Good news, everyone!

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted an urgent need for efficient, durable, and widely accessible vaccines. This prompted several important innovations in vaccine technology, and researchers continue to explore new and creative ways to make effective vaccines rapidly available to the greatest number of people. Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo have used 3D-printing technology to improve the viral titer of microneedle array patches, resulting in effective immunogenicity and protection against infection in mice. Their study is published in Scientific Reports.

American women now have the option of screening for cervical cancer at home, using newly approved self-collection tools. While experts hope this will increase uptake in the under-screened population, a first-of-its kind study by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found the majority (60.8%) still prefer to see a medical professional in-clinic.

Concerns that quantum computers may start easily hacking into previously secure communications has motivated researchers to work on innovative new ways to encrypt information. One such method is quantum key distribution (QKD), a secure, quantum-based method in which eavesdropping attempts disrupt the quantum state, making unauthorized interception immediately detectable.

A research team led by the Department of Medicine, under the School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has synergized the impacts of worldwide clinical trial data through a series of meta-analyses on GLP‑1 receptor agonists, an emerging cardiometabolic drug, offering in-depth insights into its safety profile and novel therapeutic potential in treating cardiovascular diseases.

Documented for 200 years, the Iguanodontia group is expanding with the discovery of a brand-new species, the first known to bear spikes with properties never before observed in dinosaurs. Scientists from the CNRS1 and their internationalpartners have uncovered in China the fossilized skin of an exceptionally well preserved juvenile iguanodon.

Overcoming tumor resistance to chemotherapy drugs has long been a challenge for oncology clinicians and researchers. Now, a new study suggests that blocking a key protein, p300, may force damaged cancer cells into a state of uncontrolled transcriptional activity, thereby creating a novel form of cellular stress that can make even chemo-resistant tumors sensitive again to treatment.

Teachers supervising students in school-sponsored work sites tend to prioritize emotional and social well-being in the workplace, according to research from Rutgers Health. The study, published in Occupational Health, examined how educators approach student wellness and the factors they prioritize when preparing students to enter the workforce.

Among the many trillions of microorganisms in the human gut is Blautia luti. Like many gut bacteria, it metabolizes indigestible dietary components, such as fiber in the form of carbohydrates. This process produces, among other things, acetic acid (acetate), an important energy source for our intestinal cells and a signaling molecule that can even influence our well-being via the gut-brain axis.

Plant-based food as an alternative to meat is high on the agenda today, and mycoprotein (fungal protein) in particular has come into focus in recent years. A new doctoral thesis from the University of Borås in Sweden, has investigated how mycoprotein and its minerals are digested in the body.

Archaeology offers an unparalleled material record of urban dynamics, spanning thousands of years and operating in varied environmental and cultural contexts. The diverse perspectives provided by the archaeological record can yield new insights into our global urban future, providing insights into urban responses to external and internal shocks and similarities or differences in urban form, population densities, socioeconomic organization, and spatial layouts between different traditions.

Japan and California have embraced hydrogen fuel-cell technologies, a form of renewable energy that can be used in vehicles and for supplying clean energy to manufacturing sectors. But the technology remains expensive due to its reliance on precious metals such as platinum. Engineers at Washington University in St. Louis are working on this challenge, finding ways to stabilize ubiquitous iron components for use in fuel cells to replace the expensive platinum metals, which would make hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles more affordable.

Researchers in Australia have unveiled the largest quantum simulation platform built to date, opening a new route to exploring the complex behavior of quantum materials at unprecedented scales.

Research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) sheds new light on how mountain birds adapt to changes in climate. Scientists know that species diversity changes as you go up a mountain, but it is not clearly understood why this is the case. One theory is that it is mostly because of long-term evolution, and the climate niches species have adapted to over millions of years. Another—the "energy efficiency" hypothesis—suggests it is about how species today manage their energy budgets and compete for available resources that vary in space and time.

The onset and aggressiveness of cancer are related to the abnormal behavior of certain genes, known as oncogenes. The best-known of these alterations is mutation, but it is not the only one. Sometimes, within a cell, a very high number of copies of the oncogene appear—tens or even hundreds. This amplification of oncogenes occurs in a significant proportion of solid tumors and may make the tumor more aggressive and prevent the body's defenses from detecting it, contributing to the development of resistance to treatments.

