Science

Singapore scientists find hyperhomocysteinemia strongly correlates with the severity of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, have discovered that elevated blood levels of an amino acid called homocysteine correlate strongly with the severity of an advanced form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. They also found vitamin B12 and folic acid (vitamin B9) could … Read more

Inspired by fireflies, MIT scientists have created soft actuators that can emit light in different colors or patterns. Credit: Courtesy of the researchers Inspired by fireflies, scientists create insect-scale robots that can emit light when they fly, which enables motion tracking and communication. Lightning bugs that light up dusky backyards on warm summer evenings use … Read more

The first of six SunRISE SmallSats is shown here at a Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory clean room being worked on by engineers. Pointed toward the camera is the SmallSat’s Sun-facing side, including its fully deployed solar arrays. Credit: SDL/Allison Bills Six of these tiny satellites will work together, creating the largest radio telescope … Read more

By Adewole S. Adamson, University of Texas at Austin August 10, 2022 There is very little evidence that sunscreen reduces melanoma in dark-skinned people. Melanoma is a potentially deadly form of skin cancer that affects people of every racial and ethnic group. Exposure to ultraviolet, or UV, rays from the sun is the risk factor … Read more

Sponges are among the oldest creatures on Earth and play an essential role in many underwater ecosystems. New research finds that sponges ‘sneeze’ to clear their water channels. With each sneeze, the sponge releases a type of mucus that is eaten by other animals. The study was conducted by Niklas Kornder of the University of … Read more

A unique ultra-faint dwarf galaxy has been discovered in the outer fringes of the Andromeda Galaxy thanks to the sharp eyes of an amateur astronomer examining archival data from the US Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) and processed by the Community … Read more

Researchers have proven that when bodies exist in curved spaces, they can in fact move without pushing against something. Robotic Motion in Curved Space Defies Standard Laws of Physics When humans, animals, and machines move throughout the world, they always push against something, such as the ground, air, or water. Until recently, physicists thought this … Read more

There are a number of things you can do to boost your immune system, which can help you get sick less often. Strengthening your immune system can help reduce your frequency of catching colds, and even reduce their severity. There are tons of supplements marketed as immune boosters, but what does the scientific literature say? … Read more

An artist’s illustration of an optical switch, splitting light pulses based on their energies. Credit: Y. Wang, N. Thu, and S. Zhou Engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a switch—one of the most fundamental components of computing—using optical, rather than electronic, components. This development could aid efforts to achieve ultrafast all-optical … Read more

Researchers identified and synthesized a small molecule that could be a more accessible and effective alternative to an antibody that is successfully used to treat a range of cancers. A small molecule that could be a more accessible and effective alternative to an antibody that is successfully used to treat a range of cancers has … Read more