A black hole observed during a dramatic 2023 eruption did not simply devour gas from its nearby companion star。 It also expelled large amounts of material through powerful jets and winds, even after the outburst had nearly faded。 The results suggest black holes may continue reshaping their surroundings long after their brightest fireworks end
Cancer cells rely on powerful genetic switches to keep growth genes running at full speed, but that intense activity can damage their own DNA。 The resulting breaks are repeatedly repaired, sometimes with small mistakes that allow new mutations to accumulate。 Researchers believe this self-inflicted damage may help tumors evolve while also creating a
NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two Roscosmos cosmonauts are back on Earth after spending 241 days aboard the International Space Station。 Their journey covered more than 102 million miles and included 3,856 trips around the planet
A group of brain cells called orexin neurons appears to help us keep working when reaching a reward becomes increasingly difficult。 Blocking their activity weakened motivation in rats, pointing to a possible new target for understanding why people sometimes struggle to sustain goal-directed behavior
New research challenges the decades-old idea that children experience an “adiposity rebound” when their BMI begins rising around age 6。 Although BMI returns to earlier levels, a more reliable measure showed that body fat does not rebound at all。 The increase appears to come from growing muscle and lean tissue as children prepare for later growth
A quantum problem once described as impossible for classical computers has now been solved using relatively modest hardware。 Researchers used tensor networks to compress the overwhelming wave function created by hundreds of entangled qubits, allowing some calculations to run on a laptop。 Their results matched both theoretical predictions and simula
Stanford researchers discovered immune cells in flatworms that explode within minutes, killing nearby bacteria and foreign cells before vanishing completely。 Their unusually fast and localized attack could offer clues for developing targeted treatments against infections and cancer
Scientists have created twisted laser beams that interact differently with right-handed and left-handed molecules, revealing their identity through the fragments they produce。 The approach could provide a faster, simpler, and more sensitive way to analyze important molecules used in chemistry and pharmaceuticals
Zulfi Alam thinks his team doesn’t need to “prove” they engineered a new state of matter in their bid to reinvent computing。 Science would disagree
Modern humans carry DNA from two mysterious extinct lineages in addition to Neanderthals and Denisovans。 Their hidden genetic legacy shows that our evolutionary past was shaped by repeated mixing among many different human groups
Researchers have found a way to build much larger “twisted” oxide materials while precisely controlling how their atomic layers line up。 Because these materials can be made over large areas and transferred onto different surfaces, the technique could help turn twistronics from a laboratory curiosity into a practical platform for next-generation ele
Engineers have transformed a notoriously brittle cobalt-aluminum compound into a material that is both extremely strong and capable of bending without breaking。 Their nanoscale design produced a yield strength about six to 10 times greater than high-strength structural steel while sustaining substantial deformation at room temperature。 The approach
MIT engineers have found a way to give chip-based lidar a wider, clearer view without relying on moving parts。 Their design uses differently shaped antennas that can sit close together without scrambling one another’s signals。 In tests, the system sharply reduced interference while steering a single precise beam across a broad field of view
Weight loss is not simply a test of willpower。 The human brain evolved to protect body fat during times of scarcity, and it can treat a previously higher weight as the new normal, triggering stronger hunger, cravings, and lower energy use after weight loss。 This biological “memory” helps explain why many people regain weight after dieting and why m