaces formed inside complete devices. Their work shows that these interfaces may ultimately determine whether future chip technologies succeed or fail.

"Zipper Materials" Could Offer a Solution

"If the semiconductor industry wants to succeed with 2D materials, the active layer and the insulating layer must be designed together from the very beginning," emphasizes Mahdi Pourfath.

One possible answer is the use of so-called "zipper materials." In these systems, the semiconductor and insulating layer bond together much more strongly instead of remaining loosely connected by van der Waals forces. This tighter connection removes the problematic gap.

"Our work is good news for the semiconductor industry," says Tibor Grasser. "We can predict which materials are suitable for future miniaturization steps -- and which are not. But if one focuses only on the 2D materials themselves, without considering the unavoidable insulating layers from the outset, there is a risk of investing billions in an approach that simply cannot succeed for fundamental physical reasons."

Story Source:

Materials provided by Vienna University of Technology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Mahdi Pourfath, Tibor Grasser. Device-scaling constraints imposed by the van der Waals gap formed in two-dimensional materials. Science, 2026; DOI: 10.1126/science.aeb2271

Cite This Page:

Vienna University of Technology. (2026, May 9). The hidden atomic gap that could break next-generation computer chips. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260508003125.htm

Earth and Climate

- Scientists say this algae could remove microplastics from drinking water: 2026 May 12

- A supervolcano nearly wiped out humanity 74,000 years ago, but humans did something incredible

- “Cannot be explained” – New ultra stainless steel stuns researchers

- Scientists stunned as volcano cloud destroys methane in the atmosphere

- Scientists say a critical Atlantic ocean current is weakening and the world could feel the impact

- Antarctica is melting from below and scientists say it’s worse than expected

Scientists say this algae could remove microplastics from drinking water

Orange-scented algae could become an unexpected weapon against the world’s growing microplastic pollution crisis.

Date: May 12, 2026

Source: University of Missouri-Columbia

Summary: Researchers created a special kind of algae that can grab microscopic plastic pollution out of water almost like a magnet. The algae produce limonene, an orange-scented oil that helps them bind to water-repelling microplastics, forming easy-to-remove clumps. As a bonus, the algae also clean wastewater while growing.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

University of Missouri researcher Susie Dai is pioneering an innovative solution to remove tiny bits of plastic pollution from our water. Credit: University of Missouri

Researchers at the University of Missouri are developing a new way to remove tiny plastic pollutants from water using specially engineered algae.

Susie Dai, a researcher at Mizzou, recently created a modified strain of algae designed to capture harmful microplastics from contaminated water. Her long term goal is not only to clean waterways but also to recycle the collected plastic into safer bioplastic materials, including composite plastic films.

"Microplastics are pollutants found almost everywhere in the environment, such as in ponds, lakes, rivers, wastewater and the fish that we consume," Dai, a professor in the College of Engineering and principal investigator at the Bond Life Sciences Center, said. "Currently, most wastewater treatment plants can only remove large particles of plastic, but microplastics are so small that they slip through and end up in drinking water, polluting the environment and harming ecosystems."

Engineered Algae Targets Microplastics

In a recent study, Dai used genetic engineering to develop algae that produce limonene, a natural oil responsible for the familiar scent of oranges.

The limonene changes the algae's surface properties, making it repel water. Since microplastics are also water repellent, the particles naturally stick to the algae when they meet in water. The process forms clumps that sink to the bottom, creating a dense biomass layer that can be collected and removed more easily.

The modified algae also grow in wastewater, where they absorb excess nutrients while helping clean the water during the process.

"By removing the microplastics, cleaning the wastewater and eventually using the removed microplastics to create bioplastic products for good, we can tackle three issues with one approach," Dai said. "While our research is still in the early stages, our eventual goal is to integrate this new process into existing wastewater treatment plants so cities can clean their water more effectively and reduce pollution while creating useful products at the same time."

Plans To Scale Up the Technology

Dai's lab already grows algae inside large tank bioreactors. One system, a 100 liter bioreactor nicknamed "Shrek," is currently used to process industrial flue gas as part of efforts to reduce air pollution.

Looking ahead, Dai hopes to create larger versions of the Shrek system that could eventually be adapted for wastewater treatment and the removal of other pollutants.

The study, "Remediation and upcycling of microplastics by algae," was published in Nature Communications.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Missouri-Columbia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Bin Long, Qiang Li, Cheng Hu, Yayun Chen, Yining Zeng, Weiwei Li, Sydney Pearson, Mengqiao Liu, Chengcheng Fei, Joshua S. Yuan, Susie Y. Dai. Remediation and upcycling of microplastics by algae with wastewater nutrient removal and bioproduction potential. Nature Communications, 2025; 16 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-67543-5

Cite This Page:

University of Missouri-Columbia. (2026, May 12). Scientists say this algae could remove microplastics from drinking water. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260511213201.htm

A supervolcano nearly wiped out humanity 74,000 years ago, but humans did something incredible

Date: May 11, 2026

Source: The Conversation

Summary: The Toba supereruption 74,000 years ago was so massive it may have plunged Earth into years of darkness and cold, leading some scientists to believe humanity nearly went extinct. Yet archaeological evidence from Africa and Asia suggests early humans were far more resilient than once thought. Instead of disappearing, some communities adapted with new tools, new survival strategies, and remarkable flexibility. The disaster may not have destroyed humanity — it may have revealed just how tough humans really are.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Humanity may have stared down a volcanic apocalypse 74,000 years ago — and survived through sheer adaptability. Credit: AI/ScienceDaily.com

Seventy four thousand years ago, Earth experienced one of the most powerful volcanic disasters in the past 2.5 million years. The Toba supereruption, centered in what is now Indonesia, unleashed devastation on a staggering scale. The eruption was so enormous that scientists believe its effects reached nearly every corner of the planet.

For archaeologists who study ancient volcanic events, one question stands out above all others: How did humans survive? The Toba eruption was more than 10,000 times larger than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, yet our species endured.

The Toba Supereruption Changed the Planet

The eruption blasted 672 cubic miles (2,800 km^3) of volcanic ash high into the stratosphere and left behind a gigantic crater measuring about (62 x 18 miles, or 100 x 30 kilometers). The skies may have darkened for years as volcanic material blocked sunlight around the globe, triggering severe cooling.

Closer to the eruption, conditions would have been catastrophic. Acid rain likely polluted drinking water, while thick ash buried vegetation and wildlife beneath heavy layers of debris.

Given those extreme conditions, it is remarkable that Homo sapiens survived at all.

Did Humanity Nearly Go Extinct?

People living closest to the volcano were probably wiped out completely. Scientists are still investigating how much the eruption affected humans living farther away.

For many years, researchers supported what became known as the Toba catastrophe hypothesis. According to this idea, the eruption caused a volcanic winter that lasted as long as six years and pushed the global human population down to fewer than 10,000 people.

Part of the evidence comes from human DNA. Genetic studies suggest modern humans spread into different parts of the world roughly 100,000 years ago and later experienced what scientists call a genetic bottleneck. A bottleneck happens when a disaster or disease sharply reduces population numbers, leaving behind far less genetic diversity.

Researchers continue to debate whether the Toba eruption caused this population decline or whether another factor was responsible. Climate records, environmental evidence and archaeological discoveries are helping scientists piece together what really happened.

Tiny Volcanic Glass Reveals Ancient Clues

One of the most important tools for studying the eruption is the volcanic material it left behind. Scientists call this material tephra, and they can trace its spread across landscapes using both visual and chemical analysis.

Some of the smallest fragments, known as cryptotephra, travel the farthest distances. These microscopic pieces of volcanic glass are invisible to the naked eye, making them extremely difficult to find.

Researchers carefully sift through dirt samples and use specialized tools called micromanipulators to isolate the tiny shards. The process can take months for a single archaeological site and often feels like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Each volcanic eruption produces tephra with a distinct chemical signature. Some samples contain more iron or different mineral combinations than others. By studying these chemical fingerprints, scientists can determine exactly which eruption produced a specific layer of ash.

In the field, archaeologists search for cryptotephra at sites containing evidence of ancient human activity, including tools, artwork and buried remains. After collecting samples, researchers bring them back to the lab, separate the microscopic glass from the soil and chemically analyze it to confirm whether it came from the Toba eruption.

How Archaeologists Track Human Survival

Finding Toba ash at an archaeological site is only the first step. Scientists then compare evidence of human activity from before and after the eruption.

Sometimes people appear to change how they lived after a volcanic disaster. They may begin using new stone tool technologies, switch food sources or adapt to changing environments. In other cases, sites are completely abandoned.

Climate and environmental records add another layer to the story by showing how temperatures, rainfall and vegetation changed after the eruption. Together, these clues help researchers understand how ancient humans responded to extreme environmental stress.

Evidence Shows Humans Adapted

Despite the scale of the disaster, many archaeological sites point to human resilience rather than collapse.

At Pinnacle Point 5-6 in South Africa, researchers found evidence of Toba cryptotephra in layers showing continuous human occupation before, during and after the eruption. Human activity at the site actually increased afterward, along with signs of new technological innovations.

Similar discoveries have been made at Shinfa-Metema 1 in Ethiopia. There, cryptotephra from Toba appears in layers that also contain evidence of ongoing human activity.

Researchers found that people adapted by following seasonal rivers and fishing in shallow waterholes during long dry periods. Around the same time, humans in the region also adopted bow and arrow technology. This flexibility may have helped them survive harsh environmental conditions linked to the eruption.

Comparable evidence has also emerged from archaeological sites in Indonesia, India and China. As more discoveries accumulate, many scientists now believe humans were far more adaptable than the original Toba catastrophe hypothesis suggested.

The eruption may not have caused the dramatic population collapse once proposed, but it still offers valuable insight into how humans respond to extreme disasters.

What Toba Can Teach Us Today

Humans today are far better prepared for volcanic disasters than people were 74,000 years ago. Modern monitoring programs, including the USGS Volcanic Hazards Program and the Global Volcanism Program, track active volcanoes using advanced technology and provide warnings about eruptions around the world.

Still, one lesson from Toba stands out clearly. Human survival has always depended on adaptability. By studying how ancient people responded to catastrophic eruptions, scientists hope to better understand which survival strategies mattered most and how those lessons could help us face future disasters.

Story Source:

Materials provided by The Conversation. Original written by Jayde N. Hirniak, Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology, Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Cite This Page:

The Conversation. (2026, May 11). A supervolcano nearly wiped out humanity 74,000 years ago, but humans did something incredible. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260510234711.htm

“Cannot be explained” – New ultra stainless steel stuns researchers

Date: May 10, 2026

Source: The University of Hong Kong

Summary: A team at the University of Hong Kong has developed a new “super steel” that can survive the harsh conditions needed to make green hydrogen from seawater. The material uses an unexpected double-protection mechanism that resists corrosion far better than conventional stainless steel. Even more impressive, it could replace costly titanium parts used in today’s hydrogen systems.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

The novel stainless steel for hydrogen developed by the team. Credit: The University of Hong Kong

A stainless steel breakthrough from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) could help solve one of the biggest problems facing green hydrogen: how to build electrolyzers that are tough enough for seawater, yet cheap enough for large scale clean energy.

Led by Professor Mingxin Huang in HKU's Department of Mechanical Engineering, the team developed a special stainless steel for hydrogen production (SS-H_2). The material resists corrosion under conditions that normally push stainless steel past its limits, making it a promising candidate for producing hydrogen from seawater and other harsh electrolyzer environments.

The discovery, reported in Materials Today in the study "A sequential dual-passivation strategy for designing stainless steel used above water oxidation," builds on Huang's long running "Super Steel" Project. The same research program previously produced anti-COVID-19 stainless steel in 2021, along with ultra strong and ultra tough Super Steel in 2017 and 2020.

A Cheaper Path Toward Green Hydrogen

Green hydrogen is made by using electricity, ideally from renewable sources, to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Seawater is an especially tempting feedstock because it is abundant, but it brings a serious materials problem: salt, chloride ions, side reactions, and corrosion can quickly damage electrolyzer components.

Recent reviews of direct seawater electrolysis continue to highlight the same core challenge. The technology could provide a more sustainable route to hydrogen, but corrosion, chlorine related side reactions, catalyst degradation, precipitates, and limited long term durability remain major obstacles to commercial use.

That is where SS-H_2 could matter. In a salt water electrolyzer, the HKU team found that the new steel can perform comparably to the titanium based structural materials used in current industrial practice for hydrogen production from desalted seawater or acid. The difference is cost. Titanium parts coated with precious metals such as gold or platinum are expensive, while stainless steel is far more economical.

For a 10 megawatt PEM electrolysis tank system, the total cost at the time of the HKU report was estimated at about HK$17.8 million, with structural components making up as much as 53% of that expense. According to the team's estimate, replacing those costly structural materials with SS-H_2 could reduce the cost of structural material by about 40 times.

Why Ordinary Stainless Steel Fails

Stainless steel has been used for more than a century in corrosive environments because it protects itself. The key ingredient is chromium. When chromium (Cr) oxidizes, it creates a thin passive film that shields the steel from damage.

But that familiar protection system has a built in ceiling. In conventional stainless steel, the chromium based protective layer can break down at high electrical potentials. Stable Cr_2O_3 can be further oxidized into soluble Cr(VI) species, causing transpassive corrosion at around ~1000 mV (saturated calomel electrode, SCE). That is well below the ~1600 mV needed for water oxidation.

