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Science News

Latest science news, discoveries and scientific developments.

Hydra loses its immortality after cold triggers switch to sexual reproduction
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Hydra loses its immortality after cold triggers switch to sexual reproduction

The freshwater polyp Hydra oligactis is essentially immortal and reproduces asexually by cloning itself. Except when it gets too cold: then the animal switches to sexual reproduction, begins to age, and eventually dies. A research team at the University of Innsbruck has now investigated the metabolic changes that accompany this process. One of the findings: the aging process is accompanied by a sharp decline in taurine.

📅 2026-10-06 21:00:08    •    Phys.org
Which eggplant farming practices pay off?
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Which eggplant farming practices pay off?

Fabrice Diangoné Bi Tra, a doctoral student in the 100 Ph.D.s for Africa program of the UM6P-EPFL Excellence in Africa initiative, has published a new study in Agriculture.

📅 2026-10-06 21:00:02    •    Phys.org
Earth is in the firing line of a strange new type of cosmic object, astronomers say
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Earth is in the firing line of a strange new type of cosmic object, astronomers say

Researchers have observed the strongest candidate yet for a "microblazar" — a dazzling object that has long been predicted to exist but never spotted. Observations of microblazars would give astronomers closer views of black holes emitting powerful jets of energy and help them understand how these extreme objects behave. Blazars are some of the most energetic objects in the universe. They are a type of quasar — a brightly glowing object fueled by a supermassive black hole stripping material from its host galaxy and then ejecting some of it in powerful, opposing jets of particles and radiation. To qualify as a blazar, one of those near-light-speed jets needs to point directly at Earth. Astron...

📅 2026-10-06 20:41:50    •    Live Science
Flexible protein gate controls access to mitochondrial folds, simulations suggest
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Flexible protein gate controls access to mitochondrial folds, simulations suggest

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, mitochondria in our cells churn out energy from the food we eat, which keeps our bodies functioning. Much of this work happens along cristae—deep pockets in the mitochondria's inner membrane. To work properly, cristae must maintain their shape while carefully controlling which molecules enter and exit. At their narrow entrances sits a protein complex called MICOS, which helps stabilize these pockets and acts as a molecular filter. When this architecture is disrupted, the consequences can include neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. But exactly how MICOS works has remained unclear.

📅 2026-10-06 20:40:20    •    Phys.org
Laughter, sighs and screams reveal unwritten social rules in everyday life
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Laughter, sighs and screams reveal unwritten social rules in everyday life

Alongside words, humans have a treasure trove of nonverbal tools to help express themselves. We chuckle, sigh and gasp to communicate our feelings without uttering a word. What has amazed researchers for ages is how we rarely stop to think about how we know which sound belongs in which situation. Could unwritten social rules guide these everyday nonverbal sounds?

📅 2026-10-06 20:40:14    •    Phys.org
Mathematical model makes image encryption more resilient to real-world uncertainty
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Mathematical model makes image encryption more resilient to real-world uncertainty

In today's digital world, everything from medical images and financial records to personal photos and secure communications depends on encryption systems that can protect sensitive information. But real-world technologies rarely operate under perfect conditions. Measurements can be imprecise, hardware introduces small errors, and communication channels are often affected by noise.

📅 2026-10-06 20:40:07    •    Phys.org
Archaeologists discover a child's skull built into the floor of a 2,500-year-old Scandinavian house
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Archaeologists discover a child's skull built into the floor of a 2,500-year-old Scandinavian house

Archaeologists have unearthed evidence that men, women and children were subjected to violence within their communities in ancient Scandinavia — and that these victims were buried in unusual places, such as pits or wells or under a family's house or yard.During the Scandinavian Iron Age and Viking Age (from roughly 500 B.C. to A.D. 1050), violent encounters between individuals and communities steadily increased, resulting in archaeological evidence of elite warrior burials and mass graves from battles. To better understand the context of violence in the Iron and Viking ages, researchers analyzed 192 human bones from people buried in domestic areas at settlements in what are now Denmark, Norw...

📅 2026-10-06 20:22:45    •    Live Science
Shape-shifting sensory cells may help insects process visual information with less delay
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Shape-shifting sensory cells may help insects process visual information with less delay

Anyone who has ever tried and failed to swat a fly has experienced the speed of a tiny nervous system. Now, a new review brings together evidence that its secret lies partly in microscopic movements and shape changes within sensory cells and neurons, challenging conventional views of how brains process information.

