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Meet the newest living cat species, the first described in 100 years
Genetic testing of two tiny tiger cats from Bolivia revealed a new species, adding a new branch to the feline family tree.
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Latest science news, discoveries and scientific developments.
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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...
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Diesel fuel prices are rising—chemistry can help explain why
Diesel prices have almost doubled over the past year, spelling trouble for farmers, truckers and the entire U.S. economy
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OpenAI’s agent hacking Australia is a warning for governments everywhere
In what appears to be a first, an OpenAI agent secretly accessed Australian government health care records during an internal test
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Taking HRT in perimenopause may ward off cardiovascular disease
Hormone replacement therapies may reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke, but the timing of when they are started could be critical
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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.
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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.
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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.
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This year’s El Niño just broke a record months before it’s expected to peak
Daily sea surface temperatures in the region where El Niño develops are more extreme than at any point in recorded history.
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Benedict Cumberbatch’s nature show is stunning, if a little cloying
The actor urges us to work with nature, not against it, in new documentary How to Live on Earth. Let's hope it can make a real difference, says Alec Luhn
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Skin patch that collects sweat could predict ovulation
A patch that measures levels of two reproductive hormones in sweat has shown promise for predicting ovulation in a small study
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AI solves 79-year-old math mystery of six-dimensional spheres
Can a six-dimensional sphere be described using imaginary numbers? For decades, experts puzzled over this question. Now an AI has apparently answered it
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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.
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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.
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Researchers build microscopic DNA 'sails' to pull molecules apart
Across every cell in the body, molecules are constantly pulling, gripping and releasing under mechanical strain. That force often decides whether a drug sticks to its target, whether a cell holds its shape or whether a disease takes hold.
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Scientists find two tiny new snails with shells that close like doors
Scientists discovered two tiny new snail species in Montenegro, showing that even Europe still holds animals unknown to science. One lives in the threatened Komarnica Canyon, where a proposed hydropower reservoir could destroy habitat before its full biodiversity is understood.
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Climate change: Laws and policies must change to prevent future statelessness
Australia and other nations should amend laws and practices to address the needs of millions of people expected to move because of climate-related hazards, according to a new report by the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
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Q&A: Why should colleges promote student physical activity?
Every fall in the United States, millions of young people move to college campuses, away from home for the first time. During this transition, they typically develop new social networks and routines as they learn to live on their own. One of the most important routines college students can intentionally develop is regular physical activity, according to Melissa Bopp, a professor of kinesiology at Penn State.
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“We just need to go back” – Uranus’ moon Ariel may have hidden a 100-mile-deep ocean
Ariel, one of Uranus’ moons, may once have contained a subsurface ocean more than 100 miles deep beneath its fractured icy shell. The finding, combined with similar evidence from Miranda, suggests the distant Uranian system could harbor multiple hidden ocean worlds.
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1 in 3 Tucsonans exposed to historic water contamination still report signs of psychological trauma
Residents of Tucson's south side might remember drinking from the garden hose and bathing their children in tap water. For years, that water was contaminated with industrial solvents that had leaked into the groundwater their wells drew from.