Science
The latest in science news, from the depths of space to the quantum realm.
Yale study solves mystery of how stress triggers inflammation
June 30, 2020
A new study has solved a long-standing mystery of how acute stress seems to amplify inflammatory disease, despite the fact many stress hormones actually suppress the immune system. It found a specific immune cell is released by fat cells when stressed.
LATEST NEWS
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Seasonal ultraviolet light pulses in Martian skies three times a night
A NASA spacecraft has observed a pulsing glow coming from Mars. Huge spots of ultraviolet light were seen in the night sky, pulsing with uncanny regularity – exactly three times every night. The find highlights the Red Planet's atmospheric processes. -
New catalyst rearranges carbon dioxide and water into ethanol fuel
Researchers at the US Dept of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have discovered a new catalyst that can convert carbon dioxide and water into ethanol with "very high energy efficiency, high selectivity for the desired final product and low cost." -
The newly discovered weird link between REM sleep and eating patterns
An intriguing new study, from a team of Swiss researchers, has revealed neural activity during REM sleep in a particular region of the brain known to affect appetite and feeding behaviors significantly influences waking eating patterns. -
Spacetime wave packets: New class of laser defies laws of light physics
Scientists have created a new class of laser beam that appears to violate long-held laws of light physics. Known as “spacetime wave packets,” these lasers follow different rules of refraction, which could lead to new communication technologies. -
MIT study reveals why razor blades go dull cutting humble old hair
A team of engineers at MIT has discovered why steel razor blades go dull even when cutting hair that's 50 times softer than them. Using an electron microscopic, they found that under the right conditions a single hair can chip a blade edge. -
Scientists create the brightest fluorescent materials in existence
A team of scientists has managed to produce what are described as the brightest fluorescent materials in existence, opening up new possibilities in everything from the development of next-generation solar cells to advanced lasers. -
Clothing recycling breakthrough takes aim at fashion and textile waste
A new breakthrough could overcome some of the problems around recycling cotton clothing, with scientists demonstrating a new technique that converts cotton into a yarn suitable for the mass manufacture of textiles -
Satellites and penguin poop reveal new emperor penguin colonies
A team of scientists from the British Antarctic Survey has used satellite imagery of penguin poop captured by ESA's Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission to calculate there are 20 percent more emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica than previously thought. -
New drug target in humans activates brown fat to burn excess energy
Scientists have shown how to activate energy-burning brown fat in mice, which helps shed weight and improves health. Results have been hard to replicate in humans, but a new study has found that we might be targeting the wrong receptor in our bodies. -
Anti-aging drug targets Alzheimer's by altering metabolism in the brain
Scientists investigating Alzheimer’s treatments at the Salk Institute have uncovered some key mechanisms that enable an experimental drug to reverse memory loss in mouse models of the disease, offering new targets for researchers in the field. -
Moth eyes inspire anti-icing surface for aircraft, and maybe eyewear
The unique arrangement of nanoscale bumps coating a moth’s eye have inspired all kinds of interesting technological advances. Joining them is a new type of anti-icing surface that could make its way onto airplane wings, or possibly eyewear. -
Watch SpaceX's shimmering Starship prototype fly to 500 feet
Development of SpaceX's Starship spacecraft that is hoped to carry humans to Mars continues at the company’s Boca Chica site in Texas, where the team just performed a 150-meter (500-ft) hop test of a full-size prototype.