Even 254SMO super stainless steel, a benchmark chromium based alloy known for strong pitting resistance in seawater, runs into this high voltage limit. It may perform well in ordinary marine settings, but the extreme electrochemical environment of hydrogen production is a different challenge.

The Steel That Builds a Second Shield

The HKU team's answer was a strategy called "sequential dual-passivation." Instead of relying only on the usual chromium oxide barrier, SS-H_2 forms a second protective layer.

The first layer is the familiar Cr_2O_3 based passive film. Then, at around ~720 mV, a manganese based layer forms on top of the chromium based layer. This second shield helps protect the steel in chloride containing environments up to an ultra high potential of 1700 mV.

That is what makes the finding so striking. Manganese is usually not viewed as a friend of stainless steel corrosion resistance. In fact, the prevailing view has been that manganese weakens it.

"Initially, we did not believe it because the prevailing view is that Mn impairs the corrosion resistance of stainless steel. Mn-based passivation is a counter-intuitive discovery, which cannot be explained by current knowledge in corrosion science. However, when numerous atomic-level results were presented, we were convinced. Beyond being surprised, we cannot wait to exploit the mechanism," said Dr. Kaiping Yu, the first author of the article, whose PhD is supervised by Professor Huang.

A Six Year Push From Surprise to Application

The path from the first observation to publication was not quick. The team spent nearly six years moving from the initial discovery of the unusual stainless steel to the deeper scientific explanation, then toward publication and potential industrial use.

"Different from the current corrosion community, which mainly focuses on the resistance at natural potentials, we specializes in developing high-potential-resistant alloys. Our strategy overcame the fundamental limitation of conventional stainless steel and established a paradigm for alloy development applicable at high potentials. This breakthrough is exciting and brings new applications," Professor Huang said.

The work has also moved beyond the laboratory. The research achievements have been submitted for patents in multiple countries, and two patents had already been granted authorization at the time of the HKU announcement. The team also reported that tons of SS-H_2 based wire had been produced with a factory in Mainland China.

"From experimental materials to real products, such as meshes and foams, for water electrolyzers, there are still challenging tasks at hand. Currently, we have made a big step toward industrialization. Tons of SS-H_2-based wire has been produced in collaboration with a factory from the Mainland. We are moving forward in applying the more economical SS-H_2 in hydrogen production from renewable sources," added Professor Huang.

Why the Timing Still Matters

Although the SS-H_2 study was published in 2023, its core problem has only become more relevant. Newer seawater electrolysis research continues to focus on the same bottlenecks: corrosion resistant materials, long lasting electrodes, chlorine suppression, and system designs that can survive real seawater rather than ideal laboratory solutions. A 2025 Nature Reviews Materials review described direct seawater electrolysis as promising but still held back by corrosion, side reactions, metal precipitates, and limited lifetime.

Other recent work has explored stainless steel based electrodes with protective catalytic layers, including NiFe based coatings and Pt atomic clusters, to improve durability in natural seawater. Researchers have also reported corrosion resistant anode strategies built on stainless steel substrates, showing that stainless steel remains a major focus in the effort to make seawater electrolysis more practical.

This newer research does not replace the SS-H_2 discovery. Instead, it reinforces why the HKU team's approach is important. The field is still searching for materials that can survive the punishing mix of saltwater chemistry, high voltage, and industrial operating demands. SS-H_2 stands out because it attacks the problem not only with a coating or catalyst, but with a new alloy design strategy that changes how stainless steel protects itself.

A Steel Breakthrough With Clean Energy Potential

SS-H_2 is not yet a plug and play solution for the hydrogen economy. The team has acknowledged that turning experimental materials into real electrolyzer products, including meshes and foams, still involves difficult engineering work.

Even so, the promise is clear. A stainless steel that can withstand high voltage seawater conditions while replacing expensive titanium based components could make hydrogen production cheaper, more scalable, and easier to pair with renewable energy.

For a field where cost and durability often decide whether a technology can leave the lab, a steel that builds its own second shield may be more than a materials science surprise. It could become a practical step toward cleaner hydrogen at industrial scale.

Story Source:

Materials provided by The University of Hong Kong. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Kaiping Yu, Shihui Feng, Chao Ding, Meng Gu, Peng Yu, Mingxin Huang. A sequential dual-passivation strategy for designing stainless steel used above water oxidation. Materials Today, 2023; 70: 8 DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2023.07.022

Cite This Page:

The University of Hong Kong. (2026, May 10). “Cannot be explained” – New ultra stainless steel stuns researchers. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260510030950.htm

Scientists stunned as volcano cloud destroys methane in the atmosphere

Date: May 10, 2026

Source: University of Copenhagen

Summary: A colossal underwater volcano in the South Pacific may have revealed a surprising new weapon against climate change. After the 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai, scientists detected enormous amounts of formaldehyde in the atmosphere — a telltale sign that methane, one of the planet’s most powerful greenhouse gases, was being destroyed. Researchers now believe volcanic ash mixed with salty seawater and sunlight created reactive chlorine particles that effectively “cleaned up” some of the methane released by the eruption itself.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A giant volcanic eruption may have accidentally uncovered a powerful new way to destroy methane and slow global warming. (The Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai-volcanic eruption on January 15, 2022. Image taken from a video of the eruption.) Credit: Tonga Geological Services

In January 2022, the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai in the South Pacific produced one of the most powerful eruptions in modern history. But scientists have now discovered that the eruption also triggered an unexpected atmospheric reaction that partially removed methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from the air. Researchers say the finding could eventually help scientists develop new strategies to slow global warming.

Using satellite observations, scientists detected unusually high levels of formaldehyde inside the enormous volcanic plume created by the eruption. That discovery immediately caught their attention because formaldehyde is produced when methane breaks down in the atmosphere.

"When we analyzed the satellite images, we were surprised to see a cloud with a record-high concentration of formaldehyde. We were able to track the cloud for 10 days, all the way to South America. Because formaldehyde only exists for a few hours, this showed that the cloud must have been destroying methane continuously for more than a week," explains Dr. Maarten van Herpen from Acacia Impact Innovation BV, first author of the study, which has just been published in Nature Communications.

"It is known that volcanoes emit methane during eruptions, but until now it was not known that volcanic ash is also capable of partially cleaning up this pollution," he adds.

Volcano Ash, Sea Salt, and Sunlight Triggered Chemical Reaction

The researchers believe the eruption activated a rare chemical process that they had previously identified in an entirely different environment.

In earlier research published in 2023, scientists discovered that dust blowing from the Sahara Desert across the Atlantic Ocean can combine with salt from sea spray to create tiny particles called iron salt aerosols. When sunlight strikes these particles, chlorine atoms are released. Those chlorine atoms react with methane and help break it apart in the atmosphere. The discovery significantly changed scientists' understanding of atmospheric chemistry in the troposphere.

"What is new -- and completely surprising -- is that the same mechanism appears to occur in a volcanic plume high up in the stratosphere, where the physical conditions are entirely different," says Professor Matthew Johnson from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen, one of the researchers behind both discoveries.

During the Tonga eruption, massive amounts of salty seawater were blasted into the stratosphere together with volcanic ash. Researchers think sunlight interacting with this mixture created highly reactive chlorine that then helped destroy methane released during the eruption. The unusually high formaldehyde levels detected by satellites served as evidence that methane breakdown was taking place.

Scientists Say Global Methane Estimates May Need Revision

The discovery also suggests that scientists may need to rethink the global methane budget, which estimates how much methane enters and leaves Earth's atmosphere.

"We now know that atmospheric dust -- for example from a volcanic eruption -- impacts the methane budget, meaning the budget of how much methane is added to the atmosphere and how much is removed. Because dust has not previously been taken into account, it is important that we correct the data on which these estimates are based," says Matthew Johnson.

Why Methane Matters for Climate Change

Methane is responsible for about one third of current global warming. Over a 20-year period, methane traps roughly 80 times more heat than CO_2. Unlike carbon dioxide, however, methane does not remain in the atmosphere for centuries. It typically breaks down within about 10 years.

Because methane has a shorter atmospheric lifetime, reducing methane pollution could produce climate benefits relatively quickly. Scientists sometimes describe methane reduction as an "emergency brake" for climate change because lowering methane levels could help slow warming within the next decade and potentially reduce the risk of climate tipping points. Researchers stress, however, that cutting CO_2 emissions remains critical for long-term climate stability.

Discovery Could Inspire Future Climate Technologies

The team says the findings may help advance efforts to artificially accelerate methane removal from the atmosphere. Scientists around the world are currently exploring several possible approaches, but accurately measuring methane removal has been a major challenge.

"How do you prove that methane has been removed from the atmosphere? How do you know your method works? It's very difficult. But here we address that problem by showing that methane breakdown can in fact be observed using satellites," says Dr. Jos de Laat from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, senior author of the study.

The research relied on the TROPOMI instrument aboard the European Space Agency's Sentinel-5P satellite, which tracks greenhouse gases and air pollution around the globe every day.

"Retrieving formaldehyde from TROPOMI in a stratospheric volcanic plume is far outside the instrument's standard operating conditions -- we had to carefully correct the satellite's sensitivity for the unusual altitude of the signal and account for interference from the high sulfur dioxide concentrations. Getting these corrections right was essential to confirm that what we were seeing was real," said Dr. Isabelle De Smedt, Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy.

Researchers believe the discovery could eventually inspire practical engineering solutions aimed at reducing methane pollution.

"It's an obvious idea for industry to try to replicate this natural phenomenon -- but only if it can be proven to be safe and effective. Our satellite method could offer a way to help figure out how humans might slow global warming," concludes Matthew Johnson.

About the Study

- Researchers estimate that the Tonga eruption released roughly 300 gigagrams (Gg) of methane, an amount comparable to the annual methane emissions produced by more than two million cows. At the same time, the volcanic plume removed about 900 megagrams (Mg) of methane per day, equal to the daily emissions from approximately two million cows.

- The study was published in Nature Communications.

- The research team included Maarten van Herpen (Acacia Impact Innovation BV, Netherlands); Isabelle De Smedt (Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Belgium); Daphne Meidan and Alfonso Saiz-Lopez (CSIC, Spain); Matthew Johnson (University of Copenhagen, Denmark); Thomas Röckmann (Utrecht University, Netherlands); and Jos de Laat (Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, Netherlands).

- The work was supported by Spark Climate Solutions.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Copenhagen. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Maarten M.J.W. van Herpen, Isabelle De Smedt, Daphne Meidan, Alfonso Saiz-Lopez, Matthew S. Johnson, Thomas Röckmann, Jos de Laat. Satellite quantification of enhanced methane oxidation applied to the stratospheric plume following Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption. Nature Communications, 2026; 17 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-72191-4

Cite This Page:

University of Copenhagen. (2026, May 10). Scientists stunned as volcano cloud destroys methane in the atmosphere. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260509210640.htm

Scientists say a critical Atlantic ocean current is weakening and the world could feel the impact

A crucial Atlantic Ocean current that helps stabilize Earth’s climate is slowing down — and scientists say the effects could ripple across the globe.

Date: May 10, 2026

Source: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science

Summary: Scientists have uncovered strong evidence that a major Atlantic Ocean current system tied to global climate is weakening. The slowdown has been detected across a vast region of the North Atlantic over nearly two decades. Since this ocean circulation helps regulate weather and temperatures, changes could affect storms, rainfall, sea levels, and even winter conditions in parts of Europe and North America.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A giant Atlantic Ocean current system that helps control Earth’s climate has been steadily weakening, according to new observations spanning nearly 20 years. Credit: NOAA

A massive system of ocean currents in the Atlantic that plays a key role in regulating Earth's climate has been weakening for almost 20 years, according to a new study. Scientists say the slowdown stretches across a large section of the Atlantic Ocean and could eventually alter weather patterns around the world.

The research was led by scientists at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science. Their findings provide some of the strongest direct observational evidence so far that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is losing strength. The results could help researchers improve climate models and better understand how ongoing climate change may affect the future.

"A weaker AMOC can shift weather patterns, potentially leading to more extreme storms, changes in rainfall, or colder winters in some regions," said Shane Elipot, a senior author of the study and physical oceanographer at the Rosenstiel School. "It can also influence sea-level rise along coastlines, affecting communities and infrastructure."

Deep Ocean Measurements Reveal Climate Trend

To investigate changes in the AMOC, researchers examined long-term data collected from four ocean monitoring arrays positioned along the western side of the North Atlantic. The monitoring sites ranged from tropical waters to higher latitudes.

The team used instruments anchored to the seafloor that continuously measure pressure, temperature, density, and ocean currents. Researchers applied the same method at each location, using changes in bottom pressure to estimate deep ocean movement below about 1,000 meters. By comparing measurements gathered over time and across multiple regions, the scientists were able to identify long-term changes in the circulation system.

Their observations revealed a steady decline in an important part of the AMOC along the western boundary of the Atlantic, extending from the subtropics to mid-latitudes (about 16.5°N to 42.5°N). Because the slowdown appeared across such a broad area, researchers say it likely reflects a large-scale shift in the Atlantic Ocean rather than a temporary variation.

