Tag Archives: ScienceAlert

The day before my thesis examination, my friend and radio astronomer Joe Callingham showed me an image we’d been awaiting for five long years – an infrared photo of two dying stars we’d requested from the Very Large Telescope in Chile. I gasped – the stars were wreathed in a huge spiral of dust, like a snake eating its own …

Supermassive black holes represent one of the biggest head-scratchers in the Universe. These behemoths weighing millions to tens of billions of Suns lurk at the center of just about every galaxy – the gravitational heart around which stars and planets and clouds of shimmering gas whirl in an intricate dance. What we don’t know is how these giants are born. …

In efforts to beat Alzheimer’s disease, researchers are looking at existing drugs that could tackle the condition, and a new study identifies two promising candidates that are currently used to treat cancer. Already approved by regulators in the US – meaning potential clinical trials for Alzheimer’s could start sooner – the drugs are letrozole (usually used to treat breast cancer) …

In an unexpected twist in the fight against cancer, humble kitchen bacteria and a plant best known for sweetening tea could one day help in treating one of humanity’s deadliest diseases, new research suggests. A group of scientists in Japan has discovered that fermented stevia, a plant commonly used as a calorie-free sweetener, may hold intriguing anti-cancer properties. While these …

Psilocybin‘s health benefits could extend beyond the mental realm. A new study in human cells and mice has found the first experimental evidence that the compound can increase longevity and fight signs of aging. Being a psychedelic, psilocybin is usually investigated for its potential as a treatment for depression, anxiety, and other neurological disorders. But there hasn’t been a whole …

Broken connections between brain cells play a critical role in multiple neurodegenerative conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. Scientists have now come up with a novel way of repairing our neural wiring. A team led by University of Pisa biologist Sara De Vincentiis used mini-brains grown in a lab to test a technique they’re calling “nano-pulling”, using tiny magnetic particles controlled by …

COVID-19 could lead to a protein build-up similar to that seen in Alzheimer’s patients – not just in the brain, but also in the eyes, according to a new study. This may explain why ‘brain fog’, an umbrella term for issues with memory or cognition, is often reported as a symptom of COVID-19. In a new study led by Yale …

A bizarre reptile once scurried through the Triassic treetops with an extravagant crest on its back, one made from neither scale, nor bone, nor feather. The extinct creature’s 247-million-year-old fossils immediately stood out to paleontologists. The impressive appendage on its back looks like a frill of overlapping feathers at first glance, but it’s much older than the earliest fossilized feather, …

According to new research, communication between the gut and the brain is sophisticated enough to be classed as a new and distinct sense – one capable of affecting our appetite and even our mood. This two-way link has previously been associated with a variety of health issues, though the physical processes at work have never been clearly identified. Building on …

When NASA’s upcoming Dragonfly probe skims the lakes of Saturn‘s moon Titan, it may encounter a froth akin to Earth’s first signs of life, a new study suggests. Titan is strikingly similar to Earth in some respects. Like the planet we call home, its surface is covered with large lakes and seas of liquid. And, much like the water cycle …