Latest Science & Research News

The Download: rethinking child safety and fossil-fueled farming

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Child-monitoring apps might need a reboot Digital harms have become the defining fear of American parents. In response, they’re increasingly turning to content-monitoring apps that scan their children’s texts, photos, emails,…

Bats carry dangerous viruses without getting sick. This may be why

Scientists discovered that more than 500 species of vesper bats possess two separate sets of antibody genes, an immune arrangement never before found in mammals. The surprising system could help explain how bats tolerate so many viruses without becoming seriously ill.

ElQA: ensuring electrical integrity in the LHC

An endangered pygmy raccoon turned trash into toys—and taught her family how, too

The endangered animals displayed a first in raccoons and their kin

One immune switch may help drive aging across the body

Aging may be partly fueled by immune cells losing their ability to clear away damaged, inflammation-promoting cells. Blocking a single receptor restored that cleanup process in mice, reducing inflammation and helping their organs, muscles, and memory remain remarkably youthful.

China reaches solar energy milestone — what does this mean for the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter?

China is rapidly expanding its ability to harness renewable energy sources.

Official news regarding the CERN safety rules

Official news regarding the CERN Safety Rules Written by: HSE Department — The CERN Safety Rules listed below have been published on the dedicated CERN website: Prompted by the introduction of a new risk-based inspection concept, the above Safety Rules have been updated to take account of changes in EU directives and evolutions in the […]

The universe has plenty of hydrogen. So why is star formation collapsing?

Star formation across the universe has fallen dramatically over the past 4.5 billion years, but astronomers have uncovered a surprising twist: the supply of neutral hydrogen, a key ingredient for making stars, has barely declined. Using China’s FAST radio telescope and data from roughly 2.5 million galaxies observed by DESI, researchers found that star formation was about 2.5 times higher 4.5 billion years ago, while neutral hydrogen levels were only about 1.4 times higher.

September brings a dazzling Venus and a glowing Harvest Moon

September’s sky features brilliant Venus, the Milky Way’s hazy center, and the seasonal turning point of the equinox. The month ends with a glowing Harvest Moon rising near Saturn and faint Neptune.

Giving farmers a more sustainable way to protect crops

Led by Andee Wallace PhD ’20, Robigo uses cutting-edge biotechnology to engineer microbes to fight pests, reducing the need for harmful chemical pesticides.

New qubit architecture enables faster, more accurate operations

This advance could be a big step toward developing a scalable, practical quantum computer.

New Mexico’s largest reservoir plunges to just 1.4% full

Elephant Butte Reservoir, New Mexico’s largest reservoir, plunged to just 1.4 percent capacity in July 2026 after years of extreme drought and record early snowmelt. The dramatic decline exposed long-submerged debris and underscored the growing strain on Rio Grande water supplies used by farms in New Mexico and Texas.

ADHD may have a surprising creative advantage

Some of the attention patterns that make ADHD challenging may also help spark creativity by allowing the brain to explore more ideas and unexpected connections. Researchers think creative activities could potentially channel this “defocused attention” while helping strengthen the brain systems involved in focus and self-control.

Each extra hour of prolonged sitting linked to 9% higher cancer death risk

Sitting for long, uninterrupted stretches may carry greater health risks than sitting the same amount of time in shorter bouts. Researchers found that each extra hour of prolonged sedentary behavior was associated with a 9% higher risk of cancer death. Breaking up sitting with movement showed the opposite pattern, while replacing an hour of prolonged sitting with light activity was linked to a 12% lower risk.

Building foundations that last

Assistant Professor Iwnetim Abate creates space for ambitious research and sustainable growth for his graduate students.

From MIT to IBM, expediting AI and quantum deployment

MIT affiliates engage with the MIT-IBM Computing Research Lab to bring rigorous theory to production systems.

U.N. admits exceeding Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree-C warming target is ‘unavoidable’

The world is set to blow past the Paris Agreement’s longtime threshold “within the next few years,” according to a new report

Applying Different Forms of Mentorship

This article is crossposted from IEEE Spectrum’s careers newsletter. Sign up now to get insider tips, expert advice, and practical strategies, written in partnership with tech career development company Parsity and delivered to your inbox for free!Asking someone to be your mentor is weird. Walking up to someone and asking, “Will you be my mentor?” has always seemed to me like the adult version of a kid walking up to another kid at a party and asking, “Will you be my friend?”What you’re really asking is: “Will you commit some amount of unpaid time to guiding my career for an indefinite period?”...

‘Our University is, at its heart, an affirmation of humanity’

Garber reminds faculty, students at Morning Prayers that AI is powerful technology but human intelligence, values remain in charge

Why is yogurt good for us?

Genghis Khan supposedly fed it to his troops for strength and bravery. He might have been onto something.

NASA’s Cargo-Moving Robotic Arm Named 300th IEEE Milestone

In the 1960s NASA began developing a system of reusable space shuttles to make its work more efficient and to reduce costs. The shuttles could launch like rockets, maneuver in Earth’s orbit, and land like airplanes. They also could carry large satellites to and from orbit.Like other types of transportation, machinery eventually breaks down, and parts need to be replaced or fixed. And the cargo being carried to and from Earth has to be moved to its final destination. To complete such tasks, Spar Aerospace (now part of MDA Space) of Brampton, Ont., Canada, and the National Research Council in Ot...

New Hubble images reveal a bizarre decagon over Saturn’s south pole

A hexagon darkens the clouds over Saturn’s north pole. Now, astronomers have found a similarly shaped atmospheric wave at the other pole.

How the super El Niño could turbocharge warming in the Himalayas

After one of the worst natural disasters in the region’s history, attention is turning to the looming super El Niño

Scientists discover a mysterious wave shaped like a decagon in Saturn’s atmosphere

The strange structure appears to have formed recently, but nobody can explain exactly why