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Alzheimer's

- Teen cannabis use linked to slower memory and thinking growth: 2026 Aug 8

Teen cannabis use linked to slower memory and thinking growth

Date: August 7, 2026

Source: University of California - San Diego

Summary: Teens who start using cannabis may experience slower growth in memory, attention, language, and processing speed. Their abilities often developed normally at first, then began leveling off while nonusers continued improving. THC appeared to be the most likely driver, especially for worsening memory.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Teen cannabis use may quietly slow the development of memory and thinking skills at one of the brain’s most important stages. Credit: Shutterstock

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have found that teenagers who start using cannabis may develop memory and thinking abilities more slowly than teens who do not use it. The findings were published in Neuropsychopharmacology and were based on data from more than 11,000 participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term investigation of brain development among young people in the United States.

"Adolescence is a critical time for brain development, and what we're seeing is that teens who start using cannabis aren't improving at the same rate as their peers," said Natasha Wade, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine and lead author of the study. "These differences may seem small at first, but they can add up in ways that affect learning, memory and everyday functioning."

Tracking Cannabis Use and Cognitive Growth

The research team followed 11,036 children from ages 9 to 10 through ages 16 and 17. During that period, the scientists monitored changes in cognitive performance as well as the participants' use of cannabis and other substances.

To measure cannabis exposure more accurately, the researchers used both participant reports and biological tests. Hair, urine and saliva samples helped identify drug exposure ranging from recent use to use that had occurred several months earlier.

Teenagers who used cannabis showed slower improvement across several areas of cognition, including memory, attention, language and processing speed. Some of these participants initially performed as well as, or slightly better than, other children at younger ages. After they grew older and began using cannabis, however, their cognitive gains tended to level off while teens who did not use cannabis continued to improve.

THC Linked to Worsening Memory

The researchers also examined whether specific cannabis compounds were associated with different outcomes. Within a smaller group of participants, teenagers with evidence of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exposure, the primary intoxicating compound in cannabis, experienced greater declines in memory performance over time than teens who did not use cannabis.

The same pattern was not observed among teenagers with evidence of cannabidiol (CBD) exposure, although the number of participants in that group was limited.

"These results point to THC as a likely driver of the changes we're seeing," Wade said. "It also highlights how complicated cannabis products can be, especially since some products labeled as CBD may still contain THC."

Small Differences May Have Real Consequences

Although the cognitive differences identified in the study were relatively modest, the researchers said they may still have meaningful effects. The brain develops rapidly during adolescence, so even minor changes in memory, attention or thinking speed could influence classroom performance, learning and everyday activities.

The findings do not establish that cannabis directly caused the slower cognitive growth. Environmental conditions, personality traits and other factors could also contribute to the differences.

Still, the researchers adjusted their analysis for many possible influences. These included family background, mental health, the use of other substances and each participant's cognitive abilities before cannabis use began.

Researchers Will Follow Participants Into Adulthood

The research team plans to continue monitoring the participants as they enter young adulthood. Future analysis may offer a clearer picture of the long-term effects of cannabis and reveal whether the age at which use begins, as well as how often cannabis is used, influences brain development.

"Delaying cannabis use supports healthy brain development," Wade said. "As cannabis becomes more widely available, it's important for families and teens to understand how it may affect the developing brain."

Additional co-authors on the study include: Ryan M. Sullivan, Alexander L. Wallace, Veronica Szpak, Joanna Jacobus and Susan F. Tapert from UC San Diego School of Medicine; Rachel Visontay, Louise Mewton and Hollie Byrne from the University of Sydney; Krista M. Lisdahl from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Marilyn A. Huestis from Huestis & Smith Toxicology; and Priscila Dib Gonçalves from Columbia University.

The study was funded, in part, by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA050779, PI: Wade), (DA064409 PI: Sullivan), (DA062011 PI: Wallace), (T32 AA013525 PI: Riley/Spadoni to Szpak), (R01DA062432 MPI Lisdahl, Hillard), (2U01DA041025 MPI Lisdahl, Larson), (K01DA057389 PI: Gonçalves), and (NARSAD/Brain Behavior Research Foundation Gonçalves).

Story Source:

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

Journal Reference:

1. Natasha E. Wade, Ryan M. Sullivan, Alexander L. Wallace, Rachel Visontay, Veronica Szpak, Krista M. Lisdahl, Marilyn A. Huestis, Priscila Dib Gonçalves, Hollie Byrne, Louise Mewton, Joanna Jacobus, Susan F. Tapert. Longitudinal neurocognitive trajectories in a large cohort of youth who use cannabis: combining self-report and toxicology. Neuropsychopharmacology, 2026; 51 (9): 1546 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-026-02395-1

Cite This Page:

University of California - San Diego. (2026, August 7). Teen cannabis use linked to slower memory and thinking growth. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260806050726.htm

Behavior

- Scientists say just 7 days of meditation can rewire your brain: 2026 Aug 9

Scientists say just 7 days of meditation can rewire your brain

Just seven days of intensive meditation and mind-body practices produced measurable changes in participants’ brains, blood chemistry, immune activity, metabolism, and natural pain-relief systems.

Date: August 8, 2026

Source: University of California - San Diego

Summary: An intensive seven-day meditation retreat triggered striking changes across the brain and body, including shifts tied to neuroplasticity, immunity, metabolism, and natural pain relief. Participants also showed brain connectivity patterns resembling those associated with psychedelic experiences, suggesting that powerful altered states may be achievable without drugs.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A seven-day meditation retreat appeared to reshape brain activity and blood biology in ways linked to neuroplasticity, immunity, pain relief, and even psychedelic-like mystical experiences. Credit: Shutterstock

A week of intensive meditation and other mind and body practices may be capable of producing measurable changes far beyond simple relaxation. In a recent study, researchers at the University of California San Diego found that a seven-day retreat was associated with changes in brain activity, blood chemistry, immune signaling, metabolism, and the body's natural pain control systems.

The researchers also found signs of increased neuroplasticity, which is the brain's ability to adapt, reorganize, and form new connections. The findings, published in Communications Biology, offer new clues about how mental practices and conscious experiences may influence physical biology.

Measuring the Biology of Meditation

Meditation and related practices have been used in cultures around the world for thousands of years as tools for health and well-being. Scientists, however, are still working to understand exactly what happens inside the brain and body when people engage in these practices.

The new research was part of a multi-million-dollar initiative supported by the InnerScience Research Fund. According to the researchers, it is the first study to comprehensively measure the biological effects of several mind and body practices delivered together during a short, intensive program.

"We've known for years that practices like meditation can influence health, but what's striking is that combining multiple mind-body practices into a single retreat produced changes across so many biological systems that we could measure directly in the brain and blood," said senior study author Hemal H. Patel, Ph.D., professor of anesthesiology at UC San Diego School of Medicine and research career scientist at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System. "This isn't about just stress relief or relaxation; this is about fundamentally changing how the brain engages with reality and quantifying these changes biologically."

Inside the Seven-Day Retreat

The study involved 20 healthy adults who participated in a 7-day residential program led by neuroscience educator and author Joe Dispenza, D.C. The retreat included daily lectures, approximately 33 hours of guided meditation, and group healing practices.

Some of those healing activities relied on an "open-label placebo" approach. Unlike a traditional placebo, where participants may not know they are receiving an inactive treatment, people taking part in an open placebo know from the beginning that no active medical ingredient is involved. Researchers have studied this approach because expectations, social interaction, and the experience of participating in a treatment can sometimes produce measurable effects even when no active drug is given.

Before and after the retreat, scientists examined participants' brains using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This type of scanning detects changes in blood flow associated with brain activity, allowing researchers to observe which areas and networks are more or less active.

Blood samples were also collected so the team could examine changes involving metabolism, immune activity, molecular signaling, and other biological processes.

Changes From the Brain to the Immune System

The researchers reported several notable differences following the retreat.

Brain activity became less pronounced in regions associated with internal mental chatter during meditation. The researchers interpreted this pattern as a sign of more efficient brain function.

Evidence of increased neuroplasticity also emerged in laboratory experiments. When scientists exposed laboratory-grown neurons to blood plasma collected from participants after the retreat, the neurons developed longer branches and formed more connections. These changes are commonly associated with the ability of nerve cells to communicate and adapt.

Metabolism changed as well. Cells exposed to plasma collected after the retreat showed increased glycolytic (sugar-burning) metabolism. Glycolysis is one of the main ways cells convert glucose into usable energy, and the researchers said the shift pointed toward a more flexible and adaptable metabolic state.

The retreat also appeared to activate the body's own pain control mechanisms. Blood concentrations of endogenous opioids increased after the program. Endogenous opioids are naturally produced chemicals that act on some of the same biological systems targeted by opioid pain medications, helping the body regulate pain without an external drug.

Researchers also detected changes in immune signaling. Both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory signals increased at the same time, suggesting that the immune system was undergoing a more complicated adaptive response rather than simply becoming more or less active.

Small RNA molecules and patterns of gene activity in the blood also changed, particularly in biological pathways associated with brain function. Small RNA molecules help control how genes are expressed and can influence the activity of cells throughout the body.

Mystical Experiences and Brain Connectivity

Researchers were also interested in the subjective experiences participants had while meditating.

The volunteers completed the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ-30), which is designed to measure experiences involving feelings of unity, transcendence, and altered consciousness. Average scores increased significantly, from 2.37 before the retreat to 3.02 afterward.

People who reported stronger mystical experiences also tended to show greater biological changes. In particular, higher questionnaire scores were associated with increased integration of activity between different regions of the brain.

That relationship suggests that greater communication across brain networks may be associated with a stronger likelihood of experiencing profound changes in consciousness.

Similarities to Psychedelic Brain States

One of the most intriguing findings involved patterns of brain activity that resembled effects previously documented in people using psychedelic substances.

The researchers said intensive meditation appeared capable of producing some of the same types of neural connectivity associated with psychedelic experiences, despite participants not taking psychedelic drugs.

"We're seeing the same mystical experiences and neural connectivity patterns that typically require psilocybin, now achieved through meditation practice alone," added Patel. "Seeing both central nervous system changes in brain scans and systemic changes in blood chemistry underscores that these mind-body practices are acting on a whole-body scale."

Psilocybin is the psychoactive compound found in certain psychedelic mushrooms. Researchers have increasingly studied it because it can produce dramatic changes in perception, mood, and the way different brain networks communicate.

The similarities observed in the meditation study do not mean that meditation and psychedelic drugs produce identical effects. Instead, the findings suggest that very different experiences may sometimes engage overlapping brain processes associated with altered states of consciousness.

Possible Implications for Health and Pain

The findings give researchers a potential biological framework for understanding how non-drug mind and body interventions might support health and well-being.

Increased neuroplasticity could potentially support processes involved in mental health, learning, emotional regulation, and resilience to stress. Changes in immune activity could also prove important if future research shows that these effects are reliable and clinically meaningful.

The increase in endogenous opioids is especially interesting for pain research. Because these chemicals are part of the body's built-in pain-regulating system, the researchers said the combination of practices used during the retreat could eventually have implications for chronic pain management.

However, the study was conducted in healthy adults rather than patients with diagnosed medical conditions. Controlled clinical trials will therefore be necessary before researchers can determine whether the observed biological changes translate into meaningful treatment benefits.

The team is particularly interested in studying whether similar retreats could help people living with chronic pain, mood disorders, or conditions involving the immune system.

What Researchers Still Need to Learn

Another major unanswered question is which parts of the retreat were responsible for the observed effects.

Participants experienced several interventions at the same time, including meditation, reconceptualization, and open-label placebo healing. Because those elements were combined, the current study cannot establish how much each individual practice contributed.

Future research will examine the components separately and in different combinations. Scientists also want to determine how long the biological changes last and whether repeating the interventions can strengthen or maintain them over time.

"This study shows that our minds and bodies are deeply interconnected -- what we believe, how we focus our attention, and the practices we participate in can leave measurable fingerprints on our biology," said first author Alex Jinich-Diamant, a doctoral student in the Departments of Cognitive Science and Anesthesiology at UC San Diego. "It's an exciting step toward understanding how conscious experience and physical health are intertwined, and how we might harness that connection to promote well-being in new ways."

Additional coauthors of the study include Sierra Simpson, Juan P. Zuniga-Hertz, Ramamurthy Chitteti, Jan M. Schilling, Jacqueline A. Bonds, Laura Case, Andrei V. Chernov, Natalia Esther Amkie Stahl, Michael Licamele, Narin Fazlalipour and, Swetha Devulapalli, at UC San Diego; Joe Dispenza and Michelle A. Poirier at Metamorphosis LLC; Jacqueline Maree and Tobias Moeller-Bertram at VitaMed Research; and Leonardo Christov-Moore and Nicco Reggente at the Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies.

The research was supported by the InnerScience Research Fund and a Veterans Administration Research Career Scientist Award (BX005229).

Disclosure: One co-author (Joe Dispenza) is employed by Encephalon, Inc., the company offering the retreat; all other authors declare no competing interests.

Story Source:

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

Journal Reference:

1. Alex Jinich-Diamant, Sierra Simpson, Juan P. Zuniga-Hertz, Ramamurthy Chitteti, Jan M. Schilling, Jacqueline A. Bonds, Laura Case, Andrei V. Chernov, Joe Dispenza, Jacqueline Maree, Natalia Esther Amkie Stahl, Michael Licamele, Narin Fazlalipour, Swetha Devulapalli, Leonardo Christov-Moore, Nicco Reggente, Michelle A. Poirier, Tobias Moeller-Bertram, Hemal H. Patel. Neural and molecular changes during a mind-body reconceptualization, meditation, and open label placebo healing retreat: an observational study. Communications Biology, 2025; 8 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-09088-3

Cite This Page:

University of California - San Diego. (2026, August 8). Scientists say just 7 days of meditation can rewire your brain. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807235243.htm

Computers and Math

- A 0.42-nanometer breakthrough could push transistors beyond silicon: 2026 Aug 9

- New fuel cell breakthrough could help power energy-hungry data centers

- Sunlight creates quantum entanglement once thought to require lasers

A 0.42-nanometer breakthrough could push transistors beyond silicon

Date: August 9, 2026

Source: National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Summary: Atomically thin semiconductors could enable dramatically smaller and more efficient chips, but a stubborn problem at the boundary between materials has limited their performance. Researchers have now engineered that atomic interface to protect electron flow while still allowing extremely thin insulating layers. The resulting transistors delivered an unusually strong combination of electrical control and performance.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Researchers from NYCU and TSMC show that redefining the atomic boundary between materials can address a major engineering barrier restricting the development of next-generation semiconductor devices. Credit: Springer Nature

For more than a decade, atomically thin semiconductors have stood out as a promising route beyond conventional silicon. These materials can be just a single atom thick while still offering impressive electrical properties. In principle, they could enable transistors that are smaller, faster, and more energy efficient than today's devices. Yet even as researchers have discovered increasingly capable two-dimensional semiconductor materials, one stubborn engineering problem has remained.

A working transistor requires an extremely thin insulating layer known as the gate dielectric. This layer sits above the semiconductor and helps control the movement of electrons. As transistors shrink, making this insulating layer thinner can improve electrical control. The difficulty is that adding such layers to atomically thin semiconductors can disturb the delicate interface between the materials. That disruption can scatter electrons and erase some of the performance gains engineers are trying to achieve.

For years, researchers have therefore faced a difficult tradeoff. They could strengthen control over the transistor gate, or they could protect the mobility of the charge carriers moving through the device. Achieving both at once has been much harder.

A New Strategy for Atomically Thin Transistors

Researchers at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), working with TSMC Corporate Research, have now demonstrated a new way to address this problem by focusing on the interface itself.

The work, published in Nature Electronics, shows that carefully controlling the atomic boundary between a semiconductor and its insulating layer can allow the dielectric to be made extremely thin while maintaining strong electrical performance. Rather than searching for a completely different semiconductor, the researchers concentrated on the narrow region where the two materials meet, an area only a few atoms thick.

"For many years, efforts to improve atomically thin transistors have largely focused on discovering better semiconductor materials," said Professor Wen-Hao Chang, the study's corresponding author from NYCU. "Our research shows that the atomic interface between materials can be just as important. By engineering that boundary, we were able to reduce one of the fundamental trade-offs that has limited two-dimensional transistors for many years."

Why the Atomic Interface Matters

Modern chip development depends heavily on shrinking transistor components. One of the most important is the gate dielectric, which electrically separates the gate electrode from the transistor channel.

Silicon technology has benefited from decades of refinement, allowing manufacturers to produce dielectric materials capable of controlling progressively smaller devices. Atomically thin semiconductors, however, behave differently. Their surfaces do not contain dangling bonds, which makes it difficult to grow an extremely thin dielectric film evenly across them.

Standard deposition techniques can leave gaps, create defects at the interface, and introduce electrical disorder. These problems can reduce carrier mobility and weaken transistor performance.

Researchers around the world have explored several possible solutions, including different dielectric materials, molecular seed layers, and alternative methods for depositing oxides. Although these approaches have produced significant improvements, it remains difficult to achieve low equivalent oxide thickness, strong electrostatic control, and high carrier mobility at the same time. The challenge is especially significant in wafer-scale CVD-grown monolayer MoS_2.

Building a Buffer Only a Fraction of a Nanometer Thick

Instead of changing either the semiconductor or the gate dielectric, the NYCU researchers redesigned the interface connecting them.

The team first placed an ultrathin epitaxial aluminum layer directly onto monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS_2). They then carefully oxidized the aluminum, producing an aluminum oxide layer about 0.42 nanometers thick. After that, they added the high κ hafnium oxide gate dielectric.

Despite being only a fraction of a nanometer thick, the engineered interface performs two important jobs.

First, it creates a smooth and continuous surface that allows the hafnium oxide to grow more uniformly over the MoS_2. Second, it works as an atomic buffer that limits unwanted electrical interactions between the dielectric and the semiconductor. This protection helps electrons continue moving efficiently through the transistor channel.

In this design, the interface does more than simply keep two materials apart. It becomes a functional part of the transistor and helps the materials work together more effectively.

Combining Thin Dielectrics With Strong Performance

Using the new interface design, the researchers fabricated short-channel top-gate transistors from CVD-grown monolayer MoS_2. The devices had an equivalent oxide thickness of roughly one nanometer.

Testing showed low leakage current, minimal hysteresis, and maximum transconductance of 0.45 mS μm-1 in transistors with channels measuring about 100 nanometers.

More importantly, the devices demonstrated a combination that has been difficult to achieve in atomically thin transistors: very thin dielectric scaling, strong electrostatic control, and sustained carrier transport.

Because the researchers used CVD-grown monolayer MoS_2 rather than mechanically exfoliated flakes, they believe the approach brings the technology closer to materials and processes that could eventually be suitable for wafer-scale manufacturing.

Rethinking How Future Chips Are Designed

The findings also point to a broader change in the way semiconductor researchers think about transistor design.

For decades, much of the effort to improve transistors has centered on discovering better semiconductor materials or making devices smaller. As transistor components approach atomic dimensions, however, the interfaces separating different materials become increasingly important.

These regions may be only a few atoms thick, yet they can strongly influence how well the materials on either side work together. The new results add to growing evidence that controlling these atomic interfaces could become as important as developing new semiconductor materials themselves.

"When transistor components become only a few atomic layers thick, the interface is no longer simply the boundary between materials, it becomes an active part of the device," said Professor Tsung-En Lee, the study's corresponding author. "Learning to engineer these interfaces with atomic precision opens new opportunities for designing future semiconductor devices that would be difficult to achieve by changing individual materials alone."

A Possible Route Beyond Silicon

As the semiconductor industry looks for ways to continue improving chips beyond traditional silicon scaling, atomically thin materials are receiving growing attention for future low-power logic and advanced electronic systems.

More work will still be needed before the fabrication process can be optimized for large-scale manufacturing. Even so, the researchers view their interface engineering method as an important step toward practical two-dimensional electronics.

The findings suggest that future semiconductor advances may depend not only on discovering new materials, but also on learning how to precisely control the atomic boundaries that connect them. As transistors shrink toward the dimensions of individual atoms, those interfaces could become some of the most important parts of the devices themselves.

