New calculations seem to have put a 25-year-old particle physics puzzle to rest. But they’ve also created a clash with other experimental results.
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Nearby rocky may be replenishing helium from atmosphere, study finds
Nearly a decade after the discovery of LHS 1140b, a rocky exoplanet in the habitable zone of a nearby low-mass star, a new study reveals that the object may have its own atmosphere.
University of Florida Assistant Professor of Astronomy Jason Dittmann first discovered the planet in 2016. Now, he is a co-author of the new study, published in Science, that uses helium escape to explain a potential atmosphere.
“The exciting part about this paper, and why I think it was accepted into Science, was that this is the first time that we’re seeing a rocky, Earth-like planet that could still have an atmosphere,” Dittmann said.
Scientists find a simple routine linked to less pain and depression
Keeping a regular daily schedule may help reduce pain and depression, especially among older adults with insomnia. Researchers found that consistent times for waking, eating, socializing, and sleeping were linked to better well-being regardless of sleep quality. These routines may strengthen the body’s internal clock and limit the disruptive effects of “social jet lag.”
Ancient Chinese seeds spanning 5,000 years train AI to ease archaeology’s specialist bottleneck
Ancient plant seeds provide important archaeological evidence for studying the evolution of human civilization. Lingnan University and Shandong University have jointly developed the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) archaeological system dedicated to identifying ancient Chinese plant seeds. The system emulates the identification process of archaeobotanical experts and achieves a classification accuracy of more than 90%.
The researchers said identifying plant seeds excavated from archaeological sites has traditionally relied on experts examining each seed individually, a process that is both time-consuming and difficult to scale. The large, standardized database they created helps improve research efficiency while advancing archaeobotanical research and the digitization of cultural heritage.
The findings have been published in Heritage Science.
‘Proust’s madeleine’ finally explained by neuroscience
A team of CNRS scientists has pinpointed the brain mechanisms behind the famous “Proust’s madeleine” phenomenon, in which smells bring back vivid, emotional memories.
This work, published in PLOS Biology on July 14, 2026, shows that early-life olfactory experiences leave a lasting impression on the brain, capable of reactivating the context and emotions associated with that memory throughout our lives.
The neuroscientists revealed the central role played by neurons in the olfactory bulb, an area of the brain that continues to develop during childhood. When these neurons are reactivated in adulthood by odors we experienced in childhood, they activate cerebral circuits involved in both memory and reward.
Effective treatment of glioblastoma requires crossing the blood–brain barrier and targeting tumors including cancer stem cells: The promise of nanomedicine
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal type of brain tumor. Both therapeutic resistance and restricted permeation of drugs across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) play a major role in the poor prognosis of GBM patients. Accumulated evidence suggests that in many human cancers, including GBM, therapeutic resistance can be attributed to a small fraction of cancer cells known as cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs have been shown to have stem cell-like properties that enable them to evade traditional cytotoxic therapies, and so new CSC-directed anti-cancer therapies are needed. Nanoparticles have been designed to selectively deliver payloads to relevant target cells in the body, and there is considerable interest in the use of nanoparticles for CSC-directed anti-cancer therapies.
Scientists identify fructose as a surprise driver of cancer spread
A new study from The Wistar Institute has uncovered an unexpected link between fructose—a common dietary sugar—and the spread of an aggressive form of ovarian cancer. Published in Nature Aging, the study found that cancer cells not killed by chemotherapy send signals to neighboring tumor cells, helping them become more capable of spreading.
The researchers identified fructose as a key messenger in this process, revealing a previously unrecognized way that treatment-surviving cancer cells may promote the spread of cancer.
“Some cancer cells that survive chemotherapy aren’t dividing anymore, but they’re still biologically active,” said Aidan Cole, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Katherine Aird at The Wistar Institute and first author of the study. “Instead, they continue to release molecules that send signals to nearby cells. Our study is among the first to show that a nutrient—in this case, fructose—can act as one of those signals.”
Rethinking how AI supports investment decisions
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming modern finance, powering applications ranging from stock market forecasting to investment advice. But does making more accurate predictions necessarily lead to better investment decisions? According to two recent studies by researchers from Pusan National University and international collaborators, the answer may be no.
Just as a weather app may predict tomorrow’s temperature accurately but still tell you to leave your umbrella at home before a storm, a financial AI system can make highly accurate market forecasts yet still make poor investment decisions. The researchers argue that AI should be judged not only by how well it predicts markets but also by how effectively it supports real-world financial decisions.
All living things emit a faint glow. Could this light be useful?
An interesting report on the phenomenon by which cells and organisms glow very faintly, primarily due to energy transitions during aerobic respiration. Speculation on biological functions and future applications are covered.
Ultra-weak ‘biophotons’ might be used to diagnose disease, or could even represent a new signalling mechanism in cells.