A team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital has uncovered a chain of events that connects genetic alterations, disruptions in lipid metabolism and the manifestation of Parkinson's disease in patients. The findings, published in the journal Brain, bring forward the possibility of identifying people at risk before symptoms appear and developing strategies to treat the disease rather than manage the symptoms.

In recent years, cancer researchers have made major breakthroughs by using the body's immune system to fight cancer. One of the most promising approaches, known as immune checkpoint blockade, works by releasing molecular "brakes" on T cells. This allows them to better recognize and attack cancer cells. While these therapies can be very effective for some patients, many solid tumors, including most forms of breast cancer, remain largely unaffected. Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) Program Co-leader Erik Nelson and his research group are working to understand why these treatments fail.

Wistar scientists have combined a promising cancer therapy with a molecule that targets tumors to treat cancer more effectively. The new approach could be a way to deliver treatment directly to tumors at higher doses, while reducing side effects in healthy tissue. The research is published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.

A new theoretical study led by researchers at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory has identified the microscopic mechanisms by which diamond surfaces affect the quantum coherence of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers—defects in diamond that underpin some of today's most sensitive quantum sensors. The study has appeared in Physical Review Materials and was selected to be an Editors' Suggestion paper.

Glioblastoma is the most prevalent and aggressive brain tumor. It proliferates very rapidly, is highly invasive, and there is currently no treatment capable of halting its progression or curing it, which means life expectancy after diagnosis is very short. The standard procedure involves surgical resection of the tumor followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but even with this aggressive treatment, recurrences are very common, often within a year.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) improves motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease by modulating a specific brain network that is mainly active in the fast beta frequency range (20 to 35 Hz). This conclusion was reached by an interdisciplinary team of neuroscientists and clinicians from the University Hospitals of Cologne and Düsseldorf, Harvard Medical School and Charité Berlin. The study "The Deep Brain Stimulation Response Network in Parkinson's Disease Operates in the High Beta Band" in the journal Brain is the first to bridge the gap between two ways of analyzing DBS response that were previously widely separate: electrophysiology and brain imaging.

Oxygen is a vital and constant presence on Earth today. But that hasn't always been the case. It wasn't until around 2.3 billion years ago that oxygen became a permanent fixture in the atmosphere, during a pivotal period known as the Great Oxidation Event (GOE), which set the evolutionary course for oxygen-breathing life as we know it today. A new study by MIT researchers suggests some early forms of life may have evolved the ability to use oxygen hundreds of millions of years before the GOE. The findings may represent some of the earliest evidence of aerobic respiration on Earth.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, marked by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. What makes it more dangerous is the ability of cancer cells to move quickly through the body, allowing them to invade surrounding tissues. While this behavior is well known, the mechanism behind this rapid spread remains unclear. Researchers from Kyushu University set out to fill this gap and unveiled a new physical process that helps cancer cells move rapidly throughout the body.

A team of archaeologists from the Universitat Jaume I, the University of Barcelona, and the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) has developed a new methodology that allows for a much more detailed, precise, and objective analysis of Late Paleolithic portable art pieces. Thanks to this study, the research team was able to review several previously published pieces from Matutano Cave (Vilafamés), a reference site in the Iberian Mediterranean, with greater accuracy and demonstrate that some of the marks previously interpreted as artistic motifs are not anthropic engravings but natural surface reliefs.

A UT San Antonio-led international research team has identified chitin, the primary organic component of modern crab shells and insect exoskeletons, in trilobite fossils more than 500 million years old, marking the first confirmed detection of the molecule in this extinct group.

For decades, scientists assumed that order drives efficiency. Yet in the bustling machinery of mitochondria—the organelles that crank out adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the universal "energy currency" of cells—one of the most enigmatic components is a protein that appears anything but orderly.

In the U.S., one in eight women will get breast cancer in their lifetime, and about half of them will have mastectomies. Many of those women opt to have their breasts surgically reconstructed, most commonly with implants, but a relatively high percentage develop infections after implant surgery, requiring intravenous antibiotics and often removal of the implant. This can lead to additional surgeries, delays in cancer care and increased costs, as well as added emotional distress for women already under strain from cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Proteins are the building blocks of life. These biomolecules comprise chains of amino acids that fold into precise shapes to perform specific jobs in nature. But these elegant structures form only under narrow pH and temperature conditions, a property dictated by billions of years of evolution that has limited efforts to develop synthetic, protein-based advanced materials.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will now allow food labels to claim products have "no artificial colors" as long as they avoid petroleum-based dyes.