Story Source:

Materials provided by National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Yuan-Chun Su, Po-Sen Mao, Chih-Yao Shih, Shih-Ting Wang, Yun-Yang Shen, Zih-Siang Jian, Hsiang-Chi Hu, Wei-Chen Tseng, Hsin-Ya Sung, Chih-Yen Lin, Zi-Yun Fong, Yu-Tung Lin, Kun-An Chiu, Fong-Zhi Chen, Ming-Yang Li, Wen-Wei Wu, Chao-Ching Cheng, Chih-I. Wu, Tsung-En Lee, Iuliana P. Radu, Wen-Hao Chang. High-transconductance molybdenum disulfide top-gate transistors using epitaxial interface engineering. Nature Electronics, 2026; DOI: 10.1038/s41928-026-01672-7

Cite This Page:

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. (2026, August 9). A 0.42-nanometer breakthrough could push transistors beyond silicon. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260808234943.htm

New fuel cell breakthrough could help power energy-hungry data centers

A new ultra-durable fuel-cell catalyst could help turn hydrogen into a more practical power source for energy-hungry data centers and beyond.

Date: August 8, 2026

Source: Washington University in St. Louis

Summary: A new nanostructured carbon design lets fuel-cell catalysts use tiny amounts of platinum while remaining remarkably stable and efficient. The breakthrough could help hydrogen fuel cells become a more practical way to power data centers, vehicles, and other energy-intensive technologies.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A new fuel-cell design could help data centers generate more of their own electricity while easing growing pressure on the power grid. Credit: Shutterstock

The rapid expansion of data centers across the United States is putting growing pressure on the nation's electricity supply. These facilities require enormous amounts of power not only to operate their computing equipment, but also to keep it cool. The Electric Power Research Institute estimates that data centers could account for as much as 9% of annual U.S. electricity generation by 2030, compared with 4% of total electricity demand in 2023.

Researchers are now exploring ways to reduce some of that strain. A team led by Gang Wu, the Elvera and William R. Stuckenberg Professor in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, has developed an approach that could improve low-temperature fuel cells and potentially expand their use as an alternative source of electricity.

The research team also included scientists from Brookhaven National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Northeastern University and the University of Pittsburgh. Their findings were published Aug. 6, 2026, in Nature Nanotechnology.

"If a data center is able to supply its electricity itself by using a fuel cell, it would directly convert hydrogen and other fuels into the electricity, reducing the burden on the energy grid," Wu said.

Making Fuel Cells More Efficient and Durable

Fuel cells produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen. The process also generates water and heat. Catalysts help accelerate this reaction while limiting energy losses and supporting stronger performance and longer operating life.

Designing the right catalyst remains a major challenge. Existing fuel cell catalysts still struggle to provide the combination of activity and durability needed to meet important performance goals.

Platinum is considered one of the most effective catalyst materials, but it is also a precious metal. Researchers therefore want to use as little platinum as possible without reducing the catalyst's effectiveness during energy conversion and storage.

One way to stretch a small amount of platinum further is to turn it into nanoparticles. Breaking bulk platinum into extremely small particles dramatically increases the amount of surface exposed for chemical reactions. This makes it possible to use very small quantities of the metal, typically less than one quarter of a milligram per square centimeter.

The problem is that platinum nanoparticles can change during fuel cell operation. They may dissolve, move to different locations, and grow larger, causing performance to gradually decline.

A Longstanding Platinum Catalyst Challenge

More recently, platinum intermetallic catalysts have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional platinum alloys because they can offer improved activity and stability.

Producing them, however, involves another difficult compromise. To keep the nanoparticles small, evenly distributed and efficient in their use of platinum, researchers generally anneal the materials at temperatures below 700°C. Those temperatures are often too low to fully trigger the transition from a disordered atomic arrangement to a highly ordered one, which is important for maximizing both the activity and durability of intermetallic catalysts.

Wu and his colleagues developed a new carbon structure designed to overcome this limitation. The material consists of porous, hollow carbon spheres containing orderly radial nanochannels, along with substantial pore space and surface area.

This structure allows large numbers of platinum cobalt intermetallic nanoparticles to remain densely packed yet evenly distributed. It also makes it possible to form the desired ordered intermetallic structure at much higher temperatures without causing the nanoparticles to clump together.

In this way, the researchers were able to address a difficult tradeoff between achieving a highly ordered atomic structure and maintaining an even distribution of very small catalyst particles.

"Our strategy is using this new carbon nanostructure to synthesize platinum cobalt intermetallic nanoparticles that can reduce precious metal content and enhance activity and stability," Wu said. "Traditionally, there would be a tradeoff between size and stability, but with the ordered carbon nanochannel host, platinum cobalt nanoparticles can be confined and remain stable at very small particle size even at high temperatures."

Tiny Carbon Channels Help Platinum Last Longer

Larger catalyst particles can improve stability, but that often comes at the expense of activity. Other approaches that prioritize activity may sacrifice long-term stability.

Wu's team sought to achieve both by creating a nanostructured carbon support with tiny channels arranged in a radial pattern. The researchers also carefully controlled the size and volume of the pores.

In testing, the material retained 85% of its performance after 150,000 severe voltage cycles. The researchers estimate that this could correspond to roughly 25,000 hours of operation. Its combination of larger pores, carefully organized pore sizes, and high surface area helped the catalyst overcome the usual tradeoff between activity and stability.

"Because of this special carbon nanostructured support, we could heat the platinum-cobalt catalyst to 1000°C, which is high enough to form a very ordered structure while still keeping the nanoparticles smaller than 5 nanometers and well spread out, even with industry-preferred high content of platinum in catalysts," Wu said.

Heating the catalyst to such a high temperature allowed its atoms to form the ordered structure needed for stronger performance. At the same time, the carbon support kept the platinum cobalt nanoparticles smaller than 5 nanometers and prevented them from becoming unevenly distributed.

A Potential Path Toward Better Fuel Cell Power

The architecture of the carbon support offers additional benefits beyond stabilizing the nanoparticles. Its open channels help materials involved in transporting ions spread more uniformly through the electrode. They also provide easier pathways for protons, oxygen, and water to move.

"The open channel structure also helps the ion-containing material, such as an ionomer, spread evenly and makes it easier for protons, oxygen and water to move through the electrode," Wu continued. "As a result, the platinum cobalt nanoparticles built into this support showed best-in-class performance and long-lasting durability. Eventually, through further development and collaboration with industry partners, we'll be able to solve the remaining catalyst problems and significantly advance fuel cell technologies for powering our future more efficiently and sustainably."

If further development proves successful, the technology could help improve fuel cells for applications ranging from transportation to electricity generation. For data centers in particular, fuel cells could offer a way to generate electricity directly from hydrogen or other fuels, potentially reducing some of the growing demand placed on the electric grid.

Wu has filed a patent on the technology through the WashU Office of Technology Management.

The research was funded by Washington University in St. Louis. Collaborating institutions included Brookhaven National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Northeastern University and the University of Pittsburgh.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Washington University in St. Louis. Original written by Beth Miller. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Lei Gao, Sooyeon Hwang, Xiaorui Li, Jiamao Zheng, Kwanpyung Lee, Shuo Liu, Dominik Wierzbicki, Jialu Li, Jinghua Guo, Bingzhang Zhang, Honghong Lin, Qing Zhao, Guofeng Wang, Chaochao Dun, Gang Wu. Radial nanochannel-array carbon enables high-performance intermetallic fuel cell catalysts. Nature Nanotechnology, 2026; DOI: 10.1038/s41565-026-02244-8

Cite This Page:

Washington University in St. Louis. (2026, August 8). New fuel cell breakthrough could help power energy-hungry data centers. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035140.htm

Sunlight creates quantum entanglement once thought to require lasers

Scientists have turned ordinary sunlight into a source of quantum entanglement, opening a surprising path toward greener and more accessible quantum technology.

Date: August 7, 2026

Source: Optica

Summary: Scientists have generated quantum entanglement directly from sunlight, potentially offering a lower-energy alternative to the lasers normally used in quantum technology. Their outdoor experiment produced entangled photons with about 94% similarity to an ideal state. The result could pave the way for simpler quantum satellites, secure communications, and more energy-efficient quantum computing.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Using a new cone-shaped solar concentrator, researchers showed that sunlight can be used to create entangled photons. This could one day enable satellites to create secure encryption keys using the sunlight already abundant in space. Credit: Florian Sterl, edited

Many of today's quantum technologies depend on powerful lasers that consume significant amounts of energy. As these systems grow larger and more widespread, their electricity requirements could become an increasing concern. Researchers have now demonstrated a striking alternative: sunlight itself can be used to generate quantum entanglement between photons.

"Quantum entanglement is crucial for applications such as secure communication, ultra-precise sensing and high-performance computation," said Cheng Li, a recent graduate of the University of Ottawa in Canada. "Our work shows that abundant natural light sources can be used for quantum entanglement, opening the possibility of more energy-efficient and accessible quantum technologies."

The findings, published in Optica, Optica Publishing Group's journal for high-impact research, show that sunlight can produce entanglement comparable to laser-based techniques when differences in the bandwidth of the incoming light are taken into account. The achievement brought together theoretical work from Robert Boyd's group at the University of Ottawa and a new solar concentrator created by Hanieh Fattahi's team at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) in Germany.

"This technology could one day enable satellites to create secure encryption keys using the sunlight already abundant in space, reducing the need for onboard lasers and much of the supporting hardware," said Li, first author of the paper. "Sunlight-driven entanglement generation could also provide the crucial ingredient needed to scale up quantum computing without adding to the energy burden."

Challenging Assumptions About Quantum Light

Scientists have traditionally believed that producing the strong correlations needed for photon entanglement requires coherent light. In coherent light, the waves remain synchronized so that their peaks and valleys follow a predictable pattern. Lasers are commonly used for this purpose because they generate highly coherent light concentrated at a single color.

Earlier research from Boyd's team began to challenge that assumption. The researchers predicted theoretically, and then demonstrated experimentally, that incoherent light could also generate quantum entanglement. In those experiments, they used an LED, an incoherent light source, to produce polarization-entangled photons.

Those results established an important principle. Light can be disordered in one characteristic, such as the directions in which it travels, while still creating photons that are entangled through another characteristic, such as polarization.

The new work pushes that concept further by replacing the LED with sunlight. Sunlight presents a much greater challenge because it spreads in many directions and contains a wide spectrum of colors.

Creating Entangled Photons With Sunlight

To generate the entangled photons, the researchers relied on spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC). In this established optical process, a pump beam enters a nonlinear crystal, where individual photons can split into pairs that may become quantum entangled.

Rather than using the conventional laser pump, the team supplied the system with sunlight. The sunlight was strongly polarized while remaining highly incoherent across both space and time. Its overall light field oscillated in the same direction, even though it contained photons of different colors traveling along many different paths.

"We designed our experimental setup so that differences introduced by the different colors and propagation directions didn't influence the photons' polarization," said Li. "As our theory predicts, if the entanglement lives only in polarization, then it should only depend on the pump's orderliness in its oscillation direction and not on its direction or color. This allowed us to produce high-quality polarization entanglement from highly spatially and temporally incoherent sunlight."

Getting enough sunlight onto the extremely small nonlinear crystal created another major obstacle. The crystal measures only about a millimeter in size, making ordinary methods of collecting sunlight impractical.

Fattahi's team at MPL addressed the problem by designing an all-glass solar concentrator. The cone-shaped system collects sunlight with a Fresnel lens approximately the size of a household window and channels that light into an optical fiber about as wide as a human hair. The concentrated sunlight can then be directed onto the tiny nonlinear crystal responsible for producing the entangled photons.

Sunlight Produces Strong Quantum Entanglement

The researchers tested both their theoretical predictions and the new concentrator during an outdoor experiment at MPL. They used quantum state tomography to analyze the resulting quantum state and found that the entanglement produced with sunlight was about 94% similar to a perfectly entangled state.

The team also found that the photons displayed correlations that violate Bell's inequality. That result is especially important because such correlations cannot be explained by classical physics and instead provide evidence that genuine quantum entanglement was produced.

With the proof-of-principle experiment successfully completed, the researchers are now working toward a system that could eventually be used outside the laboratory. Their efforts are focused on increasing brightness and further improving the quality of the entanglement.

The experiment relied on SPDC, but the researchers say the underlying approach could also work with other nonlinear optical techniques, including four-wave mixing. Expanding the concept to additional methods could create new possibilities across quantum photonics.

From Skepticism to a Working Experiment

The result also overcame significant doubts within the scientific community about whether sunlight could realistically drive the process.

"Since the inception of this project, our idea has met with repeated doubt and pushback," said Li. "Some world-renowned researchers in the field even questioned whether it would be possible to detect any photons -- not to mention entangled photons -- from sunlight-driven nonlinear optical processes. However, we trusted our calculations, continued improving the experimental setup, and eventually showed that it was possible."

Story Source:

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

Journal Reference:

1. Cheng Li, Jasvinder Brar, Michael Küblböck, Jeremy Upham, Hanieh Fattahi, Robert W. Boyd. Generating quantum entanglement from sunlight. Optica, 2026; 13 (8): 1508 DOI: 10.1364/OPTICA.601797

Cite This Page:

Optica. (2026, August 7). Sunlight creates quantum entanglement once thought to require lasers. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035133.htm

Earth and Climate

- Scientists discover bacteria that lock toxic uranium into a stable form: 2026 Aug 9

- Meteorite that smashed through a New Jersey roof reveals clues to life’s origins

Scientists discover bacteria that lock toxic uranium into a stable form

Scientists discovered that bacteria can turn dissolved uranium into a surprisingly stable form, revealing a potentially powerful new tool for cleaning contaminated water.

Date: August 9, 2026

Source: Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

Summary: Deep underground, bacteria may be capable of doing something remarkable: trapping toxic uranium before it spreads. When researchers fed microbes in uranium-contaminated mine water with glycerol, about 95% of the dissolved uranium disappeared within 130 days. The bacteria helped convert it into an unusually stable uranium compound that had rarely been observed before.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Formation of different nanoparticles in the cell membranes of bacteria from mine water. Credit: HZDR/J. Raff/E. Krawczyk-Bärsch/edited with AI

Uranium, a radioactive heavy metal, is typically locked inside minerals in soil. However, mining and other environmental processes can change uranium into forms that dissolve in water. Once it becomes mobile in this way, it can spread through the environment and create problems because of its toxicity.

Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), working with Wismut GmbH and scientists from the University of Granada, have now shown for the first time that bacteria can transform uranium dissolved in water into a stable chemical compound when glycerol is available as a food source. During this process, the uranium enters a chemical state that had previously been considered only temporary.

The findings, published in Nature Communications, could contribute to future research into using bacteria to help clean up environments contaminated with uranium.

How Bacteria Interact With Uranium

Bacteria found in soil and water are essential parts of natural ecosystems, and some species are capable of processing substances that can be harmful to humans and other organisms.

"There are bacteria that can metabolically utilize the heavy metal, uranium, which is toxic for humans," says Dr. Evelyn Krawczyk-Bärsch, scientist in HZDR's Terrestrial Microbiology research group and co-author of the study. "Our group's investigations had already revealed that bacteria can use uranium dissolved in water for their metabolism when they have access to glycerol as a food source."

Glycerol is a basic component of plant and animal fats. It can also form naturally, for example, when fungi break down wood.

The researchers wanted to determine how effectively bacteria could reduce the amount of uranium dissolved in water and identify the chemical forms created as the microbes processed the uranium.

Uranium Accumulates in Bacterial Cell Walls

To investigate, the team collected mine water from a flooded uranium mine in the Ore Mountains belonging to Wismut GmbH. In the laboratory, they added a controlled amount of glycerol to samples of the water and kept them in an environment without oxygen.

"We wanted to create natural conditions for the bacterial community already existing in the mine water because at a depth of approximately 2,000 meters there is usually little or no oxygen in the mine," explains Dr. Antonio M. Newman-Portela, former doctoral candidate at both HZDR and the Microbiology Department at the University of Granada (Spain), and the lead author of the study.

With conditions suitable for bacterial growth, the microorganisms began using glycerol as a food source. Over time, the amount of uranium remaining dissolved in the water dropped dramatically.

"After 130 days, only around five percent of the uranium dissolved in the water remained in the samples," says Newman-Portela. "We suspected that the bacteria had incorporated the uranium in their cell walls. We already knew about accumulation processes from the literature."

The researchers were then able to confirm that uranium had indeed accumulated within the bacteria's cell walls.

A Rare Form of Uranium Appears

The next question was exactly what type of uranium compound had formed. To find out, the researchers turned to advanced microscopy and spectroscopy.

Their investigation included experiments at the Rossendorf Beamline (ROBL), operated by HZDR at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France, along with complementary studies carried out at the University of Granada.

The scientists examined the bacterial membrane to determine the chemical states in which the uranium was present. Chemists use the term "valency" to describe how many "hands" an atom effectively has available to connect with other atoms in a chemical compound.

"Uranium usually occurs with a valency of 4 or 6. Pentavalent uranium does exist, but it is rare or only transient. Until now, it had been seen in an unstable oxidation state," explains Newman-Portela. "So, the findings of our study were extremely surprising because in the biomass analyzed from our experimental runs, an unusually high proportion of the uranium identified was also pentavalent uranium."

The discovery was unexpected because this pentavalent state of uranium had generally been regarded as unstable and short-lived.

A Uranium Compound That Remains Stable

The researchers also determined that the pentavalent uranium combined with iron and oxygen to form FeU(V)O4.

"This uranium compound doesn't have a name yet as it is comparatively new. It was first demonstrated in a study in 2020 in which soil samples from parts of Croatia contaminated by uranium ammunition were analyzed," explains Krawczyk-Bärsch. "It was found that even under the influence of atmospheric oxygen, this uranium compound had remained stable for more than 25 years. But until now, we didn't know how this compound is formed in nature or that bacteria play a role in its formation."

Additional experiments produced another surprising result. When the researchers exposed dried bacterial biomass to oxygen, the amount of FeU(V)O4 increased rather than decreasing.

That finding suggests the compound can remain stable even in the presence of oxygen, adding to evidence that bacterial activity may help convert mobile uranium into a form that is much less likely to move through water.

Potential for Uranium Cleanup

"Our study has revealed for the first time that bacteria supplied with glycerol as a carbon source can convert toxic uranium dissolved in water into a stable chemical compound," says Krawczyk-Bärsch. "We still have to investigate to what extent bacteria might help to render uranium harmless for remediation purposes."

The researchers now plan to study uranium-binding bacteria in greater detail and investigate the biochemical and geochemical processes that make the transformation possible. A better understanding of those mechanisms could eventually help determine whether bacteria can be used effectively in efforts to remediate uranium-contaminated environments.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Antonio M. Newman-Portela, Kristina O. Kvashnina, Elena F. Bazarkina, André Rossberg, Frank Bok, Sean Ting-Shyang Wei, Andrea Kassahun, Thorsten Stumpf, Johannes Raff, Mohamed L. Merroun, Evelyn Krawczyk-Bärsch. Pentavalent and tetravalent uranium formation via glycerol-stimulated bacteria in mine water. Nature Communications, 2026; 17 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-72560-z

Cite This Page:

Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. (2026, August 9). Scientists discover bacteria that lock toxic uranium into a stable form. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035149.htm

Meteorite that smashed through a New Jersey roof reveals clues to life’s origins

A meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey home preserved ancient salty chemistry that could reveal how asteroids helped deliver life’s ingredients to Earth.

Date: August 8, 2026

Source: SETI Institute

Summary: A rare meteorite that crashed through a New Jersey roof contains evidence of ancient salty fluids, organic compounds, and amino acids from a primitive asteroid. Its pristine chemistry could offer new clues about how space rocks helped supply early Earth with some of the ingredients needed for life.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Impact site and a fragment of the Hillsborough meteorite. Credit: SETI Institute

A meteor streaked across the New York City area in broad daylight on July 16, 2024, producing a sonic boom as it passed just south of the Statue of Liberty. Not long afterward, a meteorite weighing more than two pounds punched through the roof of a home in Hillsborough, New Jersey. An international research team has now analyzed the recovered material and reported its findings in Science Advances.

"A forensic study of the fragments revealed that they contained preserved bits from near the surface of a primitive asteroid where it experienced concentrated salty fluids -- a process not previously known from this type of proto-planet world," said lead author and meteor astronomer Peter Jenniskens of the SETI Institute and NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley.