Why the AMOC Matters

The AMOC is one of the most important systems influencing Earth's climate. It helps move heat through the Atlantic Ocean, shaping temperatures, weather patterns, and sea levels, especially around the North Atlantic region.

Scientists say a weaker AMOC could affect many aspects of global climate, including European winters, hurricane activity, and rainfall patterns in different parts of the world.

Researchers also believe measurements taken along the western edge of the Atlantic could act as an early warning system for long-term climate changes. They compared the monitoring approach to a canary in a coal mine because it may provide an efficient way to detect major shifts in this climate-regulating circulation.

"This research helps scientists better predict how the climate may change in the coming decades -- information that governments, businesses, and communities use to prepare for future environmental conditions," said Elipot .

The study, titled "Meridionally consistent decline in the observed western boundary contribution to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation," was published in Science Advances.

The research was supported by grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation (OCE-2148723 and OCE-2334091) and UK Natural Environment Research Council grants (NE/Y003551/1 and NE/Y005589/1).

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Qianjiang Xing, Shane Elipot, William E. Johns, David A. Smeed, Ben I. Moat, John W. Loder. Meridionally consistent decline in the observed western boundary contribution to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Science Advances, 2026; 12 (15) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adz7738

Cite This Page:

University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. (2026, May 10). Scientists say a critical Atlantic ocean current is weakening and the world could feel the impact. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260509210639.htm

Antarctica is melting from below and scientists say it’s worse than expected

Hidden warm-water traps beneath Antarctica’s ice shelves may be speeding up sea level rise far faster than expected.

Date: May 10, 2026

Source: iC3 Polar Research Hub

Summary: Scientists have uncovered a hidden Antarctic threat that could accelerate global sea level rise far faster than expected. Deep beneath floating ice shelves, long channels carved into the ice appear to trap warmer ocean water, dramatically speeding up melting from below. Even regions of East Antarctica once considered relatively stable may be far more vulnerable than scientists realized. Researchers warn that current climate models may be missing this dangerous process entirely, meaning future sea level rise could be underestimated.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Antarctic ice shelves may be melting much faster than scientists thought because hidden channels underneath them can trap warm ocean water. Credit: Shutterstock

New research suggests global sea levels could rise more quickly than scientists previously expected because Antarctic ice shelves may be melting from below at a much faster rate than once believed.

Ice shelves are massive floating extensions of glaciers that help slow the movement of enormous amounts of ice into the ocean. Scientists in Norway have now identified a process that may be speeding up their deterioration. According to the study, long channels carved into the undersides of these ice shelves can trap relatively warm ocean water, intensifying melting in specific areas.

The findings raise concerns far beyond Antarctica. As ice shelves become thinner and weaker, they lose some of their ability to hold back the glaciers behind them. That can allow more land ice to slide into the ocean, potentially accelerating global sea level rise.

Researchers say this kind of instability has already been seen in other parts of Antarctica. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has previously identified weakening polar ice shelves as a major uncertainty in sea level projections and a potentially serious climate risk.

Hidden Channels Beneath Antarctic Ice

The research focused on the Fimbulisen Ice Shelf in East Antarctica. Scientists discovered that the shape of the underside of the ice shelf strongly affects how seawater circulates below it.

Where deep channels exist beneath the ice, ocean currents can form small circulation patterns that keep warmer water trapped against the ice instead of allowing it to move away quickly. This concentrated warmth dramatically increases melting in those locations.

The researchers found that melting within these channels can increase by roughly an order of magnitude in some areas. In other words, the structure of the ice shelf itself helps determine where heat collects and how much damage that heat can cause.

"We found that the shape of the ice shelf underside is not just a passive feature. It can actively trap ocean heat in exactly the places where extra melting matters most," lead author Tore Hattermann from the iC3 Polar Reseach Hub in Tromsø, Norway explains.

Fimbulisen Ice Shelf sits in East Antarctica, a colder region that has generally been viewed as less vulnerable than other parts of the continent.

"We observed beneath the Fimbulisen Ice Shelf that even small amounts of warmer water can substantially increase melting within the channels," Tore Hatterman says. "As a result, the channels can grow and, in the worst case, weaken the stability of the entire ice shelf."

Qin Zhou, who co-led the study, adds that "What is striking is that even modest inflows of warmer deep water can have a large effect when the ice shelf base is channeled. That means some ice shelves that scientists usually think of as cold may be more fragile than expected."

How Scientists Studied the Ice Shelf

To investigate the process, the team combined a highly detailed map of the underside of the Fimbulisen Ice Shelf with a high resolution computer model of the ocean cavity beneath it.

The researchers tested both smoother ice shelf bases and more realistic channelled formations under cooler and slightly warmer ocean conditions. By comparing the different scenarios, they were able to isolate the effects of the channels on ocean circulation, mixing, and melting.

The study also incorporated earlier field observations collected in the region. According to the researchers, combining long term measurements with advanced modeling is essential for understanding the small scale features hidden beneath Antarctic ice shelves. Hattermann himself has spent hundreds of days living and working on Antarctic ice shelves during research expeditions.

Why Faster Antarctic Ice Melt Matters

Scientists warn that intensified melting inside the channels could create a dangerous feedback effect. As the channels deepen and widen, parts of the ice shelf may thin unevenly, reducing the shelf's overall structural stability.

If the ice shelves weaken enough, they may no longer effectively slow the glaciers flowing into the ocean behind them.

"Current climate models do not capture this effect," Tore Hattermann warns. "This means that they risk underestimating the sensitivity the 'cold' ice shelves along East Antarctica's coastline to small changes or warming in coastal waters. Such changes have already been observed, and are projected to increase in the future."

Researchers say the findings are important not only for improving climate and ice sheet models, but also for coastal planning and adaptation efforts around the world that rely on accurate sea level rise projections. The changes could also affect ocean circulation patterns and marine ecosystems surrounding Antarctica as meltwater enters the Southern Ocean.

The study, "Channelized topography amplifies melt-sensitivity of cold Antarctic ice shelves," was published in the journal Nature Communications.

The research was led by Tore Hattermann of the iC3 Polar Research Hub and Qin Zhou of Akvaplan-niva (joint first authors). Both scientists are based in Tromsø, Arctic Norway. Hattermann also serves as an assistant lead of the iC3 research group focused on developing new technologies for cryospheric science.

Story Source:

Materials provided by iC3 Polar Research Hub. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Qin Zhou, Tore Hattermann, Chen Zhao, Rupert Gladstone, Julius Lauber, Petteri Uotila, Ashley Morris. Channelized topography amplifies melt-sensitivity of cold Antarctic ice shelves. Nature Communications, 2026; 17 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-71828-8

Cite This Page:

iC3 Polar Research Hub. (2026, May 10). Antarctica is melting from below and scientists say it’s worse than expected. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260509210637.htm

Fossils and Ruins

- This strange giant dinosaur may change what we know about Jurassic titans

- Stunning fossil discovery challenges the origins of animal life

This strange giant dinosaur may change what we know about Jurassic titans

Date: May 12, 2026

Source: Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns

Summary: A bizarre new giant dinosaur discovered in Argentina is giving paleontologists a fresh look at how Jurassic titans evolved in the Southern Hemisphere. Bicharracosaurus dionidei stretched about 20 meters long and carried a strange mix of features seen in both Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus relatives. Scientists believe it could represent the first known Jurassic brachiosaurid from South America, helping fill a major gap in the dinosaur fossil record.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

AI/ScienceDaily.com

Long necks, enormous bodies, tiny heads, and sweeping tails have made sauropods some of the most recognizable dinosaurs ever discovered. These plant eating giants included the largest land animals in Earth's history, with some species reaching lengths of nearly 130 feet (40 meters). Famous examples include Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus.

Now, researchers studying fossils from southern Argentina have identified a new member of this iconic group. The dinosaur, named Bicharracosaurus dionidei, was smaller than the largest sauropods but still measured an estimated 65 feet (20 meters) long.

Giant Dinosaur Fossil Found in Patagonia

Scientists recovered parts of the dinosaur's spine, including more than 30 vertebrae from the neck, back, and tail, along with several ribs and part of the pelvis. The bone structure showed that the remains belonged to an adult animal that lived about 155 million years ago on Gondwana, the ancient southern supercontinent.

What makes the fossil especially intriguing is its unusual mix of features. Some parts of the skeleton closely resemble those of Giraffatitan, a brachiosaurid dinosaur discovered in Tanzania. Other traits, especially in the back vertebrae, are more similar to Diplodocus and related species from North America.

"Our phylogenetic analyses of the skeleton indicate that Bicharracosaurus dionidei was related to the Brachiosauridae, which would make it the first Brachiosauridae from the Jurassic of South America," says LMU doctoral student Alexandra Reutter, the study's first author. The paleontologist examined the fossils as part of her doctoral research.

New Clues About Jurassic Dinosaur Evolution

The discovery could help scientists better understand how giant sauropods evolved across the Southern Hemisphere during the Late Jurassic period.

"Our knowledge of the evolution of sauropods from the Late Jurassic has so far been based almost entirely on numerous fossil findings from North America and other sites in the Northern Hemisphere. For a long time, there was only a single significant site on the southern continents, in Tanzania. The fossil site in the Argentine province of Chubut, from which Bicharracosaurus dionidei originates, provides us with important comparative material, allowing us to continuously supplement and reevaluate our understanding of the evolutionary history of these animals, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere," says leader of the study and dinosaur expert Prof. Oliver Rauhut of the Bavarian State Collections of Natural History (SNSB).

Dinosaur Named After Local Shepherd

The first fossils of Bicharracosaurus dionidei were discovered on a farm by shepherd Dionide Mesa. Researchers honored him by using his name for the species designation. The genus name comes from "bicharraco," a colloquial Spanish term meaning "big animal."

The fossils were uncovered in the Cañadón Calcáreo rock formation in Patagonia's Chubut province. Today, the remains are housed at the Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio in Trelew, Argentina.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Alexandra Reutter, José Luis Carballido, Guillermo José Windholz, Diego Pol, Oliver W.M. Rauhut. Bicharracosaurus dionidei, gen. et sp. nov., a new macronarian (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Late Jurassic Cañadón Calcáreo Formation of Argentina and the problematic early evolution of macronarians. PeerJ, 2026; 14: e20945 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.20945

Cite This Page:

Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns. (2026, May 12). This strange giant dinosaur may change what we know about Jurassic titans. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260511213154.htm

Stunning fossil discovery challenges the origins of animal life

A stunning fossil reanalysis suggests some of Earth’s “earliest animals” were actually ancient bacteria and algae hiding in plain sight.

Date: May 12, 2026

Source: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Summary: Scientists revisiting mysterious 540-million-year-old microfossils from Brazil have overturned a major idea about early animal life. What were once thought to be trails left behind by tiny worm-like creatures are now believed to be fossilized communities of bacteria and algae — some with remarkably preserved cells and organic material still intact.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Visible to the naked eye, fossilized bacteria or algae were found in an ancient seabed that emerged in the current Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Credit: Bruno Becker-Kerber/Harvard University

Scientists studying ancient microfossils from Brazil have discovered that structures once believed to be traces left behind by tiny animals were actually formed by communities of microscopic bacteria and algae. The findings challenge previous ideas about when small animals first appeared on Earth and suggest oxygen levels in ancient oceans may still have been too low to support certain forms of animal life around 540 million years ago.

The research focused on fossils found in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul and was published in the journal Gondwana Research. Earlier studies had interpreted the marks as evidence of wormlike creatures or other tiny marine animals moving through seafloor sediment during the Ediacaran period, which came just before the Cambrian explosion.

"Using microtomography and spectroscopy techniques, we observed that the microfossils have cellular structures -- sometimes with preserved organic material -- consistent with bacteria or algae that existed during that period. These aren't traces of animals that may have passed through the area," says Bruno Becker-Kerber, the first author of the study. He carried out the research during postdoctoral work at the Institute of Geosciences at the University of São Paulo (USP) and at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), with support from FAPESP.

Becker-Kerber, who is now conducting postdoctoral research at Harvard University, explains that if the marks had truly been left by animals, they would represent evidence of meiofauna during the Ediacaran period. Meiofauna are tiny invertebrates measuring less than one millimeter long. Finding them in rocks this old would have pushed back the fossil record for these organisms significantly.

Ancient Oceans Before the Cambrian Explosion

The Ediacaran period occurred before the Cambrian explosion, a major evolutionary turning point when rising oxygen levels helped complex organisms diversify rapidly across Earth's oceans. Fossil evidence clearly shows meiofauna existed during the Cambrian, but the new findings suggest they may not have been present earlier in the way some scientists proposed.

The project forms part of the "Rio de la Plata Craton and Western Gondwana" study supported by FAPESP and coordinated by Miguel Angelo Stipp Basei, a professor at IGc-USP and coauthor of the paper.

Another coauthor, Lucas Warren of São Paulo State University (IGCE-UNESP) in Rio Claro, also received support from FAPESP.

Researchers reexamined fossils collected in Corumbá and also analyzed newly studied material from Bonito in the Serra da Bodoquena region. Both sites are located in Mato Grosso do Sul within the Tamengo geological formation.

These rocks formed in a shallow marine environment along a continental shelf during the final stages of Gondwana's formation, before the supercontinent eventually split apart to form regions that became South America and Africa.

The same research group previously identified what may be the oldest known lichen fossil, also discovered in Mato Grosso do Sul and younger than the bacteria and algae described in the current study.