Researchers from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with international partners, have engineered a thin two-dimensional perovskite phase at the buried interface of three-dimensional (3D) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) to boost device performance and operational stability.

The concept of "good fats" and "bad fats" has influenced diet trends, public health policy, and biomedical research for decades. Now, a new study led by Thomas A. Vallim, Ph.D., a researcher and professor of medicine in the UCLA Division of Cardiology, offers new insights into how the body handles good fats and bad fats at the molecular level—opening a door to new treatments for obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic conditions. Their study is featured on the cover of the February edition of Cell Metabolism.

In a new study published in Physical Review Letters, scientists have performed the first global simulations of monster shocks—some of the strongest shocks in the universe—revealing how these extreme events in magnetar magnetospheres could be responsible for producing fast radio bursts (FRBs).

Time crystals, a collection of particles that "tick"—or move back and forth in repeating cycles—were first theorized and then discovered about a decade ago. While scientists have yet to create commercial or industrial applications for this intriguing form of matter, these crystals hold great promise for advancing quantum computing and data storage, among other uses.

A team of scientists has uncovered a critical mechanism that could pave the way for safer and more effective obesity treatments. The findings, published in Nature Communications, shed light on how leptin, a hormone that regulates appetite and energy balance, works in the brain.

A single type of chemical structure that shows up again and again in modern medicine is the amide bond that links a carbonyl group (C=O) to a nitrogen atom. They're so ubiquitous that 117 of the top 200 small-molecule drugs by retail sales in 2023 feature at least one amide bond. And now, researchers have discovered a clever new way to reengineer natural enzymes to build amides from simple chemicals like aldehydes and amines.

A research team led by Dr. Dandan Gao from the Department of Chemistry at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has developed a new method for the sustainable production of ammonia and formic acid. Ammonia is indispensable in modern agriculture and, like formic acid, an important industrial feedstock. Conventionally, ammonia is produced using the Haber-Bosch process, which is extremely energy-intensive and causes significant CO₂ emissions. It is also possible to produce ammonia via electrolysis, i.e., using electrical current, but this remains a relatively young field of research. Electrolysis offers a sustainable alternative for production because it can be powered by renewable electricity.

Implementing novel management practices in dairy farming, one of the commonwealth's major agricultural industries, could help alleviate a large source of both nutrient pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, according to a multidisciplinary team led by researchers at Penn State. Those practices include continuous cover—keeping fields covered with vegetation year-round—and anaerobic digestion—a microbial process that converts manure and plant organic matter, called biomass, into biogas—a combustible fuel consisting mostly of methane.

Ammonia (NH3) is essential for fertilizers and emerging carbon-free energy technologies, yet its conventional production via the Haber-Bosch process is energy-intensive and CO2-emitting. Researchers from Tohoku University and collaborating institutions have now established a structural blueprint for deploying 3D COFs in electrocatalysis, opening new routes toward sustainable nitrate management and decentralized ammonia synthesis. The work was published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A on February 2, 2026.

Supriya Chakraborty might have been studying insects in a lab had it not been for an immunology college instructor in India who taught him about the superheroes inside him—immune cells that wage a battle against bacteria, parasites, and a host of other adversaries that invade our bodies. "That really fascinated me," Chakraborty recalled. "My focus shifted from entomology to wanting to solve illnesses that affect humans, specifically neurodegenerative disorders."

An AI-powered model developed at the University of Michigan can read a brain MRI and diagnose a person in seconds, a study suggests. The model detected neurological conditions with up to 97.5% accuracy and predicted how urgently a patient required treatment.

A research team led by Professor Wang Hongzhi from the Hefei Institute of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a multi-stage, dual-domain, progressive network with synergistic training for sparse-view computed tomography (CT) reconstruction. The study is published in Neural Networks.

Southern California's beaches have grown more than 500 acres over the past four decades despite being one of the most heavily urbanized and dammed coastal regions in the world, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, the U.S. Geological Survey and other institutions. The conventional wisdom-challenging revelation about coastal erosion and replenishment is the subject of the study published recently in Nature Communications.

The brains of mammals continuously combine signals originating from different regions to produce various sensations, emotions, thoughts and behaviors. This process, known as information integration, is what allows brain regions with different functions to collectively form unified experiences.

Loneliness has a critical impact on the mental health of citizens, particularly among the elderly. Robots capable of perceiving and responding to human emotions can serve as heart-warming companions to help lift the spirits. A research team at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has discovered that the combined power of music and empathetic speech in robots with artificial intelligence (AI) could foster a stronger bond between humans and machines. These findings underscore the importance of a multimodal approach in designing empathetic robots, offering significant implications for their application in health support, elder care, education and beyond.

