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Science News

Latest science news, discoveries and scientific developments.

Noise-cancelling headphones prevent vomiting after surgery
Science News

Noise-cancelling headphones prevent vomiting after surgery

Headphones could be a simple way to ease vomiting after surgeryAnchiy/Getty Images Nausea and vomiting are common after surgery, but wearing noise-cancelling headphones during the procedure helps prevent these unpleasant side effects. This simple intervention also supports the idea that our brain processes sounds even when we’re not consciously aware of our surroundings. “That data is really encouraging and is actually in line with decades of research showing that anaesthesia is not simply an off switch,” says Vigi Katlowitz at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Read more Powerful new book explores how noise has taken over the world Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of anae...

📅 2026-10-17 18:30:00    •    New Scientist
Quantum magic state cleanup cuts errors 40-fold in first successful hardware test
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Quantum magic state cleanup cuts errors 40-fold in first successful hardware test

Qubits, the quantum equivalent of digital bits, are fragile and prone to errors. That makes building reliable quantum computers extremely difficult. One fix has been to use traditional magic state distillation, which filters out flaws, but it is extremely resource-intensive.

📅 2026-10-17 18:00:02    •    Phys.org
Hand-cranked device tells blood type and red cell levels in 1 minute
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Hand-cranked device tells blood type and red cell levels in 1 minute

When someone is badly injured, doctors urgently need two facts: the patient's blood type, so that a transfusion is safe, and their hematocrit, the share of the blood made up of red blood cells, which reveals blood loss or anemia. Hospitals measure both with large machines that need electricity and trained staff, which are often unavailable in ambulances, disaster zones or remote clinics.

📅 2026-10-17 16:00:01    •    Phys.org
Salt crystals could hold clues to life beneath Enceladus's ice
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Salt crystals could hold clues to life beneath Enceladus's ice

The ocean beneath Saturn's moon Enceladus lies under kilometers of ice, but some of its contents do reach the surface. Jets near the south pole spray out water vapor and icy particles, offering a way to investigate the hidden ocean without drilling down to it.

📅 2026-10-17 15:40:01    •    Phys.org
The ambiguous costs of climate change
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The ambiguous costs of climate change

As human activity has increased temperatures globally, determining the costs directly incurred by climate change is challenging. The effects of climate change on extreme weather events—such as hurricanes and heat waves—can be locally specific and variable, and observations and climate modeling might not accurately capture those effects.

📅 2026-10-17 14:20:01    •    Phys.org
New drug reverses severe fatty liver disease by repairing the gut
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New drug reverses severe fatty liver disease by repairing the gut

Scientists have discovered that a potential new drug can reverse severe fatty liver disease in animal models by restoring gut health and blocking harmful substances from reaching the liver. The breakthrough could pave the way for new treatments for liver disease and potentially other serious conditions, including cardiovascular disease.

📅 2026-10-17 13:45:06    •    ScienceDaily
Lone, starless cloud may be a 'dark' galaxy
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Lone, starless cloud may be a 'dark' galaxy

Astronomers using China's FAST radio telescope have discovered a compact cloud of hydrogen with no visible stars or galaxy around it. This could be one of the strongest candidates yet for an isolated "dark galaxy," containing nearly 500,000 times the sun's mass in neutral hydrogen. The discovery paper was posted to the arXiv preprint server on Sept. 24.

📅 2026-10-17 13:40:04    •    Phys.org
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope exceeds expectations by nearly 30%
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NASA’s Roman Space Telescope exceeds expectations by nearly 30%

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has exceeded expectations after engineers made incredibly tiny adjustments to sharpen its view of the universe. By moving a mirror just one-sixteenth the width of a human hair, the team helped bring its powerful instruments into near-perfect alignment. Roman’s Wide Field Instrument now produces image quality nearly 30% better than predicted, promising exceptionally sharp cosmic surveys.

