IT IS a biological stowaway that nearly every adult on the planet harbors, a silent companion nestled within the very immune cells designed to guard us. For many, the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a benign squatter, a remnant of a childhood fever or a teenage episode of glandular fever that has entered a lifelong dormancy. […]

At the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) located in Seoul, investigators have achieved notable advancements in addressing a challenge in green hydrogen generation. In conventional water electrolysis, two distinct reactions take place: hydrogen production at the cathode and oxygen production at the anode. These processes necessitate different catalysts, frequently platinum for hydrogen and […]

For a duration of fifteen hours last January, the James Webb Space Telescope concentrated on Uranus, generating the inaugural three-dimensional representation of its upper atmosphere. Under the leadership of Paola Tiranti, the results were published in Geophysical Research Letters. The intricate magnetic field of Uranus, tilted and misaligned compared to Earth’s, affects its auroras and […]

At 7 kelvin — a temperature so frigid that even air would solidify — a solitary molecule rests on a copper surface. By most standards, it is among the tiniest entities ever intentionally examined: a ring composed of four carbon atoms and one nitrogen, with hydrogen atoms extending from its periphery. A tungsten tip hovers […]

A freshly emerged chick, merely hours old and unsteady on its legs, stands in a compact arena. In front of it, a screen shows two forms: one with smooth, rounded contours and another with sharp, jagged lines. From a concealed speaker, a nonsensical term, “bouba,” is played on repeat. The chick approaches the rounded form, […]

When Peter Convey first stepped onto Signy Island in the South Orkney archipelago in 1989, a small rock was visible through the McCloud Glacier’s surface. It was named Manhaul Rock, though it hardly warranted one. You could easily approach it, ski by it, or drive a skidoo across the ice next to it. By 2024, […]

Pose a question to an AI chatbot, and you will receive a refined, useful response. Inquire about its true identity, however, and things get peculiar. A few years ago, researchers at Anthropic modified certain internal connections within their Claude model, causing the chatbot to believe it was the Golden Gate Bridge. When asked about its […]

At some point during your fifties or sixties, unexpectedly you may observe that a protein in your blood starts to undergo changes. The alteration is minimal — a slight increase in a certain molecular ratio — yet it signifies the beginning of a countdown. Decades later, if that ratio continues to rise along its predicted […]

**Pioneering Advances in Feline Oncology: Cats and Human Cancer Genomics** In a groundbreaking study set to transform oncology, a team of researchers has charted the genetic terrain of feline cancers, highlighting intriguing similarities with human cancer biology. The global collaboration, led by the Wellcome Sanger Institute, represents the most thorough genetic investigation of feline tumors […]