Latest articles in Science
The devastating twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela this week, killing over 1,430 people, hit along fault lines that scientists had previously identified as high-risk zones. The quakes, measuring 7.4 and 7.2, underscore the gap between scientific warning and disaster preparedness in the region.
The twin earthquakes that devastated Venezuela on June 24 — magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 — occurred on the Oca-Alcón/El Pilar fault system, a strike-slip fault similar to California's San Andreas. The events, known as a 'doublet,' happened just 39 seconds apart and at a shallow depth of 10 km, amplifying destruction. Scientists warn that complex fault interactions mean the region remains at elevated seismic risk.
New research published in Nature Neuroscience reveals that neurons intentionally break their own DNA strands to enable brain plasticity and memory formation. Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that when neurons are activated during learning, they create controlled double-strand breaks in DNA at specific genes related to synaptic plasticity. The breaks are then rapidly repaired, a process the researchers call "coordinated DNA breakage and repair" that is essential for long-term memory.
Astronomers using NASA's TESS space telescope have discovered two 'super-puff' exoplanets, TOI-791b and TOI-791c, that are as large as Jupiter but have densities lower than cotton candy. TOI-791b has just 3% of Jupiter's mass while being nearly the same size, and TOI-791c is even larger yet holds only 5.9% of Jupiter's mass. The planets orbit a Sun-like star 1,113 light-years away and are among the least dense planets ever discovered.
Scientists have discovered that Streptomyces soil bacteria produce a four-compound antibiotic cocktail that attacks multiple parts of an essential metabolic pathway in dangerous superbugs. Published in Nature, the research found that the combination of compounds makes it extremely difficult for bacteria to develop resistance, offering a potential new strategy for combating antimicrobial resistance that claims over 1 million lives annually worldwide.
New research published in Nature Neuroscience suggests the cerebellum, a brain structure long known primarily for coordinating movement, may help compensate for cognitive decline in aging. Researchers found that older adults with higher cerebellar activity performed better on memory and executive function tests. The finding opens new avenues for understanding brain resilience and could lead to targeted therapies for age-related cognitive conditions.
Scientists have identified nearly 166,000 square kilometers of coral reefs capable of surviving and recovering from the climate crisis — three times more than previously estimated, according to a landmark study presented at the Our Ocean Conference in Kenya. The research by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Macquarie University analyzed more than 45,000 coral surveys combined with decades of climate and ocean data. About 60% of the resilient reefs are located in Australia, the Bahamas, Cuba, Indonesia and the Philippines. However, less than a third are currently protected by conservation measures.
A major scientific review concluded that nicotine vapes are likely to cause lung and oral cancers, challenging the notion that vaping is a harmless alternative to smoking. Separately, a study of long-lived families identified rare genetic variants that may help people stay healthier longer. The FDA also approved the first new sunscreen ingredient in over 20 years.
NASA appears to be backing away from the search for life on Mars, raising concerns among planetary scientists that the agency is deprioritizing one of space exploration's most profound questions. In a separate development, an AI system cracked a long-unsolved problem by mathematician Paul Erdős, prompting calls for guardrails on AI mathematical research. New NIH security rules for genomic data sets are slowing research, and astronomers may have found the largest pair of black holes ever recorded, on a collision course.
Researchers have used artificial intelligence to uncover new antibiotic candidates inside prion proteins—misfolded brain proteins best known for causing rare neurodegenerative diseases. Published June 19 in Nature Microbiology, the study from the University of Pennsylvania found that AI analysis of prion protein structures revealed antimicrobial properties never before detected. The discovery opens an unexpected frontier in the search for new antibiotics at a time when drug-resistant bacteria pose a growing global health threat and the pipeline for new treatments remains thin.