News
- Physics
Imitation dark matter axions have arrived. They could reveal the real thing
A long-elusive, hypothetical subatomic particle called the axion can be simulated and potentially detected in a type of thin material.
- Neuroscience
Early Parkinson’s trials revive stem cells as a possible treatment
The phase I clinical trials showed stem cell transplants for Parkinson’s disease appear to be safe and might restore dopamine-producing brain cells.
- Health & Medicine
A drug for heavy metal poisoning may double as a snakebite treatment
An initial clinical trial in Kenya found no safety concerns, a first step toward testing unithiol as a treatment for venomous snakebites in people.
- Health & Medicine
Three U.S tick species may cause a mysterious red meat allergy
Two cases of alpha-gal syndrome suggest that the lone star tick isn’t the only species in the United States capable of triggering an allergy to red meat.
By Meghan Rosen - Science & Society
Federal cuts put help for mental health and drug addiction in peril
SAMHSA’s work is crucial to suicide and drug overdose prevention and mental health care. It may fall victim to changes to public health infrastructure.
- Artificial Intelligence
Spotting climate misinformation with AI requires expertly trained models
When classifying climate misinformation, general-purpose large language models lag behind models trained on expert-curated climate data.
By Ananya - Animals
Bats wearing tiny mics reveal how the fliers avoid rush hour collisions
As thousands of bats launch nightly hunting, the cacophony of a dense crowd should stymie echolocation, a so-called “cocktail party nightmare.”
By Susan Milius - Health & Medicine
An overlooked organ may help the ovary function
No longer considered functionless, the “rediscovered” rete ovarii may be crucial for understanding “unexplainable” infertility and ovarian disorders.
- Paleontology
Scotland’s Isle of Skye was once a dinosaur promenade
New dinosaur fossil tracks on the Isle of Skye reveal that the once-balmy environment was home to both fierce theropods and massive sauropods.
- Animals
The story of dire wolves goes beyond de-extinction
Some question whether the pups are really dire wolves, or just genetically tweaked gray wolves. But the technology could be used to help at-risk animals.
By Meghan Rosen - Particle Physics
Neutrinos’ maximum possible mass shrinks further
The KATRIN experiment in Germany nearly halved the maximum possible mass for neutrinos, setting it at 0.45 electron volts.
- Anthropology
Denisovans inhabited Taiwan, new fossil evidence suggests
An expanding geographic range for these close Neandertal relatives leaves Denisovans' evolutionary status uncertain.
By Bruce Bower