Researchers have uncovered thousands of preserved metabolic molecules inside fossilized bones millions of years old, offering a surprising new window into prehistoric life. The findings reveal animals’ diets, diseases, and even their surrounding climate, including evidence of warmer, wetter environments. One fossil even showed signs of a parasite still known today. This approach could transform how scientists reconstruct ancient ecosystems.

Time-restricted eating has been widely promoted as a simple way to boost metabolic health, but new research paints a more complicated picture. When calorie intake stayed the same, an eight-hour eating window did not improve insulin sensitivity or cardiovascular markers. What did change was the body’s internal clock, which shifted based on meal timing and altered sleep patterns. The results suggest calorie reduction, not the eating window itself, may be the real driver of health benefits.

Researchers discovered that clogged brain “drains” show up early in people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease. These blockages, easily seen on standard MRI scans, are tied to toxic protein buildup linked to memory loss and cognitive decline. In some cases, they may signal Alzheimer’s earlier than other commonly used brain markers. This could help physicians detect the disease earlier, before irreversible damage sets in.

As spinal cord injuries increasingly affect older adults, new research reveals a surprising pattern in recovery. The study shows that aging does not appear to slow the healing of nerves themselves, with older patients regaining strength and sensation at rates similar to younger people. However, age makes a clear difference in how well people recover everyday abilities like walking, mobility, and self-care.

A new gel developed by McGill researchers could change how vocal cord injuries are treated. The injectable material lasts far longer than current options, staying intact for weeks instead of breaking down quickly. By acting like a molecular glue, it gives damaged vocal cords more time to heal. The team hopes it could eventually lead to a gentler, longer-lasting treatment for voice loss.

A one-dose oral drug called zoliflodacin has proven highly effective against gonorrhoea in a major international trial. The pill matched the success of current treatments while avoiding injections and complex dosing. As antibiotic resistance spreads, this new option could make treatment simpler and more accessible worldwide. Approval could mark a major step forward in controlling a stubborn global STI.

Common diabetes drugs may do more than regulate blood sugar—they could also influence how cancers grow, spread, or slow down. Researchers are now unraveling how these medications affect immune function, inflammation, and tumor biology, with intriguing but still uncertain implications.

Being active boosts your daily calorie burn more than previously thought. Researchers found that increased physical activity raises total energy use without triggering the body to conserve energy elsewhere. Basic functions keep running at full speed, even as movement increases. The result: exercise truly adds to your energy output rather than being metabolically “offset.”

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck northern Chile in July 2024—and it wasn’t supposed to be that strong. Unlike Chile’s infamous shallow “megathrust” quakes, this one ruptured deep inside the Earth, where shaking is usually weaker at the surface. Researchers discovered that the quake broke long-held assumptions by tearing through hotter rock layers than expected, fueled by a rare chain reaction that accelerated the rupture.

Scientists studying Alzheimer’s in African Americans have uncovered a striking genetic clue that may cut across racial lines. In brain tissue from more than 200 donors, the gene ADAMTS2 was significantly more active in people with Alzheimer’s than in those without it. Even more surprising, this same gene topped the list in an independent study of White individuals. The discovery hints at a common biological pathway behind Alzheimer’s and opens the door to new treatment strategies.

A newly discovered exoplanet is rewriting the rules of what planets can be. Orbiting a city-sized neutron star, this Jupiter-mass world has a bizarre carbon-rich atmosphere filled with soot clouds and possibly diamonds at its core. Its extreme gravity stretches it into a lemon shape, and it completes a full orbit in under eight hours. Scientists are stunned — no known theory explains how such a planet could exist.

A first-of-its-kind national trial shows that public Montessori preschool students enter kindergarten with stronger reading, memory, and executive function skills than their peers. These gains don’t fade — they grow over time, bucking a long-standing trend in early education research. Even better, Montessori programs cost about $13,000 less per child than traditional preschool. The results suggest a powerful, affordable model hiding in plain sight.

A new study suggests the vagus nerve may be one of the heart’s most important defenders against aging. Researchers found that keeping this nerve connected to the heart helps protect heart cells and maintain strong pumping ability. Even partial restoration of the nerve was enough to slow harmful changes in heart tissue. The discovery could reshape future heart and transplant surgeries.

Moss may look insignificant, but it can carry a hidden forensic fingerprint. Because different moss species thrive in very specific micro-environments, tiny fragments can reveal exactly where a person has been. Researchers reviewing 150 years of cases found moss has helped solve crimes across multiple countries, including one case where it led investigators directly to a buried child. The study urges law enforcement to pay closer attention to these silent witnesses.

Scientists are uncovering new clues that a cosmic explosion may have rocked Earth at the end of the last ice age. At major Clovis-era sites, researchers found shocked quartz—evidence of intense heat and pressure consistent with a comet airburst rather than volcanism or human activity. The event could have sparked massive fires, blocked sunlight, and triggered a rapid return to ice-age conditions. These harsh changes may explain the sudden loss of megafauna and the disappearance of the Clovis culture.

Astronomers tracking a nearby star system thought they had spotted an exoplanet reflecting light from its star. Then it vanished. Even stranger, another bright object appeared nearby. After studying years of Hubble Space Telescope data, scientists realized they were not seeing planets at all, but the glowing debris left behind by two massive collisions between asteroid-sized bodies.

The Champagne Cluster is a rare and beautiful example of two galaxy clusters smashing together. Its festive name comes from both its New Year’s Eve discovery and its bubbly appearance in space. Images reveal superheated gas and galaxies spread across a massive collision zone. Astronomers believe this system could help explain how dark matter responds when giant structures collide.

As we age, our immune system quietly loses its edge, and scientists have uncovered a surprising reason why. A protein called platelet factor 4 naturally declines over time, allowing blood stem cells to multiply too freely and drift toward unhealthy, mutation-prone behavior linked to cancer, inflammation, and heart disease. Researchers found that restoring this protein in older mice — and even in human stem cells in the lab — made aging blood and immune cells behave strikingly younger again.

New high-resolution images show that novae are anything but simple stellar fireworks. One exploded with multiple gas streams colliding almost immediately, while another shockingly delayed its eruption for more than 50 days before unleashing a powerful blast. These complex outflows create shock waves that produce intense gamma rays, confirming long-standing theories with direct visual evidence. The findings reveal novae as evolving, multi-stage events rather than single, instant explosions.

Mars once had sprawling river systems that rivaled major watersheds on Earth, and scientists have now identified the biggest ones for the first time. Researchers mapped 16 massive drainage basins where water likely flowed long enough to support life. Even though these areas cover just 5% of ancient Martian terrain, they account for a huge share of erosion and sediment movement. That makes them some of the most promising places to search for ancient life.