Flatworms can rebuild themselves from just a small fragment, and now scientists know why. Their stem cells ignore nearby instructions and respond to long-distance signals from other tissues. This discovery turns old stem cell theories upside down and could lead to new ways to repair or regrow human tissue. It also reveals a hidden complexity in one of nature’s simplest creatures.

UCL scientists found that human skulls evolved much faster than those of other apes, reflecting the powerful forces driving our brain growth and facial flattening. By comparing 3D models of ape skulls, they showed that humans changed about twice as much as expected. The findings suggest that both cognitive and social factors, not just intelligence, influenced our evolutionary path.

People with gum disease may have higher levels of brain white matter damage, a new study finds. Researchers observed that participants with gum disease had significantly more white matter hyperintensities, even after accounting for other risk factors. The findings hint that chronic oral inflammation could subtly impact the brain, especially in older adults. More research is needed, but keeping gums healthy might protect the mind too.

In a rare global collaboration, scientists from Japan and the United States joined forces to explore one of the universe’s deepest mysteries — why anything exists at all. By combining years of data from two massive neutrino experiments, researchers took a big step toward understanding how these invisible “ghost particles” might have tipped the cosmic balance in favor of matter over antimatter.

Two recently observed black hole mergers, occurring just weeks apart in late 2024, have opened an extraordinary new window into the universe’s most extreme events. These collisions not only revealed exotic spins and possible second-generation black holes but also provided unprecedented tests of Einstein’s general relativity. The precision of these detections allowed scientists to confirm theoretical predictions with unmatched accuracy, while also probing the possible existence of ultralight bosons—mysterious particles that could draw energy from black holes.

Global scientists warn that humanity is on the verge of crossing irreversible climate thresholds, with coral reefs already at their tipping point and polar ice sheets possibly beyond recovery. The Global Tipping Points Report 2025 reveals how rising temperatures could trigger a cascade of system collapses, from the Amazon rainforest turning to savanna to the potential shutdown of the Atlantic Ocean circulation.

A University of Tokyo team has turned organic molecules into nanodiamonds using electron beams, overturning decades of assumptions about beam damage. Their discovery could transform materials science and deepen understanding of cosmic diamond formation.

Finnish scientists found that eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) from fish oil impacts each person’s metabolism uniquely. Participants showed strong but short-lived increases in EPA levels, with significant differences in lipid profiles. The results reveal how metabolism shapes individual responses to omega-3 supplements and underscore the need for personalized heart health strategies.

New research reveals that intelligence plays a key role in how well people process speech in noisy environments. The study compared neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals and found that cognitive ability predicted performance across all groups. This challenges the idea that listening struggles are solely due to hearing loss, emphasizing the brain’s role in decoding complex soundscapes.

A new McGill-led study reveals that digital brain exercises can rejuvenate aging brain systems responsible for learning and memory. Older adults using BrainHQ for 10 weeks showed restored cholinergic function — effectively turning back the brain’s clock by a decade. Scans confirmed measurable biochemical changes, offering a hopeful new approach for dementia prevention.

A team of scientists discovered a hidden antibiotic 100 times stronger than existing drugs against deadly superbugs like MRSA. The molecule had been overlooked for decades in a familiar bacterium. It shows no signs of resistance so far, offering hope in the fight against drug-resistant infections and paving the way for new approaches to antibiotic discovery.

Researchers at QUT uncovered how corals reattach to reefs through a three-phase process involving tissue transformation, anchoring, and skeleton formation. Differences among species reveal why some corals grow and attach faster than others. Intriguingly, corals even digest their own tissue to heal and prepare for attachment. This insight could make coral restoration projects more precise and successful.

Beneath the ice of Antarctica’s Weddell Sea, scientists discovered a vast, organized city of fish nests revealed after the colossal A68 iceberg broke away. Using robotic explorers, they found over a thousand circular nests forming geometric patterns, each guarded by yellowfin noties. The expedition, initially aimed at studying the ice shelf and locating Shackleton’s Endurance, instead unveiled a thriving, structured ecosystem in one of the harshest places on Earth.

Tohoku University researchers have found a way to make quantum sensors more sensitive by connecting superconducting qubits in optimized network patterns. These networks amplify faint signals possibly left by dark matter. The approach outperformed traditional methods even under realistic noise. Beyond physics, it could revolutionize radar, MRI, and navigation technologies.

Rice University researchers have captured the temperature profile of quark-gluon plasma, the ultra-hot state of matter from the dawn of the universe. By analyzing rare electron-positron emissions from atomic collisions, they determined precise temperatures at different phases of the plasma’s evolution. The results not only confirm theoretical predictions but also refine the “QCD phase diagram,” which maps matter’s behavior under extreme conditions.

An international team of researchers led by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, working with 15 collaborators around the world, has conducted the most comprehensive study yet of lifespan differences between the sexes in mammals and birds. Their findings shed new light on one of biology’s enduring mysteries: why males and females age differently.

ETH Zurich scientists have created “MetaGraph,” a revolutionary DNA search engine that functions like Google for genetic data. By compressing global genomic datasets by a factor of 300, it allows researchers to search trillions of DNA and RNA sequences in seconds instead of downloading massive data files. The tool could transform biomedical research and pandemic response.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured the first detailed look at a carbon-rich disk surrounding the exoplanet CT Cha b, located about 625 light-years from Earth. The observations reveal a possible “moon factory,” where dust and gas could be coalescing into new moons. The planet orbits a young star only 2 million years old, and the disk’s composition offers rare insight into how moons and planets form in the early stages of a solar system’s life.

A new study offers reassurance about the safety of certain processed fats found in everyday foods. Interesterified fats made from palm or plant oils didn’t raise cholesterol or cause metabolic harm in healthy adults. The research challenges the idea that all processed fats are dangerous and shows that food technology can replace trans fats safely.

Fungi’s evolutionary roots stretch far deeper than once believed — up to 1.4 billion years ago, long before plants or animals appeared. Using advanced molecular dating and gene transfer analysis, researchers reconstructed fungi’s ancient lineage, revealing they were crucial in shaping Earth’s first soils and ecosystems.