Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus has long fascinated scientists with its spectacular water plumes, which NASA’s Cassini spacecraft once revealed to contain organic molecules. Many hoped these molecules hinted at life-supporting chemistry in the moon’s hidden ocean. But new experiments suggest they may not come from the ocean at all—instead, radiation from Saturn’s magnetosphere could be producing them right on Enceladus’s frozen surface.

Scientists caution that asteroid deflection must be precise, as striking the wrong spot risks sending it through a gravitational keyhole that sets up a future collision with Earth. Using lessons from NASA’s DART mission, researchers are developing probability maps to guide safer impact strategies.

Astronomers have directly spotted a rare young planet, WISPIT 2b, still forming within the gap of a dusty ringed disk around a star like our sun—something long theorized but never observed until now.

Orangutans, humans’ close evolutionary relatives, have developed remarkable strategies to survive in the unpredictable rainforests of Borneo. A Rutgers-led study reveals that these apes balance protein intake and adjust their activity to match food availability, avoiding obesity and metabolic disease. Unlike humans, who often overeat processed foods without adjusting energy use, orangutans switch between fruits, leaves, and even stored body fat depending on the season. Their ability to maintain protein levels and conserve energy during scarcity offers insights not only into their survival but also into healthier dietary habits for people.

Artificial intelligence is consuming enormous amounts of energy, but researchers at the University of Florida have built a chip that could change everything by using light instead of electricity for a core AI function. By etching microscopic lenses directly onto silicon, they’ve enabled laser-powered computations that cut power use dramatically while maintaining near-perfect accuracy.

Like LEGO for the quantum age, researchers have created modular superconducting qubits that can be linked with high fidelity. This design allows reconfiguration, upgrades, and scalability, marking a big step toward fault-tolerant quantum computers.

Scientists have discovered that even short-term exposure to polluted air can speed up Alzheimer’s, worsening toxic protein buildup in the brain and accelerating memory loss. The research connects fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from sources like smoke and traffic directly to faster cognitive decline.

UC Berkeley researchers mapped the brain circuits that control growth hormone during sleep, uncovering a feedback system where sleep fuels hormone release, and the hormone regulates wakefulness. The discovery helps explain links between poor sleep, obesity, diabetes, and cognitive decline, while opening new paths for treating sleep and metabolic disorders.

Scientists discovered seven molecules in the blood linked to excessive daytime sleepiness, a condition that affects one in three Americans and raises the risk of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. The study highlights the role of both diet and hormones, finding that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may protect against drowsiness, while compounds like tyramine may worsen it.

Scientists at Leipzig University have identified a little-known receptor, GPR133, as a key player in bone health. By stimulating this receptor with a new compound called AP503, they were able to boost bone strength in mice, even reversing osteoporosis-like conditions. The breakthrough highlights a promising path toward safer and more effective treatments for millions struggling with bone loss, while also hinting at broader benefits for aging populations.

Researchers have uncovered why older adults are more vulnerable to severe flu. The culprit is a protein called ApoD, which rises with age and disrupts the body’s ability to fight infection. This protein damages lung tissue and weakens immune defenses, leading to worse outcomes. By pinpointing ApoD as the driver, scientists now see a promising new treatment target that could protect elderly patients from life-threatening influenza and dramatically cut flu-related deaths.

Tiny diatoms and their bacterial partners act as nature’s nutrient factories, fueling insects and salmon in California’s Eel River. Their pollution-free process could inspire breakthroughs in sustainable farming and energy.

Researchers studying over 1,000 children found that omega-3 fatty acids may help protect against myopia, while saturated fats may increase risk. Kids with more omega-3 in their diet had healthier eye measurements linked to slower vision deterioration. In contrast, those with high saturated fat intake showed worse outcomes.

Scientists from Finland and the UK have uncovered groundbreaking evidence that heart attacks may be triggered by infectious processes rather than just cholesterol and lifestyle factors. Hidden bacterial biofilms inside arterial plaques can remain dormant for decades, shielded from the immune system, until activated by a viral infection or another external trigger. Once awakened, the bacteria spark inflammation, rupture arterial plaques, and cause blockages that lead to heart attacks.

Scientists have uncovered a surprising new pathway behind life-threatening food allergies. Instead of histamine, a different chemical called leukotrienes drives severe reactions in the gut. These molecules, released by specialized mast cells, trigger inflammation and anaphylaxis when food allergens are ingested. Drugs already approved for asthma may block this pathway, opening the door to new ways to prevent or treat food-induced allergic emergencies.

Once thought to be sailors’ myths, rogue waves gained credibility after a towering 80-foot wall of water struck the Draupner oil platform in 1995. New research shows that these extreme waves don’t need mysterious forces to form—they emerge when ordinary ocean behaviors like wave alignment and nonlinear stretching converge at the wrong moment.

Scientists at Stanford have found that hyperactivity in the brain’s reticular thalamic nucleus may drive autism-like behaviors. In mouse models, drugs and neuromodulation techniques that suppressed this overactive region reversed symptoms, hinting at new therapeutic pathways that overlap with epilepsy treatments.

Sauropod tooth scratches reveal that some dinosaurs migrated seasonally, others ate a wide variety of plants, and climate strongly shaped their diets. Tanzania’s sand-blasted vegetation left especially heavy wear, offering rare insights into ancient ecosystems.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping law, ethics, and society at a speed that threatens fundamental human dignity. Dr. Maria Randazzo of Charles Darwin University warns that current regulation fails to protect rights such as privacy, autonomy, and anti-discrimination. The “black box problem” leaves people unable to trace or challenge AI decisions that may harm them.

Scientists have uncovered a sweet twist in the body’s fight against cancer. Glucose, best known as the fuel that powers our cells, also helps immune cells called T cells communicate and organize their attack on tumors. By turning sugar into special building blocks, T cells strengthen their internal signals and become far more effective cancer killers.