Scientists have discovered that complex life began evolving much earlier than traditional models suggested. Using an expanded molecular clock approach, the team showed that crucial cellular features emerged in ancient anoxic oceans long before oxygen became a major part of Earth’s atmosphere. Their results indicate that early complexity developed slowly over an unexpectedly long timescale.

Scientists uncovered a surprising four-layer structure hidden inside the hippocampal CA1 region, one of the brain’s major centers for memory, navigation, and emotion. Using advanced RNA imaging techniques, the team mapped more than 330,000 genetic signals from tens of thousands of neurons, revealing crisp, shifting bands of cell types that run along the length of the hippocampus. This layered organization may help explain why different parts of CA1 support different behaviors and why certain neurons break down more easily in disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy.

SPHERE’s detailed images of dusty rings around young stars offer a rare glimpse into the hidden machinery of planet formation. These bright arcs and faint clouds reveal where tiny planet-building bodies collide, break apart, and reshape their systems. Some disks contain sharp edges or unusual patterns that hint at massive planets still waiting to be seen, while others resemble early versions of our own asteroid belt or Kuiper belt. Together, the images form one of the most complete views yet of how newborn solar systems evolve and where undiscovered worlds may be hiding.

Scientists have discovered that moonquakes, not meteoroids, are responsible for shifting terrain near the Apollo 17 landing site. Their analysis points to a still-active fault that has been generating quakes for millions of years. While the danger to short missions is low, long-term lunar bases could face increasing risk. The findings urge future planners to avoid building near scarps and to prioritize new seismic instruments.

Researchers have identified hydrogen sulfide as a surprisingly effective tool for treating difficult nail infections. It penetrates nails more efficiently than current drugs and kills pathogens by disrupting their energy systems. The compound also works against fungi that resist standard antifungal treatments.

FGF19 triggers the brain to burn more energy and activate fat-burning cells, offering a potential new path for obesity treatments. The hormone enhances thermogenesis and reduces inflammation, but only when the sympathetic nervous system is active. Researchers uncovered how cold exposure increases receptor expression for FGF19 in the hypothalamus, hinting at an evolutionary role in temperature regulation. Ongoing work aims to discover how to boost natural production of this powerful metabolic hormone.

SQUIRE aims to detect exotic spin-dependent interactions using quantum sensors deployed in space, where speed and environmental conditions vastly improve sensitivity. Orbiting sensors tap into Earth’s enormous natural polarized spin source and benefit from low-noise periodic signal modulation. A robust prototype with advanced noise suppression and radiation-hardened engineering now meets the requirements for space operation. The long-term goal is a powerful space-ground network capable of exploring dark matter and other beyond-Standard-Model phenomena.

New findings challenge the widespread belief that AI is an environmental villain. By analyzing U.S. economic data and AI usage across industries, researchers discovered that AI’s energy consumption—while significant locally—barely registers at national or global scales. Even more surprising, AI could help accelerate green technologies rather than hinder them.

Scientists have discovered how to electrically power insulating nanoparticles using organic molecules that act like tiny antennas. These hybrids generate extremely pure near-infrared light, ideal for medical diagnostics and advanced communications. The approach works at low voltages and surpasses competing technologies in spectral precision. Early results suggest huge potential for future optoelectronic devices.

Researchers have uncovered a new species of wolf snake on Great Nicobar Island and named it Lycodon irwini in tribute to Steve Irwin. The glossy black, non-venomous snake grows up to a meter and appears confined to a small area. Scientists warn its limited habitat makes it vulnerable. The find underscores how much biodiversity in the region is still unexplored.

An immense Bronze Age settlement has emerged from the Kazakh Steppe, revealing a surprisingly urban and industrial society where archaeologists once expected nomadic camps. At Semiyarka, researchers uncovered massive residential compounds, a possible ceremonial or administrative building, and an entire industrial zone dedicated to producing tin bronze—an extremely rare discovery for the region. The site’s strategic perch above trade routes and mineral-rich mountains suggests it was a major hub of exchange, craftsmanship, and power.

On December 1, 2025, the U.S. average retail price of regular gasoline fell below $3.00 per gallon (gal) to $2.98/gal, according to data from our Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update. When adjusted for inflation, the December 1 price is the lowest average U.S. gasoline price since February 2021.

A next-generation drug tested in yeast was found to extend lifespan and slow aging by influencing a major growth-control pathway. Researchers also uncovered an unexpected role for agmatinases, enzymes that help keep this pathway in balance. Diet and gut microbes may affect aging more than expected because they produce the metabolites involved.

Regular consumption of polyphenol-rich foods like tea, coffee, berries, nuts, and whole grains may significantly support long-term heart health. A decade-long study of more than 3,100 adults found that those who consistently ate polyphenol-packed diets had healthier blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as lower predicted cardiovascular risk.

A researcher from the University of Tokyo and a U.S.-based structural engineer developed a new computational form-finding method that could change how architects and engineers design lightweight and free-form structures covering large spaces. The technique specifically helps create gridshells, thin, curved surfaces whose members form a networked grid. The method makes use of NURBS surfaces, a widely used surface representation format in computer-aided design (CAD). It also drastically reduces computation cost — a task that previously took 90 hours on a high-end GPU completes in about 90 minutes on a standard CPU.

Cedars-Sinai scientists have created a new experimental drug called TY1 that helps the body repair damaged DNA and restore injured tissue. The discovery came from studying tiny molecular messages released by heart cells that naturally support healing after injury. By identifying and recreating the most powerful of these messages, the team developed a synthetic RNA molecule that boosts the body’s DNA-repair system, reduces scarring, and may improve recovery after heart attacks and other diseases.

A large study found that people with impaired kidneys tend to have higher Alzheimer’s biomarkers, yet they don’t face a higher overall risk of dementia. For those who already have elevated biomarkers, kidney problems may speed up when symptoms appear. The findings show that kidney health can change how Alzheimer’s blood tests are read. Doctors may need to consider both organs to get a clearer picture.

Kyushu University scientists have achieved a major leap in fuel cell technology by enabling efficient proton transport at just 300°C. Their scandium-doped oxide materials create a wide, soft pathway that lets protons move rapidly without clogging the crystal lattice. This solves a decades-old barrier in solid-oxide fuel cell development and could make hydrogen power far more affordable.

Researchers engineered a strained germanium layer on silicon that allows charge to move faster than in any silicon-compatible material to date. This record mobility could lead to chips that run cooler, faster, and with dramatically lower energy consumption. The discovery also enhances the prospects for silicon-based quantum devices.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Growth Energy today joined liquid fuels groups representing ethanol producers, oil refiners, fuel marketers, travel plazas, truck stops and convenience store retailers to express the need for long-term policy certainty across the transportation fuel sector. In a letter to President Donald Trump, the organizations urged policymakers to advance legislation in support of a stable, efficient fuels marketplace.

“Legislation allowing the year-round, nationwide sale of E15 would improve fungibility and substantially reduce many of the complexities that arise for our industries as we operate in a national marketplace,” the organizations wrote.

The letter urges the White House to support legislative action providing lasting certainty to this issue and reforming the Small Refinery Exemption (SRE) program.

“The current SRE structure has encouraged a system of winners and losers that distorts the marketplace, creates instability, and ultimately, hurts consumers,” the organizations wrote. “A more consistent and narrowly applied SRE structure would create a far more predictable regulatory environment.”

Other liquid fuels groups on the letter included the American Petroleum Institute, National Association of Convenience Stores, NATSO, Representing America’s Travel Centers and Truck Stops, Renewable Fuels Association, and SIGMA: America’s Leading Fuel Marketers.

Click here to view the letter.

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