High Resolution Fossil Imaging Revealed Hidden Structures

To investigate the fossils in greater detail, the team used the MOGNO beamline at Sirius, CNPEM's particle accelerator facility in Campinas. The technology allowed researchers to study fossils ranging from only a few micrometers to a few millimeters in size.

The scientists used both microtomography and nanotomography, techniques capable of generating images at extremely small scales, including micrometers (one-thousandth of a millimeter) and nanometers (one-billionth of a meter).

"When you have a large sample and want to image a structure inside it, the resolution obtained is often insufficient. The MOGNO beamline is one of the few in the world that performs so-called zoom tomography, in which we focus on something inside the sample and analyze it at the nanoscale without destroying the sample," says Becker-Kerber.

He notes that the earlier study interpreting the structures as animal traces did not have access to this level of imaging technology.

Researchers also used Raman spectroscopy to examine the fossils' chemical makeup. The technique identified organic material within fossil cell walls, strengthening the interpretation that the structures were preserved microbial bodies rather than marks left behind by passing animals.

Giant Ancient Bacteria and Algae

Some fossil samples contained pyrite, a mineral made of iron and sulfur. Based on the shapes and chemistry of the specimens, researchers believe some may represent sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, organisms that use sulfur in their metabolism.

"This group of bacteria is surprising. Some of the largest ever recorded belong precisely to this category. Unlike the common image we have of microscopic bacteria, certain species can reach diameters larger than a strand of hair and are visible to the naked eye," says Becker-Kerber.

Although the fossils do not preserve enough detail to identify exact species, the researchers found preserved cells, divisions within cell walls, and traces of organic matter across multiple collection sites. According to the team, these features would not exist if the structures were simply disturbances created by moving animals.

The fossils also appear in three different size ranges, suggesting several species may have lived together in microbial communities. The largest forms resemble green or red algae, while the smaller fossils may represent algae, cyanobacteria, or sulfur-oxidizing bacteria.

"There are concave and convex partitions, coiled filaments, cells without sediment but containing organic matter. This evidence is much closer to bacteria or algae than to mere marks of disturbance caused by animals," the researcher concludes.

The findings provide scientists with a clearer picture of the world before the Cambrian explosion and may help researchers better understand the environmental conditions that paved the way for the rise of complex animal life.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Bruno Becker-Kerber, Nathaly Lopes Archilha, Andrew Knoll, Miguel Angelo Stipp Basei, Lucas Verissimo Warren, Lucas Del Mouro, Gilmar Kerber, Sharif Ahmed, Javier Ortega-Hernández. Proposed Ediacaran meiofaunal burrows from Brazil are pyritized algal/microbial consortia. Gondwana Research, 2026; 154: 335 DOI: 10.1016/j.gr.2026.01.011

Cite This Page:

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo. (2026, May 12). Stunning fossil discovery challenges the origins of animal life. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260511213139.htm

Gender Difference

- This 800-year-old Chinese exercise helps lower blood pressure naturally

This 800-year-old Chinese exercise helps lower blood pressure naturally

An 800-year-old Chinese exercise routine lowered blood pressure almost as effectively as medication in a major clinical trial.

Date: May 11, 2026

Source: American College of Cardiology

Summary: An ancient Chinese exercise routine may be just as powerful as a daily brisk walk for lowering blood pressure — without equipment, gyms, or intense workouts. In a major clinical trial, adults with stage 1 hypertension who practiced baduanjin, a gentle mind-body exercise combining slow movements, breathing, and meditation, saw meaningful drops in blood pressure within three months that lasted for an entire year.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A centuries-old Chinese movement practice helped lower blood pressure as effectively as brisk walking in a large clinical trial. Credit: Shutterstock

An ancient Chinese exercise practice that combines slow movements, controlled breathing, and meditation may help lower blood pressure as effectively as brisk walking, according to a large randomized clinical trial published in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology. Participants experienced improvements within three months, and those benefits continued for a full year.

High blood pressure remains one of the biggest preventable contributors to heart disease. Doctors often recommend regular physical activity to help manage it, but many people struggle to maintain long-term exercise habits, especially when workouts require gym memberships, special equipment, dedicated spaces, or ongoing coaching.

The practice studied, called baduanjin, is a traditional Chinese exercise made up of eight structured movements that combine aerobic activity, flexibility training, isometric exercise, and mindfulness. It has been practiced for centuries in China and is commonly performed in parks and community settings.

A typical session lasts about 10-15 minutes and does not require equipment or extensive training, making it easy to do in many different environments. Because the exercises are considered low- to moderate-intensity, researchers say the routine is accessible and safe for many adults.

"Given its simplicity, safety and ease at which one can maintain long-term adherence, baduanjin can be implemented as an effective, accessible and scalable lifestyle intervention for individuals trying to reduce their blood pressure," said Jing Li, MD, PhD, senior author of the study and Director, Department of Preventive Medicine, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases in Beijing, China.

Clinical Trial Shows Lasting Blood Pressure Reductions

Researchers conducted the first large multicenter randomized clinical trial focused on how baduanjin affects blood pressure. The study followed 216 adults across seven communities and tracked changes in 24-hour systolic blood pressure at 12 weeks and again at 52 weeks.

Participants were at least 40 years old and had systolic blood pressure readings between 130-139 mm Hg, a range classified as stage 1 hypertension under ACC/AHA guidelines. They were divided into three groups for the yearlong intervention: baduanjin practice, self-directed exercise, or brisk walking.

Compared with self-directed exercise alone, people practicing baduanjin five days a week lowered their 24-hour systolic blood pressure by about 3 mg Hg and reduced office systolic blood pressure by 5 mg Hg after both three months and one year. Researchers noted that these reductions are similar to results seen with some first-line blood pressure medications.

The study also found that baduanjin produced results and safety outcomes comparable to brisk walking after one year.

Simple Routine Could Be Easy To Maintain

One of the most notable findings was that participants maintained the benefits even without continued monitoring or supervision. Maintaining long-term participation is often one of the biggest obstacles for lifestyle-based health interventions.

"Baduanjin has been practiced in China for over 800 years, and this study demonstrates how ancient, accessible, low-cost approaches can be validated through high-quality randomized research," said Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, FACC, Editor-in-Chief of JACC and the Harold H. Hines, Jr Professor at the Yale School of Medicine. "The blood pressure effect size is similar to that seen in landmark drug trials, but achieved without medication, cost or side effects. This makes it highly scalable for community-based prevention, including in resource-limited settings."

Story Source:

Materials provided by American College of Cardiology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Boxuan Pu, Lihua Zhang, Ying Sun, Yanwu Yu, Lei Yan, Yan Li, Jiamin Liu, Xin Zheng, Haibo Zhang, Yue Peng, Yang Wang, Yanyan Zhao, Xuedi Ma, Liangsuo Guo, Zun Wang, Gang Li, Zhiquan Wang, Pengyang Liu, Yanmin Yang, Liying Shao, Xuexia Yan, Jie Zhen, Dan Li, Jianqiang Guo, Hai Ding, Yan Ma, Wen Bai, Rongfang Hu, Jing Li. Effect of Baduanjin on Blood Pressure Among Individuals With High-Normal Blood Pressure. JACC, 2026; 87 (12): 1436 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2026.01.014

Cite This Page:

American College of Cardiology. (2026, May 11). This 800-year-old Chinese exercise helps lower blood pressure naturally. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260510234724.htm

Health and Medicine

- Scientists reversed biological age in older adults with a 4-week diet change: 2026 May 12

- Scientists discover hidden fat-burning switch that could strengthen bones

- This simple strength test could predict how long you live

- Scientists successfully transfer longevity gene and extend lifespan

- Scientists discover the brain’s hidden “stop scratching” switch

Scientists reversed biological age in older adults with a 4-week diet change

Date: May 12, 2026

Source: University of Sydney

Summary: A four-week diet change was enough to make some older adults appear biologically younger in a new University of Sydney study. Participants who reduced fat intake or shifted toward more plant-based protein showed improvements in key health biomarkers tied to aging. The strongest results came from a lower-fat, higher-carb diet, while people eating closer to their usual diets saw almost no change.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A simple four-week diet change made some older adults appear biologically younger, raising intriguing questions about how fast aging can respond to food choices. Credit: Shutterstock

Older adults who cut back on dietary fat or reduced the amount of animal-based protein they consumed showed signs of becoming biologically younger, according to new research from the University of Sydney.

The study, published in Aging Cell, found that adults between the ages of 65 and 75 experienced reductions in their estimated 'biological age' after following specific diets for just four weeks. Researchers say the findings suggest dietary changes later in life may quickly improve markers linked to aging and overall health.

The research was led by Dr. Caitlin Andrews from the University of Sydney's School of Life and Environmental Sciences. While the results are promising, the scientists emphasized that the study provides only an early indication rather than definitive proof that diet can reverse aging. They say larger and longer studies are needed to determine whether these biological changes lower disease risk over time and whether the same effects occur in other age groups.

What Is Biological Age?

Chronological age measures how many years a person has lived, but biological age reflects how well the body is functioning. Biological aging can differ significantly from one person to another depending on factors such as health, lifestyle, and the body's ability to recover from stress and disease.

To estimate biological age, scientists analyze biomarkers, which are measurable indicators of physiological health over time. These biomarkers are often considered more useful than chronological age for understanding long-term health and potential lifespan.

For this study, researchers used information from 20 biomarkers to calculate participants' biological age scores. These included measurements such as cholesterol, insulin, and C-reactive protein levels. The data came from the Nutrition for Healthy Living study conducted at the University's Charles Perkins Centre.

Four Different Diet Plans Tested

The study included 104 participants who were randomly assigned to one of four diets. Each diet provided 14 percent of total energy from protein.

Two diets were omnivorous, with half of the protein coming from animal sources and the remainder from plants. The other two were semi-vegetarian diets, in which 70 percent of the protein came from plant sources.

Within those categories, participants were also assigned either a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet or a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. This created four diet groups: omnivorous high-fat (OHF), omnivorous high-carbohydrate (OHC), semi-vegetarian high-fat (VHF), and semi-vegetarian high-carbohydrate (VHC).

Participants' BMI (body mass index) ranged from 20-35. All participants were non-smokers, non-vegetarians and had no serious complications (e.g., type-2 diabetes mellitus, cancers, renal or liver disease) or food allergies and/or intolerances.

Which Diet Produced the Biggest Change?

Researchers found that the OHF group, whose diets remained closest to what participants had already been eating before the study, showed no significant change in biological age markers.

However, the other three groups all showed reductions in biological age. The strongest statistical evidence came from the OHC group, which followed an omnivorous diet that was higher in carbohydrates and lower in fat. In that group, 14 percent of energy came from protein, 28-29 percent from fat, and 53 percent from carbohydrates.

Although the results suggest diet may influence biological aging surprisingly quickly, researchers caution that it is still unknown whether these improvements last long term or lead to sustained reductions in biological age.

Researchers Call for Longer Studies

"Longer term dietary changes are needed to assess whether dietary changes alter the risk of age-related diseases," said Associate Professor Alistair Senior, from the School of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Charles Perkins Centre, who supervised the research.

"It's too soon to say definitively that specific changes to diet will extend your life. But this research offers an early indication of the potential benefits of dietary changes later in life," said Dr. Andrews.

"Future research should explore whether these findings extend to other cohorts and whether the changes recorded are sustained or predictive of long-term outcomes."

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Sydney. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Caitlin J. Andrews, Rosilene V. Ribeiro, Alison Gosby, David G. Le Couteur, David Raubenheimer, Jian Tan, Stephen J. Simpson, Alistair M. Senior. Short‐Term Dietary Intervention Alters Physiological Profiles Relevant to Ageing. Aging Cell, 2026; 25 (5) DOI: 10.1111/acel.70507

Cite This Page:

University of Sydney. (2026, May 12). Scientists reversed biological age in older adults with a 4-week diet change. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260511213144.htm

Scientists discover hidden fat-burning switch that could strengthen bones

A newly discovered molecular “switch” that burns energy and strengthens bones could open the door to entirely new treatments for bone disease.

Date: May 12, 2026

Source: McGill University

Summary: Scientists at McGill University have uncovered a hidden molecular “switch” that turns on a powerful calorie-burning system in brown fat — the body’s heat-generating fat linked to metabolism and weight control. The breakthrough centers on glycerol, a molecule released when fat is broken down in the cold, which activates an enzyme called TNAP and triggers an alternative heat-producing pathway that scientists had struggled to explain for years.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Researchers have discovered a molecular “on switch” that activates a hidden calorie-burning system in brown fat, revealing a new way the body generates heat. Credit: Shutterstock

Scientists have uncovered a molecular "switch" in mice that turns on a hidden energy-burning system inside brown fat, a discovery that could eventually help researchers develop new treatments for bone disease.

The findings, published in Nature, provide new insight into how brown fat works. Unlike white fat, which stores energy, brown fat burns calories to generate heat. Scientists long believed this heat production depended on a single biological pathway. In recent years, however, researchers identified a second pathway operating alongside the original one, but they did not know what activated it.

A team led by Lawrence Kazak at McGill University's Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute has now identified the molecular trigger for this alternative system, known as the futile creatine cycle.

