Sleeping on a problem might be more powerful than we ever imagined. Neuroscientists at Northwestern University have shown that dreams can actually be nudged in specific directions — and those dream tweaks may boost creativity. By playing subtle sound cues during REM sleep,
Psychedelics can quiet the brain’s visual input system, pushing it to replace missing details with vivid fragments from memory. Scientists found that slow, rhythmic brain waves help shift perception away from the outside world and toward internal recall — almost like dreaming
A massive review of 23 randomized trials found that statins do not cause the vast majority of side effects listed on their labels. Memory problems, depression, sleep issues, weight gain, and many other symptoms appeared just as often in people taking a placebo. Only a few side
Love and hate seem like obvious opposites. Love, whether romantic or otherwise, involves a sense of warmth and affection for others. Hate involves feelings of disdain. Love builds up, whereas hate destroys.
What really holds people back from stepping up as allies in support of their marginalized colleagues? For example, why don't more men say something when they see a colleague or a customer make a sexist remark about a female co-worker?
The deep sea is cold, dark and under immense pressure. Yet life has found a way to prevail there, in the form of some of Earth's strangest creatures.
The 20th-century French philosopher Simone Weil once said that compassion was an impossibility. She said it is "a more astounding miracle than walking on water." The word she used for meeting the needs of the sufferer is not love or charity, but justice. Today, there is plenty
A camera-trap survey conducted throughout 2025 has revealed the bewildering breadth of biodiversity hidden within the Annamite Mountains, a largely unexplored forest haven stretching for 1,100 kilometers through Laos and Vietnam to northeast Cambodia. The Annamites are the sole
After a long search, RIKEN researchers have identified an enzyme crucial for keeping lipid-linked sugar chains in check in yeast cells. This finding, published in the Journal of Cell Biology, reveals a novel regulatory mechanism for sugar-donor levels.
Supermarket shelves can look full despite the food systems underneath them being under strain. Fruit may be stacked neatly, chilled meat may be in place. It appears that supply chains are functioning well. But appearances can be deceiving.
New work from Georgia Tech is showing how a simple glass of wine can serve as a powerful gateway for understanding advanced research and technologies. The project, inspired by an Atlanta Science Festival event hosted by School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Assistant Professor
In 2014, a NASA telescope observed that the infrared light emitted by a massive star in the Andromeda galaxy gradually grew brighter. The star glowed more intensely with infrared light for around three years before fading dramatically and disappearing, leaving behind a shell of
It is common to think of time as moving in only one direction—from point A, through point B, to point C.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how scientists understand proteins—these are working molecules that drive nearly every process in the human body, from cell growth and immune defense to digestion and cell signaling. At NUS, researchers are harnessing AI to
Recently, a research team led by Prof. Zhao Bangchuan from the Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Prof. Xiao Yao from Wenzhou University, developed a composition gradient strategy to
Scientists at the University of Groningen, led by Nobel laureate Ben Feringa and colleagues, have created a new porous material that captures and releases carbon dioxide using only visible light. The breakthrough could pave the way for more energy-efficient and sustainable
Going to space is harsh on the human body, and as a new study from our research team finds, the brain shifts upward and backward and deforms inside the skull after spaceflight.
In a recent study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, Wanyue Zhao and her colleagues used volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to analyze the composition of scents given off by mummies and their embalming materials. The results showed differences in embalming
Researchers have successfully shown a technology developed at the University of Queensland can improve the efficacy of a chemical-free flystrike treatment for sheep. The technology, BenPol, addresses the limitations of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) treatment to mitigate
The southern Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia is becoming less salty at an astonishing rate, largely due to climate change, new research shows.
A major theme in communist governments is the idea of central planning. Every five years, the central authorities in communist countries lay out their goals for the country over the course of the next five years, which can range from limiting infant mortality to increasing
Experts gave AI 10 math problems to solve in a week. OpenAI, researchers and amateurs all gave it their best shot
Scientists at Michigan State University have uncovered the molecular “switch” that powers sperm for their final, high-speed dash toward an egg. By tracking how sperm use glucose as fuel, the team discovered how dormant cells suddenly flip into overdrive, burning energy in a
For most young people, learning about social and political issues doesn't start with a textbook. It starts with a phone.
Neuromorphic computers modeled after the human brain can now solve the complex equations behind physics simulations — something once thought possible only with energy-hungry supercomputers. The breakthrough could lead to powerful, low-energy supercomputers while revealing new
The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has launched a novel robotic platform to rapidly analyze plant root systems as they grow, yielding AI-ready data to accelerate the development of stress-tolerant crops for new fuels, chemicals and materials.
A new study shows that during the last two deglaciations, i.e., the transition from an ice age to the warm interglacial periods, meltwater from the Antarctic ice sheet intensified stratification in the Southern Ocean. The results highlight the key role of the Antarctic ice
A new study shows that dogs and cats may be helping an invasive flatworm spread. Researchers analyzing over a decade of reports discovered the worm attached to pet fur. Its sticky mucus and ability to reproduce alone make it highly adaptable. Pets could be giving this
Cape Town, in South Africa, is famous for its dramatic mountains and coastline, but its greatest treasure lies in the plants that carpet its slopes and valleys. Table Mountain National Park and its surrounds are home to 2,785 species, including subspecies and varieties.
Gradually increasing the price of fossil fuels is considered a key element of effective climate policy—and yet it remains the subject of bitter controversy. In a new book, experts from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) explain this concept and correct
This week, researchers reported on a juvenile great white shark caught by fishermen in Spanish Mediterranean waters. China's clean air initiatives have resulted in major public health gains, but may have one unintended consequence. And satellite data revealed that boreal
In 2024, 51% of families read aloud to their very young children, while 37% read aloud to their kids between the ages of 6 and 8 years old.
Couples who intentionally slow down and soak in their happy moments together may be building a powerful shield for their relationship. Researchers at the University of Illinois found that partners who regularly savor shared experiences—whether reminiscing about a favorite
Scientists are launching an ambitious global effort to map the “human exposome” — the lifelong mix of environmental and chemical exposures that drive most diseases. Backed by new partnerships with governments, UNESCO, and international science advisory bodies, the initiative is
A research team affiliated with UNIST has achieved a major breakthrough in the development of cost-effective, large-scale energy storage systems (ESS)—specifically, iron–chromium redox flow batteries (ICRFBs). Known for their safety, affordability, and suitability for
A large survey of U.S. singles reveals the different ways people experience passionate romantic love
A global study has uncovered a mysterious group of gut bacteria that shows up again and again in healthy people. Known as CAG-170, these microbes were found at lower levels in people with a range of chronic diseases. Genetic clues suggest they help digest food and support the
Axolotls can completely rebuild their thymus, a key immune organ
Roses are red—but their ancestors looked rather different
Minutes after getting to a park in the middle of Phoenix, you can see flashes of green in the sky and hear chatter because love is in the air—or at least, the lovebirds are.
Researchers in Costa Rica have unearthed fossils from a mastodon and a giant sloth that lived as many as 40,000 years ago, officials announced Friday, calling it the biggest such find here in decades.
A study of more than 100 kindergarten-age children suggests kids tend to think of snakes differently than they do other animals and that hearing negative or objectifying language about the slithery reptiles might contribute to that way of thinking.
