The Industrial Revolution 150 years ago transformed human life in many ways, including granting us unlimited access to sugar. But combined with other technological advances, much of the Western population now leads a more sedentary lifestyle. The result is a society grappling with obesity and related conditions, such as type 2 diabetes. While metformin is one of the most widely prescribed antidiabetic drugs worldwide, its precise interaction with sugar has not been fully understood — until now ...read more

A company that intends to bring back the woolly mammoth has taken a small, but significant step toward its massive de-extinction goal: it has created a woolly mouse. The company, Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences, used a variety of gene-editing techniques to create a number of tiny rodents with the massive, extinct species’ bushy hair. They reported their results in bioRxiv.org.Making the Woolly MouseTheir gene editing efforts focused on two general traits — both of which are associate ...read more

Animals are increasingly becoming as well-traveled as humans, with the rate of pet travel increasing by 19 percent in the last decade, according to a 2023 study. Meanwhile, in the U.S., two million domestic animals board commercial flights every year.But how safe is air travel for our pets? Veterinarians say that while there’s not one aspect of flight that is necessarily more dangerous or harmful than another, it depends on how prepared pet owners are — and the animal itself. Are Airplanes S ...read more

The future of space exploration looks to grow even brighter as the launch of NASA’s highly anticipated SPHEREx mission lies right on the horizon. The mission, set to launch the evening of March 4, 2025 will survey the vast expanse of space for the next two years to construct an unprecedented map of the sky.NASA is ready to tackle the universe’s most pressing questions with Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx). Launching on a Sp ...read more

The national parks within the U.S. are wonders to behold. They haven’t been named “America’s Best Idea” for nothing. And while they may simply seem like places to vacation, they are much, much more than that. Beyond their pristine beauty, where you can find peace and adventure, they are home to some extraordinary species, including some animals on the endangered species list. The National Park Service (NPS) staff, including rangers and researchers, work tirelessly to ensure these animal ...read more

In one small step toward lunar commercialization, the first-ever privately funded lander touched down March 2, 2025 on the moon’s surface. The lander, named Blue Ghost, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 15, 2025, then travelled more than 2.8 million miles before safely coming to rest in a 300-mile-wide basin near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille on the moon.First-Ever Private LanderThe lander was developed by Texas company Firefly Aerospace. Its mission is ...read more

Self-driving cars, like the Volkswagen Herbie and KITT from Knight Rider, are gradually transitioning from science fiction to reality. The benefits are clear: passengers can use their commute to relax, work, or be entertained while reducing accidents caused by human error. Additionally, autonomous vehicles offer increased mobility for individuals unable to drive themselves.However, giving up control in the complex environment of road traffic requires highly advanced technology. Ongoing developme ...read more

An area of the brain called Heschl’s gyrus — long known for handling early auditory processing — plays a far greater role in interpreting speech than previously understood. It helps interpret the meaning behind subtle changes in pitch, tone, and emphasis into meaningful information, according to a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications.Scientists had long thought that deciphering those qualities — collectively known as prosody — happened in the superior temporal gy ...read more

Crewed space travel isn’t just an engineering feat. It’s a test of the endurance and resilience of the human body. In microgravity, astronauts' bodies undergo dramatic changes: muscles weaken, bones lose density, fluids shift, and vision can be affected. Beyond that, deep space exposes them to radiation, which can damage DNA and increase long-term health risks.As space agencies and private companies plan for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, understanding exactly how space travel impac ...read more

Sweetness may be contagious. A growing body of research has revealed that the type of people who have a sweet tooth may also have a sweet temperament.“According to the conceptual metaphor theory, metaphors such as ‘love is sweet’ may be more than just linguistic terms — they can build scaffolds to unconsciously guide our behavior,” says Michael Schaefer, a neuropsychologist at Medical School Berlin.A Sweet Tooth and Sweet TemperamentIn research published in 2012, Brian Meier, a psychol ...read more