Baby quasars: Growing supermassive black holes

The James Webb Space Telescope makes one of the most unexpected findings within its first year of service: A high number of faint little red dots in the distant Universe could change the way we understand the genesis of supermassive black holes. The research, led by Jorryt Matthee, Assistant Professor in astrophysics at the Institute … Read more

Cracking epigenetic inheritance: Biologists discovered the secrets of how gene traits are passed on

A research team led by Professor Yuanliang ZHAI at the School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) collaborating with Professor Ning GAO and Professor Qing LI from Peking University (PKU), as well as Professor Bik-Kwoon TYE from Cornell University, has recently made a significant breakthrough in understanding how the DNA copying machine … Read more

Children surpass a year of HIV remission after treatment pause

Four children have remained free of detectable HIV for more than one year after their antiretroviral therapy (ART) was paused to see if they could achieve HIV remission, according to a presentation today at the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Denver. The children, who acquired HIV before birth, were enrolled in … Read more

Earth’s earliest forest revealed in Somerset fossils

The oldest fossilised forest known on Earth — dating from 390 million years ago — has been found in the high sandstone cliffs along the Devon and Somerset coast of South West England. The fossils, discovered and identified by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Cardiff, are the oldest fossilised trees ever found in … Read more

Loss of nature costs more than previously estimated

Researchers propose that governments apply a new method for calculating the benefits that arise from conserving biodiversity and nature for future generations. The method can be used by governments in cost-benefit analyses for public infrastructure projects, in which the loss of animal and plant species and ‘ecosystem services’ — such as filtering air or water, … Read more

How the brain coordinates speaking and breathing

MIT researchers have discovered a brain circuit that drives vocalization and ensures that you talk only when you breathe out, and stop talking when you breathe in. The newly discovered circuit controls two actions that are required for vocalization: narrowing of the larynx and exhaling air from the lungs. The researchers also found that this … Read more

How does a virus hijack insect sperm to control disease vectors and pests?

A widespread bacteria called Wolbachia and a virus that it carries can cause sterility in male insects by hijacking their sperm, preventing them from fertilizing eggs of females that do not have the same combination of bacteria and virus. A new study led by microbiome researchers at Penn State has uncovered how this microbial combination … Read more

New study reveals insight into which animals are most vulnerable to extinction due to climate change

In a new study, researchers have used the fossil record to better understand what factors make animals more vulnerable to extinction from climate change. The results could help to identify species most at risk today from human-driven climate change. The findings have been published today in the journal Science. Past climate change (often caused by … Read more

COVID vaccines are safe for pregnant women and babies, study finds

Landmark study contradicts misinformation about brain development and conditions like autism in children. The COVID vaccine is safe to administer during pregnancy, reports UC San Francisco in an important finding on the safety of the vaccine in infants — despite widespread fear and misinformation. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, is the first scientific inquiry … Read more

Interstellar signal linked to aliens was actually just a truck

Sound waves thought to be from a 2014 meteor fireball north of Papua New Guinea were almost certainly vibrations from a truck rumbling along a nearby road, new Johns Hopkins University-led research shows. The findings raise doubts that materials pulled last year from the ocean are alien materials from that meteor, as was widely reported. … Read more