The full moon of May 2025, aptly known as the Flower Moon, is almost upon us. Representing the pinnacle of springtime, the moon will gleam in the night sky on Monday, May 12, 2025. Although the moon will be at its fullest in the early afternoon or late morning throughout the U.S., it will be most visible when it returns to the sky after sunset. Across various cultures, the Flower Moon is tied closely with the abundance of blooming flowers. Find out the other reasons why this moon is so signific ...read more

Between 1637 and 1697, thousands of bodies were buried beneath a historic hospital in Milan. Designed to accommodate the dead as they decomposed, the crypt of the Ospedale Maggiore was used until the limited space and foul smells forced the hospital to find another place to deposit its dead. But the bodies beneath the Ospedale Maggiore, more commonly called the Ca’ Granda hospital, haven’t been forgotten, however. Since 2010, a team of researchers from the University of Milan and the Fondazi ...read more

The Yangtze finless porpoise is both charming and intelligent. It even appears to have a permanent smile on its face. Unfortunately, the porpoise, which is native to China, is critically endangered due to habitat loss. Thanks to over 700 Ancient Chinese poems, experts can now accurately map the decline of the porpoise. The poems date back nearly 2,000 years, spanning multiple dynasties. Since then, the Yangtze finless porpoise, which calls the Yangtze River its home, has lost more than half of ...read more

Farming, crafts, and trade all helped establish the foundation of a South American society known as the Chavin Phenomenon, which predated the Incas by about 2,000 years.But there was one more ingredient that tied it all together — hallucinogens. Unlike the other three elements, consuming mind-altering substances wasn’t a shared, communal experience, but rather a source for the leader’s power based on mystical visions, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Nationa ...read more

Great news for partners of celiac sufferers: you can kiss your partner without making them sick to their stomach. Since about 1 percent of the population has celiac disease and the symptoms can be dramatic, concern about inadvertent gluten transmission via kiss in not insignificant. Many partners of people with the condition have expressed concern about inadvertently transferring gluten to their loved one via kiss. A new study, presented at DDW2025 (Digestive Disease Week) in San Diego should pu ...read more

Fungi can be wonderful. Penicillium molds produce the antibiotic penicillin, which has saved untold lives by warding off bacterial infection. Psychedelic mushrooms alter the mind in profound and psychologically beneficial ways.But fungi have a dark side, too. Many parasitize and zombify other creatures, hijacking their bodies for gruesome, self-interested purposes — fortunately, humans have not yet made the list. Others, in stark contrast to penicillium, can cause severe infections. Here’s ...read more

In January 1922, Leonard Thompson was a teenager dying of diabetes in a Toronto hospital. There was no cure for diabetes, and most adolescents succumbed to the disease within a year of diagnosis.Thompson had endured diabetes for almost three years. The best physicians could advise was a near-starvation diet that reduced Thompson to only 65 pounds. His medical team agreed he was doomed. But then, Thompson received two injections of an experimental intervention— insulin. Within a day, his blood ...read more

If you’ve ever had a cold sore, the viral infection that caused it may lead to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease down the line. A growing body of evidence suggests that herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) — a common virus that often results in cold sores — is linked to Alzheimer’s.Several studies have found a correlation between HSV-1 infection and tau proteins, which play a major role in Alzheimer's progression. Find out what can happen inside your aging brain after catching th ...read more

Stumbling upon your grandmother’s colorful pillbox organizers or custom-made blister packs might leave you impressed — how does she keep track of all those differently shaped and colored pills, each taken at different times of the day? What seems like a simple routine is often a logistical challenge, and for many, keeping up with a strict medication schedule is easier said than done.A team of engineers at the University of California - San Diego may have found a solution. They’ve developed ...read more

A literal sea change disrupted the balance of aquatic predators during the middle Cretaceous. Before that period, during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, fierce aquatic reptilian predators prowled the oceans, including pliosaurids with jaws over six feet long, toothy thalattosuchia crocodyliforms, and fast, fish-like ichthyosaurians.Then, during the middle Cretaceous, something happened. Ichthyosaurs, thalattosuchians, and pliosaurids disappeared rather abruptly. But the change wasn’t a ...read more