Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a rare mutation in the MET gene that can directly cause metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. The mutation disrupts the liver’s ability to process fat, leading to inflammation, scarring, and potentially cirrhosis. The discovery began with a father and daughter who had the disease without typical risk factors. Large-scale genomic data suggests similar rare variants may quietly contribute to the disease in many more people.

A mysterious form of plague that spread across Eurasia thousands of years before the Black Death has finally revealed a crucial clue. Scientists analyzing ancient DNA discovered the bacterium Yersinia pestis in a 4,000-year-old domesticated sheep from a Bronze Age settlement in the Ural Mountains—the first time the pathogen has ever been found in a non-human host from that era. Because this early strain couldn’t spread through fleas like the medieval plague, researchers have long puzzled over how it traveled so widely.

A newly identified protein may hold the key to preventing diabetic blindness. Researchers discovered that LRG1 triggers the earliest damage in diabetic retinopathy by constricting tiny retinal blood vessels and reducing oxygen supply. In mice, shutting down this protein stopped the damage before it could take hold. The finding could pave the way for treatments that protect vision before symptoms ever begin.

A team of physicists has experimentally confirmed a long-predicted sequence of exotic magnetic phases in an atomically thin material. When cooled, the material forms tiny magnetic vortices before transitioning into a second ordered magnetic state—exactly as predicted by a famous theoretical model from the 1970s. Observing both phases together for the first time validates key ideas about how magnetism behaves in two dimensions. The findings could help inspire ultracompact technologies built on nanoscale magnetic control.

Gravity may seem constant, but it actually varies across the planet—and one of the strangest places is Antarctica, where gravity is slightly weaker than expected. Scientists have traced this “gravity hole” to slow, deep movements of rock inside Earth that unfolded over tens of millions of years. Using earthquake data to essentially create a CT scan of the planet’s interior, researchers reconstructed how the anomaly evolved and discovered that it strengthened between about 50 and 30 million years ago.

Researchers have discovered a new way to increase a key brain protein damaged in Rett syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects thousands of children worldwide. Early studies in mice and patient-derived cells show the approach can restore normal brain cell function, raising hopes for future therapies.

CBD and CBG, two non-intoxicating cannabis compounds, may help combat fatty liver disease by boosting liver energy reserves and restoring cellular cleanup systems. In the study, both compounds improved blood sugar control and reduced harmful lipids linked to fatty liver disease. Researchers say the findings point to a promising new plant-based approach to treating metabolic liver disorders.

Koalas suffered a massive population decline that left them with dangerously low genetic diversity. However, new genomic research suggests their rapid rebound may be helping reverse some of that genetic damage. As koala numbers rise, recombination is mixing their remaining DNA into new combinations, which can rebuild functional diversity. The findings suggest that fast population recovery can sometimes help species regain lost evolutionary potential.

A Rutgers-led study found that eating less protein may help slow liver cancer in people with impaired liver function. When damaged livers can’t properly clear toxic ammonia from protein metabolism, the excess ammonia can feed tumor growth. In mice, reducing dietary protein lowered ammonia levels, slowed tumor growth, and significantly improved survival.

Researchers in Sweden have engineered a cell-free cartilage scaffold that can guide the body to rebuild damaged bone. By removing the cells but preserving the structure and natural growth signals, the material acts as a blueprint for the body’s own repair process. In animal studies, it helped regenerate bone without triggering strong immune reactions. The team now plans to scale up production and begin testing the approach in humans.

Most of our daily actions may happen without much thought. Researchers found that around 65% of everyday behaviors are triggered automatically by habit rather than conscious decisions. Many of these habits actually support our personal goals, helping us follow through on things like healthy routines. The key to lasting change, scientists say, is building new positive habits while disrupting the cues that trigger bad ones.

Scientists have discovered a newly identified marine fungus that can infect and kill toxic algae responsible for harmful blooms. The microscopic parasite, named Algophthora mediterranea, attacks algae such as Ostreopsis cf. ovata, which produces toxins that can irritate the lungs, skin, and eyes of people exposed during coastal blooms. Remarkably, the fungus can infect several different algae species and even survive on pollen, suggesting it is far more adaptable than most known marine parasites.

A tiny piece of moss helped expose a cemetery scandal in Illinois, where workers allegedly dug up graves and resold burial plots. By identifying the moss and analyzing its chlorophyll to estimate its age, scientists proved the remains had been moved recently—evidence that helped secure convictions.

Cocaine addiction isn’t simply a failure of willpower — it’s the result of lasting biological changes in the brain. Researchers at Michigan State University discovered that repeated cocaine use rewires communication between the brain’s reward system and the hippocampus, the region responsible for memory. A protein called DeltaFosB builds up with continued drug use and acts like a genetic switch, altering how neurons function and strengthening the brain’s drive to seek cocaine.

Advanced 3D reconstructions of the comb jelly’s aboral organ reveal a sensory system far more complex than scientists expected. The organ contains a wide variety of specialized cells and is closely linked to the animal’s nerve network, allowing it to coordinate behavior and orientation in the water. Researchers say it may function as a primitive brain-like center. The discovery suggests that centralized nervous systems might have evolved independently in different animal lineages.

For decades, astronomers wondered why most nearby galaxies are speeding away from the Milky Way instead of being pulled in by its gravity. New simulations reveal the answer: our galaxy sits in a gigantic, flat sheet of matter surrounded by huge empty voids. This hidden structure—dominated by dark matter—balances gravitational forces and lets neighboring galaxies drift outward. The discovery finally explains the puzzling motions of galaxies just beyond our Local Group.

Electrons in solar materials can be launched across molecules almost as fast as nature allows, thanks to tiny atomic vibrations acting like a “molecular catapult.” In experiments lasting just 18 femtoseconds, researchers at the University of Cambridge observed electrons blasting across a boundary in a single burst, far faster than long-standing theories predicted. Instead of slow, random movement, the electron rides the natural vibrations of the molecule itself, challenging decades of design rules for solar materials.

Researchers created an AI-driven liquid biopsy that scans patterns in fragments of DNA circulating in the blood. The system detected early liver fibrosis and cirrhosis—conditions that often go unnoticed until serious damage occurs. By analyzing genome-wide DNA fragmentation patterns rather than specific mutations, the approach captures hidden signals about a person’s overall health. Early detection could help doctors treat liver disease sooner and potentially prevent cancer.

A sweeping new ALMA image has peeled back the veil on the Milky Way’s core, exposing a dense network of cold gas filaments near the central black hole. Stretching across 650 light-years, the survey maps the hidden fuel for star formation in remarkable detail and reveals a surprisingly complex chemical brew. This extreme region hosts some of the galaxy’s most massive, short-lived stars. The findings could help explain how stars — and even entire galaxies — formed under the universe’s most chaotic conditions.

A new study shows that as humpback whale populations recover from past whaling, older males are gaining a major advantage in reproduction. Early in the recovery, breeding groups were dominated by younger whales. But as more mature males returned, they increasingly fathered more calves than their younger rivals. Scientists say experience in singing and competing may help older males win the breeding battle.