📅 2026-10-17 13:28:13    •    ScienceDaily
This bird flies thousands of miles, but its wings have a catch
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This bird flies thousands of miles, but its wings have a catch

Scientists have uncovered an unexpected trade-off in the wings of the European nightjar, a bird that migrates thousands of kilometers but sacrifices high-speed flight efficiency to hunt insects with remarkable agility. Even more surprisingly, it generates thrust on the upward wingbeat, a technique that could inspire new flying technologies.

📅 2026-10-17 13:05:02    •    ScienceDaily
Red-sensitive pigments in mantis shrimp eyes act as reversible light switches
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Red-sensitive pigments in mantis shrimp eyes act as reversible light switches

With about 30 visual pigments, compared to just three in humans, mantis shrimp possess a visual system that remains a mystery. Researchers from ULiège and Humboldt University in Berlin have, for the first time, analyzed these pigments one by one and discovered that some detect red light that very few animals can perceive. This finding, published in Science Advances, has potential applications in optogenetics.

📅 2026-10-17 13:00:01    •    Phys.org
Brain cells meant to protect us may be fueling cognitive decline
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Brain cells meant to protect us may be fueling cognitive decline

Scientists have uncovered a surprising cause of age-related cognitive decline involving brain cells previously thought to be entirely beneficial. As these cells become dysfunctional, they can produce abnormal amounts of myelin, disrupting nerve fibers and potentially contributing to worsening memory and thinking skills.

📅 2026-10-17 12:44:22    •    ScienceDaily
NASA’s Webb reveals the wild weather of a mysterious world 20 light-years away
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NASA’s Webb reveals the wild weather of a mysterious world 20 light-years away

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed that a turbulent world 20 light-years away has a surprisingly orderly weather system, with three recurring atmospheric states driven by temperature changes and shifting clouds. The breakthrough gives scientists a powerful new tool for uncovering weather patterns on distant worlds and understanding the conditions that shape their atmospheres.

📅 2026-10-17 12:26:49    •    ScienceDaily
Electrical sliding switches graphene between magnetic states
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Electrical sliding switches graphene between magnetic states

In a discovery that could offer a new way to control quantum properties in two-dimensional materials, researchers at Cornell have found that electrically sliding the layers of ultrathin graphene can switch the material between distinct magnetic states that persist even after the voltage is removed.

📅 2026-10-17 12:00:06    •    Phys.org
Global survey links financial hardship to lower trust in science
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Global survey links financial hardship to lower trust in science

Poor access to health care, limited local influence over research priorities and an unequal distribution of scientific benefits are undermining public confidence in science, experts warn, following the release of a global trust survey.

📅 2026-10-17 12:00:01    •    Phys.org
California redwoods are struggling in the heat — and it's not clear how much damage is being done
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California redwoods are struggling in the heat — and it's not clear how much damage is being done

When temperatures spike, California redwoods slow down photosynthesis, new research has found. This finding has serious implications for the long-term survival of the iconic trees in a warming world, and their role in storing carbon from the atmosphere.California redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forests are among the largest aboveground carbon stores on the planet. These towering trees are native to central and northern California, and evolved to take advantage of the region's historically mild weather. In recent decades, their range has contracted significantly. But climate change is threatening the health and function of these forests.The region has seen significant warming in recent decades...

📅 2026-10-17 11:45:00    •    Live Science
A 24-year study uncovers a surprising climate benefit beneath forests
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A 24-year study uncovers a surprising climate benefit beneath forests

Scientists have discovered that some forest soils are becoming surprisingly better at removing methane from the atmosphere as temperatures rise and rainfall declines. A study spanning up to 24 years found methane absorption increasing by an average of 3% annually, challenging previous predictions about climate change's effects on forests.

📅 2026-10-17 11:33:48    •    ScienceDaily
During El Niño, a perfect storm of weather systems could spell disaster for the Great Barrier Reef
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During El Niño, a perfect storm of weather systems could spell disaster for the Great Barrier Reef

The strong El Niño currently under way in the Pacific Ocean raises the specter of marine heat waves and coral bleaching once again threatening Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef. And now new research has revealed the complex interplay of atmospheric patterns and weather systems thousands of kilometers apart that can combine in a recipe potentially fatal for coral reefs.

📅 2026-10-17 11:00:07    •    Phys.org