Scientists Identify Brown Fat "On Switch"

When the body is exposed to cold temperatures, it breaks down stored fat to create heat. That process releases glycerol, a molecule produced during fat metabolism. Working with McGill structural biologist Alba Guarné, Canada Research Chair in Macromolecular Machines in DNA Damage and Repair, the researchers discovered that glycerol binds to an enzyme called TNAP in a region they describe as the glycerol pocket. This interaction activates the alternative heat-producing pathway.

"This is the first time we've identified how an alternative heat-producing pathway is activated, independent of the classic system," said Kazak, Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and the Canada Research Chair in Adipocyte Biology. "That opens the door to understanding how multiple energy-burning systems work together to keep the body warm at the just-right temperature."

Discovery May Advance Bone Disease Research

Brown fat has attracted attention for its possible role in metabolism and obesity research. While the new findings could eventually contribute to those areas, the researchers say the most immediate significance may involve bone health because TNAP already has a well-established role in bone formation.

The TNAP enzyme is essential for calcification, the process that builds and maintains strong bones. Mutations that reduce TNAP activity can cause hypophosphatasia, a rare disorder sometimes called "soft bones." The condition can lead to fractures, chronic pain, and skeletal abnormalities. Certain inherited mutations have made the disorder more common in parts of Canada, including Quebec and Manitoba.

By studying TNAP mutations in laboratory experiments, the scientists discovered that the same molecular switch involved in energy-burning fat cells also directly affects cells responsible for bone mineralization and hardening.

The work builds on earlier research by McGill co-author Marc McKee and co-author José-Luis Millán of the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. Their previous efforts helped produce a first-in-class enzyme replacement therapy designed specifically for hypophosphatasia patients with defective TNAP enzymes.

"This finding opens the door to a new kind of treatment, where increasing the activity of the TNAP enzyme through its glycerol pocket by natural or synthetic bioactive compounds could potentially boost the beneficial actions of the enzyme in patients, to help restore deficient bone mineralization to healthy levels," said McKee, Professor in the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Canada Research Chair in Biomineralization.

Researchers have already identified dozens of possible drug candidates for future investigation.

About the Study

The study, "Glycerol-driven TNAP activation in thermogenesis and mineralization," by Mohammed Faiz Hussain, Lawrence Kazak et al., was published in Nature.

The project included collaborations with scientists from Queen Mary University of London, Northeastern University, the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, and the Maine Health Institute for Research. Funding came from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Fonds de recherche du Québec -- Santé.

Story Source:

Materials provided by McGill University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Mohammed Faiz Hussain, Shreya S. Krishnan, Brittany L. Carroll, Bozena Samborska, Aisha Mousa, Alice Williamson, Maria Delgado-Martin, Bindu Y. Srinivasu, Jakub Bunk, Janane F. Rahbani, Abel Oppong, Anna Roesler, Zafir Kaiser, Mina Ersin, Qiaoqiao Zhang, Maria Guerra Martinez, Abhirup Shaw, Jonathan Cheng, Hannah Klemets, Katalin Kocsis Illes, Victoria E. DeMambro, Clifford J. Rosen, José Luis Millán, Thomas E. Wales, Claudia Langenberg, Marc D. McKee, Alba Guarné, Lawrence Kazak. Glycerol-driven TNAP activation in thermogenesis and mineralization. Nature, 2026; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10396-9

Cite This Page:

McGill University. (2026, May 12). Scientists discover hidden fat-burning switch that could strengthen bones. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260511213141.htm

This simple strength test could predict how long you live

A stronger grip and the ability to stand up easily could be powerful clues to a longer, healthier life.

Date: May 11, 2026

Source: University at Buffalo

Summary: Staying strong may be one of the biggest secrets to living longer — especially for older women. A major study of more than 5,000 women found that simple signs of muscle strength, like a firm hand grip or the ability to quickly stand up from a chair, were strongly linked to lower risk of death over the next eight years.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A new study suggests muscle strength could be just as important as cardio for healthy aging. Credit: Shutterstock

Getting enough exercise is important for healthy aging, but new research suggests muscle strength may play an equally critical role. A large study led by researchers at the University at Buffalo found that older women with greater strength had a significantly lower risk of death, even after accounting for physical activity levels, cardiovascular fitness, and inflammation.

The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, were based on more than 5,000 women between the ages of 63 and 99. Researchers tracked participants for eight years and discovered that women with stronger grip strength and faster sit-to-stand chair test times were more likely to live longer.

Muscle Strength Linked to Lower Mortality

The study focused on two simple measures commonly used in medical settings to evaluate strength in older adults: grip strength and chair stands. For the chair stand test, participants completed five unassisted sit-to-stand movements as quickly as possible.

Women who performed better on these tests had notably lower mortality rates during the follow-up period. Researchers found that every additional 7 kilograms of grip strength was associated with an average 12% reduction in death risk. Faster chair stand performance was also linked to improved survival, with a 4% lower mortality rate for every 6-second improvement from the slowest to the fastest times.

Importantly, these results remained significant even after researchers adjusted for physical activity and sedentary behavior using accelerometer data, gait speed (an indicator of cardiovascular fitness), and levels of C-reactive protein, a blood marker of inflammation associated with muscle decline and premature death.

Why Strength Matters for Healthy Aging

"If you don't have enough muscle strength to get up, it is going to be hard to do aerobic activities, such as walking, which is the most commonly reported recreational activity in U.S. adults ages 65 and older," says study lead author Michael LaMonte, PhD, research professor of epidemiology and environmental health in UB's School of Public Health and Health Professions.

"Muscular strength, in many ways, enables one to move their body from one point to another, particularly when moving against gravity," LaMonte adds. "Healthy aging probably is best pursued through adequate amounts of both aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activities. When we no longer can get out of the chair and move around, we are in trouble."

According to LaMonte, this is the largest study so far to examine how muscle strength relates to longevity in women over 60. Earlier large-scale studies often lacked detailed measures of physical activity, cardiovascular fitness, and inflammation, making it harder to isolate the role of muscular strength alone.

Researchers also found that body size did not explain the relationship between strength and longevity.

"We also showed that differences in body size did not explain the muscular strength relationship with death," he says. "When we scaled the strength measures to body weight and even to lean body mass, there remained significantly lower mortality."

Strength Benefits Extended Beyond Exercise Guidelines

One of the study's most notable findings was that women who did not meet current physical activity recommendations still benefited from greater muscle strength. Current guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity each week.

Even among women below that threshold, higher strength levels were associated with significantly lower mortality risk. LaMonte says this provides strong evidence that muscle-strengthening activities deserve greater emphasis in public health recommendations, particularly for older adults.

"Because women ages 80 and older are the fastest growing U.S. age group, the importance of monitoring and maintaining muscular strength will have huge public health implications in the coming decades," he says.

Simple Ways Older Adults Can Build Strength

Muscle-building activities do not necessarily require expensive gym equipment or intense workouts. Researchers note that free weights, dumbbells, weight machines, and bodyweight exercises such as modified push-ups, wall presses, and knee bends can all help improve strength.

LaMonte says everyday household items may also work as resistance tools.

"Even using soup cans or books as a form of resistance provides stimulus to skeletal muscles and could be used by individuals for whom other options are not feasible."

He advises older adults to speak with a health care provider before beginning a muscle-strengthening program. Those unfamiliar with strength training may also benefit from guidance from a physical therapist or exercise specialist to help ensure safety and appropriate progress.

The study also included researchers from the National Cancer Institute, University of California San Diego, Texas A&M University, Brown University, Stanford University, and Fred Hutch Cancer Center.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University at Buffalo. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Michael J. LaMonte, Eric T. Hyde, Steve Nguyen, Esmeralda Castro, Rebecca A. Seguin-Fowler, Charles B. Eaton, Connor R. Miller, Chongzhi Di, Marcia L. Stefanick, Andrea Z. LaCroix. Muscular Strength and Mortality in Women Aged 63 to 99 Years. JAMA Network Open, 2026; 9 (2): e2559367 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.59367

Cite This Page:

University at Buffalo. (2026, May 11). This simple strength test could predict how long you live. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260510234722.htm

Scientists successfully transfer longevity gene and extend lifespan

Scientists borrowed a longevity secret from naked mole rats — and used it to make mice healthier and live longer.

Date: May 10, 2026

Source: University of Rochester

Summary: Scientists at the University of Rochester pulled off a remarkable experiment: they transferred a longevity-related gene from the famously long-lived naked mole rat into mice, and the mice ended up healthier and lived longer. The special gene boosts production of a substance called high molecular weight hyaluronic acid, which appears to protect against cancer, reduce inflammation, and support healthier aging. The modified mice showed stronger resistance to tumors, healthier guts, and lower levels of age-related inflammation.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A gene from naked mole rats — animals famous for their extraordinary lifespans and resistance to disease — has successfully extended lifespan in mice. Credit: AI/ScienceDaily.com

Naked mole rats are not much to look at, but their biology has made them one of the most fascinating animals in aging research. These small, wrinkled rodents can live for decades, rarely develop cancer, and seem unusually protected from many of the diseases that normally arrive with age.

Researchers at the University of Rochester showed that one of those biological advantages can be moved into another mammal. By transferring a gene linked to the naked mole rat's unusually high levels of high molecular weight hyaluronic acid (HMW-HA), the team improved health and modestly extended lifespan in mice.

The work, published in Nature in 2023, suggested that at least some longevity traits that evolved in long-lived animals may be adaptable beyond the species that developed them. The genetically modified mice lived healthier lives and had an approximate 4.4 percent increase in median lifespan compared with ordinary mice.

"Our study provides a proof of principle that unique longevity mechanisms that evolved in long-lived mammalian species can be exported to improve the lifespans of other mammals," says Vera Gorbunova, the Doris Johns Cherry Professor of biology and medicine at Rochester.

Gorbunova, along with Andrei Seluanov, a professor of biology, and their colleagues, focused on a gene that helps produce HMW-HA. This substance is abundant in naked mole rats and has been tied to their striking resistance to cancer, inflammation, and age-related decline.

Why Naked Mole Rats Fascinate Aging Scientists

Naked mole rats are about the size of mice, yet their lifespans are extraordinary for rodents. They can live up to 41 years, nearly ten times longer than similarly sized rodents.

Their long lives are not the only reason scientists study them. As they age, naked mole rats appear to avoid many conditions that commonly affect other mammals, including neurodegeneration, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and cancer. For decades, Gorbunova, Seluanov, and other researchers have been investigating how these animals stay so resilient.

One major clue is HMW-HA. Naked mole rats carry roughly ten times more of it than mice and humans. In earlier work, researchers found that when HMW-HA was removed from naked mole rat cells, those cells became more likely to form tumors.

That finding raised a powerful question. If HMW-HA helps naked mole rats resist cancer and age-related damage, could the same mechanism work in a different animal?

Transferring a Naked Mole Rat Longevity Gene

To test the idea, the Rochester team engineered mice to carry the naked mole rat version of the hyaluronan synthase 2 gene. This gene helps make the protein that produces HMW-HA.

All mammals have a version of hyaluronan synthase 2, but the naked mole rat version appears to be especially active. It seems to drive stronger gene expression, leading to greater production of the protective molecule.

The modified mice developed higher levels of hyaluronan in several tissues. They also showed stronger protection against spontaneous tumors and chemically induced skin cancer.

The effects were not limited to cancer resistance. The mice carrying the naked mole rat gene stayed healthier overall, lived longer than regular mice, had less inflammation in multiple tissues as they aged, and maintained better gut health.

Because chronic inflammation is one of the major biological features of aging, the reduction in inflammation was especially important. The researchers believe HMW-HA may work partly by directly influencing the immune system, although more research is needed to explain exactly how it produces such broad benefits.

A Small Lifespan Gain With Big Implications

The increase in median lifespan was about 4.4 percent, which is modest. But the larger significance is that a longevity mechanism from one mammal was successfully transferred to another.

That makes the finding more than a mouse study about a single gene. It supports the idea that nature's long-lived species may contain biological tools that can be studied, adapted, and possibly used to improve health in other animals.

"It took us 10 years from the discovery of HMW-HA in the naked mole rat to showing that HMW-HA improves health in mice," Gorbunova says. "Our next goal is to transfer this benefit to humans."

The researchers believe there may be two main ways to pursue that goal. One would be to slow the breakdown of HMW-HA in the body. Another would be to increase its production.

"We already have identified molecules that slow down hyaluronan degradation and are testing them in pre-clinical trials," Seluanov says. "We hope that our findings will provide the first, but not the last, example of how longevity adaptations from a long-lived species can be adapted to benefit human longevity and health."

Newer Research Adds to the Naked Mole Rat Story

Since the 2023 Nature study, naked mole rats have continued to offer new clues about why they age so differently from other mammals. A 2025 study in Science reported another potential longevity mechanism involving cGAS, a protein better known for its role in immune defense. In humans and mice, cGAS can interfere with some forms of DNA repair, but the naked mole rat version appears to help cells repair DNA damage more effectively. That study found that specific changes in the naked mole rat protein improved genome stability and delayed signs of aging in experimental models.

This newer work does not replace the HMW-HA finding. Instead, it strengthens a broader pattern. Naked mole rats likely owe their unusually long, healthy lives to several overlapping defenses, including cancer resistance, inflammation control, DNA repair, and tissue protection.