A Meteor Tracked Across the Northeast

The object that entered Earth's atmosphere that day was roughly the size of a heavy airline bag and was traveling at 32,000 miles/h (14.4 kilometers per second). Sixty people across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania reported seeing the meteor to the American Meteor Society. Sixteen people in New York and New Jersey also reported feeling the shockwave.

"Our cameras in Northford, Connecticut, and Douglassville, Pennsylvania, as well as a doorbell camera in Wayne, New Jersey, captured the meteor, and from that we measured its trajectory," said American Meteor Society operations manager Mike Hankey. "The path traced back to low in the asteroid belt."

The incoming rock was fragile and broke apart quickly as it traveled through the atmosphere. It disappeared from view at an altitude of 22 miles (35 kilometers). Soon afterward, Doppler weather radar at Newark Airport briefly detected an elongated cloud of falling pebbles extending from Staten Island into New Jersey.

Hillsborough sat near the far end of that debris path, where the largest pieces were expected to reach the ground. Only one meteorite was recovered, largely because it made its presence impossible to miss by striking a house.

The homeowner recalled what happened: "I was at home at the time, heard a loud crash and found a hole in the ceiling of the master bedroom. I smelled a strong sulfur-like odor and saw many black fragments along with debris and black dust that covered my bed, carpet and surrounding areas."

He quickly documented the scene and protected the material from contamination. Wearing disposable gloves, he used aluminum foil to collect the meteorite fragments and placed them in glass jars.

An Exceptionally Rare Primitive Meteorite

Laboratory analysis showed that the recovered rock belonged to a primitive meteorite family known as CM-type carbonaceous chondrites. The "M" refers to the Mighei meteorite, which fell in Ukraine in 1889.

Paper coauthor Mike Zolensky, a meteoriticist at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, found that some parts of the Hillsborough meteorite had experienced more extensive alteration by water on its parent asteroid than scientists usually observe in CM2 carbonaceous chondrites.

The meteorite was classified as a CM1/2 carbonaceous chondrite, placing it between the petrographic CM1 and CM2 categories.

The Hillsborough event is only the 22nd observed fall involving a CM-type meteorite. More remarkably, it is just the second witnessed fall of a CM1/2 carbonaceous chondrite. The first was the Kolang meteorite, which fell in North Sumatra, Indonesia, in 2020. Every other witnessed CM fall has involved CM2 material, and no CM1 meteorite fall has ever been observed.

"Thanks to the homeowner's quick reaction, these are the most pristine CM1/2 meteorites we know of," said Jenniskens.

Evidence of Ancient Asteroid Brines

Scientists are particularly interested in how water influenced the chemistry of primitive asteroids. Another major group of primitive carbonaceous chondrites is known as CI, with the "I" referring to the Ivuna meteorite that fell in Tanzania in 1938.

Pristine samples related to this type have also been returned directly from space. JAXA's Hayabusa 2 mission brought material back from asteroid Ryugu, while NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned samples from asteroid Bennu. Those samples contain substantial evidence that briny fluids once existed just beneath the surfaces of their parent asteroids.

Zolensky and colleague JangMi Han discovered small CM1 fragments rich in salt inside the Hillsborough meteorite. Their findings suggest that the material came from a region near the surface of its parent asteroid, where liquid water evaporated and left behind increasingly concentrated salts.

The researchers are now identifying the specific salt minerals in the meteorite so they can compare them with similar materials found in samples returned from Ryugu and Bennu.

This salty chemistry could have important implications for understanding the chemical conditions that helped produce molecules relevant to life. Highly concentrated brines can keep phosphate dissolved in solution and can promote chemical reactions involving organic compounds and minerals that precipitate from solution.

Organic Molecules and Ingredients for Life

"Isotope studies of carbon and nitrogen suggest that primitive carbonaceous chondrites, including CM-types, delivered organic matter to the early Earth," said cosmochemist Queenie Chan of Royal Holloway University of London, England, and biogeochemist Nana Ogawa of the Biogeochemistry Research Center at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology. "The Hillsborough meteorite contained 1.8% by weight of carbon and 0.07% of nitrogen, and had carbon and nitrogen isotopes typical for CM-type meteorites."

Researchers also detected a broad range of soluble organic compounds in the meteorite. The diversity of those compounds provides further evidence that the Hillsborough material experienced more extensive alteration by water than most other CM-type meteorites.

"A high fraction of compounds were the product of organic chemistry with minerals," said organic mass spectrometry specialist Phil Schmitt-Kopplin of Technical University Munich. "We do not know if these magnesium organic compounds were contributed by brine chemistry or were simply left over from earlier impact shock processes."

Organometallic compounds also play important roles in living systems, including in blood and photosynthesis. Scientists found numerous amino acids among the soluble organic compounds in the Hillsborough meteorite as well. They were similar to amino acids previously detected in CM2 chondrites that experienced more moderate water alteration.

Astrobiologist Danny Glavin of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and researchers in Goddard's Astrobiology Analytical Lab concluded that CM-type bodies could have supplied the early Earth with amino acids, carboxylic acids and other soluble organic molecules. That delivery may have contributed to the collection of prebiotic organic material that existed before life emerged.

Their analysis also indicates that the meteorite's complex assortment of amino acids formed inside its parent body. Briny fluids likely helped drive at least some of that chemistry.

A Rare Asteroid Sample Preserved for Science

Some fragments of the Hillsborough meteorite will eventually be curated by the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, preserving the unusual material for future research.

"We are thrilled that nature delivered such a precious asteroid sample on our doorstep," said curator Denton Ebel.

Story Source:

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

Journal Reference:

1. Peter Jenniskens, Michael E. Zolensky, Austin Gordon, Jamie Gordon, Mike Hankey, Elizabeth A. Silber, Miro Ronac Giannone, Jangmi Han, Loan Le, Marc D. Fries, Karen Ziegler, Queenie H. S. Chan, Diptimayee Behera, Jonathan S. Watson, Mark A. Sephton, James Brakeley, Bianka Munday, Yoko Kebukawa, Zack Gainsforth, Masanori Suzuki, Gregory A. Brennecka, Jan H. Render, Henner Busemann, Daniela Krietsch, Colin Maden, Kees C. Welten, Kunihiko Nishiizumi, Marc W. Caffee, Takahiro Hiroi, Stefan Ruchti, Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin, Jasmine Hertzog, Vincent Carré, Daniel P. Glavin, Jason P. Dworkin, Hannah L. McLain, Angel Mojarro, José Aponte, Denise Buckner, Nanako O. Ogawa, Yoshinori Takano, Naohiko Ohkouchi, Sonia M. Tikoo, Ji-In Jung, Eva M. Riveros, Jon M. Friedrich, Denton S. Ebel. Meteor over New York City: Brines in a primitive CM asteroid. Science Advances, 2026; 12 (29) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aea2105

Cite This Page:

SETI Institute. (2026, August 8). Meteorite that smashed through a New Jersey roof reveals clues to life’s origins. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035145.htm

Fossils and Ruins

- For 15,000 years, humans and dogs have been changing each other: 2026 Aug 10

- 60,000-year-old ostrich eggshell engravings reveal a surprisingly sophisticated human mind

- 240-million-year-old reptile fossil reveals a lost chapter before dinosaurs and crocodiles: 2026 Aug 10

- The dodo bird had a secret sensory world scientists are only now discovering

- Dinosaurs became giants — so why did they never become tiny?

For 15,000 years, humans and dogs have been changing each other

Date: August 10, 2026

Source: Taylor & Francis Group

Summary: Dogs have been shaping—and being shaped by—humans for about 15,000 years, evolving from early partners of hunter-gatherers into an astonishing range of specialized companions. Across the globe, they adapted alongside people to wildly different environments and needs, from powerful Arctic sled dogs and agile rainforest hunters to high-altitude dogs with genetic traits for surviving thin air. Some were even bred for wool, while others played important spiritual or ceremonial roles.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Dogs didn’t just become our companions—they evolved alongside us for thousands of years, adapting to nearly every environment and role humans could imagine. Credit: Shutterstock

Dogs are often called 'man's best friend', and their long history with people gives that phrase real weight. Archaeologists have discovered dogs buried beside humans in graves as old as 14,000 years. Dogs also appear in ancient artwork from every continent and hold places in the mythology, religion and folklore of cultures around the world. Across recorded history, they have hunted beside us, guarded homes, carried loads, managed livestock and provided companionship.

More dogs live alongside people today than ever before. Over thousands of years, humans have also developed hundreds of distinct types, ranging from tiny chihuahuas small enough to carry in a handbag to Great Danes that can reach a person's waist.

How Humans and Dogs Evolved Together

How did such extraordinary diversity arise during roughly 15,000 years of shared evolution? In his new book, First Dogs: Hunter-Gatherers and their Canine Companions from Prehistory to the Present, archaeologist Professor Peter Mitchell explores dog domestication as a complicated and gradual process.

Rather than humans simply taking control of wolves, Mitchell argues that people and wolves may initially have entered the relationship as relatively equal participants. Hunter-gatherer communities were especially important to this process, long before people brought other animals or plants under close control. As these relationships developed in different places, dogs acquired specialized characteristics suited to the environments, lifestyles and needs of the people around them.

As Professor Mitchell puts it: "The connections between dogs on the one paw and people dependent on wild plant and animal resources on the other are ancient, diverse, and profound."

Dogs Adapted to Environments Around the World

From frozen Arctic landscapes to humid tropical forests, dogs changed dramatically as they lived alongside different human societies.

This shared evolutionary history produced strikingly different animals. Northern sled dogs became compact and heavily coated for cold conditions, while hunting dogs near the equator tended to be leaner and better suited to heat.

On the Tibetan Plateau, dogs and humans even developed similar genetic solutions to life at high elevations. Researchers have identified genes in Tibetan dogs that allow them to function in oxygen-poor conditions that would challenge breeds from lower elevations. Those adaptations resemble genetic changes found among human populations living in the same region.

"We do not know when dogs first joined them, and the genetic variants needed to thrive there may have been quickly acquired, but until that was achieved hypoxia presumably acted as a constraint on canine presence," Professor Mitchell explains.

Arctic Dogs Became Essential Survival Partners

The partnership between people and dogs became especially specialized in the Arctic, where Indigenous communities developed highly sophisticated cultures centered on dog sledding.

Archaeological evidence suggests Arctic dogs developed skeletal characteristics associated with pulling heavy loads. Their remains show distinctive patterns of stress in the vertebrae along with strong limb bones capable of handling repeated physical strain across frozen terrain.

These dogs were much more than a means of transportation. They formed an essential part of the survival strategies that enabled people to live in some of the harshest environments on Earth. Stable isotope studies of ancient bones also show just how closely human and canine lives were connected. In coastal areas, people and dogs often ate similar diets dominated by marine foods.

Tropical Dogs Evolved for Hunting

Dogs living with hunter-gatherer communities in tropical environments followed a very different evolutionary path. In the rainforests of South America and Southeast Asia, they became specialized hunting companions capable of following prey through thick vegetation and moving across difficult terrain.

Compared with Arctic dogs, these tropical animals generally remained smaller and more agile, qualities that offered clear advantages in dense forests. Ethnographic records indicate that Indigenous communities carefully controlled breeding to preserve desirable hunting skills. They selected promising puppies and may sometimes have bred dogs with wild canids to reinforce particular characteristics.

Dog diversity was shaped by culture as well as climate and practical needs. On the Northwest Coast of North America, for instance, some Indigenous communities bred small dogs with woolly coats specifically for their hair. The material was used to make ceremonial blankets, giving these dogs a role centered on textile production rather than hunting or transportation.

Elsewhere, dogs became important participants in religious and ceremonial traditions. Those cultural roles could encourage people to favor certain appearances or behaviors that carried particular significance.

Disease Also Shaped Where Dogs Could Thrive

Environmental adaptation was not the only force influencing the global spread of dogs. Researchers are increasingly examining how diseases transmitted by vectors may have restricted where canine populations could survive and expand.

In sub-Saharan Africa, diseases including trypanosomiasis and ehrlichiosis may have created serious obstacles for dogs. This could help explain why dogs (a temperate to Arctic northern hemisphere species in origin) reached some tropical regions and areas farther south relatively late, or remained less widespread there than they were in temperate environments.

Disease therefore adds another dimension to the story of canine evolution. Dogs were shaped not only by the opportunities offered by particular environments, but also by biological threats that limited where they could successfully live.

Ancient Dog Lineages Left a Genetic Legacy

Genetic research shows that many ancient dog populations no longer survive in their original form. During colonial expansion, European breeds spread across much of the world and replaced numerous older lineages.

Some genetic traces of those ancient dogs remain, however. These surviving signatures offer valuable clues about the long and complicated history shared by humans and dogs.

Together, archaeological discoveries, genetic evidence and ethnographic research reveal an animal with an extraordinary ability to adapt. Dogs did more than accompany humans as people spread around the planet. They changed alongside them, developing physical and behavioral traits that made them valuable partners in dramatically different environments and cultures.

This shared evolutionary history also shows that the influence ran in both directions. Across thousands of years, humans and dogs have affected one another's biology and behavior.

As Professor Mitchell explains: "The process whereby grey wolves became dogs is ongoing, not one marked by a single threshold event. It was likely both long and drawn out.

"The relationship thus constructed has been a joint effort, if one where, especially in the West and over recent centuries, humans have increasingly come to dominate in determining its shape and direction.

"Nevertheless, the way dogs and humans relate -- and have related -- to each other has value precisely because their mutual, complex entwinement with each other."

Story Source:

Materials provided by Taylor & Francis Group. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Cite This Page:

Taylor & Francis Group. (2026, August 10). For 15,000 years, humans and dogs have been changing each other. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260810015700.htm

60,000-year-old ostrich eggshell engravings reveal a surprisingly sophisticated human mind

More than 60,000 years ago, early humans were already carving rule-based geometric designs that reveal a surprisingly sophisticated mind.

Date: August 9, 2026

Source: Università di Bologna

Summary: More than 60,000 years ago, humans in southern Africa were engraving ostrich eggshells with intricate geometric patterns that appear far more organized than previously realized. Researchers found recurring grids, parallel lines, right angles, and repeated shapes, suggesting the designs followed deliberate rules rather than being improvised. The engravers may even have planned entire patterns in their minds before carving them.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Engraved fragments of ostrich eggshell discovered at Diepkloof Rock Shelter in South Africa, dating back approximately 60,000 years. Credit: Pierre-Jean Texier, Diepkloof project

Archaeologists working at several sites in southern Africa have uncovered hundreds of unusual pieces of engraved ostrich eggshell. More than 60,000 years old, these fragments were created by groups of Homo sapiens living in the region.

A new study led by researchers at the University of Bologna suggests that the markings were far more organized than simple scratches or improvised decorations. Published in PLOS One, the research finds that the engravings followed recurring geometric principles involving parallel lines, right-angle relationships, and repeated regular patterns.

"These signs reveal a surprisingly structured, geometric way of thinking," says Silvia Ferrara, Professor at the University of Bologna's Department of Classical Philology and Italian Studies, who coordinated the study. "We are talking about people who did not simply draw lines, but organized them according to recurring principles -- parallelisms, grids, rotations and systematic repetitions: a visual grammar in embryo."

Ancient Eggshells Reveal Geometric Order

The ostrich eggshells were probably used as containers for carrying or storing water. To examine the engravings in detail, the researchers conducted a systematic quantitative analysis of 112 fragments recovered from two archaeological sites in South Africa (Diepkloof and Klipdrift) and one in Namibia (Apollo 11).

Using geometric and statistical techniques that had not previously been applied to these artifacts, the team reconstructed the directions, angles, and paths of the engraved lines.

Their results showed that more than 80% of the configurations contained consistent spatial patterns. Angles close to 90° appeared repeatedly, as did sets of parallel lines. More elaborate designs, including hatched bands, grids, and diamond-shaped motifs, also showed evidence of rotation, translation, repetition, and "embedding," i.e., the ability to build hierarchical levels of signs within the same surface.

"These engravings are organized and consistent, and show mastery of geometric relationships," Ferrara explains. "There is not only a process of repeating signs: there is real visuo-spatial planning, as if the authors already had an overall image of the figure in mind before engraving it."

A Window Into Early Abstract Thought

The researchers emphasize that the importance of the engravings goes beyond whatever meaning the individual markings may once have carried. Their broader significance lies in the mental abilities required to create visual designs according to consistent rules.

The capacity to arrange shapes and lines in organized configurations may represent an important sign of emerging abstract thought, a major development in the evolution of human cognition.

"Our analysis shows that Homo sapiens 60,000 years ago already possessed a remarkable ability to organize visual space according to abstract principles," notes Valentina Decembrini, PhD student at the University of Bologna's Department of Classical Philology and Italian Studies and first author of the study. "Transforming simple forms into complex systems by following defined rules is a deeply human trait that has characterized our history over millennia, from the creation of decorations to the development of symbolic systems and, ultimately, writing."

Studying Humanity's Earliest Geometries

The study was published in PLOS One under the title "Earliest Geometries. A Cognitive Investigation of Howiesons Poort Engraved Ostrich Eggshells." The authors are Valentina Decembrini, Ludovica Ottaviano, Mattia Cartolano, Enza Elena Spinapolice and Silvia Ferrara.

The research was conducted as part of the FIS Advanced project SAPIENCE -- Symbols, Preliteracy and Code Evolution, directed by Professor Silvia Ferrara, in collaboration with Professor Enza Spinapolice of Sapienza University of Rome.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Università di Bologna. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Valentina Decembrini, Ludovica Ottaviano, Mattia Cartolano, Enza Elena Spinapolice, Silvia Ferrara. Earliest geometries: A cognitive investigation of Howiesons Poort engraved ostrich eggshells. PLOS One, 2026; 21 (2): e0338509 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0338509

Cite This Page:

Università di Bologna. (2026, August 9). 60,000-year-old ostrich eggshell engravings reveal a surprisingly sophisticated human mind. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260808235013.htm

240-million-year-old reptile fossil reveals a lost chapter before dinosaurs and crocodiles

Date: August 10, 2026

Source: The Conversation

Summary: A 240-million-year-old reptile discovered in Brazil is revealing what evolution looked like just before the rise of dinosaurs and crocodiles. The small predator had unusually positioned legs that may have allowed it to move more efficiently than many earlier reptiles. Its close relatives were previously known mostly from other continents, suggesting these ancient animals spread much farther across the Triassic world than scientists realized.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

About the size of a small alligator, the Silescelida acristata lived 240 million years ago and holds clues to the origin of animal groups that would transform terrestrial ecosystems forever. Credit: Matheus Fernandes

Long before dinosaurs ruled the continents and modern crocodiles first appeared, their ancestors were already going through a decisive phase in their evolutionary history. It was in this ancient world, shortly after the greatest mass extinction in Earth’s history that a new species of fossil reptile discovered in the interior of Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state.

Named Silescelida acristata, the species lived about 240 million years ago, during the Middle Triassic Period. The fossil was found in Dona Francisca, in central Rio Grande do Sul, in rocks that are part of the UNESCO Quarta Colônia Geopark.

The discovery helps fill an important gap in our understanding of the evolution of archosauriformes, a group of reptiles that gave rise to the archosaurs. Archosaurs, in turn, are the lineage that encompasses two of the best-known groups of terrestrial vertebrates: crocodiles and dinosaurs, including birds.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Quarta Colônia Center for Paleontological Research at the Federal University of Santa Maria, CAPPA/UFSM, in collaboration with researchers from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), and was published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports.

A small animal in a world under reconstruction

When Silescelida acristata lived, terrestrial ecosystems were still recovering from the Permian–Triassic extinction event, which occurred about 252 million years ago. This event wiped out much of the life on the planet and paved the way for the diversification of new groups of animals.

It was against this backdrop of ecological recovery that different lineages of reptiles began to take on new roles in terrestrial environments. Among them were the archosauriforms, which underwent extensive diversification during the Triassic. Silescelida acristata was a relatively small, slender animal that moved on all four limbs. Its size can be compared to that of a small alligator.