📅 2026-10-06 20:20:12    •    Phys.org
Richer people have an edge when it comes to getting national park permits
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Richer people have an edge when it comes to getting national park permits

Many outdoor enthusiasts have spent hours in front of a computer, racing to reserve a campsite, backpacking permit or national park entrance ticket. A recent study suggests that the way these reservation systems are designed can favor higher-income visitors.

📅 2026-10-06 20:10:01    •    Phys.org
NASA's Curiosity rover catches stunning Martian dawn
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NASA's Curiosity rover catches stunning Martian dawn

A newly released panorama captured by NASA's Curiosity rover offers the most detailed view yet of distant, wind-carved Martian cliffs, highlighting features the mission's scientists have long been waiting to see up close. The scene was snapped at 8:30 a.m. local Mars time, showing striking blue hues in the foreground as bright morning light illuminates crags known as yardangs on the horizon.

📅 2026-10-06 20:00:07    •    Phys.org
Diet alone cannot explain differences in gut bacterial communities
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Diet alone cannot explain differences in gut bacterial communities

Why do the gut microbiomes of people from industrialized and nonindustrialized regions differ? A study by the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) in collaboration with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the University of Trento (Italy) and the University of Tübingen shows that diet alone does not explain these differences.

📅 2026-10-06 20:00:02    •    Phys.org
Reading beyond the peaks: Optical analysis decodes spectral complexity in twisted semiconductor layers
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Reading beyond the peaks: Optical analysis decodes spectral complexity in twisted semiconductor layers

A study from the Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), one of the centers under the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), presents a new method to reveal hidden material disorder reflected in complex photoluminescence spectra, paving the way for new optical diagnostics of material disorder in two-dimensional semiconductors and related light-emitting materials.

📅 2026-10-06 19:40:10    •    Phys.org
New Zealand's native plant seeds may survive wildfires
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New Zealand's native plant seeds may survive wildfires

Mākaka (native broom) and kōwhai seeds might be able to survive the heat of fires, new research shows. Scientists heated native and exotic seeds in a lab oven to temperatures they may face in the soil during a fire, expecting only the exotics—which often experience fires in their homelands—to survive. However, mākaka and kōwhai seeds survived up to 80°C, and mākaka seeds even sprouted in response. Māhoe, tī kōuka (cabbage tree) and matagouri seeds died after heating, while invasive gorse survived 100°C and sprouted. As fires get more common in NZ, it's important to understand if any native seeds could survive and grow back, the researchers say.

📅 2026-10-06 19:40:01    •    Phys.org
Meet the long-legged giants that light up the deep ocean
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Meet the long-legged giants that light up the deep ocean

Thousands of meters below the waves off Australia's east coast, far beyond where sunlight can reach, a stunning light show takes place in the dark. The cause? Two species of long-legged creatures emitting a blue glow.

📅 2026-10-06 19:20:21    •    Phys.org
From food to fuel, AI helps pinpoint how to grow 'microalgae' at scale
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From food to fuel, AI helps pinpoint how to grow 'microalgae' at scale

Microalgae (microscopic organisms that use light and carbon dioxide to grow) can be used to make ingredients and food for animals, pigments and potentially renewable fuels. But growing microalgae efficiently at an industrial scale is difficult.

📅 2026-10-06 19:20:15    •    Phys.org
'She knew she had something really important on her hands': Rosalind Franklin figured out DNA's helical structure before Watson and Crick, study suggests
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'She knew she had something really important on her hands': Rosalind Franklin figured out DNA's helical structure before Watson and Crick, study suggests

Rosalind Franklin, whose photographs of the molecular structure of DNA led to a 1962 Nobel Prize for three other scientists, knew that her famous images held the secret of the double helix, new research suggests. An examination of archival material reveals that Franklin's Photograph 51, which was taken in May 1952 and later published to show the double-helix structure, was specifically taken for the purpose of publication — not, as some narratives have held, an experimental shot that Franklin believed was insignificant. The new research revealed that Photograph 51 was a new exposure of a sample Franklin had already photographed. She started Photograph 51 the same day she saw that photograph,...

📅 2026-10-06 17:33:06    •    Live Science