Around 30 percent of people have Staphylococcus aureus bacteria — the primary bacterial culprit behind staphylococcal infections — somewhere on their skin or in their nose. In most cases, these spherically shaped bacteria stay out of trouble. But that’s only in most cases. When presented with open wounds, scrapes, and scratches, S. aureus can invade and infect the body, and with serious consequences. In the skin, staph infections can cause boils, blisters, and inflammation. In the blood, t ...read more

The universal need to be on time keeps everyone on the move, shaping society into a permanently well-oiled machine. Whether you find yourself glancing at a clock on the wall or checking your phone, the time you constantly see is the product of a meticulous system upheld by the world’s timekeepers. In the U.S., a new atomic clock called NIST-F4 has already proven to be one of the most precise timekeepers yet. Assembled by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST-F ...read more

While breast cancer rates for women aged 20 to 49 have gradually grown over the past 20 years, mortality from all forms of the disease and in all racial and ethnic groups have declined significantly from 2010 to 2020 with an even bigger dip in deaths after 2016, according to data presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Chicago.Breast Cancer Research and ScreeningGreater access to screening, advancements in treatment options, and a movement toward precisio ...read more

A meteorite that struck northwestern Scotland about a billion years ago may have collided 200 million years later than initially believed. New research from Curtin University in Australia analyzed tiny crystals left behind by the impact and found that they were younger than previously thought. This new information could change what science knows about Scotland’s rich geological history and the general understanding of how non-marine life evolved on Earth. Scotland’s Meteorite Strike Along ...read more

The far side of the moon has a drier mantle than researchers previously believed, giving scientists more insight into its water content and the way that the moon has evolved.“Water abundance is crucial for understanding the origin and subsequent evolution process of the moon,” says Sen Hu, an astrophysicist with the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.A better understanding of the moon’s water content — though minimal — may also point to potential res ...read more

Prostate cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among men globally. In the United States, it holds the top spot as the most common cancer diagnosis among men. One of the persistent challenges in managing prostate cancer is the lack of exact biomarkers that can reliably detect early tumors.Now, a collaboration between scientists from Sweden, the UK, and China has identified a promising set of new, precise biomarkers — found in a simple urine sample. Their groundbreaki ...read more

Mice are experts at learning fears, and they’re experts at unlearning them, too. But what allows these animals to push past their terror when something that was a threat isn’t a threat anymore? According to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), a dopamine circuit in the brain sends out the signals that initiate fear extinction in mice, enabling these animals to overcome their trepidations.“Dopamine is essential to initiate fear extinction,” said Michel ...read more

We’re constantly making memories with every experience, but how do they stick with us? It turns out that a good night’s sleep makes them last. Recent research shows that as we sleep, the neurons in our brains undergo processes that not only preserve past memories but also prepare for the creation of new memories to come. A new study published in Nature Communications captured memory processing in mice by following neuronal activity in their brains before, during, and after learning experienc ...read more

Does seismic activity under this long-dead volcano mean it’s about to rise from the grave? That’s what an international research team set out to discover as this Bolivian “zombie” volcano continues to show signs of activity.Using modern technology, the team mapped out the internal workings of the volcano and determined how likely it could erupt, according to a new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Uturuncu, The Zombie VolcanoUturuncu hasn’t erupted ...read more

Remains of an ancient noblewoman have been discovered at a site unfit for a queen — a former garbage dump in Caral, Peru. The dump became an archaeological site in the 1990s.Archaeologists in what may be one of the oldest cities in the Americas, unearthed the mummified woman who was between 20 years and 35 years old. They estimate she was buried about 5,000 years ago. Her body was wrapped in cotton fabrics, reed mats, and covered by a panel embroidered with macaw feathers. She also wore a hea ...read more