Headlines

One DNA letter can trigger complete sex reversal

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University have discovered that changing just one letter in DNA can completely alter sex development in mice. In the new study, published in Nature Communications, a single-letter insertion in a non-coding regulatory region caused XX mice, which would

March smashes heat records for continental US

March's persistent unseasonable heat was so intense that the continental United States registered its most abnormally hot month in 132 years of records, according to federal weather data. And the next year or so looks to turn the dial up on global warmth even more, as some

What if dark matter came in two states?

The absence of a signal could itself be a signal. This is the idea behind a new study published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, which aims to redefine how we search for dark matter, showing that it may not be necessary to find the same "clues" everywhere

Soaring petrol prices are hurting more than your wallet

Australians don't need an economist to tell them they're hurting at the petrol pump. They feel it every time they pull into a service station, every time they rethink a planned holiday, or every time they've had to squeeze another household bill to fill the tank. But the cost

A 'stemness checkpoint' helps control stem cell identity

A study published in Cell Research advances a central idea in stem cell biology by identifying a checkpoint that controls the identity of many different types of stem cells across developmental stages. For nearly two decades, scientists have understood that stem cell

Mathematical model predicts fish freshness in real time

Every day, fish caught in oceans and seas around the world pass through a long journey before reaching supermarkets, restaurants, and home kitchens. Along the way, their freshness steadily declines, often in ways that are difficult to detect. Now imagine being able to measure

Momentum-engineered photonic states make bulk silicon shine

An international team of researchers, led by scientists from the University of California, Irvine, has demonstrated a fundamentally new way to make silicon emit light—overcoming one of the most persistent limitations in modern electronics and photonics. In their work appearing

Uncharted island will soon appear on nautical charts

A 93-strong international expedition team has been exploring the northwestern Weddell Sea in the Antarctic on board the Alfred Wegener Institute's icebreaker Polarstern since February 8, 2026. In this key region for global ocean currents, the focus has been on the outflow of