Although it was neither a dinosaur nor a crocodile, it belonged to a lineage closely related to the forms that preceded the origin of these groups. Its diet likely included smaller animals, suggesting that it played the role of a small predator in the Triassic ecosystems of southern Brazil.

Why is this fossil important?

The fossil primarily preserves parts of the limbs, and at first glance, this type of material may seem limited, but it carries important information about the animal’s locomotion and evolutionary relationships.

One of the most significant characteristics of Silescelida acristata lies in its femur, the thigh bone. Like some of its close relatives, it had legs in a more semi-erect position, lower on the body than to the side.

This change allowed for more efficient locomotion, reducing drag as the body moved across the ground. In evolutionary terms, this type of transformation is related to the set of anatomical changes that would later prove fundamental to the success of archosaurs.

In other words, the new fossil helps us understand a phase preceding the rise of dinosaurs and crocodiles, when their close relatives were still experimenting with different body shapes, postures, and modes of locomotion.

Rare phylogenetic relationship

Phylogenetic analyses indicate that Silescelida acristata may be related to the Euparkeriidae, a rare group of archosauriforms that is still poorly understood by science.

Until now, fossils associated with this group were known primarily from the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe. The presence of a form related to the Euparkeriidae in South America significantly expands the known geographic distribution of these animals.

This suggests that these reptiles were more widely distributed across the world during the Triassic than the fossil record indicated. It also reinforces the importance of South America for the study of the origin and diversification of major groups of terrestrial vertebrates.

The ‘rediscovery’ of a forgotten fossil

The discovery of Silescelida acristata also has an unusual history. Part of the fossil – precisely the portion that preserved essential information about its provenance – was accidentally lost for more than two decades.

It was not until 2022, during a technical visit to the scientific collection at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), that researchers located the missing fragment. This rediscovery made it possible to confirm the specimen’s origin and formally describe it as a new species.

The animal’s very name refers to this story. Silescelida combines words associated with “silence” and “leg.” “Silence” refers to the long period during which part of the fossil lay forgotten, while “leg” refers to the type of preserved material, consisting mainly of limb bones.

The name acristata, meanwhile, means “without a crest.” It was chosen because this animal’s femur lacks a crest or raised bony protrusion – known as a trochanter – where part of the tail musculature would attach. This absence distinguishes Silescelida acristata from nearly all of its close relatives.

What does the discovery change?

The presence of Silescelida acristata in the Middle Triassic of Brazil shows that the evolutionary history of archosauriforms was broader and more complex than previously thought. The fossil indicates that lineages closely related to the Euparkeriidae were also present in South America, highlighting the continent’s role in the early diversification of the relatives of dinosaurs and crocodiles.

Furthermore, the discovery reinforces Rio Grande do Sul’s status as one of the world’s most important regions for the study of Triassic fauna. The region’s rocks preserve fossils from different stages in the evolution of terrestrial vertebrates, including some of the oldest known dinosaurs and large predators that lived before the Age of Dinosaurs.

Every new fossil found in this context helps reconstruct how terrestrial ecosystems reorganized after the Permian–Triassic extinction and how the groups that would later dominate the continents emerged.

Small bones, big stories

Incomplete fossils are often viewed as less informative than nearly complete skeletons. However, it is important to remember that the vast majority of fossils found during excavations are fragmentary. Discoveries such as Silescelida acristata show that even isolated parts of the skeleton can reveal fundamental information about evolution.

In this case, limb bones made it possible to identify a new species, infer aspects of its locomotion, investigate its phylogenetic relationships, and expand the known distribution of a rare group of Triassic reptiles.

More than just describing a new animal, the study shows how Brazilian paleontology continues to contribute to our understanding of central chapters in the history of life on Earth. In rocks from the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, 240-million-year-old fossils still hold clues about the origin of the animal groups that would transform terrestrial ecosystems forever.

Story Source:

Materials provided by The Conversation. Original written by Mauricio Garcia, Doutorando no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM). Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Cite This Page:

The Conversation. (2026, August 10). 240-million-year-old reptile fossil reveals a lost chapter before dinosaurs and crocodiles. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260808234956.htm

The dodo bird had a secret sensory world scientists are only now discovering

Date: August 8, 2026

Source: University of Copenhagen

Summary: CT scans of the world’s rarest dodo skulls suggest the extinct bird may have had a stronger sense of smell, a highly sensitive beak, and a lifestyle that extended into dawn and dusk. The discoveries are helping overturn centuries-old myths and reveal a far more complex animal than the famously “dumb” dodo of popular imagination.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A rare look inside the dodo’s skull is revealing surprising clues about how the extinct bird experienced the world. Credit: Shutterstock

Only two complete dodo skulls are known anywhere in the world. One is housed at the Natural History Museum Denmark, while the other belongs to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. The Copenhagen specimen has remained in the museum's collections for centuries, and it has now played a key role in an international investigation led by researchers at the University of Lethbridge in Canada. Their goal was to explore a long-standing mystery: how did the dodo perceive and interact with the world around it?

Using digital reconstructions of the space that once held the bird's brain, scientists were able to examine clues about the dodo's sensory abilities. The results suggest that its sensory experience differed in several important ways from that of modern pigeons and doves. The dodo may have followed a more flexible daily schedule, with activity possibly extending into dawn and dusk. It may also have had a stronger sense of smell and a greater capacity to detect touch through its large upper beak. Together, these features offer fresh insight into how the bird may have searched for food and navigated its environment on Mauritius before becoming extinct in the late 17th century.

"The dodo is one of the world's most recognizable extinct animals, yet surprisingly little is known about how it actually lived," says Peter Andrew Hosner, Associate Professor and Curator of Birds at the Natural History Museum Denmark and co-author of the study published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

"Its behavior and foraging ecology have been debated for centuries. Having access to one of only two complete dodo skulls has given us a unique opportunity to compare the dodo with its closest living relatives and gain new insights into how it experienced and interacted with its environment," he adds.

CT Scans Reveal the Dodo's Hidden Anatomy

The rare Copenhagen skull has long been displayed at the Natural History Museum Denmark. Preparations for a new museum building and permanent galleries scheduled to open in 2027 gave researchers an unusual chance to study the specimen in greater detail using high-resolution CT scanning.

The imaging produced an extremely detailed three-dimensional digital model without damaging the valuable skull. Researchers could then reconstruct the skull's interior, including the cavity where the brain once sat. As the brain develops, it leaves impressions on the surrounding bone, so those preserved structures can provide important evidence about the way an extinct animal processed information from its surroundings.

The study draws on CT data from three dodo skulls, including the only two complete specimens known to exist -- one at the Natural History Museum Denmark and the other at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Digital models of both complete skulls gave the team a rare opportunity to compare them directly, helping researchers determine which anatomical features were likely typical of the species.

"Studying extinct animals is a bit like detective work. Although the dodo's brain disappeared centuries ago, it left an imprint on the inside of the skull. By digitally reconstructing those spaces and comparing them with the brains of living birds, we can begin to piece together how the dodo sensed, behaved, and interacted with the world around it," says Christy Anna Hipsley, Associate Professor at the Natural History Museum Denmark and co-author of the study.

Clues to Smell, Touch, and Daily Activity

Researchers compared the reconstructed dodo brain cavities with those of living pigeons and doves, which are the dodo's closest living relatives. The comparison revealed a distinctive set of sensory traits. The skull anatomy indicates that the dodo may not have been active only during the daytime and could also have moved or foraged around dawn and dusk.

The bird may also have depended more heavily on smell than modern pigeons and doves. In addition, its large upper beak appears to have been well suited for collecting tactile information from the surrounding environment. Scientists cannot determine exact behavior from anatomy alone, but these findings provide new clues about how the dodo may have located food and interacted with its island habitat.

"The dodo's skull is unlike that of any living bird, which makes it both fascinating and difficult to interpret. By comparing digital reconstructions of the world's only two complete dodo skulls, we now have a much stronger foundation for identifying which features are truly characteristic of the species and what they can tell us about how the dodo lived," Hipsley adds.

A More Complex View of the Dodo

Popular culture has often depicted the dodo as clumsy and unintelligent, sometimes suggesting that its extinction was almost unavoidable. The new findings do not support the idea that the bird had reduced cognitive abilities compared with living pigeons and doves. Instead, the evidence points to an animal with a distinctive combination of sensory adaptations that developed over millions of years on an isolated island.

The researchers emphasize that skull anatomy cannot provide a complete account of the dodo's behavior. Even so, combining CT data from several specimens, including the only two complete skulls in existence, allows scientists to move beyond centuries of speculation and make more evidence-based interpretations of the bird's biology.

Peter Hosner says the study does not answer every question about the dodo, but it gives researchers a stronger framework for understanding the bird's behavior and ecology.

"The dodo has become a symbol of extinction, but in many ways it remains surprisingly mysterious. Every new piece of evidence helps us move beyond myths and build a more accurate picture of how this extraordinary bird lived before it disappeared," he says.

Story Source:

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

Journal Reference:

1. Sara Citron, Christy Anna Hipsley, Julian Hume, Helen James, Peter Andrew Hosner, Kálmán Czeibert, Aubrey Keirnan, Ana Cecilia Castro Rodrigues Silva, Stig Walsh, Vera Weisbecker, Andrew N Iwaniuk. The sensory world of the Dodo and Solitaire revealed by endocast and skull anatomy. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2026; 207 (4) DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlag123

Cite This Page:

University of Copenhagen. (2026, August 8). The dodo bird had a secret sensory world scientists are only now discovering. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035143.htm

Dinosaurs became giants — so why did they never become tiny?

Dinosaurs could become giants, but competition with early mammals may have mysteriously kept them from ever becoming truly tiny.

Date: August 9, 2026

Source: American Museum of Natural History

Summary: Dinosaurs conquered the land at enormous sizes, but strangely, they almost never evolved into truly tiny animals. New research suggests that physiology alone can’t explain this missing miniature end of the dinosaur spectrum—and that early mammals may have been partly responsible. While dinosaurs kept mammals from becoming large, small mammals may have returned the favor by occupying ecological niches that could otherwise have supported mouse-sized dinosaurs.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A model of Microraptor being put on display at the American Museum of Natural History. Microraptor was one of the smallest known dinosaurs, weighing about one pound—roughly the size of a large rabbit. Credit: Alvaro Keding / ©AMNH

Dinosaurs are often remembered for their enormous size. Tyrannosaurus rex was an imposing predator, while dinosaurs such as Apatosaurus reached truly massive proportions. Yet new research suggests that one of the most intriguing questions about dinosaur evolution lies at the opposite end of the size spectrum: Why did dinosaurs apparently never become extremely small?

In a study published in the journal Evolution, researchers from the American Museum of Natural History and Princeton University used mathematical models to examine how body size evolved among vertebrates. Their results show that energy use and physiology can account for the range of sizes seen in mammals, birds, and turtles. Those same factors, however, cannot explain why even the smallest dinosaurs other than birds remained relatively large.

The researchers instead suggest that ecology may have imposed a lower size limit on dinosaurs. In particular, competition with early small mammals could have prevented dinosaurs from moving into the mouse-sized and sparrow-sized niches that are filled by many vertebrates today.

"Everyone loves a giant dinosaur," said study co-author Roger Benson, the Macaulay Curator of Dinosaur Paleobiology at the Museum. "But we decided to look at the other end of the scale. The absence of tiny dinosaurs may be just as interesting as the existence of giant ones. We already knew that dinosaurs prevented mammals from evolving to large sizes before the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Here we suggest that mammals in turn prevented dinosaurs from evolving to small sizes."

Dinosaurs Had a Surprising Lower Size Limit

The contrast between dinosaurs and many modern animals is striking. The largest dinosaurs exceeded 80 tons, yet the smallest known dinosaurs outside the bird lineage weighed close to one pound (approximately 450 grams), roughly comparable to a large rabbit.

That is more than 200 times heavier than the bee hummingbird, the smallest bird in the world, which weighs only 1.75 grams. The Etruscan shrew, the smallest mammal, weighs about 1.8 grams. An even more extreme example comes from reptiles: the dwarf gecko weighs just 0.15 grams.

Tiny animals are also extremely common in modern ecosystems. About 75 percent of living mammal species and 90 percent of living bird species are smaller than the smallest known dinosaurs outside the bird lineage.

"Small animals dominate modern ecosystems," said Stephanie Lechki, the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University. "If we want to understand how today's biodiversity evolved, we need to understand why tiny dinosaurs appear to have been missing."

Could Tiny Dinosaur Fossils Simply Be Missing?

One obvious possibility is that very small dinosaurs existed but have not yet been discovered. Small animals are generally more difficult to find in the fossil record because their fragile bones are less likely to survive the fossilization process.

Benson and Lechki, however, argue that this explanation does not fit the available evidence. Fossil sites containing dinosaurs also frequently preserve animals that were much smaller, including mammals, lizards, amphibians, and other vertebrates.

If dinosaurs as small as mice had been widespread, researchers would expect at least some of their fossils to have turned up alongside these other tiny animals.

Instead, the fossil evidence indicates that genuinely tiny dinosaurs outside the bird lineage were either extremely uncommon or may not have existed at all.

Mathematical Models Reveal a Dinosaur Puzzle

To understand what might have prevented dinosaurs from becoming smaller, the researchers turned to mathematical models designed to predict how natural selection influences body size. The models incorporate aspects of animal physiology related to energy intake and reproduction.

The underlying idea is that evolution should tend to favor body sizes that allow animals to convert available energy into offspring efficiently.

When the researchers applied this framework to different vertebrate groups, it successfully reproduced the body size patterns seen in mammals, birds, and turtles. It was less successful for snakes, lizards, and crocodilians.

Dinosaurs presented an even greater problem. Even when the researchers tested a wide variety of possible physiological conditions, the models still could not account for why most dinosaurs outside the bird lineage were considerably larger than expected.

That result suggests that dinosaur size was not controlled by physiology alone. Ecological pressures, including competition, predation, and access to different ecological niches, probably helped determine how small these dinosaurs could become.

How Birds Escaped the Dinosaur Size Constraint

The findings may also help explain a major turning point in vertebrate evolution: the rise of birds.

Birds evolved from dinosaurs, but modern birds can reach sizes far below those known for dinosaurs outside the bird lineage. Soon after birds first appeared during the Early Cretaceous, they evolved body sizes much smaller than those achieved by any other dinosaur group.

According to the researchers, physiology by itself cannot account for this rapid move toward miniature bodies either.

Instead, they suggest that powered flight transformed the ecological possibilities available to early birds. Once birds could fly, they gained access to habitats and ways of life that were unavailable to their terrestrial dinosaur relatives. That shift may have allowed them to escape the ecological forces that had previously prevented dinosaurs from evolving much smaller bodies.

"The ability to fly may have opened entirely new ways of life," Lechki said. "Once birds entered those new ecological niches, they were free to evolve body sizes that had simply not been possible for other dinosaurs."

A Small Mystery With Big Implications

Further research could help clarify the ecological pressures that favored some body sizes while effectively excluding others.

Understanding those forces could reveal why dinosaurs were able to evolve into some of the largest animals ever to walk the planet while seemingly being unable to occupy the smallest size classes that are so common among animals today.

"We have this unusual situation where the ancestors of dinosaurs could be tiny. The living descendants of dinosaurs -- birds -- they can be tiny. But dinosaurs themselves seemed to be forbidden from being tiny," Benson said. "And we don't really understand that yet, but it's a question we should continue to explore if we really want to understand dinosaurs and their fascinating biology."

Story Source:

Materials provided by American Museum of Natural History. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Stephanie C Lechki, Roger B J Benson. The explanatory power of energetic fitness models across living amniotes and extinct non-avian dinosaurs. Evolution, 2026; DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpag117

Cite This Page:

American Museum of Natural History. (2026, August 9). Dinosaurs became giants — so why did they never become tiny?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035137.htm

Gender Difference

- Frequent cannabis users wake up with their “stress hormone” already elevated

Frequent cannabis users wake up with their “stress hormone” already elevated

Date: August 9, 2026

Source: Oregon State University

Summary: Frequent cannabis users may wake up with unusually high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, suggesting their daily stress rhythms could be disrupted. Researchers say the finding raises questions about whether using cannabis for stress relief might, over time, interfere with the very system that helps the body handle stress.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Frequent cannabis use may be linked to waking up with elevated stress hormones, hinting that long-term use could quietly disrupt the body’s natural stress system. Credit: Shutterstock

People who frequently use cannabis may begin the day with higher levels of cortisol than those who do not use it, according to research from Oregon State University. The finding points to a possible connection between regular cannabis use and changes in the body's normal daily stress rhythm.

The study, conducted by Oregon State University scientists, was published in the journal Cannabis.

Stress is one of the main reasons people report using cannabis, and it is also associated with problematic patterns of use. Although cannabis can provide temporary relief from stress, the researchers say frequent use over time could potentially interfere with the biological systems that regulate the stress response.

Led by Anita Cservenka of the OSU College of Liberal Arts, the research is among the relatively few studies to investigate how frequent cannabis use relates to the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis, the major neuroendocrine system responsible for coordinating the body's response to stress.

Cannabis Use Has Risen Sharply Among Young Adults

The findings come as cannabis use has become increasingly common among young adults in the United States. Twenty-nine percent of adults ages 19 to 30 report using cannabis during the previous 30 days, a rate that has nearly doubled over the past 15 years.

More than 10% of people in that age group report using cannabis at least 20 times within a 30-day period. According to the researchers, that percentage is more than twice what it was 15 years ago.

Cservenka cautions that the findings do not establish that frequent cannabis use causes higher cortisol levels upon waking. They also do not show that elevated morning cortisol causes people to use cannabis more frequently.

"We would need to study the same groups of people over a longer period of time to understand any cause-and-effect relationship, but we think this provides an important starting point," she said.

Why Cortisol Matters

Cortisol is a hormone made by the adrenal glands. Hormones act as chemical messengers that help regulate many processes throughout the body.

Often called the "stress hormone" because the body releases it in response to pressure, cortisol plays several essential roles. It helps the body fight infection, maintain blood pressure, and regulate blood sugar and metabolism.

In the short term, cortisol helps the body cope with stressful situations. However, cortisol levels that remain elevated for long periods can have negative health effects and have been associated with greater risks of anxiety, depression, and heart disease.

Measuring the Morning Cortisol Response

Cservenka and OSU colleagues Julia Donner and Alexia Obrochta focused on what is commonly known as CAR, or the cortisol awakening response.

"CAR is the cortisol rise that all people experience in the morning, peaking around 30 minutes after they wake up," Cservenka said.

Researchers calculate CAR by measuring cortisol immediately after a person wakes and then measuring it again 30 minutes later. The first measurement is subtracted from the second. The resulting difference is considered an indicator of how the body prepares itself to handle the demands and stressors of the coming day.

The researchers found that the size of this morning cortisol increase was similar in cannabis users and nonusers. The important difference appeared at the starting point. People who frequently used cannabis already had more cortisol circulating in their bodies when they woke up.

A Potential Biological Signal of Problematic Cannabis Use

"Our research suggests cortisol levels upon awakening may serve as a neurobiological marker of problematic cannabis use, and that connection needs to be investigated further," Cservenka said. "Earlier studies by other researchers found CAR to be blunted in frequent cannabis users, but we didn't replicate that finding, which suggests there is a lot of nuance that could be related to analytic strategies and sample characteristics."

The difference from previous research highlights how complicated the relationship between cannabis use and the body's stress system may be. Factors involving study populations and the methods researchers use to analyze cortisol patterns could help explain why different studies have produced different results.

Even so, Cservenka said it is reasonable to consider the possibility that frequent cannabis users may experience disruptions in their normal daily stress rhythms. Such changes could potentially contribute to a feedback cycle in which a poorly regulated stress system encourages further cannabis use.