For human aging research, that matters. A single molecule is unlikely to become a simple fountain of youth. But each discovery gives scientists another possible route for targeting the biological processes that drive age-related disease.

The 2023 gene transfer study remains a striking proof of concept. A survival strategy that evolved in one of nature's strangest mammals helped mice resist disease, age more smoothly, and live longer. The next challenge is determining whether those same biological tricks can be safely adapted to improve human healthspan.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Rochester. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Zhihui Zhang, Xiao Tian, J. Yuyang Lu, Kathryn Boit, Julia Ablaeva, Frances Tolibzoda Zakusilo, Stephan Emmrich, Denis Firsanov, Elena Rydkina, Seyed Ali Biashad, Quan Lu, Alexander Tyshkovskiy, Vadim N. Gladyshev, Steve Horvath, Andrei Seluanov, Vera Gorbunova. Increased hyaluronan by naked mole-rat Has2 improves healthspan in mice. Nature, 2023; 621 (7977): 196 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06463-0

Cite This Page:

University of Rochester. (2026, May 10). Scientists successfully transfer longevity gene and extend lifespan. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260510030948.htm

Scientists discover the brain’s hidden “stop scratching” switch

A hidden neural signal tells the body when to stop scratching an itch.

Date: May 10, 2026

Source: Biophysical Society

Summary: Scientists have uncovered a hidden “stop-scratching” signal in the nervous system that tells your brain when enough scratching is enough. The discovery centers on a molecule called TRPV4, which acts like part of an internal braking system for itch relief. In experiments involving chronic itch similar to eczema, mice missing this signal scratched less often—but when they did scratch, they couldn’t stop.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

New findings reveal that scratching relief is carefully controlled by the nervous system and could help explain why chronic itch disorders become so relentless. Credit: Shutterstock

When an itch strikes, scratching usually brings relief after a few moments. Scientists have now uncovered part of the biological system that tells the brain when enough scratching has occurred. The discovery reveals how the nervous system naturally limits scratching and may help explain why this process breaks down in people with chronic itch disorders. The findings were presented at the 70th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting.

Researchers from the laboratory of Roberta Gualdani at the University of Louvain in Brussels identified an unexpected role for a molecule known as TRPV4 in itch triggered by mechanical stimulation, such as scratching.

"We were initially studying TRPV4 in the context of pain," Gualdani explained. "But instead of a pain phenotype, what emerged very clearly was a disruption of itch, specifically, how scratching behavior is regulated."

TRPV4 and the Nervous System

TRPV4 is part of a family of ion channels that function like tiny molecular gateways in sensory nerve cells. These channels allow ions to move through cell membranes in response to physical or chemical changes. They help the nervous system detect sensations including temperature, pressure, and tissue stress.

Scientists have suspected for years that TRPV4 plays a role in sensing mechanical stimulation, but its involvement in itch, particularly chronic itch, has remained unclear and heavily debated.

To investigate more precisely, Gualdani's team created genetically engineered mice in which TRPV4 was removed only from sensory neurons. Earlier studies had deleted the molecule throughout the entire body, making it difficult to determine exactly where it was acting.

Using genetic analysis, calcium imaging, and behavioral testing, the researchers found that TRPV4 appears in touch sensitive neurons known as Aβ low-threshold mechanoreceptors (Aβ-LTMRs). The channel was also present in certain sensory neurons connected to itch and pain pathways, including neurons expressing TRPV1.

Why Scratching Sometimes Does Not Stop

The team then created a chronic itch condition in mice that resembled atopic dermatitis. The results surprised the researchers. Mice missing TRPV4 in sensory neurons scratched less often overall, but each scratching episode lasted much longer than normal.

"At first glance, that seems paradoxical," Gualdani said. "But it actually reveals something very important about how itch is regulated."

According to the study, TRPV4 does not simply create the sensation of itch. Instead, it appears to help activate a negative feedback signal in mechanosensory neurons. This signal informs the spinal cord and brain that scratching has provided enough relief.

Without that feedback system, the sense of satisfaction from scratching becomes weaker, causing scratching to continue for extended periods. Researchers say TRPV4 may therefore function as part of the nervous system's internal "stop scratching" mechanism.

"When we scratch an itch, at some point we stop because there's a negative feedback signal that tells us we're satisfied," Gualdani explained. "Without TRPV4, the mice don't feel this feedback, so they continue scratching much longer than normal."

Implications for Chronic Itch Treatments

The findings also suggest that TRPV4 has a more complicated role in itch than previously believed. In skin cells, the channel may help trigger itch sensations. In neurons, however, it appears to help control and limit scratching behavior.

That distinction could be important for future drug development.

"This means that broadly blocking TRPV4 may not be the solution," Gualdani noted. "Future therapies may need to be much more targeted -- perhaps acting only in the skin, without interfering with the neuronal mechanisms that tell us when to stop scratching."

Chronic itch affects millions of people living with conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and kidney disease, but treatment options remain limited. Researchers believe that understanding how the body controls itch, including the signals that tell us when to stop scratching, could eventually lead to more effective therapies.

Cite This Page:

Biophysical Society. (2026, May 10). Scientists discover the brain’s hidden “stop scratching” switch. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260509210654.htm

Matter and Energy

- Scientists put a tiny lump of metal in two places at once in record-breaking quantum experiment

Scientists put a tiny lump of metal in two places at once in record-breaking quantum experiment

Scientists just proved that tiny metal “lumps” can exist in multiple places at once, pushing quantum weirdness to a whole new scale.

Date: May 11, 2026

Source: University of Vienna

Summary: Scientists have pulled off a mind-bending quantum experiment that sounds almost impossible: they showed that tiny metal particles made of thousands of atoms can exist in multiple places at once. Using advanced laser techniques, researchers at the University of Vienna observed quantum interference in sodium nanoparticles far larger than the kinds of particles usually seen behaving this way. The finding pushes quantum mechanics into a new realm, suggesting that even surprisingly “large” objects still obey the bizarre rules of the quantum world.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Physicists have demonstrated that microscopic chunks of metal can exist in a quantum superposition, behaving as if they are in multiple places at once. Credit: AI/ScienceDaily.com

Physicists have demonstrated that even tiny chunks of metal can behave according to the strange rules of quantum mechanics, existing in states that spread across multiple locations at once. In a new study published in Nature, researchers from the University of Vienna and the University of Duisburg-Essen showed that metallic nanoparticles made of thousands of sodium atoms still display quantum behavior despite being far larger and heavier than particles typically used in such experiments.

The achievement represents one of the strongest tests yet of quantum mechanics on scales approaching the macroscopic world.

Quantum Behavior Beyond Tiny Particles

Quantum physics describes a world where matter can behave both like a particle and a wave. Scientists have repeatedly confirmed this unusual behavior in electrons, atoms, and small molecules using interference and double-slit experiments. But in daily life, ordinary objects such as rocks, dust, or marbles appear to follow the predictable laws of classical physics, staying in one place and moving along defined paths.

The Vienna research team, led by Markus Arndt and Stefan Gerlich, has now extended these quantum effects to much larger metallic nanoparticles for the first time. The sodium clusters used in the experiment measured roughly 8 nanometers across, similar in scale to modern transistor components. Each cluster also had a mass exceeding 170,000 atomic mass units, making them heavier than most proteins.

Even at that scale, the particles still produced measurable quantum interference.

"Intuitively, one would expect such a large lump of metal to behave like a classical particle," says lead author and doctoral student Sebastian Pedalino. "The fact that it still interferes shows that quantum mechanics is valid even on this scale and does not require alternative models."

Creating a "Schrödinger's Metal Lump"

To perform the experiment, the researchers created ultracold sodium clusters containing between 5,000 and 10,000 atoms. The particles then traveled through three diffraction gratings generated by ultraviolet laser beams.

The first laser beam established the position of each cluster with an accuracy of about 10 nm and placed the particles into a quantum superposition, meaning they could follow multiple paths through the apparatus simultaneously. As these possible paths overlapped later in the experiment, they produced a detectable striped interference pattern that matched the predictions of quantum theory.

The results indicate that the particles did not occupy one fixed position during their flight. Instead, their quantum state spread over a region dozens of times larger than the particles themselves.

Physicists describe these conditions as Schrödinger cat states, referencing Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger's famous thought experiment involving a cat that is simultaneously dead and alive until observed. In this case, the researchers describe the metal clusters as effectively being "here and not here" at the same time.

Record-Breaking Test of Quantum Mechanics

The theoretical foundation for this type of near-field interferometry has been developed over the past two decades by Klaus Hornberger (University of Duisburg Essen), who also co-authored the new study. Hornberger and Stefan Nimmrichter (then University of Vienna) previously introduced the concept of macroscopicity, a way to compare how strongly different experiments test the limits of quantum mechanics.

Macroscopicity allows scientists to evaluate experiments involving systems such as nano-oscillators, atomic interferometers, and nanoacoustic resonators by measuring how effectively they rule out even tiny deviations from standard quantum theory.

In the new experiment, the team achieved a macroscopicity value of μ = 15.5. According to the researchers, this is roughly an order of magnitude beyond previous experiments worldwide.

To match the same level of testing precision using electrons, scientists would need to preserve electron quantum superpositions for nearly 100 million years. The metallic nanoparticles in Vienna achieved this benchmark in only about one hundredth of a second.

Future Applications and Larger Quantum Experiments

Beyond testing the foundations of physics, the work may help researchers understand why quantum effects dominate the microscopic world while everyday objects appear normal and classical.

The team plans to investigate even larger particles and additional materials in future studies, potentially pushing these tests several orders of magnitude further. Improved experimental infrastructure and upgraded equipment are expected to make even more sensitive measurements possible.

The Vienna interferometer also functions as an extremely precise force sensor capable of detecting forces as small as 10-26 N. Researchers say future versions could become even more sensitive, opening possibilities for highly accurate measurements of electrical, magnetic, and optical properties in isolated nanoparticles. These capabilities could eventually support new advances in nanotechnology and precision sensing.

Researchers at the University of Vienna led by Markus Arndt and Stefan Gerlich carried out the study in collaboration with Klaus Hornberger from the University of Duisburg-Essen. The findings were published in Nature.

The experiment was substantially funded by:

- Der Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation grant GMBF10771

- Fonds zur Förderung Wissenschaftlicher Forschung, FWF, MUSCLE #32542-N

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Vienna. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Sebastian Pedalino, Bruno E. Ramírez-Galindo, Richard Ferstl, Klaus Hornberger, Markus Arndt, Stefan Gerlich. Probing quantum mechanics with nanoparticle matter-wave interferometry. Nature, 2026; 649 (8098): 866 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09917-9

Cite This Page:

University of Vienna. (2026, May 11). Scientists put a tiny lump of metal in two places at once in record-breaking quantum experiment. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260509210650.htm

Plants and Animals

- Scientists discover hidden chemical signature that could reveal alien life

Scientists discover hidden chemical signature that could reveal alien life

Scientists may have uncovered a hidden chemical pattern that could reveal alien life across the cosmos.

Date: May 12, 2026

Source: University of California - Riverside

Summary: Scientists may have found a powerful new way to hunt for alien life — not by searching for specific molecules, but by looking for hidden patterns in how those molecules are organized. Researchers discovered that living systems leave behind a kind of chemical “fingerprint” in the statistical distribution of amino acids and fatty acids, one that consistently differs from nonliving chemistry.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Researchers have discovered that life leaves behind a unique statistical pattern in organic molecules, potentially offering a new way to detect alien life. Credit: Shutterstock

For decades, scientists searching for life beyond Earth have focused on one central challenge: identifying the right molecules to look for on distant planets and moons.

But new research published in Nature Astronomy suggests the answer may lie not in the molecules themselves, but in the hidden patterns that connect them.

"We're showing that life does not only produce molecules," said Fabian Klenner, UC Riverside assistant professor of planetary sciences and co-author of the study. "Life also produces an organizational principle that we can see by applying statistics."

Hidden Chemical Patterns May Reveal Life

The researchers discovered that amino acids found in living systems tend to be both more varied and more evenly distributed than amino acids formed through nonbiological processes. Fatty acids showed the opposite trend, with nonliving chemical processes producing more even distributions than biological ones.

According to the team, this is the first study to show that this underlying signature of life can be detected through statistics alone, without relying on any single specialized instrument. That means the approach could potentially work using data already being collected by current and future space missions.

The findings arrive at a time when planetary exploration is advancing rapidly. Missions studying Mars, Europa, Enceladus, and other worlds are producing increasingly detailed measurements of organic chemistry. However, interpreting those chemical signals remains a major challenge.

Many molecules linked to life on Earth, including amino acids and fatty acids, can also form naturally without biology. Scientists have found them in meteorites and created them in laboratory experiments designed to mimic space environments. Because of that, simply detecting these compounds is not considered strong enough evidence to confirm life.

"Astrobiology is fundamentally a forensic science," said Gideon Yoffe, postdoctoral researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and first author of the study. "We're trying to infer processes from incomplete clues, often with very limited data collected by missions that are extraordinarily expensive and infrequent."

Borrowing a Tool From Ecology

To tackle the problem, the researchers adapted a statistical method commonly used in ecology. Ecologists measure biodiversity using two main concepts: richness, which describes how many different species are present, and evenness, which measures how uniformly they are distributed.

Yoffe first encountered this framework during doctoral studies in statistics and data science, where diversity metrics were used to uncover patterns in complicated datasets, including research involving ancient human cultures.

