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Science News

Latest science news, discoveries and scientific developments.

Gut bacteria-derived metabolite extends the lifespan of fruit flies
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Gut bacteria-derived metabolite extends the lifespan of fruit flies

Gut microbiota influence multiple aspects of host physiology, including metabolic and immune functions. Many metabolites produced by gut bacteria can cross the intestinal epithelium (which the bacteria may not be able to cross) and enter host tissues, providing a pathway through which microbial activity can influence host physiology. However, determining the specific contribution of individual gut bacterial metabolites to host lifespan has remained challenging.

📅 2026-09-24 19:20:09    •    Phys.org
Vertical quantum sensor could reveal nanoscale magnetic patterns in quantum materials
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Vertical quantum sensor could reveal nanoscale magnetic patterns in quantum materials

Quantum materials do things ordinary materials cannot. They carry current without any loss, or conduct only along their outer edge while the inside insulates. Future quantum computers and quantum sensors will run on materials like these. To improve them, researchers need to see exactly where currents and magnetic fields run at the nanoscale.

📅 2026-09-24 19:20:06    •    Phys.org
Dogs pay more attention to consonants than vowels when we speak
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Dogs pay more attention to consonants than vowels when we speak

A dog being prepared for an EEG measurement by researcher Boglárka MorvaiSarolta Szilágyi When dogs hear their owners speak, they are listening for consonants in words rather than vowels, a new study suggests, apparently mimicking a similar human bias that is found across many languages. Although dogs don’t have language, they live in a speech-rich environment, says Attila Andics at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary. “We knew from our previous studies that dogs care about what we speak and how we speak, but until now there was no evidence that dogs’ experience with speech can actually shape how their brains function,” says Andics. Advertisement if( window?.adverts?.addToArray ) { window.ad...

📅 2026-09-24 18:00:00    •    New Scientist
Copying others can help young orangutans build a broad diet
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Copying others can help young orangutans build a broad diet

A Sumatran orangutan mother uses a stick tool to extract honey from a large tree holeGuilhem Duvot, SUAQ Project Young orangutans who spend little time working out for themselves how to build a broad diet can partly compensate by watching how other orangutans choose what to eat. The findings suggest that orangutans have different strategies for developing broad survival skills, says Revathe Thillaikumar at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany. Young orangutans acquire a substantial body of knowledge before they can survive independently, which they must do by the time they are 8.5 years old. This includes understanding what foods are safe to eat, where to find them and how ...

📅 2026-09-24 18:00:00    •    New Scientist
Rare armored dinosaur found in Japan may have ancestors that migrated across a land bridge 100 million years ago
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Rare armored dinosaur found in Japan may have ancestors that migrated across a land bridge 100 million years ago

Rare fossils discovered in Japan more than 30 years ago are from a new species of armored dinosaur — one whose ancestors likely reached Asia by trekking across a land bridge, a new study finds.The newly named dinosaur, a type of nodosaurid, is now one of just three species of its kind found in Asia to date. The scarcity of nodosaurids in Asia, and the fact that the newly described beast is similar anatomically to those from North America, hint that its species likely arose from a migration from North America to Asia via the Bering Land Bridge, an ancient strip of land that connected present-day Alaska and Russia, researchers reported in the February 2027 issue of the journal Cretaceous Resea...

📅 2026-09-24 17:42:28    •    Live Science
Backpack massages muscles when it detects they’re fatigued
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Backpack massages muscles when it detects they’re fatigued

People wore the backpack while lifting dumbbells and then enjoyed a nice massageHuang et al., 2026, Cell Reports Physical Science A backpack can detect when muscles become fatigued and automatically massage the affected areas. This seems to help muscles recover better than heat therapy or pre-programmed massages, like those delivered by chairs and cushions. About 1 in 6 adults in the UK have some form of back pain. This can occur when back muscles become fatigued through exertion or prolonged or repetitive activity. Persistent fatigue can impair local blood flow and tissue recovery, potentially contributing to chronic pain. Read more From back pain to cancer, how the interstitium could trans...

📅 2026-09-24 15:00:00    •    New Scientist
ADHD and autism diagnoses have surged. A massive study may help explain why
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ADHD and autism diagnoses have surged. A massive study may help explain why

A large Danish study found that children diagnosed with ADHD or autism today more closely resemble their peers in the general population than those diagnosed 10 years ago. The shift suggests that rising diagnosis rates may partly reflect broader identification and changing diagnostic patterns, rather than only an increase in the underlying conditions.

📅 2026-09-24 13:45:17    •    ScienceDaily
When what you see doesn’t make sense, your brain does something remarkable
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When what you see doesn’t make sense, your brain does something remarkable

The brain may have a built-in way to quickly settle disagreements between regions processing the same scene. Researchers found that matching signals between two visual areas lasted longer, while conflicting signals rapidly faded away. This “consensus building” mechanism could help explain how the brain turns many specialized inputs into one unified view of the world.

📅 2026-09-24 13:28:15    •    ScienceDaily
Distant time crystals can somehow fall into the same rhythm
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Distant time crystals can somehow fall into the same rhythm

Researchers have shown that multiple time crystals inside a semiconductor can synchronize their oscillations, much like pendulum clocks gradually falling into the same rhythm. The coupling is carried by spin-polarized electrons, allowing time crystals separated by up to 40 micrometers to lock to a common frequency. The discovery reveals surprisingly long-range connections between these exotic spin systems and could help researchers develop future spin-based devices.

📅 2026-09-24 13:16:41    •    ScienceDaily
Scientists thought they knew how this 70-year-old leukemia drug worked
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Scientists thought they knew how this 70-year-old leukemia drug worked

A 70-year-old leukemia drug is still revealing new secrets. Researchers found that removing a protein called NUDT5 protected cells from the drug, even though simply blocking the protein had little effect. The unexpected result points to a hidden cellular role that could help explain why people respond differently to certain leukemia treatments.

📅 2026-09-24 12:47:28    •    ScienceDaily
Aging muscles may be losing strength for a reason scientists missed
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Aging muscles may be losing strength for a reason scientists missed

A newly identified breakdown in communication between nerves and muscles could help explain why people lose strength as they age. Researchers were able to improve muscle strength in an animal model by targeting a key protein, raising hopes that some age-related weakness could eventually be treated.

📅 2026-09-24 12:25:18    •    ScienceDaily