Oregon State University, the OSU Center for the Humanities, and the OSU College of Liberal Arts funded the research.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Oregon State University. Original written by Steve Lundeberg. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Julia Donner, Alexia N. Obrochta, Anita Cservenka. Subjective Stress and Diurnal Salivary Cortisol in Adults with Frequent Cannabis Use. Cannabis, 2026; DOI: 10.26828/cannabis/2026/000390

Cite This Page:

Oregon State University. (2026, August 9). Frequent cannabis users wake up with their “stress hormone” already elevated. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260808234953.htm

Health and Medicine

- 1 in 5 people may carry this hidden genetic heart risk: 2026 Aug 10

- Wine, beer, or spirits? Massive study finds a surprising health divide

- A daily glass of fruit juice was linked to lower depression scores

- Scientists find the strength training “sweet spot” for a longer life

- For decades, we were told to choose low-fat dairy. New research says otherwise

- Cutting sweet foods doesn’t curb cravings or improve health

1 in 5 people may carry this hidden genetic heart risk

A little-known inherited cholesterol particle may be quietly raising heart and stroke risk in millions of people who have no idea their levels are dangerously high.

Date: August 10, 2026

Source: Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions

Summary: Very high levels of the inherited cholesterol-related particle Lp(a) were linked to a greater risk of major cardiovascular events, particularly stroke and cardiovascular death, in a study of more than 20,000 people. Since elevated Lp(a) often flies completely under the radar, a simple blood test could uncover hidden heart risk that standard cholesterol testing may miss.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A large analysis of more than 20,000 people suggests that a little-known inherited cholesterol-related particle called Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), may quietly raise the risk of serious cardiovascular problems even when traditional cholesterol levels look normal. Credit: Shutterstock

New findings from more than 20,000 patients across three major NIH studies suggest that elevated Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] may contribute to cardiovascular risk that remains even after standard treatment. The results indicate that people with high Lp(a) may benefit from more aggressive efforts to reduce other heart disease risk factors.

The late-breaking findings were presented at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2026 Scientific Sessions and Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology/Association Canadienne de cardiologie d'intervention (CAIC-ACCI) Summit in Montreal.

What Is Lipoprotein(a)?

Lp(a) is a cholesterol-carrying particle found in the blood. It resembles LDL, often called "bad" cholesterol, but includes an additional protein that may make it more likely to contribute to cardiovascular disease.

High Lp(a) levels are largely determined by genetics. They can increase cardiovascular risk even when more familiar cholesterol measurements fall within normal ranges. Approximately one in five people has high Lp(a), yet most people with elevated levels do not know it because the condition typically causes no symptoms.

Scientists have long recognized a connection between elevated Lp(a) and cardiovascular disease. However, researchers are still working to understand how well Lp(a) predicts future risk in people who already have heart disease compared with those who do not.

More Than 20,000 Patients Analyzed

For the new analysis, researchers examined previously collected plasma samples from 20,070 participants aged 40 years and older who had taken part in the ACCORD, PEACE, and SPRINT NIH randomized trials.

The samples were tested in a dedicated translational laboratory with a standardized assay, with results reported using the current standard of nmo/L. Participants were divided into groups according to their Lp(a) levels (<75, 75-125, 125-175, or ≥ 175 nmo/L) and according to whether they already had heart disease.

Researchers then used Cox models that accounted for demographics, comorbidities, lipids, and therapies.

Participants had a mean age of 65.2±8.5 years, and 64.9% of patients were male. Researchers focused primarily on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), which included myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary revascularization, or cardiac death.

Very High Lp(a) Linked to Greater Risk

During a median follow-up period of 3.98 years, 1,461 (7.3%) MACE events occurred.

An Lp(a) level greater than or equal to 175 nmo/L was independently associated with an increased risk of MACE (HR 1.31, 95% CI: 1.10-1.55), cardiovascular death (HR 1.49, 95% CI: 1.07-2.06), and stroke (HR 1.64, 95% CI: 1.14-2.37).

However, having Lp(a) at this level was not associated with a higher risk of heart attack.

The association was also stronger among participants who already had heart disease (HR 1.30, 95%CI: 1.07-1.57) than among those without existing heart disease (HR 1.18, 95% CI: 0.91-1.54).

A Simple Blood Test Could Reveal Hidden Risk

"For the first time, we can quantify the specific level of Lp(a) that puts patients at a significantly higher risk of major cardiovascular events, especially stroke and death," said Subhash Banerjee, MD, FSCAI, interventional cardiologist at Baylor Scott & White in Dallas, Texas. "Regardless of age, patients can take a simple, low-cost blood test to determine whether they have this genetic condition. If elevated Lp(a) levels are detected, they should work closely with their healthcare provider to aggressively lower LDL cholesterol and manage other cardiovascular risk factors as much as possible. This knowledge is especially valuable as new targeted treatment options are on the horizon."

The researchers also emphasized that stored biospecimens can reveal new information from clinical trials that have already been completed. They plan to examine additional patient groups in future analyses, including people with chronic kidney disease and peripheral artery disease.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Cite This Page:

Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions. (2026, August 10). 1 in 5 people may carry this hidden genetic heart risk. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260808235011.htm

Wine, beer, or spirits? Massive study finds a surprising health divide

A massive study suggests that at low-to-moderate levels, wine and other alcoholic drinks may have surprisingly different links to longevity and heart health.

Date: August 9, 2026

Source: American College of Cardiology

Summary: A study tracking more than 340,000 adults for over a decade found that heavy drinking increased the risk of death regardless of beverage type. At lower levels, however, the picture became more surprising: beer, cider, and spirits were linked to higher mortality, while wine was associated with lower risk. Moderate wine drinkers had a 21% lower risk of cardiovascular death compared with people who rarely or never drank.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A massive study of more than 340,000 adults suggests that when it comes to alcohol and health, both the amount and the type of drink may matter. Credit: Shutterstock

Heavy alcohol use has consistently been tied to poorer health, no matter what type of alcohol a person drinks. At lower levels of consumption, however, the health effects may differ depending on the beverage, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

The findings, based on data from more than 340,000 adults in Britain, support earlier evidence suggesting that lower alcohol consumption is generally better for health. They also offer a closer look at how low and moderate drinking may be associated with different outcomes depending on whether people consume wine, beer, cider or spirits.

"These results come from the general population, and in certain high-risk groups, such as people with chronic diseases or cardiovascular conditions, the risks could be even higher," said Zhangling Chen, MD, PhD, a professor at the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University in China and the study's senior author.

Tracking Alcohol Intake and Mortality

Researchers examined drinking habits and mortality data from 340,924 adults who took part in the UK Biobank study between 2006 and 2022. Participants completed a dietary questionnaire when they entered the study, and researchers placed them into four groups according to how much pure alcohol they consumed each day and week.

For reference, a 12-ounce can of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, and a 1.5-ounce shot of spirits each contain about 14 grams of pure alcohol. People consuming less than 20 g (about 1.5 standard drinks) per week were classified as never or occasional drinkers. Men consuming between 20 g per week and 20 g per day and women consuming between 20 g per week and 10 g per day were considered to have low alcohol consumption.

Daily consumption of 20 g to 40 g (about 1.5 to three standard drinks) for men and 10 g to 20 g for women was considered moderate. Daily consumption of more than 40 g (about three drinks) for men and 20 g (about 1.5 drinks) for women was considered high. Researchers followed participants' health outcomes for more than 13 years on average.

Heavy Drinking Linked to Higher Death Risk

Compared with people who never drank or drank only occasionally, those in the high consumption group were 24% more likely to die from any cause. They were also 36% more likely to die from cancer and 14% more likely to die from heart disease.

At low and moderate levels of drinking, a different pattern emerged depending on the type of alcohol consumed. Spirits, beer and cider were associated with a significantly greater risk of death, while similar levels of wine consumption were associated with a significantly lower risk.

The contrast was also seen in deaths from cardiovascular disease. Moderate wine drinkers had a 21% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with never or occasional drinkers. In contrast, even low levels of spirits, beer or cider consumption were associated with a 9% higher risk of cardiovascular death compared with drinking never or occasionally.

"Our findings help clarify previously mixed evidence on low to moderate alcohol consumption," Chen said. "These findings can help refine guidance, emphasizing that the health risks of alcohol depend not only on the amount of alcohol consumed, but also on the type of beverage. Even low to moderate intake of spirits, beer or cider is linked to higher mortality, while low to moderate intake of wine may carry lower risk."

Why Wine May Show a Different Pattern

Several factors could help explain why the results differed by beverage type, according to the researchers. Red wine contains compounds such as polyphenols and antioxidants, which may provide cardiovascular benefits.

Drinking habits and lifestyle may also play an important role. Wine is more often consumed with meals and tends to be favored by people with higher-quality diets and healthier behaviors overall. Spirits, beer and cider are more commonly consumed outside of meals and were associated with poorer overall diet quality and other lifestyle risk factors.

"Taken together, these factors suggest that the type of alcohol, how it is consumed and the associated lifestyle behaviors all contribute to the observed differences in mortality risk," Chen said.

Important Limitations of the Study

The researchers adjusted their analysis for a wide range of factors, including demographics, socioeconomic status, lifestyle, cardiometabolic factors and family history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Still, the study was observational, which means it cannot establish that a particular type of alcohol directly caused the differences in mortality risk. The researchers said high-quality randomized trials could help clarify the health effects of alcohol consumption.

Alcohol intake was also based on participants' self-reported drinking habits at the beginning of the study, so the analysis did not account for changes in alcohol consumption over time. In addition, UK Biobank participants tend to be healthier than the population overall, which could limit how broadly the findings apply.

Despite those limitations, the large number of participants and the long follow-up period gave the study substantial statistical power. Researchers said the findings provide a more detailed and nuanced view of alcohol and health than many earlier studies by examining both the amount and type of alcohol consumed across several mortality outcomes.

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

Cite This Page:

American College of Cardiology. (2026, August 9). Wine, beer, or spirits? Massive study finds a surprising health divide. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260808235008.htm

A daily glass of fruit juice was linked to lower depression scores

Date: August 9, 2026

Source: Newcastle University

Summary: A daily glass of 100% fruit juice or a smoothie may help improve more than just fruit intake. In a small four-week trial, participants who added one to a healthier diet showed significantly lower depression scores, hinting that a simple dietary change could also support mental well-being.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A daily glass of fruit juice or a smoothie could help people reach five-a-day while delivering a surprising bonus: improved mood. Credit: Shutterstock

Drinking a daily glass of 100% fruit juice or a smoothie as part of the UK's 5-a-day guidance may help support mental well-being, according to research from Newcastle University in the UK.

In a randomized controlled trial, adults who typically ate relatively little fruit and vegetables received support to increase their intake. Some participants were also asked to include one glass of fruit juice or a smoothie each day as they worked toward the 5-a-day target.

After four weeks, both groups increased the amount of fruit and vegetables they consumed. However, participants who included fruit juice or a smoothie also reported lower depression scores.

The peer-reviewed findings were published in the British Journal of Nutrition and funded by the Fruit Juice Science Centre. Researchers say the results add to evidence that relatively simple and practical dietary changes may have benefits for mental health.

Dr. Courtney Neal, who completed the study while at Newcastle University and is now at the University of Liverpool, said: "While most people know eating 5-a-day can be good for your health, many people struggle to.

"Our trial showed that when people with low fruit and vegetable intake were provided with targeted financial and educational support to address common barriers to eating 5-a-day, they were able to make meaningful changes to their diet. We found that simple, cost-effective solutions, like drinking a small glass of 100% fruit juice or a smoothie daily, could help people reach their 5-a-day, with potential benefits for mental well-being."

Reaching the 5-a-day Goal

Eating recommended amounts of whole fruits and vegetables has been associated with a lower risk of chronic disease and better long-term health. Despite those benefits, fewer than 1 in 5 (17%) UK adults and only 1 in 10 teenagers currently meet the 5-a-day recommendation.

Everyone who took part in the 4-week trial ate two or fewer portions of fruit and vegetables per day when the study began. Participants received support designed to help them increase their intake to 5-a-day.

Some participants were instructed to meet that target using whole fruits and vegetables alone. Others increased their intake of whole fruits and vegetables while also drinking one glass of fruit juice or a smoothie each day.

Researchers evaluated changes in mood using validated questionnaires that measure symptoms of anxiety and depression. Participants who consumed fruit juice and smoothies alongside whole fruit had lower depression scores than the control group.

Their scores were 2.52 points lower on a 27-point scale, a difference the researchers described as modest but statistically significant.

Fiber Intake Also Increased

Dietary recalls completed during the study suggested that both intervention groups increased their daily fiber intake by an estimated 8-10 g.

That finding indicates that including juice did not stop participants from adding other fiber-rich fruits and vegetables to their diets.

The study included 42 participants. Despite concerns about the sugar content of fruit juice, researchers found no adverse effects on metabolic health markers after four weeks among those who consumed fruit juice or smoothies as part of the intervention.

Dr. Oliver Shannon, Lecturer in Nutrition and Ageing at Newcastle University and one of the senior authors of the study, said: "Given the ongoing cost of living pressures in the UK, the price of fresh produce is often a barrier for people trying to eat more fruit and vegetables. Our study shows that drinking a daily glass of fruit juice or a smoothie could be part of the solution and help people reach 5-a-day fruit and vegetable targets.

"The finding that fruit juice drinkers had reduced depression scores is promising and worthy of further exploration, particularly in individuals experiencing poor mental well-being. It backs up studies which report improved brain blood flow and cognitive function after people drink citrus juices. Simple dietary changes -- like increasing fruit intake, including through a daily glass of juice -- could play a role in supporting mental well-being."

How the Study Was Conducted

The 4-week trial included 42 people who consumed two or fewer portions of fruit and vegetables per day at the start of the research. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups.

The first group included 14 people who served as controls and were asked to continue eating their usual diet.

A second group of 14 participants received support to increase their fruit and vegetable consumption to 5-a-day using whole fruits and vegetables only.

The remaining 14 participants were also encouraged to reach 5-a-day through whole fruits and vegetables, but they additionally consumed one glass of fruit juice or a smoothie each day.

All three groups received £10/week. Participants in groups 2 and 3 were also provided with educational materials intended to help them make the recommended dietary changes.

Researchers assessed participants' mood using validated questionnaires for anxiety (GAD-7 - Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7) and depression (PHQ-9 - Patient Health Questionnaire-9).

The fruit juice and smoothie group scored statistically significantly lower for depression markers than the control group. Scores were 2.52 points lower on the 27-point scale in the fruit juice group versus the control - with an adjusted mean score of 5.45 in the control group and 2.93 among participants who included fruit juices.

Participants also completed four dietary recalls during the study describing what they had eaten during the previous 24 hours. Based on those records, both intervention groups were estimated to have increased their daily fiber intake by 8-10 g.

Story Source:

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

Journal Reference:

1. Courtney Neal, Georg Lietz, Kirsten Brandt, Anthony William Watson, Oliver Michael Shannon. Including fruit juice and smoothies within 5-a-day fruit and vegetable intake recommendations: a randomised controlled trial investigating impact on levels of intake, mood and markers of health. British Journal of Nutrition, 2026; 1 DOI: 10.1017/S0007114526107569

Cite This Page:

Newcastle University. (2026, August 9). A daily glass of fruit juice was linked to lower depression scores. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260808235003.htm

Scientists find the strength training “sweet spot” for a longer life

Date: August 9, 2026

Source: The Conversation

Summary: Just a couple of hours of strength training each week could have surprisingly powerful effects on longevity. People who lifted weights for around 90 to 120 minutes weekly had a 13% lower risk of dying early, with especially large reductions in deaths from cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Pairing strength training with regular aerobic exercise was even more impressive, lowering overall death risk by about 45%.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Just one to two hours of strength training a week may help you live longer, especially when combined with regular aerobic exercise. Credit: Shutterstock

Strength training has long been seen as something you mainly do to build muscle or look good. But a new study adds to a growing body of evidence that shows lifting weights does far more than change how we look. It may help us live longer – even if you don’t spend hours each day in the gym.

The study drew on three long-running US studies that followed nearly 150,000 nurses and other health professionals for up to 30 years. Every couple of years, participants reported how much time they spent on strength training and aerobic exercise such as walking, cycling and swimming. Over the three decades almost 36,000 of them died, which let the researchers track how muscle-strengthening activity related to the risk of dying early.

They found a clear sweet spot. People who did around 90 to 120 minutes of strength training a week – or roughly an hour and a half to two hours – had about a 13% lower risk of dying from any cause than those who did none.

The benefit of strength was strongest for two of our biggest killers: a 19% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease (which includes heart disease and stroke) and a 27% lower risk of dying from neurological conditions, mainly dementia.

Interestingly, more wasn’t necessarily better. Beyond about two hours of weightlifting a week, risk didn’t fall any further.

The lowest risk of all was seen in people who paired strength training with regular aerobic exercise – measured across everyday activities such as walking, jogging, cycling and swimming. Doing at least the recommended amount of moderate aerobic activity (around 150 minutes a week) was on its own linked to between a 26% and 43% lower risk of death.

But combining plenty of aerobic activity with one to two hours of strength training brought the risk down furthest of all – by around 45%. Aerobic exercise still did most of the heavy lifting, but the two clearly work best together, not as rivals.

There was one exception to the pattern: for cancer deaths, only smaller amounts of strength training (under an hour a week) were linked to lower risk.

Muscle and mortality

So why would weightlifting help us live longer? The answer lies in muscle – and what muscle actually does, beyond simply helping us move around.

Muscle, specifically the skeletal muscle we build through resistance training, is one of the body’s most metabolically active tissues. After a meal, it’s where most of the sugar, or glucose, in our blood is sent. Insulin, the hormone released when we eat, signals muscle to absorb glucose from the bloodstream, and it mops up around 80% of it – either burning it for energy or storing it as glycogen, a ready fuel reserve, rather than letting it circulate or be stored as fat.

Keeping muscle strong and plentiful therefore helps the body manage blood sugar and protects against type 2 diabetes, itself a major driver of heart disease and early death.

Muscle is also an organ in its own right. When muscles contract, they release hormone-like messengers called myokines into the bloodstream. These help to dampen the chronic, low-grade inflammation that quietly underlies heart disease, diabetes and many cancers.

Myokines also allow muscle to communicate with the liver, fat tissue, blood vessels, bone and even the brain. They send out signals that influence how those organs burn fuel, control blood flow and stay healthy. In effect, every time we use our muscles, they release a burst of chemical signals that benefit the rest of the body.

The heart and circulatory system benefit too. Over time, regular resistance training can help lower blood pressure and keep arteries flexible rather than stiff, which protects against cardiovascular disease.

Strength itself is also a remarkably good barometer of health. Grip strength – how hard you can squeeze with your hand – is widely used as an indicator of whole-body strength. In one large international study, grip strength predicted the risk of dying early even more accurately than blood pressure. Stronger muscles also mean fewer falls and fractures, more independence in later life and less frailty as we age – all of which shape how long, and how well, we live.

The link between strength training and brain health is newer and less certain, but plausible. Resistance training appears to drive beneficial changes in the brain. The same improvements in blood sugar and blood vessels that protect the heart are also tied to a lower risk of dementia. That may help explain the 27% drop in deaths from neurological disease the study found.

It’s worth being clear about what this study can and can’t tell us. It was observational, so although it can show a strong link between strength training and a longer life, it can’t prove that one directly causes the other.

People who lift weights may be healthier in other ways, though the researchers adjusted for many such factors, including diet, smoking and aerobic activity. Strength training was also self-reported, and the study couldn’t capture how hard people trained.

The encouraging message is that the amount linked to a longer life is genuinely achievable. You don’t need a gym membership or a heavy barbell, either. Two short sessions a week where you work all the major muscle groups, alongside some aerobic exercise each day, appears to be plenty when it comes to improving your overall health and longevity.

Story Source:

Materials provided by The Conversation. Original written by Jack McNamara, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Exercise Physiology, University of East London. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Cite This Page:

The Conversation. (2026, August 9). Scientists find the strength training “sweet spot” for a longer life. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260808234959.htm

For decades, we were told to choose low-fat dairy. New research says otherwise

Date: August 9, 2026

Source: University of Toronto

Summary: Full-fat dairy may be healthier than conventional advice has suggested. In a 12-week study, adults who ate three servings a day showed no meaningful increases in weight, body fat, cholesterol, or insulin resistance. They also experienced improved blood pressure and consumed more calcium, protein, and vitamin D. The findings suggest dairy’s complex structure may matter more than its saturated fat content alone.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A new study challenges decades of low-fat advice, finding that three daily servings of full-fat dairy did not worsen weight or cholesterol—and may even offer some health benefits. Credit: Shutterstock

A new Canadian study led by University of Toronto professor Harvey Anderson adds to growing evidence that full-fat dairy can be part of a healthy diet.