The team then applied the same statistical logic to chemistry associated with possible extraterrestrial life.

Using roughly 100 existing datasets, the scientists examined amino acids and fatty acids from microbes, soils, fossils, meteorites, asteroids, and synthetic laboratory samples. Again and again, biological materials displayed distinct organizational patterns that separated them from nonliving chemistry.

Fossils Still Carried Signs of Ancient Life

One of the most surprising findings was how effective the method remained despite its simplicity.

By analyzing samples through this statistical lens, the researchers could reliably distinguish biological samples from abiotic ones. They also observed that biological materials formed a continuum ranging from well preserved to heavily degraded.

"That was genuinely surprising," Klenner said. "The method captured not only the distinction between life and nonlife, but also degrees of preservation and alteration."

Even samples that had undergone significant degradation still preserved traces of this organizational structure. Fossilized dinosaur eggshells included in the study, for example, continued to show detectable statistical patterns connected to ancient biological activity.

A New Tool for Future Space Missions

The researchers caution that no single technique will be enough to prove the existence of extraterrestrial life.

"Any future claim of having found life would require multiple independent lines of evidence, interpreted within the geological and chemical context of a planetary environment," Klenner said.

Even so, the team believes this framework could become a valuable addition to future planetary missions searching for evidence of life beyond Earth.

"Our approach is one more way to assess whether life may have been there," Klenner said. "And if different techniques all point in the same direction, then that becomes very powerful."

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of California - Riverside. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Gideon Yoffe, Fabian Klenner, Barak Sober, Yohai Kaspi, Itay Halevy. Molecular diversity as a biosignature. Nature Astronomy, 2026; DOI: 10.1038/s41550-026-02864-z

Cite This Page:

University of California - Riverside. (2026, May 12). Scientists discover hidden chemical signature that could reveal alien life. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260511213146.htm

Society News

- Scientists say Dante’s Inferno described an asteroid impact 500 years before modern science

Scientists say Dante’s Inferno described an asteroid impact 500 years before modern science

Date: May 11, 2026

Source: European Geosciences Union

Summary: Dante’s Inferno may have been far more than a religious epic. New research argues that the 14th-century poet essentially imagined a catastrophic asteroid impact centuries before modern science understood meteors. In this interpretation, Satan crashes into Earth like a giant cosmic object, blasting through the Southern Hemisphere and reshaping the planet itself — carving out the circles of Hell while forcing up Mount Purgatory on the opposite side of the globe.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

New research suggests Dante imagined an asteroid apocalypse and impact crater physics 500 years before modern science did. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Dante Alighieri's Inferno may contain more than religious symbolism and poetic imagination. According to new research, the famous work could also represent an early thought experiment in impact physics, describing a catastrophic planetary collision centuries before modern meteor science existed. By comparing Dante's descriptions to modern theories of asteroid impacts and crater formation, researchers argue that the 14th-century poet envisioned an Earth-altering cosmic event long before scientists understood meteoritics.

For hundreds of years, readers have interpreted Satan's descent in the Divine Comedy as a spiritual fall from grace. But Timothy Burbery of Marshall University believes Dante may have been imagining something much more physical and destructive.

Using concepts from modern meteoritics, Burbery suggests that Dante portrayed Satan as a massive high-speed impactor striking the Southern Hemisphere and driving straight toward Earth's core. According to this interpretation, the force of the collision pushed land outward into the Northern Hemisphere, creating Hell as a giant crater reaching upward from below. At the same time, displaced material from the impact formed Mount Purgatory as a towering central peak on the opposite side of the planet.

Comparing Inferno to Dinosaur-Killing Asteroids

Burbery compares the scale of Dante's imagined catastrophe to the Chicxulub (K-Pg) impact linked to the extinction of the dinosaurs. In this reading, Satan resembles an elongated asteroid-sized object similar to the interstellar body Oumuamua, arriving with enough force to trigger a planetwide geological event.

Like the asteroid associated with the K-Pg extinction, the impact described in Inferno is portrayed as powerful enough to penetrate deep into the Earth and reshape the planet itself. Burbery also compares Satan to the Hoba meteorite, a 60-ton space rock that survived impact largely intact. In this interpretation, Satan is treated not as a symbolic figure alone, but as a physical impactor that remained whole while permanently altering Earth's structure.

The Circles of Hell and Impact Craters

The study also reexamines the famous nine circles of Hell. Instead of viewing them solely as symbolic layers representing sin, Burbery argues they closely resemble the terraced rings seen in massive impact basins throughout the solar system.

Similar crater formations can be found on the Moon, Venus, and other planetary bodies. The research suggests Dante intuitively described features that resemble multi-ring craters formed by giant impacts. Burbery further argues that Dante anticipated ideas connected to terminal velocity and crustal penetration, concepts tied to how extremely large objects behave when colliding with planets.

The study also connects these ideas to the non-Euclidean geometry explored later in the Paradiso, suggesting Dante's cosmology may contain surprisingly advanced physical concepts hidden within its literary framework.

Ancient Literature and Modern Planetary Defense

According to the research, this interpretation has implications beyond literature. Burbery argues that stories and myths can preserve observations about natural disasters and cosmic threats long before scientific explanations emerge.

The work suggests Dante recognized meteors as real geological forces at a time when Aristotelian beliefs still portrayed the heavens as perfect and unchanging. By presenting Satan's fall as a violent physical event instead of a purely spiritual allegory or optical illusion, Dante may have helped move Western thought toward the idea that celestial objects can directly reshape Earth.

Burbery says this connection between literature and science encourages a broader perspective on how ancient narratives may contain insights that modern researchers are only beginning to understand.

Ultimately, the Divine Comedy can now be viewed not only as one of history's greatest literary achievements, but also as a geophysical gedankenexperiment (thought experiment) that unexpectedly parallels aspects of modern meteoritics while still differing from today's scientific understanding.

Story Source:

Materials provided by European Geosciences Union. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Cite This Page:

European Geosciences Union. (2026, May 11). Scientists say Dante’s Inferno described an asteroid impact 500 years before modern science. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260510234658.htm

Space and Time

- NASA’s Hubble reveals a giant chaotic planet nursery unlike anything seen before

- James Webb telescope reveals the clearest map ever of the Universe’s cosmic web

- NASA’s Psyche probe is about to slingshot around Mars at 12,000 mph

- NASA’s Curiosity rover accidentally pulled a rock out of Mars

NASA’s Hubble reveals a giant chaotic planet nursery unlike anything seen before

Hubble just uncovered a gigantic, chaotic “planet nursery” so strange that astronomers say it may change how we think planets form.

Date: May 12, 2026

Source: NASA Hubble Mission Team

Summary: Hubble has revealed a giant planet-forming disk unlike anything astronomers have seen before. Nicknamed “Dracula’s Chivito,” the enormous structure appears turbulent and oddly lopsided, with towering filaments visible on only one side. The disk contains enough material to potentially create multiple giant planets, making it a fascinating new laboratory for studying how planetary systems are born.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

This Hubble Space Telescope image shows the largest planet-forming disk ever observed around a young star. It spans nearly 400 billion miles — 40 times the diameter of our solar system. Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, Kristina Monsch (CfA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale(STScI)

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured the most detailed visible light images ever taken of the largest known protoplanetary disk surrounding a young star. The enormous structure appears far more chaotic and turbulent than astronomers expected, with huge wisps of gas and dust extending high above and below the disk. Even more unusual, the longest filament-like structures can only be seen on one side.

The discovery, published in The Astrophysical Journal, offers scientists a rare look at how planets may form in extreme cosmic environments and highlights Hubble's continuing role in exploring the universe.

Giant Planet-Forming Disk Unlike Any Seen Before

The system, known as IRAS 23077+6707 and nicknamed "Dracula's Chivito," is located about 1,000 light-years from Earth. The giant disk stretches nearly 400 billion miles across, making it about 40 times wider than our solar system out to the Kuiper Belt.

At the center of the disk is a young star hidden by thick clouds of dust and gas. Researchers think the object may be a single massive star or possibly two stars orbiting each other. Besides being the largest planet-forming disk ever identified, scientists say it may also be one of the strangest.

"The level of detail we're seeing is rare in protoplanetary disk imaging, and these new Hubble images show that planet nurseries can be much more active and chaotic than we expected," said lead author Kristina Monsch of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA). "We're seeing this disk nearly edge-on and its wispy upper layers and asymmetric features are especially striking. Both Hubble and NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have glimpsed similar structures in other disks, but IRAS 23077+6707 provides us with an exceptional perspective -- allowing us to trace its substructures in visible light at an unprecedented level of detail. This makes the system a unique, new laboratory for studying planet formation and the environments where it happens."

The unusual nickname reflects the backgrounds of the researchers involved. One scientist is from Transylvania, while another is from Uruguay, where a chivito is a popular sandwich. Viewed edge-on, the disk resembles a hamburger with a dark center surrounded by glowing layers of dust and gas above and below it.

Mysterious One-Sided Filaments

Scientists were especially intrigued by the disk's uneven appearance. Hubble's images revealed towering filament-like structures extending from only one side of the disk, while the opposite side appears sharply defined and lacks similar features.

Researchers believe this strange asymmetry could be caused by active processes within the system, such as fresh material falling into the disk or interactions with nearby surroundings.

"We were stunned to see how asymmetric this disk is," said co-investigator Joshua Bennett Lovell, also an astronomer at the CfA. "Hubble has given us a front row seat to the chaotic processes that are shaping disks as they build new planets -- processes that we don't yet fully understand but can now study in a whole new way."

Clues to How Planetary Systems Form

Planetary systems develop from massive disks of gas and dust surrounding young stars. Over time, some of the material falls into the star while the remaining matter gradually forms planets.

Scientists estimate the mass of IRAS 23077+6707 may equal 10 to 30 times the mass of Jupiter, providing more than enough material to create several giant planets. Researchers say the system could resemble an oversized version of the early solar system.

"In theory, IRAS 23077+6707 could host a vast planetary system," said Monsch. "While planet formation may differ in such massive environments, the underlying processes are likely similar. Right now, we have more questions than answers, but these new images are a starting point for understanding how planets form over time and in different environments."

Hubble's Continuing Discoveries

The Hubble Space Telescope has operated for more than 30 years and continues to deliver major discoveries that expand scientists' understanding of the cosmos. Hubble is a joint project between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, oversees telescope and mission operations, while Lockheed Martin Space in Denver also supports operations. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, manages Hubble's science operations for NASA.

Story Source:

Materials provided by NASA Hubble Mission Team. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Related Multimedia:

- Hubble Spots Giant Vampire Sandwich? [Video]

Journal Reference:

1. Kristina Monsch, Joshua Bennett Lovell, Karl R. Stapelfeldt, Sean M. Andrews, Ammar Bayyari, Alice S. Booth, Adolfo S. Carvalho, John H. Debes, Jeremy J. Drake, Joshua W. J. Earley, Cecilia Garraffo, Garrett K. Keating, Michael L. Sitko, David J. Wilner. Hubble Reveals Complex Multiscale Structure in the Edge-on Protoplanetary Disk IRAS23077 6707. The Astrophysical Journal, 2025; 996 (1): 45 DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ae247f

Cite This Page:

NASA Hubble Mission Team. (2026, May 12). NASA’s Hubble reveals a giant chaotic planet nursery unlike anything seen before. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260511213151.htm

James Webb telescope reveals the clearest map ever of the Universe’s cosmic web

JWST just unveiled the sharpest-ever map of the universe’s hidden cosmic web — and it reaches back nearly to the beginning of time.

Date: May 12, 2026

Source: University of California - Riverside

Summary: Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have created the clearest map yet of the universe’s “cosmic web” — the enormous hidden structure that connects galaxies across space. By analyzing more than 164,000 galaxies through the massive COSMOS-Web survey, researchers were able to trace this vast network back to when the universe was just a billion years old.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A slice through the COSMOS-Web cosmic-web map, showing galaxies across nearly 14 billion years of cosmic history. The vertex on the left marks the present day; moving outward, each galaxy is placed at its distance in cosmic time, reaching back to when the universe was less than a billion years old. Bright yellow regions show the dense clusters and filaments of the cosmic web, while dark regions mark the near-empty voids in between. Credit: Hossein Hatamnia, UC Riverside

Astronomers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have created the most detailed map ever made of the cosmic web, the enormous structure that connects galaxies throughout the universe. Led by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, the team traced this vast network back to a time when the universe was only about one billion years old.

The cosmic web is the immense, skeleton-like framework of the universe. It consists of filaments and sheets made of dark matter and gas that surround gigantic, mostly empty regions of space known as voids. Together, these structures form the large-scale architecture of the cosmos, linking galaxies and galaxy clusters across enormous distances.

The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal. Researchers relied on COSMOS-Web, the largest JWST survey carried out so far, to study how galaxies have been arranged within the cosmic web over 13.7 billion years of cosmic history.

JWST Opens a New View of the Universe

Since launching in 2021, JWST has dramatically expanded scientists' ability to study the distant universe. Its highly sensitive infrared instruments can detect faint galaxies that earlier telescopes could not see, allowing astronomers to peer farther back in time and through thick clouds of cosmic dust.

