Science & Technology
Could lowering high blood pressure be as simple as stimulating your ear?
A small device that gently stimulates nerves through the ear could offer a new way to tackle stubborn high blood pressure. In a clinical trial of 63 patients already taking medication, the treatment proved safe, easy to use at home, and well tolerated….
A hidden bias in human language challenges 70 years of science
A groundbreaking study challenges 70 years of assumptions about how human language works. By analyzing billions of word uses, scientists discovered that meaning is organized around power, danger, and order rather than emotion alone. Even more surprisin…
NASA’s asteroid Bennu samples reveal a 4.5-billion-year-old secret
Tiny samples from asteroid Bennu are rewriting scientists’ understanding of how our Solar System formed. New evidence suggests that Bennu was born where material from the inner and outer Solar System mixed, with Jupiter playing a surprising role in sha…
Scientists propose a way to detect dangerous “mirror life” before it exists
Scientists have proposed a way to detect “mirror life,” a hypothetical form of life that could pose serious risks to humans, animals, and ecosystems if artificially created. Using special fluorescent molecules and a type of polarized light also used in…
Astronomers uncover a mysterious magnetic web above the Sun
The Sun’s seemingly peaceful regions are hiding a surprisingly complex magnetic world. Using a balloon-borne telescope high above Earth, scientists discovered delicate, thread-like magnetic structures woven through the solar atmosphere, apparently shap…
These tiny snakes roll four times faster than they slither
Tiny snakes in Southeast Asia have mastered an extraordinary escape technique: rolling across the ground at speeds up to four times faster than ordinary slithering. Scientists discovered that dwarf reedsnakes accomplish this feat through precisely coor…
Your blood could reveal inflammatory bowel disease 10 years before diagnosis
A major study has uncovered hidden warning signs of inflammatory bowel disease in the blood up to 10 years before diagnosis. Researchers discovered distinct antibody patterns that could help predict who would later develop Crohn’s disease or ulcerative…
Scientists discover a hidden switch that burns fat and blocks new fat cells
Scientists have discovered that switching off a protein called Mitch makes human cells burn more fat and prevents new fat cells from developing. The breakthrough builds on experiments in mice that showed remarkable resistance to obesity and improved mu…
This 150-million-year-old bird had dinosaur teeth and a strange secret
A 150-million-year-old fossil discovered in China reveals a bizarre early bird with sharp teeth, a dinosaur-like claw, and a body built for life on the ground rather than flight. Scientists believe it represents the earliest known example of flight los…
Glioblastoma breakthrough reveals how brain cancer cells become more aggressive
Scientists discovered that the thick, sticky fluid surrounding glioblastoma tumors can make brain cancer cells smaller, more flexible, and better at invading surrounding tissue. Even more troubling, some of these changes persist after the cells leave t…