In the 12-week study, 74 adults consumed different amounts of dairy under varying dietary conditions. The researchers found that eating three servings of full-fat dairy per day did not negatively affect body weight, body composition, energy metabolism, or blood lipid levels. The findings were recently published in The Journal of Nutrition.

Why Full-Fat Dairy Has Long Raised Concerns

Dairy foods contain saturated fat, which has traditionally been associated with higher cholesterol and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. As a result, dietary recommendations in Canada and many other countries have typically encouraged people to choose fat-free or low-fat dairy products as a way to reduce saturated fat intake.

Anderson, a professor of nutritional sciences at U of T's Temerty Faculty of Medicine, says the evidence from human research has not always matched those concerns. Numerous human studies have found no link between eating full-fat dairy and harmful health outcomes. Some studies, including recent research led by Temerty Medicine professor Kozeta Milliku, have even reported positive or protective effects associated with dairy consumption.

Testing Three Daily Servings of Dairy

For the current study, researchers randomly assigned 74 adults with overweight or obesity to one of three dietary groups. One group followed a low-dairy, calorie-restricted diet. A second group followed an energy-neutral diet that included three servings of dairy each day. A third group ate an unrestricted diet that also included three daily servings of dairy.

All participants received guidance on following Canada's food guide, and those assigned to the dairy groups were supplied with full-fat dairy products during the study.

After 12 weeks, researchers found no meaningful differences in weight gain, body composition, or cholesterol levels between people following the low-dairy diet and those eating three servings of dairy each day. Participants consuming more dairy, however, showed improvements in blood pressure and consumed more calcium, protein, and vitamin D.

"Those that had three servings of dairy didn't have adverse levels of blood cholesterol or lipids or evidence of insulin resistance," says Anderson.

Why Dairy May Behave Differently Than Saturated Fat Alone

The apparent mismatch between the expected harms of saturated fat and the neutral or beneficial effects seen in some dairy studies may be explained by what researchers call the dairy matrix hypothesis.

This idea suggests that the physical structure of dairy foods influences how their nutrients are digested, absorbed, and ultimately affect the body. In other words, the health effects of a food may depend on how its components interact rather than simply on the amount of one nutrient it contains.

"With dairy products, it's got two proteins -- casein and whey -- that are bound together with fat and with nutrients mixed in," says Anderson.

According to Anderson, this complex structure allows nutrients in dairy foods to be delivered to the body gradually. That may help explain why the effects of eating dairy can differ from what would be predicted by looking at saturated fat or other individual nutrients in isolation.

Potential Importance for Older Adults

Anderson says the findings may be particularly important for older adults. Because people generally require less energy as they age, some may struggle to consume enough protein and other essential nutrients while keeping their overall calorie intake appropriate.

For many older adults, dairy is already a familiar food that provides substantial amounts of energy, protein, and other nutrients. Anderson says it could therefore offer a practical way to help meet nutritional needs without increasing the risk of diabetes or other chronic diseases.

More broadly, the results support an approach to nutrition research and dietary guidance that considers whole foods rather than judging foods primarily by individual nutrients.

With nutrition trends constantly changing and dietary advice sometimes appearing contradictory, Anderson offers a simple message: "Keep it simple, eat a variety of foods and not too much of anything."

This research was supported by Dairy Research Cluster 3 under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership AgriScience Program, and the Mitacs Accelerate program.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Toronto. Original written by Betty Zou. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Gerald Harvey Anderson, Corrina Zi Chen Zhou, Shirley Vien, Marisa Soo, Shekoufeh Salamat, Maryam Akbarifakhrabadi, Larissa Chomka, Priya Kathirvel, Ferhan Siddiqi, Hrvoje Fabek, Bohdan Luhovyy. The Effect of Three Daily Servings of Full-Fat Dairy for 12 Weeks on Body Weight, Body Composition, Energy Metabolism, Blood Lipids, and Dietary Intake of Adults with Overweight and Obesity. The Journal of Nutrition, 2026; 156 (4): 101373 DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2026.101373

Cite This Page:

University of Toronto. (2026, August 9). For decades, we were told to choose low-fat dairy. New research says otherwise. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260808234948.htm

Cutting sweet foods doesn’t curb cravings or improve health

Date: August 8, 2026

Source: Bournemouth University

Summary: Changing how much sweet-tasting food people eat may not change how much they crave or enjoy sweetness after all. In a six-month trial, researchers found that people assigned to high-, low-, or average-sweetness diets showed no meaningful differences in their preference for sweet foods, body weight, or markers linked to diabetes and heart disease. Many participants also drifted back toward their previous eating habits once the trial ended.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Cutting back on sweet-tasting foods may not curb your sweet tooth — or improve health markers — suggesting sugar itself may be the more important target. Credit: Shutterstock

A new six-month trial suggests that changing how much sweet-tasting food people eat does not alter how much they enjoy sweetness. Researchers also found no meaningful differences in several measures related to heart disease and diabetes risk among people who ate diets with high, low, or average levels of sweetness.

The findings raise questions about public health advice that encourages people to reduce sweet-tasting foods as a way to combat overweight and obesity. The researchers argue that the more important targets may be sugar intake and energy-dense foods rather than sweetness itself.

Sweetness Intake Did Not Change Taste Preferences

The study was conducted by researchers at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands and Bournemouth University in the UK. The findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"People have a natural love of sweet taste which has led many organizations, including the World Health Organization, to offer dietary advice on reducing the amount of sweetness in our diets altogether," said Katherine Appleton, Professor in Psychology at Bournemouth University and corresponding author for the study. "However, our results do not support this advice, which does not consider whether the sweet taste comes from sugar, low-calorie sweeteners, or natural sources," she added.

Researchers recruited 180 participants and divided them into three groups. One group ate a diet containing a high amount of sweet-tasting food, another ate a diet with a low amount, and the third followed a diet with an average level of sweetness.

The sweet taste in the foods came from several sources, including sugar, naturally occurring sweetness, and low-calorie sweeteners. This distinction matters because foods can taste sweet for very different nutritional reasons. Fruit, for example, contains naturally occurring sugars along with vitamins, fiber, and other nutrients, while some processed foods may contain added sugar without offering the same nutritional benefits.

Six Months of Testing Found Little Difference

After one month, three months, and six months, participants were asked whether their liking for sweet foods or their perception of sweetness had changed.

Researchers also tracked body weight and collected blood and urine samples. These samples were used to look for changes in markers associated with diabetes risk and cardiovascular health. Such markers can help researchers assess whether a dietary change is affecting processes linked to blood sugar control, metabolism, or heart health.

At the end of the six-month trial, the researchers found no significant differences among the three groups in any of the measures they examined. People who ate more sweet-tasting foods did not appear to develop a stronger preference for sweetness, while those who ate fewer sweet foods did not appear to lose their taste for it.

Participants also tended to return on their own to their previous levels of sweet food consumption after the study ended.

Researchers Question Advice to Reduce Sweet Foods

Based on the results, the research team says public health organizations may need to reconsider recommendations that broadly target sweet-tasting foods as part of efforts to address overweight and obesity.

The researchers emphasize that sweetness and sugar are not the same thing. A food can taste sweet because it contains sugar, a low-calorie sweetener, or naturally occurring sugars. At the same time, some foods that do not taste especially sweet can still contain substantial amounts of sugar.

"It's not about eating less sweet food to reduce obesity levels," Professor Appleton said. "The health concerns relate to sugar consumption. Some fast-food items may not taste sweet but can contain high levels of sugar. Similarly, many naturally sweet products such as fresh fruit and dairy products can have health benefits. Public advice therefore needs to concentrate on how people can reduce the amount of sugar and energy-dense foods they consume," she concluded.

Energy-dense foods contain a relatively large number of calories in a small amount of food. Many highly processed foods fall into this category because they can be rich in added sugars, fats, or both.

The study suggests that simply reducing exposure to sweet tastes may not be enough to change people's preferences or improve the health measures examined over six months. Instead, the researchers say dietary guidance may be more useful when it focuses on the nutritional quality of foods, particularly their sugar and calorie content, rather than whether they taste sweet.

Story Source:

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

Journal Reference:

1. Eva M Čad, Monica Mars, Leoné Pretorius, Merel van der Kruijssen, Claudia S Tang, Hanne BT de Jong, Michiel Balvers, Katherine M Appleton, Kees de Graaf. The Sweet Tooth Trial: A Parallel Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating the Effects of A 6-Month Low, Regular, or High Dietary Sweet Taste Exposure on Sweet Taste Liking, and Various Outcomes Related to Food Intake and Weight Status. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2026; 123 (1): 101073 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.09.041

Cite This Page:

Bournemouth University. (2026, August 8). Cutting sweet foods doesn’t curb cravings or improve health. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807235103.htm

Matter and Energy

- Scientists discover a hidden switch inside silver nanocatalysts

- Chemists set electrons free and break a decades-old chemistry barrier

- This tiny gold crystal could bring quantum technology out of the deep freeze

Scientists discover a hidden switch inside silver nanocatalysts

Silver nanocatalysts can surprisingly switch how and where they work, revealing a new path toward more efficient electricity generation and green hydrogen production.

Date: August 10, 2026

Source: Seoul National University College of Engineering

Summary: Silver nanocatalysts have been found to switch where they perform their most important reactions depending on whether a solid oxide cell is making electricity or hydrogen. The discovery could enable smarter catalyst designs that boost clean power generation while making green hydrogen more energy-efficient.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A visual representation of how metal nanocatalysts promote oxygen exchange reactions at solid oxide cell electrodes. Credit: © Energy & Environmental Science, originally published in Energy & Environmental Science

Researchers have discovered for the first time that the same silver (Ag) nanocatalyst can operate at different reaction sites depending on whether a solid oxide cell is producing electricity or generating hydrogen. The finding points to a new way of designing these next-generation energy devices for better performance.

The work was led by Professors WooChul Jung and Jeong Woo Han of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Seoul National University (SNU), together with Professor Sang Ouk Kim's team at KAIST and Dr. Beomgyun Jeong's team at the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI). Their results clarify how silver nanocatalysts improve solid oxide cell performance and show that both the location and mechanism of oxygen reactions change depending on how the cell is being used.

How Solid Oxide Cells Work

Solid oxide cells move oxygen ions through a solid material to perform two different functions. They can generate electricity, or they can split water to produce hydrogen.

Because of this versatility, the technology is viewed as an important option for expanding clean energy and hydrogen use. Potential applications range from distributed combined heat and power systems in buildings and factories that generate electricity while making use of the high-temperature heat produced during operation to renewable energy-based green hydrogen production.

The findings were published in the globally renowned journal Energy & Environmental Science and were selected as an Outside Back Cover article, highlighting their significance.

Pinpointing Where Catalysts Do Their Work

The performance and durability of solid oxide cells depend heavily on how quickly oxygen reactions occur at the air electrode. But real electrodes have complicated structures, making it difficult for researchers to determine exactly where nanocatalysts participate in those reactions and how they improve performance.

Earlier research had already shown that metal nanocatalysts can make these cells work better. What remained unclear was whether most of the catalytic activity takes place directly on the catalyst surface or at the boundary where the catalyst touches the electrode. Researchers also did not know whether the same catalytic mechanism was responsible for both electricity generation and hydrogen production.

To investigate these questions, the team created a model electrode with carefully controlled structure and composition instead of relying on the much more complicated architecture of conventional electrodes. Metal nanoparticles with uniform sizes and spacing were arranged in ordered patterns, allowing the researchers to examine their catalytic roles much more precisely.

The scientists first compared several metal nanocatalysts, including silver, cobalt, palladium, and platinum. Each was deposited on a thin film perovskite oxide electrode and tested for its ability to accelerate oxygen reactions.

Silver produced the strongest catalytic improvement among the metals tested.

Silver Switches Reaction Sites

The researchers then changed the size and arrangement of the silver nanoparticles to determine where the most important reactions were taking place.

During the oxygen reduction reaction (electricity generation), reaction rates increased as the length of the boundary between the silver nanoparticles and the electrode grew. This showed that the interface between the silver and the electrode is the main reaction site when the cell is generating electricity.

The situation changed during the oxygen evolution reaction (hydrogen production). In this mode, reaction rates increased with the surface area of the silver nanoparticles. That result showed that the surface of the silver particles themselves becomes the primary reaction site during hydrogen production.

In other words, the same nanocatalyst can perform its most important chemistry in two different places depending on the direction in which the energy device is operating.

The researchers examined these differences further by adjusting the applied voltage and oxygen concentration. They found that during oxygen reduction, silver nanocatalysts help transfer electrons to oxygen. During oxygen evolution, the silver instead helps oxygen atoms combine into oxygen molecules and then supports their release.

A Closer Look at the Atomic Mechanism

The team also used synchrotron-based analysis to watch changes occurring on the electrode surface while the system was operating. These experiments were combined with atomic-scale theoretical calculations.

The results showed that silver nanocatalysts alter the electronic structure of the electrode surface in ways that favor oxygen reduction. During oxygen evolution, they create conditions that make it easier for oxygen atoms to join together.

These observations help explain why the catalyst behaves differently depending on whether the cell is producing electricity or hydrogen.

A New Strategy for Clean Energy Catalysts

The findings suggest that nanocatalysts should not simply be viewed as additives that speed up chemical reactions. Their active locations and operating mechanisms can change with the operating mode of the energy system.

That insight introduces a new design strategy for solid oxide cells. Instead of optimizing the catalyst as a single component, researchers may be able to improve performance by separately engineering the catalyst surface and the catalyst electrode interface when developing air electrodes for solid oxide fuel cells and solid oxide electrolysis cells.

If this principle can be successfully incorporated into practical devices, it could improve electricity generation efficiency in distributed energy systems used in buildings and factories. It could also lower the amount of electricity required for renewable energy-powered water electrolysis used to produce green hydrogen.

The approach could also help advance reversible solid oxide cells, which are capable of both generating electricity and producing hydrogen within the same system. Such devices could support more efficient energy production and storage in homes and industrial facilities.

A Platform for Studying Other Catalysts

The precisely controlled nanoparticle array-based model electrode developed by the researchers also provides a way to identify where catalysts operate and how they function in real energy systems.

The platform could be useful well beyond solid oxide cells. Potential applications include hydrogen production devices, other electrochemical energy conversion technologies, and oxygen separation systems.

Professor WooChul Jung, who led the study, stated: "This research is significant because it quantitatively evaluates the performance of nanocatalysts while also identifying their actual reaction sites and operating mechanisms."

He added: "We plan to further establish this as a new design principle that can be applied to various energy conversion materials and catalytic systems."

Dr. Jinwook Kim, who led the research, is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University and will soon join the University of Seoul as an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He plans to continue studying nanocatalysts and solid oxide cells, with the goal of extending this work toward the development of high-efficiency energy conversion materials and devices.

This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea (RS-2024-00452853, RS-2025-00521316). Synchrotron-based AP-XPS research at the KBSI-PAL 8A2 AP-XPS beamline was supported by Pohang Accelerator Laboratory/POSTECH and Korea Basic Science Institute.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Seoul National University College of Engineering. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Jinwook Kim, Geon Gug Yang, WonJun Lee, Seongwoo Nam, Jinuk Moon, Heejae Yang, Jongsu Seo, Yoonseok Choi, Beomgyun Jeong, Jeong Woo Han, Sang Ouk Kim, WooChul Jung. Quantitative electrochemical evaluation of metal nanocatalysts for oxygen exchange on solid oxide cell electrodes. Energy, 2026; 19 (15): 4932 DOI: 10.1039/d5ee07320k

Cite This Page:

Seoul National University College of Engineering. (2026, August 10). Scientists discover a hidden switch inside silver nanocatalysts. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260810015714.htm

Chemists set electrons free and break a decades-old chemistry barrier

Date: August 9, 2026

Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Summary: Chemists have developed a catalyst that breaks a long-standing rule governing which molecules receive electrons during chemical reactions. By releasing electrons directly into solution, the technique could unlock reactions—and potentially useful new molecules—that were previously out of reach.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A radical new way of releasing electrons could help chemists break a decades-old reaction barrier and build molecules that were previously nearly impossible to make. Credit: AI/ScienceDaily.com

Chemists depend on sophisticated molecules to develop life-saving drugs, produce advanced high-tech materials, and recreate processes found in living systems. One of the most useful tools for building these complicated structures is single-electron transfer, a technique that can activate molecules that would otherwise resist reacting and allow them to join together.

For decades, however, chemists have faced a basic limitation in how electron transfer works. When two molecules are competing to receive an electron, the electron typically goes to the molecule that is easier to reduce. That natural preference can prevent researchers from directing reactions toward other potentially useful pathways.

Researchers led by chemists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working with teams at Colorado State University and the University of Colorado Boulder, have now demonstrated a different approach to reaction design. Their new strategy, recently reported in Nature, addresses a long-standing problem involving electron-transfer selectivity and could make a wide range of previously inaccessible coupling reactions possible.

Releasing Electrons Directly Into Solution

Rather than trying to control which molecule receives an electron through conventional chemical preferences, the researchers developed a catalyst that releases the electron directly into the surrounding solution.

"Our catalyst works a bit differently because it actually just ejects the electron directly into solvent," says Zachary Wickens, a professor in the UW-Madison Department of Chemistry who led the work. "This gives you, more or less, the strongest reductant and the most aggressive source of electrons you could possibly have since a free electron would rather be in basically any molecule than just on its own in solution."

Once released, the free electron is extremely eager to find somewhere else to go. It can attach to the first molecule it encounters, even if that molecule would not normally be the preferred electron recipient based on its ability to stabilize the added electron.

That behavior changes the usual rules governing which reaction pathway wins. As Wickens puts it, "anything is better than the electron freely floating in solution," says Wickens.

Why the Unexpected Selectivity Works

While the Wisconsin team developed and tested the new reaction system in the laboratory, collaborators in Colorado investigated the underlying chemistry to determine why the approach behaves so differently.

Researchers at Colorado State University carried out computational studies, while scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder used spectroscopy to examine the processes controlling the new reaction framework. The Colorado State work was led by Robert Paton with support from the National Science Foundation-funded Center for Sustainable Photoredox Catalysis (SuPRCat).

"Our calculations reveal how the decisive selectivity emerges after electron transfer has already occurred," says Paton. "We found that the desired reactant can escape reversal and continue toward product, while the partner that is easier to reduce is effectively recycled back to its starting material. This explains how the reaction can succeed despite the usual thermodynamic preference."

The findings show that the crucial selection does not necessarily happen when the electron first moves. Instead, the outcome can be determined by what happens afterward. The desired molecule can continue along the pathway that produces the final product, while the molecule that would normally be favored for reduction can return to its original state.

A New Framework for Designing Redox Reactions

The Wickens group has spent the past five years developing the family of catalysts that made this alternative approach to selectivity possible. By changing how chemists think about where and when reaction selectivity is determined, the method could expand the range of molecules that can be connected through electron-transfer chemistry.

According to Wickens, "This is not just another synthetic method; it's a new way to design redox reactions."

The research team included Prof. Zachary Wickens, Joseph M. Edgecomb, Matthew D. Resmini, and Alissia F. Meyer of UW-Madison; Niket Manoj and Prof. Robert S. Paton of CSU; and Prof. Niels H. Damrauer and Arindam Sau of CU Boulder.

Story Source:

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

Journal Reference:

1. Joseph M. Edgecomb, Arindam Sau, Niket Manoj, Matthew D. Resmini, Alissia F. Meyer, Robert S. Paton, Niels H. Damrauer, Zachary K. Wickens. Selectivity Emerges from Indiscriminate Photoreduction. Nature, 2026; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10897-7

Cite This Page:

University of Wisconsin-Madison. (2026, August 9). Chemists set electrons free and break a decades-old chemistry barrier. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035147.htm

This tiny gold crystal could bring quantum technology out of the deep freeze

Date: August 8, 2026

Source: Louisiana State University

Summary: Scientists have created the first quantum material that can sort and transport different quantum states of light at room temperature, potentially removing the need for bulky, ultra-cold refrigeration systems. Built from a gold film carved with hundreds of microscopic structures, the ultrathin “metacrystal” acts like a filter that directs different kinds of quantum light along separate paths while preserving the information they carry.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A new Nature study establishes a blueprint for engineering future quantum materials that operate under everyday conditions. Credit: LSU Quantum Photonics Group

Quantum materials could reshape fields as varied as high-performance computing, secure communication, sensitive detection, and energy production. Yet one persistent limitation has kept most of them from becoming practical technologies.

