Knee osteoarthritis is a major cause of pain and disability, but routine X-rays often do more harm than good. New research shows that being shown an X-ray can increase anxiety, make people fear exercise, and lead them to believe surgery is the only option, even when less invasive treatments could help. By focusing on clinical diagnosis instead, patients may avoid unnecessary scans, reduce health costs, and make better choices about their care.

Astronomers have discovered a giant Saturn-sized planet orbiting TOI-6894, the smallest star ever known to host such a world. The finding overturns long-held theories suggesting that tiny, low-mass stars lack the material needed to form or keep giant planets.

Billions of years ago, Jupiter’s violent growth transformed the young solar system, smashing icy and rocky bodies together at incredible speeds. These cataclysmic collisions created tiny molten droplets called chondrules—microscopic time capsules later preserved in meteorites. New research shows that water vapor explosions from planetesimal impacts explain their origin, while also pinpointing Jupiter’s birth at about 1.8 million years after the solar system began. This breakthrough not only rewrites the timeline of Jupiter’s formation but also opens a new way to trace the birth order of planets across our own system and beyond.

A research team created a plant-inspired molecule that can store four charges using sunlight, a key step toward artificial photosynthesis. Unlike past attempts, it works with dimmer light, edging closer to real-world solar fuel production.

Scientists at Kyoto University have uncovered a hidden protein complex that organizes DNA in sperm stem cells, a discovery that reveals surprising ties between fertility and cancer. When this protein, called STAG3, is missing, sperm stem cells cannot mature properly, leading to infertility in mice. Even more intriguing, the same protein is found in high levels in certain immune cells and cancers, and blocking it slowed tumor growth in the lab.

University of Minnesota researchers developed a 3D-printed scaffold that directs stem cells to grow into functioning nerve cells, successfully restoring movement in rats with severed spinal cords. This promising technique could transform future treatment for spinal cord injuries.

Scientists have cracked one of chemistry’s toughest challenges with indoles, using copper to unlock a spot once thought too stubborn to change. The discovery could pave the way for easier, cheaper drug development.

Astronomers using the Inouye Solar Telescope have captured the sharpest-ever images of a solar flare, revealing coronal loops as thin as 21 km wide. These threadlike plasma structures, imaged during an X1.3-class flare, confirm long-standing theories about loop scales and may represent the fundamental building blocks of flare activity. The discovery pushes solar science into new territory, opening doors to improved space weather forecasting and deeper understanding of magnetic reconnection.

Deep beneath southern China, JUNO has launched one of the most ambitious neutrino experiments in history. With its massive 20,000-ton liquid scintillator detector now operational, it’s poised to answer one of particle physics’ greatest mysteries: the true ordering of neutrino masses. Built over more than a decade and involving hundreds of scientists worldwide, JUNO not only promises to resolve questions about the building blocks of matter but also to open entirely new frontiers—from exploring signals of supernovae to hunting for evidence of exotic physics.

U.S. jet fuel consumption growth has slowed in 2025, following a period of rapid consumption growth after 2020, as U.S. air travel recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. We forecast the slowdown in jet fuel consumption growth will continue through 2026, falling below both the accelerated rate of the previous four years and the longer-term growth rate seen during the 2010s. Contributing factors include rising economic concerns weighing on flight demand and ongoing improvements in commercial aircraft fleet fuel economy.

A nationwide study found that recent colds caused by rhinoviruses can give short-term protection against COVID-19. Children benefit most, as their immune systems react strongly with antiviral defenses, helping explain their lower rates of severe illness.

Australian teachers are in crisis, with 9 in 10 experiencing severe stress and nearly 70% saying their workload is unmanageable. A major UNSW Sydney study found teachers suffer depression, anxiety, and stress at rates three to four times higher than the national average, largely driven by excessive administrative tasks. These mental health struggles are pushing many to consider leaving the profession, worsening the teacher shortage.

Painkillers we often trust — ibuprofen and acetaminophen — may be quietly accelerating one of the world’s greatest health crises: antibiotic resistance. Researchers discovered that these drugs not only fuel bacterial resistance on their own but make it far worse when combined with antibiotics. The findings are especially troubling for aged care settings, where residents commonly take multiple medications, creating perfect conditions for resistant bacteria to thrive.

Researchers uncovered that the Maui wildfires caused a spike in deaths far higher than reported, with hidden fatalities linked to fire, smoke, and lack of medical access. They warn that prevention rooted in Native Hawaiian ecological knowledge is critical to avoiding another tragedy.

A stunning discovery in North Greenland has reclassified strange squid-like fossils, revealing that nectocaridids were not early cephalopods but ancestors of arrow worms. Preserved nervous systems and unique anatomical features provided the breakthrough, showing these creatures once ruled as stealthy predators of the Cambrian seas. With complex eyes, streamlined bodies, and evidence of prey in their stomachs, they reveal a surprising past where arrow worms were far more fearsome than their modern descendants.

Living near the ocean may actually help you live longer. A new nationwide study found that people in coastal regions enjoy life expectancies a year or more above the U.S. average, while city dwellers near inland rivers and lakes may face shorter lifespans. Researchers suggest the difference comes from environmental and social factors—cleaner air, cooler summers, recreation opportunities, and higher incomes near the coasts versus pollution, poverty, and flood risks inland. The findings reveal that not all “blue spaces” are equal, challenging assumptions that any water view brings health benefits.

A chance glance at a museum display has led to the first-ever discovery of an ichthyosaur fossil in western Japan, dating back around 220 million years. Initially mistaken for a common bivalve fossil, the specimen was revealed to contain 21 bone fragments, including ribs and vertebrae, belonging to a rare Late Triassic ichthyosaur. Experts say this find could reshape understanding of ichthyosaur evolution and their ability to cross the vast Panthalassic Ocean.

Scientists at CERN’s ATLAS experiment have uncovered compelling evidence of Higgs bosons decaying into muons, an incredibly rare event that could deepen our understanding of how particles acquire mass. They also sharpened their ability to detect the even rarer Higgs decay into a Z boson and a photon—a process that might reveal hidden physics beyond the Standard Model.

Scientists using Google’s quantum processor have taken a major step toward unraveling the deepest mysteries of the universe. By simulating fundamental interactions described by gauge theories, the team showed how particles and the invisible “strings” connecting them behave, fluctuate, and even break. This breakthrough opens the door to probing particle physics, exotic quantum materials, and perhaps even the structure of space and time itself.

Physicists have built a novel superconducting platform that mimics hidden vortex states once thought unobservable. Their "backdoor" method overcomes experimental limits, letting them control quantum behavior on demand. The discovery could pave the way for powerful quantum simulators.