🔎

Science News

Latest science news, discoveries and scientific developments.

First photos from Smile spacecraft show Earth like you've never seen it before
Science News

First photos from Smile spacecraft show Earth like you've never seen it before

Earth glows like a half moon while a giant aurora writhes over the North Pole in this ultraviolet image from the new Smile spacecraft. (Image credit: ESA & CAS/Smile/UVI CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)Quick factsWhat it is: An aurora on the sunlit side of EarthWhere it is: Over the North Pole, as seen from about 75,000 miles awayWhen it was shared: Sept. 30The debut images from a new Earth-observing satellite have just given us a view of the impossible: giant auroras rippling over the North Pole in broad daylight. Earth's auroras are one of our planet's signature wonders — a sight worth advertising in interstellar travel guides, alongside our perfect total solar eclipses, bright shooting stars and majesti...

📅 2026-10-04 10:00:00    •    Live Science
Do animals experience schadenfreude?
Science News

Do animals experience schadenfreude?

In 2023, an African gray parrot named Jack went viral for mimicking the coughs and wheezes of her owner's father, who often struggled to breathe from severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. But it wasn't just the imitation that made Jack famous; it was also that she seemed to relish the suffering of a man she purportedly hated. In the video, Jack's owner even claimed that she had a favorite cough.The parrot appeared to be experiencing a complex emotion that in humans is known as schadenfreude, or pleasure at seeing another's pain. Literally translated from German as "harm joy," it's a feeling that might emerge when a rival coworker gets fired, or when a rude neighbor has their package ...

📅 2026-10-04 09:00:00    •    Live Science
Vitamin D drug may help crack pancreatic cancer’s protective shield
Science News

Vitamin D drug may help crack pancreatic cancer’s protective shield

A vitamin D analog may help break down pancreatic cancer’s protective defenses, potentially making tumors more vulnerable to chemotherapy and immune attack. A small clinical trial found encouraging responses, especially in patients whose tumors had high levels of the vitamin D receptor.

📅 2026-10-04 03:10:23    •    ScienceDaily
Diet drinks work as well as water for weight loss, major trial finds
Science News

Diet drinks work as well as water for weight loss, major trial finds

A two-year randomized clinical trial involving 493 adults with overweight or obesity found that diet soft drinks were essentially as effective as water for long-term weight loss and weight maintenance. Participants drinking beverages sweetened with aspartame, acesulfame-K, or sucralose lost a similar amount of weight to those drinking water, while both groups also saw improvements in waist size, body composition, and several metabolic measures.

📅 2026-10-04 02:10:59    •    ScienceDaily
Feeling secure in a group may help dissenters make stronger arguments
Science News

Feeling secure in a group may help dissenters make stronger arguments

When everyone in a meeting voices the same opinion, an organization can miss important warning signs and new ideas. A research team from KAIST suggests that when members feel securely accepted within their group, they can express dissenting opinions in greater detail and more persuasively, and other members may be more willing to use those opinions in decision-making.

📅 2026-10-03 21:00:06    •    Phys.org
Recovery after intimate partner violence: New study reveals what works
Science News

Recovery after intimate partner violence: New study reveals what works

Violence in the home can range from intimidation to physical abuse. When it occurs there, we refer to it as domestic violence. Every year, more than 1 million people in the Netherlands age 16 and older experience domestic violence. This type of violence is often perpetrated by a current or former partner, in which case it is referred to as intimate partner violence.

📅 2026-10-03 18:00:01    •    Phys.org
Reading hidden topology in light, even when energy leaks away
Science News

Reading hidden topology in light, even when energy leaks away

When I explain topology to students, I start with a knot in a rope. You can stretch it, twist it or shake it, but the knot stays until you cut the rope. Physicists have found that some materials and devices carry similar "knots" in how waves move through them. These are topological properties, labeled by whole numbers that don't change under small imperfections. That robustness is why topology has become one of the central ideas in modern physics. It promises electronics, photonics and quantum devices that tolerate defects and noise.

📅 2026-10-03 17:40:01    •    Phys.org
Q&A: An Earth-like planet with two suns?
Science News

Q&A: An Earth-like planet with two suns?

A nearby star system with two suns could potentially support an Earth-sized planet in a region where liquid water could exist, according to a new paper examining the dynamics of the system.

📅 2026-10-03 17:00:01    •    Phys.org
When the atmosphere slows the Earth: Uncovering a subtle signal of climate change
Science News

When the atmosphere slows the Earth: Uncovering a subtle signal of climate change

Atmospheric circulation governs weather and climate, but it also carries angular momentum. When winds shift or mass redistributes, the atmosphere can exchange momentum with the solid Earth, slightly altering the planet's rotation rate. This is not a new concept, but what happens under long-term global warming?

📅 2026-10-03 16:20:01    •    Phys.org
New imaging technologies offer a clearer view of coral reef change
Science News

New imaging technologies offer a clearer view of coral reef change

From a drone flying above the waves to a camera just inches from the seafloor, University of Miami researchers are transforming how scientists observe coral reefs and measure changes that were once difficult, costly or time-consuming to document.

📅 2026-10-03 16:00:01    •    Phys.org
1 in 8 cancer cases are caused by infections, underscoring the importance of vaccines, experts say
Science News

1 in 8 cancer cases are caused by infections, underscoring the importance of vaccines, experts say

About 1 in 8 cancer cases are caused by infections with viruses, bacteria or parasites, a new study finds, suggesting that one of the most effective ways to reduce cancer rates might be to prevent common infections.In a new analysis published Sept. 28 in the journal The Lancet Oncology, researchers mapped the global impact of 12 cancer-causing pathogens. They estimate that infections drove about 2.3 million new cancer cases in 2024, or about 12% of all cancer cases diagnosed that year.The study highlights that a large fraction of cancer cases could be avoided if these underlying infections were prevented, Dr. Prashant Mathur, director of India's National Centre for Disease Informatics and Re...

📅 2026-10-03 16:00:00    •    Live Science
Newly discovered hair cells on squid may offer clues to understanding hearing loss in humans
Science News

Newly discovered hair cells on squid may offer clues to understanding hearing loss in humans

Scientists have known for years that squid have cells with bundles of tiny, hairlike protrusions on their heads and arms, similar to those buried deep inside the human ear that allow us to hear. Now, researchers at Case Western Reserve University have discovered that these animals have hundreds more of these cells, called hair cells, lining the entire surface of their bodies. The discovery may provide researchers with an unprecedented window into how humans use—and lose—their hearing.

📅 2026-10-03 15:00:02    •    Phys.org
A short breath extends the mating calls of male tokay geckos
Science News

A short breath extends the mating calls of male tokay geckos

Tokay geckos (Gekko gecko), large and mostly nocturnal geckos native to parts of Asia, are among the few nonbird reptiles that make sounds to attract potential mates, defend their territory and signal distress. Male tokay geckos' calls typically begin with quieter rattles, followed by louder two-part sounds that can sound like "ge-ko" or "to-kay."

📅 2026-10-03 14:00:06    •    Phys.org
This protective enzyme could help stop fatty liver disease from getting worse
Science News

This protective enzyme could help stop fatty liver disease from getting worse

Scientists have identified an enzyme that may act as a natural defense against the worsening of fatty liver disease, which affects an estimated 100 million Americans. The enzyme, called UBE2N, helps liver cells clear away damaged mitochondria and break down fat, potentially preventing the inflammation, scarring, and cell damage associated with the more dangerous condition MASH.

📅 2026-10-03 13:46:11    •    ScienceDaily