HIV antivirals may be the key to stopping HTLV-1, a deadly virus with no cure. In a decade-long study, researchers successfully suppressed the virus in mice and discovered a way to kill infected cells, offering hope for the first preventative and curative treatments.

Imagine concrete that not only survives wildfires and extreme weather, but heals itself and absorbs carbon from the air. Scientists at USC have created an AI model called Allegro-FM that simulates billions of atoms at once, helping design futuristic materials like carbon-neutral concrete. This tech could transform cities by reducing emissions, extending building lifespans, and mimicking the ancient durability of Roman concrete—all thanks to a massive leap in AI-driven atomic modeling.

Astronomers have likely witnessed a planet forming in real time, seen inside a spiral arm of the HD 135344B protoplanetary disc—exactly where theory predicted. The direct light detection is what sets this apart from previous hints of forming worlds.

When imagining the future, optimists' brains tend to look remarkably alike, while pessimists show more varied neural activity. This neurological alignment could explain why optimists are often more socially in sync with others.

Radiation therapy, once thought of mainly as a local cancer treatment, is now showing power to awaken the immune system in surprising ways. Researchers discovered that combining radiation with immunotherapy can transform stubborn, unresponsive lung tumors into targets for immune attack—especially those considered “cold” and typically resistant. This happens through a rare and poorly understood effect where immune cells are activated systemically, not just at the radiation site. Patients whose tumors underwent this “warm-up” had significantly better outcomes, revealing a promising new strategy for fighting hard-to-treat cancers.

Scientists have discovered a sugar compound from deep-sea bacteria that can destroy cancer cells in a dramatic way. This natural substance, produced by microbes living in the ocean, causes cancer cells to undergo a fiery form of cell death, essentially making them self-destruct. In lab tests and in mice with liver cancer, the compound not only stopped tumors from growing, but also activated the immune system to fight back. This finding could pave the way for entirely new cancer treatments based on sugars from marine organisms.

Scientists have discovered that pairing bread wheat with a special soil fungus can significantly enhance its nutritional value. This partnership leads to bigger grains rich in zinc and phosphorus—without increasing anti-nutrients that block absorption. As a result, the wheat becomes a healthier option for human diets. Researchers believe this fungal strategy could offer a natural, sustainable way to fortify global crops with essential nutrients.

Scientists in Svalbard were shocked to find rain and greenery instead of snow during Arctic winter fieldwork. The event highlights not just warming—but a full seasonal shift with major consequences for ecosystems, climate feedback, and research feasibility.

A colossal 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked central Myanmar in March 2025, marking the strongest quake in over a century. What makes this event groundbreaking isn't just the seismic power it s the unprecedented footage captured by a CCTV camera near the fault line. Researchers at Kyoto University used this rare video to measure the fault s movement in stunning detail, confirming a rapid, pulse-like rupture and a subtle curve in the slip path. This real-time visual data opens a new frontier in earthquake science, potentially transforming how we understand and predict seismic behavior.

A groundbreaking study involving genetic data from over five million people has uncovered how our DNA can predict obesity risk as early as childhood. The new polygenic risk score outperforms previous methods, helping to identify high-risk children before weight issues develop paving the way for early lifestyle interventions.

What made ribose the sugar of choice for life's code? Scientists at Scripps Research may have cracked a major part of this mystery. Their experiments show that ribose binds more readily and selectively to phosphate compared to other similar sugars, forming a structure ideal for RNA formation. This discovery hints at how nature might have selected specific molecules long before enzymes or life existed, and could reshape our understanding of life’s chemical origins.

New research from the University of Sydney sheds light on how coronaviruses emerge in bat populations, focusing on young bats as hotspots for infections and co-infections that may drive viral evolution. By analyzing thousands of samples over three years, scientists discovered that juvenile bats frequently host multiple coronaviruses simultaneously—offering a real-time window into how new strains might arise. These findings, while involving non-human-infecting viruses, provide a powerful model to forecast how dangerous variants could eventually spill over into humans, especially as environmental pressures bring bats closer to human habitats.

Scientists have uncovered hidden bony armor—called osteoderms—beneath the skin of 29 goanna species across Australasia, a discovery that radically changes what we thought we knew about lizard evolution. Using museum specimens and advanced scanning, researchers found these structures are far more widespread than previously known, suggesting they may help with survival in harsh environments, not just offer protection. The revelation redefines how we understand lizard adaptation, ancient evolution, and the untapped potential of museum collections.

Scientists in Australia have uncovered the biological triggers behind oil production in oats, a discovery that could revolutionize how oats are processed and marketed. By using advanced imaging and molecular techniques, researchers identified key enzymes that drive oil synthesis in oat grains. This opens the door to developing low-oil oat varieties that are easier to mill and better suited for high-demand markets like plant-based foods and oat flour.

Scientists have observed a brand-new and exotic atomic nucleus: aluminium-20. Unlike anything seen before, it decays through a stunning three-proton emission sequence, shedding light on nuclear behavior far beyond the limits of stability. This breakthrough, involving researchers from China and Germany, not only adds a new isotope to the nuclear chart but also hints at broken symmetry and unexpected quantum properties deep within matter.

A surprising discovery from Emory University shows that psilocin, the active metabolite of psychedelic mushrooms, can delay cellular aging and extend lifespan. Human cells lived over 50% longer, and mice treated with psilocybin not only lived 30% longer but also looked and aged better.

Ancient river landscapes buried beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet have been uncovered by radar, revealing vast, flat surfaces formed over 80 million years ago before Antarctica froze. These hidden features, stretching across 3,500 kilometers, are now acting as natural brakes on glacier flow, potentially moderating current ice loss. Their discovery adds a new piece to the puzzle of Earth's climate history and could help scientists better forecast how this enormous ice sheet will behave as the planet warms.

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope is set to embark on a deep-sky survey that could capture nearly 100,000 cosmic explosions, shedding light on everything from dark energy to black hole physics. Its High-Latitude Time-Domain Survey will revisit the same region of the sky every five days for two years, catching transient phenomena like supernovae — particularly type Ia, which are cosmic mileposts for tracking the universe’s expansion. Roman’s simulations suggest it could push the boundary of what we know about the early universe, observing ancient supernovae over 11.5 billion years old.

Scientists at Rice University and the University of Houston have created a powerful new material by guiding bacteria to grow cellulose in aligned patterns, resulting in sheets with the strength of metals and the flexibility of plastic—without the pollution. Using a spinning bioreactor, they’ve turned Earth’s purest biopolymer into a high-performance alternative to plastic, capable of carrying heat, integrating advanced nanomaterials, and transforming packaging, electronics, and even energy storage.

Millions of tons of plastic in the ocean aren't floating in plain sight—they're invisible. Scientists have now confirmed that the most abundant form of plastic in the Atlantic is in the form of nanoplastics, smaller than a micrometer. These particles are everywhere: in rain, rivers, and even the air. They may already be infiltrating entire ecosystems, including the human brain, and researchers say prevention—not cleanup—is our only hope.