Almost every quantum material discovered so far works only when cooled to temperatures near absolute zero. At ordinary temperatures, heat causes atoms to vibrate constantly. Those vibrations disrupt the fragile quantum effects researchers want to control.

Suppressing this motion typically requires large cryogenic refrigeration systems. As a result, quantum materials can perform remarkable tasks in carefully controlled laboratories, but they are difficult and expensive to use in real-world devices.

A Quantum Material That Works at Room Temperature

LSU physicists have now created the first room-temperature quantum material able to identify and transport distinct quantum states of light. The advance, reported in Nature, addresses one of the most significant barriers in quantum materials research.

The study was led by Associate Professor of Physics Omar S. Magaña-Loaiza. Beyond demonstrating a single new material, the researchers established a broader design strategy that could be used to create an entirely new family of quantum materials.

Such materials could eventually support quantum computers, highly secure communication systems, advanced sensors, and new energy technologies.

For Chenglong You, a former postdoctoral researcher who is now a professor at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, a particularly satisfying moment came when the unusual design performed exactly as the theory had predicted.

"One of the most exciting parts of this project was realizing that we could build a material that does something nature doesn't provide on its own. Seeing it work exactly as we predicted was incredibly rewarding," said You.

Building an Artificial Quantum Crystal

Instead of searching nature for a substance with the needed properties, the LSU team chose to engineer one from the ground up.

The researchers began by placing a thin layer of gold on a glass chip. They then used focused ion beams to cut hundreds of extremely small slits into the metal. Each slit functions like an artificial atom, or meta-atom.

Together, these meta-atoms create a crystal unlike anything found naturally. The completed structure is also thinner than a human hair.

When light reaches the chip, it moves across the gold surface and interacts with the engineered meta-atoms. By precisely adjusting the size, shape, and spacing of those structures, the researchers gained control over how the material responds to light.

The result was a form of light manipulation that had never previously been achieved at room temperature.

"By engineering the distribution of meta-atoms in the plasmonic metacrystal, we can systematically dictate which quantum statistics are allowed to pass through the structure. So, our crystal essentially acts as a statistical filter on quantum states," said Riley B. Dawkins, who recently completed his Ph.D. and is now joining the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as an NRC Postdoctoral Research Associate.

Magaña-Loaiza's Quantum Photonics Group at LSU completed every part of the research, including the initial theory, material design, nanofabrication, and experimental testing.

The importance of the work, however, goes beyond the construction of an unusual new material. Its greatest value lies in what the metacrystal can do.

Sorting Different Quantum States of Light

Light does not always behave in the same way.

Sunlight, laser light, and fluorescent light are all made of photons. However, the photons in each type of light fluctuate and interact in different ways. These small variations influence how the light behaves at the quantum level.

Until now, identifying those differences has generally required complex equipment, detectors cooled to extremely low temperatures, and millions of individual measurements.

The new metacrystal performs the sorting process on its own. Rather than reacting only to familiar properties such as color or intensity, it detects subtle quantum distinctions in the incoming light.

It then directs different quantum states along separate routes through the crystal.

These routes also allow certain quantum states to move through the material while undergoing fewer changes to their statistics. Those statistics are the defining characteristics that distinguish one quantum state from another.

"We call this robust transport," Magaña-Loaiza said. "These quantum states carry information. Our crystal can distinguish them and move them from one point to another in a robust way without requiring cryogenic cooling. That's what opens the door to practical quantum technologies."

Physicists refer to this shared quantum behavior as quantum coherence. Maintaining coherence is one of the most difficult problems in quantum information science because interactions with the surrounding environment can quickly destroy it.

In the Nature study, the team describes the metacrystal as the first room-temperature quantum material inherently sensitive to the quantum coherence of many-body systems.

An Entirely New Class of Quantum Material

The material differs so greatly from conventional quantum materials that the researchers created a new term for it: the quantum statistical plasmonic metacrystal.

"For me, this wasn't just a project -- it was a collective effort built around the idea of creating something completely new in quantum technology," said Jannatul Ferdous, a graduate student in Magaña-Loaiza's group. "What made it truly exciting was that we were not only creating a new class of room-temperature quantum material but also developing the theory to understand and control its behavior. Seeing this idea become an experimental reality was incredibly rewarding."

The team also found that the metacrystal naturally produces structures they call quantum statistical bands.

These bands are similar in concept to the electronic band structures that control how electricity travels through semiconductors. In the new material, however, the bands govern the movement and statistical behavior of quantum states of light.

By changing how the meta-atoms are arranged, researchers can select which quantum states pass through the material without being altered and which states undergo statistical changes.

This level of control represents a major shift in how quantum materials can be developed. Scientists no longer have to depend entirely on finding naturally occurring substances with useful properties. They can instead design materials that guide quantum states in deliberate and predictable ways.

The findings therefore provide a general blueprint for building many future quantum materials, rather than offering only one isolated discovery.

Potential Uses in Computing and Communication

Operating at room temperature makes the metacrystal relevant to technologies well beyond basic physics research.

Similar materials might one day carry fragile quantum information inside quantum computers without requiring enormous cooling systems. Removing or reducing the need for cryogenic refrigeration could make quantum devices smaller, less costly, and easier to deploy.

The same design principles could also contribute to more practical quantum communication networks, highly sensitive sensors, and other developing quantum technologies.

A Possible Boost for Solar Energy

The material's ability to guide light with fewer losses may also have important applications in renewable energy.

Modern solar cells do not convert all incoming sunlight into electricity. Some of the light becomes trapped inside the material and eventually turns into heat, lowering the amount of usable energy the cell can produce.

A metacrystal that directs light along more stable pathways could help prevent some of that energy from being lost. More of the incoming light might remain available for conversion into electricity.

Testing that possibility is the team's next goal.

The researchers plan to incorporate the metacrystal into solar cells and determine whether it can increase the share of sunlight transformed into usable electrical energy.

Success would show how a breakthrough originating in fundamental quantum physics could lead directly to improvements in next-generation solar energy technology.

The team acknowledges funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, under Award DE-SC0021069.

Story Source:

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

Journal Reference:

1. Chenglong You, Riley B. Dawkins, Jannatul Ferdous, Mohammed Mehedi Hasan, Aadi Singh, Ziang Zhuang, Addison Wilberg, Ian Baum, Benjamin Bertoni, Mingyuan Hong, Omar S. Magaña-Loaiza. Quantum statistical plasmonic metacrystals. Nature, 2026; 655 (8124): 885 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10782-3

Cite This Page:

Louisiana State University. (2026, August 8). This tiny gold crystal could bring quantum technology out of the deep freeze. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260806050706.htm

Mind and Brain

- Stress can scramble your brain’s internal GPS, MRI study finds

Stress can scramble your brain’s internal GPS, MRI study finds

Date: August 8, 2026

Source: Ruhr-University Bochum

Summary: Stress may literally scramble the brain’s internal GPS. Researchers found that cortisol, a hormone released during stress, made people significantly worse at navigating a virtual environment and disrupted the precise activity of grid cells, specialized brain cells that help us understand where we are in space. When landmarks were missing, this navigation system nearly stopped functioning, while another brain region appeared to step in and compensate.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Cortisol can scramble the brain’s internal GPS, potentially revealing a surprising link between chronic stress, navigation problems, and Alzheimer’s disease. Credit: AI/ScienceDaily.com

The stress hormone cortisol can interfere with the brain system that helps people navigate and stay oriented. Researchers from Ruhr University Bochum in Germany found that cortisol weakens the activity of grid cells, specialized nerve cells that are essential for spatial navigation.

The finding comes from an imaging study involving 40 participants who completed a virtual navigation task while researchers monitored their brain activity with MRI. When participants were given cortisol before the experiment, they had more difficulty finding their way, and the normally precise activity patterns produced by grid cells became much less distinct. The findings were published in PLOS Biology.

Stress is already known to influence thinking and behavior, but researchers have had a limited understanding of how cortisol affects the specific brain circuits involved in navigation. Dr. Osman Akan from the Ruhr University Bochum, Department of Cognitive Psychology, worked with colleagues from the Department of Neuropsychology and researchers from University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf to examine this process more closely.

Testing Navigation Inside an MRI Scanner

The experiment included 40 healthy men who participated on two separate days. On one day, each participant received 20 milligrams of cortisol. On the other day, they received a placebo. During both sessions, they performed a spatial orientation task while their brain activity was recorded in an MRI scanner.

Participants navigated through a large virtual meadow and traveled toward a series of trees. Each tree disappeared once they reached it. Afterward, they had to determine the most direct route back to their original starting position without being shown the correct path.

Researchers tested navigation under two different conditions. In one version of the virtual environment, there were no permanent landmarks, and the trees served only as temporary destinations. In the other version, participants could use a lighthouse as a fixed reference point.

Cortisol Makes Navigation Less Accurate

The results showed that cortisol significantly reduced the participants' ability to orient themselves. Compared with their performance after receiving the placebo, they made substantially larger errors when attempting to reach their destinations.

This decline occurred regardless of whether spatial landmarks were available and regardless of how complicated the route was.

Stress Disrupts the Brain's Internal GPS

The effects of cortisol were also visible in the functional MRI data. Under normal conditions, certain nerve cells in the entorhinal cortex become active in a repeating grid pattern during spatial navigation. These cells are known as "grid cells" and effectively function as part of the brain's internal GPS system.

After participants received cortisol, this grid-like activity became much less clearly defined. The disruption was especially pronounced when participants navigated without permanent landmarks. Under those conditions, grid cell activity was almost entirely absent.

"Under stress, the brain loses the ability to effectively utilize its internal navigation maps," explains Akan.

Researchers also observed increased activity in another part of the brain called the caudate nucleus after cortisol was administered. This suggests that the brain may attempt to rely on a different navigation strategy when its primary spatial mapping system is impaired.

"This indicates that the brain is trying to compensate for the loss of the main navigation system in the entorhinal cortex through alternative strategies," says Akan.

Possible Relevance to Alzheimer's Disease

The findings may also be important for understanding Alzheimer's disease because the entorhinal cortex is among the first brain regions affected by the condition.

"Because chronic stress is a risk factor for dementia, our study reveals a critical mechanism for how stress hormones destabilize this sensitive region," explains Akan.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Ruhr-University Bochum. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Osman Akan, Varnan Chandreswaran, Henry D. Soldan, Anne Bierbrauer, Nikolai Axmacher, Oliver T. Wolf, Christian J. Merz. Cortisol treatment impairs path integration and alters grid-like representations in the male human entorhinal cortex. PLOS Biology, 2026; 24 (3): e3003661 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3003661

Cite This Page:

Ruhr-University Bochum. (2026, August 8). Stress can scramble your brain’s internal GPS, MRI study finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035151.htm

Plants and Animals

- Potatoes may have given Indigenous Andeans a digestive superpower

Potatoes may have given Indigenous Andeans a digestive superpower

Date: August 10, 2026

Source: University of California - Los Angeles

Summary: The rise of the potato in the Andes appears to have left a lasting mark on human DNA. Indigenous Peruvians carry exceptionally high numbers of a starch-digestion gene, likely because people with more copies gained an evolutionary advantage once potatoes became a staple food. The change began thousands of years before European contact, providing unusually strong evidence that diet can shape human evolution.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Thousands of years of potato eating in the Andes may have literally reshaped human DNA, favoring people better equipped to digest starch. Credit: Shutterstock

For thousands of years, potatoes have been central to life in the Andes. Indigenous Andean communities were the first to domesticate the starch-rich crop, turning it into a dietary staple long before potatoes spread around the world. Now, researchers have found evidence that this ancient reliance on potatoes may also have shaped human evolution.

Indigenous people in Peru today carry more copies of a gene involved in starch digestion than any other known population. A new study co-led by researchers at UCLA and the University at Buffalo suggests that natural selection began favoring Indigenous Andeans with especially high numbers of the salivary amylase gene, known as AMY1, around the same period that potatoes became established in the Andean highlands roughly 6,000 to 10,000 years ago.

The findings were published recently in the journal Nature Communications.

A Genetic Advantage for Digesting Starch

People who carry more copies of AMY1 generally produce greater amounts of the amylase enzyme in their saliva and are believed to process starch more efficiently, according to Abigail Bigham, an associate professor of anthropology at UCLA who studies populations in the Peruvian Andes and the Himalayas of Nepal.

For the study, Bigham and her team of evolutionary anthropologists collected DNA from Peruvian Andean Quechua speakers. They then compared those samples with genomic databases containing thousands of DNA samples from dozens of present-day human populations.

"The high-altitude Andes are known for being a rich region for understanding human evolutionary adaptation -- for instance, hypoxia, in which tissues do not get enough oxygen," said Bigham, whose previous work with co-author Kelsey Jorgensen, then a postdoctoral scholar with Bigham, provided evidence of selection in the starch digestion pathway of Andean peoples. "This new research highlights how the Andes are useful for understanding human evolutionary adaptation to other selective environmental pressures like diet."

Co-corresponding author Omer Gokcumen, a University at Buffalo professor of biological sciences, has previously shown that the first duplication of AMY1 occurred in humans at least 800,000 years ago. He said the new findings provide unusually strong evidence that natural selection acted on this gene in the Andes after potato cultivation began.

"Biologists have long suspected that different groups of humans have evolved genetic adaptations in response to their diets," he said, "but there are very few cases where the evidence is this strong."

How Potato Farming Shaped Andean Evolution

The ancestors of Indigenous Andeans already possessed different numbers of AMY1 copies before settling in the highlands and domesticating potatoes. Some individuals carried relatively few copies, while others carried many.

Once potatoes became an important food source, however, people with higher AMY1 copy numbers appear to have gained an evolutionary advantage.

The researchers estimated that beginning about 10,000 years ago, people with roughly 10 or more copies had a 1.24% survival or reproductive advantage per generation.

"Evolution is chiseling a sculpture, not constructing a building," Gokcumen said. "It's not as if Indigenous Andeans gained additional AMY1 copies once they started eating potatoes. Instead, those with lower copy numbers were eliminated from the population over time, perhaps because they had fewer offspring, and the ones with the higher copy numbers remained."

Over many generations, that process produced a striking difference. Indigenous people living in Peru today carry an average of 10 AMY1 copies, approximately two to four more copies than any of the other 83 populations examined in the study.

A Potato Farming Signature in Human DNA

The researchers also compared Indigenous Peruvians with the Maya, an Indigenous population in Mexico that shares evolutionary history with Andean peoples but does not have a tradition of potato farming.

On average, Indigenous Peruvians carried 10 copies of AMY1, compared with six among the Maya.

That difference supported the idea that potato cultivation played an important role, but the researchers had to rule out another major event in Indigenous American history.

Following European contact in the 15th century, Indigenous populations across the Americas declined dramatically because of disease, famine, violence, conflict and the rapid loss of genetic diversity.

The researchers therefore had to determine whether this severe population bottleneck could have reduced the number of people carrying fewer AMY1 copies, creating the appearance of natural selection even if potato consumption was not the cause.

Separating those possibilities was one of the study's major challenges.

Using state-of-the-art ultra-long DNA sequencing technologies together with newly available comparative datasets, the team found that high AMY1 copy numbers had already become more common in the Andes several thousand years before Europeans arrived.

That timing supports the conclusion that natural selection associated with diet, rather than the later population collapse, was responsible for the genetic pattern seen today.

What Ancient Potatoes Reveal About Human Adaptation

Bigham said the findings could encourage broader research into human populations living at high elevations, where people face challenges that extend beyond low oxygen. Daily life can also involve limited food resources along with intense exposure to cold temperatures and ultraviolet rays.

The research also raises a much broader question about how humans may continue adapting to modern diets. For many people today, foods and cuisines from around the world are more accessible than ever, yet genetic adaptation remains part of the human story.

"There are ideas out there like the paleo diet, which is adapted to the Paleolithic environment and says we're not suited to eat foods that come post-domestication," she said. "But I think this research shows that human populations have responded and evolved to changing food conditions within the last 10,000 years. Our metabolic pathways are not simply a product of that Paleolithic past."

Other collaborators on the research included researchers from the University of Kansas, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey, Syracuse University, Cayetano Heredia University in Peru and Bilkent University in Turkey.

The work was supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the Leakey Foundation.

Story Source:

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

Journal Reference:

1. Kendra Scheer, Luane J. B. Landau, Kelsey Jorgensen, Charikleia Karageorgiou, Lindsey Siao, Can Alkan, Angelis M. Morales Rivera, Christopher Osborne, Obed A. Garcia, Laurel Pearson, Melisa Kiyamu, María Rivera-Ch, Fabiola León-Velarde, Frank S. Lee, Tom Brutsaert, Abigail W. Bigham, Omer Gokcumen. Rapid adaptive increase of amylase gene copy number in Indigenous Andeans. Nature Communications, 2026; 17 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-71450-8

Cite This Page:

University of California - Los Angeles. (2026, August 10). Potatoes may have given Indigenous Andeans a digestive superpower. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260808235005.htm

Space and Time

- The sun will vanish over Europe in a rare total solar eclipse: Watch live

- Voyager 2 was running out of power. NASA just bought it more time

- Cassini reveals a surprising twist in Saturn’s magnetic shield

- The sun is covered in tiny whirlpools we’ve never seen before

The sun will vanish over Europe in a rare total solar eclipse: Watch live

Date: August 10, 2026

Source: European Space Agency (ESA)

Summary: A total solar eclipse will plunge parts of Europe into darkness on August 12, 2026, with Spain offering some of the best views. ESA will livestream the spectacle from the Javalambre Observatory, combining telescope feeds, drone footage, and expert commentary. At 20:31 CEST, the observatory will experience 1 minute and 21 seconds of totality, revealing the Sun’s normally hidden outer atmosphere.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

A rare total solar eclipse will darken parts of Europe on August 12, and ESA will livestream the breathtaking celestial spectacle from Spain. Credit: ESA

A total solar eclipse is set to cross Europe, and people around the world will be able to watch the event live. The European Space Agency (ESA) will begin its broadcast at 1:30 p.m. EDT (19:30 CEST) on August 12, giving viewers a chance to experience the eclipse from home..

Quick links

- Live ESA broadcast on YouTube (1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. EDT / 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. PDT, August 12)

- Live telescope feed on YouTube (1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. EDT / 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. PDT, August 12)

What Happens During a Total Solar Eclipse

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves directly between Earth and the Sun, covering the Sun and casting a narrow region of Earth into darkness.

When the Sun's brilliant surface is hidden, its faint and wispy atmosphere becomes visible. Stars and planets can emerge in the darkened sky, temperatures can fall, and winds may strengthen. Birds and insects may even begin behaving as though night has arrived.

On August 12, 2026, a solar eclipse will be visible across a large part of Europe. The narrow path of totality, where the Moon completely covers the Sun, will pass across Greenland, Iceland, a small part of northeastern Portugal, and then Spain.

Elsewhere in Europe, observers will experience a partial solar eclipse. In these locations, the Moon will appear to take a 'bite' out of the Sun, causing daylight to dim slightly.

ESA Will Broadcast the Eclipse Live From Spain

ESA will mark the event with a live broadcast from the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre in Teruel (Spain). Spain is expected to provide excellent conditions for viewing as the eclipse moves across the country from west to east.

Viewers can tune in through ESA Web TV or ESA's YouTube channel beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT (19:30 CEST) on August 12.

Award-winning space scientist and science communicator Dame Dr Maggie Aderin will host the broadcast. Guests will include ESA's Director of Science Professor Carole Mundell, ESA scientists Andy To, Miho Janvier and Martin Hewitson, and observatory director Javier Cenarro.

Live interviews, explanations and striking imagery will explore several aspects of eclipse science. Topics will include the Sun and its corona, the famous eclipse that helped transform our understanding of gravity, and ESA's work to create artificial solar eclipses in space.

81 Seconds of Total Darkness

The main event will occur at 2:31 p.m. EDT (11:31 a.m. PDT) when Javalambre experiences 1 minute and 21 seconds of totality. During that brief period, the Moon will completely cover the Sun and send the observatory into darkness.