A team of EPFL researchers has taken a major step towards resolving the problem of drift in generative video, which is what causes sequences to become incoherent after a handful of seconds. Their breakthrough paves the way to AI videos with no time constraints.

A new study in mice hints at the potential to use tiny particles made with RNA molecules to deliver chemotherapy drugs and other therapies directly to tumors, killing cancer cells without generating an immune response or toxicity-related side effects.

A research team led by Prof. Huang Qunying from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science has achieved nearly defect-free bonding between China low activation martensitic (CLAM) steel and an oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) alloy using the hot compression bonding (HCB) method.

Tungsten carbide–cobalt (WC–Co) is prized for its hardness, but that same property makes it unusually difficult to shape. The current process is wasteful and expensive for the yield produced, and an economically sensible method for creating these materials is long overdue.

Jeremiah Kithinji had never touched a computer before he finished high school. A decade later, he is teaching robotics, and even took a team of rural Kenyans to the World Robotics Olympiad in Singapore.

Researchers in Taiwan demonstrate that installing solar panels above clam ponds can simultaneously support aquaculture and renewable energy under increasing climate stress. Using real-world farm data, the study shows that moderate shading lowers pond temperatures, reduces water demand, and generates clean electricity. This reveals novel, practical synergies across the water–energy–food–climate–land nexus.

Anthropic on Thursday released its latest high-performing artificial intelligence model, escalating its challenge to OpenAI in the intensifying AI race.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday canceled a mandate for all vehicles sold in the country to be electric by 2035, while announcing major investments to support the auto industry's EV transition.

Scientists have created a new type of material that could enable common electronic devices to work faster and use less energy, a study suggests. The findings indicate the material, which was until now thought near-impossible to make, can act as a highly effective semiconductor—a key component of modern electrical devices.

In a typical online meeting, humans don't always wait politely for their turn to speak. They interrupt to express strong agreement, stay silent when they are unsure, and let their personalities shape the flow of the discussion. Yet, when artificial intelligence (AI) agents are programmed to debate or collaborate, they are usually forced into a rigid, round-robin structure that stifles this natural dynamic.

Researchers have developed an AI control system that enables soft robotic arms to learn a wide repertoire of motions and tasks once, then adjust to new scenarios on the fly without needing retraining or sacrificing functionality. This breakthrough brings soft robotics closer to human-like adaptability for real-world applications, such as in assistive robotics, rehabilitation robots, and wearable or medical soft robots, by making them more intelligent, versatile, and safe. The research team includes Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology's (SMART) Mens, Manus & Machina (M3S) interdisciplinary research group, and National University of Singapore (NUS), alongside collaborators from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore).

Conventional lithium-ion batteries contain problematic substances such as nickel and cobalt, and the solvents used to coat the electrode materials are also toxic. Materials scientists at Saarland University are therefore working to develop environmentally friendly alternatives. By introducing finely dispersed iron oxide into tiny, highly porous, hollow carbon spheres developed by Professor Michael Elsaesser at the University of Salzburg, the Saarbrücken team has achieved some very promising results: higher storage capacities using materials that are both readily available and environmentally far less problematic. These results have now been published in Chemistry of Materials.

Taiwan's chipmaker TSMC said Thursday it will be manufacturing some of the world's most cutting-edge semiconductors in Japan to meet booming artificial intelligence-related demand, in a boost for the country's chipmaking ambitions.

What if the energy produced by wind turbines on a beautiful summer day could be stored until January to heat homes in the dead of winter? It might be possible, thanks to the discovery of a new organic molecule that can hold a charge for months with virtually no loss of energy. Dubbed AzoBiPy, the molecule was developed by a research team in the Department of Chemistry at Université de Montréal in collaboration with Concordia University researchers. Their results were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Skeleton is an exhilarating Winter Olympic sport in which athletes race head-first down an ice track at speeds reaching over 80 miles per hour (130km/h). While the event can look basic at first glance, success relies heavily on highly engineered equipment and extensive wind-tunnel testing—much like elite Olympic track cycling programs.

High-powered satellites use electromagnetic waveguides to deliver energy from one component to another. Typically, they are made of heavy, inflexible metal tubes with an even heavier flange on either end, neither of which is ideal for space applications.