For The Better

Data stored in spin states of ytterbium atoms can be transferred to surrounding atoms in a crystal matrix.

Common flies feature more advanced cognitive abilities than previously believed. Using a custom-built immersive virtual reality arena, neurogenetics and real-time brain activity imaging, researchers found attention, working memory and conscious awarene…

A new study has identified a molecular ‘culprit’ responsible for causing damaging levels of cell death and inflammation in the body. The findings could lead to improved treatment options for a range of conditions driven by inflammatory cell death, incl…

A study has identified a gene, KCNJ15, that is associated with helping our immune system fight tuberculosis (TB), and potentially other infectious diseases.

A team of astronomers has discovered a rare pair of brown dwarfs that has the widest separation of any brown dwarf binary system found to date. They’re 12 billion miles apart, or three times the separation of Pluto from the Sun. The discovery is except…

Measurements of London’s atmosphere show the city is releasing more of the potent greenhouse gas methane, primarily from natural gas leaks.

Tall trees in Central Amazonia are impacted by periods of high maximum temperatures, which can cause them to shed their leaves and branches. With deforestation increasing, forests are becoming fragmented and this exposes their interiors and increases t…

Developing therapies for genetic forms of blindness is extremely challenging, in part because they vary so widely, but scientists have now highlighted a target with great promise for treating a range of these conditions. The scientists have highlighted…

Researchers have used molecular modelling methods to investigate the movement of nano-sized plastics in membrane structures. The results indicate that for some microplastics, passive transport through the cell membrane may be a significant gateway into…

An international team has discovered a protein that plays a key biological role in a parasite that causes malaria. Deactivating this protein reduces in vitro growth of Plasmodium falciparum, the protozoa behind the most virulent form of the disease, by…

Sweden is one of the few countries that have removed the dental health recommendation to give prophylactic antibiotics to people at a higher risk of infection of the heart valves, so-called infective endocarditis. Since the recommendation was removed i…

Analyzing the brain changes that occur in the first stages of juvenile fibromyalgia could help to better understand the pathophysiology of this syndrome.

Scientists have uncovered a set of neurons in fruit flies that shut down in cold temperatures and slow reproduction, a system conserved in many insects, including mosquitoes, which could provide a target for pest control.

Astrophysicists for the first time have calculated the original mass and size of a dwarf galaxy that was shredded in a collision with the Milky Way billions of years ago.

Scientists have discovered that ‘rogue’ antibodies found circulating in the blood of COVID-19 patients have the potential to cause endothelial cells to lose their resistance to clotting. These antiphospholipid autoantibodies can trigger blood clots in …

Sediment cores taken from the Southern Ocean dating back 23 million years are providing insight into how ancient methane escaping from the seafloor could have led to regional or global climate and environmental changes, according to a new study.

A team of researchers from music, chemistry and computer science is using sound to better understand biochemical processes such as the physical mechanisms of protein folding.

A meta-analysis of 26 studies that included more than 5,600 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has found that taking immune-boosting micronutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc do not lessen a patient’s chance of dying from COVID-19.

Elephant sharks offer a novel perspective on how humans evolved. A new study parses some previously unexplained reproductive differences.

A new study describes previously unexpected properties in a complex quantum material, findings that have implications for future quantum devices.