To take advantage of those capabilities, an international team created COSMOS-Web, the largest General Observer (GO) program selected for the space telescope. The GO program is the main process researchers use to gain observing time with JWST. The survey covers a continuous section of sky roughly equal in size to three full Moons and was specifically designed to map the cosmic web.

"JWST has completely changed our view of the universe, and COSMOS-Web was designed from the start to give us the wide, deep view we need to see the cosmic web," said Hossein Hatamnia, a graduate student at UCR and Carnegie Observatories, and lead author of the study. "For the first time we can study the evolution of galaxies in cluster and filamentary structures across cosmic time, all the way from when the universe was a billion years old up to the nearby universe."

The nearby universe refers to the region within about 1 billion light-years of Earth. A light-year, which equals approximately 5.88 trillion miles, measures the distance light travels in one year.

Cosmic Web Revealed in Greater Detail

Bahram Mobasher, a distinguished professor of physics and astronomy at UCR and Hatamnia's advisor, said the new JWST-based map reveals much more information than earlier observations of the same area taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. According to Mobasher, direct comparisons show that previous data blurred together structures that JWST can now clearly separate.

"The jump in depth and resolution is truly significant, and we can now see the cosmic web at a time when the universe was only a few hundred million years old, an era that was essentially out of reach before JWST," Mobasher said. "What used to look like a single structure now resolves into many, and details that were smoothed away before, are now clearly visible."

Hatamnia said the sharper map comes from two major strengths of JWST working together.

"The telescope detects many more faint galaxies in the same patch of sky, and the distances to those galaxies are measured far more precisely," he said. "Each galaxy can therefore be placed into the correct slice of cosmic time, sharpening the map's resolution."

Public Release of the Cosmic Web Data

Continuing COSMOS's tradition of open science, the research team has made the large-scale structure maps publicly available.

"The pipeline used to build the map, the catalog of 164,000 galaxies and their cosmic density, and a video showing the cosmic web evolving across billions of years, has been released to the public," Mobasher said.

The paper is titled "Large-Scale Structure in COSMOS-Web: Tracing Galaxy Evolution in the Cosmic Web up to z ∼ 7 with the Largest JWST Survey."

Researchers from the U.S., Denmark, Chile, France, Finland, Switzerland, Japan, China, Germany, and Italy also contributed to the study.

Funding for the research came from grants provided through the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of California - Riverside. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Hossein Hatamnia, Bahram Mobasher, Sina Taamoli, Jeyhan S. Kartaltepe, Caitlin M. Casey, Hollis B. Akins, Malte Brinch, Nima Chartab, Nicole E. Drakos, Andreas L. Faisst, Steven L. Finkelstein, Maximilien Franco, Finn Giddings, Ghassem Gozaliasl, Ali Hadi, Aryana Haghjoo, Santosh Harish, Olivier Ilbert, Pascale L. Jablonka, Shuowen Jin, Ali Ahmad Khostovan, Anton M. Koekemoer, Ronaldo Laishram, Daizhong Liu, Matteo Maturi, Henry Joy McCracken, Crystal L. Martin, Lauro Moscardini, Diana Scognamiglio, Marko Shuntov, Greta Toni, Alexander de la Vega, John R. Weaver, Lilan Yang. Large-scale Structure in COSMOS-Web: Tracing Galaxy Evolution in the Cosmic Web up to z ∼ 7 with the Largest JWST Survey. The Astrophysical Journal, 2026; 1002 (2): 192 DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ae5bac

Cite This Page:

University of California - Riverside. (2026, May 12). James Webb telescope reveals the clearest map ever of the Universe’s cosmic web. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260511213136.htm

NASA’s Psyche probe is about to slingshot around Mars at 12,000 mph

Date: May 11, 2026

Source: NASA

Summary: NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is about to pull off a dramatic close flyby of Mars, skimming just 2,800 miles above the planet to get a powerful gravitational boost on its journey to the mysterious metal-rich asteroid Psyche. The maneuver will save propellant while giving mission scientists a rare chance to test and calibrate the spacecraft’s instruments using Mars as a target. As Psyche approaches from the planet’s dark side, it’s expected to capture striking crescent views of Mars, search for faint dust rings around the planet, and even gather magnetic and cosmic ray data during the encounter.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is racing past Mars for a gravity-powered boost — and could capture some spectacular surprises along the way. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's Psyche spacecraft is preparing for a close encounter with Mars that will help send it deeper into the solar system on its way to the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. On Friday, May 15, the spacecraft will pass just 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) above the Martian surface while traveling about 12,333 mph (19,848 kph). During the flyby, Mars' gravity will alter Psyche's path and increase its speed, reducing the amount of propellant needed for the long mission ahead.

Launched on Oct. 13, 2023, Psyche uses a solar-electric propulsion system powered by xenon gas. Instead of relying entirely on its thrusters, mission planners are taking advantage of Mars' gravitational pull to help guide the spacecraft toward its final destination, the unusual metallic asteroid Psyche. The flyby also provides an important chance to test and calibrate the spacecraft's science instruments before it reaches the asteroid in 2029.

Psyche Spacecraft Captures Mars Images

During the encounter, the mission team plans to use Psyche's multispectral imager to collect thousands of observations of Mars. The data will help scientists refine imaging techniques and practice operations they will later use while orbiting the asteroid Psyche.

The spacecraft has already begun returning images ahead of the flyby. Starting on May 7, the mission website began displaying the first unprocessed, or "raw," images showing a starfield with Mars appearing as a tiny point of light. Engineers will later process the flyby images by adjusting brightness and contrast, and they expect to create a time-lapse sequence of the event in the weeks ahead.

To make sure the spacecraft was precisely lined up for the maneuver, the operations team carried out a trajectory correction maneuver on Feb. 23. During that adjustment, Psyche fired its thrusters for 12 hours to fine-tune its course and slightly increase its speed before reaching Mars.

"We are now exactly on target for the flyby, and we've programmed the flight computer with everything that the spacecraft will do throughout May," said Sarah Bairstow, Psyche's mission planning lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages the mission. "This is our first opportunity in flight to calibrate Psyche's imager with something bigger than a few pixels, and we'll also make observations with the mission's other science instruments."

What Mars Will Look Like During the Flyby

Psyche's view of Mars will look very different from the familiar bright images often seen from orbiters and telescopes. Because the spacecraft is approaching from the night side of the planet, Mars will first appear as a thin crescent illuminated by only a narrow strip of sunlight.

"We are approaching Mars at a very high phase angle, which means we are catching up with the planet from its night side with only a sliver of sunlight creating a thin crescent," said Jim Bell, the Psyche imager instrument lead at Arizona State University in Tempe. "The thin crescent on approach and the nearly 'full Mars' view after we fly past create opportunities for the imaging team for both great calibration observations as well as just plain beautiful photos."

Scientists are also interested in the possibility that Mars may have a faint dusty ring, sometimes called a torus, surrounding the planet. Researchers believe micrometeorites striking Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos, may throw dust particles into space. Depending on how sunlight lines up during the flyby, some of that dust could become visible in Psyche's observations.

The spacecraft's imager will also perform "satellite search" observations around Mars. These tests are intended to prepare the mission team for searching for possible moonlets orbiting the asteroid Psyche later in the mission.

Other instruments aboard the spacecraft could gather valuable information during the flyby as well. Psyche's magnetometer may observe Mars' magnetic field interacting with charged particles from the Sun. Meanwhile, the gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer will study changes in cosmic rays (highly energetic subatomic particles from interstellar space) as the spacecraft passes the planet.

"Ultimately, though, the only reason for this flyby is to get a little help from Mars to speed us up and tilt our trajectory in the direction of the asteroid Psyche," said Lindy Elkins-Tanton, principal investigator for Psyche at the University of California, Berkeley. "But if all our instruments are powered up, and we can do important testing and calibration of the science instruments, that would be the icing on the cake."

NASA Tracks Psyche During Mars Gravity Assist

Mission controllers will closely monitor radio signals exchanged between Psyche and NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) to confirm the flyby's success. Changes in the spacecraft's velocity will appear in the Doppler shift of those radio signals, allowing engineers to quickly determine Psyche's updated speed and trajectory after it departs Mars and continues toward the asteroid belt.

Several spacecraft already operating at Mars will also assist during the event. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Odyssey orbiter, Curiosity rover, and Perseverance rover will contribute observations and navigation support. ESA's (European Space Agency) Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter will also take part.

By comparing data gathered by Psyche with measurements from the Mars missions, scientists will be able to improve calibration of the spacecraft's instruments. Coordinated radio tracking through the DSN may also help future spacecraft navigation efforts during later missions to Mars.

Story Source:

Materials provided by NASA. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Related Multimedia:

- NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft Prepares for Mars Flyby

Cite This Page:

NASA. (2026, May 11). NASA’s Psyche probe is about to slingshot around Mars at 12,000 mph. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260510234707.htm

NASA’s Curiosity rover accidentally pulled a rock out of Mars

Date: May 11, 2026

Source: NASA

Summary: NASA’s Curiosity rover had an unexpectedly stubborn Mars souvenir after drilling into a rock nicknamed “Atacama” — the entire chunk ripped loose from the ground and stayed stuck to the rover’s drill. Engineers watched as Curiosity shook, vibrated, tilted, and spun the drill over several days in an effort to free the rock, while cameras captured the strange scene on the Red Planet.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Curiosity stunned NASA engineers when a rock it drilled on Mars came completely out of the ground and stayed stuck to the rover’s drill. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A newly released series of images captures an unusual moment for NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars after a rock became stuck to the drill at the end of the rover's robotic arm. Engineers eventually freed the rock by moving the arm and repeatedly operating the drill over several days.

The full sequence was recorded by Curiosity's black and white hazard cameras mounted on the front of the rover, along with navigation cameras located on its mast, or head.

Rare Drill Mishap on Mars

On April 25, 2026, Curiosity drilled into a rock known as "Atacama" to collect a sample. The rock is estimated to measure about 1.5 feet across at its base, about 6 inches thick, and weighs around 28.6 pounds (13 kilograms).

As the rover pulled its arm back after drilling, the entire rock unexpectedly lifted out of the Martian surface. The rock remained attached to the fixed sleeve surrounding the spinning drill bit.

Curiosity's drilling operations have previously cracked or separated layers of rock, but NASA says this was the first time a rock stayed attached to the drill sleeve itself. Mission engineers first attempted to remove it by vibrating the drill, but the effort had no visible effect.

NASA Engineers Try Multiple Solutions

A few days later, on April 29, the team adjusted the position of Curiosity's robotic arm and activated the drill vibration again. Images from the rover show sand spilling from the "Atacama" rock during the attempt, yet the rock still did not detach.

On May 1, engineers made another attempt using a combination of steeper drill angles, drill rotation, vibration, and spinning of the drill bit. The team expected they might need to repeat the process several times, but the rock broke free during the first attempt. It fractured apart when it struck the Martian ground.

View the Animations

- NASA’s Curiosity Rover Frees Its Drill From a Rock

- Same GIF with Yellow Time Stamps

- Alternate View of the Same Activities From the Navigation Cameras on Curiosity’s Mast

Curiosity's Ongoing Mars Mission

NASA's Curiosity rover was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California. JPL oversees the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington as part of the agency's Mars Exploration Program.

Story Source:

Materials provided by NASA. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Cite This Page:

NASA. (2026, May 11). NASA’s Curiosity rover accidentally pulled a rock out of Mars. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260510234704.htm

Table of Contents

Science Daily: 2026 May 12

Autism

Brain scans reveal a shocking difference between psychopaths and other people: 2026 May 10

Computers and Math

JUPITER supercomputer breaks world record with 50-qubit quantum simulation: 2026 May 11

Researchers say AI chatbots may blur the line between reality and delusion: 2026 May 11

Scientists just sent unhackable quantum keys across 120 kilometers

The hidden atomic gap that could break next-generation computer chips

Earth and Climate

Scientists say this algae could remove microplastics from drinking water: 2026 May 12

A supervolcano nearly wiped out humanity 74,000 years ago, but humans did something incredible

“Cannot be explained” – New ultra stainless steel stuns researchers

Scientists stunned as volcano cloud destroys methane in the atmosphere

Scientists say a critical Atlantic ocean current is weakening and the world could feel the impact

Antarctica is melting from below and scientists say it’s worse than expected

Fossils and Ruins

This strange giant dinosaur may change what we know about Jurassic titans

Stunning fossil discovery challenges the origins of animal life

Gender Difference

This 800-year-old Chinese exercise helps lower blood pressure naturally

Health and Medicine

Scientists reversed biological age in older adults with a 4-week diet change: 2026 May 12

Scientists discover hidden fat-burning switch that could strengthen bones

This simple strength test could predict how long you live

Scientists successfully transfer longevity gene and extend lifespan

Scientists discover the brain’s hidden “stop scratching” switch

Matter and Energy

Scientists put a tiny lump of metal in two places at once in record-breaking quantum experiment

Plants and Animals

Scientists discover hidden chemical signature that could reveal alien life

Society News

Scientists say Dante’s Inferno described an asteroid impact 500 years before modern science

Space and Time

NASA’s Hubble reveals a giant chaotic planet nursery unlike anything seen before

James Webb telescope reveals the clearest map ever of the Universe’s cosmic web

NASA’s Psyche probe is about to slingshot around Mars at 12,000 mph

NASA’s Curiosity rover accidentally pulled a rock out of Mars