Coverage will include telescope views and drone footage of the eclipse, along with Maggie and Carole's reactions as they witness the event.

The broadcast will be presented in English and is expected to finish at about 2:45 p.m. EDT (11:45 a.m. PDT).

Why Javalambre Is an Ideal Eclipse Viewing Site

The Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre is a world-class astronomical facility positioned directly within the path of totality. Its two main professional telescopes carry out wide-sky astronomical surveys that help scientists investigate galaxies, dark energy, and the large-scale structure of the cosmos.

The observatory is also well suited for eclipse viewing. Cloud cover is uncommon, light pollution is low, and the site has an especially clear view toward the western horizon. That will be important because the Sun will be moving toward sunset as the Moon passes in front of it.

Several additional small telescopes will be brought to the observatory specifically for the eclipse. Their live feeds will provide continuous close-up views as the Moon gradually moves across the Sun, showing the different stages of the event.

During the broadcast, Javier Cenarro, Director of the observatory, will discuss Javalambre and explain its significance for a future ESA space science mission.

Multiple Live Feeds Will Track the Eclipse

ESA will not rely only on observations from Javalambre. Two additional live feeds will come from other locations inside the path of totality, improving the chances that the broadcast will capture clear, high-quality views of the eclipse.

One feed will come from ESA's public event in León. Another will originate in Frómista (Palencia), where collaborator Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel will conduct eclipse observations. He is affiliated with the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, the Complutense University of Madrid, and the Stars4All Foundation.

Story Source:

Materials provided by European Space Agency (ESA). Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Related Multimedia:

- 8 Things To Know About the 2026 Total Solar Eclipse [Video]

Cite This Page:

European Space Agency (ESA). (2026, August 10). The sun will vanish over Europe in a rare total solar eclipse: Watch live. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260810015709.htm

Voyager 2 was running out of power. NASA just bought it more time

Date: August 10, 2026

Source: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Summary: NASA engineers have found a clever way to squeeze more life out of Voyager 2, nearly half a century after it left Earth. In an operation nicknamed the “Big Bang,” the team simultaneously shut down certain power-hungry hardware and switched to lower-power alternatives while keeping the spacecraft warm enough to survive.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

NASA just found a way to squeeze at least another year of science out of the nearly 50-year-old Voyager 2 spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA engineers have found a way to free up additional power aboard Voyager 2, helping the nearly 50-year-old spacecraft continue its scientific work for longer.

The effort, known as the "Big Bang," was carried out by engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The team simultaneously shut down certain powered components and replaced them with options that use less energy, while also making sure Voyager 2 stayed warm enough to function properly.

Voyager 2's Shrinking Power Supply

Voyager 2 and its twin, Voyager 1, rely on radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which produce electricity from heat released by decaying plutonium. As that plutonium supply steadily diminishes, each spacecraft loses about 4 watts of available power every year.

After nearly half a century in space, the Voyagers now have extremely limited power to spare. To keep the spacecraft operating, mission controllers have increasingly had to shut down systems and equipment that are no longer essential.

Since 2024, declining power levels have forced the team to switch off two science instruments on each Voyager spacecraft (each spacecraft has 10 instruments; others had been turned off previously because they were only used for the mission's planetary encounters).

An Extra Year of Science

Without the "Big Bang" power saving effort, the Voyager team would have needed to turn off another instrument aboard Voyager 2 before the end of 2026. The newly freed power is expected to keep the spacecraft's three remaining instruments operating for at least one additional year.

NASA plans to carry out the same power-saving swap on Voyager 1, which is currently farther from Earth than Voyager 2. The mission team expects to complete that work in the coming months.

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Materials provided by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Cite This Page:

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (2026, August 10). Voyager 2 was running out of power. NASA just bought it more time. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260810015703.htm

Cassini reveals a surprising twist in Saturn’s magnetic shield

Date: August 10, 2026

Source: Lancaster University

Summary: Cassini data has revealed a surprising twist in Saturn’s magnetic shield: the planet’s rapid rotation appears to drag a key opening in its magnetosphere far toward the afternoon side instead of keeping it near noon, as happens on Earth. The finding confirms that giant planets like Saturn operate under a fundamentally different magnetic regime, where fast spin and charged material from moons such as Enceladus can overpower the Sun’s influence.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Cassini has uncovered a surprising twist in Saturn’s magnetic shield, revealing how the giant planet’s rapid spin reshapes the space around it. Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA, Tom Stallard (Northumbria University), Melina Thévenot, Macarena Garcia Marin (STScI/ESA)

Scientists examining data from the Cassini-Huygens mission have identified an unexpected feature in the structure of Saturn's protective magnetic bubble.

The finding supports the idea that giant planets such as Saturn have magnetospheres that behave very differently from Earth's.

The research, published in Nature Communications, includes Dr. Licia Ray and Dr. Sarah Badman of Lancaster University, along with Dr. Chris Arridge, formerly of Lancaster.

Cassini was designed to investigate Saturn and the wider Saturn system, including its rings, natural satellites and surrounding space environment. The mission was a collaboration involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian space agency (ASI). Cassini orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017.

Saturn's Rapid Rotation Changes the Picture

The new findings support a longstanding theory that the rapid rotation of massive planets such as Saturn can become more important than the solar wind in shaping their magnetospheres.

The solar wind is a stream of charged particles flowing outward from the Sun. A magnetosphere is the region of space around a planet where its magnetic field provides protection from these incoming particles.

Near a planet's poles, however, there are funnel-shaped openings known as "magnetospheric cusps." These regions allow charged solar particles to enter the planet's atmosphere more directly.

Researchers analyzed Cassini observations gathered between 2004 and 2010 to determine exactly where Saturn's magnetospheric cusp is located. When they compared the results with similar observations of Earth, they found a major difference.

Saturn's powerful rotation appears to "drag" the cusp away from noon. On average, the cusp is shifted well into the afternoon, typically between 13:00 and 15:00 local time, and in some cases it extends toward 20:00 local time.

The fact that Saturn's cusp is displaced toward dusk provides evidence that a planet's rotation rate can fundamentally reshape its nearby space environment.

A Shift With Implications for Saturn's Auroras

This unusual cusp location has important consequences for models of magnetic reconnection, the acceleration of high-energy particles, and Saturn's intense auroral activity.

Dr. Licia Ray of Lancaster University said: "This result allows us to move forward with new and improved theories on how planetary magnetospheres interact with the solar wind."

Earth rotates much more slowly than a gas giant such as Saturn. A day on Earth lasts 24 hours, and the shape of Earth's magnetosphere is largely determined by the balance between pressure from the solar wind and pressure from Earth's magnetic field. That balance places Earth's cusp close to local high noon.

Saturn presents a very different situation. One day on the planet lasts approximately 10.7 hours, and its magnetosphere also contains large amounts of ionized material supplied by its moon Enceladus.

Together, Saturn's rapid rotation and this abundance of ionized material mean that the pressure from the planet's magnetic field and its rapidly rotating disk of charged material must balance the pressure of the solar wind.

These forces help explain why Saturn's cusp appears much farther toward the afternoon and evening than the equivalent region at Earth.

Cassini Data Continues to Reveal New Science

The discovery could also improve scientists' understanding of Saturn's bright auroras and the energetic processes taking place within its magnetosphere.

Dr. Ray said: "In particular, the afternoon cusp locations have implications for how we interpret Saturn's bright aurora and where we expect magnetic reconnection, an explosive process that accelerates particles to very high energies of keV and more, to occur. It also highlights the rich science that can still be done with Cassini data more than eight years after the end of mission."

Story Source:

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

Journal Reference:

1. Y. Xu, Z. H. Yao, C. S. Arridge, B. Zhang, J. J. Chen, S. V. Badman, L. C. Ray, A. J. Coates, S.-Y. Ye, T. S. Qin, Z. Q. Zheng, W. R. Dunn, Y. Wei. Dawn-dusk Asymmetrical Distribution of Saturn’s Cusp. Nature Communications, 2026; 17 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-69666-9

Cite This Page:

Lancaster University. (2026, August 10). Cassini reveals a surprising twist in Saturn’s magnetic shield. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035153.htm

The sun is covered in tiny whirlpools we’ve never seen before

Scientists have discovered tiny whirlpools on the Sun that could help explain how our star twists, transports, and explosively releases magnetic energy.

Date: August 8, 2026

Source: Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research

Summary: Scientists have discovered incredibly tiny plasma whirlpools swirling across the Sun’s surface, some just 20 kilometers wide. These previously invisible vortices may twist magnetic fields and help build up the energy released in small solar eruptions called nanoflares. They may also help magnetic fields spread through the Sun’s atmosphere far faster than current models can explain.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

The highest-resolution image of the Sun's surface (photosphere) ever captured, taken at 416 nanometers by the Inouye Solar Telescope. At the edges of the solar granules, the image reveals fringed-looking structures that display swirling motions. Credit: NSF/NSO/AURA/MPS

Scientists have captured previously unseen plasma vortices swirling across the surface of the Sun, revealing tiny structures that could help explain how our star stores, moves, and releases magnetic energy.

The discovery comes from researchers at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Solar Observatory (NSF NSO), the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, and the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) in the USA. The team combined observations from the NSF Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, the world's largest solar telescope, with advanced computer simulations. Built and operated by the NSO in Hawaii, the telescope provided images detailed enough to expose plasma motions that had never previously been visible.

"To detect the vortices, we needed to resolve structures on the solar surface about 20 kilometers in size. That is at the limit of what even the world's largest solar telescope and state-of-the-art simulations can achieve," said MPS scientist and co-author of the new publication Michiel van Noort, who contributed to the observations as well as the data reduction and image restoration. The researchers used a broadband imaging camera provided by the Max-Planck-Institute for Solar System Research (MPS).

Tiny Whirlpools Along Solar Granules

The newly detected vortices appear along the boundaries of structures known as granules, which densely cover the Sun's visible surface. Individual granules are typically between 500 and 2,000 kilometers across.

Together, they create the Sun's granulation, a constantly changing pattern that resembles bubbles in a boiling liquid. The comparison is fitting because granulation is produced by moving plasma. Hot plasma rises from deeper inside the Sun, cools near the surface, and then sinks back down.

For the first time, scientists were able to resolve extremely fine, fringe-like structures along the edges of these granules. The structures repeatedly develop swirling motions that resemble ocean waves as they begin to break.

Some of these "fringes" measure only slightly more than 20 kilometers across. Observing something that small on the Sun is roughly equivalent to identifying a one euro coin from 180 kilometers away.

Instabilities in the Solar Plasma

The researchers believe these swirling flows are evidence of Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, a familiar phenomenon in fluid dynamics.

Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities develop when two fluids move alongside one another at different speeds. The difference in velocity produces shear forces where the two flows meet. Small disturbances at that boundary can then grow into waves or swirling vortices.

The same basic process appears in many environments and across vastly different scales -- for example, on the surfaces of lakes or in ocean waves, in cloud formation, in the atmospheres of the giant gas planets Jupiter and Saturn, and in the interaction of the solar wind with planetary magnetospheres.

At the boundaries of solar granules, neighboring layers of plasma also appear to travel at different speeds. Those conditions could provide exactly what is needed for Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities to form.

Tiny Vortices Could Twist Magnetic Fields

The newly observed plasma vortices may offer an important clue to how the Sun stores and releases energy within its magnetic field, including through tiny bursts of radiation called nanoflares.

Current theories suggest that magnetic energy builds up as the Sun's magnetic field lines become twisted and coiled -- similar to the mechanical energy stored in a tightly coiled metal spring. As the twisting increases, the magnetic configuration becomes both highly energetic and unstable.

Eventually, that stored energy can be released through a process known as "magnetic reconnection." During reconnection, twisted magnetic field lines snap open and reconnect in a different arrangement.

One major unanswered question has been what causes those magnetic field lines to become twisted in the first place.

The newly discovered vortices could supply part of the answer. Because the researchers find that these small whirlpools appear continuously wherever the magnetic field is sufficiently strong, the vortices could provide a persistent mechanism for twisting the Sun's magnetic field lines.

A Possible Clue to the Sun's Magnetic Cycle

The analysis also indicates that the mini-vortices are highly effective at mixing magnetized and non-magnetized plasma at the solar surface. That mixing could help magnetic fields move quickly from the surface upward into the Sun's atmosphere.

Changes in the Sun's magnetic field drive its roughly eleven-year activity cycle -- which is exceptionally rapid on a cosmic scale. For the Sun's magnetic "framework" to change this quickly, magnetic flux must be transported efficiently away through the solar atmosphere.

Current models have difficulty explaining how this diffusion can happen so rapidly. The newly identified vortices could provide an important piece of that puzzle as well.

"The newly discovered plasma vortices impressively demonstrate how minute processes -- at the limit of what we can resolve using all available techniques -- significantly determine the nature of our star," said Sami K. Solanki, director of the MPS and co-author of the new publication.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. David Kuridze, Friedrich Wöger, Michiel van Noort, Matthias Rempel, Robert Cameron, Thomas Rimmele, Sami K. Solanki, Sarah A. Jaeggli, Alexandra Tritschler, Han Uitenbroek, Damien Przybylski, David A. Boboltz. Ubiquitous Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities driving plasma mixing on the Sun. Nature, 2026; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10871-3

Cite This Page:

Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research. (2026, August 8). The sun is covered in tiny whirlpools we’ve never seen before. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035142.htm

Sports Medicine

- Scientists reveal how much exercise you really need to protect your heart

Scientists reveal how much exercise you really need to protect your heart

Major protection against heart attacks and strokes may require far more exercise than current guidelines recommend.

Date: August 8, 2026

Source: BMJ Group

Summary: Getting the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise each week may offer only modest protection against heart attacks and strokes. A large study suggests that substantially greater benefits may require roughly 560 to 610 minutes a week—nearly 9 to 10 hours of brisk walking, running, cycling, or similar activity.

Article: View on ScienceDaily

Protecting your heart may take far more than 150 minutes of weekly exercise—and your personal fitness level could determine how much is enough. Credit: Shutterstock

Adults may need far more weekly exercise than current guidelines recommend to achieve a major reduction in the risk of heart attack and stroke, according to findings from an observational study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The researchers found that substantial cardiovascular protection was associated with 560 to 610 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week. That amount is roughly 3 to 4 times higher than the current public health recommendation of at least 150 minutes per week.

Moderate-to-vigorous activities include brisk walking, running, and cycling.

Fitness Level May Change Exercise Needs

The study also suggests that people with lower fitness levels may need slightly more exercise than highly fit individuals to receive similar cardiovascular benefits.

Based on the findings, the researchers argue that the current one-size-fits-all approach to exercise recommendations may need to be reconsidered. Instead, future guidance could include personalized activity targets based on a person's fitness level.

Cardiorespiratory fitness varies widely from one person to another and is considered a strong indicator of cardiovascular health. Poor cardiorespiratory fitness has been closely linked to a greater risk of heart attack, stroke, and early death.

One common way to measure cardiorespiratory fitness is through VO2 max, which refers to the highest rate at which the body can take in and use oxygen during intense exercise. The measurement reflects how efficiently the heart, lungs, and muscles work together to deliver and use oxygen.

Researchers Examined Exercise and VO2 Max

Researchers at Macao Polytechnic University in China investigated how physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness, measured through estimated VO2 max, were associated with cardiovascular disease risk.

Their analysis included 17,088 people enrolled in a UK Biobank study between 2013 and 2015. Participants had an average age of 57. Of the group, 56% were female, and 96% were white.

Each participant wore a wrist device for seven consecutive days to record typical physical activity. They also completed a cycling test that was used to estimate VO2 max.

The researchers also considered smoking, alcohol use, self-rated health, diet, body mass index, resting heart rate, and blood pressure.

More Than 1,200 Cardiovascular Events Recorded

Over an average follow-up period of 7.8 years, the researchers recorded 1,233 cardiovascular events. These included 874 cases of atrial fibrillation, 156 myocardial infarctions, 111 cases of heart failure, and 92 strokes.

Adults who met the guideline of 150 minutes of exercise per week had a modest 8 to 9% lower cardiovascular risk. This association was similar across all fitness levels.

However, achieving what the researchers defined as substantial protection, meaning a reduction in risk of more than 30%, was associated with 560 to 610 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week.

Only 12% of participants reached that level of exercise.

Lower Fitness Was Linked to a Higher Exercise Target

People with the lowest fitness levels needed about 30 to 50 additional minutes of exercise per week compared with highly fit participants to obtain similar benefits.

For example, a 20% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular events was associated with 370 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week among those with the lowest fitness. People with the highest fitness levels needed about 340 minutes per week to reach the same reduction in risk.

The researchers say, "This finding highlights the steeper challenge faced by deconditioned populations."

Study Cannot Prove Cause and Effect

Because the research was observational, it cannot establish that higher levels of exercise directly caused the lower cardiovascular risk.

The researchers also noted several limitations. The people included in the study may have been healthier and fitter than the general population. Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated rather than measured directly, and the analysis did not assess sedentary time or lower-intensity exercise.

Even with those limitations, the researchers said the findings support current exercise guidelines as a reliable minimum level for cardiovascular protection.

At the same time, they suggested that more detailed recommendations could help motivated patients increase their activity and gain greater heart health benefits.

"Future guidelines may need to differentiate between the minimal moderate to vigorous exercise volume required for a basic safety margin and the substantially higher volumes necessary for optimal cardiovascular risk reduction," they conclude.

Story Source:

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

Journal Reference:

1. Zhide Liang, Senyao Du, Shiao Zhao, Xianfei Wang, Qiang Yan, Baichao Xu, Sanfan Ng, Ziheng Ning. Joint non-linear dose–response associations of device-measured physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness with cardiovascular disease: a cohort and Mendelian randomisation study. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2026; bjsports-2025-111351 DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2025-111351

Cite This Page:

BMJ Group. (2026, August 8). Scientists reveal how much exercise you really need to protect your heart. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260806050724.htm

Table of Contents

Science Daily: 2026 Aug 10

Alzheimer's

Teen cannabis use linked to slower memory and thinking growth: 2026 Aug 8

Behavior

Scientists say just 7 days of meditation can rewire your brain: 2026 Aug 9

Computers and Math

A 0.42-nanometer breakthrough could push transistors beyond silicon: 2026 Aug 9

New fuel cell breakthrough could help power energy-hungry data centers

Sunlight creates quantum entanglement once thought to require lasers

Earth and Climate

Scientists discover bacteria that lock toxic uranium into a stable form: 2026 Aug 9

Meteorite that smashed through a New Jersey roof reveals clues to life’s origins

Fossils and Ruins

For 15,000 years, humans and dogs have been changing each other: 2026 Aug 10

60,000-year-old ostrich eggshell engravings reveal a surprisingly sophisticated human mind

240-million-year-old reptile fossil reveals a lost chapter before dinosaurs and crocodiles: 2026 Aug 10

The dodo bird had a secret sensory world scientists are only now discovering

Dinosaurs became giants — so why did they never become tiny?

Gender Difference

Frequent cannabis users wake up with their “stress hormone” already elevated

Health and Medicine

1 in 5 people may carry this hidden genetic heart risk: 2026 Aug 10

Wine, beer, or spirits? Massive study finds a surprising health divide

A daily glass of fruit juice was linked to lower depression scores

Scientists find the strength training “sweet spot” for a longer life

For decades, we were told to choose low-fat dairy. New research says otherwise

Cutting sweet foods doesn’t curb cravings or improve health

Matter and Energy

Scientists discover a hidden switch inside silver nanocatalysts

Chemists set electrons free and break a decades-old chemistry barrier

This tiny gold crystal could bring quantum technology out of the deep freeze

Mind and Brain

Stress can scramble your brain’s internal GPS, MRI study finds

Plants and Animals

Potatoes may have given Indigenous Andeans a digestive superpower

Space and Time

The sun will vanish over Europe in a rare total solar eclipse: Watch live

Voyager 2 was running out of power. NASA just bought it more time

Cassini reveals a surprising twist in Saturn’s magnetic shield

The sun is covered in tiny whirlpools we’ve never seen before

Sports Medicine

Scientists reveal how much exercise you really need to protect your heart