Science News

Latest science news, discoveries and scientific developments.

South Korea guides crowd-pulling shark out of canal
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South Korea guides crowd-pulling shark out of canal

A shark that has become a viral sensation in South Korea was coaxed out of a canal in which it was stuck, authorities said on Wednesday, as falling temperatures raised concerns for its survival.

📅 2026-10-21 16:00:06    •    Phys.org
Mirror-image molecules are difficult to separate from their counterparts, but a new catalytic method might be the answer
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Mirror-image molecules are difficult to separate from their counterparts, but a new catalytic method might be the answer

Just like gloves, molecules can have left- and right-handed—or mirror-image—forms. Because the left- and right-handed molecules are still very similar, scientists have had trouble separating them from each other. But a team of researchers in Japan might have found a solution. In their new study, published in Science Advances, the team successfully separated an equal mixture of mirror-image molecules created by replacing hydrogen with deuterium in one form.

📅 2026-10-21 15:50:01    •    Phys.org
'Invisible' tweak could help make protein shakes less clumpy
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'Invisible' tweak could help make protein shakes less clumpy

Scientists from RMIT University and Riga Technical University in Latvia have shown that static charge left on surfaces can be controlled, which may have big benefits for companies needing to avoid the little zap in production of common household goods. The discovery could even one day help stop powders such as protein, chocolate malt powders and coffee from clumping.

📅 2026-10-21 15:40:16    •    Phys.org
'The Russians were the problem in the end': Sailor Matt Rutherford on being intercepted by the FSB while attempting to circumnavigate the Arctic Ocean solo
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'The Russians were the problem in the end': Sailor Matt Rutherford on being intercepted by the FSB while attempting to circumnavigate the Arctic Ocean solo

Sailor Matt Rutherford has dreamed for several years of becoming the first person to circumnavigate the Arctic Ocean solo, nonstop and unassisted. He finally set out from western Greenland on June 25 to achieve this goal, but threatening encounters with Russia's security agency less than two months later forced him to reverse course.Rutherford is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit environmental organization Ocean Research Project, which gathers and analyzes marine data from a sailboat. His route took him around the southern tip of Greenland, through the Denmark Strait and into the Greenland Sea. From there, he sailed through the Norwegian and Barents seas, and reached Russia...

📅 2026-10-21 15:34:12    •    Live Science
Bending a liquid: Liquid membranes flex 100 times more easily than cell membranes
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Bending a liquid: Liquid membranes flex 100 times more easily than cell membranes

Many structures in biology are bounded by membranes, but not all of them. Droplets of a liquid called a coacervate, which form when oppositely charged molecules come together in water, have attracted attention as models for membraneless compartments inside cells and for "protocells," hypothetical primitive cells that may have preceded modern ones.

📅 2026-10-21 15:20:14    •    Phys.org
Arrival of the Suebi, Alans and Visigoths did not erase deep genetic legacy of Roman Hispania
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Arrival of the Suebi, Alans and Visigoths did not erase deep genetic legacy of Roman Hispania

An international study led by the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE, CSIC-UPF) in Barcelona, the Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona, Harvard University and the University of the Basque Country (EHU) has reconstructed the genetic history of the Iberian Peninsula between the first and eighth centuries A.D. using 243 ancient genomes from 31 archaeological sites.

📅 2026-10-21 15:00:46    •    Phys.org
Scientists reveal how deadly Andes hantavirus attaches to human cells
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Scientists reveal how deadly Andes hantavirus attaches to human cells

Earlier this year, an outbreak of Andes hantavirus on a cruise ship, which killed three passengers and sickened 13, highlighted the lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the virus. In a study published in Nature, scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and collaborators from Institut Pasteur and LSU Health Shreveport show how the virus recognizes its target on a human cell, a finding that could lead to effective therapies against Andes virus and other hantaviruses.

📅 2026-10-21 15:00:15    •    Phys.org
How many insects are there—and why do we need them?
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How many insects are there—and why do we need them?

There are an estimated 10 quintillion insects alive on Earth at any given time. That's 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 individual insects. But how many species are there, why do we need them, and what would happen if their numbers continued to fall? Dr. Alex Dittrich, a zoologist at Nottingham Trent University, explains why these small creatures play such a big role in keeping our planet functioning.

📅 2026-10-21 15:00:01    •    Phys.org
Massive study of 460,000 people challenges ultra-processed food cancer fears
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Massive study of 460,000 people challenges ultra-processed food cancer fears

A massive study of more than 460,000 Americans found that ultra-processed foods were not associated with increased colorectal cancer risk overall, challenging a widely held assumption. While processed meat was linked to higher cancer incidence, ultra-processed whole grains and dairy products were associated with lower incidence.

📅 2026-10-21 13:22:17    •    ScienceDaily
Too much RNA can starve cells of energy, scientists discover
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Too much RNA can starve cells of energy, scientists discover

Scientists have uncovered an unexpected danger lurking inside cells: too much RNA can damage the structures responsible for producing energy. A new study found that excess RNA, including the normally essential messenger RNA (mRNA), can directly disrupt mitochondria without relying on the immune system. The discovery could help explain how viral infections and certain aging-related diseases damage cells.

📅 2026-10-21 13:02:34    •    ScienceDaily